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 Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2018 10:27 am
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Everything hurt.
Note to self. Just don't talk about in the rogue lands. It didn't matter what you said, it could be used badly against you. (Well, Tawi probably had said something that warranted a beating, but the blue adult wouldn't admit that).
He lay on his back, concentrating on breathing. His side hurt the most. He could feel a sting on his face from a claw swipe.
His thoughts raced through his head. He should just turn back, head for home. But what would that look for him? He was battered, bruised. That wasn't impressive for a guard. In fact, that could be used against him. He couldn't protect himself; how was he going to protect the pride? It was all these negative thoughts about himself that continued to keep him away from the pride. He was better off away from it. Dare he say it? He was better off dead to them.
A sigh as he closed his eyes. Breathe in. Breathe Out.
--
Mstiri flew just above Raia as they scouted the land. He could fly ahead of the female, but if she encountered any kind of trouble he wouldn't know. If they found Tawi, his friend would not forgive him if anything happened to the dark female.
"We've been going for a while..." He had finally said. "Maybe we should...call it quits for a bit...If we both are too tired to move, we won't be helping him at all." Mstiri reasoned, hovering above the lioness.
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Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2018 12:35 pm
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'Escaped', thwarted off strangers, kept one another company in the long days, and had even managed to find the scent of their dear friend. The south had been a terrific idea, one she was pleased Mstiri had suggested. Tawi had a couple of days lead on them at this point, but she felt certain they had to be nearing him, there was no way they couldn't be! Her nose wrinkled as she raised it to the air. Mstiri cried out above her, trying to reason with her.
"No, we are close now." Her eyes were narrowed. Raia knew Mstiri was probably right though.. her paws ached, stomach growled fiercely, and eyes burned from the very little sleep they managed to get. The days were long and grueling, nights weren't much better. Everything seemed that much harder without the helping paw of a pride member, but the young adult was firmly prepared to press forward.
"I can smell him Mstiri." Her eyes finally raised up to glance at him. "If your wings are tired, please take a rest. You can perch on my back for the time being." She offered with a roll of her shoulders. His eyes above would only be useful for as long as he could manage to stay in flight. If his wings gave out she couldn't imagine Tawis words. Mstiri, as much as Tawi shoved away the idea, was important to him.
"We must find him today, what if something bad has happened?" But the smell of him wasn't acrid. It's odor was familiar, but faded. Perhaps he had gotten dusty, a smell overwhelmed his typical scent.
"Mstiri."
Raiatea could have sworn she seen something move quite a distance away from them. It paused her step and her eyes widened slightly, nostrils flaring to try and take in a scent. Unfortunately all she could smell, all she wanted to smell, was Tawi. "Can you please scout ahead, I'll be okay here." She whispered in an urgent tone to her companion. Fear ripped through her briefly, but she attempted to remain composed - the look of fear would only work against her now.
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Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2018 12:46 pm
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Mstiri was about to take Raia up on her offer to rest on her back, when she sudden wanted him to scout ahead. His normal pinpoint vision did not see what she had, so he gave her a confused look, sighing as he agreed. "Fine. But if it's nothing we are stopping." Or at least, he was stopping.
The avian flew high in the sky, before flying forward to where Raia wanted. His light gaze scanned the area from the air, frowning as a familiar blue lion lay about half a mile from Raia's current location.
The tiredness gone, Mstiri beat his wings as quick as his body could handle it, heading straight for his bond. "Tawi?" He called out when closing in. "Tawi!" He circled his fallen friend's form, making a bee line straight for Raia. "He's here. You were right! He's here!" The avian chirped, heading back towards his friend.
---
Tawi's ear flickered as he heard a familiar voice. An eye crack open, seeing the green blob flap overhead before taking off.
Great. Even in these weird dreams I am hallucinating my friends. He thought to himself, curling a paw to his side. |
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Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2018 1:05 pm
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She was beginning to understand why Tawi gave the avian so much attitude, Mstiri was demanding far to much - she wasn't demanding that much, was she? Raia was to worried to be fair in her demands and so the thought was dismissed immediately.
Then he disappeared.
Raiatea stood still, barely breathing, where had he gone? It felt like Mstiri was gone for a much longer time than he probably was. Then a voice, muffled, but she was sure she heard ... Tawi. Then as if she wished him there he was. "He is?!" She felt her eyes widen a bit more and they watered, but if Mstiri returned alone...
Oh no...
