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 Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 2:38 pm
It all came down to what happened now, really. It was finally time to see if luck and fate would favor her; time to find out if she could pull this off.
Kenna would have never admitted to it openly, but she was scared. It wasn't because she was afraid to die; she was perfectly ready to die for her cause. It was the fact that she would be leaving her cubs' sides that scared her... her family, her mate, her children. If No and Kidondo wished to, they could have her killed on the spot. In a way, that would be the intelligent thing for them to do, and the threat of what could happen hung over the Safi queen as she walked calmly across the desert.
She had left the Safi members that had banded with her a mile or so away. Far enough that they were not within sight or a threat to the Rebels, but near enough that she could return to them with news. If she wasn't killed, that is.
A growled sigh escaped her maw as she padded along. It was only when she deemed herself near enough to where she figured the dens would be that she lifted her head and roared, calling out to Kidondo and No.
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Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 3:05 pm
That roar.
He didn't know that roar.
Kenna had been only a cub when the fight had occured and Kidondo had not been in the pride during her time of birth and growing. He knew that there had been youngsters who had left that day, but he knew nothing about them, not even who their parents were.
He didn't know why he jumped to the conclusion that the roar belonged to a Safi, but he did. There was no doubt in his mind. No rogue would have such courage nor strength. Only a Firekin would dare defy such boundaries, stride into a land of warriors and announce its presence so that all around would know where to find it.
But he didn't know that roar.
Kidondo - usually a placid and calm leader who would chose word over claw anyday - felt that unmistakeable rage boil inside of him. A rage that reminded him who he was. It was an infrequent occurance, one that he didn't quite like, only because it felt so natural and he didn't want to think he was led by his anger as others had before him. But this anger was well placed. There was a trespasser here and what's more - a dangerous one.
The anger in him grew suddenly too heavy, too hot, to bear. He opened his jaws and his answering roar blasted across the sands, filled with fury. Then, young muscle bunching beneath that royal-red pelt, he tore across the sand as fast as his legs would carry him.
He knew what had him so angry, so on-edge. It was the previous warnings he'd been given by a member of the pride. A seer. Ever since that day he'd been waiting on the Safi making an attempt to steal back a little of what was theirs. But he hadn't been expecting this. He'd thought it would be a sneak attack at the border, threats, something that meant they'd be able to escape with little harm. So what was this? What were they planning? Was he running into a trap, and even if he was, did that matter? His place as Regent meant it was his duty to protect his pride. If anyone would fall this day, it would be him. He'd die before a member of his pride were caught in the fray.
But he wasn't alone and he knew that today was no day for death, not for the Simo, in any case. It was too soon for the Safi to have made any recovery. There couldn't be many of them. Not enough to outnumber the pride. So what, where they finally driven to madness? Were they seeking death? He could think of nothing that might convince them this would be a good idea. And, there was only one roar. One roar.
Maybe it wasn't as bad as he'd thought.
Maybe he was overreacting.
But he couldn't help but remember the vision of an attack. He couldn't help but be suspicious, think this a trap.
And then the trespasser came into view and he slowed his gait, pulling his lips back in a snarl.
A lone female.
Was she mad?
Before he had a chance to think anymore on this, he cut off his thoughts and forced himself to speak, his voice low. "Speak now, or die, Safi. What are you doing on Simo lands?"
He did not glance back, but he wondered if No was being drawn to the commotion and hoped that the others had the sense to hang back unless it was necessary for them to come to his aid.
He couldn't have this getting out of hand.
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Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 3:27 pm
The roar that answered hers was absolutely furious. Somehow, that made Kenna arch a brow, morbidly amused by the fact. Mostly because while Kidondo did not recall her... she remembered him; she remembered the way he had marched in and tried to reason with the traditionalists of the pride. She had watched from the border of her den in morbid fascination as the battle erupted within the lands.
There had been so much blood.
The only thing the queen had regretted was that she hadn't been able to partake within the action. It was due to this that the roar excited her; making her muscles ache for battle, her paws shifting their weight upon the sand as she reminded herself of just WHY she was here.
