The Pride Days (IC): Hurt

Subject: Re: The Pride Days (IC): Hurt Sun Jan 19, 2014 3:31 am

Var's eyes were wide. His jaw had dropped to speak to Coglon but he had vanished by then. Var looked to Kyra uneasily. "I... I'd never do a thing you hurt you. Never. Does... does he think I would?" His ears twitched nervously as he looked at his paws for a moment. He was dazed by Coglon's threat. He looked back up at the two in front of him. "I understand that he's just protecting his sister. I get that. But does he not trust me?"

Subira was looking at Var with a surprised face as well. She remained silent throughout the conversation. She didn't know anyone and was unable to contribute.

Var looked to Kyra. "I love you, I really do. And I wouldn't ever hurt you. I hope you know that. But does he?" he asked still seemed to be dazed. He asked this question to himself over and over again. Did Coglon fully trust him as much as he wanted him to? Or was it simply as Gamba said and he was faking it? Var's gaze showed how much his worry was flickering in. It seemed like the relaxation was ebbing again. Though he hadn't been truly relaxed for a while and was put on edge and alert at all times since last night. But he still tried. His toes seemed restless and squeezed against the hard earth. His mind was spinning.

Shebla stopped next to them. "Guys I'm going to go check on the medical den real quick before we leave. I'll be right back." With that she went on, leaving the conversation as it felt even more awkward for her. She came down to the medical den where she spotted many injured individuals laying down and recovering. She spotted Kamuzu and of course, Mabel. Kamuzu was applying some mashed up herbs to the bloody wound of a lioness's shoulder. She winced.

Shebla decided to take a moment to care for a patient. She walked around the room asking if anyone needed her assistance. Things seemed alright. Then she stopped when she saw the white lion, Ammon. She had overheard all of the different sayings about Ammon and how cold he was, so she was cautious when she approached him.

"Hello Ammon," she said. "I'm Shebla. I'm one of the medical specialists. How are you feeling? Is there anything I can get you or help you with before I go?" she asked sweetly, lowering her head to meet him at eye level.

Subject: Re: The Pride Days (IC): Hurt Sun Jan 19, 2014 5:18 am

Ammon, since waking up, could not even summon the strength to stand, even though physically, nothing was wrong with him. His limbs had not shriveled, and muscles still rippled under skin and fur, but he could not walk, because the incredible power he had used last night had inflicted such a powerful shock on his system. For the next few days, Mabel had told him, he was not going to have the power to hunt. He would be able to walk again rather quickly, but breaking into a run would only make him collapse and pass out again, and he would be right back at step one. Although he was not in excruciating pain, like the other lions and lionesses, he was aware of a stiff throbbing, as though he had overexerted himself, which he had. It was tolerable, the soreness, but what was the greatest humiliation of all was that he was being forced to stay in the medical den of the Sunset Pride while he recovered. He did not need help, had he not made that clear?

He did not take kindly to Shebla's approach, and reacted harshly to it. "I need nothing from any of you, how many times must I say so, before you will listen?" His voice had gone dangerously quiet, but his eyes flashed and glinted like dark storm clouds, alive with lightning. When he was calm and at ease, his gaze was difficult to read, but being bold and direct, he made eye contact, regardless of how he felt. Right now, it seemed that all the swirling emotions in his mind could be read as clearly as day. Enormous amounts of anger filled them, chaotic and perhaps without direction, but it was only the outer veil, like the rings of a tree. Past the anger, there was humiliation, the deep blow that this gave to his pride, when he had saved lives using forbidden abilities. Most wouldn't see past these two outer things, because they didn't dare get anywhere near his face, for fear that he might muster enough strength to claw at them. Shebla, however, was looking him closely in the eye, and could see far more clearly. Past the anger and embarrassment, there was the pride, but it was not real. It was arrogance, and beneath that was something far more different. Past the outer, shallower emotions that formed a thick, stony wall, there was pain and sadness, something wounded, deeper, there was the morality and sense of justice. Even further, near the very core, there was perhaps the loneliest lion one could imagine, for aside from the small family carved out of coincidences and unexpected kindness, there was no friendship or bonds to give comfort. It was as though one could see into the very core of his being, if they truly looked him in the eye.

Had Ammon roared, it would have seemed childish of him, but instead, he spoke in a reasonable volume, though anger was apparent in the tone of his voice. This was no game to him, and to show any weakness in himself was like a fault, like a crack in his defenses. He would not let it worsen, he would seal it, and never let anything pass through. He would not be seen as weak, not by anyone, even this lioness. He could not afford to depend on others, because they always failed, and he could not afford to sacrifice himself for something that would not do the same for him. Repeatedly in his life, any friendship was just another blow waiting to happen, to strike out and wound him. He wouldn't let them hurt him. "Do not speak to me, I do not need help."

He did, of course, need help, but it didn't mean he was going to accept it willingly. Already, he would softly growl at anyone who tried to approach him from within his range of vision from where he was laying down, a warning, but there wasn't anything intimidating about it when they recalled he didn't have the power to lunge and attack. Regardless, he looked extremely agitated, for the wrinkles on his snout suggested a snarl, and his hackles were raised. His eyes, however, where what made people want to avoid him, primarily. It was quite brave of Shebla to get so close, when he looked as though he desired to rip out someone's throat.

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Gamba lowered his ears, "I do not know if he trusts you or not, Var, but he stated that he does not have the right to forbid Kyra from being your mate, that much would count as acceptance." the tiglon said, trying to be a bit supportive. Few lions in the pride felt cheerful, some had died, and many more were injured.

Kyra looked at Var, "Coglon doesn't trust anyone with his own private thoughts, Var. Not even me, if he thinks about something, and it's something important, he won't tell you anything unless he thinks you need to know it. He keeps secrets, and sometimes I forget that he does that, but he does. He also says there is no such thing as an accident, if I make a mistake around him, he says that it's my fault, it doesn't matter if it was done intentionally or not. He's always been a perfectionist, everything has to be done right, and properly the first time it's done. He doesn't tolerate failure, not his own, or the failure of others." She lowered her head a bit, looking down at her paws, "He protects me, and he expects me to take responsibility for the things I do. He might just be overprotective, but, I think he might be telling the truth. What if he knows he can't tolerate if I get hurt? What if he gets angry, and he finds a reason to think you're responsible? I think he's worried he might hurt you for something that isn't as severe as he might think, and he knows that if he does, it's his fault, and nobody else. I think he's saying that if he drags you down, he's destroying himself."

Subject: Re: The Pride Days (IC): Hurt Sun Jan 19, 2014 8:15 am

Shebla sighed as she stooped back up. She was used to uncooperative patients though. There had been many lions in her day with pride that saw themselves as needless of her assistance. "Mabel said you can't so much as move for the next days. If we didn't help you, you'd go very hungry. I've dealt with lions like you before and I'm going to say right now that you'll just have to get over your pride." She obviously wasn't afraid of Ammon but the scar on her neck signaled that she wasn't afraid of many things anymore. She licked her claws for a moment. The gaze in her eyes ready clearly that she was good at breaking patients. And though it might be more difficult with Ammon, she had a strong heart and a lot of determination.

"So here's some food" Shebla said as she sat a small slab of meat in front of him. It was from a large zebra which was being split into many shards and shared amongst the den. It was one of the few pieces of kill remaining. "Enjoy it. Be thankful. You're not the only one who needs help. Look around this place. You're the luckiest one here and you put up a good fight. Everyone here will honor you for defending us."

She thought for a moment, looking at his eye. "You're lucky the Healer came as well. Had he not, you'd be half blind." She sat down in front of him for a moment. She paused, looking deep at him. She looked at the emotion in his eyes. Seeing it was apparent.

"I hope you enjoy your stay here. Your daughter seems to enjoy your arrival. And I'm sure your new son would like to get to know you. You did after all, save his life several times." She changed the subject as she groomed her own fluffy fur. "Aziza will be back soon." At the very name, Shebla seemed to shudder. Finally as the sentence had ended the fear in her gaze was silenced. She licked her scar, grooming the hairs around it. "I'll be going with your daughter and her mate to investigate some old symbols and messages inside the royal cave. Do you need anything else? Now Ammon do not tell me there isn't something else I could do for you. If you like, I won't tell a single soul. But I won't leave you alone until you give me something to do for you. Ask anyone. I'm rather stubborn" she said firmly, looking back into his eyes,

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Var sighed as he looked over his shoulder at Coglon. Subira's ears flattened. "Soo... now what?" she asked. Var shrugged his shoulders. He looked back at Kyra and Gamba.

