The Flooding of Kingwa Valley

[Reagen]

(OoC: Why is it that I always seem to be the one to start a new page?)


'Going somewhere, Reagen?'

Reagen looked around, recognizing the voice as that of Grimork. He had still been half lost in thought at that moment, and didn't notice where the voice was coming from.

'In the water beside you.'

Reagen turned to look at Grimork, now that he heard him clearly he spotted him hiding in the water. He backed up a little and started to stare intently at the ground across the river, not looking directly at Grimork.

'Still think you can manage?'

Reagen's mouth wrinkled. "Of course. Did you think my confidence shriveled up while you were gone? It's a simple deal, and a simple plan. I don't really see what there is for me to worry about."
He spoke confidently, and in truth he was feeling good about it. He doubted that Grimork would know what he was actually going to do, since the success of that was rather unlikely. But then again Reagen's luck had always seemed to kick in when he needed it the most, he was counting on that. And telling a couple lies isn't so wrong when the people you lied to can't get revenge.
"Now, perhaps we shouldn't waste time, you think?"

[mahewarac]

Simulia smiled as Zulu and the rest of the group approached her and the little cub. Reagan was bitter, but she was used to it. Jogging away, she sat by the riverbank, enjoying the look of the mist swirling over the surface of the water. So beautiful, so relaxing. She looked to her side, and saw Reagan, in the distance, talking to what looked like a log.My goodness, he has lost his mind. Feeling that he was so far away, she let it be. She jogged back to the group.

"I feel with the newcomer we will need more food. Perhaps we shall all go, as Reagan and I have not found much."

[Tamber]

Zulu listened to the lonely cub's story as she explained her past to him. She had been separated from her family. He could relate in some ways.

"My na-" Zulu began in a raspy, weak voice, proceeding to clear his throat. "My name is Zulu," he replied to her inquiry. "You needn't have any worries with us, my lady. Would you care to join us? It would be much better than walking on alone and slipping into muddy ditches, hm?" The cheetah spoke in his friendly way, a playful grin always on his face.

The looked away from the cub for a moment, scanning the drowned lands around him. He saw nothing of Reagen, and began to wonder where he had run off to.

[SandKitsu]

"Nice to met you Elder Zulu..." Okumi spoke with a kind gestured bow as she learned respect to your elders was always the best thing to do, unless you wished to be harmed. Okumi flinchedslightly at the memory- such a hard thwack she had gotten that day- before the endless storms approached them.. before she was swept away by a muddy tide, and before she was so scared and depressed- no- wait- she was ALWAYS scared and depressed!

Shaking her small head feebly from the thoughts she looked as Zulu ran off towards some direction as her stormy gray eyes blinked in confusion. "Um...?" She began though stopped her train of thinking believing it was best to keep her mouth shut unless needed to speak....

"Um... does anyone have something to eat?" She mewed in discontent as Okumi had not eaten in what seemed days to her young mind. "N-Not to be r-rude or anything!" She stuttered quickly trying not to sound selfish. That's the LAST thing she wanted right now from the more bigger and stronger creatures! Okumi dipped her head down in defeat, sulking at her loneliness.

[mahewarac]

"Um... does anyone have something to eat?"

Simulia laughed at the child, who sulked at her outburst.

"Unfortunately, that is a problem we're trying to fix. I had food, yes, but it wasn't enough to feed many animals. I suppose we will have to just try harder."

She looked at the remaining people around her. "I'm new here. Does anyone know where to find some food?"

[KanuTGL]

OOC: Just pretend that Dhakiya has been with the group the whole time xP I apologise for my extreme inactivity...

IC: So many newcomers at the same time! Dhakiya was both excited and concerned about this. She loved meeting new creatues, but when a group like theirs became too big... Kye's sudden death had surely proved that these once so lush and peaceful lands were now treacherous grounds that did not hesitate to claim even the smallest of lives. A shiver went down the young wolf's spine as she glanced towards the raging river. The more individuals they had to look after, the slower their journey would get, and if they slowed down too much... But little Okumi would never make it on her own. And Dhakiya felt her pain, the lion cub's story reminded a lot of her own and stirred even more hate towards this cruel land in which they now lived. It just wasn't fair what it had done to them! Curse this weather... She made another pointless effort to shake some water out of her rusty-red, soaked, fur but it was of course of no avail.

"And I'm Dhakiya!" said the wolf then, following Zulu's introduction and looking back to the little brown ball of fluff at her paws, grinning her wide grin as always. If there was something that she knew kept spirits up, it was smiles! At the request of something to eat, her smirk faded however.

"Does anyone know where to find some food?" the princess Simulia asked.

"Well..." Dhakiya began, glancing towards the sky as if the answer would drop down on her with the rain. "I know where there used to be food..." She made another brief pause to get rid of an annoying itch by her left ear. "But who knows if it's still there now." The wolf sighed and looked down at her muddy brown paws, also feeling the hunger slowly creeping up on her. The mole rats had probably left their shallow dens by now, but... "Won't hurt to go and have a look though, will it?" She got to her feet. "I know where the mole rats keep their dens, who wants to come with me and see if we can find any? The rest of you will have to promise to stay here and wait for us. The last thing we need now is someone getting lost. A'ight?" Almost without waiting for any answers, the wolf wheeled around and began to walk in the direction of her old hunting grounds.

