[FIN] Filling in the Gaps (Nawiri & Mittere)

[mouselet]

It was morning. Again. And so it was dark in the west-facing den Mittere was stuck in. Not that the pink lioness really cared how light or dark the place was. There was nothing much to be seen, and nothing much she wanted to see at this point. And she was still unable to stand on her own which meant that bored as she was of her surroundings, there was no changing them yet.

Which meant that she was, once more, thinking. Something she'd been doing an awful lot of since waking up in the Kitwana'antara. But now she had a lot more to think over than she had. The Bard - Tarafa - had shared with her the origin of the pride and Mittere was busy analyzing not only what that history should have resulted in that she would soon be dealing with, but also the Bard herself.

The pink lioness had never met anyone like Tarafa before. Oh sure, there had been people who refused to be intimidated by the Warrior, but the vast majority of those had been covering fear with bluster, and the rest had known they were too highly ranked to worry about an ordinary lioness. Tarafa...hadn't been afraid. She'd just talked over all of Mittere's quiet threat (and bluff, the pink lioness had to admit she'd be hard-pressed to actually follow through on any threat) and made herself at home. Mittere had surprised herself with her interest in the Bard's well-told tale and her respect for a rank she traditionally detested. It was...unsettling.

But back to the content of that story...it was still ancient history. She needed more current and relevant information. From bits and pieces she'd picked up from Nawiri and some of her other attendents and visitors, the pink lioness knew there had been some kind of problem in the more recent past. But she didn't have any more information, and that was starting to irk her as much as her immobility.  

[Uta]

Nawiri made her way over to the mouth of Mittere's den. According to the various healers of the pride, it was about this time that the pink lioness was awake. Seeing as she couldn't yet make it out and about on her own, it wasn't as if the female lacked proper sleep. As it was, instead of the usual healer who often would check upon Mittere, it was Nawiri who entered the den.

She didn't hesitate to enter, didn't call out to the female until she drew closer. It wasn't as if her presence was going to be surprising - Mittere often had visitors a few times during the day, if only to replace her water or drop off some fresh meat. Some didn't care for the pink female and her quiet and terse nature, and Nawiri could only assume the feelings might be mutual.

Still, it would do good to see the warrior again, as well as give her some news about the happenings of the pride. "Mittere?" She called out as she approached, pausing when the pink female came in to view. She was looking substantially better than she had when she first arrived, and the dual-hued eyed female took a quiet and swift assessment of what she saw. It wouldn't be too long before Mittere would get to be rehabilitated with walking . . . And hopefully not too much further before she could move on her own as she very well pleased.

"I hope you don't mind a visitor this afternoon, if only to shake things up a bit." She smiled softly, setting herself down before the pink lioness and allowing her tail to curl around her paws. She had an agenda for this visit, obviously, but it would be a lie to say she wasn't also curious to see how the pink lioness was faring. Thus far there was no word on whether or not she'd contracted the plague, and Nawiri'chiwa could only continue to hope Mittere was immune.
 

[mouselet]

The pink lioness' idle ruminations ceased the moment she heard the telltale padding of someone entering the den. Odds were that it was a healer of course, but she was still surprised to recognize Nawiri. Mittere knew that the grey lioness was a healer, yes, but she was gradually putting together a picture from things she had heard in bits and pieces that made Nawiri one of the most important people in the pride. She didn't seem to be the Master Healer, but the pink lioness knew the other was highly ranked. Probably related to the royal family.

The fact that she was here now meant that she probably had something relatively important to talk about. Idly Mittere wondered if Nawiri was aware of Tarafa's visit and story the other night. Unless the healer told her, the pink lioness would never know.

Blue eyes kept a careful watch as Nawiri sat down and threw out the inane comment. Both of them knew that Mittere had no way of forcing the grey lioness out and so had little choice but to sit and listen. Besides, it would probably be useful information, whatever she was about to hear.

Words were not necessary for Mittere to respond since she reasoned that Nawiri certainly knew something about her by now. The pink lioness yawned and flicked her tailtip in the grey lioness' direction as if to say "go on."  

