Gremio had been taken from border duty. His mate had given birth to a lovely litter of five healthy little cubs. Four lions, taking strongly after their father, and one gangly little cheetion. An odd family, but fitting for the over-protective male and the soft-pawed female. New life was always a blessing to the troupe- but these were dangerous times.
The rumors of an enemy had the border guards doubled up. Unfortunately that meant more work for Flik. Normally he didn't mind but he was more the sort to go in search of the problem rather than sitting around waiting for it to show its ugly face.
The lion sat atop the watching hill, his head held high and his shoulders rolled back. Flik was one of the more dilligent members of the pride, and one of the veterains that carried with him enough military experience to cover an area where many others had multiple eyes.
Awani was traveling at a steady pace, her small but muscular body covering the ground evenly so as not to jostle the small shape on her back. Sometimes it worked better to carry her daughter in her mouth, but other times it suited them both to let the kitten curl on her back. It had been some time since their last lengthy stop. They had nowhere specific to be headed, but Awani felt drawn on. She had a purpose somewhere, a purpose beyond merely bearing cubs for a dying pride. A place that could use her talents of stealth and swift attacks.
The sight of a figure on a hill caused her to slow her pace, however. It was situated so that she could clearly see the profile of a male lion. Now, Sliabh proved that lions could be good and decent, but Awani was not a fool. She had young to protect, and would do so fiercely if needed. Having the cub with her did not dissuade her from fighting at all. If anything, it made her more than willing to unsheath her claws should threat be apparent. But neither did she live in fear.
She came close enough to the male to show that she had seen him, and that she knew he saw her. She then stopped, gently slipping her cub from her back, nestling Tuwhu between her forepaws. There she sat, facing the male who very clearly was guarding something. Likely a border, which meant she was safer to wait here for him than risk crossing the unseen line. No, she'd rather wait here for him to approach them.Flik's eyes were quick to catch the dark form moving through the otherwise light-colored grass. The savannah began to dry and fade beyond their borders as the grasslands stretched further and further away from the sea and the streams. It was an easy way to define their territory from the surrounding area at least. For a darker shape in the daytime, it would be difficult to slip up on them. Night time, however, was a different story. there'd be more eyes on the hill following the dusk. The vampires weren't exactly known for moving under the sunlight.
"Who goes? Friend or foe?"
A twitch of her lips indicated a suppressed quirk of a smile, a flick of her ear mute evidence of amusement. Friend or foe indeed? "It would be difficult to say whether I am friend or foe, for I do not know you nor yours," she called back wryly. "Should you wish us evil, I am your foe. But I wish no harm upon you." She supposed this wasn't the most tactful of answers, but the idea of asking a stranger if they were aligned for or against them seemed... well, rather presumptuous. Awani tended to make her own judgments based upon actions as well as expressed beliefs. Hard to judge her own stance towards him from just eyeing each other across a distance.
"Would it be better I return the way I came? Or perhaps you could direct me around your lands, if you are so wary of strangers." Some prides were highly suspicious, she knew, not allowing strangers to even draw near their borders. In some situations it entirely made sense to be so paranoid. She would wait to see if this group were willing to let her pass, or had valid reason for needing or wanting to divert the two of them away. She reminded herself of the Kitwana'Antara. They definitely had good reasons for warning others away from their borders, for example.
Flik's lips twisted into a grimmace. It was a complicated answer and not one that really set well with him. Viktor might have laughed, agreed, and threw open his paws to the stranger but Flik was a little more careful, if not paranoid. Perhaps not on the same degree as Gremio, but still paranoid in his own way and overly-cautious. His former general had even fallen under his critical gaze... though Flik still didn't regret it. Tir needed it back then. Perhaps this female did.
"We are not your enemy if you mean us no harm." He answered tactfully as he could. "If you are looking for a safe place to rest, you are welcome here. I see you have a little one." He nodded his head down towards her paws. "You must be tired."
His answer definitely satisfied her, though his expression was curiously lacking in any particular welcome. She studied him thoughtfully, poised between accepting the polite offer without comment, or speaking her mind. With a mental shrug, she decided doing so now was safer than finding out within their territory that she shouldn't. "You do not approve of me," she stated quietly, still studying him. "Is it for what I am outside, or what I could be inside?"
Was it her gender he begrudged? Oh, he wasn't so obvious as others had been in the past. But something was... off. She wanted to know what it was before proceeding. It could even be her species, and the fact that the cub at her feet was a hybrid. One paw shifted to curl protectively around the sleeping body at that thought, eyes narrowing slightly at the big male. If it was her inner intentions he still held himself aloft from, what sort of people did he associate with, that a mother was a potential threat? All in all, she was finding this encounter quite curious.
"I am a Tengou. A general. It's my job to protect this troupe with my life...and currently we feel the need to guard our borders with a little less welcome than is typical." He raised a brow and tipped his head slightly. "Here we judge on what's on the inside. The pelt means very, very little. It's simply the container for the spirit inside."
The lion rose up to his full height and shook out his mane. "The question is, can I trust you with my own family as you'll have to trust me with yours beyond this border?"
She tilted her head in a gesture of respect at his introduction, even if it lacked a name attatched to it. She listened with an intent gaze to what he had to say, the paw around her daughter relaxing somewhat as he declared some of their beliefs. When he rose, she took care not to flinch back, despite his intimidating height and bulk. She took her time replying, her eyes trained on his rather than on his potentially lethal attributes. "I think trust is something earned. I would not hand you my cub here and now, nor would I accept one of yours entrusted to me." She took a breath and sighed it out her nose. "There is much reason to distrust in the world. At times I grow weary of it." She dropped her eyes, ears angling backwards slightly.
It was hard, not having a place to belong. Sliabh's pride had been welcoming enough, and clearly accepted creatures of all kinds. But it was not the place for her. She needed something to fight for, something to believe in, something that kept her striving for her own best.
"I do not ask you to trust me, Tengou of your people. But yes, a place to rest for a time would be welcome, moreso if it provided a respite from needing to watch my back from all strangers." She raised her eyes again to his. "Is there a place for me here that will not endanger your family, but will protect mine?"
His lips quirked into a wider smile. At least the female was sensible. He'd met good decent souls on the border, some were entirely too trusting and would have to be kept close to an older officer to insure that their trust wouldn't drive a thorn into the paw of the troupe. Still- danger wasn't always an ugly thing rearing its head, more often than not it was a lovely thing with honey on its lips. Still... he couldn't turn anyone away if they were peaceful. Taban would throw a fit.
"At least you have a good head on your shoulders. You're wise to be leery. These are dark times in these lands, but we stand as a light to whomever is bold enough to stand."
He began down the hill, his posture neutral and his stride easy. "My name is Flik. There is a place for you and the little one to rest. Our companions have cubs of their own, so there will be playmates to keep her entertained. Our hunters have already gone out so there should be a meal soon. I do have to escort you inward, however. Just so they know you aren't a trespasser."
"My name is Awani'shairi, and my daughter is Tuwhu." She stood and scooped the cub back up onto her back, marveling at the ability to sleep through just about anything. "What is the name of this place, your people? I am interested to know more about this light you represent." She moved forward, a tacit acceptance of needing to be escorted to where they could rest. "Do you all stand against the darkness, then?"
Truthfully, she was trying to restrain her interest in his very odd and very intriguing statment, but was finding it difficult to hold her questions back. This was the first she'd heard of a group that spoke of darkness versus light, of standing against something more nebulous than another pride, or another species. Her tail twitched behind her, revealing her restless curiosity.