It was not a fight she wanted. Not right now. Not yet. That would have to wait. Such a pity, because she distinctly recalled Kidondo as being difficult to rile up. Had he changed perhaps? Had he become someone different? Ripuka spoke little of him, but what little she had told her of him before her death had indicated he was more prone to talking than fighting.
The Queen took a seat then and calmly waited for the regent to reach her. To the outside world, she would have looked almost uninterested, as if she honestly couldn't have cared less what was going to happen. Inside though, the previous fear was mixing from the adrenaline that had begun to pump through her veins at the sound of his roar. It was making her feel horribly restless, and she hoped to the goddess that this conversation did not last long or she wouldn't be able to rein herself in. After it was over, she was going to have to spar with someone, goddamnit.
This was all assuming he didn't kill her first.
As the male finally made his appearance, Kenna graced him with a smile (though unfortunately, her smile was more of a smirk, almost disturbing), "My, my, temper, temper. I don't remember you being so brash back when you came back, followed by your army," she put a claw to her maw and made a show of pondering, "I distinctly recall you actually trying to talk to Lord Kimeti back then. I remember how distressed you looked when he wouldn't listen to you and you were forced to attack," her eyes narrowed dangerously, it was obvious she calling him a hypocrite, "I've come to talk, obviously. If I had wanted to attack, or if I had wanted a fight, I wouldn't have called out for you. Nor would I have come alone to see you, Kidondo," her tail curled smoothly around her legs then, "It's polite to ask for a name when you address someone. You don't see me calling you Simo, do you?" she clicked her tongue disapprovingly and then lifted her head, "My name is Kenna. Queen of the Safi. Daughter of Mwali and Azachamorel. Granddaughter of Makadari himself," now he knew whom she was at least, "And I am here in lieu of those of us whom wish... a truce. We can not keep on like this. You are us. We are you."
There were no strings attached; she was giving herself in. The queen of the Safi was giving herself to him without so much as a fight. Kenna then let out a sigh, rolled her eyes and lowered herself to a laying position on the desert sand, grumbling to herself. Despite the action though, and the fact she was looking away, as if to show he could attack her if he so wished, she looked full of pride. There was nothing shameful to what she was doing. At least not in her mind, "So, what would you do?"
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Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2009 4:09 pm
No had been in the midst of scolding Ea for her newest ‘undertaking’ when the roar broke from the distance. A strong, powerful roar. The kind of roar that wasn’t simply two of their pride members having a disagreement. And it brought a cold, cold feeling to the center of the black cat’s chest. She turned towards the sound- as though she could somehow peer past the desert and all the sand to find out this intruder. Her whiskers pricked like needles, and with a grunt she pushed Ea to the side.
“Go home,” She ushered her daughter with a rather sharp tap on the bum. “We’ll talk later.”
The little child frowned, and twitched her tail. “But moom- ah!” Her voice ended in a gasp when Kidondo’s roar sounded suddenly. Enraged, and it echoed down the rock walls of the small canyon. It was enough to suddenly drop the child to the ground, and let her wild eyes go wide.
“I said go home,” No said again. This wouldn’t do. She could practically feel Kidondo’s wrath as he no doubt set out towards the intruder. She needed to be there, and she wasn’t about to waste anymore time. “Now, Ea.”
No waited until she saw the little cub vanish behind some rocks. Long enough to be sure the foolhardy child wasn’t about to follow. And then, with all the speed and power she could muster, No burst into a run across the pride’s land. She wished there was more time. For all they knew, it could have been a set-up for an ambush. Hopefully, there would be enough pride members alerted by the distant roar to create a perimeter. What was the point of drills if they didn’t follow through with them?
She got there a few seconds after Kidondo had. Another female stood in the distance- alone. Her coat bristled. Who was this, on their lands? Some traitor safi? She doubted it, and leapt from where she stood on the rock and quickly covered the ground to reach Kidondo.
“Kidondo,” She said lowly and came up beside him. Hopefully enough to calm him some- for the next things out of this Safi queen’s mouth brought their own sour taste to No’s.
A long pause. No could feel the sand burning beneath her feet. “We’ll address you as we wish, Safi-Queen.” No shot back. “Your lineage means nothing here.”