[Uta]

Nawiri was glad that the female wasn't asleep, and she hadn't disturbed her. Given, there wasn't anywhere for Mittere to go even if she didn't want the company, but the young queen believed in civility and manners. If it truly were a bad time, she'd hope the pink lioness would voice her complaint and allow Nawiri to return another time, or (if it were dire) explain as much.

Unsurprisingly, Mittere was quiet as the grave and did little more than peer at her, and flick her tail. Well. That was encouragement enough to speak. There was no use wasting either of their time, after all. "I recently spoke to one of the prides bards, Tarafa, and she mentioned having been able to share some of the history of our pride. All things considered, while that's well and good to learn and remember our beginnings, it occurred to me that doesn't explain the now. . . Doesn't explain our current situation. Seeing as you are a warrior, and will be the prides first line of defense, you might like to learn of more recent events. It . . .It might be of interest to you, at any rate, and also might help get you a better idea of why the pride is in such dire straights." She paused, allowing Mittere to once again object or . . .continue to say nothing.

Part of Nawiri suspected the latter.

"I may not be a bard, but these events I'm about to discuss happened less than a year from this very day. While they're not yet legend or myth, they've certainly put a stain on the future of our pride."

 

[mouselet]

The pink lioness' body, though weak and healing, was not nearly so undisciplined that her ears would perk up and signal her interest. Still, anyone sensitive to the currents of emotion in a room would know that she was giving Nawiri her full attention now. Minus, of course, the bits that were still focused on the entrance behind the grey lioness, listening and analyzing all the sounds that came in from the outside, however faintly.

She was surprised that Nawiri and Tarafa had already spoken to each other about her, and she wondered what the Bard had actually said of the meeting. Somehow she doubted that it was...detailed.

Mittere wrenched her attention back to Nawiri. Less than a year ago was quite recent, and fairly surprising that the pride was as organized as it seemed to be already. Though, she probably couldn't make that judgement call until she'd actually heard this story. The pink lioness held her peace and waited patiently for the other to continue.  

[Uta]

Nawiri'chiwa read the body language of Mittere, how her ears pricked and she seemed to focus on her, waiting to digest this new tale. Well, at least she was receptive, always a good thing. The more history of the Kitwana'antara the pink lioness learned, the better. At the very least, it would help update the pink lioness so she might be more understanding to their ways.

Not wanting to keep Mittere waiting, or sit in an awkward sort of silence, Nawiri smiled. "The previous ruler of the Kitwana'antara was a lioness known as Surya'nontle. She ruled for almost a decade, and for a good chunk of those years the pride thrived beneath her rule. At the height of her prowress, the Kitwana'antara was at peace and our numbers were strong. As the Queen of the pride, she was known for her compassionate nature, and her gentle spirit. Unfortunately, it was her forgiving nature and easy-going nature that might account for the fall of her reign.

"You know that we worship the Goddess of Pestilence. While sometimes it's difficult to see the plague that we suffer as a blessing, and many might prefer to call it a curse, it is those exact thoughts that enraged her. Many within the pride fell away from the old teachings, from the knowledge that it is Pestilence who blesses those with disease, and it is only Pestilence who can chance such a fate. In fact, a new Goddess entered the picture, a goddess of Healing. Many turned to her to guide their lives, to keep them healthy and strong.

"Whether or not that worked . . .well . . . all it seemed to do was enrage Pestilence. With so many in the pride having fallen away from the found religion, with so many who had forgotten the old ceremonies and ways, with a lack of self-quarantine, it was no surprise that there were consequences. Surya'nontle had always believed that so long as her people were happy, than she could allow them to indulge in ideas and beliefs she herself might not hold." The female paused for a moment, contemplating such a rule before giving a small shake of her head and continuing.

"Needless to say, there were consequences. The disease seemed to get worse, with whole litters being still born, and many taking turns for the worst. Our numbers, within months, were culled and bodies hardly had time to be given proper buriels. To make matters worse, a secondary plague swept through the pride, this one causing even non-lions to grow ill and in some cases face death. It was . . . it was a devastating time.