[cheezeegriff]

"Your plan is by no means simple,"
Grimork said to Reagen,
"Though since you seem so confident... I have consulted those that would know, and I have determined your future. It is to end quite soon, in fact, at the hands of the cheetah, Zulu."
Always he enjoyed this bit: the reaction to bad news. It would be curious to see how one usually so well-composed behaved.

[Alexandra Lyn]

Finally the wolf turned around. "What is it about me that makes you think I would want your company...kid?" [i/] Ayo smiled to disguise the fact that he did not have a response. Teeth bared the wolf glared at Ayo menacigly. He saw the annoyance written on the wolf's face. The look was like a stab to the heart and he quickly lost his smile. The unwelcome memories of this face flooded his mind and he choked back a cry. The wolf seeing his reaction backed off a bit but not much. Not wanting to be questioned Ayo put back on his smile. "My name is Ayo, and you are?..."

[Tamber]

Dhakiya's uncertain response for a place to find food was enough for Zulu. He was becoming quite hungry, and although he did not feel up to hunting at all, he knew catching a rat or two would be much less exerting than trying to bring down an antelope. The cheetah could feel his chest becoming heavy, as if something was clogging it up and weighing it down. And regardless of how he was feeling, he wanted to spend time with someone he knew well, at least relatively well, compared to these others. He had never expected this group to grow to this size, full of animals of very different species and with completely different personalities. Having a quiet walk with Dhakiya would calm his nerves for a while.

"I'll go with you, Dhakiya," he responded after clearing his throat. "Simulia, would you mind looking after Okumi while we are gone? It looks as thought Reagen is busy." This last remark came out in a more frustrated tone, and Zulu almost immediately regretted showing his dislike for the strangely composed cheetah.
_______________________________________
The jackal refused to give up on his happy mood, even as Jiro glared at him, he shoulders hunched and his teeth bared. The wolf ceased to move from his position until the pup stirred, frowned, did something in response to him other than smile. That smile drove Jiro up the wall. It filled him with irrational anger, and it took all he had not to burst out on the jackal.

Finally something about the pup changed. The wretched smile began to disappear, and Jiro could feel it migrating over to his own face as it melted away fro the pup's. But soon the smile disappeared from both of them. The jackal appeared to be holding back a sob, his eyes showing some moisture around their bottom rims. Jiro wished to feel no remorse for this pup, and he showed none. His teeth no longer bared, but his frown was still apparent and exaggerated, his pupils still narrow.

Still he didn't know when he was more uncomfortable, when the pup cried or when he smiled. She oncoming cry seemed to disappear immediately, and the God-forsaken smile returned.

"My name is Ayo, and you are?..."

Jiro's teeth revealed themselves again and he let out a loud, deeply frustrated huff as he tried to hold in his anger. He hung his head for a moment, trying to think of any way he could shake this monkey off his back. Finally he stood very tall and glared down at the jackal. "I think it would be wise not to waste your days around people like me, Ayo. I'll only drag you down."

With this Jiro turned around once more and began walking away from the jackal in his average posture, at his average speed, only praying that the pup would decide to give up and leave him be.

[darkmane]

A soaked, wet lion sprang up from one of the flooded areas, obviously he had just swam from the other side with little effort. He shook himself of, hes fur and mane dragging from being wet. The Lion walked foward, hes paws thudding with each step. He was looking right at the group and continued past them, hes stare dark and empty.

The lion spoke in a dark and menacing tone as he sat, back turned to the group.

"I heard everything. When do we begin?"

[KanuTGL]

Glad to hear that Zulu was coming, Dhakiya let out a happy bark and stopped for a second to wait for the cheetah to catch up. "Follow me!" she said then and carried on walking.

"I know they used to be around here..." Sniffing around the drenched plains, Dhakiya now looked for any signs of the big rodents' presence. She jogged around, nose to the ground, searching the area, armed with the experienced hunter's expertise. They had arrived at the old hunting grounds, but things sure looked bleak... The young wolf poked a paw into an abandoned hole only to find it filled almost to the brim with water, and almost all of the other holes were as well. "Well... This ain't looking good..." she mumbled, frowning. "The ones who haven't already evacuated have probably drowned by now..." Dhakiya sighed. "Well, not much we can do. These used to be our best hunting grounds." The wolf looked out over the grassy area, as if reminiscing some good hunts of the past; back in the days before this cursed rainfall... "But it's not the only one we had. Maybe we'll have better luck at Kiduta Fuko." She smiled. "That's what my pack used to call the place anyway. 'Mole rat Hill' - original, huh? It's at least situated on higher grounds, so maybe we'll find something there."

'Kiduta Fuko' wasn't much more than a small plateau slightly more elevated from the ground than the previous location, but it did have an abundant population of mole rats... It didn't take long to get there, but since they were moving at such a brisk pace Dhakiya still had to stop and catch her breath before she could carry on scanning the area for prey of any sort. The wolf squinted into the dim distance, trying to detect any sort of movement apart from their own. And as luck would have it, there it was - a big, fat mole rat, looking out of its hole just ahead... A shiver of excitement went through Dhakiya's body and she lowered herself to the ground, motioning towards Zulu to stay where he was. She then started to carefully move forward, crouching so low her belly almost brushed against the ground. Creeping up slowly, she did her very best to remain undetected, something which was made somewhat easier because of the still heavy rain. It was at least good for something then...

