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 Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2008 7:32 am
So much had happened. Mchawi felt like, for the last few days, her life had been completely taken from her hands.
They'd lost so much.
She huddled closer against her brother's side and moved to rest her head across his shoulders, gazing up at the sky. It was darkening with night and with it came that horrible chill. She'd not felt cold for a long time but this evening she felt it deep in her bones. She couldn't keep warm, even curled up against her brother.
She knew the cold was part of her mental anguish too. She'd broken down at the pride borders but since then she'd manage to tie up all those broken strands. That despairing cry was nothing more than an ache in her heart. But stern-faced or not, Mchawi was grieving. Not only for Nondo, not only for Machafuko, Kitisho, or the cubs that Msiba had fathered and would now never see. She was grieving, too, for the plans lost, the halt in their plan for revenge.
She looked upwards and wondered what lay there for her in the afterlife. Was there an afterlife? A place for lions to rest easy? Or was it nothing but endless darkness where nothing existed and she forgot herself?
"Msiba." She lifted her head and looked at him, though she wasn't sure what she was going to say. She just wanted to break off her thoughts. "What happened to Unyevu?"
Well that came as a surprise even to her. She'd not thought about that bitter, hateful lion since their plans had fallen through.
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Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2008 8:05 am
There was nothing that could be done that would change what had happened. The facts were there before him, staring right into his eyes. They had been ever since that fateful day back at the valley, and really, it was only a matter of staring back at them and finally accepting things. It was a number of things, the numerous deaths that their presence had inflicted, their plans, their dreams, their visions. With the exception of the first, the latter three had all disappeared, whipped away in the blink of an eye. All the time they had put in, all the effort. And away it had gone, so swiftly neither he nor Mchawi had had enough time to take it all in.
He felt her movement at his side, the reassuring touch that brought him back to earth and showed him that, despite it all, he still had someone to hold on to. He knew that their brother's death had broken the both of them, and that everything they were doing was simply a way of concealing the pain they were feeling. Yet, how else were they supposed to deal with it? He was about to break down and cry, and neither was she, he knew. They would both dwell on their own suffering until, finally, they found it in themselves to move on. How, and when, he did not know.
Her voice rung with the sound of his name, and he turned his head toward Mchawi. "Unyevu?" He echoed after a moment's pause. Ever since they had fled the valley, his mind had been adrift, refusing to truly focus on the details. He took things in generally - the night, the sky, the smattering of stars - but he didn't notice anything. He saw the landscape, but his eyes roved over the trees without identifying them. He saw the birds flitting through the sky, and every so often a glimmer would light in his turquoise eyes - the reminder of Werevu - but he didn't quite seem to consciously recognize them.
"He..." Msiba trailed off as he thought. Drew his mind back to that fateful day, when so much had happened in so little time. It was the first time he had truly returned to relive that day. But what had happened to Unyevu? He go the distinct feeling that he knew. Slowly, his mind drew into focus, working with the difficulty of rusted wheels of a long unused machine.
"He died, I... I killed him." He said finally. "He tried to save the cub."
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Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2008 8:14 am
It was that moment that confirmedMchawi's true character. She was a cold-hearted creature who cared for no creature but her brother. Any love she might have extended to Nondo or to cubs had been extinguished.
The failure that day had done more than killed their plans, it seemed. It had closed off her heart forever. There had never been much mercy in the lioness, but it was clear there would be none now.
She smiled.
"Some good news then, at last." She replied. "The b*****d is dead." And it did bring her some comfort to know she'd never have to look into that pitiful creature's face again. "I only regret I wasn't there to witness his end." And she added as an afterthought. "He must have known death was coming for him. His disobedience only increased. He was too dangerous to keep alive." She remembered when he had turned on her, pinned her to the ground. He could have killed her then. But he hadn't.
That's what mercy got you.
Nothing but death.
"He was useless to us when he rebelled." And she didn't even spare a thought to his poor mate and cubs back at the pride.
Then she leaned closer to her brother again and sighed deeply. "Now what, Msiba? What should we do now?" They couldn't linger here forever...
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Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2008 8:25 am
"Indeed," He agreed, nodding his head once, as if to help clarify the simple word he had just said. What was this? Why was he so far gone, floating so far away and tethered to earth only by the thinnest of threads? For indeed, that was how he felt now. Mchawi was his only anchor to the world now. She had always been the main one, but now... Now there was nobody else.
And there would never be anybody else. For the events that had transpired back in the valley had done more than simply take his brother away from him forever, take his bonded from him. Everything that had happened with Hisia had served to teach him, that there was no call to be compassionate. There was no call to let his guard down, or to let anyone but his sister come anywhere near him. Hisia had taught him that. To let down his guard was to be hurt, to be affected as he did not want to be affected. He had her to thank for that, for he would never again make such a mistake. No, there was no being vulnerable, in any way, to anyone, other than the single lioness he trusted with his life.
He nodded again. "You're right," He said, his eyes seeming to focus, and suddenly there burned behind them a fire that had been gone for so long. "Either he had to die, or we did." And Msiba had chosen his own life, and his sister's, in return for Unyevu's. It was logical enough, to save his own skin in the time of need. Yet even as he said the words, his mind flashed back to the crimson lion's last moments. The last moments that he had spent defending the cub, trying to buy the cub more time, trying to save the cub. Even the in the face of certain death, and it was this that had made Msiba wonder.
Was anyone in the world truly worth dying for?
He knew there was his sister, yes he knew that. But nobody else. Nobody else in the world was worth dying for.
A small smile flitted across Msiba's face. "Now what," He murmured, feeling once more the spirit and fire of vengeance burning deep within him. "Now, we plot our revenge."
