Tanaka + Ukilia'Teuli
(Amon and Tahja)


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Even after all this time, her timing was still quite off. She needed to be more alert, or she'd forever be getting caught in these rainstorms. One day it would be the death of her, but maybe that's what she wanted. Living with the costs of her own sacrifices in life got to be a heavy burden some days, when the lonliness hit and she wished she hadn't pushed him away. She wondered where their other daughter was, and if Kiva was still happy, where their grandchildren were and what they were up to.

Had this been the reason that Ukilia asked Teuli to take her place?

The grass offered little comfort at the edge of the jungle, but the closer she was to the desert sand the quicker it would be that her fur and wings could dry, and eventually she could leave behind these foilage, rainstorm cursed territories. Maybe she'd revisit the Pridelands, or one of the mountain prides. For now, however, she laid sprawled across the cracked ground, sparse greenary padding the scorched dirt and sand from her pelt. Her tail batted off the ocassional fly, but aside from that and her breathing, you'd never know she was alive, and might mistake her for a vulture's next meal.


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A bellowing roar echoed through the nearby trees, a hellish cry that rent across the earth and sky, a crash of lighting overhead seeming an extention of the beast's cry. Animals scattered before the monster, birds taking flight to escape his wrath.

Tanaka, god of conflict, was furious, an anger that had burned in his chest far too long, a rage from the depths of hell itself. He broke through the trees by sheer brute force, pushing through the dense folliage without a flinch, not caring as the branches struck his scarred and tattered form.

The jungle was an infernal place, filled with noisey irritating creatures who had no more worth in life than his wretched brother. Another snarl, anger surging at the thought of the god of war, that beast who had taken his only daughter. And then another rage struck him, the rage against those who had taken his wings, wings that he longed to use once again, the wings that would have carried him to his daughter's rescue and spared him from this wretched jungle.

It was unfortunate for the feathered creature that dared cross the path of the enraged god, it's life was swiftly ended by the sharp swipe of a paw, its wings torn by vengeful jaws. If only it had been his brother, how he longed to tear that beast in half, to sink his talons into blue hide and stain the earth with dark blood.


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Teuli might have been weak, but at the sound of the deafening roar she nearly jumped right out of her fur. On her paws in a second's notice, her fur stood on end as she whipped about to face the direction from whence the enraged immortal came. She'd swear he could hear her by the sound of her pounding heart alone, which hammered mercilessly in her chest from the scare.

The sound of a resident bird meeting a painful demise should have warned her to take her leave, but instead she felt frozen to the spot, cringing as it's dying cries pierced her sensitive ears. Her very nerve endings and muscles were quivering with the endorphins racing through her system. By the gods, what had happened to make that lion so furious?

Cautiously she made her way closer, peering around some foilage and freezing on the spot. A male, and one with a tattered wing, or what was left of one. He was enourmous, maybe not Ukali's exact size, but surely easily two, maybe three times hers. In any other situation she might have asked what was the matter, but here her inner voice urged her to leave while the getting was good instead. Turning, she moved swiftly to do just that, the tip of her tail and it's whiskers the only thing visibly slipping from sight to show she'd been there at all with a soft rustle of grass.


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His head snapped with surprising speed, a snarl parting his maw to bare large fangs. One green eye narrowed, ears flicking to catch the sound, inhaling the scent of the nearby creature. There was someone nearby, and from the smell of it, it was not mortal. Perfect, perhaps there would be bloodshed tonight after all.

Tanaka was not a silent predator, leaping through the folliage with a thundrous crash, tail lashing angrily as he sought the hidden creature. Another ear-splitting roar, a predator flushing out his prey, tonight he fought by fear and not stealth.

And then he caught it, a glimpse of movement, and a malevolent smirk spread across his maw, talons flexing from massive paws. He had her now, and he stalked forward as a demon from the abyss, murderous intent in his every step.


