~:|| Once We Were Soldiers ||:~

[Leto]

As he came to he could feel the cold packed dirt press against his face, glowing embers was strewn around him more kept falling like glowing black snow, with a stifled groan the beaten feline pushed himself up from the ground but as he tried to stand a sharp pain from his ribs froze his movement through a pained gasp. The soldier’s brows narrowed as he could feel the fur along his abdomen was soaked with a sticky liquid, carefully he removed his paw and glanced at it, finding his pads coated in blood.

“Crap.” hissed through gritted fangs; with great effort the soldier pushes himself onto his feet but he could barely support his own weight. Gravely injured, the young male turned his head looking up he could see the fire and smoke consuming the entire plateau from which he had fallen, or was he pushed or maybe he jumped he couldn’t recall, with a stifled groan he limped and staggered across muddy field, towards river illuminated by the inferno behind him.

The smoke in the air was blinding and choking him coupled with the whipping rains almost completely obscured the view ahead, but only one thing was on his mind he had to get to the other side of the river… it had to be the only way out of this wretched place. The fire had come from nowhere and it did not give quarter to anyone it had caught them all friend as well as foe.

The fall had left the young lion battered and bruised as such his progress was painfully slow, unfortunately he wasn’t even halfway towards the river when the soldier fell to the ground he felt his legs give way beneath him sending him hard onto his side and he could feel his strength slipping fast. Leto used his remaining reserves to drag himself along the ground towards a large boulder near the river and propped himself up against it. The boulder clearly marked a border of something, but in all confusion the seeker had little idea where he was.

He could sense darkness creeping in from the edges of his vision slowly swallowing what little there was left of light, sounds and colour in this already bleak space, leaving nothing but the sound of his own raspy and shallow breathing clogging his ears, along with arrhythmic heartbeats. The soldier tried to fight against the overpowering impending exhaustion and encroaching loss of consciousness, a very real fear was gripping his heart that if he allowed it to claim him he would never wake up. But he was slowly but surely succumbing to the void of nothing, Leto could not fight it no matter how hard he tried sounds faded away and darkness claimed him.

[Lyonize]

They were called "knights." They were bound by a strict code of honor, the first pledge of which was to protect others. Peace was it's intention, but Vita had never known peace. Not even now. Rather than conform himself to the creed, it suited him. There was no pledge in his mind. No promise, no code. He was the monster he had become, and through the blindest stroke of favorable fate, the monster had found himself in the company of those who didn't mind. 'Knight.' It was a title that adopted him. Not the other way around. He did not do the things he did because he felt compelled, but because it was the only thing he knew how to do.

Walking through the blaze was like walking through his own heart and the unquenchable fire in his belly. Somehow it sharpened his focus, though his sense of smell was filled with heat and ash.

"I'll head this way. Vita, you head back to the river and see if anyone needs help crossing." Imara, another of King Adhama's knights barked an order. She was a solidly built lioness with fur that almost looked like armor the way it thickened around her shoulders and legs. Vita gave an affirmative growl and turned toward the river that bordered the prides territory. Unphased by the inferno, Vita's gate was stalwart. He kept his eyes open for any sign of someone who needed help escaping. It was the whole reason the knights were there.

Finally, at the edge of the river, he spotted the silhouette of another lion. At first, he though it was Igazi, another of the four knights. He barrelled down the slope leading to the cornerstone that marked the edge of their land. He rested a paw on the unconscious lion's neck. There was a pulse. At the same time, Vita examined his face. He didn't recognize him. It didn't matter. With a heave, he grabbed the lion by the arm and lifted him over his back. With careful steps, Vita marched into the gently flowing water. The coolness was jarring, in juxtaposition with the heat he had just been exposed to.

At the edge of the river, Vita rolled the dead weight off his back and was met by Diwani and Igazi, who seemed a bit troubled at the sight. He paid them no attention as he examined his fur for burns.

"Vita. Do you know who this is?" Diwani said, a hint of caution in his voice.

"No." Vita answered bluntly. Imara arrived just then, carrying a fennec fox, who thanked her and scurried away once they arrived at the shore.

"Who is he?" She asked. No one answered.

"Igazi and I will report to Adhama." Diwani looked up at the other three. "Vita, Imara. You two stay and watch him." With that, two of the four trotted off, leaving Vita and Imara with the unconscious stranger.

[Leto]

The wound on his abdomen thankfully just looked worse than it was, a minor flesh wound, it had been bleeding quite a bit but nothing near to fatal. The seeker coughed as his consciousness seeped back into his mind, eyes opened to nothing but a blurry visage, he noted two figures near him but he was too delirious to pay careful heed of them. With an impressive resolve the male staggered onto his feet, despite the torturous agony he felt from nearly any move, he clenched his jaw to silence any involuntary whimpers.

