[PRP] The Wheel Turns (Calypso x Maya x Xibalba)

[Krysin]

She was alone.

By now, Calypso was used to it. Even within a pride, one she had been born and raised in, she had been alone. Her siblings had left her, and her mother had no love to spare to her troubled daughter. In the rogue lands, life had been quiet, mercifully quiet. Even in that silence she could not shake the feeling of being watched. It was almost by habit that she checked the skies, searching for a familiar raven. One of her mother's pets.

Since coming to join the Myrsky Syntynyt, Calypso had not seen a single feather from one of her mother's ravens. It gave her some hope that Katiti'manina's gaze had turned away from her. That was good, she needed to operate in the darkness and out of her mother's sight. Eventually, Kat would come for her. It was only a matter of time before her mother tried to reclaim her.

It would not matter soon. Calypso only had to strike first and be free from the plague that was her own mother. The plan was beginning to set into motion. Ull had started to collect a few interested reavers, and had set about securing a captain for their expedition. Calypso had done her part in convincing reavers to join her cause. All they needed was the promise of plunder.

Stupid.

Material things held no value to the lioness now. She wanted loyalty, something that was incredibly difficult to come by. For the most part, Calypso would never truly earn it.

Ignoring the ache in her stomach, she settled down just outside of the Myrsky Syntynt border to collect her thoughts. The famine seemed weaker here, and alleviated a slight amount of the hunger she felt.  

[Pandorus Sphinx]

"Perhaps we should rethink our current situation, sister." The golden eyed lioness spoke firmly as she slowed her movement to a standstill. The sun beat down on her striped pelt, she felt heat radiate all around her. On days like this she pondered using her wings to escape the blistering sun, days like this she wanted to feel less mortal. She glanced back, offering Maya a half-smile.

When she visited her sister she often came in mortal skin, she did this out of love for Maya. The past was a beastly monster and she could only help ease her sisters pain for so long. Memories held the most painful parts of history, for the sisters at least this was true. The Goddess understood her place and purpose. She was here to see her sister off, to help find her a new place to call home. Life was too complected back home, it was time for a change.

"Maya, let's rest for a bit?" Xibalba moved her sights back to the surrounding lands, taking in the day and the heat with every breathe she took.  

[Pandorus Sphinx]

Maya dragged slowly behind her elder sibling, her eyes narrowed and brow furrowed in discontent. She was tired of traveling and she was tired of being tired. It was such a paradox feeling this way all day, even if it was fleeting from moment to moment, sometimes moments felt like years. She rolled her eyes up and gazed at the sky before tilting her head toward her sister.

"It's not that bad." Maya replied with a sigh. Maybe that was a lie. It was awful out here, one of the worst areas they had traveled through in a long while to be perfectly honest, but she wouldn't dare say that aloud. Xibalba was trying after all. That's all that mattered.

"Yeah, we can." As Xibalba settled herself to a pause Maya inched over to her and sat down, her scars and burn marks felt like fire under the sweltering heat. Clouds would have been a blessing right about now, sadly Maya never truly knew what a blessing was, life had not been kind to the green eyed lioness.

She wore her past across her body for the world to see and judge. She had always felt so uncomfortable in her own skin because of this. She always felt so... ugly. Compared to her sister at least, Maya felt grotesque.

"Do you think we should stay here long?" Maya asked meekly, sitting right beside her older sister, it was habit; she felt safe beside Xibalba. It had always been that way.  

[Krysin]

She heard voices drawing close, and lifted her head to curiously cast her gaze over the lands just outside of the Myrsky Syntynyt border. It was unusual for anyone to venture too close to the lands. There was a great threat here, and behind the invisible border lay a pride hundreds upon hundreds of lions strong. Within those borders was an army, and Calypso was just one tiny piece of it. For a moment she considered leaving the area. After all, it was likely just another viking band returning from their travels.

But, she would be able to discern their faces and approach them later about joining her on another quest. She stood up to head in the direction of the voices, only then realizing that it was just two. 'Strange', she thought as the dark lioness closed in on two neutral-colored lionesses.