"Tawi!" She shouted. "Tawi!" Again, her voice sounded inhuman and strained. Raia felt all of her muscles fight her movement as she began to tear towards the laying blue, familiar form of Tawi. Running towards him felt like it took forever, being exhausted seemed to increase the amount of time between things - a note she made for herself, but wasn't as pressing as what was happening here.
"Tawi, what were you thinking?" At first she wasn't sure what to do and stood there almost dumb founded. He was hurt, again, what had he gone through. "Tawi, are you alright?" She was repeating his name, again and again. The dark lioness knew it, but couldn't keep his name from her lips. The tears were flowing freely now and she made no attempt at stopping them.
"Oh Tawi." Giving up on his injuries and tallying up what needed mending she moved to face him and pressed her forehead to his. "Why did you do this to me? You scared me.." Her voice had dropped to a whisper as she admitted her fear of losing him.. sort of.
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Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2018 1:51 pm
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Great. Now he was hearing Raia too. Maybe he was dying, and this was just the part before death when your life flashed before your eyes. Well - at least if this was death, Akela wasn't in it.
Tawi sighed, but the nudge against his forehead brought him out of his stupor. Man, death was certainly pushy!
His silver eye cracked open, spotting the dark black beautiful lion. "You are quite pretty, you know that." Tawi said, thinking he was seeing some obscure lion and not the lioness he had fallen for in his early adolescence. His mind focused as he focused on the tone.
Wait.
His eyes popped open. Bad move on his part; a gasp was let out as he tried to get up. "Raiatea?" He all but whispered as he lifted his head up, before tiredness overcame him and he found it dropping back to the ground. "What...are you doing out here."
"Following you, stupid." An annoyed bird said from the other side of the lion, inspecting whatever wounds he had. A small slash across his face. Probably superficial, it'd heal. His breathing concerned the avian, but nothing else looked out of place. Perhaps he had a injured rib? |
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Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2018 2:39 pm
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For a moment life around them seemed to stop. Birds fell silent, the wind ceased whistling, and even the wildlife took a pause. She breathed in is scent slowy, and with such need that she barely heard his comment. When it eventually caught up to her seconds later she felt her cheeks grow hot. "Tawi." She managed to get out in a soft praise, but before she could get a word in it seemed reality had hit him - was it even her he thought he was seeing in his haze? Hurt fell over her, but only briefly.
"Yes?" She responded, her tone still hushed. Raia moved her head back a bit, giving him some room to breathe as he attempted to lift it, but failed. Worry overcame her once again and though she would usually have had some form of retort for his silly question she didn't react right away.
"Yes, Mstiri came and found me right away. He told me about how you had to leave. To prove yourself?" She finally had a good look at him and noted the same injuries that she was sure Mstiri was already mentally marking down. All would be healed with time. "Who did you have to prove yourself too Tawi?" Though she had wanted to ask if it was herself she held back, his family would come first. Raia was well aware of his situation and had a feeling he felt hidden in the shadow of his sister rising the ranks - it was a no brainer.
She dropped herself down to her rump and used a gentle touch to remove some stray hairs from his mane out of his eyes. Those wonderful, familiar, silver eyes. Everything about him smelled and felt of home - in those moments she realized that had they not found him here she would likely have gone on for however long it took. Raia would follow this lion to the ends of the earth.
"Tell me why you left home.. when we love you so much."
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Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2018 2:57 pm
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Tawi grimaced as he listened to Raia speak. Damn Mstiri, he wasn't suppose to tell her things like that.
The Mwezi guard found himself frowning (perhaps from the situation, perhaps from pain). Now he had to give her answers. The mostly anti-social lion hated explaining himself. To him, what he did made sense. To others, it probably wouldn't.
He muttered his answer. It was unintelligible even to him.
"Maybe say that again, Branch." Mstiri said, intentionally calling him by his nickname. The annoyed reaction from the lion's tail was enough for the bird to know he was still well with them.
"Everyone." He repeated, a little more clearer this time. He sucked in a breath as Mstiri prodded his side with his feathers.
He felt a purr rise from his throat at the gentle action of her moving strands of mane from his eyes.
"I didn't want you to think I was a nobody." His ear flickered at a grouping of words she said. We love you. We? Did that mean...she? No. She couldn't love him. Look at him? He was no fighter, he was just a nobody.
When he tried to lift his head again, his bond scolded, "will you stop moving? You're gonna do more damage." Mstiri glanced at Raia. "Maybe you should stay next to him to keep him from shifting too much. I think he will be fine after a few days rest...and then he will be good enough to head home." |
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Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2018 3:36 pm
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"Huh?" Was her automatic reaction to his mumbling, but Mstiri straightened that out quickly with a snarky remark - including his nickname. The nickname usually made her snicker, but this was not the time or place for that.