"It's been such a long day" he sighed exhausted. "As soon as I get back, I'm taking a giant nap. I need to get some sleep before the horrid ligeress gets back here. I'm sure we're all tired from the fights last night. And the rebellion in Smother Klan... Could you honestly believe that happened?"

"Well... I could" Subira said. "Scar was always a very brutal leader. Even after she established her new pride and committed herself to being a better person." She's always been a rather cruel person. I'd say Aziza showed up, said a few words and instantly they turned to her side. Definitely probably wasn't hard for her to cause that rebellion."

Subject: Re: The Pride Days (IC): Hurt Sun Jan 19, 2014 10:11 pm

Ammon growled again, irritated, "What makes you think I will accept your help, and place my survival in the paws of a complete stranger? Life here teaches far different lessons than what you might have learned in Kenya, and the first is this: the weak ones die, and those who do not hunt their own shares will starve. Give the food to someone who will take it, or it shall go to waste. Let me find my own strength to fetch food, you cannot force me to stay if I do not want to. I will not be imprisoned in a den ever again." It was apparent that at some point he had been trapped before, and likely did not enjoy the experience, for in that moment, he did something that was incredible, for someone in his state. He bared his teeth against the strain, and found the strength to raise his head, though he could still not stand, and he strained to keep himself from collapsing back down again. He glared at Shebla, as though she were some enemy that threatened his very existence, "This weakness is only temporary." He said, his searing gaze boring into her, "If you want so badly for me to request something of you, then don't expect me to ask for something regarding my own needs." The snarl faded from his face, though the fury in his eyes did not leave them, and his head sank back down to the ground.

Ammon's breath came deep and harsh, as he looked up at Shebla, "If you want to do something for me, and you want me to take this zebra, then it is only a bargain you will get, a trade, of sorts, I will not take it without repaying you, or I will be in debt, which I cannot afford. When you go down into the cave, and finally come back out, you will promise to tell me what you find there. I fought those spirits last night, and I believe I have a right to know what's in those caverns. I will only take this food if you will say you will do this for me."

Ammon was clearly not just proud, but incredibly willful, too. Somehow, he had managed to twist around rules, and he would likely do as he said, and refuse to eat unless Shebla agreed to tell him what was in the royal cave later. It made sense, that he would want to know, but that he would rather bargain for the zebra, versus just eating it, suggested he didn't trust that it was being given to him with no strings attached. However, it was a way to make him willingly take food, and his request wasn't a ridiculous one.

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Gamba flattened her ears, "Zanita trusted Scar, and I suppose that traveling with her, and tolerating her as much as we did, made her think that perhaps friendship wasn't wrong. However, her clan was very large, and took up much space, as well as resources. We haven't been living in Ethiopia for that long, truthfully, Scar might still have been trying to figure out how to be a better person, when you have a habit that you need to break, it takes time and effort to do so. It takes time and effort to change the way you think, and nobody else can do that for you. They can only convince you to try."

Subject: Re: The Pride Days (IC): Hurt Sun Jan 19, 2014 10:32 pm

Shebla raised a brow. She stooped over him. "Honestly, I don't need to promise you anything. You'll grow hungry enough to beg for that zebra. Even if you gain strength within the next day or so, you'll be in no shape to hunt. And the spirits will only be gone momentarily. They will return and weaken you again the first chance they get. Dalmaa knows you are strong. That's why he's tricked you into doing this to yourself. He is smart. Smarter than mortals. Only a fool would say Dalmaa is unwise." She sighed though and let the rage shrink away from her face. "But Ammon, for you, I suppose I'll make this promise. I care a lot about my patients. But there have been times when people like you come along and I do what they say. I let them starve nearly to death until they beg me for my assistance. I've broken many patients into accepting my help. You would not be much a challenge."

She decided to settle down. She rolled the meat closer to him. "I do not know what you've been through, and I am in no position to judge you for it. But a wise lion would take this. Pride destroys people. All people. Just look at what happened to King Saber and Snake." Shebla gave a slight chuckle.

Her eyes closed softly as she licked her paw again. Then she glimpsed back up at Ammon and crouched back down to look at him closer. "Gamba broke Snake's foot. Snake refused to seek help. He caught infection and soon the stench was overwhelming. Because of it, he failed in hunting and failed in battle. We easily killed him. Is that what you want to happen to you?" She wanted to make an effort to pat Ammon on the head or show him some sort of comfort other than the words of her mouth. It was a medical specialist's instinct. Their job was not only to heal people physically, but emotionally. And Shebla had obviously mended many broken souls before. She did not however make a move to touch Ammon, just in case. Her comfort would be orally for now.

"I will say that your fur is very pleasant looking. I would hate to see that vanish from the world because of pride. So please, eat" said Shebla as she got up and began to head for the door. She stopped for a moment though and looked back at him, waiting and waiting to see if he'd say anything else.

Subject: Re: The Pride Days (IC): Hurt Mon Jan 20, 2014 3:52 pm

Ammon watched Shebla carefully, his gaze once again growing dark and unreadable. "I do not know who this King Saber is, but of Snake, I am aware of who he is, and what his leg was like before death. I have been badly wounded before, I still bear the scar, but I assure you, nobody other than me cared to heal it, and ensure that infection did not set in. I do not have to run to find the herbs I need, and not all prey is swift or strong enough to fight a lion and pose a threat. You may think me proud, but if you think I will not find a way to work around my shortcomings, you are wrong. I don't boast about things I can't do, that would make me a liar, and the one thing I will not be guilty of is deceit. You don't know me, and I don't know you, so we're even." There was biting steel in his words, and it seemed he did not care for the compliment Shebla had given to him. While some, such as his family, Gamba, Layla, and Jali knew about Ammon's past, he was not aware anyone had told them about it. He was also positive that Shebla didn't know anything about him, and she had openly admitted as such. Ammon's entire life was built around being self-sufficient and capable of overcoming any and all obstacles in his path, without the help of others. Nobody had ever volunteered to help him, and the few times that they might have done so, it was a trick. He was not willing to give up the control he had over his own life, after being raised in a world where he had no rights at all.

One would have expected Ammon to be a messy eater, based on his great size and rather brutal personality. However, when he began to eat the zebra, he was actually very neat, by most standards. Instead of ripping off pieces of flesh, he carefully bit off each piece, never too much to chew at one time. As a result, no excess amount of blood soaked into his fur apart from around his muzzle, where it was readily visible in his white fur. It was possible that the main reason he ate in such a fashion was because it would be difficult to wash out any blood that got in his long mane. The short fur everywhere else was likely easier to clean. He probably had to use water constantly to keep his fur clean. Managing it probably made grooming an incredibly difficult task. However, another thing was that it was also appropriate behavior when eating in the presence of others, and most mothers disciplined their cubs when they began eating meat to eat it in such a fashion. It was difficult to tell why he was eating it in such a fashion, truthfully.

Mabel slowly walked over to Shebla, and whispered into her ear, "You should probably be aware, he's not an albino. Just warning you, if you call him that, or he overhears you saying that about him to someone else, he'll never talk to you again. That's the most sentences anyone's readily gotten out of him." She said, too quietly for other medical lionesses or patients to hear. She then lowered her head and slowly continued with her rounds, checking cobwebs to make sure they didn't need to be changed, and ensuring that compresses remained fresh.

Subject: Re: The Pride Days (IC): Hurt Mon Jan 20, 2014 6:17 pm

Shebla hesitated to leave the den. She was going over Mabel's words and staring at Ammon for a moment thoughtfully. Her eyes were clouded with thought and for a moment she stared at the ground. She did not know Ammon and she was cautious with her words from now on. Shebla knew that there was a white lion involved with Snake's death, but only until now was it finally making sense to her. This was that lion.

She remembered suddenly that moment from the night of Snake's death. She had seen a white lion drag Barcal from the woods. She had been busy taking care of Mira that night while Kamuzu delivered her cubs. She only caught a glimpse of Ammon that night, not enough to truly remember him by. But now that it was brought back into her mind, it was clear now.

Her eyes flooded with interest. And she could tell there was something within Ammon not clear to her. She knew that there was deepness to him. Waters of distrust. She felt an aura of loneliness seemingly, spreading from him. It made her mind flash back to memories of when her grandmother was a bane to the pride and how she and her mother were outcasts and distrusted. All leading up to her mother being trampled to death and leaving her parent-less at a young age.

