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Kaburi landed on her back and before she could react she felt a paw press down on her throat; she struggled to drink in air - but the black lioness was not budging an inch, no matter how hard she struggled under her weight. Then, for reasons unknown to her; the Outlander loosened her grip and left her in her diet. Kaburi gasped, rolling back onto her front and choking on the air she had gulped in too quickly.

Her gaze drifted to her brother - finding her feet so she could join him once more. Before then was a young, dusty male, that had placed himself between the siblings and the lovers. Kaburi was no longer in a pleasant mood; but thankfully, her pride had suffered more injury than her body. When she spoke to Sinaan her voice was raspy and strained. ”The little hero if all yours.” She rolled her icy eyes.

A part of her was tempted to seek revenge, attack the black lioness whilst she was running away. However, doing so would not secure their future, not like aiding to take down the Prince would. Leaving her brother to fight Telal, Kaburi slithered around the side - swiping at the back of the Prince's legs.

Altuna was on her last legs, though she had gotten through the battle without much injury - the exhaustion was beginning to take a toll on her adolescent body. The female’s chest heaved as she jumped from the guard’s back before he fell. As her paws touched the ground she jumped once more - this time for the Prince.

She aimed to sink her teeth into the back of his neck.

Ciro roared as the other's fangs sank into his flank. The one thing the male did not like was being wounded. Yet, here this other dark male was, sinking his teeth into his flank. This just wouldn't do.

His eyes narrowed. No more playing. He had other matters to attend, and fighting this unknown male for whatever reason that female suggested was not one of them. Ciro snarled, his gold eyes narrowing as a new light to fight lit. Ciro was a captain, and now he would show Ajani just why.

As Ajani bobbed his head down, Ciro mimicked his action, meeting the other head on. Ciro intended to back the male up, snapping at his neck, intending to use his weight to bring Ajani to the ground.

Atama could only laugh as the female said she would tear them apart. "Looks like someone has already done that to you, dear." Ata smirked, referring to the disfigurement of Maya. "Too bad this is as close to a male's touch you will probably ever get." And with that, the male aimed at her hind flank. Kadaj could deal with her teeth, he'd make it so she couldn't walk if he could. She wanted to tear apart one of the outlanders, a child at that, then she should suffer dire consequences.

Atama could have grinned in joy when his maw connected with her flesh. The taste and scent of copper entered his nostrils as he tore at the female, feeling her kick at him. Ata let go, the red liquid dripping from his lips as he glared towards the Stormborn.

Maya
- Side of the Stormborn

As both lions tore into her flesh the lioness snarled and closed her green eyes tightly. It was hard for her to admit it but... Maya needed help if she was going to survive this. The lioness refused to die here. This would not be the end of her, for Maya had an ace up her sleeve. A trick no one else would ever see coming. Slowly the female lifted a paw to her neck as she clutched a feather that dangled against her chest, a token from her only sister. Xibalba would come for her, the Goddess had never once let her down.

Maya just needed to endure the attack for a little bit longer...

A loud crash could be heard overhead as a dark figure came spiraling down do the ground, landing in a cloud of dirt and debris as the winged figure glared at the males that were own settled on top of Maya's battered frame. All that they would be able to see if they looked directly at the figure was glowing eyes, a dozen of them staring back at the Outlanders intensely. The creature spoke no words as a large clawed paw pushed both males to the ground, reaching for Maya as it pulled closer to the fallen female.

Maya did not belong to this war. Xibalba would retrieve her mortal sibling and flee, like she had done so many times before.

"Xib-l-b-" the lioness chuckled as blood pooled into the center of her mouth, spilling out over the edges of her maw as she struggled to form full words. Maya wanted to beg her sister to help find Calypso's body but she lacked the strength to form full sentences. Blood loss was starting to effect her, everything was turning black. Quickly the Goddess settled Maya into her arms as wide wings lifted the pair into the air, slowly at first until Xibalba was able to securely move with Maya held tightly against her chest. As swiftly as she appeared the Goddess was gone, taking Maya with her, leaving nothing but silence behind.

Those that were not directly in front of the pair would not have been able to see what has just transpired here, cloudy dust kept the foreign figure hidden as the pair escaped in to the distance.

(annnnd Maya is gone from the battlefield)

Hikaru felt a firm grip on the scruff of his neck (thankfully his mane was not fully grown, and it was easier to grab hold of him) and lift him up. He was no easy burden, being dragged out of what was certainly doom. For a moment, he felt bad for his opponent... there was no way that he could have survived that fall. He hadn't been much older than Hikaru himself, and the thought made his stomach twist. That could have been him, and to die like that did not sit well with him. There was no choice in that sort of death.

