About an hour before sunrise found a pair of lionesses before a bulky lion. They nodded solemnly, pushed at one another roughly but amicably, then parted ways. Inari and Dagny had just established that they would be testing their iron by going as a pair on one of two raiding parties for tonight, after they arrived at their newest location. Even the lionesses were nudging each other "He said he had been wondering when we would demand our turn," Dagny said cheerfully, "I wonder if we could be even more active in this viking if we were even more pushy!"
Inari snapped lightly at her daughter, "Don't be so happy- I know it's something to be excited for, but you're not a cub and this isn't a field trip. We're going to go attack someone at the very least, hopefully take their stuff and kidnap someone. It's not something to get all giddy about." Inari grumped as the pair of them returned to their rock.
It was not long before the Captain had called everyone to start packing up to move out- Reavers spurred thralls to gather the treasures they had hoarded so far and to grab any food they had caught, and everyone began moving South further still. Much of the day was spent this way, on the move. Most lions spent a good amount of time during the day asleep, and so they found this the best time to move along unnoticed. It was in the evenings, when lions were still groggily waking up, that raids happened.
The group decided to settle when a large rainstorm swept in. Though the Stormborn were accustomed to the rain, they knew other lions weren't. This made it an ideal place to stop- if they ran across anyone, the reavers would have the advantage. Two parties headed out in different directions. A larger group of more experienced Reavers headed off to where a small band of rogues was known to live and hunt, to the West. Inari and Dagny were destined to head East, where none had yet scouted, so they did not know what awaited them. The pair went off, determined to capture the first single rogue they came across, or stealthily steal from any groups. "Luck is with us this day," Dagny said earnestly to her mother as the pair walked. "At least the rain will kill the heat." Inari nodded wordlessly in response, ears sharp for opportunity.
Meanwhile, to the East of the powerful group of lions was an orange lioness with bright blue eyes. The lioness was clearly not part of a pride- she had been making due on smaller meals like klipspringers… And anything else small she could come across. She rose from the shelter of a tree for the first time today- awoken by a clap of thunder approaching on the horizon. "Oh great," Kaede said. "Just my luck!" The young lioness had not managed to catch a meal today, and had been planning on finding something in the evening. She had not thought of a situation where the weather may be awful, she would have to be cold and wet to find anything, and everything would be hunkered down anyway! She moaned, but her stomach was snarling and she knew she would have to hurry up to find anything or being very hungry that night.
She hurried out from under the tree, heading away from the storm, her own nose sharp for anything that might be easy to catch and worth the effort. She scanned the horizon, but saw... Almost nothing.
Almost. There seemed to be a pair of figures on the horizon- they might be willing to join her for a hunting party! Maybe they were out for the same reason...
From a distance, Dagny and Inari saw a bright orange figure, it was approaching them. “See that?” Inari asked to Dagny, jerking her head towards the figure.
“Mmmm,” Dagny said, nodding. “What did you have in mind mother-mine?”
“Well. I think it’s already seen us. It’s definitely feline, but I don’t know what type it is. Can you tell?” Inari looked to her daughter who shook her head. “Well, let’s take it. Either of us could use a thrall. We’ll have to wing it, it already knows there’s two of us. We could charge it and see it run,” Inari said with a malicious grin, checking it by her daughter.
Dagny, however, seemed hesitant. Her mother was stronger than she was, but also was not nearly the strategist that Dagny was. She gritted her teeth, to which Inari raised her eyebrows expectantly, knowing that the younger lioness thought she had a better idea. “Well,” Dagny said, “I don’t think that’s so good. If you charge it, it’ll run. Why would anyone be active in this kind of weather?” She asked to Inari.
“What’s that got to do with anything? We’re trying to catch it, not try to predict why it’s out before a storm.”
“I know, but it’s important! Why is anyone out? We’re all hoping to gain something- to catch something. I think there’s a good chance this one is out for a hunt. Why else would a rogue approach strangers before a storm? Help hunting. That orange spot’s on its own- it could probably use a paw hunting before it gets too shitty out.” Dagny explained. Inari’s look softened as she started to catch on to the plan. Dagny, encouraged by this change, continued, “Let’s play along with it. Let’s take it to ‘hunt.’ Then, when we get closer to the group, we’ll attack it, make it weak, and force it to come with us. If things go south, we’ll need to come back empty pawed. If not, we won’t have far to force it, injured.”
“You must have your father’s brains my dear, you certainly don’t have mine,” Inari said with a broad grin. “Let’s do it.” The pair picked up the pace, but did not run or charge towards the other. As they approached, they could see the orange feline was a lioness, who seemed to be exactly as Dagny said- out for food.
As Kaede approached the two spots, she was relieved to see two lionesses approaching her. She trusted lionesses more than lions, given her history... It had been lions who had given her mother and her siblings such a hard time, it had been lions who had kicked them out. Lions who broke her mother’s heart, who made it difficult for her to get a fresh start in her life. And so she quite readily trusted lionesses. They understood how hard it was for a single lioness. And the pair before her seemed to be a mother and daughter out in the roguelands together on their own.