"Needless to say, the pride quickly turned to Surya'nontle and the High Priestess, demanding answers to their questions. Some feared this was the final extermination of the pride, and that the Kitwana'antara might be wiped out for good. Surya tried to assuage their fears, and along with the High Priestess, tried to encourage the pride to turn back to Pestilence.

"All the while, Surya'nontle's last husband was young. There were few options available to her, and love isn't something a Queen can depend upon. She needed a new heiress, and she needed to fulfill the roles to ease the prides discomfort. The mate she took on did give her a daughter, but he was also young, perhaps a little foolish, and desperate. He called for those who were able to leave the lands and seek out any new blood. He also took a group to a nearby pride and, during the full moon, attempted to raid it for any young cubs and blood.

"While this provided some new members, such a shameful act was caught and brought to light. The offended pride sent out its warriors, sent out an willing to go on a suicide mission and strike us down. Once again, with war on top of small numbers and two diseases within the pride, it was a massacre. The fact we survived at all is a miracle.

"But . . . even at our darkest hour, it seems the gods have mercy. The secondary plague let up, and the original plague seemed to fade. While it never and will never let up completely, the strong devotion and pleas to the Great Lady seemed to appease her. Even the warriors whom attacked us, whom brought our pride close to ruin eventually ended. From what I've been told, the neighboring pride suffered from politics in its own right, and eventually disbanded.

"We're still in recovery. The late High Priestess of those times was considered a hero for keeping the faith alive. . . Surya'nontle did the only thing she could - she sacrificed herself and allowed her blood to be shed in a ritual for both her heiress, and the pride. A sign so that those whom suffered might someday forgive her. . . .and in turn, allow for a new queen to rule in her stead, to pick up the pieces and continue on.

"I like to believe her sacrifice helped appease both the pride and the gods. . . I also like to think that I've learned enough from Surya to keep the pride from eliciting both the wrath of the gods as well as our neighboring prides. But. . . .I suppose only time will tell. One can never know what the future holds, though one can hopefully be prepared."
 

[mouselet]

The pink lioness listened intently as Nawiri discussed the reign and fate of the soft-hearted Surya'nontle. Happiness...what a stupid thing to let the pride go to pieces over. It was impossible to make every single member of any pride happy at the same time, or even content. If the idiot had only realized that early on, the pride wouldn't have piled suffering on top of suffering.

It was good that the neighboring pride seemed to have disbanded - one less thing to worry about. If it hadn't - Mittere shuddered inwardly - a blood feud was one of the nastiest kinds of wars she'd ever heard of. And from what Nawiri was implying, it sounded like not only had a whole generation of cubs been lost, but most of the adults as well. No wonder the grey lioness had wanted her to stay - she was probably the best-trained warrior here now!

But something about Nawiri's last comments tickled in the back of her head. Thinking back over the words, blue eyes widened. Mittere looked up at Nawiri, her eyes narrowing again in a glare.

"You're the Queen." Her tone was just short of accusing, daring the grey lioness to deny what she'd figured out at last.  

[Uta]

It hadn't been a secret. In fact, Nawiri was almost surprised that Mittere hadn't heard. Had none of the healers mentioned her by name? Strange, really, but then again Mittere wasn't known for her conversationalist skills . . . Likely many of the remaining healers hadn't found much reason to speak in front of the pink lioness if they could help it.

Her expression never wavered, she merely gave a solemn nod in agreement. "I am. Though I also am a healer, and am trained well the field." She liked to think she had enough healing to be considered a Master Healer, like her sister, but unfortunately her rank assumed such a thing. As the queen of the pride, she didn't merely consider her pride members well being, but their physical health as well. It was her job to comfort them during death, her job to ease their suffering as best she could. It was why the queen and king of the pride had to be diseased because how else could they relate to the suffering of the Kitwana'antara as a whole if they did not share in the pain?

While many found Surya'nontle foolish, Nawiri'chiwa couldn't entirely blame her mother. It was easy to cast blame, easy to say she had been a horrid queen when so many had encouraged her to walk such a path. There had been no complaints while life had gone smoothly, and only turned blame upon her when times grew rough. Hindsight was always 20-20 . . . but Nawiri also understood she was biased. She hadn't had a chance to grow as close to her mother as Eva'raja had, seeing as she was hardly an adult when her mother sacrificed herself but she loved her, and had been trained well underneath her care and guidance.