The young male rested on the ground, scared to move too much lest more cave away. He had barely been able to cling to the edge before, and his energy had been spent from holding on for dear life. If something like that happened again, he doubted he would be able to save himself.

Warily he lifted his head, taking note of the female that had rescued him. She was a stranger upon these lands, but certainly not an enemy. If she had been, she would have just let him die. "I'm not... a bird?" Hikaru clearly was not skilled with metaphors. The shock of the event had dulled his intelligence, but he was at least able to understand what she meant. The strange female leaned down and pressed her nose to his cheek, and Hikaru could immediately feel the blush rise to his cheeks.

By the Ancestors, every woman he met was mystifying.

In a heartbeat she was gone, and with a grimace Hikaru rose to his feet. She was right, he couldn't be here any longer. His mother and brother were likely waiting for him to return. Weaving through the battle, Hikaru retreated back into the heart of the Outlands and away from the fight that had so nearly cost him his life.

(Hikaru exit)

It was a dance, one that Jupe was confident she was the better participant. Fighting came naturally to her, and her time by Daijur's side had only improved the skills she already posessed. The Mind was not bad at all, but she was young... perhaps better off fighting cubs after all. The dark lioness' paw swiped at her feet, and in order to avoid being tripped up, Jupe was forced to put some distance between herself and Shetani.

The advantage she had gained slipped away, but it was at that moment that Jupe realized the shift on the battlefield. Her mate had bested another, and now the Stormborn were closing in on what seemed to be a valuable member of the pride. She smirked, blue eyes landing on Shetani with an almost mischievous gleam to them. Jupe allowed a few moments of silence to pass between them, allowing Shetani to gather her wits about her and see what was happening.

The Outlands were losing.

"He seems pretty important, I wonder how long it'll take for Daijur to break his jaw and let him starve to death..." In a fight, the one in control of their emotions was the victor. It was a lesson that did not always stick with Jupe, but if she could use it against her enemies, she would. "Shouldn't you be helping him instead of playing with me?" The bone-marked lioness laughed, the sound short and cruel.

She glanced back over the battlefield, intending to assess how the battle fared elsewhere.

Her heart went cold, and in that moment she died. She died watching her son disappear into the earth, swallowed up by the land itself. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think, and could not feel anything except for fear. All the bravado she had shown Shetani disappeared, whisked away by the trauma of watching her son disappear. For all she pretended not to care, Jupe cared the most for her children.

"Kus'an!" she turned away from her forgotten opponent, instead rushing to the spot where the ground had cracked open. Some other brat had been pulled out from the natural disaster, but that one did not matter to her. As she gazed down into the darkness, she could not see her son. Her stupid, idiotic, reckless son!

Shetani's eyes narrowed further as the lioness spoke, tossing a glance over in the Prince's direction. Before she could respond though, Jupe suddenly turned away entirely, and the Mind raised an eyebrow as she rushed away. She watched her for a moment longer with an almost deadpan expression, "Well, I suppose if you're going to give me the chance to aid him, who am I to pass that up."

And okay, maybe she was a little put out that her duel was cut short. With a snarl, the lioness debated going after the Stormborn and continuing their fight, but it wouldn't do for the prince to be completely unprotected now....

With a huff, Shetani turned back to the now swarmed prince, and bounded over with a roar.

Krysin

-----

The male Outlander grunted as Ciro matched his actions and their heads collided. He hadn't been expecting him to do that as well. With a snarl, he backed away from the snapping jaws, readying himself to swipe back in retaliation... but then his vision flashed. Not now, he thought with a grimace.

But there was no stopping the (thankfully short) vision of his sister charging across the battlefield towards their Prince.

Then his sight came back to him. It was only for a split second, but it was enough to cause him to lose his focus on the fight at hand. He felt himself tumble backwards, unbalanced, and as a last ditch effort, kicked out his hind legs in an effort to strike at his opponent as he fell.

KasaiLoki

And Ajani's roll, for record keeping sake.

Ciro couldn't hide the quirk of his eyebrow at the sudden (if not quick) blank stare was placed on Ajani's face. He had seen it before in multiple lions and lionesses. The Captain, while normally not one to take the advantage, used the opportunity to push at the male, watching him stumble to the ground. He couldn't avoid the strike of hind legs kicking at him, but Ciro wouldn't let that phase him too much.

The Captain stood over his victim, a narrowed stare towards the Outlander. "Give up?" He asked from above the male, his lip lightly raised in a snarl. He pushed his weight on the equally large male, but wouldn't let him budge.

"There's a kid you should go check on. One of your kin." There was a sense of longing in Ciro's voice. "He looked seriously wounded." Ciro felt his weight shift. He let up on the male, quickly back stepping. He was done here. While he hadn't come for what he wanted, he had seen enough.

He gave his competitor a frown, before ducking out of battle.


(Exit Ciro)