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 Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2017 5:30 pm
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It was hard to not look over his shoulder every few moments as he walked, but Mors was doing his best not to. Just over his left shoulder, though not nearly close enough that the younger lion could feel his breath, stalked his father. The closer they had drawn to the Kitwana'antara, the more intent Facio had become. By this time, Mors knew that if he dared look back, his father would glare intently and snarl something along the lines of "are we there yet?"
The words had grown more unintelligible as time went on, exploding into exhortations of pure rage after the one missed turning. Well, at least he'd remembered.
This land was distinctly familiar now, down to the scent. Risking a glance back, Mors turned to the small hoard of relatives behind him.
"I think we're into their territory. Someone's likely to approach us soon."
Good. They were nearly there. Nearly to her. After all these years, Facio was so close he could nearly taste her blood, sweetened as it would be with victory at last. It was all he could do at this point to keep a civil tongue in his head and not curse his idiot son for getting them lost on the way. At least he'd gotten them here in the end.
It was moments like that which made Facio wish he'd never bothered having children because, in the end, all of them were disappointments. And even Megaera's children were, unfortunately, less than capable. It didn't matter how their bodies and minds had matured on this seemingly endless trek, the children were simply...failures.
He wouldn't need them any longer though. Just long enough to convince the pride of the group's harmlessness.
ZIKAWONEKA
The leopon still wasn't certain what the purpose of their long journey was, though he followed willingly where Mom and Grandpa led. His grandfather was the one in charge, the lion who'd determined that they'd all take this very long trip that was just about all of his life so far. Zika had seen a lot of places in those moons, but this place, the Kitwana'antara, was different because it was the place they'd been going towards.
Over time, he'd picked up that their purpose was to seek out a lioness. A pink lioness named Mittere who looked something like older members of the family, but no one had actually said if she was part of the family or not. It seemed reasonable to think she was, if she looked like others. Zikawoneka and his siblings looked less like their mother, aunts and uncle, and grandfather, than the rest, but that was probably because of their unknown father, the leopard. Or "that leopard" as Facio was known to refer to him.
Whatever, Zika was looking forward to his life's next big adventure. |
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Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2017 5:53 pm
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The closer they got to the Kitwana'antara, the more focused Tisiphone became. She had, at first, had some trouble keeping up as she worked through the added weight and decreased stamina of having worked with a proper team in the Pridelands.. but the cubs had, thankfully, slowed them down enough that she was spared much harsh criticism. She was starting to forget what it was like there.
The crankier Facio got, the greater the stench of death became, the more she felt she was distancing from herself. This was their entire lives, this was what Father had trained them for, sent them out into the world for.. and whatever they were walking into was not going to be pretty.
When Mors turned, Tisiphone looked at him-- and then directly behind him.
Pigana had been watching from a distance for a while. In addition to being an excellent spy, he was a decent scout. It was a large group of colorful lions, they had no hope of remaining hidden but Pingana was alone and he was well camouflaged. He had left, briefly, to warn another scout and had circled back to where he predicted they would be next. He was right, though they were slower than him. When the apparent leader turned his back is when he stepped out of hiding, though he was still some distance away from them all.
Close enough, though, that he could see some familiarity in the group. His call for backup had been motivated by common sense, a lone scout investigating a large, potentially hostile group was stupid. Now he could see that the chances of hostility were significantly greater than he first suspected.
With Mittere's recent death, whispers of her daughter's unease and the Duchess herself warning of something to come.. it was obvious. But he was ready. So he began a slow, openly visible approach from the distance. Visitors had to be warned of what they were walking into, that was always the excuse at hand for approaching strangers. |
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Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2017 6:05 pm
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Facio spotted the lone lion around the same time as Tisiphone, having been focused on the horizon. It was impossible to tell they were in a pride's territory this far out from the dens, unless if they ran into a scout or some other member. Given the stranger's trajectory, it was eminently reasonable to assume that he was from the Kitwana'antara. However, they could not afford to make assumptions, and especially not mistakes.
The pink lion took a moment to close his eyes and compose himself, reaching for the mask that he had been setting aside more often than not. Now was not the time to be himself. Soon, yes, but not yet. Calmer, Facio reopened his eyes. The black and white lion was nearer now, but he judged the other too far away to hear if they spoke softly.
"It seems we have arrived. Follow my lead, and betray nothing," he ordered his descendants.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Startled, Mors glanced back towards the pride lands, finally seeing the lion coming towards them. It wasn't anyone he'd seen on his previous trip, which was probably good. Turning back to his family, the younger lion was surprised to see that his father's affable expression, long absent on this journey, had finally returned. Which reminded Mors that he better do the same. They weren't just among family anymore, and that meant they should give nothing away.
Not for the first time, Mors wondered what they were hiding.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If he'd been by himself, Zika thought he would call out to the stranger coming ever closer. He could even imagine how the conversation would go - he'd be happy to be here, and the strarnger happy to have him. The leopon would be invited back to a den where they could share a kill and become friendly.
