It had been several days since Siyo had come to check on Kiv in the healer's den, and in that time, she had rested, and he'd had food and drink brought to her. The large lion had hardly left her side, save for the times when he'd needed to attend to pride matters, but he'd always return to her side as quickly as possible. Jua'Kali, one of the pride's healers, was also in and out of the den for the better part of the day to check up on Kiv and how she was recovering. He had been told her recovery would take some time before she was fully rested, but it did his heart good to hear that she was indeed on the path of recovery. At the moment the two of them lay at the mouth of the healer's den, with Kiv resting against his side as she slept. He didn't mind. From the brief conversations that they've had she'd been on the run for quite some time, and even before that she hadn't been in the best of condition. That would change. No one was ever going to hurt his Kiv again; he'd make sure of it.The past few days had been some of the most restful she'd had in years. She'd found Siyo'Jini, the one lion in this life she could completely trust with her life, and the singular hope she'd had in her escape from her father's pride. The years had not been kind to her. She'd been starved and beaten more times than she could count, and worst of all she'd let her family down. She had gone back all those years ago to rescue her mother and sister from her father's cruelty but wound up getting captured herself. In retrospect, she should have asked Siyo and Thunzi to help her back then, but she had been confident in her ability to get them out and she hadn't wanted to be a burden to the fledgling mercenaries. That had been a mistake. Not only had she been captured as a traitor to her father, but he'd also had his mother and sister killed for attempting to escape. Kiv still remembered their last moments before the light had left their eyes for good. In her sleep she had relived those memories time and time again, never able to save them.
He noticed her shift and tense next to him, which wasn't uncommon for her these past few days. Still, it concerned him. What nightmare was she fighting without him? Siyo'Jini was no stranger to fitful sleep, as it was something he also struggled with from time to time. More so in recent years than ever before. But he hated to see her struggle, even in her sleep when she was supposed to be at peace. Gently he lowered his head to be next to hers, hoping his presence alone would be enough to bring her quieter dreams.
Her spiral of nightmares continued until she was unable to bear them, and her eyes flashed open in a sudden jolt of terror. She was breathing heavily, and her body was shaking with the effort to control herself. For a moment Kiv'mauti wasn't sure where she was or how she had gotten there, but the scent of Siyo'Jini hit her nostrils as she continued to breathe is short bursts. She could feel herself pressed up against his side as well and slowly she was able to calm herself. It had all just been nightmares she told herself. Terrible, terrifying memories that haunted her even in her sleep. She sighed, somehow feeling more exhausted than she had before she'd fallen asleep. "I'm sorry," she murmured to the large lion next to her, placing her chin on her paws in a defeated manner. She knew he worried over her, and she was likely keeping him from important pride matters.
"For what?" he half-heartedly snorted at her. She had nothing to be sorry for as far as he was concerned. If anything, he should be the one apologizing. If he had only gone with her so many years ago, maybe things would have turned out differently for her. If he and Thunzi had stuck by her side, he was certain they could have helped her. But they hadn't. They'd had their heads too far up their tails to realize the gravity of her situation. Now knowing what she had endured it was something that was going to haunt him for the rest of his life, and likely something he'd spend the rest of his days trying to make up for.
She was silent for a time, just listening to and feeling the rise and fall of large lion's side as he breathed. His presence was calming to her, and it allowed her to clear her mind of the last remnants of bitter memories. It took effort, but she raised her head to stare out of the den's mouth and into the cool evening air. "For not asking you to come with me. It was stupid, but I didn't want to be a burden," she told him quietly, her bright blue eyes far off in remembering times past. They had been young when they'd first met, adolescents on the cusp of adulthood, with nothing but themselves to answer to. It was wild to think he and Thunzi, two scrappy kids she used to hang out with, now led a pride of highly trained mercenaries. Their lives had turned out very differently she realized.
He shifted to look at her, his massive head lifting off of his paws as he did so. A frown tugged at the corners of his maw as he digested her words, and they kicked him in the gut with an icy twist. "You were never a burden Kiv..." he told her just as quietly. "If I had been smarter, I would have realized what you were up against. You wouldn't have had to go off alone." They could go around blaming themselves for how things had worked out, but that was too exhausting for Siyo'Jini, and he didn't much care to look so deeply into the past. What's done was done, and now they needed to move forward to make up for their own shortcomings. Carefully he bumped his head against hers, careful not to be too rough with the fragile shell of a lioness. He might have to lead a pride, but he'd always have time for her. Dwelling on what they could have done differently wouldn't help them now, so he shifted the conversation to their present troubles. "How many are pursuing you?" he asked casually, careful not to let any malice drip into his tone. He didn't need to excite her, but he would personally be ripping them to pieces when he caught them.
Her ears swiveled back against her skull in a depressed manner as he spoke. She supposed they both blamed themselves for how things had turned out. "I'm not certain, but it's likely all those who remained loyal to my father." His pride had been somewhat small in comparison to others, but it had consisted of mostly male slavers who captured unsuspecting females and sold them to prides who practiced slavery. They would not be missed, she suspected. "Maybe half a dozen or more?" she replied after a moment, trying to remember what she had seen while on the run.
Siyo'Jini considered this information, his tail swatting the ground a few times as he did so. The Tani'Ajiri had many combat trained members, but they had also recently allowed civilians amongst their ranks as well, which complicated things. Not to mention the cubs that had recently been birthed. The great lion's brows knitted together in concern. Half a dozen was enough to threaten the lives of those who lived here, especially the vulnerable members who otherwise weren't as capable of protecting themselves. He would need to speak to Thunzi about this, and they would need a plan to stay ahead of any trouble that might come their way. If possible, Siyo'Jini would like to find them first, outside of the pride's territory and away from any civilians. "Get some rest Kiv, we'll figure this out," he said evenly, his maw pulled tight into a serious grimace. The Tani'Ajiri were no strangers to enemies, but this was going to be tricky.
Kiv sighed, feeling the tension that had crept up into Siyo'Jini as easily as she could breathing. He was her only hope of survival, but she hadn't realized how different his life had become. As a pride leader she was certain he had other responsibilities to worry about, but she had nowhere else to go, and no one else to turn to for help. How could she possibly ask this of him? She felt dismal about it, but she was also exhausted, and worrying about it was only making her more tired. "... I'm sorry," she muttered quietly, almost too quietly for him to hear. She heard him rumble softly in response, but she hadn't the energy to explain further. Her head lowered back onto her paws and sleep soon took her again.
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