Stepping out of the dens, the dark lioness closed her eyes and turned her face into the evening breeze. A smile graced her maw, before she looked back at the three sleeping bundles. The cubs she'd recently bore were now old enough to wander, old enough to talk.. Old enough for a few things. They were especially old enough for her to wander off for a night, simply to have a moment to herself. Limp ever-evident in the very sound of her walking, she passed the other dens as quietly as she could.
Sitting up and watching her go by, the hare let out a rumble, before following. The bones he wore made a soft clattering sound, the only noise in the night. When they'd gotten far from the pride, Brahma watched the lioness sit to watch the distant horizon. With little else to do, he sat next to her, silent as the stars that woke up above.
Looking at the hare, the aging lioness smiled. "Such a good little cub..." Her gaze soon returned to the horizon, watching the moon rise. It was calm and peaceful, unlike the tumult that could go on in one's mind. As she watched nothing in particular, she settled in for a night of stargazing. "Sometimes I miss my other cubs, little cub..."
The hare looked up, watching her. She thought he was a cub? It made Brahma ruffle just a bit, but he did little to correct her. He simply looked up, watching the sky with her. With his large hears, he heard more than the lioness would. He also knew, even a cub would hear more. Her hearing was going, so she missed the rustle of the bushes. Turning and bristling, Brahma moved between the dark lioness and the bushes near by.
Stepping slowly out of the shadows, the male grinned, a slow and twisted grin. The bones around his neck clacked together, making noise as he walked. What white was on his coat reflected the moonlight, like a moving and living mist, as did the silver of his mane and tail. "Mother, so good to see you again..." Green eyes dancing, he watched her, eyes flicking to the hare and back to the lioness again.
Even in her muddled mind, Ishara remembered. Her whole body twithched and shivered, as she rose and limped backwards. "Toshiro..." By now, it was very hard to forget how he'd hurt her, time and again. "Stay away from me..." Beside her, the hare let out a very clear hiss. "I have cubs that need me, and I don't want any of your trouble..."
Walking right up to her, Toshiro did his best to hide the shudder of displeasure. "You have... Cubs...?" When he looked at her, there was no longer the affection of a cub who simply wanted his mother's attention, but a deep and festering loathing. A growl rose up in his throat, turning into a snarl. "Have you so easily forgotten your other cubs?" He moved closer, getting directly in her face. "I think it's time to put a stop to this."
She was in danger, but there was nothing she could do. Leaning back, Ishara tried to get away, but her painful limp made her movements slow. She couldn't even run. Backing up further, she found herself coming up against a rock. Green eyes went from the rock to the male, fear shining in them. "Toshiro... No... Don't..."
Letting out a roar, his paw flew and hit her hard. "SHUT UP!" Anger flowed through his veins as his claws and teeth sank into the lioness. Each bite, each scratch, left him with a euphoric feeling, as if years of anger were lifting. Ripping off a piece of flesh, he stepped back, sides heaving as he admired his handy work.
Battered, broken, Ishara looked at her son, eyes clouding. Everything was starting to go dark not from the night, but from the end she knew was coming. "Toshiro..." Body shuddering, she swallowed. "I've... Always... Loved you... All of you... The same..." Letting out one last mournful sound, she settled, blood soaking into the earth. In a matter of seconds, maybe minutes, everything was still.
He stared, watching, ears perked. With her last words, he felt just a flicker of remorse. It was soon covered, though, as he spit out the chunk of flesh. "Rot in hell." Shaking out his blood-soaked mane, he turned and started to leave. Something, though, drew his attention. Looking down, he saw the hare. "And what are YOU supposed to be? Pretending to be a bird?"
Fur up, Brahma glared. "You simpleton fool, I am a god! And I am angry, you have violated the sanctity that is a mother's love!" Jumping at the lion, he stretched his paws out, splayed to do the most damage possible. "Die, foul beast!"
Growling, Toshiro jumped back. When the hare landed, he smacked it hard, sending it flying. "You idiot, you're not a god!" Going over, he pinned the hare with his dark paw. "You're just a hare who THINKS it's a god. Those aren't even your wings, you just got them off a dead bird!" As if to prove this, he ripped the wings off, shredding them with his claws.
When he got up, Brahma saw the lion tearing his wings apart. Anger brimmed in the hare before he charged, latching onto the white paw. "I'll kill you for that!" Tiny claws digging in, he aimed to do as much damage as he could. It didn't take long for new blood to begin staining the white paw, as well as soak into the hare's fur.
Pain erupted in his leg, causing the male to flail and try to get the hare off. When he finally did get it off, he lifted his paw, examining it. Green eyes turned, glaring at the smaller animal. "Damn you..." With one limb injured, he wasn't about to fight any more, especially with food. The roars, he was sure, had reached the pride as well, making it best to turn tail and run before the full forces came. Daring to put pressure on the injured paw, he turned and did just that, fleeing into the night.
He was fleeing, running away from.. Who knew what. Brahma got up again, watching the male go. Letting out a growl, he went and pawed at the remains of the wings. Oh, well... He still had his horns and necklace. His attention soon turned to the lioness, where he found no signs of life. There was no questioning it... She was dead. He sat down, ears back. The hare didn't mourn her, he'd barely known her. But he knew others would. Settling down next to her head, he waited for the others to come.