Her tail flicked behind her as she slowly began to push out of the den. She felt like she was being sucked back in though. Her head nearly broke as it peered over her shoulder at Ammon and Mabel and of course, the rest of the den. But her eyes were locked on the pale lion with interest. She finally had to force herself to move on. The sweet smell of herbs tickled her fur as she went out and trailed with her. Although Shebla always smelled sweet like flowers. So did Kamuzu and Mabel would when she began to spend more and more time in the medical den.

Shebla rejoined Var, Gamba, Kyra, and Subira and looked at them cautiously. She eyed the group gathering by the cave's mouth. She gave a sigh and looked at Gamba. "We need to go soon and make it rather quick. There are many patients in the medical den and I need to be available as much as possible. Plus I still have Ramla to take care of, since she's blind." Shebla shook her head and looked up at the mouth of the cave. "Come, we must go" she said as she began to lead the way.

Subject: Re: The Pride Days (IC): Hurt Mon Jan 20, 2014 6:54 pm

One by one, everyone began to enter the den, looking around the cave for the entrance to the labyrinth that was below it. Eventually, it was Kyra who found it, "Found it, it's right here, you can hardly notice it there, unless you look close." She said. She pointed to where, hidden by the shadows of a crag in the wall, there was a big crack, one that even a large creature like Gamba could enter with ease. It was amazing an opening could go undetected for so long. Kyra darted in first, and Gamba cautiously followed after. Coglon went in calmly, and soon, everyone was entering. By this time, Shadow had left where he had been sitting, and had entered the cave. Clearly, he intended to follow, for whatever reason.

Subject: Re: The Pride Days (IC): Hurt Mon Jan 20, 2014 7:25 pm

Jali led the way as they slipped into the back of the cave. It was a narrow opening, but it was wide enough to allow each of them to slip through. When they stepped through, things already seemed to grow more obscure and mysterious. It was not completely dark. But they stepped down a large "staircase" of stones into a more flat rocky floor. The walls were long, flat plates.

There was an odd stream in the middle of the large cavern that was rushing with clear, crystal waters. Underneath the waters were slick, gem-like rocks that almost seemed to glow. Jali pawed at them and drew a few from out of the water. They seemed to lack their luminous luster on the dirt. He pawed them back in, watching them return to the state they were in at first. He was thankful they were down here. They would help light the way even though their night vision could help them a bit.

The markings were very rare here in this part of the caverns. Many things were rare. Unlike many caves, this one lacked creatures such as bats. In fact, it seemed to lack any sort of life at all. Everything was motionless and still but Jali couldn't help but feel something was peering around the rocks, watching them.

"So I stopped just ahead, where I found those markings. They grow thicker and far more expansive just ahead" he said. The group continued onward until strange carvings appeared on the walls. Var eyed them with interest. Subira stood next to him. Her eyes suddenly widened.

The further they traveled, the more markings appeared. Many looked very, very old and withered. But they persevered. Some of them looked like ovals with triangles in the middle of them which Var knew was pointing something out. But he didn't know what. "How do you think these got here? Who could have made these?" asked Var.

"It had to be someone many years ago. Perhaps hundreds. They look extremely old..." Subira replied giving some of them a sniff.

Shebla approached, standing next to them. She eyed a few before she turned and walked down the side of the wall to view another set. "Hey, I found some more" she said. Var walked over to her side, seeing something rather different. It looked like the face of a leopard with enormous eyes. Its mouth was open and its teeth were exposed. Running down from its mouth was some strange liquid that Shebla at first guessed was blood, or perhaps water. But it dripped down on smaller figures that looked like lions.

"What in the world..." Var replied.
"I... I don't know. But this looks sinister. Subira! Come over here!" Shebla called. Var's sister came padding over to her, sitting on her haunches as she looked at the drawing.

"It's a Dalmaa reference. It's talking about the Field. It talks about the water there that the prisoners would have to drink. I had to drink it. It was the best water you'd ever find. It soothed your mind and of course made you have strange hallucinations, illusions. Of course you weren't aware. But the fields from the inside seemed like a paradise. Only after you've escaped do you realize what horror happened in there. I only survived off of those waters. It delivered something strange into me that much have kept me alive and strong, as though I'd been eating" Subira said. She looked back at the stream of waters.

"I would be careful not to drink from this stream either. We could be dealing with the same type of water. In fact..." Subira said as she spotted something from the other side of the stream. She turned to scope it out. It was a marking on the wall that looked like three swirling lines, obviously meaning water. It had what looked like a cat's eye in the center of the three lines.

"Yes, these waters may be similar to the kind in the field. They are probably designed to keep us down here for as long as possible. Either that, or I've read the signs completely wrong. Either way, don't drink from these waters just to be safe. It's not natural for those rocks to be glowing underneath either" Subira added.

Shebla gave an approving nod as she began to scope out more markings next to the forboding picture of Dalmaa's head. She found one that looked like a diamond with an X over it. "This one I know. Ramla's taught me it. It's the sign for lies. A diamond with an X. It means a deep, deep lie. So something must not be true. Or someone is about to betray us, though perhaps they already have.
"Strange" Jali said observing it. "But who would betray us?"

"It's hard to tell. But if Dalmaa's behind it, it's probably someone you really wouldn't expect. Probably someone you are close with. It could be anyone" Shebla replied. She moved on, walking carefully down the rocky ground and stepping carefully down a slope. She stopped right when the ground began to level. Her eyes widened in amazement and her jaw slightly opened.

As Var looked at it, he glanced at Kyra. He glanced at her eye mark carefully and then looked back at the drawing. He stepped very closely to get a good look at the small lion and lioness. He looked at the lioness' body very closely and saw that there was a small dot where Kyra's mark was. He looked back at her. "It's us" he said.

"There's more!" Subira said as she bounced off to the left of the picture. It showed a group of cubs all sitting together. There were several sets. Three sat closely together, and another two sat close. Then another few sat close. All of them lined up. Then just below a group of three was the exact drawing that Shadow had drew for Gamba earlier that morning. The one that described how one cub would be more distant than the other two.

Shebla's eyes widened. She looked back at Gamba. "Gamba... it's that symbol I saw Shadow show you" she said.

"Look" Subira said pointing next to it. There was a leopard face next to the symbol. But it was looking away from the symbol. As if it were not watching it. Then there was the lie symbol again. It was below the drawing of a group of cubs sitting closely. A ring was drawn around it, but as Var looked closer he realized it wasn't a ring. It was a snake.

Var read it clearly as it had been meant to be read. "Snake lied" he said looking at the cubs above the symbol.

"About what?" asked Shebla.

"He told me if I continued to love Kyra, she'd die in childbirth... This tells me now... he lied. So that's what the symbol is pointing out. It also says that Dalmaa will be watching our children--if we were to have any. Watching them very closely." Var had stopped there. He hadn't discussed much about cubs with Kyra and he figured it was too early to even talk of such things. But the symbols were telling him that something was going to happen.

"There's still so much more to read Var, look" Shebla said pointing to another scramble of symbols under all of the previous. There was another of a lioness. There was a line drawn under her with three slashes through it. Shebla glanced at it.

"I think this one means power, or determination. Either one. It could also mean victory. But I don't recognize this lioness" Shebla said glancing around at the group and back at the drawing. "Probably someone we don't know... Either that or it's a part of this up here and refers to the pride's children."

Shebla had given a long stare to Shadow now. She was pondering deeply if he knew any of this. She could bet he did. Most of the drawings relied on common sense mixed with some deeper knowledge of spirit language.

Subira looked very closely at the carvings now. Especially the one they knew Shadow had given them before. She examined them carefully and her eyes looked shocked and puzzled. "Look at these carvings, they're fresh" she said running her paw among the wall. "Has someone been down here?"

"No. They shouldn't be anyways. I don't know how they'd manage to survive. There's nothing alive down here. Unless they're getting their food from some other exit I don't know about" Jali replied sternly.

"These waters will keep someone alive without food for many moons. It doesn't matter if they're starving" Subira said. She looked on at the darkness, as though something were in it. She felt a stir of uneasiness come into her belly, as the thought of something sinister sitting in the same place as she began to sink in.

Subject: Re: The Pride Days (IC): Hurt Mon Jan 20, 2014 8:15 pm

Shadow gave a soft growl in his throat, one of the few sounds he could make, to get the attention of the others. When they finally all looked at him, he looked at Coglon, and since there was no sand or dirt for him to draw in, he traced shapes with his paw, while the small lion watched. Coglon's eyes widened, "He's saying that these events have and will occur, and that they are being written as they become definite in history, meaning set in stone. What this presence is though..." Coglon drifted off.

