It had been a long night for the healer, Jua'kali. It wasn't often he was tasked with such lengthy jobs, but for the most part the mercs didn't get beat up so badly as to constitute an overnight observation. Though to be fair, most of them had friends that would be willing to watch over them in Jua's stead. This lioness, however, was not so lucky. She was in a strange pride, and likely in shock about where she was or how she had gotten there. He had noticed that her sleep was fitful, and her muscles would tense at times. Bad dreams perhaps? It was something to ponder as he kept himself awake through it all. It was as the sun was starting to crest the horizon that he heard a soft mumble from the dark pelted lioness, and he wondered if she was coming out of the worst of it.
Kiv'mauti had slept restlessly through the night, and at times she had struggled to regain consciousness only to be overtaken by exhaustion. The whole experience had left her feeling weak and groggy, but her mind was finally starting to resurface. She had muttered something in her sleep, something fleeting that had fallen off her tongue and quickly forgotten. Her eyes cracked open and she could see the beginnings of a sunrise, and the golden red light it would bring. Where was she? The previous days events came flooding back to her, and she began to panic. She had been attacked! And they had taken her somewhere she didn't recognize! Had her pursuers finally caught up with her? She flexed her claws and attempted to raise her head, but only managed to wince at the onslaught of pain as she did so. Ow. They must have hit her pretty hard.
"Easy now, girl. Don't try to get up too quickly," Jua warned as he fought back a yawn. "You were in rough shape when the Boss brought you to me, and I don't think he'd be keen on you hurting yourself under my watch." Yikes, that wasn't something Jua wanted to deal with. He watched her stiffen at the sound of his voice and his ears drew back in concern. It was plain to see that she didn't trust him, and from the looks of her she was rough shape before the Boss had even found her. His practiced eye easily noted her emaciated appearance, and the dullness of her coat. He wouldn't be surprised if she didn't have the strength to stand at this point. "Are you hungry? We could get you something eat," he suggested, trying to draw her out of her panic.
The voice wasn't familiar, nor did it sound hostile, but that could be a trick to bring her guard down. For the longest time she didn't say anything, as she tried to gather her strength to make a run for it. Her muscles tensed, but her body felt weak, and her head throbbed painfully. In the end, exhaustion won out, and she found herself barely able to lift her paw. "Who are you?" Her voice cracked out, weak and unrecognizable. "Where am I?" Had her pursuers brought her back to their pride so quickly? Had she failed so miserably in her escape?
She sounded almost as bad as she looked, and Jua was beginning to realize her road to recovery would be much longer than he had expected. The boss had given him a patient with more than just head trauma, it would seem. "My name is Jua'kali, I'm a healer," he told her earnestly, hoping she wouldn't try to rise or bolt away from him. Though, she may not even have the strength to stand at the moment. "You're in Tani'Ajiri lands, girl. It's safe," Well, as safe as I one could be in an unknown land he supposed. There were enough mercenaries around that Jua generally felt secure in his day to day life, though their numbers were still fairly small in comparison to other pride's he'd been a part of.
"Safe?" Kiv muttered, almost sneering at it. She was never safe. Her pursuers had been following her for weeks, and they'd always managed to find her, no matter what pride borders she was close to. She'd also never heard of the 'Tani'Ajiri', and couldn't imagine they'd be a big enough threat to deter what was coming for her. "I'm not safe. And neither is your pride while I'm here," she croaked out. Her throat was dry, and it hurt to speak. "If you value your lives, you'll let me leave," she warned, as she once again attempted to regain her strength long enough to stand. How much time had she lost? They could show up at any second.
Jua raised a brow at her warning, though he refrained from laughing at it. "You're surrounded by mercenaries and trained killers, young lady. Trust me, we'll take our chances," he told her, once again reining in his need to laugh, though he did snort slightly in amusement. She went quiet again and Jua took the time to yawn and stretch his legs out in front of him. "The Boss will want to see you, when you're feeling up to it," he told her. "I for one, vote we get you something to eat and drink before that happens." She looked like she would keel over the second she tried anything, and he didn't need his patient overexerting herself at the sight of the Boss again. The last time, she had tried to claw his face off, as well as his for good measure.
What sort of pride had she stumbled into? It didn't sound like she could trust them, much less be comfortable enough to let her guard down. "Fine," she said at length, when her legs refused to move. "I could use a drink." It might help clear her head a little bit, and keep her throat from burning. Her only hope was regain some of her strength, it seemed, then she could leave and continue her search for salvation. Siyo'Jini. He was the only one in the world she trusted to help her, and she had to find him before her pursuers caught up to her. She couldn't do that while she was stuck here, waiting for her body to heal.
It was settled then. Jua lifted his head to take a look around them and managed to catch the eye of another pride member. They have been someone the mercs had recently brought on, as Jua only vaguely recognized them. A quick conversation and some moments later, and a small amount of food was brought over. "Eat that, and then I can help you over to the river for a drink," Jua told her as he stood to stretch his muscles and shake his mane. He wasn't a particularly large or strong lion, but he only needed to help her up when she was ready to try.
The sight and smell of food almost made her sick to her stomach. It had been so long since she'd had a proper meal, and she had been running on adrenaline for longer than she cared to remember. But she was also hungry. It took some effort, and the pounding in her head protested as she managed to roll onto her belly. She felt dizzy for doing so, and even more tired than before, she knew she had to eat. If this was a trick, and they had poisoned the meat somehow, then it was a cruel one. It was only a small amount of meat, but the moment it hit her tongue Kiv couldn't help but devour it. She had been on the run for so long, and had stayed hidden for most of that time, that she had been unable to hunt or feed herself for many days. The food hit her stomach like a rock, but she managed to keep it down with some effort. "Help me up," she sighed as she felt Jua's eyes on her. She didn't want to look at him, but she needed the help, and she needed the drink.
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