She had fallen asleep at some point yesterday, with Siyo'Jini at her side and the peaceful evening air in her lungs. However, at some point during the night, she had awoken to find herself completely alone. Not even Jua'kali, the healer who had been attending to her for a few weeks, was around. It was a strange feeling really; she didn't think she'd been alone like this since she had come to the Tani'Ajiri lands. It was either Jua or more lately, Siyo who had been around to keep her company. She wasn't sure if she liked not having anyone around, when for years as her father's captive, that's all she had wanted. He'd always had guards posted outside her den, and they'd always... no. No, she didn't want to think about that right now. She had escaped that life. She had escaped and she had found Siyo'Jini. All the pain and the hurt that she had endured, it was over. Her father couldn't hurt her anymore. She had strangled that b*****d with her own fangs and felt his blood on her tongue as he gasped for air. Air that she had denied him, until eventually it killed him. He couldn't hurt her anymore.No matter how many times she told herself that, she knew it wasn't true. The memories were still there. The years of abuse and cruelty still hidden under her fur as scars that she would never be rid of. The fear and the despair, always in the back of her mind and strangling her heart, would never disappear. The cool night's air wafted through the den's mouth, and she shivered against it. She was so tired. Tired of running, and tired of being weak. It had taken so long for her to escape; she had feared that Siyo might have forgotten about her. She didn't know what she would have done if he had turned her away or refused to help.
But she wouldn't had blamed him if he had. The lioness she was now, fragile and nothing but skin and bone, she wouldn't had blamed him. Her fur was dulled and messed from years of neglect, and what beauty she might have possessed in their youth was long gone. Replaced by this skeletal creature, battered and bruised, with hardly enough strength to stand on her own four paws. It was a miracle she had found him at all, and an even bigger one that he hadn't turned her away on sight.
No matter how tired she was though, she could not bring herself to go back to sleep. Yes, she was in the heart of a pride, and Siyo had told her there were many capable fighters within its borders, but she couldn't quell the myriad of fears that swirled around in her head. She knew they were still looking for her, after all. They had been chasing her for weeks, and though she was momentarily 'safe' within the borders of a pride, she did not, could not, completely relax. Every little shadow, rustle of brush, or snap of a twig had her frozen and holding her breath. She didn't feel safe. Not without Siyo by her side.
She had to remember that he was a pride leader now, and he had responsibilities that he hadn't in their youth. Of course, he couldn't be with her all the time. But that didn't stop her from longing for him and the sheer calm he brought to her and her fears.
Thunzi had been debating on whether or not he should approach Kiv'mauti. When he had first arrived, early in the morning before the light had even touched the sky, he had seen her watching the den's mouth with an expression he could only describe as frozen dread. So, he had stayed hidden, using his skills as a former assassin to stealth quietly and quickly up a nearby tree, where he could keep an eye on her and anyone who may approach the healer's den. He'd known Kiv'mauti from back in their youth, when it was just him and Siyo trying to make a name for themselves out in the savannah. They had stumbled upon this lonely lioness, frightened of her own shadow, but quick to attack anything that got too close to her. She'd even tried to take down Siyo'Jini at their first meeting, but she hadn't known how to fight back then, and he'd easily deflect anything she threw at him. It had been quite entertaining to watch, Thunzi recalled, as Siyo hadn't wanted to hurt her, but Kiv didn't give up until he'd just stopped fighting back. From that day on, it had been him, Siyo, and Kiv for a time. They'd taught her how to fight, and she helped them with contract work. A soft smile spread across his maw at the old memories. Those were simpler times.
Even then she had been small, malnourished and thin, but she had refused to talk about her past or where she had come from. That suited them just fine, as Thunzi and Siyo didn't particularly have an interest in delving too deeply into their own pasts. If they had known then what they did now, and how much she had suffered, things would have turned out differently. Perhaps they would have taken on her old pride, just the three of them. And perhaps they would have died trying. Youth was often clouded by a boldness that sometimes astounded Thunzi. How had any of them managed to make it to adulthood?
His silver eyes drifted back over to the mouth of the den, where Kiv'mauti lay frozen in place, tensing every now and again at the slightest of noises. The smile faded from his maw as his keen eyes studied her. He could literally count every rib as they protruded past taunt skin. Her eyes were sunken in as if the life itself had been drained from her. Even after a week of careful care from their healer, she still looked as though the slightest of breezes would knock her over. How she had managed to evade her pursuers for so long he would never know. He understood now why Siyo'Jini had been hesitant to leave her side.
With Siyo'Jini off to check the borders, and the pride on full alert for hostility, one would assume that someone deep within their territory would be safe. Though as a service to Siyo, and to help ease his friend's worry, Thunzi had agreed to watch over Kiv'mauti while Siyo was gone. He wasn't completely convinced that she was safe, after all, if her enemies were as relentless as they seemed to be, they may still find a way to get to her.