Gamba now looked warily around, "Who could have been down here to carve these signs? We should leave, quickly, there's something ominous about this place."

Subject: Re: The Pride Days (IC): Hurt Mon Jan 20, 2014 9:26 pm

"Is that so?" asked a voice in the shadows. Jali's heart dropped. He knew that voice. His head turned around as he saw a familiar figure coming out. There was a laugh of menace, almost evil. The form was blackish and dark and warped by what Jali knew was afterlife. His fur was black and marked oddly with red runes. His eyes were deep and crimson. A few scars ran down his snout that Jali always thought looked like tears.

Saber.

"WHAT?" Jali said as he slid back on the rocks. "How--you're a spirit! Aren't you?"

"No, not any more" Saber said as he laughed. "See, the spirits need a mortal to deliver prophecies to other mortals. The Seers and Seeresses usually slide to the ways of their pride. They will read prophecies in ways that appeal to the pride, in ways that will make them stick to a certain way. They read them improperly. When I died, I encountered much of Dalmaa. He wanted me to join him, like Snake did shortly afterwards. I got to know Dalmaa. I soon rejected his revolution. I fought him valiantly. I would not give in, no matter how strong he was. But Dalmaa was too strong. The Spirits wanted to save me."
"They resurrected me to keep me safe from Dalmaa. The put me here. I have been carving these symbols. But before I was here, there was another lion. He became insane from overexposure to Dalmaa prophecies, as you can see from all of these markings. Dalmaa's knowledge came to him and consumed his mind. Due to it, the waters turned into poison when they were drank up. He died." Saber sighed. He went on with his story.

"So the spirits used his remains to build my new body. A body in which is much stronger, much more powerful than my old one. And now I am here. I know the past, the present, and the future."

"No" Jali denied. "No, this is not true!"

"It is" Saber said. He could tell Jali was defiant of having the one who killed his father around. Jali was shaking with fear and the very scent of it was rising in the room. His claws had already unsheathed. He wanted to pounce onto Saber and strangle him. He wanted to bite deep into his neck and end him quickly for what he had done.

Shebla could see it. She saw the fire in Jali's eyes. Quickly, before Jali could pounce, she ran to a spot between him and Saber. She put paws onto Jali's shoulders. "Jali, calm down!" she said desperately.

Jali's face was twisted into a snarl. "You expect me to remain calm when the man who killed my dad is standing right in front of me?" he said. A low and infuriated growl rose in his throat. Shebla's face turned into an equal snarl.

"Jali, if you kill him we might never be able to figure out what any of this means!" she said. "Now calm yourself before I get angry!"

Jali knew it was better than to fight with Shebla. He also knew that she'd never be afraid of him. The only person he knew she was afraid--or probably ever would be afraid of--was Aziza. He breathed deeply as he looked down at his paws. Shebla backed away but still remained between the two enemies. She looked at Saber. She didn't trust him either, but she knew that he was probably resurrected for a reason.

"What do these markings mean?" she asked. "Tell us exactly."

"I cannot. My job is to write them, not to explain them" Saber said. "But there are many things all of you left out. You forgot to look on. It will tell you where to find your precious stone." Saber glanced down at the rocks in the stream. Suddenly they turned deep red and glowed much brighter. They illuminated the entire chasm in the color of blood and it was eerie to see each other in the fateful, ominous color. He drank some of the water, lapping it up with his pink tongue. A bit dripped from his lips as he rose his head back up. In the new light, more drawings that were hidden by shadows could be seen. Now there was a large one on a rock that was a drawing of an oval with a triangle in the middle of it. It was just above a strange zig-zag shape, a group of lions sitting together, and three triangles. Shebla approached it. She knew what they meant.

"The zig-zag means ridge. The group of lions means pride... the triangles... mean camp.... The stone is in the old Ridge Pride camp." The tension growing between Jali and Saber seemed to have grown stronger when Shebla moved away.

Var looked at Kyra. He stood close to her in case Saber did anything. The black and red lion looked at Jali with a look of absolute hatred and loathing in his eyes. "Jali just because I know what I may have done to some people was wrong, I still hate you and your family. I might want to redo things, but I'd still end up trying to destroy your family. If you recall what your father had done to me."

Jali looked at the others with wide eyes. He was hoping that Saber hadn't just said that. "Saber... stop" Jali began to beg.

"What Jali denies to tell all of you is that Star killed my parents far before River Pride was even a large threat to him. River Pride was at first just a group of travelers looking for a place to settle in Kenya. We were all from different prides, come together to escape various things. The pride my mother came from was destroyed by none other than Yellow Pride. The pride that Ridge Pride was allied with. So when the group of travelers entered Ridge Pride's territory, at first we sought to live within the pride. To join them. We were weak by ourselves and we craved to be with others. To feel the sensation of a large family once more. But Star, as always, killed many. Those that escaped ran. I was one of them. I was just a cub. Had my friend's father, Lomiga, not saved me... I'd have been dead long before then."

"I... I don't believe that" said Shebla. "Star was a good leader."

"Star was a corrupt leader and you know that!" Saber shouted. His eyes almost seemed to glow in the eerie red light. "He took the Sacred Stone! He's the one who's turned the spirits against this pride. Jali, you were too blind to see it at that point. You were younger, more foolish and did everything your father commanded in order to please him as you were a prince about to become king... But I assure you, Star was a terrible leader. He destroyed... I don't know how many innocent travelling groups that came Kenya's way. River Pride collected each of these groups of wanderers before they could enter Ridge Pride's territory and be destroyed. That's why River Pride was so vast and large. And we allied ourselves with Smother Klan after Star tried to invade our camp several times..." he growled.

"And then Snake began his rampages. He took females from our camp. My mate... Nara, was one of them." Saber snarled violently. He glared at Var with a look of fury in his eyes. He knew he was the son of Snake and because of Var's green eyes, dark fur, and black mane he looked much like his father. Saber's glare seemed to have very deep meaning. "And her sister was another. Her sister, Vatina, is... her mother" he said pointing to Subira. The lioness's eyes widened as she looked at Var, Jali, and Saber.

"So Scar advised that we take action. We began to slowly cut off your warriors by throwing them off a cliff into the waters where those crocodiles were. It was a great advantage that their leader, Gustave, was willing to keep a distance from our camp if we gave him this food... So then there was the battle where I killed Star. Your mate Jali, Sira, killed Nara. And Taru killed me..." there was deep and awkward silence in the room. Jali was constantly looking back at the others. His head finally drooped.

"Your secrets are revealed Jali" said Saber. "I wouldn't be surprised if there was an uprising in your kingdom now. Should these secrets get out to the rest of them."

Jali looked up at Saber, wrinkling his nose in hatred. "My pride is loyal and faithful. I have served them much better than my father, I can tell you that."

"But the scar of corruption still stings you. I know that these are secrets that perhaps even Sira herself has yet to know. You are a coward, Jali" said Saber. "Now maybe everyone has a better understanding of why I hate you. I'm sure that all of Ridge Pride---Sunset Pride" he corrected himself, "has pictured me as some villain for quite some time. I might have a twisted outlook on reality, I might have some cruel ways. But I am not evil. I was only defending what was right in my eyes."

"You killed the innocent!" Jali protested.

"What do you say of that?" asked Shebla. "Did you ever consider that perhaps not all of our pride was corrupt? Lions need rulers. Without them we are lost. People need guidance and are blind under the rule of their leader. Unless awakened by a shaking cause."

Saber sighed. "In the eyes of my people, all of you were evil. But after I died and looked back on my life... I did take that into account. I was rather saddened by what I had done to the few who did not deserve to die. So in return, I brought Fenuku back to you and helped him safely find you. But Dalmaa sent one of his servants into Hasina and destroyed her. That I had no control over. But I tried my hardest to save her."

Subject: Re: The Pride Days (IC): Hurt Mon Jan 20, 2014 10:11 pm

Kyra lowered her ears, and sat back on her haunches, looking down at her paws, "Despite how much people tell me about how bad someone is, I never truly feel like I can fully believe them. Now I know, because I've met you, that how you are seen as good or bad depends on the person who knows you. You would have been a hero to your pride, because if so many loved ones were killed, you took leadership and fought the lions that hurt you. You were seeking justice, but you didn't know the lions you killed, so you killed innocents, too, though there were bad ones that everyone was probably better off without." She looked up at Saber, "I understand, and you have every reason to be angry, and hate the creatures you hate. Please, though, understand that if you regret mistakes you made, Star regrets his own, because he looked back and saw all the blood that stained his claws, innocent blood. He spoke to me last night, and he must have known that you were here, he knew that this secret would be told, because all dark things come to light, eventually, it's only the question of when. Star wanted us to know this, and he said he would be with us." She looked around at the cave, at the tainted stream, "I'm not asking you to forgive, I can't change the way you see things, but please know that one can change, you changed, and you cannot be evil, not truly. You may have done twisted things, but you, too, oppose Dalmaa, and that is why you are here." Although Kyra had heard a few bad things about Saber, she was the one who perhaps most readily accepted what Saber said as true. She knew that there was no such thing as someone who did things for the sake of being evil. There was a reason in everything.