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Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2008 8:33 am
Maybe they were destined only to trust one another. To travel together as siblings and friends. Mchawi would certainly not make any effort to look elsewhere for friends. She had no desire to have a mate nor even to have cubs of her own.
However, she would have been happy to help her brother raise his cubs and the bitterness of knowing she would not get the chance hurt her deeply. They would have grown up to be true members of the family. Now they were going to become weakling little creatures, nurtered by that disgusting lioness.
Because Mchawi hated Hisia. Maybe the hate was spurned from jealousy, knowing that Hisia had been dear to her brother. Maybe it was the fact that she had killed Nondo, that she'd attacked her, that she had been one of the ones to foil their plans. Either way, Mchawi's hate for the lioness was strong. She would have killed her if she'd had the chance, though maybe she would have spared a moment's hesitation to think of Msiba's feelings.
Either way, he was better off without her.
Msiba's next words ran fire through her veins. She'd been wrong about the cold. It was vanquished; not by the coming of the sun nor the huddling, but by the thought of revenge. Revenge and hate. It boiled through her, brought life to those prone, cold limbs and the lioness stood and padded a few steps away, lifting her head to the shriek of the wind.
"The world is a cruel place. For us to survive it we must embrace the cruelty and use it as a shield. The aka'mleli will pay dearly for what they have done, brother. They will suffer and they will die." She turned to look at him. "But we cannot do it alone. Now, with Unyevu gone and those brats guarded within the prides, we'll have to begin our search for seers anew. I cannot tell when or if I will receive another vision, but until then we are alone."
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Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2008 8:51 am
Not for the first time, he wondered if everything could have been prevented, if only they had not sought out the Aka'mleli. Perhaps Mach would still be alive, as would Kitisho. Unyevu, still obedient as ever before, and Werevu, and Nondo. The number of lives that had been taken out of their entourage was staggering, and thinking of them all - those that had been alive but weeks ago - made his head threaten to spin.
Yet for all the pain it was causing him, he knew it was making him stronger. What didn't kill him only made him stronger, he had learned that long ago. And he recognized, now, the fact that he was suffering, but he was learning. He was learning to shield himself from weaknesses, learning how to strengthen himself as a whole, learning not to repeat the same mistakes.
If Mchawi thought Hisia merited that one moment of hesitation for Msiba, he did not. It wasn't that he had forgotten, it was simply that, in turning away, the lioness had taught him that in a world such as the one they lived in, there was no place for compassion. There was no place for love, no place for trust, and no place for hesitation. For if it came down to it, now, he would kill Hisia if he had to. If it came down, in a split second, his her life against his, he would choose his. If it was her life against his sister's, it would be his sister. Blood ran thicker than water, and between himself and Hisia, they shared no blood. So if it came down to it, he would not spare a single moment for hesitation.
He felt his eyes fix upon Mchawi as she spoke, and once more he nodded, nodded along as she spoke. "Then we shall find new seers," He said with conviction. "We will find them, and then... Then we shall have our way."
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Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2008 9:04 am
And with the beginning of the plot, Mchawi felt something snap back into place. It was as if none of the terrible events had occurred, as if it were back to normal, the good old days of plotting and scheming.
This was not true, and every time she stopped to relax she'd find herself reliving brief flashes of those terrible, dark moments. However, whilst she had something to distract herself with she could feel her mentality returning to how she knew it.
She was remembering herself.
So, smothering her grief with thoughts of revenge seemed to revive her a little. That gleam had returned to hre sharp eyes and those cogs, weary from their recent rest, were now turning in her brain. Yes...plotting sure did brighten the day...or night.
"New seers for new plans." She agreed. "But we'll need them young, Msiba. If we get them as cubs then we can teach them our ways, we can raise them thinking nothing of what we do. That was the problem with Unyevu. He had his 'morals' and eventually it had him turn against us. If we find seer cubs and raise them properly they will know no different." She would teach them with fear if nesecary. We'll need others too. Others to replace Kitisho. But we'll need more than one strong lion this time." Was she suggesting something like an army? No...more like a band. A band of warriors who would be at their beck and call.
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Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2008 5:54 pm
He felt energy begin to seep back into his mind and body. The thoughts of revenge were rejuvenating, and the sense of having a purpose brought fire raging back to him. Vengeance would keep both mind and body busy, until they had exacted their revenge, and then, when Mach's death had been avenged, he would no longer have that weight resting upon his shoulders. And no longer would he find the need to retreat into the prison of the memories of that day.
"Young seers," He said in agreement. "And we'll find them. The world is no so small that we will not be able to find what we need. We'll find them."
And they would. He would make sure of that, if nobody else did. It was one thing to say they would get their revenge. It was another entirely to go through with it. Yet they were not the type to back down from their word, and the promise of vengeance still hung in the air.
They would both fight to avenge their brother's death. To avenge Nondo's death, Werevu's death. Even, perhaps, Kitisho's death.
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Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 6:35 am
“Then it's decided.” Mchawi smiled and moved back to his side, leaning to rest her head against his shoulder. “We’ll find our cubs and raise them properly. With loyal children at our beck and call we’ll be unbeatable.” Fangs glistened in her maw as she thought of the pain their little family would bring.
“The Aka’mleli will fall. Then, once they have suffered for what they have done, we’ll take the road back to home. Home sweet home.” She purred. “Then they’ll suffer too.”
She felt a roar rumbling in her chest, fighting to get free and not wanting to hold it back she lifted her head and let the thunder roll across the land. It was an angry, vengeful and terrifying roar and it conveyed her feelings perfectly.
This is where it would truly begin.
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Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2008 2:01 am
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Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2008 3:48 am
(( yup, think so! I'll start an RP up between them and Cassian and ping you the link x3 ))
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