Sometimes it had happened on their journey, but usually Facio had declined, saying they wouldn't want to be a burden on a lone lion or two. Which made sense: the family wasn't exactly small and could easily eat an entire antelope between them.
Still, it was exciting to be meeting even a single person he wasn't related to!
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Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2017 6:30 pm
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Tisiphone reached for her own mask but came up empty, looking more sorrowful and tired than friendly.. but it took all kinds, she imagined that was hardly more suspicious in a group than how her father suddenly looked. She wasn't sure what exactly would be suspicious now, perhaps a complete lack of hostility would be.. but they had numbers, so they truly had little to fear from one lion.
She nodded when Facio issued an order, glancing to the younger members of the crowd and away quickly. Zika's stifled enthusiasm wasn't going to help her in this situation, though it might be exactly what Facio wanted from them. Harmless children, that's what their role was. Loyal daughter was her's.
It was a large group to take in, there were three stand-outs in quite a lot of distracting purple. He spotted the hybrids amongst them but ignored them, setting aside his prejudice in the face of much more serious matters. He wasn't the type to hide himself behind the kind of mask Facio did. Scout or Spy, Pingana was about the same personality and in approaching outsiders, he found a quiet, serious demeanor to be more effective than a friendly, inviting one.
"Ho there, strangers," he called to them, stopping when he was several feet away, "You're in Kitwana'Antara territory, the pride of Pestilence. You should turn back now."
A fair warning, he figured.
Tisiphone stared at Pingana curiously, but said nothing. Facio said to follow his lead.
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Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2017 6:38 pm
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Moving to the front of the group, Facio came to stand next to his son, a pleasant expression upon his face. The stranger lion didn't seem exceedingly welcoming, but he wasn't turning them away either. So far, not bad.
"Pardon me," he replied, "but my son here was told that he might have family within this pride. I haven't seen my kin, aside from what you see here, in years, and had hoped for a reunion." The pink male gave a friendly smile, almost sheepish, as if he were embarrassed that he needed to call upon this stranger's aid to find his family.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mors watched his father from the corner of his eye. It was hard to judge what was truth and what was lies when Facio wore his near-perfect mask. If he didn't know any better, the lion would have said that everything coming out of his father's mouth was pure truth.
Although there was no proof that the mysterious Mittere was related, it was a plausible supposition, considering the description he and his sisters had been given long ago...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zika was probably most interested in the pride lion than in his grandfather's words and attitude at the moment. Grandpa was...Grandpa and there was no changing him. But the more he looked at the stranger's markings, the more intrigued he was. Why, his mane blended so seamlessly with markings on his body that in some areas it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began.
The leopon started a new fantasy about finding out where those borders were.
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Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2017 7:03 pm
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Pingana's gaze shifted from Facio to Mors and then back again. Yes, they had family in the pride. Eione hadn't been sure but after everything else, this Spy was sure of it. If this was genuine, these lions had clearly never met Mittere herself. If they weren't genuine, they thought he was stupid.
Or ignorant, as most scouts would be.
"Are you aware of the danger, then?" he asked, "This pride is plagued, if you become infected during your reunion, you won't be allowed to leave."
Not that she hadn't believed Mors and his warning, but hearing it directly from one of the locals was different. Looking genuinely uneasy at that probably didn't hurt their cause. It was a big risk, one they had no choice in so long as Facio was there but a risk nonetheless.
What if she got stuck here?
She pushed the thought out of her mind and made her expression blank once again.
Sigh.
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Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2017 7:12 pm
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Facio's eyes narrowed slightly at the mention of the plague. He was tempted to gloss over it, but the way the stranger kept bringing it up might be a warning of sorts. Very well, he would play it slightly more cautiously than he had intended.
"We had heard of the plague, but no more. How likely is infection?" the pink lion asked, allowing some concern to slip into his voice. Facio, for one, didn't care in the least how infectious this disease was - if he wanted to leave, no one was going to stop him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mors shifted uncomfortably. He hadn't stayed long enough to really learn about the plague, so it was probably a good thing Dad had decided to ask about it. The lion couldn't kid himself though, he knew Facio didn't really care what the answer was. He wasn't even certain if the older lion was asking for his children and grandchildren's benefit, or just to assuage the stranger's suspicions.
Should he really be analyzing his father's motives this deeply? It was what Facio had taught them, after all. But it felt wrong to...to do this to his father.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plague? That didn't sound good. Although Zika had to admit that the lion had welcomed them to pestilence's pride, which implied that the pride was known for being sick. Although this lion didn't look sick at all. He was strong, in the prime of life, and rather fit looking, if Zika said so himself.
Was everyone here sick, or just some? How likely was it that visitors like themselves would catch it? The leopon had a host of questions but he bit his tongue and let Grandpa do the talking. He really really really didn't want Facio to swat him with unsheathed claws again.