Kyra flicked her tail, "Enemy in the past, or not, you are telling the truth, and I will believe you, no matter how hard it is to swallow. The truth isn't always what people want to hear, and I've grown up knowing that. This isn't what anyone wanted to hear, and I can't believe you are lying, when you have predicted things that have happened without failing once." She looked looked, then, over at Jali, "I really do believe you are a good leader, Jali, but Star appeared before me last night, and he and Snake both told me we would come down here. This secret was meant to be told to us. We can't fight the truth or suppress it, it's free, now."

Gamba growled in his throat, "He speaks the truth about Fenuku, his mate as afflicted, but now, he, too, has gone missing, and where we last saw him, we can't return for him." He then looked at Var and Kyra, "The stone must be returned to where it belongs, and it is back in Kenya, but I fear that if rain has returned, the scent trail will be faint, and the camp difficult to find. If drought remains, the lake that was there before will likely be gone, now, unless it was a spring, and Layla nearly died of heatstroke when we came here. It is dangerous, and prey scarce. We do not even know where the stone came from, where it must be placed, or where it is hidden in camp."

Subject: Re: The Pride Days (IC): Hurt Mon Jan 20, 2014 10:45 pm

Saber sighed. "I have the ability to tell you that Kenya is completely destroyed. The lands are in ruins and Dalmaa's allies infest it. It is very dangerous" he said pointing to a group of symbols that Subira recognized as describing dryness, plague, drought, and death. There was another of a young lion carrying a lioness on his back. But upon closer examination, Shebla knew it was Gamba. She gave an awkward glance back at him as she looked at the picture.

"But there is more to be read" Saber said flicking his tail to a marking on the ground. Shebla went up to it and sniffed it. She studied it closely. She did her best to remember all of the facts and knowledge Ramla had shared with her. Shebla was no Seeress, but her knowledge of the spirit language was astonishing due to her deep friendship and large amounts of time spent with Ramla.

The drawing was of a very broad triangle, but the bottom line was missing. There were three slash marks above it and an eye drawn inside of it. The drawing of the stone was below all of it and above it all was a drawing of a cloud and a circle which Shebla knew meant the moon. She sighed. "Not this..." she said. She looked up at the others. "The stone is to be delivered to the Talon. A large mountain. Ramla said she went there to receive the Sight. It is also were she lost her vision and became blind. For you must give up your physical vision to be able to have spirit vision..." she looked at Shadow. "Rather like how a tongue must be removed to have the blessing of healing."

She then turned to Jali and Gamba. "Layla cannot go to Kenya. It would kill her. Especially since she is pregnant. Even if she was not easily overcome by heat, it is still far to risky if she's expecting cubs. Gamba, you need to stay here anyways. Fenuku may return and when he comes out you need to make sure he's taken care of. He may be inflicted by the curse now if he remained. But if he knew it was a curse, I'm sure he left."

She pawed at the symbols. "Kyra and Var should go. They are two of the strongest in the entire pride. Send Taru with them."

"But we need our elite warriors to stay in case Aziza returns" said Jali.

"We have plenty of them" said Shebla. "But I do believe this is Var and Kyra's fight more than anyone else's. Snake wants to destroy Var because he defied him the night of his death and continued to resist him even after he has died. He wants Kyra dead because she loves him and continues to support and encourage him and keeps him going forward. Dalmaa has seen this. Snake is his friend. That is why he wants to kill them both. Dalmaa does not want the stone to be found. That's probably why he made Kenya became dry and deadly and drove us far away from the stone." She gazed up at the enormous picture of Dalmaa on the wall.

"Dalmaa wants the other spirits to hate us. That's why he tricked us into using magic like we did. He is very clever in his ways." She looked at the rock depicting the stone's location and then looked at Kyra and Var. "I'm no Seeress, but know that there is something... powerful within both of you. You must go and find the stone and be strong as you go through Kenya."

Var looked immediately to Kyra. "Would... would you do this?" he asked her.

Subject: Re: The Pride Days (IC): Hurt Tue Jan 21, 2014 12:54 am

Kyra nodded, "I would, but I was just thinking about something, Dalmaa can't make the weather in Kenya permanently desolate, can he? Doesn't nature naturally want to support life in it? We can't go there unless we have somewhere to get water." She turned and looked this time at Coglon, "What did you tell me earlier about seasonal cycles? You said something about surrounding lands and here, something about water. What was it?" She asked. It was clear she expected an answer, and it seemed that she was thinking deeply about the subject.

Coglon flicked his tail, "In about three moons, we will be in a very rainy, wet season, and neighboring lands, especially those south of here, get water from Ethiopia. Although there is a drought for now in Kenya, Dalmaa can't entirely fight forces of nature, the world itself tries to make it possible for life to sustain itself. That means that if we have a lot of rain, which I believe we will, considering the storm from last night, a bit of sparse rains may begin to fall there, enough where some vegetation can grow back, and certainly enough where water could accumulate in places so that you would have something to drink." He looked at Kyra, "I am not saying it would be abundant, however, but if it has still not rained currently, then it is dangerous for any and all creatures to be there, save for the plants that can go years without a single drop of water."

Kyra tilted her head to one side, "So you're saying that we'd have a better chance of getting the stone if we wait, right?" She asked.

Coglon nodded, "I can affirm that, there will be more chance of having water on your journey there, and it should be a bit cooler, less chance of heatstroke." He eyed the carving of Gamba carrying Layla. "I find it hard to think anyone can live in Kenya right now, allies of Dalmaa or not, the environment is most definitely hostile."

Subject: Re: The Pride Days (IC): Hurt Tue Jan 21, 2014 1:43 am

"By allies, I did not mean mortal" Saber said darkly. He eyed the drawing as well. It was very ominous and was beginning to creep Var out. Upon first glance it just looked like a lion and a lioness. But as you'd begin to study it, the detailing was amazing and made it look nearly exactly like Gamba and Layla but in a strange, simple way.

Shebla's face looked horror-struck. She looked at Saber. "Spirits are there? They'd have to fight spirits?"

"No. The spirits have been silent since last night and will be that way for a long time. Dalmaa himself probably will not show himself for a while. Though he never shows himself in his true form. Never. What you saw of him at dawn was the closest thing you'll probably ever get. It was extremely, extremely rare to get him to show a glimpse of him period" said Saber.

Suddenly the red glow in the rocks dimmed and turned to a strange silver that was beautiful and amazing. Saber looked at his reflection in it. He saw an image of his old form but battletorn. A lion with a black mane and a huge mark from Taru's bite across his face that had ended his life. He sighed. Jali saw it.

"Taru's not going to like this... at all..." Jali whispered to Shebla next to him.

"No. But he'll have to get over it. For the good of all of us" she murmured back. "We need him."

"I know... that's what I can't stand about all of this. Why did it have to be him? Are the spirits trying to make me miserable? Did they do this just to punish me?"

"No. You heard his story" Shebla said. "We just have to accept this."

Subira spoke up. "What if Aziza attacks us again before then?"

"Her forces are badly damaged. But she will return" said Saber. "Keep large amounts of patrols. Defend yourselves. It will be a rather long three moons..."

Jali nodded at Saber's words as the large black and red warrior turned around to look at him. Saber's gaze was still full of loath, but Jali could tell he was suppressing it for everyone. He supposed he would not let his hatred get the better of him and be weaker than Saber. So he calmed himself.

There was a gasp on the other side of the room. Var was staring up at another drawing. "Guys, look!"

There was a drawing of a lion Var knew immediately was Snake. He was sitting. A lioness sat at his side with her head on his shoulder. His head leaned toward her. They both had closed eyes and smiles and their tails were in twine. Var knew instantly that this wasn't Mira, Snake's former mate. But he knew that a female never treated Snake so nicely, with love. He did not do the same either. He tried to search anyone that the drawing looked like.

"Who is that?" he asked. Shebla approached with a puzzled look. For a moment she slightly stuck her tongue out the side of her mouth in deep thought.

"I... I don't know" she said. "For one the face looks a little distorted."