The sand was still burning, but she felt a cold come across her heart. What was this? Safi….surrendering? Her nose crinkled like an old cactus, and snorted. What sort of fail trick was this? “A truce? We offered a truce long ago.” No said sternly. "What has changed?" Their queen? Hah! No, there was more at play then that. But she quieted herself in order to consider, and carefully she looked towards Kidondo.
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Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2009 11:30 am
When No entered the scene a whole new calm came about him. He felt that control snap back into place and bit down the angry response that instantly leapt to be spoken. His eyes narrowed, became cold and harsh and glinted with a dangerous edge. His body was tense, still. His jaw clenched tight in an attempt to hold back any remark he might later come to regret.
And yet...everything in him was telling him to slice out her life To end this now before any sort of trap could be sprung. But he knew this wasn't the way. It wasn't his way. He was not his father.
Luckily, No's intervention had given him time to compose himself and as the black cat gave her response he felt himself finding the need for words overpowering the need for violence. And yet, it fired him up to see a Safi on his lands. Let alone the Queen of the Safi. But No was right. The royal titles had no power here. He glanced towards his mate, met her eyes. Then they returned to Kenna and a growl brewed in his chest.
"What has changed, indeed? Perhaps heed your own manners before pointing out faults in another's. This is our land. We will protect it with ferocity if need be." He dug his claws into the sand. "But I do not have to answer to the likes of you, Safi. As Regent No says, you have no power here, so please, don't throw your rank around as if it might mean something. As if it might save you from your ill-coloured fate. It won't."
He took a step forwards, waiting for her response to No's question. Wanting to know her reasoning.
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Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2009 12:02 pm
The female snorted and it was clear she was refraining from rolling her eyes as the black cat spoke, "Call me Kenna. I gave you my name for a reason, did I not?" her eyes drifted towards No, narrowing on her as she drawled out, "And I can see that," it was, in fact NOT a jab, for while she knew of No's background (a bit anyhow, the fact she was not firekin at least), she herself had mated to Ji, whom was a rogue. A pridelander, no less, and while he WAS also half firekin, it was still the same concept of 'betrayal' to traditions, "What has changed indeed," she repeated, "Lots has changed. For starters, you," she motioned towards them both, "Are judging me and mine, the new generations that have grown over in Safi, for what Kimeti and his did. Are you saying that you will not give me a chance just because Lord Kimeti did not give you one?" another snort as she lifted her head, "That's inmature," she stated bluntly, "You're being a brat just because you can. Isn't that against your ideals? Flaunting power of judgement over others, rogues, and everyone else, just because you can?"
Kenna made no motion to move, but rather, got comfortable over the desert sands, her front paws crossing, one over the other "I gave you my lineage for no other reason than the fact it's obvious you have no idea whom I am, you dummies. You never even saw me, did you? I was just a cub back then," her eyes narrowed again, but her ears remain perked; she had no intentions of getting up or fighting them, "I know whom you BOTH are, but you know nothing about me. I do not need you to call me by my title, but by my name."
A sigh escaped her maw then and her eyes raised up to the sky, "Not everyone agrees with me and my thoughts anyhow, but quite a few have come with me," she seemed to pause and ponder for a moment, "Thirty-three, to be exact. I counted before coming here. I left them a mile in that direction," she made motion with her head towards the south, "The ones that have not come with me... have left the desert, dispersed. They would rather face the world than come here like I have," her head turned back towards them, "I left the desert once, what seems like a long while back. I hunted a herd too far. While I was returning, I met a lion," she was telling them a story, apparently, "He was red, but he was not one of mine. He offered me food and help," she snorted, sneered, "He offered ME help! He was clearly not firekin, and yet, I found myself horribly mystified by him. I brought him home with me, despite the fact he was a rogue. He's become one of the strongest assets of the Safi... honorable, strong and brave," her eyes softened unconsciously as she retold the story, "It didn't matter that he was a pridelander, apparently. I learnt that rogues could be strong. It wasn't a matter of blood. Ripuka.... she had a mate. The poor soul was so old. She brought him to me one day; the lion was orange, and despite their claims, I knew he was a rogue. A rogue! Yet he made her happy will the day of her death."
