[PRP]Whatever the Boss Says(Were/Ficha/Ajili/Ubele/Ufu) -FIN

[MoonRazor]

He stared up at the golden lioness, blood red eyes gazing unblinkingly into hers, barely feeling her claws gripping his body. This was, he knew, that moment before definite death. And somehow, a strange sort of clarity seemed to envelop the world around him.

There would be no placing blame - he couldn't. Werevu was anything but a coward. They had fought and she had come out on top. That was the way the world worked, and it was something he had long since accepted. She had the right, he knew, to kill him. Because after all, the object of the vultures' desires was the little cub that would likely one day grow up to rule the pride.

There was no fear sparkling behind those almost transparent crimson eyes, nor judgement, nor hatred. There was no emotion lurking behind them, simply the stark, flat gaze of a bird faced with death, who knew it and had no regrets.

No, that wasn't true. He did have regrets. The only one being that, in the last moments of his life, he was not with his bonded. Much as both he and Msiba had attempted to deny it, they were bonded together, they had that special connection that Msiba had refused to have with anyone other than his sister. And in that last moment of the vulture king's life, he wished only that he could see the smooth-talking lion one last time. After all, the vulture had few loyalties to anyone on this world. Msiba was, perhaps, the only one.

Then suddenly, he felt the momentary sting of fangs, pain shot through his neck. And then it all began to fade. The vulture's head lolled back, and even as his eyes began to glass over, he saw the blue of the sky, the white clouds, the sun. And he felt freedom, waiting for him.

The vultures shuffled against one another, a deathly silence had fallen over them. Their king was dead. Wearied wings flapped against the sky, disheartened cackles. For a moment, they simply stared. And then slowly, one by one, the vultures began drifting from the collected flock. Going one way, then another. Until finally, the skies had cleared of the scavengers, the first time since that earthquake, so many days ago.

((Yup. Maybe a last reacting post from everyone and I'll stick the FIN in the title? x3))  

[[Eskimo]]

Ajili breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the vultures flying away. They had done it...Well, mostly the cream-colored lioness. But they really had all done something. It was fulfilling to know she helped save those two cubs at least in some small way. Her leaving Ingi and Dumu in that small cave was justified and she didn't feel so guilty for leaving them anymore.

Ah, Ingi and Dumu...She needed to hurry back and get them.

"Thank you for your help." Ajili said to the other lioness. "I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't come." She smiled but winced inwardly at the other lioness's wounds. She'd fought so hard and long with such gashes in her body and had gained several more from that fight with the great flock of vultures. Ajili had even earned herself a few scars. But it was over, she told herself. It was all over now. Everyone was safe.

The wounds on her back began to ache and her relieved expression changed to a grimace. But no, the pain wasn't important. She had lived to see another day; another day without her mate.

But it was another day with Ingi.