"Sorry, that was my first one. I wasn't very good at them at first" Saber said.

"Who is this?" asked Var.

"I can't tell you. The spirits only put these here for you to look at and decipher. If I just told you the secret, what would the point of writing them down be? Perhaps for recording history. But nobody else would see these records!" Saber scoffed. "You'll find out later. Come on, let's go."

Jali began to lead the group out of the cave. He kept looking back at them. He was sure that they were all deep in thought from the markings. Each one seemed to describe them all--except for Shebla, Shadow, and Coglon. But the others were mentioned everywhere. As they finally came into Jali's den, they reached out to the mouth of the cave where the light of dusk was faintly hitting.

With the golden light, suddenly Saber's form transformed. The black color brushed away like sand and left him looking like a normal lion. But his mane was still black. His eyes were red and his face scarred as always. He looked just like he did before the day of his death. He breathed in the deep scent of the day and bathed in the sunlight. Jali already heard a scream coming from Taru. He rushed to his brother's side.

"Taru, Taru, calm down! I can explain!" Jali said. Taru was trembling with both fear and rage. His jaw had dropped down. He recognized the man he killed.

"The spirits have resurrected Saber to help us" said Jali.

"HOW IN EARTH COULD THAT MONSTER HELP US?!" he seemed to shout.

"I'll explain later. Just go to your den for a bit!" he commanded. Taru wanted to protest but Jali shot him a warning glance. He quickly left the scene. Sira was trembling as well. Jali sat next to her and comforted her with a warm lick. Saber was giving Sira an ominously raging stare. He found the one who killed his mate. But he brought his anger down low and went on to the rest of the camp.

Shebla approached Jali. Var, Kyra, Gamba, Coglon, Shadow, and Subira seemed to tag just behind her.

"Jali earlier I had an encounter with Ammon" she said looking back at the others. She hated knowing that they'd heard. Var had stopped and began listening to the conversation.

"He wouldn't let me help him unless I promised to tell him what we found in there" Shebla said guiltily. "I'm sure I should have talked it over with you first but--"

"But you promised him" Jali said. "You are a medical lioness. You did your job. Go ahead and tell him. But he may not like all he hears. And make sure that he doesn't spread it to anyone else---that is, if he'll even talk to anyone else. We need to keep this between all of us for now." Shebla nodded as she began to go down the hill and into the medical den. Jali gave an awkward look to Kyra and Var as he stood there. He then looked to Gamba.

"You might want to go take care of Layla. I'm sure she won't be happy knowing the one who killed her sister is back, either" he mentioned.

______________________________________________

Shebla entered the den and sat down in front of Ammon. "Alright Ammon. I promised you I'd tell you what happened and I never break my promises." Shebla said this as though it had deeper meaning. She paused, thinking of what to say. "Well we went down there and found all the symbols. I was able to read many of them. They talked about..." she was wondering if she should mention the stone to Ammon.

"They talked about an artifact we have to retrieve now. And then they spoke about Gamba and Layla and their cubs. They also foretold Dalmaa's continued watch over this pride. Then... they spoke of Kyra and Var and how they are destined to be defiant of Dalmaa and Snake... We found a resurrection of King Saber down there. He has been making many of the symbols. He is going to help us. But it's ironic. One of the most hated people in all of this pride's history is now one of our only chances of getting through this... Though honestly, I'd prefer Saber any day over Snake."

Shebla laid down with her chin on her paws. She was very sleepy. "So, will you let me help you a little more now?"

Subject: Re: The Pride Days (IC): Hurt Wed Jan 22, 2014 12:45 am

Ammon looked up at Shebla, and growled, "As you say, I, too, would prefer this King Saber, though I have no knowledge of his crimes for a reference to know which is the lesser of two evils." He said. "I do not like this, my greatest rival and his mate in a prophesy, and now my daughter and her mate. In addition, their cubs have been bound by it, as well. Will anyone ever truly be free of it?" He pondered the question, though no confusion, or any other emotion, seemed to show in his eyes. He flicked his tail, "You may try to help me, but there is no guarantee that I will even let you. I can't control what other people do, however, so go ahead and try, if you wish to fail at something you believe you are good at. You will find I am not nearly so easy to break, or even speak to, for that matter." His unreadable eyes narrowed, slightly, "I will, however, keep this secret, as it was clearly not meant to be spoken to just anyone who passes by. This information is dangerous, and in the wrong paws could harm innocent lives."

The fact that Ammon worried for innocent lions was curious, and notable, in itself. One wondered what he was thinking, when he was in control of himself, he was impossible to truly read.

(Timeskip three months. During this time, Ammon tried to escape a total of five times, and each time he was brought back, the resulting struggles sending him back to his weakened state again.)

Subject: Re: The Pride Days (IC): Hurt Wed Jan 22, 2014 1:10 am

It was just after the fifth time Ammon had been brought back. Shebla sighed as she spoke to two of the warriors. "Alright, well... thank you for bringing him back" she said. But she had an idea that they weren't too nice to Ammon judging by the markings of scuffle all over the three individuals. They turned away as she slipped through the long brush that curtained the entrance to the den.

Shebla sighed. She came into the medical den and looked at Ammon. Her aura of sweet smells dragged with her. She laid down in a soft spot of grass in front of him and just stared into him for a moment. She took a moment to solemnly look at her paws before she spoke.

"Ammon... will you ever just accept our help?" she asked. She looked up at him again. "Don't you realize your daughter and son need you? Don't you realize there might be people in this pride that care about you? Why would you want to leave... to be alone again?" she said. The look in her eyes explained that she knew what loneliness was like and were clouded with a look that slipped with sadness.

---------------------------

Layla and Sira sat by the lake. Both of their stomachs had grown large and it was obvious their due dates were very near. By now Mira's children were older and walking around the pride on their own. Since Saber's arrival he had been a loner and hid in his den or went hunting alone most of the day. Nobody had really heard from him in a while.

As for Var, he was sitting near the kill pile eating. He liked the vision of nightfall which was befalling the camp at the moment.

__________________________________________________

Aziza paced back and forth. The ground beneath her was stony and grayish. The sky above was dark and the trees all around were bare. Bones embellished the ground and it seemed as though only she and her companions were left living in the grounds.

"When are we going to attack? I can't wait another moon! It's killing me!"

"You must wait" spoke a dark hyena standing under a tree. There were too. Male and female. The witchdoctors. Drey spoke. "If you attack now it will end in failure. I can feel their forces growing. We must wait until the right time to strike. It will be a while longer. Perhaps another entire moon."
Aziza's eyes widened. "My hunger for their deaths is NOT patient!"

"Would you rather die and join your sister? You'd only be giving Shebla what she wanted" said Neith. Aziza sighed angrily and nodded. She looked at Kavis and Nassor who were sitting together.

"Listen to them" Kavis said. "Good things to those who wait."

"Well, what do we do about Scar's rebels? They're growing tired of this as well. They want their dead family members to be avenged!" she said. Angry drool came down from her teeth as she snarled. She stepped across the clearing. Her powerful shoulders moved up and down with each paw-step. The ligeress had a deep growl in the back of her throat.

"Aziza" Zalika said. Zalika had a few vultures sitting around her. Her fluffy tail was placed neatly over her paws. She sat up in a strong fashion. "Don't worry. We'll get our chance. Snake's proud of you for helping him either way."

"I know" Aziza said. "He should be at least. As much blood as we've shed for him. Sacrificing his own brother even."

"The time will come" said Drey. "Just not yet."

Subject: Re: The Pride Days (IC): Hurt Wed Jan 22, 2014 1:41 am

Ammon growled, furious at this fifth failed attempt to leave. Anger flashed in his dark eyes, and once again, they looked like dark storm clouds, prepared to unleash all their lightning and fury. "Prides have brought nothing but torment and humiliation to me. I told you that you wouldn't understand, Shebla." He said, his voice harsh, but even. Even though he was loathe to form any sort of bonds with anyone, it was difficult to speak to someone for a full three moons without at some point beginning to use their name. The white lion's words were sharp, and bit like claws, "You still don't know me, these past three moons have changed nothing. Even in weakness, I know that when I am back at full strength that none of the warriors you've sent to capture me would even stand a chance. You only make me repeat the things I already know, and guilt trips won't work on me." His dark eyes flashed violently, but then he stopped baring his teeth, and the look in them faded into the unreadable expression when nobody could understand what he was thinking.