If they were going to be nosy, then she might as well dump that on them, "Not everyone agrees on this, obviously, and yet still they followed me here, because most know there really isn't a choice. Our blood thins, and when the current cubs grow up, they won't have anyone to mate whom isn't too closely related," she snorted at them, for a third time, "Is that enough information for you, then? You are so nosy. I'd have thought you'd be happy to see me here."
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Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2009 12:24 pm
No had to admit, despite the other female's vile tone and otherwise offensive pretense, she was right. No didn't like that. It made her fur bristle, and her ears p***k. But even as Kenna continued her words, she remembered herself standing in front of Kimeti, pleading with him to listen to them. And how instead of listening, he'd sent the pair running for their lives into the desert. And how just it would have been to have vengeance now! Send Kenna running for her life, just as humiliated and and lost as they'd once been.
But, unfortunately, she was right. They weren't Kimeti. And they had to listen.
"It's one thing to compare yourself to us," No vented. "And another to assume we owe you anything!" The end of her tail twitched, and she moved herself just slightly to the side. "When we came to Kimeti, we said all the things you've said would come to be." Didn't they know war had never been what they wanted? Didn't they know tearing apart families had been like a knife in her chest? And the fear that if they lost the fight, it would be the end for both sides no matter the outcome?
No grunted and looked away, trying to settle herself. Still, Kenna was right. But she felt obligated to vent her rage. Now they wanted help! Now, after all this! After all the death and the blood, and Kimeti having to die for it all! "Thirty-three," Was all she could conclude quietly, her eyes darting. A fine number. They followed Kenna against the old king's wishes...
No matter what happened, this wasn't going to be easy. It wasn't easy being right.
Lighter, No continued: "So basically, you are putting your faith in the idea that we aren't like your predecessors." Why was that so painfully ironic? How did they deal with the fact that now the safi believed, at least in part, the great Kimeti to be wrong? "We're not being immature. Perhaps you can understand some of our frustration then. No one loves our pride like we do. Only to be slapped in the face when old stone kings refused to budge! We never wanted a war, Kenna. We wanted the firekin to be strong. And now, after all the blood, we're suddenly the right ones."
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Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2009 12:54 pm
"We do not judge you because of what your ancestors did." He replied coldly, his voice tamed to monotone levels. "We judge you because we do not know that we can trust you. The Safi have no love for us. And why should they? We tore apart everything they knew, stamped on Finar-Si's name. Took their lands and thrust them out with nowhere to go. Do you think that No or I could possibly believe all that has been forgotten? Put in the past? It was not so long ago, Kenna. Memories are long. Hatred lingers."
He snarled a little. "Even if you have put the past behind you, what is to say the others have? Thirty-three is a lot of lions to accept just on your word." He fell silent, though, to listen to her story. So, it seemed she had found respect for an outsider. A male? Her mate, perhaps? Her face certainly seemed to betray that she had a likening for him. And then she mentioned Ripuka and he felt his chest constrict. Her mate...Kidondo had never met him but he never thought she'd find a mate in a rogue. Perhaps she hadn't known...perhaps she hadn't wanted to know. His eyes shifted from Kenna to the border where she'd died and it took him a long moment to gather his thoughts again.
"You heard of her death, then?"
But Kenna had unwittingly found his weakness. In her story he heard compassion and not only that...she'd allowed Ripuka's mate to ensure the old girl's happiness.
But was that really enough to have Kidondo trust her and her troop?
Then her last words. Their blood thins. He smiled despite himself. He couldn't help it. Maybe it was relief. Maybe it was amusement. Possibly both. In any case, he couldn't help but see the rather humorous side in Kenna's words.
He waited for Kidondo to say her part, and added his own. "We are not bloodthirsty, war-mongers, Kenna. We did not want to cause pain and suffering. But Firekin are stubborn. Words do not always work. No and I knew that talking wouldn't help matters. We knew it would come down to a fight. But, like she said, it wasn't a fight we wanted. We never wanted to cause pain to our kin. Our family."
And his smile returned a little, a smug smile, perhaps? "And now you finally see. You see what the rebellion was about. That it was to bring about alterations in traditions - changes that needed to be made."