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Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2017 7:31 pm
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Facio's reasonable question gave him pause. As family of Mittere, whatever their outward appearance.. they were likely to end up in quarantine before the end of this visit, at the very least. Except that Mittere had died recently, but she had left behind family. Including the king himself.
"The risk is minimal, if you're careful," he said, "It passes by blood or other bodily fluids. No fights, no social grooming, no careless relationships and you could make it out of here fine."
His eyes scanned the group for a quick headcount.
Tisiphone looked around the group as Pingana did, thinking exactly the same thing as him: whether or not they caused trouble, their group was so large that someone was going to end up at risk. And at this point, since she accepted that they were here to cause trouble.. someone was going to end up infected before the end of this. The real question was who it would be, not if it would happen.
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Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2017 7:38 pm
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"That sounds reasonable," the eldest lion replied to the list of risky behaviours. Inwardly he snorted in derision at them. No fear of any disease was going to deter him at this date. It was, he had to admit, entirely possible Mittere had chosen to settle in this place precisely because of the risks, as an elaborate trap. Certainly he never would have suspected her of living in such a pathetic pride normally.
"Is there anything else we should know? I'm eager to see the rest of the family," Facio pressed the stranger.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It could pass in a fight? That...boded ill. Given what Mors knew of his father, and the way Facio had been acting as they came ever closer, he suspected that there would be violence before they left.
If they left, given what this stranger was saying. Mors glanced over to his sisters, wondering if they felt the same fear he did of potentially being trapped here. Sure, it seemed like a nice place to live, but would that still be true after Facio finally found Mittere?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The more he heard, the more nervous Zika became about the plague. Of course, what exactly was a "careless relationship"? He didn't want to be careless about anything, but it sounded like the lion was referring to something specific. Well, perhaps the leopon could ask him for more information...later.
Out of his famly's hearing.
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Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2017 9:06 pm
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Pingana shook his head at the question, there was nothing else to tell them if they were determined to come in. He would guide them, a few wary scouts were likely watching from the distance now and enough of the pride would be aware of what was coming..
"My name is Pingana," he said, finally introducing himself, "May I ask your names and who you hope to find? I'd be happy to take you in."
He didn't look happy.
His eyes were fixed on Facio, the clear eldest and leader of the group. Pingana knew who they were looking for and they probably knew that, based on his giving a warning without denying any familiarity to them. But it was a formality, to make sure they were all on the same page.
When Mors glanced over, Tisiphone met his gaze, mirroring his concern about the situation. Self-preservation was likely on every mind in the crowd except Facio's. Not for the first time, she wished Megaera had not brought her cubs back with her. Tisiphone and her siblings were stuck, even as her doubt grew she knew there was no leaving. But the leopons didn't need to be involved. If anything, they were slowly becoming a scapegoat for the doubt and fear.
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Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2017 4:22 am
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"Of course," Facio agreed. He longed to simply rush in, but there was no telling how much territory the pride claimed and he could not be certain of finding Mittere quickly. He wanted to alert no one if possible. Pingana looked suspicious, and Facio hoped to allay his suspicions as smoothly as could be.
"I am Facio. My children are Mors, Tisiphone, Megaera, and Alekto; and Megaera's children are Zikawoneka, Mithra, Bayi, and [insert name here]," the lion introduced his family, taking the time to list each and every individual present.
"We are here to see my sister, Mittere, and her family."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mors was polite enough, taking a step forward and nodding to Pingana as he was introduced, then retreating back into line. He hoped that no one would comment on the fact that, on his last visit, he'd used the name Mahre instead of his own.
Was his father throwing all that hard work away? What was it about Mittere?
And who was she really? This was the first time Facio had mentioned any siblings, but that could simply be a lie to get them to his target.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zika bounded up happily as his name was called. It was super exciting to be introduced to Pingana and he was looking forward to having some fun here in the Kitwana'antara. Oh sure, he knew Grandpa was looking for this Mittere and had been forever and ever, but that didn't have much to do with the leopon. He'd be able to relax while they were here.
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Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2017 6:37 pm
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Pingana looked from Facio to each family member a they were introduced- or who he guessed each name belonged to for those who didn't react when their name was given. He noted that none of the names matched what Eione had been told, but considering there were only two males here, he guessed that Mors was the one.
Tisiphone nodded when she was introduced but nothing more. She noticed when Mors true name was given, and recoiled mentally at her own name being given as well. She'd spent so long as Leta and Kalypso to strangers, it didn't feel right. Facio gave his own name but she guessed he felt less danger giving his true identity. Father was capable of so much more than it seemed, and it already seemed like a lot.
"Alright," he said, stepping aside and ushering the group forward, "Come with me."
A calculated move so he wouldn't be turning his back to them, not all of them.. he walked at their side and started planning. Taking them to the Warriors was a bad place to start, and it'd be downright stupid to take them to the King just because he was the highest ranking family member. Ideally he would find Master Kestven first, but his second choice would have to be Jani.
Hopefully he could find one of them before one of the warriors found him.
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