It was obvious that by this point Ammon was growing sick of having to stay in the Pride, forced to stay in the medical den and eat kills others had made. He had taken to unsheathing and re-sheathing his claws, and when he was close to the point where he would try to leave, and could start slowly walking, he would pace as though he were being confined to a prison. He wanted back his freedom, and badly, it did not matter if he was leaving the Pride where his daughter and step-son were, for he had always managed to keep watch over them, even at a distance. He would bid a good riddance to this place, if they would let him. He took a different route each time he left the camp, but unfortunately, they always managed to track him down. After being for so long in the medical den, his fur had taken on a strong enough resemblance to the herbs in it that his scent was highly recognizable apart from the surrounding scenery. He did not like it at all, not the scent of other lions on his fur, nor the fact that he was unable to vanish like a phantom into the forest, as he was so well known for.

He was about to tell Shebla to leave, when the appearance of the strange black lion, Shadow, made him decide not to. Shadow growled softly, to get the medical lionesses' attention, and gestured to her to follow him, giving Ammon a look that was equally unreadable. In the three moons since the knowledge of the Stone being in the old Sunset Pride camp had been discovered, Shadow was the only stranger in camp whom nobody could figure out. He was still a mystery, even more so than Ammon. Shadow, being a Great Healer, would never appear on the walls of the cave prophesies, because he did not belong in them, or in any vision of the future. He simply appeared as he was needed, or told to, by forces that nobody understood.

Shadow walked out of the den, and over to a shaded patch of the trees, where fine sand from the bottom of the lake had been laid out, a canvas he could easily scrawl symbols in to communicate. He waited for Shebla to come, and the situation would strike one as odd, because Shadow hardly spoke to anyone, save for Coglon, and of their conversations, the small lion would not say a word.

Ammon looked after where Shadow had followed, "Considering the things he has done, I would tell you it would be a good idea to follow him." A gleam of suspicion now drifted into the white lion's eyes. Why did he have an odd feeling about this?

Subject: Re: The Pride Days (IC): Hurt Wed Jan 22, 2014 2:18 am

Shebla sighed as she looked at Ammon. She stopped just as she was leaving the den and looked back at him. "Well if you hate love so much, I won't judge you for it. But pride is a beginning step to becoming someone like Snake. Even if your pride is different than his. I hope you wouldn't want that for yourself." She then turned and left to follow Shadow. Her thoughts were deep as she left the den.

Why can't I get through to him? She began to think. I always get through to people. She cleared her head and stopped when she came up to Shadow.

"Hello Shadow" she began. "What do you need?"

Subject: Re: The Pride Days (IC): Hurt Wed Jan 22, 2014 2:56 am

Shadow gave a quiet growl, and began quickly tracing an image in the sand. He first drew a picture of a lion, and when he dug down somewhat deeper into the sand, there was a layer underneath the slightly damp part that was paler, almost white. With this fainter color, it was clear that Shadow was drawing a small image of Ammon, even more evident by the thicker nature of the fur that made the mane in the image, and the small indent in the shoulder, to represent the prominent scar that the white lion bore. Shadow carefully tapped the image, to make sure Shebla understood that he was trying to tell her something. He then continued, this time, drawing the image of a closed eye, followed by an image like smoke. Then, there was a small pair of widened eyes, with rays like light coming from them. He then drew another image, this time of a lioness, once again, digging down deeper to the white sand. Shadow drew a small ridge over the lionesses heart, and then went over to another spot, where there was dust instead of sand. He took a tiny pinch of the red dust on his paw, and put a red dab over the spot on the lioness's heart. Next to this, he dug down again, this time, drawing a white egret, and putting once again a small dab of red over the heart. Finally, Shadow drew an entire circle around the collection of images, and then proceeded to draw the image of a crescent moon, signifying the way it would look later that night.

Seemingly done, Shadow sat back and looked at Shebla, waiting for her to make sense of the collection of images. Some of them were obvious, but others were a little more vague, though she would quickly understand the meaning, overall. Shebla was to learn a great truth about Ammon, and it would come to her that night during a dream, from the lioness he had drawn, who was somehow related to the white lion. She might not have recognized the lioness, but she would have possibly recognized the egret with the crimson feather on its chest. It depended on how much Shebla had seen of the battle three moons ago.

Subject: Re: The Pride Days (IC): Hurt Wed Jan 22, 2014 3:14 am

Shebla looked puzzled for a moment. She knew it was obviously something about Ammon. Her mind began to spin. He must be important then. The eyes made sense to her. Perhaps there was a mystery behind him, something she wasn't getting. Something that wasn't obvious at first glance or would be revealed in some dream. But she had no idea who the lioness was. She bit her lip as she looked closely at it. Then she saw the bird. She looked back on all of her memories.

Yes. It made sense. She remembered the birds from the battle that had fought the snakes. She'd seen a glimpse of them from the mouth of Jali's cave where the weaker pride members, the mothers, and anyone else unfitting to fight hid.

She saw the moon and began to wonder further. Looking up at the sky she understood that this symbol not only meant night, but it meant tonight. There was a faint crescent moon appearing in the distance. She gave a glance to Shadow. "Thank you, Shadow" she said. "This will help me..."

She turned to her own den, her head heavy with thoughts. What in the world is going on... she thought. She entered the medical den which she had to get through to find her own. She gave Ammon an examining glance as she strode past and leaped up into the hole in the bushes that led to her nest. She curled up to get an early sleep. She wanted to know what this was as soon as possible.

Subject: Re: The Pride Days (IC): Hurt Wed Jan 22, 2014 10:35 pm

As soon has Shebla had fallen asleep, she found her dream-self transported to a void, of sorts, or limbo, depending on how one would regard it. It was a vast, empty sort of plain, completely flat, with slate grey stone underfoot, so smooth that it seemed polished. Around the area, a thick white mist concealed everything, and the sky was white, as well. The medical lioness was given a relatively large round area in which she could see, but aside from this, it seemed that the strange plain, despite fading in the distance, went on endlessly. As Shebla looked on, a shape emerged across from her out of the mist. It was a lioness, far larger than what anyone was familiar with, but no so abnormal as to give the impression that it was impossible for a female to grow so big. The female was pure white, her fur blending with the clouds, save for a single tuft on her chest over her heart, that was bright crimson in color. Her eyes were dark black, and shimmered as though they were filled with stars. It was obvious that this was the lioness that Shadow had drawn, and as the final wisps of mist trailed away, the red mark over her heart faded, her ethereal aura vanishing, so that she was so solid, it was almost as though she were another physical being, although Shebla would know she was a spirit.

"So you have heeded the word of the Healer, and come early, that gives us much more time." The white lioness said, sitting back on her haunches across from Shebla. "First, allow me to introduce myself. I am Egret, daughter of the King of the Starclimb Pride, though that is just a title, and considering I was illegitimately conceived, my name bore no weight in life. You will find it more easy if I go by the title I am actually proud of, and that is being Ammon's mother." She flicked her tail for a moment, allowing it to sink in, "The reason I have brought you here is simple, my son has no desire to be in a pride, and that is because life has taught him to oppose it."

Subject: Re: The Pride Days (IC): Hurt Wed Jan 22, 2014 10:48 pm

Shelba was amazed, but she pushed her astonishment aside for a moment and focused. She nodded in response to Egret's words. "I've tried so hard to show him things aren't so bad. I've tried and tried to get him to feel happy. But I can't..." she looked at her paws a moment and then back up at the spirit.

"I don't know what has happened to him to make him this way... but I know that it must be very terrible. If he doesn't believe there's anyone who won't swindle him, if he truly thinks nobody will love him... I can't imagine what it took to make it that way." She sighed, giving Egret a solemn look. "May I ask, what happened?"

Subject: Re: The Pride Days (IC): Hurt Thu Jan 23, 2014 2:10 am

Egret flicked her tail, "That is what I was going to explain to you, but rather than simply tell you, I am going to show it to you, because only then can you fully understand. To fully comprehend it, though, the story goes back to a time before I had my son." As the lioness spoke, the scenery around them changed, texture coming into the blank landscape, trees and foliage growing up, as the ground changed to stone and soil. The white sky and mist changed into a bright blue, cloudless one, as the white lioness transported Subira into an event in the past. It seemed that they were appearing in the middle of a camp, for there were dens scattered about, and a cliff rising up on the other side, sheltering the area, a large, gaping cave in it visible, with a smaller one, more like a big crack, visible next to it. There was a kill pile in the camp's center, and phantoms became solid, as the memory took shape. The lions in the camp were enormous, the males having manes that were thicker and dense. Many, Subira noticed, lions and lionesses alike, were pure white in coloration, with dark eyes, much like Ammon. There were a few normal-looking lions among them, but notably, it seemed that the colored lions and the white ones did not associate, only passing glances and acknowledgements.