He wrinkled his nose and huffed. "Happy to see you here? Yes, maybe in time. We always hoped you'd see the light, but never thought it so, and certainly not in any great number. Would you really think the leaders of the Simo would step aside and welcome you in without first considering the repurcussions? As you say, we are Firekin, a race built on pride and strength and suspicion. I'm sure you would have been dissapointed if you met no resistance."
His eyes went to No again, seeking to find the thoughts in her face, wondering what she was making of this. She certainly seemed less on the defensive now. So did he. But he felt on edge. He felt that he was balanced upon the edge of a cliff, one wrong step and they could go tumbling.
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Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2009 7:32 pm
The queen had to once again refrain from rolling her eyes at them. Instead she turned her gaze up to the sky and made a gurgling, frustrated sound, as if really, this was getting much too difficult for her taste, and my GOD were they obnoxious, "Gods, you two are so stuck up," she couldn't help herself, and anyhow, if they had wanted to kill her, they would have already. Being honest and blunt with them was the way to go, in Kenna's mind. It wouldn't do to be unlike herself and then get to the pride and show her darker, sarcastic side to them.
Assuming they let them join. Also assuming either of them didn't go psycho on her for being a b***h. Kenna wasn't entirely sure if she should expect it; either way, if they attacked her, she was pretty much dead anyways, so there was no point in thinking down that path.
"Did I blame either of you for the fight? I think not," she returned her gaze down at them, her eyes hooded, "did you miss the part where I told you I was a cub during the fight? Regardless, from my experience in fights, it takes two to tango. One side is never fully responsible for anything. Both sides share the blame for it. One side for being obnoxious assholes and not listening, the other side for being stupid and thinking the assholes would just sit and take it willingly," she uncurled one of her paws and waved it a bit, as if to wave aside the whole issue, "That's beside the point. Point is, I'm here, and I'm asking you. It's not a particularly hard question; will you have us, or will you not have us?" she shifted again, and it was clear in her eyes as she looked at No, that there was a difference between them.
She and Kidondo had fled the desert when Kimeti had raged and opposed them. Kenna would either get what she wanted or die on this spot, and despite the fact she didn't really look forward to death, she seemed to have accepted that, "I didn't SAY you owed us anything, No, I just asked you not to ******** judge me for what Kimeti did. I really couldn't care less what he did or didn't do. Because that was then, and this is now, and it's not him here, but you and me. And it's your turn to chose," a snort escaped through her nose, "I'm not putting my faith in anything, dear. In fact, I already gave my children and my mate my goodbye, in case you two decide to go down that path. As their queen, it is my job to do what is best for them, even if it means my demise."
Her gaze returned to Kidondo as he spot, "I do not know how you rule your pride, or if all those that are under your command listen to you," her eyes narrowed dangerously at this point, "But I can assure you that mine listen to my word. Those that didn't and did not wish to come, left. They had a choice, and they made it. Do not underestimate me and my ability to keep them controlled, Kidondo. I an not queen for nothing. They believe my word and have had time to accept it," she crossed her arms over the sand again, her tail curling around her hind legs calmly, "We heard of Ripuka's death, yes. It's only natural. News flies across the sand, and besides, when she did not return to her cubs, we imagined... that it'd simply been her time," Kenna wasn't sure what the old lioness had been doing outside of the pridal territory, but she had her own sneaking suspicion. Specially seeing as how Ripuka had seemingly lost faith... and how the cubs were kept inside all the time.
Plus, there was also the conversation she'd had with the old lioness before her death, "She was one of the few I've ever trusted as a friend, and I saw her faith vanish. I saw her suffer, and I remember a particularly ironic conversation I had with her while sunbathing. We spoke of the Safi and I told her of the problems I saw there in... she told me I sounded like you," she snorted at the irony, "I told her that perhaps talking to the simo, our brethrens, was the solution, but she was deathly scared that coming here, you would massacre us all. Her only hope was that perhaps, you would spare our children."