"I'm sorry that no one informed you of my actual title. At the time of our first few meetings, there were more important things to discuss than formalities such as that. It was never meant to be a secret or a surprise." Perhaps it was foolish of her to cast aside her title so flippantly. But there were more important things to worry about, like the well being of Mittere and other members of the pride. As a queen, many of her duties were that of a servant. It was easy to see how Surya'nontle had given in to the prides allowances.

 

[mouselet]

Mittere's expression didn't change but inside she sneered. A Queen was a Queen was a Queen. Just because the grey lioness preferred to think of herself as a healer didn't make her position any different. Just because the grey lioness didn't want ranks to matter in pride didn't mean they wouldn't. It was an idealist's point of view and it could never work in the real world.

The pink lioness was less surprised that no one had specifically mentioned to her about Nawiri's actual rank - she didn't exactly make it easy for them to do anything around her and felt no guilt about it. But that didn't matter or have any bearing on the current conversation. What did matter was figuring out if implications matched reality.

"Many died, you said. Of those juveniles and older, what percentage died? And of the combat leadership, how much of that died as well?"

It was the most words Mittere had said in many days. But she needed the information in order to complete her mental construction of how much work there was to be done. Her tailtip twitched once, violently, as the pink lioness thought of how weak and helpless she would be for weeks to come, even once she was able to move on her own again.  

[Uta]

Nawiri'chiwa was almost surprised when the pink furred female spoke. She was so accustomed to the silence, to her rigid gaze and stature, that her voice was easy to forget. Mittere was indeed a surprise for all the Kitwana. . . not only with her near-death experience on the borders but with her entire personality!

Still, she was quick to respond to the warrior. While she might not care to be treated differently, while she preferred to treat everyone as an equal (regardless of such an idealistic nature), she still took her duties very seriously. The Kitwana'antara was what she lived for, and all the responsibilities that came with her position. So numbers. . .well. . . numbers were something she knew well.

"When all was said and done, from both disease and war, we lost almost seventy percent of our adult and adolescent force. Cubs and juveniles alike was closer to ninety percent." She fell quiet for a moment, dropping a gaze for a brief moment.

Numbers. The pride had never been large, so the losses were especially felt. "As for combat leadership . . within the pride we have about six members who have the age, though perhaps no formal skill. The small handful of warriors and guards that currently remain are young and not terribly experienced. The last Master Warrior we had passed on about three months previous, but he had been old even during Surya'nontle's reign."

In a sense, they were desperate. While life had eased up on all of them, and more cubs and new blood had entered the pride lands, they were far from healthy in number.
 

[mouselet]

Even though the story and bits of information had prepared Mittere for a high number of casualties, the actual numbers were higher still than she had guessed. Ninety percent of youngsters...not entirely surprising. But seventy percent of those older...no wonder the pride was in such dire straits.

Six warriors. That was all. The pride was vulnerable to being wiped out, even if the disease took their enemies afterwards. The pink lioness was not interested in dying.

"I'll need to meet these Warriors. See what they know, and teach them more. Even so, it'll be years before the pride will be capable of defending itself from a full-blown attack."

This was the responsibility she had accepted when she had acknowledged that she must stay within the pride. This was what she had accepted when she had asked to be retained as a Warrior. She did not think of herself as filling the position of Master Warrior, but she knew that she had the outside experience that the pride lacked and that it must be shared for the safety of all.  

[Uta]

They had been dreadfully close to annihilation when her mother sacrificed herself. Thankfully, everything seemed to calm when the disease eased off, the second plague ran its course, and of course the warring pride disbanded and destroyed itself. Ever since, they had been on shaky ground, but were beginning to recover. The outlook was still bleak, but it wasn't quite as hopeless as it had once seemed.

Solemnly nodding, the grey lioness heaved a heavy sigh. "We had been close to extinction, but hard lesson was learned and the gods spared us. Of course, we're no where near safe and our pride is still on shaky ground, but things are beginning to pick up, at least where numbers are concerned.