"I would not venture further this way if I were you," Calypso warned. The lioness was tall and lean, her stomach concave as if she were on the verge of starvation. But, she would not die yet. She had too much to accomplish in these lands to die. "You're too close to the Myrsky Syntynyt, and even if you wanted to join it's a terrible ******** time to do so right now." Why did she warn these lionesses? It was just as easy to let them be and allow someone else to capture them as thralls or whatnot.

Calypso personally had no taste for placing others into servitude, not when it was all she had experienced in her own life. "A famine has struck these lands, killing the weak and making the rest of us wish we were dead." Now that she was close enough to get a good look at the lionesses, she realized that one was horribly disfigured. She had thought, briefly, that her wounds were too grave to survive. But they were old, years had passed by since that pain had been inflicted.

There was a story there.  

[Pandorus Sphinx]

As the dark lioness approached Xibalba stood towering over Maya before stepping in front of her sister, expressing her protective nature right out front and forward. The lioness looked sickly, too thin to be healthy, to lean to take on both fuller females at once, yet something dark gazed back at Xibalba with an intense hunger, a hunger for something far more visceral than mere meat. Her eyes narrowed to fine slits as she spoke out, lifting her chin to the lioness.

"I was unaware of this pride to be completely honest." She would flex her Goddess wings if she had to, but for now the golden eyed lioness stood firm and spoke with a mild tone.

"Famine you say? Pity. Such a waste of a journey and time." As she spoke she glanced at Maya and frowned. Going back home would be hard on both of them. This whole situation was starting to really annoy her.

"Why are you out here by yourself?" The question came laced with a hint of suspicion.  

[Pandorus Sphinx]

Maya sat back as Xibalba engaged in conversation with the dark lioness, her eyes tired from the ever knowing heat. It was disconcerting to hear about the state of the pride they had stumbled upon, but it was even more alarming to see the lioness in the flesh. Maya may have been branded by flames but this lioness looked like she was kissed by Death himself. Was this what famine did? She closed her eyes for a moment and trailed off into thought.

"My sister and I have come along way. Turning back now would be a real shame."

As she spoke she stood up and eyed the darker female, standing beside Xibalba with a lowered head. From this distance her figure could be seen clearly, all of her scorched skin on full display. She felt no shame in being seen, she simply wished to be indifferent to most passersby.

"What's your name?" Maya asked with a stutter before offering her own in return.

"I'm Maya."  

[Krysin]

Calypso watched as the older lioness stepped in front of her companion. A protective nature, so either the two had been together for a long time or they were related. So many things were so easy to tell by action alone. While Calypso had picked up on how to read others, she had not developed the ability to hide her own intent behind her actions. The lanky lioness was not subtle, but rather abrasive and hard to get along with. The two lionesses had managed to catch Calypso in a mood that wasn't terrible.

"That's a shame. It is hard to think that there are lions out there unaware of this pride and the dangers it poses to others." If Calypso had not been the one to encounter the lionesses, then there would have been a good chance that they would be subjected to some terrible fate. While there were good lions within the pride, Calypso had witnessed many who were wicked to their core.

Her brows arched, red eyes focused on the striped lioness. "I have asked none about your business and yet you demand to know mine?" she chuckled, amused. Calypso by no means wanted to start a fight. She was outnumbered and weakened by the famine that the pride was enduring.

The other sister spoke, and Calypso was surprised to hear her voice. She had initially wrote the lioness off when the striped one stepped forward to handle things. She had thought that surely, the burned one would be weak and demure and just follow the flow of conversation. "I suppose if you wanted to join the pride, madness as that is now, you would have no better time than now. The reavers are weakened by famine, and the only way into the pride on a level of equality is to defeat them. Of course, there are ways around even that. If you are not careful, however, a reaver will be just as likely to capture and force you to join as a thrall. A servant.

I do not wish that on anyone, so turn back. I do not think you could win a challenge." It was a kindness rarely shown to others from a lioness who trusted no one. She could only see what others had of value to her, a terrible trait inherited from her mother.

