"Duck!"
It was an order that the pale lion followed as he dropped to the ground just as the rather large rock swung towards his head. Entirely unexpected and with no indication of where it had initially come from, he watched as it slammed abruptly against the side of a hefty palm tree and eventually came to a halt. When he was certain it wasn't going to move again he approached it to inspect the creation, credit where it was due, it was some impressive technology from a lion's point of view.
Tightly wound in thick vines, it had somehow been pulled up into the trees and positioned in a manner that simply needed nudged to make it move. He would have called it a trap, but by Lucivar's expression of amusement, perhaps it would have been much more accurate to imply it was a weapon. Granted, it certainly would have destroyed his head if it had hit him, but how had it gotten up there?
"You have my thanks," Shui said fine, now that he'd had time to inspect the rock.
"That is what I am here for," Lucivar pointed out as he moved away from the slow pendulum the rock had now become, and turned his attention to the world that lay beyond them. They'd spent several days on each of the islands, and much to his dismay they had been peaceful in some way or another. The cultures had certainly been different and their views regarding certain policies on the mainland had varied, but the vast majority had been the same in one fundamental aspect.
...None of them had known how to fight, not really.
Lucivar had all but begun to question how this pride had survived for so long whenever they had encountered one of the last remaining islands and the lions there had been extraordinarily helpful. They hadn't been warriors themselves, but they'd spoken of the 'oddities' that existed on the islands beyond. Shui and his escorts had been warned of course, if they went to these islands then they could expect some resistance, but if they wanted to find what they were looking for it was likely to be there.
"How do you think they made it?" Shui asked after a moment and shook his head as he examined his own paws.
"External help," Lucivar said simply. He'd noticed the monkeys and baboons within the mainland coves and there was every possibility that similar aid existed. After all, in order to survive in such a restricted space, one had to find a way to co-exist with the rest of the island's denizens. That being said it was best not to dwell on the finer details of this island's toys, and to move on to a less exposed area. Fortunately Shui had been of a similar mindset and no sooner had he received his answer than he had begun to progress (albeit slowly and carefully) through the undergrowth.
This wasn't a bad call either, based on the fact one toy could very well have killed them, there was every possibility of there being more.
"Well if you ever wanted something to entrench yourself I guess this would be it," Shui remarked as he struggled through the growth. He lacked finesse over harsher terrain, as did much of his escort, but it seemed that Lucivar didn't have the same issues. Suffice it to say that the black lion practically glided over it, a mere whisper against the tide and cracks and heavy breathing.
...Mayhaps the escort could also have done with some exercise and training, eh?
"Indeed," Lucivar had begun to note all the of the little tricks and traps around. Shui had fortunately dodged most of them, but it would only be a matter of time before he found himself on the wrong end of one. Some of these designs were unlike anything the Phantom had seen before and they were plans to embrace and take home. It could certainly make for much more interesting tactics in the future.
"Which may be precisely what you - Care - "
With a thunderous crack, the black lion saw a flurry of multicoloured lions tumble out of view and into a crudely dug pit below him.
"Ful..." He finished as he gazed down in to the pit to inspect the damage. It seemed that they had sustained no major damage and only their pride was bruised for now. "Trap," he added.
"Yes, I can see that," Shui muttered in a disgruntled manner as he wriggled free of the groaning lions and began to clamber his way back up again.
"As I was saying, this may be precisely what you need," Lucivar stated. "You do not want anything over your borders and if you are short on numbers then this seems like an option to consider alongside the necessity for greater manpower," he paused and rather briskly hauled two of the more weighty lions back up.
"Agreed, but it would have to be built first," Shui winced as he stretched a protesting leg.
"Then we had best find the architects," the black lion remarked as he strode passed the group. If they were going to get anywhere in ample time, they were going to have to follow his steps. At least this way no one would fall into anymore holes and they might actually make some progress. "Do mind your step if you can," he added as he glanced over his shoulder, namely towards the rest of the King's so-called circle.
"As entertaining as it must be for the denizens of this island to watch you all sprawl into holes, it would be more advantageous for us to find them on this occasion," the Phantom finished and continued on his way. There was some murmuring, but the vast majority fell in to line behind him as he navigated his way through what was quickly becoming a veritable minefield of traps.
...Something had been busy, just what that was remained to be seen.
Words: 1,004