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Her hearrate took another terrified spike as she heard him crashing after her, and she quickly went from an attempted silent escape to a quick one. Damn! Every step felt more sluggish than usual, she tripped here and there, trying to dodge the tree stumps and rocks and ferns that practically cluttered the entire jungle floor, but if she could just find a small hole to get through, a cave, somewhere he couldn't fit, maybe. If she tried to run into open ground she was surely as good as dead, with no obstacles to slow him down, not that these did any good anyway.

She'd just reached a thick tangling of branches, and forced her way beyond them, fighting and pulling against the hold of the vines as she scrambled for safety. Maybe it would buy enough time for her to race through to the other side and get out.


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She had done exactly as he'd hoped, playing into his trap by betraying her location and leaving an easy trail for him to follow. A hellish snarl, talons bared like venomous blades, the demon charged, breaking and slashing through whatever obstacle lay in his path, hind paws pushing off a particularly large tree to propel him forward in a burst of speed.

It was through the vines that he first saw her form, new fury surging through him at a tinge of recognition. He knew that goddess, she was there on that day. Oh what sweet fate had at last turned in his favor, tonight he would claim his vegence, and she would be but the first to fall.

"You will not escape me!"

He spoke in a growl, words barely distinguished in his hellish rage, more monstrous, more demonic than he been barely a moment before as if the abyss had suddenly opened beneath the jungle floor, spilling it's hellfire to destroy all it touched.


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As far as the goddess knew, she'd merely stumbled upon the god at a bad time, and she wondered what on Earth his domain was for him to be so violent. It wasn't a rule or law that all gods domains had to fit their personality, but most she'd come by were at least close. She hadn't even a moment to wonder why he was so hellbent on catching her when she cried out as a hole in the ground stole her footing, and the land she was on gave way. The vines broke with a sickening snap, sending her crashing over a downhill slope and to the other side of the bramble bushes the hard way. Smacking into a poorly placed tree, she laid dazed for a moment as discomfort coarsed through her.


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That mistake was all he needed, slashing through what remained of the vines, he closed the distance between them in a single stride, landing but a few steps away with a resounding thud. His head slung low, talons slicing into the earth with each step, he prowled toward his victim, circling her one way before turning to circle the other, taunting her with the mocking smirk on his maw.

"Well, well, well, Ukilia'Mtambikaji, what a pleasant surprise, you have been well I hope."

His tone was chillingly calm, like a cold wind on a haunted night. As he spoke, he continued to circle her, fangs and talons accenting each sylabl. There was clear sarcasm in his tone, he did not care how her life had been or what had happened in her past beyond the day his wings were violently torn from his back, the last day he had seen the realm of the gods. No, it was spoken as threat, a far from subtle hint of his intentions.


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Through her weakened state and her daze, Teuli didn't miss the strange but familiar name, and lifted her head slowly, body still recovering from the dousing earlier, as her weakened flames prooved. Ukilia'Mtambikaji... she hadn't heard that name in at least two hundred years. He'd known the goddess before her?

"W-what...? That isn't me!" She immediately protested, voice not as loud as her desperation might suggest. She found herself fervently hoping he'd believe her, realize this was a simple mistake, leave her be. Though she'd surely be reincarnated, she was certainly not fond of the idea of dying. "I don't know what wrong she has done you before, but her faults and her memories are not mine! Please--"


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A terrifying, mocking laughter fell from his jaws, one taloned paw now mere inches from her vulnerable throat. She was weak, her strength sapped by the chase, how wonderful.

"Do not take me for a fool, young goddess, or you will find your fate far worse than mine."

As he spoke, his aura turned dark, hellish fury emminating from his very being. He would not tolerate her games, nor would he be fooled by the lies of a desperate creature pleading for its life.

Seizing her muzzle with his paw, he turned her gaze on his, the scarred right eye clearly visible beneath his mane, an empty socket where the eye had once sat. She would look at him, on the horror she had inflicted, and it would forever be etched in her mind until her dying breath. But killing her wasn't enough, that would be far too easy, no, he had something else in mind.