"Everyone?"
Raia fell silent at his response, but gave a small smile at his purring. It was soft, gentle, much unlike the beast the sound eminated from. Seeing him so vulnerable melted her heart. When he opened his mouth to speak again the words she heard were unexpected and shock overcame her for a moment - long enough to finish what he was saying.
"Tawi.." Her voice grew soft, gentle, and loving. "You aren't a nobody." Raia figured that was the best possible start as she gathered her thoughts. This was going to be a tough conversation for him - she knew that and braced herself for what might happen.
"Tawi - in the time we've shared you've become very important to me. I still remember the first time you told me I couldn't follow you.. I still don't listen very well." She tried for a soft joke to ease some of the most immediate tension that was thickly fillin the air around them. "Then it was like I couldn't stop from seeing you." She stared at him and lifted her paw to continue playing with his mane - it was at this time that Mstiri suggested staying with him.
"That's a wonderful idea Mstiri." She wouldn't have moved if the Great Lion himself had asked her too. Her eyes never left Tawi though, not while she spoke to Mstiri. "I won't leave him, not today, not ever - if he'll let me." A small smile tugged at her lips, it came easier after her light joking.
"Though I didn't see you days leading up to you leaving.. I noticed your absence. When Mstiri came to me and told you left. I wept." As she admitted to her tears they seemed to return again as though they wanted to echo their previous appearance. "You've never known me to cry, I try not too. But the fear of realizing I might lose you. It was overwhelming." Raia hung her head slightly, but never stopped playing with his mane though her paw grew slightly more tense.
"I was terrified."
I love you. The words she wasn't ready to say held at the tip of her tongue as she wondered if he felt the same. Fears rose up again, but not the same ones from before. These were a much more familiar - her fear of what this was.
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Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2018 4:08 pm
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Mstiri watched the exchanged before deciding he should be a bit more useful. "Let me go see if there are any herbs nearby that may help him." The avian wasn't a trained healer, but he knew basic knowledge just from Tawi's guard training on how to help someone with a minor injury.
"I'll be back," and with that, Mstiri flew into the air, a light gust against the two felines. He was out of sight within seconds, his former tired eyes now alert with the new knowledge of finding his friend.
---
Tawi chuckled, or...tried to chuckle. There was a sharp pain in his side when he attempted.
Note to self, don't do that again. He scolded silently, his laugh becoming a small cough as Raia made the small joke about following him.
"You...shouldn't cry...not over me." It was still hard for the lion to get it through his thick skull that others, such as Raia, cared for him. He could give the gesture, but to have it be reciprocated? That was a complete foreign concept! Finally, he apologized. "I'm sorry for scaring you. I didn't mean for any of this to happen." He didn't know what he meant to happen, but laying on the hard rogueland floor wasn't one of them. "I never...meant to scare...the one I love."
He sighed, closing his eyes. He was exhausted, but at least he knew he was safe.
"Thank you...for being here with me...Raia," he said slowly, quietly, as he drifted to sleep. |
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Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2018 5:21 pm
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In all of this she grew keenly aware that she had forgotten their feathered friend, it was unintentional. Tawi was so important to both of them that she had grown focused. She passed a side long glance Mstiri an apologetic glance, but knew deep down he wouldn't hold a grudge, they were basically family - or that was what it had felt like.
"Sorry." She returned to attentions to Tawi who had broken down into coughing. "I shouldn't joke at a time like this anyway." Still she couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her. The tone grew more serious as he remarked on her tears. If only he knew just how important he was to her, just how worth it these tears were.
"It's okay Tawi." Raia accepted his apology, still gently stroking his mane. Relief washed over her and her heart skipped a beat. This was it. "I'll always be here, no matter what Tawi." The hushed tones continued on, a theme for their conversation. She was pleased to see his eyelids flutter shut and his body begin to relax, they would be safe here. She would watch over him now.
"I love you, Tawi." Tears began again, but for a different reason. She was overcome with joy, even if she was sure he hadn't heard her say it. Everything came crashing down upon her all at once like a crack in a dam. Slowly she began to grow tired herself, paws aching and head pounding - it had been an emotionally trying day, one she wouldn't soon forget.
She didn't leave his side, no, instead she pressed herself up to him - not hard in fear of hurting his already injured body - and closed her eyes to rest them. They were together now, her world was whole again.
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