[PRP] Unlucky

[Kimaria]

There was a seer in the vicinity.

Tomorbaatar knew because he'd been told. By a raven. Mchawi's raven. He could have cursed when he'd heard the news uttered from the bird's beak. He could have slammed a paw down over its head and made sure it was the last thing it ever said. He hadn't, though. Mchawi seemed fond of the wretched creature and he couldn't deal with having to break the news that her poor little pet had died. But it would be tricky to say the least.

Even if he was close to 'home', he still had the unwilling hyena with him and he had spent many a day wrestling with her, forcing her to give in until she submitted. The last few days had seen her being unnervingly submissive and he knew, deep down, that she was waiting. To flee or to strike, he wasn't sure, but she was plotting and she was preparing. Soon they would be back. Then he could rest up, recover from the wounds inflicted by the canine and encourage her to the Nergui way of thinking. What he hadn't prepared for was to bring home another follower.

Here's hoping this one would be willing.

It took him an hour or so of walking but, eventually, he caught the scent of another. A male lion. Hopeful. He gave the hyena a long, warning growl and watched as she shifted uneasily. She'd picked up on the scent too and was probably thinking they were coming close to his pride's camp. They were close but not that close.

"Try anything funny and my teeth will sink so far into your back they'll break your spine."

The hyena snarled.

What? He'd done with being pleasant.

With a sharp breath, Tomorbaatar roared, long and low, to announce his coming, and then, with the hyena in his vision to his left, he strode forwards towards the lion.  

[Kimaria]

Tomorbaatar prized himself of subtlety, but it was hard to be subtle when one was accompanied by a ragged hyena and the both of them looked a little worse for wear. Still, it didn't keep him from trying and as he drew nearer he put on his most charming smile and dipped his head.

"Greetings."

Now. How to address the topic. He couldn't very well say that he'd been sent to find him by someone who had seen him in a vision. That had not gone down too well with the hyena - even though, to him, it made perfect sense. He supposed that came from being around seers all one's life. You tended to get used to them sharing their knowledge of things that they should not be able to know.

"Mind if I sit with you? I've had a long journey and my companion is not the most talkative of creatures."

The hyena, dithering a few paces away, was unusually quiet. Tomor rolled his shoulders and continued: "I'm heading back to my people. I wonder, if by chance, you might have come across them? An unkempt looking bunch, to some, I suppose. Always looking for rogue lions - and hyenas - with talent."  

[Kimaria]

He laughed, a pleasant enough sound, and shook his head. "No. I don't think my pelt would meet their strict criteria." His smile widened - grew toothy. "I know of them, though. I believe my people may even have had a couple of run-ins with them. I've been away for some time, though, so there is no telling what might have transpired since then."

He blinked his bright eyes and gestured northwards. "If you have no place else to go, I might suggest you continue on with me. It is a good place and the people there are brave and strong. And, unlike the Firekin, pelt colour is no hindrance. You would be welcomed as brethren there."

Perhaps he need not mention seers at all, though he would have to find out some way to make sure that this was the lion he sought. "Lions from all walks of life have collected under one banner. Lions who are strong. Lions who are smart. Lions who have accomplished great deeds. Even lions known to the southern people as seers." He paused, turning to look at Amali. "They are a strange kind but invaluable to have as part of the pride. Their insight is fascinating. Have you ever come across it yourself?"  

[Kimaria]

Indeed. He was certainly being recruited - of the attempt was being made, anyway. The Shuko had done this many times before, though this was a slightly different situation than those that had happened previously. His eyes darted across to watch the hyena but she still sat very still.

It was hard: dividing one's attention between two things.

"I don't think it's an easy thing to understand, from what I am told. Some seers are so good at what they do they can see things almost with a single thought. For others it seems more difficult. All I know is that nothing I have ever dreamt has ever come true or held any truth to it. I wonder, though, whether sometimes it is hard to decipher what is just a dream and what is a vision." He gave a meaningful look at Amali and then gave a short shrug. "Perhaps, when I am home, I will ask."

He smiled again. "You say you knew some well? Do you have seers in your family?"  

[Kimaria]

It had always been said that seers were connected to the Gods. He'd never doubted it but neither had he met any seer who could tell him they knew the god who had put that blood into their veins. But here this lion was, telling him this, and the relative wasn't even that distant in the grand scheme of things. This was right then. This was his lion.

The hyena's ears had lifted, perhaps sensing his growing excitement at having found the lion of whom the raven had spoken.

"If that is true, you could very well have the blood of a seer in your veins. Perhaps some of the seers in my pride might be able to tell you? Teach you how to harness the gift if it does exist in you?" By now he had assumed that this lion was a rogue. He hadn't even thought to ask him if he was in a pride.  

[Kimaria]

Crap.

As hopeful as things had been looking, they were already beginning to slip away. But what other options did he have left to him now? If he returned without the seer then it'd be a failure, but he couldn't manhandle both back to the Nergui lands.

Perhaps he could try one last time to bring the lion around to his thinking. "Honestly, it wouldn't be any waste. If you're out all this way anyway, what is a few more days? It might not take long for our seers to teach you a thing or two and then you can be on your way again." A lie, but by the time he realised, it'd be too late. "Perhaps your abilities are just lying dormant, waiting to be awoken." He leaned closer to the male, trying his best to stay as friendly as he could.

"There are many things my brethren could teach which other prides could not even begin to fathom."
 

[Kimaria]

He had to be careful now. One wrong step and this whole conversation could tip over into unwanted territory. "It's...not so much a conflict." He began. "More a disagreement. Some of our people strayed too far into their territory and a fight broke out. And then they sent some scouts out to spy on us and that, again, ended in conflict. I think our people are too much alike. We have strong warriors and are stubborn - just as they are."

He slowly eased himself up onto his paws, glancing around in a casual manner, trying to appear relaxed. "As for why they are experts, I suppose the sheer number of them. We have no prejudices against their gift like some. We don't try to hide it or hinder. We embrace the gifts and learn."

He shook his head. "It is a hard thing to explain. To understand, you should see for yourself."