Azar'bijan's time in the heart of the lands had come to an end. He had been able to attend the summit, protect the regents from the surprise visitor as well as catch up - albeit briefly - with that son of his. He still felt weary as he pressed on towards the border, the feeling made worse by the fact that it was a good day and a half walk to reach the furthermost point. And there he'd meet up with his fellow guard and begin his long shift. Likely no one would see him again for a week or two. But work was good. Work kept him busy. Kept him sane despite the long hours with no one but his own mind for company - and that of the lion who was with him. But even paired guards tended to drift apart and wallow in their solitude, checking up on the other occasionally with a turn of the head. No one had ever said the life of a guard was easy but it was his job and he loved it.
It gave him purpose.
He hastened his step, settling into a comfortable lope that kicked up sand as he went and lifted his eyes skyward. As usual there was not a scrap of cloud to be seen. No birds, either. It was empty and sheer and lonely - just how he liked it.
Except that he wasn't as 'alone' as he had thought he was.
Somewhere close by he heard the thump of paws - the speed enough to suggest that the pace was as close to running as a lion could get. Immediately on alert, Azar'bijan swung his head around. The black rock formation of the Firekin dens were still clearly visible - having only travelled for an hour or so. Perhaps something had happened? The Ambassador had returned? Another sneak attack? He hadn't felt right about leaving so soon. Was he about to be proven right? When was he going to learn and stop ignoring his instincts when they were trying to tell him something? Except...where was the owner of those paws?
The question was barely formed when a dark figure rounded one of the larger, sloping dunes. A female. Large. A flash of red about the eyes. Her pace was slowing now and as she neared her breath rasped heavily as if she had been running for a while. And, when Azar recognised her, he couldn't help but do a double-take.
It was one of those pesky twins!!
At this distance it was hard to tell but he hazarded a guess that it wouldn't be Ea. That wild cat seemed to be sticking close to the medic dens these days and Vlam was by her side more often than not - or that was the impression he had gotten, anyway. That meant it was Fia, that crazed historian. And, for her to be out here alone, she clearly was losing it. She wasn't military trained and her role didn't call for her to be way out here. Huffing angrily to himself, Azar'bijan decided that it was probably going to be his job to intervene and question her. Trust him to be in the wrong place at the wrong time! If she'd chosen a different path he might never have seen her and he'd have been able to continue on his way none the wiser. Still, it was too late now. Time to stop her in her tracks.
He circled wide to cut across in front of her and, when he was close enough, lifted his head and called: "Hey," in the gruffest voice he could manage. "You. What are you doing out here? Don't you know there's a war on?" His words dripped with impatient sarcasm.
But what he did not expect was the intensity of her reaction.
"Get out of my way."
The words were more snarl than anything and the sheer ferocity had him hesitating. What the heck had gotten into her?
"You need to turn back." He stated again, keeping his voice direct and firm. "There's no damn way I'm letting you pass me by only for someone to find your body later."
"I won't ask you again."
"Fia." He stepped directly in front of her and puffed out his chest, balancing his weight evenly on his paws in case she tried to shove by him. "Go home. Leave this to the lions who know what they are doing."
Her only response was to lay bare her teeth and lift her hackles. Her mismatched eyes were so angry and so full of...of hurt? Azar was not quick enough to put two and two together - to realise that she was being eaten away by grief. That the grief was manifesting as anger and vengeance. He only saw idiocy and wanted to stamp it out before it took too deep a hold. Except with Fia it looked as if that might be too late.
She was growling now, long and low in her throat. Not a half-hearted growl either but the kind that suggested she'd likely try to tear his throat out if he advanced on her. But, as she sidestepped to get around him he mirrored her motion and suffered her wrath.
She roared at him, full in the face, her body twisted low as if readying herself for battle. It was then that Azar realised she might not actually back down without a fight and what if she wouldn't? What if he was forced to hurt her? As much as she irritated him he didn't want to be responsible for her ending up in the medical dens. That would get him into trouble and that wasn't what he wanted right now. He needed to stay in the good books so that when the war finally came to them he could be out there on the front lines with his people. If he ended up getting demoted over something like this there would be hell to pay. No doubt about it. And, with that in mind, he levelled his gaze at her and snarled back.
"Fia." Her name was released as a bark. The 'officers' tone came easy enough. "Go back now or I won't be held responsible for the consequences." Perhaps a little threat would work.
"I told you." She hissed between pants. "I wouldn't ask again."
She rushed him and Azar remembered a burst of surprise as she connected sharply against his chest. The shove pushed him up onto his hind legs until he managed to find his balance and push back, intending to wrestle her to the ground and hold her there until she'd calmed down and realised how stupid she was being. Except that this time he wasn't fighting his kin in some mock duel where claws where kept carefully sheathed. As he moved to pin her she went wild, thrashing out at him with claws clearly intending to cause injury. He felt a burst of pain cut open a nostril and when he inhaled he choked on blood.
His paws battled to press her into the sand and she writhed like a cobra, desperate to get free and lunging out with her jaws.
"Fia." He snarled. "Fia. Stop this. You idiot. What are you trying to do? Are you--" His words were shoved out of him as her hind legs came up to kick against his stomach and for a horrible moment it seemed that she thought to gut him, raking her paws in an attempt to get free. He shut his eyes, maintaining his vice grip, forgetting about the possibility of cracking ribs or causing injury now that it was clear she wasn't afraid to harm him. But how long could he hold on for when he couldn't finish her off?
He just had to hope that she would tire before he did.