As time dragged on and the sun rose past the horizon, Kiv'mauti grew more and more worried. Even if Siyo'Jini was too busy with pride affairs to be with her, then usually Jua would be. Had something happened to have called the healer away? The thought troubled her. Not only was she alone, but maybe something terrible had happened? If it had, was her fault? Had her pursuers finally found her? Had they hurt someone? These thoughts swirled around in her mind like a plague of despair. It was the not knowing that truly frightened her.
Some brush rustled close to the den, and she tensed, her blue eyes squinting in the growing light of the morning to get a better look at what might be over there. Logic told her it was likely a small animal, or perhaps Siyo or Jua returning, but the fear in the back of her mind screamed at her. In the end, it wound up being a small tree-dweller, a squirrel of sorts, that emerged from the brush to clamper up a nearby tree. Kiv'mauti released the breath she had been holding in an audible sigh.
"Disappointed?" a voice questioned, from the opposite side of the den's entrance. "You didn't think we'd forget about you, did you?" A dark lion tsked as he slipped easily through the den's entrance, and blocked her only escape. "Not after what you did."
The voice at first had startled her, but she soon recognized it as one of her father's most loyal of followers. "Stay away from me," she hissed, mustering up as much courage as she could past the icy dread that had frozen her in place. He took a step closer, just to prove that he could, and her ears pressed hard against her skull. "Stay away or I'll-"
"You'll what? Scream?" he barked out in laughter, louder than she had expected him to be. He wasn't hiding the fact that he was here, despite being deep in another pride's territory. "That's fine, sweetheart. They're too busy chasing my comrades around the borders to be bothered with you or I," he told her as wicked claws unsheathed themselves to scratch at the dirt. "It's just you and me, and you'll be dead before anyone can get here."
He was getting closer, and every paw step felt like an icy stab to her heart as her lips pulled back into defensive snarl. What could she do? She could hardly move, much less fight in this condition. Still. She wasn't just going to let him kill her. Not without doing something. She attempted to stand, pushing against the hard earth with trembling paws and half-way making it when he simply reached out and pushed her back down in a heap.
"Is that it? Pathetic," he sneered down at her. Disgust plain on his features as he prepared to attack her. "Did you think this pride would save you? You're nothing but a burden to them. Die alone, unloved, and unwanted," he snarled hatefully, eyes narrowing as he lunged forward with the intent to kill.
He'd heard enough. As soon as he'd seen the strange lion approach the den, Thunzi had begun the decent from his perch in the tree. His movements were silent and quick as he covered the ground between himself and the stranger with relative ease, his silver eyes focused on the back of the lion's head. Deadly claws slid from their sheathes as he saw the lion knock Kiv'mauti over with ease, but it was the words that made Thunzi snarl. One more silent paw step, timed perfectly just as the stranger lunged, and Thunzi had launched himself at the stranger's back. Sharp claws hooked under the lion's hide as a precise strike with his fangs pierced the back of the lion's skull at the base of his neck. He was dead before he hit the ground.
The former assassin carefully removed his fangs from the body as he turned a concerned look towards Kiv'mauti, an old friend and fellow Merc. "Thought I'd jump in," he shrugged, unsure of what to say after all the years she'd been away and opting for mild humor. It was the less awkward option, he supposed.
Kiv'mauti was sure she was about to die, so sure that she didn't believe what had happened, had actually happened. "Thunzi?" she asked, dumbstruck and baffled as her eyes traveled over the lifeless body of her attacker. Siyo had mentioned that he and Thunzi ran this pride, but she had yet to see the leopard since she had gotten here. Truly, honestly, she had no words.
He laughed at her expression, finding the humor in the situation had always been one of his strong suits. He'd missed that part of himself lately. "Come on Kiv, I know it's been a while, but there's no way you've forgotten these skills?" he said mirthfully as he hopped off the body he had rode to the ground and stretched his back. His first instinct was to continue with a light string of flirtation, but he had to mentally remind himself who he was talking to. Kiv didn't usually respond well to flirting, even if he meant nothing by it. It was simply his default. He cleared his throat. "Are you hurt?" he asked, taking on a more serious tone.
She shook her head in response. "No, thank you." If it hadn't been for Thunzi, well, she'd probably be dead right now. So, she ignored the leopard's attempts at flirtation, knowing better than to encourage him. She fell silent as her eyes lingered on the body of her former pursuer, and her expression turned grim. He had called her a burden, and she couldn't quite dispute that.
He followed her gaze to the lion he had just killed, and he could only guess at what she might be feeling or thinking right now. Nothing good, he was almost certain. "I'll stay with you until Siyo returns," he offered sincerely. There was no telling if that would be the only one to find their way here, or what sort of trouble Siyo'Jini had run into, but he wasn't about to leave Kiv'mauti by herself. Not after that attempt on her life.
((Word Count: 2,167))