The rat was sitting still, probably pondering over what to do now that his home was slowly but surely being flooded. Dhakiya grinned as she approached. He wouldn't have to worry for much longer. Just... a little... further... Then she made a mistake - one of her paws brushed against a small pile of leaves that very stupidly had placed itself right in her path. The mole rat stiffened and suddenly became alert. The hunter knew it wouldn't be able to see her, well camouflaged as she was against the yellow grass, but she now needed to move with even more care... One step, then another. Slowly now... Slowly... Steady... Wait for the right moment... Dhakiya lay completely flat against the ground now, almost shaking with anticipation, only a couple of paces away from her prey. This was a crucial point in the hunt. If she missed the leap now it'd take a long time to lure the rat out again... It looked her way. Almost... It looked away. Now! In a flash of red and brown fur, the hunter blasted forward, aiming with exact precision for the mole rat's neck. Had you blinked now you would've missed the show...

Moments later, Dhakiya strutted back towards Zulu carrying the now dead rat in her powerful jaws. "I khot 'im!" she shouted and smiled exultantly before dropping it before her friend's paws. "Not so hard after all!" She looked down on the rat as if inspecting it more closely. "He should be enough for the young 'uns at least." Eyes aglow, she then looked up at Zulu. "There are more out there! Wanna try?"

[darkmane]

Darkmane strutted over to the Mole rat and swiftly took it, running to gain some distance between the others and himself.
"Yes...you SHOULD try again, there is barely enough here to feed even me!" Darkmane snarled as he crushed the mole rats head with hes massive jaws and gulped down the rat in a few attempts.

"Forgive me for being such an annoyance, allow me to go get more." Darkmane entered near the homes of the mole rats, silence emitted for a few fragile seconds, followed by a massive roar that echoed the entire area. Three Mole rats flew out, trying to scamper away.

[Tamber]

Zulu wandered around the soggy plains peacefully with Dhakyia, not feeling any rush and just enjoying some time in peace and quiet. He stood intrigued and excited as he watched Dhakiya's genius in her hunting. She caught the mole rat with great skill, and Zulu admired the talent this small animal had. She offered to let Zulu give it a go to find more food in the rat holes, but suddenly something enormous jumped before them and snatched their catch.

"Yes...you SHOULD try again, there is barely enough here to feed even me!"

Zulu looked over at the thief as it stood there with their meal. It was a lion, a very strange-looking lion. It's fur was dark and scraggly, and it had a large, black mane running down it's back. Zulu had never seen anything like it before, and as angry as he was that he had stolen their catch, he was hesitant to be hostile before such a creature.

"Um...excuse me," the cheetah said in an offended and peeved tone. But before he could say anymore, the lion let out a deafening roar and frightened the mole rats out of their burrows. The rodents scurried all about them, terrified out of all sense and simply running in confused circles. As one rat ran by his feet, Zulu's hunting instinct overcame him, and he snatched the animal with his paws. He pushed down on the creature so it couldn't move, and he leaned down and clamped his jaws around it's body, killing it within seconds.

Zulu raised his head once more, the mole rat dangling from his mouth, and he stared at the strange lion before him, unsure of how to judge this strange creature.

[KanuTGL]

Dhakiya had been so proud of her catch that she hadn't noticed the strange, intimidating lion until it had been too late. She yelped in protest as he quite nonchalantly gobbled up her precious prey and she made a feeble attempt at getting it back. Within seconds the rat had vanished into the hungry jaws of the lion however and the young wolf slumped down on her behind in mere surprise, both ears flattened. "But... but...!" she whined, realising all her efforts to catch the little critter had been in vain. Rudeness had no limits these days! Then the thief spoke:

"Forgive me for being such an annoyance, allow me to go get more."

Then, with a roar that seemed to make the very earth tremble, the lion scared three new mole rats out of their wet dens and they scampered across the plain in panic trying to escape the walking thunder. Dhakiya's reactions weren't slow and she dashed towards one of them, though only barely managed to grab it this time. She made the rodent's suffering short and trotted back towards Zulu and this... new lion. There she dropped the rat, but made sure that no one could take it from her this time by practically sitting on it. "Thanks for that... I guess." she said, tilting her head to inspect who this odd-looking fellow could be. Who would first steal her food and then help her get more...? "Who are you?"

[mahewarac]

"Simulia, would you mind looking after Okumi while we are gone? It looks as thought Reagen is busy."

"....Excuse me?" When she questioned if anyone knew where to find food, she assumed she would be coming along, not being a baby sitter! She, Princess Simulia, being subjected to taking care of a cub while the others went hunting? This would never do! She had been hunting since she was catching flys as a cub (and was quite good at it, too) and she was the sole member of this group to have actually caught something bigger then a mouthful, and here she was, stuck with some child!

"Okumi..." She asked, pondering. "Okumi, would you like to go out with me an d learn some real hunting?"