"As far as warriors and a solid defense, our precarious position is understood by all. It is why there are restrictions and self-quarantines, it is why we try to stay peaceful towards our neighbors and visitors, and to give no one reason to attack." Still, the lioness grimaced and gave a shake of her head. "Of course, reasons and excuses for confrontation aren't necessary. Some overpower others and destroy or enslave just because they can." She wasn't a fool, she knew that they were going to be hurting defensively for a long time.

But . . . there was hope. There would always be hope. Mittere's presence and knowledge was a blessing in disguise, especially now that she was volunteering on helping shape some of the warriors. Expression softening, the dual-tone eyed female gave a small smile of appreciation. "Any knowledge or tactics you're willing to share with our guards and warriors would be a great help. I know without a doubt you'll be invaluable to our future." And that was the truth! Though not much was known about the stranger, it was clear when it came to the art of battle, she was well seasoned in such a thing.
 

[mouselet]

Whether a miracle of the gods or not, it really was impressive that the Kitwana'antara still existed. The gods were, for Mittere, merely something convenient to swear by. Deep contemplation on them and their issues had no place in her life. They had seen fit to forge her into the mold of the Warrior, and that was the life she would live 'til injury or disease took it from her. The pink lioness did not foresee herself dying of old age.

Nawiri was right though. With the pride at such a low ebb of population, their safety and future was far from guaranteed. If the entirety of the pride's youth were conscripted it might be enough for defense were a neighboring pride to declare war, but it would also irrevocably change the face of the Kitwana. Mittere might not have much to do with civilians, but she recognized that they had some value and that a pride made up entirely of warriors was a pride built for conquest and that was entirely against everything she had read from the grey lioness. Nawiri wanted to hold the land they already claimed, and hold it in safety. The pink lioness doubted expansion was even possible in the Queen's mindset.

There was also the fact that most creatures found a fighter within when what they valued most was threatened. If the pride ever was invaded, she knew that everyone strong enough to stand and willing to fight would stand firm. That thought calmed her nerves some, for the pink lioness had been getting nervous thinking of how to defend the pride with only six Warriors. Her tail, which had been twitching tensely, reflecting her train of thought, stilled. For the moment.

"It's hard to know, without seeing or speaking to them, how much there is to be shared. The physical skills and the understanding of strategy and tactics are just parts of it." When she was young, her instructor had told them that being a Warrior wasn't the innumerable skills one must learn and the strengths one must have. It was the mindset that encompassed it all and allowed one to take in all those things and apply it to war and conflict.

It was that mindset that made Mittere more than just a muscular lioness with a penchant for picking fights. If she could teach that to the other Warriors of the pride, she would be successful.  

[Uta]

Nawiri'chiwa gave a small nod as the pink lioness spoke. She was far from a warrior herself, though she did know some self-defense as well as understood various tactics. She had learned from some of the viziers, as well as her own father, but typically it was the King's job to assist with the defense and protection of the pride.

Unfortunately for Mittere, and the rest of the Kitwana'antara, her Royal Escort who had been raised for such a position had been killed not long before the old queens sacrifice. Which left Nawiri without a King, and the pickings for a replacement quite slim.

She did have her eye on one . . . He was strong, or had been, until the disease had weakened him considerably. He was loyal and had always been faithful, but she was unsure of how much knowledge he possessed when it came to making defensive decisions. Ah, but that was neither here nor there. There were very few that would know much at all . . . . like many, they would have to learn as they went.

But that was neither here nor there.

"Whenever you feel you are ready to meet our guards and warriors, they will be available." She wasn't going to bring up Mittere's current condition - she was healing faster than expected, but she still had a bit of time to go. Thankfully though, she also had a suspicion Mittere wouldn't wait a day longer than necessary before she pushed herself back on her paws and went back to work. She was a fighter, not just physically, but in spirit as well.

"I have every confidence your presence and guidance will reshape them as . . .as they should be." It wasn't that they were subpar due to stupidity or lack of good genes. It was just that most of them were very young. Without a strong influence, all they could do was learn from each other and past mistakes, as well as a few viziers. "Even at your worst, you'll do the pride great good." And that was that.