She was grateful for the sight. “Hello!” the orange lioness called when they grew close enough. “Hello,” she repeated, rain beginning to lightly fall. It had caught up with them. “I’m so terribly sorry- I saw you on the horizon and... Well, I haven’t had much to eat lately- I’m not trying to take food from you, I’m not begging!” She quipped before continuing, seeing the significant glance the two had exchanged at the start of her sentence. “It’s just hard, I know, for rogues like us to hunt alone, or even in just a pair,” Kaede tried to give an endearing smile. It didn’t work very well. “So I thought maybe you’d like to join up with me just for now, just for a quick hunt. The three of us can down something quicker than just me!” She looked from one deep teal face to the other.
Dagny and Inari looked wordlessly at one another, rain beginning to fall faster. Inari spoke first, “You barely look like you could hunt anything, why should we choose you to help?” She asked, something like code to her daughter. Would it be worth bringing back such a small thing as a thrall?
Kaede’s jaw dropped slightly, she had nothing to say in response to this. She didn’t have time to think anything up, though.
“Mother!” Dagny retorted, a false look of reproach placed convincingly on her face, “Everyone can be useful in a hunt.”
Inari’s face softened a bit.
“I suppose so.” They were in agreeance- this would be worth the effort. The older lioness turned her attention back to the young orange one. “Very well! We’ll help you hunt through the storm. Most animals are taking shelter now, but we saw a herd of antelope not too far back that way,” she said convincingly, jerking her head towards where their band had made camp.
“Oh thank you, thank you!” Kaede said enthusiastically, first to Dagny who had stood up to her, then to Inari, who had agreed to come along. “My name is Kaede, by the way,” she said as she began to walk with the two lionesses, the two she trusted. “What are your names?”
“My name is Eusi,” Inari said with a nod to Kaede.
“I’m Mwezi,” Dagny said. Clever move mom, at least someone might be able to associate my name to the Stormborn, the younger lioness thought to herself. Who knew about whether you could with Inari, but the move had reminded Dagny that it wasn’t a bad idea. She may not come up with the best plans, but she did have some moments of brilliance.
They walked for a long while. The chatty Kaede left no question as to why she had gotten so skinny, or how. Had they really been approaching a herd of antelope, the location of which the bright lioness did not know, they would have heard her a mile away. Between her incessant chatting- “I love your braid! Did you do that yourself? How did you ever learn to do that! It must be hard. Oh, your fur pelt is so amazing! Did you make it yourself?” -and her loud, heavy, clumsy footsteps... Anything would have run.
Before long though, Kaede found herself thinking... Weren’t they nearly there? Why, it was supposed to have been just over a ridge, but she wasn’t sure she could see a ridge from here. Given, now that they had been walking for quite a way, the rain had had a chance to come on fully. Visibility was low and grey, the three lionesses were soaked to the bone, but only Kaede seemed to mind it.
They were nearly there. Kaede was about to open her mouth again to shout over the gale- to try to ask where the herd was, whether it was much farther. She was beginning to get tired. Just then, though, the two lionesses had nodded slightly to one another. A silent way of saying “Now!”
Dagny let her training kick in. She knew she would not be dealing the heavier blows, Inari would. Dagny took a big swipe at Kaede’s paws, striking her legs and downing her midstep. The orange lioness fell face-first into the mud, her rump still sticking in the air. Inari’s blow came next, only moments after Dagny’s swipe- Inari snarled and clamped her jaws around Kaede’s shoulder blades. The orange lioness let out a snarl of pain, confused and completely at a loss. She tried to right herself again, but Dagny had taken her nearest front leg and bitten down on it hard enough to debilitate the lioness. She went down with little struggle- it had all happened so quickly. Kaede only looked up into the lionesses’ faces from the ground, deciding that if she stayed down they would stop the attack.
“We are those born of the Storm,” Inari declared from above her, icy gaze piercing the bright lioness’ eyes, soft tolerant look gone from her face. “You will learn your place, Kaede,” she said slowly, placing emphasis on the name.
She had heard of the Stormborn before. She had not heard that lionesses may be in their ranks, nor that they were in this area. “Stormborn? You aren’t going to...” But the faces of her captors said it all. “But... I trusted you,” she said, hurt, tears beginning to swim in her blue eyes. “Mwezi, how could you...?”
“That’s Dagny,” she said cooly, giving the chatty lioness a whack on the ribcage. “It’s not far to our camp. If you’re lucky, you’ll get to come home with us. We would actually treat you decently. If you’re not... You’ll go home with some lusty male reaver. We might argue over you to keep you, depending on how eagerly you get moving.”
Kaede’s eyes widened, they couldn’t be serious. Fake names? They might hand her over to someone even worse? If she was lucky she’d wind up with the pair that captured her? She started to rise slowly, then got to her feet. She had just a split second to make up her mind, and she erred for the fight- Kaede took off running. The reavers-to-be had been taken by surprise- they had expected her to be defeated. With a smirk the pair chased after her.
“Did you think it would be so simple?” Kaede hollered at them, clearly feeling harrassed and having had enough. She ran, but tripped, and Inari reached her first. The lioness plowed into her and snarled, giving her another solid blow to the back. Where Kaede was tired from the attempt, neither Dagny nor Inari seemed even winded.
Dagny spoke as she approached, “That’s the spirit, flower-blood. Maybe we’ll try to keep you after all!” She let out a single sharp laugh at the sight before her. Kaede had realized that it might be to her benefit to cling to those who may not be as bad as her.
Inari was not as kind, “Get moving!” she shouted, giving her another whack across the flank, claws out, and the trio marched back to camp. One was proud, the other full of adrenaline, and the last horrified and hungry.
((-2339 words))