[cheezeegriff]

The group of animals was standing on a spit of land, too far away from the water to make a safe grab... no matter. For the moment Grimork's belly was still full, and with the amount of drowned beasts he had eaten in the past few days, he could likely survive without food for a year. Still, instinct was something he found hard to ignore completely, though control was something his many years had granted him, at least.
"It seems the group dynamics of your little pride have changed yet again,"
Grimork said, rising out of the water like a rotting log beside the group of animals that Zulu had left behind to hunt. His reptillian eyes narrowed.
"Another cheetah, unless my nose and eyes decieve me. I don't suppose your hunting friends mentioned me, did they?"
He grinned, which only showed in the scales around his eyes, for his mouth, luckily enough, always showed a fantastic, toothy smile. Often he wondered if he would have been half as successful a predator if a crocodile's fixed smile had been a frown.

[mahewarac]

"Another cheetah, unless my nose and eyes decieve me. I don't suppose your hunting friends mentioned me, did they?"

Simulia spun around to see a crocidile. A crocidile! The very creature who's wretched kind was responsible for the death of her poor mother!

"Yes, I am a cheetah, sir, and you are a crocidile. I do not associate myself with the likes of you. Please, return to the hole in which you came." She turned her tail away from the horrible reptile and, picking up Okumi by the scruff of the neck, walked away with her head high.

...............................................................................................

Fira sat silently in a tree, watching the group hunting. A strange looking pair of cats were catching some mole rats, despite the obvious fact that such an animal would never feed them, much less their group they traveled with. She had been watching all of them for a short while. There was so little food with this gods forsaken flood that she found her best chance was biting one of them and eating as much as she could. Normally she wouldn't go for such large creatures, but she was quite despirate. She couldn't imagine being like an animal such as a cat that needed to eat everyday.

Studying the mole rat pair and their new "friend" hunting, Fira tried to find a way to get one of them alone. Possibly, she thought, If I get one or two of them to run off I can get the others. But how was she to get one to run off? If she got them to think someone was in danger...

Of course! The only ones they seemed to leave out of the hunting party was the cheetah girl and the cub. The cheetah had a rather simple voice, especially for a ventriliquist of her talents.

[glow=red,2,300]"HEEELP!" [/glow]She shouted in the voice, coaxing her sound to seem to come from a far distance, [glow=red,2,300]"THE CROCIDILE IS TRYING TO EAT ME!" [/glow]

[Tamber]

Zulu was awaiting the response of the strange, rude lion, but he was forced to look away from this suspicious animal as something echoed through his spotted ears.

"HEEELP! THE CROCODILE IS TRYING TO EAT ME!"

"Did you hear that, Dhakyia?" Zulu was immediately terrified, and after considering it for a moment, he realized that the voice sounded a lot like that of Simulia. However, when he looked back to see what was happening, he noticed her holding Simulia and walking haughtily. It did not seem to be a posture that reflected fright.

It must have been someone else in trouble, but Zulu could see no one around, nor could he see a crocodile. Unless...it was that creepy croc from earlier, the one who appeared with...Reagen. Zulu shuddered at the thought of this cheetah.

Zulu spun around once again, still seeing nothing of the crocodile, but remembering how difficult a creature he had been to spot. He decided that it was time for him and Dhakyia to leave this strange lion to his mole rats. If this croc was heading towards them again, it most definitely needed to be dealt with.

"Come on, Dhakyia, let's go. I'm thinking this is the same croc we met earlier. You know...the dark, pleasant one."
____________________________________
Jiro continued walking anxiously for about a minute, and at last, reluctantly, he turned around and saw nothing. No life except for the trees he had left behind. "Finally!" The wolf whispered gratefully to himself. "The little creep decided to bug off."

With this Jiro began to trot away, remembering his interest in the wolf like him and the group she was with. He prowled the area for a few minutes until he spotted two cheetahs, one of them holding a cub. The scruffy cheetah and the wolf were nowhere to be found, but what he watched was interesting, so he crouched low in the tall, wet grasses. The female cheetah had spoken a word to what looked to be nothing, only water, then proceeding by walking away haughtily. Jiro then noticed the other cheetah, one he had noticed in the group earlier, who looked down at the water, as well. Perhaps there was something in there Jiro couldn't see. Raising his head a bit higher, Jiro squinted hard, but saw nothing. Damn eyesight he cursed in his mind. It'll be the death of me someday.

Suddenly he heard a voice scream from nearby, and darting his eyes around, he finally realized what was in the water. He could faintly see some large scales, and he realized that this was a dark, frightening crocodile. But why would someone be crying for help over this creature? He appeared to be doing to harm, and there was nothing around that was being threatened by him.

[cheezeegriff]

(Hey guys. Seeing as Reagen won't be playing anymore, you can assume that he wandered off and didn't come back).

"Yes, I am a cheetah, sir, and you are a crocidile. I do not associate myself with the likes of you. Please, return to the hole in which you came."

Grimork watched the retreating cheetah with a smile. His only smile.
"Wise words, for the most part. Still I can't help but wonder what you're going to do about these rising waters, and the dam that's flooding this valley,"
he said.
"Or perhaps you're just going to leave, and let this land sort itself out? I'm sure the dam will collapse, eventually, but whether it will be before or after all the animals in it are drowned or driven out remains open to conjecture."

