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 Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2013 9:03 pm
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 Nyota'shuti's steps dragged as she walked away from the scene of the...coronation. Great Lion, but it tasted bitter to let Shangyue be crowned, but the cold hard truth was that she couldn't stop him alone. At least she didn't have to watch it. At least, she assumed she didn't. Nobody had forced her to go back yet, so she kept walking. Not back to her den, though. Not yet.
She had someone she needed to talk to, first.
And so it was that she stood in the entrance to the den she knew her parents inhabited, exhaustion and heartsickness written into everything from the very way she stood to the look in her eyes. Blood covered her paws, still oozed sluggishly from the wounds Halili had left on her back, and had begun to dry into a crust on her face. She hurt in more ways than one, and she wanted her mom and dad.
"Dad?" The word came out a hoarse, barely-audible croak, and the lioness paused to cough before speaking again. This time, her voice sounded little better--but it could be heard, at least. "Mom? Dad?" |
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Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2013 9:26 pm
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Unyezi didn't trust himself to attend Shangyue's coronation, though his decision to stay behind had resulted in a small argument. But he stayed behind to wait out the night, brooding on his oversight that had allowed this to happen, mourning his lost sister, friend and niece. His den was close to the royal dens, as all slave dens were, and so to the ceremony but the commotion of the small rebellion had not reached his ears. Lost in thought, he didn't notice the slow, audible approach of his daughter-- but her voice got his attention immediately. Something was wrong.
"Nyota?" he called back, getting to his feet and coming out of the den to be greeted by a horrific sight. Though he loved all of his children, his daughters each had a special place in his heart, though for varying reasons. Now Nyota was the only one left, it seemed to amplify his concern for her. And here she was, injured, covered in blood, looking exhausted. He couldn't have spoken if he tried, all he could do was sit back down and wait for some kind of explanation. |
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Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2013 10:11 pm
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Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2013 10:40 pm
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Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2013 11:35 pm
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Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2013 11:47 pm
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Unyezi took a deep breath almost immediately after asking his question, seeing her answer in her eyes. His eyes widened ever so slightly when she implicated Orion and Halili in the attack. Orion had come to him early, been deeply affected by all of this, there was no way he was truly on Shangyue's side. He already knew he was a royal guard but neither had been brave enough to discuss it yet.
"I'm certain that Orion and Halili did not intend to cause harm, I'm surprised to hear Orion was fighting at all," he said, though his tone was lacking the confidence he truly had in his grandson. His voice sounded almost hollow. He opened his mouth to continue but he flinched and fell silent when Nyota finally collapsed into a sitting position.
"You're right," he said finally, ever frowning, "But he's the king and he's exploited the one group with something to gain from taking an active interest in who has the crown. You have to be more careful than this."
It seemed he wasn't going to be able to help but scold her, however mildly. Everything else was bad enough, Nyota carelessly putting herself in danger wasn't acceptable. To her credit, she chose a worthy cause.
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Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2013 12:20 am
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Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2013 1:43 pm
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Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2013 7:34 pm
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Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2013 11:47 am
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What she didn't say now didn't matter, her meaning was clear in what she did say and Unyezi could only see it ending badly at this point. He didn't have it in him to argue with her, though, he knew her well enough to know he was only going to make things worse. She would definitely be under surveillance but there were ways to make it easier and she didn't seem to care at all.
"Wait and see what happens," he said sadly, his voice carefully decreasing in volume as if he suddenly remembered they could be overheard, "We may yet have some peace now that Shangyue has what he wants. We may have time."
Meshach and Andama didn't act immediately but that seemed to be motivated only by the need to wait for a moment of ceremonial significance. If they had acted alone, relying on the pride rallying with them, they did not give themselves time to plan, only time to wait for the moment with the most potential impact. Through all the grief and pain Shangyue was causing, if they could just take their time.. perhaps they would have a chance.
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