"It is Calypso, daughter of Niruzu and..."

Ah, someone who would not matter much longer.

"Be wise, Maya. These are not humble lands, there is no kindness or mercy here."  

[Pandorus Sphinx]

Xibalba's love for her mortal sister was fierce and genuine, it came from a very raw place... deep within very sorted history. The masked Goddess frowned as the darker female spoke. Something about this place just made her feel filthy all over.

"I ask only to gain knowledge. I am not here to offend." She answered firmly. This place was so far off her comfort zone the Goddess had questions, innocent ones - no matter how annoying they might have seemed. In truth Xibalba wasn't afraid at all. She was an immortal creature, she was strong and well feed.

But she worried for her sister. She knew deep down Maya was capable and firm, but when she was being suppressed she could come off as being a little aloof. She frowned for a moment, lost in some far off thought.

"I wouldn't call it a shame, though. I don't spend much time in this skin. What happens in these realms is not really my concern. I just wanted to help escort my sister, you see." She wasn't afraid to talk about herself to this lioness. She was being upfront and seemed to handle herself with caution, it was only fair Xibalba was honest in return.

Her ears perked at the title and the failed mention of a mother. Something was strange about her over-all look.

"Thank you for your warning, Calypso, daughter of Nizuzu." She clicked her tongue against her cheek as she spoke.  

[Pandorus Sphinx]

Maya on the other hand found the female to be rather rude, even if she didn't mean to be, or perhaps was being more self-aware when she spoke. Most others judged Maya on her outward appearance and figured her to be dead-weight. A soul on the verge of death, but Maya was older and had lived life this long well on her own. The disfigured lioness smirked as she rolled her shoulders up and stood tall, her eyes glaring at Calypso.

"I wouldn't be so easy to capture, this I can assure you. Fire couldn't kill me. My own mother tried and failed. I am a living testament to how far anger can take you after death has claimed your soul." Most of what she said was true. Maya had lived through hellfire and a crazy mother, hell-bent on taking her life at a young age. Yet, even with all of this carried deep down within breast Maya never allowed herself to lose control, not again. She had to keep that part of herself in check after all.

If she snapped...

Nothing had pushed her to that point in a very long time, at last. She had a hard time recalling the last time she lost herself to her rage. Xibalba often soothed the lioness after such events. It was... sort of foggy, the memories.

Oh.... wait. Maya frowned and glanced back at Xibalba with eyes forged in fire. Something in the back of her mind ticked with anticipation.

"Mercy?" She snickered and sighed.

Mercy was not something Maya knew.

"There is no such thing."

Her relaxed appearance was indeed something she needed to keep in check, travailing with her sister masked meant the two needed to draw less attention to themselves, but she would correct any misinformed lioness that looked down upon her.  

[Krysin]

Calypso's eyes lifted, darkened by thoughts of her own past. "Knowledge always come at a price," she told the lioness. Long legs stepped forward, the black and gold lioness closing the gap between herself and the sisters. She was unafraid, and if she were to die here by their paws it would at least be the end of her suffering. But, she hoped that death waited a little longer for her. There were some things in life that she simply had to take care of. "Nothing is ever freely given, only freely taken..." Words were but a mockery of her own mother's actions, a reminder of Katiti'manina's betrayal of her daughter.

She slipped past Xibalba and Maya, circling back around them as restlessness did not allow her to be still. There was certainly something... off about Calypso, but she gave no impression that she had a desire to harm the lionesses in her presence. That would be left for someone else to likely do. Her eyes cut back to Xibalba, momentarily intrigued. She was unwilling to pursue that mystery, these lionesses did not matter to her that much. All Calypso was doing was showing them favor by warning them of the lands they trifled too close to.

Kindness did not suit Calypso.

"Of course," and she bowed head, dark bangs shielding crimson eyes from view. "Perhaps some day my kindness will be returned, but it is not something I expect."