[mahewarac]

"Wise words, for the most part. Still I can't help but wonder what you're going to do about these rising waters, and the dam that's flooding this valley,"
he said.
"Or perhaps you're just going to leave, and let this land sort itself out? I'm sure the dam will collapse, eventually, but whether it will be before or after all the animals in it are drowned or driven out remains open to conjecture."

"Dam?" Simulia asked, almost dropping Okumi. Setting the cub down, she told her to stay in place. "I'm going to ask Zulu. No one ever told me of a dam. You will be okay for a few minutes, right?"

She walked toward the forest, looking for the cheetah. She saw the pattern of his spots through the woods, and trotted tawards it.

"Zul- ah!"
....................................................................................

Fira saw the cheetah approaching. No! She can't jump in! He has to leave! She thought. Unless...she got the cheetah first.

"Sorry love, he can't help you now. He's going to stop the crocodile."

"Zul-Ah!" She exclaimed at the arrival of the snake. "Who are you? I am princess Simulia of the cheetahs, and I need to pass!"

"You cats, always thinking titles are going to save you." Fira lunged, but the agile cheetah moved out of the way. Fira laughed. "Think you're safe?" She sent out a blast of venom, hitting her right in the eye.

"AHH!" She screamed. It hurt horribly! She felt like a burning shard of wood had been stuck through it. "ZULU! ZULU HELP!"

[cheezeegriff]

Grimork slithered out of the water and settled his massive bulk down next to Okumi.
"Your princess cheetah friend must think I'm a good babysitter,"
he said.

Zul-ah!

He raised his head from the grey-eyed cub and looked over at the cheetah, who was staggering around as if blind just a few tailtrusts away.

"ZULU! ZULU HELP!"

Grimork slid one eye to look down at the cub.
"Snakes. They certainly make things nice and easy, don't they?"
he said, then raised his belly off the mud and started waddling in the direction of the cheetah, growing faster and faster as his little legs brought him up to speed.

[Tamber]

Zulu still saw nothing reflecting Simulia's danger, but he approached even closer. However, his worry for her diminished when he saw her set Okumi down and Grimork emerge from the murky waters. It is that damn crocodile! Simulia, what on God's green earth do you think you're doing?!

Zulu panicked and took off in Okumi's direction, but soon Grimork showed clearly that he was not interested in her. Rather, he slithered off in the direction of a crying voice...

"ZULU! ZULU HELP!"

The cheetah flung his head around and skidded to a halt, seeing Simulia with her eyes tightly closed in pain. Zulu barely caught a glimpse of a cobra raising its head above the grasses. Simulia had been blinded, and Grimork was headed straight for her.

"Dhakyia! Get Okumi!"

The scruffy cheetah dashed off after the crocodile, not having a plan in mind. Then again, what else was new? He couldn't attack a crocodile and live for more than a few seconds. Acting through improvisation, Zulu ran up behind Simulia and grabbed her by the next scruff, whipping her away from both the croc and the snake. "Fumulia! Get un yuh lugs en wun! Wun neks tuh me!" Zulu cried through his gripped teeth as he ran clumsily, carrying the grey cheetah along with him. "Jus trus me!"

Zulu had no plan on where to run. He planned to run in any general direction away from these awful predators. He looked back, hoping Dhakyia was close behind with Okumi.
___________________________

Jiro watched the scene unfold before him. he almost cursed aloud when the dumb cheetah placed the poor defenseless cub down right before the enormous, ominous black crocodile. Jesus! Smart move sister! However he was relieved to see the croc move off in the "princess"'s direction rather than the cub's. What had happened to the dumb cat, he couldn't tell, for his eyesight failed him.

For a moment he considered involving himself in the situation, but he remained still. If the wolfess grabbed the cub, everything would be fine. This scaly *** couldn't follow two cheetahs and an ethiopian wolf, but he certainly could.

[mahewarac]

Simulia had no idea what was happening. Her eye was in such furious pain that she couldn't take her paw from it.

"You horrible worm, what did you do to my eye!?" She sreamed at the cobra who had done this to her.

Fira could already taste the cheetah's flesh in her mouth. She wasn't sure if she could eat it all, so peraps she would bribe a hippo to tear a leg off or something of the such. Such big, simple animals didn't care.

She was about to bite the cat when, looking up, she saw a big, simple animal coming this way, but more in the scaly, dangerous family. Nothing like a crocodile to make things long and difficult.

"What are you doing here? This is my dinner, thank you very much! My fangs might not be able to peirce your scales, but my venom can blind you, like I did to this little girl."

If things could not be any harder, Mr. Zulu came in to save her. She had lost two possible meals in just a few minutes. How inconvenient.

"Take off, cheetah, save your little girlfriend! But she is half blind now, and that means she is vonourable to my attacks!"

"For the record," She told the crocodile. "I'm usually a much better hunter then this. It is rare that any creature escapes my wrath."

Simulia yelped as Zulu grabbed her by the neck and carried her away.

"Fumulia! Get un yuh lugs en wun! Wun neks tuh me! Jus trus me!"