Egret, still sitting beside Subira, explained, "This is the Starclimb Pride Camp, the last known place where lions as large as Ammon and I, known more specifically as Atlas or Barbary lions, were known to exist. Our kind was being wiped out by the humans, they would come from a land far away over the north sea, and capture us, taking us prisoner. After death, I learned that our kind were trapped in rooms under one of their nests, and then lifted up on some sort of rising floor to a pit of sand, surrounded by walls. The humans would kill them, either pitting them against other creatures, or fighting them with tools of killing. It was a brutal thing, and they did this all for entertainment. This bloodsport had driven us to the point of extinction, and there were few Atlas Lions left in existence, none living outside the pride." Egret said. She then flicked her tail at the collection of white lions idling about the camp, "As you can see, there are colored lions, and white ones, like my son. You may not have been told, but in Ethiopia, there are prides, and within the prides, clans. Clans emerged through selective, or forced breeding, of lions, to cultivate and purify a certain desirable trait. This is the Whitestrike Clan, devoted to creating lions of immense physical strength and power, but also to making their fur as pale as possible, to signify how old the bloodline is. You have perhaps met several clan lions, now, though you may have not had any sure reason for why their appearances are so different from the norm."

As she spoke, lions began to emerge from the two caves in the cliff, a normal-colored male and female from the large one, and a single, plainly-colored female from the smaller, who seemed a bit tinier than the other females. Egret flicked her tail at the three, "The two from the larger cave are the King and Queen, and that lioness from the smaller cave, that was me, when I was alive. Don't let my appearance as a spirit fool you, I can take on any form I wish, I was not pure white when I was alive." She said, before continuing, "Now, let me tell you a small amount about this pride. While normally only the clans would do selective breeding, the Starclimb pride took things to an extreme level. They saw normal lions, smaller ones, like you are used to, as inferior, and wished for every member of the pride to be of pure Barbary blood, not just the clan lions, but even the normal ones, as well. This selective breeding resulted in much inbreeding, because there were no other prides with Atlas blood, soon, almost every lion in this pride had at least one relative mate with another. At first, they kept the relations far apart, such as third cousins, but over time, it grew worse, to the point of incest." Egret shuddered a bit at this, "I need not tell you, what incest does, the cubs that result suffer problems, both of the body, and the mind. By the time I was born, almost a third of all cubs born in this pride had some disorder that killed them, an affliction of seizures that made them swallow their tongue, or deformities that made it impossible for them to survive. Many more had afflictions that nobody could see, for they were deformities of the mind."

She then continued, as Shebla watched the scene unfold. As Egret's past-self stepped out of her cave, the Queen from the large cavern looked over at her, and gave her a glare that would have split a mountain in two, had it possessed physical force. Other lions, likewise, also shot her similar dirty looks, and began to move away, it seemed as though the entire camp actively shunned the lioness when she came out of her own cavern. Egret acknowledged this, "As I said before, I was an illegitimate cub, born to the King, which was also adultery, because he had a mate at the time. He had been in secret courting a lioness, a non-Barbary one, and had gotten her pregnant with me. My mother was not even guilty of anything, because she did not know that my father had a mate. When I was born, the pride of the lioness demanded the King to take me in. Out of mock-honor, my father said he would let me live, but that was all. He would not permit me to leave the pride territory, nor would he ever allow me to take a mate. I was not worthy of any of the Starclimb lions, and my Barbary half was too valuable to be wasted on non-Barbary lions, as he had said."

Egret's ears flattened, as she continued, "This was the day when he came along." She spat the word with utter revulsion, as though sickened by it, and unable to say the name.

The spirit fell silent, as the scene in the past unfolded. The past Egret slowly lowered her head, and flattened her ears, reluctantly walking out of her cave, and warily glancing around at the cold, harsh faces gazing at her, as though they wanted to crush her like an insect. She slowly made her way to the kill pile, and proceeded to open her mouth to pull of a piece of meat from one of the kills for herself, when a large white male nearby rushed over and roughly shoved her away, before snagging the part she had intended to get, and then carrying it away for herself. A few fellow white warriors who saw this snickered, having no sympathy.

Past-Egret looked at her oppressors, and then quickly slunk away, as a bit of laughter followed, everyone else watching with silent hostility, which seemed to come from the entire camp in waves. She retreated into the brush, and the landscape changed, this time, to a lone hill, overlooking a valley below, where Past-Egret was looking down the rocky cliff, weeping. She had every reason, for it seemed that in her entire pride, there was no sympathy. It even seemed, from Shebla and the Spirit-Egret's perspective, that she had even been contemplating throwing herself over the cliff and just ending her life, then and there. It was a miserable life that she lived.

"Pardon me, but may I watch the sunset with you?" A polite male's voice came from the bushes, and Past-Egret looked over her shoulder, to see a gigantic white lion emerging from the bushes. There was something about the way his mane grew, and without a doubt, it was Ammon's father, though his face itself was different. The shape of Ammon's face had clearly come from his mother. In truth, there was something odd about him, for he took no notice of Past-Egret's weeping, and walked up to the cliff, sitting beside her. "I always come to watch the sunset, here." He said, looking at her, "Why are you crying?"

The Spirit-Egret growled, "He was lying, the entire time, it should have been obvious, had I not been so consumed by despair." Indeed, the words of the lion would have set off warning tones in any lionesses' skull.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be assigning future mates for the recently-born Whitestrike Cubs? I thought that was your job, being the elder of the clan." Past-Egret said, glaring at him through wet eyes. The lion didn't look like much of an elder, though, he actually seemed rather young.

Spirit-Egret seemed to find the vision painful, for abruptly it winked out, and she and Shebla were back in the white void, once more, "I...can't show you much more of that. Those memories bring me nothing but agony, now. Know this, what happened was simple. He swept me off my paws, and I was too foolish to know it." Her eyes teared up a little, "I was ostracized by my entire pride, as you just saw, and the moment a male showed me kindness, I fell in love with him, and I didn't even think about the consequences." She then closed her eyes, and forced herself to be calm, before looking back at Shebla. "The next part I show you, will be easier for me, but I always feel ashamed, when I remember how easily he fooled me."

The white void changed back into the camp, and this time, Ammon's father and Egret stood before the King and Queen, while the pride gathered around to watch. Ammon' father appeared to be in the middle of speaking, and even at the distance of where they were, the memory was so real and solid that somehow, it even seemed to transmit smell. The scent of pregnancy came from the Past-Egret, and all the pride glared at her as though she were the worst pest in the world. "As the King and Queen knows, Egret has defied your word and taken a mate against His Majesty's wishes. I, Bakari, elder of the Whitestrike Pride, propose to take her from this camp, and find a different pride far from here that will take in a pregnant lioness such as her." He said. Past-Egret seemed terrified of everyone, and stood closely to Bakari, as though he were the only thing protecting her from their wrath.

The Queen spoke first, "I will gladly support this, she is not my daughter, and not my concern, she has been a pest to this village, and for punishment, nothing would be better than exile." She said. She flashed a glare at Egret, and then at the King, clearly still feeling angry at him about the lionesses' birth.

The King glanced sidelong at her, and then nodded, "Very well, Bakari, in your absence, your son Jumoke will determine the mate pairings of the Whitestrike Clan lions. Take Egret far from here, and find a pride that will care for her. That cub is still of Barbary blood, and therefore must be allowed to live." There was no compassion from anyone, and soon, Bakari was leading Egret away, out of the camp.

The scene faded again, and the Spirit Egret turned to Subira, that was various swift transitions, but it is difficult to re-experience these things. It will be easier for me to explain what happened to my own son, there is nothing I can do to help myself, for it is too late. Do you have any questions, was there anything unclear about these visions from the past?" She asked.

Subject: Re: The Pride Days (IC): Hurt Thu Jan 23, 2014 2:43 am

Shebla had caught herself staring at the mist, in the place that the Past-Egret had stood before dissipating. She blinked, cleared her thoughts, and looked back at the spirit. "No" she said shaking her head. Her voice was low. "I understand."

Her tail flicked across the ground sadly. She felt sorry for Egret and her ears were beginning to droop. She scratched behind one of them for a moment before she looked back at the spirit. "Carry on. I'm ready."

» The Pride Days (OOC)
» And Whatever Days May Come: "I love zombies. If any monster could river dance, it would be Zombies."
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» The Lily in The Stones Lyrics (A Pride Days Song)
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