The burnt sister had some fight in her. It amused Calypso, and the dark lioness chuckled. The sound was raspy in her throat, as if her own vocal chords had been scratched and torn at. Her story struck a chord, though Calypso was not the kind of lioness who could ever truly sympathize with another. Whatever compassion she had once possessed had been smothered by her own mother. "I hope that fire likewise burns her, if she has not already been claimed by death." False sympathies - Calypso did not really care.

"Mine was... never so blunt in her hate for me." Her gaze rolled to the sky instinctively. No, no ravens there. No eyes in the sky peering down at her, watching her every movement and listening to every word. "I tried so hard to earn love that she could not give. I would have rather flames turn me to ash than suffer through her abuse." She sighed, and then smiled, a toothy, mocking gesture of joy. "But we all do not choose our parents, though we can choose our fates and their's..."

Another laugh, "Agreed - perhaps we are undeserving of it."  

[Pandorus Sphinx]

Oh, that was it. She was just insane, it was as bright as day and easy to see. Xibalba made note of her expressions and movement as the dark lioness spoke, moving around in her restlessness. The poor thing looked so thin, perhaps offering her a meal would help ease some of the tension she felt. It would at least make things a little less one sided. She had after all offed them quite a bit of information with no requests of her own in return.

"I have some meat left over from our last hunt." Xibalba motioned her head, glancing just over the hillside.

"It's back at our resting place. Come eat with us." She wasn't trying to win her favor, it was more of a show of respect. This female wasn't causing them any harm, so what was the harm in sharing what they had with her? She glanced at Maya for a moment, frowning at her comments. She didn't need to tell anyone about it. She wanted to leave history in the past.

It already lived inside of the both of them, the murder, her mother. It was a memory that never slept. The waking world was never safe from the flames of memories.  

[Pandorus Sphinx]

Maya on the other hand found Calypso to be quite the sight. She dripped with this tangible hatred, Maya could feel it in her words, see it in her movements. Her mind was some place else even if her body stood here.

"My mother is dead. She deserved every second of pain she felt in her last moments." She spoke out very matter-of-fact, feeling no shame or guilt in her comments. Maya had blood on her paws but unlike her immortal sister she felt no remorse. She felt no regret in any action that was made that night.

"She doesn't love you." Maya frowned, sighing deeply. It sounded so familiar, the sound of Calypso's voice, the off hand comments made. She had something inside of her broken, perhaps it happened long ago. The comment wasn't made to upset her new dark comrade, it was more of a statement, even if it was a rude one.

"Come eat with us and tell me more." Maya was very convinced that Calypso was hurting, even if she wouldn't openly say it. Apart of her for a moment lost herself in this, this anger. This... familiar feeling. She was very interested in what else Calypso would say.  

[Krysin]

"Food does... nothing for me now," and she laughed, her voice cracking. "I have consumed plenty only for it to turn sick in my stomach. Do not worry," not that she thought they were so concerned for her health, "I do not plan to waste away." The famine was unusual, a punishment perhaps for the pride's behavior. They could not locate the source of the illness, but it had swept over them like a plague. Every lion reacted differently to it, and some were still thriving despite the unnatural events. Calypso lived, but her hunger brought her closer and closer towards insanity.

It threatened to consume her if she did not relieve it. She had no choice, she had to go through with her plans before she lost herself. "Ah, wonderful! I hope mine joins her in death soon." Her claws unsheathed, scratching against a small rock underneath her paw. A smile, twisted but genuine appeared upon her face. "I will see to it this time." It was a promise to herself, that she would no longer live under Katiti'manina's shadow.

"No," Calypso's gaze flickered away, "I suppose she doesn't."

That was the only truth she knew now. Her life until leaving her mother's side had been a lie, constructed by the seer to suit her own needs. Kat had never thought of her children as living creatures, but rather tools to be used to meet an end. If only she had left sooner, perhaps the damage done would not have been so severe. But, Calypso had been brought to a point where she could not turn back.

"Well, I do suppose I cannot turn down a free meal. I must build my strength for the journey ahead." Even though she had no intentions of confronting her mother alone. In a one-on-one fight, Katiti'manina would win. She was stronger, wiser, and her sight would only make her all that much more powerful. "Let us eat, then. And chat."