"I-I'm T-trying..." She didn't want to take her paw from her eye. Finally, she ripped it off her face and ran. She had to force herself from opening her eyes, but saw she could only see out of one. "NOO!" She cried, almost falling.

[KanuTGL]

"HEEELP! THE CROCODILE IS TRYING TO EAT ME!"

Dhakiya's large ears twitched, then a shiver went down her spine and she shook her fur to get rid of the nasty feeling.

"Did you hear that, Dhakyia?"

She nodded slowly, ears already flattened and eyes widened. "I heard." Her voice was unusually low. At Zulu's mentioning of the word 'crocodile' she shivered again, but agreed that they had to at least see what was going on so she dashed off behind Zulu. The thoughts of food had to wait for later.

Through the woods, they first spotted the cheetah Simulia, who was in much pain and obviously had been the source of the screaming. Why she had first said that she had been attacked by the croc though the young wolf couldn't understand, but she didn't have time to investigate the situation further right now. She had to get Okumi! And there was Grimork heading right towards them! Dhakiya skidded to a brief halt standing on her haunches, frozen with cold fear. But since the large, scaly monster didn't seem to be showing any interest in neither her or the cub the wolf shot off again, running faster than she ever had. "Don't be afraid, Okumi!" Dhakiya howled as she grabbed the little cub by the scruff of her neck. 'Don't be afraid'...! She had never been more frightened in her entire life and the beat of her heart pounded in her ears like a massive tom drum. After making the quickest turn any quadruped had ever made, Dhakiya leaped back towards the woods where Zulu and Okumi had been only seconds ago. She scanned the forest's edge frantically, trying to figure out where the two cheetahs had gone, for now they were surely out of sight! Their spotted fur wouldn't exactly make them easier to see in the thick jungle either. Cursing her slow paws, she tried to run even faster, with poor Okumi dangling from her maw. Why did lion cubs have to be so heavy too!?

Dhakiya ran then in a wide arc, carefully avoiding Grimork. Anything but to have to face him again! The trees finally seemed to be getting closer when a strange scent caught Dhakiya's attention. It had her distracted long enough for her not to see where she was going and a moment later both she and the cub came to a very sudden stop. "Aaaugh!" Okumi flew several feet ahead and Dhakiya landed hard on the ground, dazed from impact. Panting heavily, she tried to regain her sense of balance and rose to her paws again, shaking slightly from the fright and exhaustion. She was about to yell something insulting to whatever-it-was-they-had-crashed-into but she choked on her own words when her eyes met those of another Ethiopian wolf. Stunned for a second, Dhakiya neither moved nor spoke. She must've looked pretty stupid where she stood. Then, shaking her head, she regained her ability to speak and shouted "There's a crocodile up there! Quick! Follow me!" Dhakiya set off again and picked up the lion cub again while she ran. Who was this other wolf? What was he doing here? Was there still a pack in the valley? How long had he been hiding there? Where did he come from? Did he know her family?

...follow her where?

Too many questions! Too many! And there was only one that desperately needed answering now - where was Zulu and Simulia!?

[xinonhyena]

Soft grumbles sounded as a small figure trotted over the damp plains. This rain had really been the worst thing ever! Not only had he lost sight of his clan, but he also had not eaten a decent meal ever since, because as great a tracker he was, killing a prey was another thing. Most antelopes could outrun him easily enough, and bigger preys he could not take alone.
He sighed and let himself fall on the wet grass, his clan had been here, he knew that much.. but how recently?

But then suddenly shouts and cries filled the air, immediately Xinon jumped up and looked around nervously. Was it a threat? He didn't see anything.. The sounds came from... he turned around a few times. "That way!" he hooted.
The hyena pondered for a moment, he hadn't quite heard what had all been shouted. Although he could swear he had heard something like... "Help?" he quietly hissed to himself.
A dark grin spread on his face. Help meant trouble, and trouble in this weather more then often meant death, and could rodents really shout that hard?
Perhaps a decent meal was finally going to present itself and he was definitely not going to let the opportunity go away! And so the hyena took off into the direction of the shout, first a steady trod, jumping over an occasional puddle. It seemed another river had formed itself, he scanned his surroudings again. He had learned sounds could move in the wind and the hyena growled, if the sound had come from over the river he was going to find nothing... He stood still for a moment, straining his ears and looking in every direction. Then he smiled again.

"ZULU! ZULU HELP!"

He couldn't help but cackle madly as he set off along the river. Yes! The sound was near.
But then the hyena halted again. Who was Zulu? Naturally he didn't know the name but obviously that shout meant that a 'Zulu' was around, and perhaps this 'Zulu' could be a problem, if he offered the requested help.
Xinon pondered deeply, slowly moving toward the high grass. There was no better opportunity around... perhaps Zulu would come too late and whoever shouted died anyway, it was a gamble with everything to win and nothing to lose.
And so the hyena went forward, this time quietly sneaking through the grass. Xinon was happy again, most of his clan couldn't sneak up on a corpse, but his small size gave him the advantage of being harder to spot.
Over the years Xinon had practiced his sneaking to a point where he could readily compete with lions, if with only young lions but it was still good enough for him.
Xinon stuck his head briefly out the grass, but then he saw the two cheetah's heading right in his direction and he quickly retreated again. Had they seen him? Hopefully not.
He clenched his teeth, both in fear and in anger. Two cheetahs... if he added the facts this could only mean the worst had happened.