“Where am I?” he rasped out through a cough from the ash in the air, turning his gaze to the two figures his eerie piercing ice-blue eyes studied the males as his vision came back into focus. He straightened himself; Leto was formidable looking although still average for a male lion as far as his height was concerned. However the seeker was no hapless rogue, or mere vagabond; whereever he was from and despite his disheveled appearance and wounds, he gave of an aura of complete confidence.

[Lyonize]

The stranger began to stir almost immediately after Diwani and Igazi had left.

“Where am I?”

The two immediately recognized him as a soldier as he stood up. He kept his composure in spite of his beaten appearance and stood tall. This could be a good thing or a bad thing, they both knew.

"You're in Adhama's territory." Imara spoke to him like she would another soldier. "Come with us." Vita stayed silent as he and Imara stood on either side of him, allowing him to prop himself on their shoulders if he needed it. It also made it easy to keep him under control should he become violent, however unlikely it was.

Slowly, they padded across the grasslands and arrived at an open area surrounded by rock formations. It almost resembled an arena. In the middle of the circle were tree stumps of different heights, all cracked and broken and with claw marks across them on every side. This was the training grounds. It was where the Knights spent most of their time. They brought him across the dusty, worn ground to a cluster of rocks that came together, offering some shelter from the sun which had just begun to come up.

"Stay here with him, Vita. I'll go get the others." With that, Imara was gone, leaving Vita alone with this stranger.

(Just for clarity's sake, here's a list of the characters I just introduced and a short description just to help you keep them all straight in your mind.

Diwani: Peacemaker/leader of the Knights
Igazi: Headstrong/arrogant survivalist
Imara: Lioness. Quick to start a fight. Cautious.
Vita: tlkgoeson.proboards.com/post/97408

At some point, we'll probably move on from the pride so that we don't have to keep track of so many NPCs but for the introduction of Vita I thought it was necessary to at least mention them.)

[Leto]

As they were left alone Leto’s surveyed the arena like place, noting the broken cluster of trees at its center. “So who’re you at war with?” the seeker asked throwing a casual glance to the male left to watch him. As he took a short walk around the arena itself seemingly studying it, there was little reason for a place such as this to be here if the pride didn’t suffer any hostility. He dragged his claws across one of the stumps leaving a deep trail of marks in the dead wood.

Leto’s eyes also trailed the general surrounds taking in the environment he was seeing, idly assessing it. “Thanks for the rescue.” He added sincerely upon returning Vita and the shady overhang. His movements were still stiff and in pain, but it was nothing he couldn’t live with, given time he’d heal.

[Lyonize]

“So who’re you at war with?”

"Nobody." Normally that would be the only answer Vita would give, but seeing that it was a topic relevant to both of them as soldiers, Vita allowed himself to add a bit more. "This pride hasn't seen war in years. Regardless, we train ourselves daily." Vita followed him around the dusty, packed down terrain. He had to admire his resolve. He was obviously in pain. Anyone would be with those injuries. But he didn't show it. The lion was also exhausted, but he kept on functioning like he had just rested. This lion was a disciplined soldier.

“Thanks for the rescue.”

"It's what we do." He replied simply.

[Leto]

The seeker nodded at the answer, "I see, so you keep yourself trained despite years of peace. Smart." he tilts his head in mild approval, this pride seems like they're doing most things right. The soldier's gaze trailed around the scenery, "Those others who were with you? Scouts I take it?" Leto added giving an assessment. They had looked like a scouting party.

"What you do? So you rescue random strangers?" he gave a low chuckle, incidating that the very idea was a little alien to him. Not that he didn't appriciate the save. His own people wouldn't so much save yunkai that strayed into their domain, but rather enslave or possibly kill them.

[Lyonize]

"Those others who were with you? Scouts I take it?"

"We pull scouting duties, yes."

"What you do? So you rescue random strangers?"

This time, the answer came from Diwani arriving with Igazi and Imara. "King Adhama keeps an outstretched paw to anyone who needs help. We would prefer to stay in favor of surrounding kingdoms." He paused, allowing his answer to set in. "I think introductions are in order. My name is Diwani. This is Igazi,
Imara, and the big one here is Vita." Diwani gestured at the lion who stayed with Leto. "We are Adhama's Knights. Who are you?" His question wasn't hostile. It was phrased bluntly, but it was a fair question.