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She tried to slip past before he drew closer, but stopped short. Teuli could only wince as his laughter met her ears, and seconds later his words, stealing any hope she had of escaping on mistaken identity. She didn't want to look, but upon doing so she was hit by a feeling of naseua, his eye was completely gone! Did he blame her for it? What was he going to do with her? She couldn't look away now even if she tried, her own eyes morbidly glued to his.

"It's the truth!" She insisted, trying to pull free of his grip on her face.


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"Do not insult me with your lies witch!"

Snarling in his fury, the demon thought for a moment of how satisfying it would have been to crush her skull, to sink his talons through that pretty face and delight in her horrified screams as he wrenched the life from her body. But no, even that would have been too easy a fate, he wanted this goddess to suffer as he had, to feel the pain of losing that which was precious, to have it violently ripped from one's body despite the vicious struggles and violent screams.

Gaze narrowed, he glared in silence for a moment, his grip tightened, talons pricking at her hide before he threw her back to the earth in disgust. But if she thought the action was her escape, she would soon realize the horrid truth. There would be no escape from the monster who now stood above her, his maw barely above her own.

"You will feel my fury, and I will teach you the true meaning of vengence."


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Another haulted cry as her body hit the ground, once again bumping against the tree before she'd come to a stop, toppled on her side at first. She didn't even wait for him to finish his sentence, her face already smarting with the p***k that his talons inflicted, the stiff soreness from the self inflicted beating she'd taken in trying to get away. No, she didn't wait. She scrambled to her paws, and tried to back away enough that she'd be able to turn and run.

She really didn't want to learn any lessons, especially not anyone elses.


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No, he would not allow her to escape, would not give her the chance to use her wings. His paw raised, a heavy strike fell, talons hungering for blood as he lashed out, the blow aimed at her side, his intent to knock her off her paws again.

"You cannot escape your fate, witch, you belong to me now."

She wanted to struggle, such was all the better. The more she fought the greater the pain his blows would inflict, and the more sweet the vengence would be.


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Instinct drove her, fear, plain and simple instinctive fear. The hit came before she knew that happened, and his talons scored four gashes in her side, the force of the attack pulling her forcefully back down to the ground as her legs gave out, a broken cry of agony passing her lips. She'd been attacked before, beaten up, even, but never by a lion of this size or strength. As her blood spilt to the jungle floor, seeping from the wounds with furious, hissing discomfort, her mind reeled once again, but perhaps out of desperation she did try to fight back.

"No!" She cried out, lashing out almost blindly and in any way that she could with her claws, aiming to hit whatever was closest, to make him let her go.


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The demon smirked in grim satisfaction, tongue flicking past gleaming fangs, delighting in the red fluid that stained the earth. It was an intoxicating liquid, how easily it gave life and then snatched it away, glorious.

A strike hit his nose, desperate claws cutting deep grooves in the tender flesh, a furious snarl wrenched from his throw, the fire in his gaze deadly. A paw surged forward, talons extended, falling heavy toward the paw that had struck him, aiming to pin it to the earth, the other raised in a warning, another move and it would fall as well.

"Oh by all means struggle, scream in terror, I enjoy that."


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Another scream, this time as his claws dug down into her own paws, penetrating the fur between the toes. She winced, but resisted the urge to try to make him let go, instead whimpering against the pain, as the weight of her situation began to sink in, and what disturbed her and frightened her was that he wasn't fighting her like someone who was going to kill.


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The laughter than fell from his jaws was otherworldly, fangs dripping terrifying glee. Overhead, the sky seemed to echo him, a flash of lightning igniting his features for a brief moment before they were plunged into darkness again. Talons sliced into the earth, forcing her trapped paw into the hard ground, his free paw falling to trap the other as well. His head lowered, maw pressed against her ear, his voice no more than a whisper.

"There is no escape."

There was something terrifying in his voice, chilling, like a spirit mocking her fate. The demon would claim his vengence, and the pitiful creature beneath him would know pain beyond her worst nitemares