[Tamber]

"NOO!"

Zulu began stumbling to a slow and clumsy halt as he realized that running was too difficult for Simulia at this time. The muddy ground and tall grasses caused him to trip a bit as he tried to slow himself down, and eventually he lost control and landed on his side in the mud, Simulia lying beside him, blinking ferociously.

Shaking the mud from his scruffy brows and wiping it from his cheeks, he peered up in the direction they had come from. The two cheetahs had already made good ground and were well out of reach of the two scaly predators. However, Zulu quickly realized that Dhakyia had not been following them, at least not closely. Zulu and Simulia had run in a straight line over the flat plains, only passing a few patches of woodland. Zulu feared that Dhakyia had either found it too difficult to carry Okumi, or that she had gotten lost in a different route through the thick woods.

Or perhaps...the worst had insued.

Refusing to let another incident take place before his eyes, and fearing that, again, someone's death would be his own doing, Zulu stood back up and turned to Simulia. He dragged her by her neck scruff behind some trees and lay her there gently. "You'll need to stay here," he said promptly. "I have to go back for Dhakyia and the cub. They could be anywhere. You'll be alright by yourself, won't you Simulia?"

Only looking at her momentarily and barely waiting for an answer, Zulu dashed off back in the direction from which he came. He looked around him frantically, calling Dhakyia's name. He ran alongside a few thickets and peered inside, trying to keep his traction and balance on the muddy earth. He determined his first stop: their previous resting place, where Okumi had been left with Simulia. He only prayed that Dhakyia and the cub were not separate and alone.
______________________________
The wolfess drew closer and closer to Jiro with each passing second. The nearer she came, the more worry and frenzy he could see in her face. She reached the cub, only a few meters before him, and he crouched low so as to stay unseen. She struggled, however, to lift the small lioness, and she frantically ran off with her, barely able to carry her along. As Jiro looked back to the two scaly bastards, he saw that they had not moved, but this wolfess was in such a tizzy...they might be able to trap her.

Jiro feared greatly for the wolfess's safety, so he dashed off after her. Perhaps if she could not find the cheetahs on her own, he could help lead her, having seen where they had gone. Immediately she took off into the thick jungle, and Jiro knew that she would certainly be lost within minutes, carrying a heavy load in such a panicked state, in such an expansive labyrinth. The male wolf picked up speed and worked through the thick trees and plants to get ahead of the wolfess. As he gained ground and began to pass her, he saw her trip and fall to the ground a few meters away. She drug herself up quickly and began running again, when at last her eyes lay upon Jiro, and she struggled to a stop before running right into him.

"There's a crocodile up there! Quick! Follow me!"

Without a beat the wolfess took off again, hoping Jiro would follow. Silly girl, he thought. Being so lost, and you're telling me where to run.

Jiro caught up to her promptly. She was still struggling to hold the cub, barely dodging obstacles and nearly allowing the cub to slam into various things. Jiro ran alongside her and grabbed part of the lioness's neck scruff. With his assistance in managing the cub's weight and awkwardness, the two wolves ran beside each other smoothly. He caught her gaze and pointed with his eyes in the direction they should go. Jiro leaned in that direction and took the lead to where the cheetahs had gone.

[cheezeegriff]

"What are you doing here? This is my dinner, thank you very much! My fangs might not be able to peirce your scales, but my venom can blind you, like I did to this little girl."

"I think you'll find that I come with added protection,"
Grimork said, then slid his second eyelids - the transparent ones he used for swimming - over his slitlike pupils. As Zulu came and grabbed the blinded cheetah he only watched, and once they were far enough away, turned his attention back to the serpent.
"Now, little snake, why do you pick on live prey? Don't you have a nose? With all the dead floating in this river you could eat like a king."

"NOO."

Grimork looked up again, at where the two cheetahs stumbled over the grass and mud, finally plonking down a few hundred yards away. Zulu got up and began heading back, but the other cheetah - Simulia? Didn't she say she was a princess? - sat where she had fallen, blinking furiously.
"Though... you may have benefitted me after all, little snake. I bid you farewell."
With that he marched away, and slid into the water.

The rush of the currents greeted his ears and the roar of distant rapids, the smells of dead flesh and rotting leaves and branches. Grimork swished his tail, propelling his bloated, overfed body through a stand of trees, the gaps between them just wide enough for him to pass. The forest here was flooded: nearby he could hear the footfalls of two predators, but he ignored them, and continued on.
He chose a shallow, muddy bank only a little further and hauled his body out of the water. Then he smiled: The half-blind cheetah was resting only a little further ahead, alone, covered in mud. She looked stunned, perhaps at the fact that Zulu had left her alone, likely thinking she could fend for herself.
Grimork grimaced: she hadn't seen him, yet.
He slithered a little closer - but not so close that the smell of her fresh flesh overcame his powers of reason - and said,
"You really should submerge your head in the water, and get the last of that snake venom from your eyes. Seeing as I could have eaten you twice now, do you trust me enough to look over you whilst you do?"

[mahewarac]

"Now, little snake, why do you pick on live prey? Don't you have a nose? With all the dead floating in this river you could eat like a king."

"With all due respect, respectable people like myself do not subject themselves to feeding from the dirty, half rotten remains of an already dead animal. Fresh meat does us best." Fira replied, turning up her nose. She waited for the crocodile to leave, grumbling about loosing her dinner thanks to the beast. Suddenly, though, she remembered the last lion by the moles.

Slithering silently through the trees, she found the cat.

"Prepare for death, young sir." She whispered.

Simulia cried out when Zulu left her.

"But!" She yelled. No, Simulia. You are stong...you're only half blind, after all...you can handle yourself.

"You really should submerge your head in the water, and get the last of that snake venom from your eyes. Seeing as I could have eaten you twice now, do you trust me enough to look over you whilst you do?"

The cheetah jumped at the sound of the crocodiles low, gruff voice. She began to quite despise the sound of that voice.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I do not trust that quickly." She paused for a moment. Washing her eye was a good idea. Still, she could wash by herself. She got up and ran in the direction of the river, looking for Zulu and Okumi as well.

[contempt]

"ZULU! ZULU HELP!"

A grey, hunched figure loped through the thick mud and pitiful remains of grasslands, tongue lolling out and drool mixing with rain.
A peculiar mixture of hunger, curiosity and the thrill of the hunt driving the scruffy creature onwards.
Contempt had been living off of the bloated, putrefied remains of drowned and starved animals for as long as he could remember now. His durable digestive system coping well with all the rotten flesh, bone, hair and hoof that was thrown at it. But he longed for fresh game, the taste of warm meat, still dripping with blood, twitching in the last throws of life...
These thoughts gave the hyena a new burst of energy and he moved himself faster still in the odd gait of his kind.



Contempt didn't think of himself as a cruel being, he was just another predator and like any lion, cheetah or hunting dog he had to do what he could to get by. This cry for help, this sound was the sound of life and thus death, but even with death came life, his life.
Life, death, they were two sides of the same circle.

As he got closer he slowed and ducked low to survey the potential prey. He also smelled a dreadful scent, cheetah. Perhaps this wasn't going to be his day after all.
He crouched low, observing the scene, sighing in annoyance. He could never take all those predators on by himself. More carrion for dinner, he though but then realized there was another scent drifting though the dank air, another hyena.
He had not seen a hyena for a long while, well apart from that body a week ago but it was so decayed it could have been a hyena or cheetah or anything. He started to creep in the direction of the scent.
Although he was a natural lone wanderer he still craved the presence of other of his kind, such was the clan instinct inside of him.

[superrr]

Water gets absorbed into ground. Ground grows grass. Animals eat grass. Animals eat animals. That was how it usually worked, right? Right. But it wasn't working that way at the moment. The water was over-flowing onto the grasslands, turning the normally dry, thirsty dirt to squishy mud. Rain had pounded onto the lands like a hungry predator onto unsuspecting prey.

A lioness's paw reached out of the waist-deep water, scrambling onto the slippery ground. Claws became unsheathed and dug into the mud, slither back down into the water once more, being pulled into the current. Once again, the claws came up, two pairs this time, and dug into the earth. Slowly and with great difficulty, the lioness's head emerged from the depths of the water. A deep gasp of air ensued as water splashed into her face.

Shaking the moisture away, she clambered her upper half onto the mud, the substances dying her fur an even darker shade of brown. Her dusty amber-colored eyes gaze ahead of her, water dripping right from her eyelashes. Her muzzle was a light tan, as was her underbelly and toes. The rest of her was a deep, dull dirt brown. Two lines of red were under her eyes, which were also surrounded by black darkening circles.

Her angular chin rested against the ground for a moment, softened cheeks just above it. Her neck then darted upwards, hind legs furiously batting against the water and soon reaching at least some portion of land. Most of the water was only a few centimeters high there, anyway. Coughing and hacking ensued, water being spewed from her throat, eyes being shut tightly.

She couldn't do that around here. Eyes opened abruptly and glanced around. Nothing near her. Yet. Good. Mauaji knew far too well that life could come at you fast. The world didn't care about you and your little dreams. It just wanted to carry on with its business.

The dark lioness pushed herself onto all fours, prowling across the lands. Only very few grasses remained, most of them being drowned by the flooding that was occuring. Scents were slightly drained out due to the water, which both worked for her and against her. It would be harder to smell hers; but it would also be harder to smell any other creature's. The lioness snarled to herself with dismay.

She would have to rely on sight. And it didn't fail her. Up ahead she could see a group of animals. Cheetahs...Wolves maybe? Mauaji wasn't certain. Her eyesight wasn't the best. The female scowled at her lack of information and decided there was only one way to decide if they were a threat. Get closer.

A stupid move, perhaps, or maybe the smartest she'd ever make. She didn't know what they would do when she was sleeping. As she got closer, she could see that her assumptions were correct, along with a few other additions. There was a lion. A few others around here? Mauaji didn't know. Their scent was musky and dirty. Disgusting.

"What are you all doing, having a little group therapy session?" the lioness hissed with sarcasm ans hostility, clenching her teeth together.

Her gaze followed one of the cheetahs momentarily who had run back to where the lioness had came from. Cheetahs. Stupid, stupid little cats.