She saw the smile come over Kidondo's maw, and she couldn't help it. Kenna tossed her head back and laughed; there was actual mirth in her voice, though WHAT she found amusing was hard to figure out, "I never took you for the 'I told you so' type, Kidondo," the laughter was gone and only a smirk remain, "Might I remind you that you are not talking to your father? I did not fight in the rebellion. You did not convince me. I did that on my own. Don't take merit for what you've not done," as he spoke again, the large lioness rolled her shoulders into a shrug, "Well, lil ol' me was hoping you would be a mature adult, rather than a brat, and indeed, let us in. Dangling an 'I told you so' over our heads would get boring soon, and besides, was it not the objective to have a united pride? You have your wish now, do you not? You even have me here, laying on the ground, awaiting for your decision," her tail flicked, and her grin grew bigger, amused, even despite the situation she was in, "Besides, think about it. Having us here means we can't go plot behind your back. That aside, it'll be horribly entertaining to watch everyone get along. Wouldn't you say so yourself? It's a win-win for you. What ELSE do you want?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 8:46 am
No growled, and bit her tongue. Little b***h had a mouth on her, that was for sure. It was going to be hard tolerating her if she continued to speak to them with such a tone. But underneath it, she was still saying some crucial things. For that, No attempted to push past the baiting. One thing she refused to give credence to was their ‘fault’ in the rebellion. If the regents were guilty of anything, it was not convincing enough of the old pride to side with them.
“We’re not about to kill you,” No snapped. What did she take them for? Two against one was hardly a fair fight. And this was different. “We’ve heard of diplomacy here.” She grumbled.
Deciding to ignore what might come next, No turned towards Kidondo. She wished there was more time to consider this. Yes, they wanted the prides united. They always had. But, things could never be that easy. Carefully, she slid another glance at Kenna while the two conversed about Ripuka. It could be a trick. It wouldn’t have been hard to suggest Kidondo had been close to the old woman. But… perhaps another to admit that Ripuka’s own mate had been a rogue.
And that made her even angrier. Was the only thing that stopped the safi from coming back nothing but ill-placed pride? If they saw the truth in what they said, why had they kept themselves walled away. No. Something else had spurred this sudden change of heart.
But, they weren’t likely to learn of it.
“….Never a win win.” No said to Kidondo. But they needed them. If they turned them away, they would face the repercussions for it. It would be an endless cycle of rebellions and revolutions formed and toppled. The firekin needed to be one again. But it wasn’t going to be a victory for either side.
Her ears twitched. “I don’t like having our hands forced,” She continued in a lower voice to Kidondo. “But if we turn them away, we’ll be facing another war in time.”
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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 12:36 pm
"Are you done?" Kidondo growled. "Enough. I've heard enough. Maybe its time you stopped talking and listened, Kenna." He side-stepped closer to No, stronger for being at her side.
"You're asking us to risk the safety of our pride on your word alone, Kenna. Do you think that my father doubted me before he saw the proof for his own eyes? Do you not think he had thought he had crafted a perfect heir in me before my 'traitorous' ways were known. You cannot see into the hearts nor into the minds of your people. Yes, they chose to come here. But perhaps they chose to come here in thirst of revenge. And don't bother to give a response to it. You can argue it all you want, but that is the truth of the matter and that is why we will not simply agree to anything because of your impatience."
He paused and let his eyes drift back to No's, nodding slightly at her hushed words. She was right. He knew it. Everyone knew it. But he felt uncomfortable. Felt that he shouldn't leap into this decision. It affected the whole pride. "Firekin were made for war." He murmured in a half-joke. "But you're right. This is a tricky situation. One we cannot make alone."
He lifted his head, returning that cold, untrusting gaze back to the young Safi.
"It's a shame really. If you dropped the attitude, the situation might be easier and an answer given to you in due course. You'll have to learn to tame that tongue of yours, Kenna, if you expect to stay here for long. Most Firekin don't appreciate being spoken to in such a disrespectful manner, Regent or not. If you expect to last long here, you'll have to learn your place. You certainly won't be in any position to order anyone around."
He shifted. "And despite the fact you think you know us, you clearly don't. We always wished for the pride to be reunited again. The truth of the matter was that we never expected it to happen and certainly not to this extent. One or two, perhaps, but not so many." He shifted, casting his eyes back to his mate. "This isn't a decision that we can make alone."
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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 12:50 pm
Oh, but she had won already. She knew it as much as they did, and the way her lids hooded her eyes was more than enough proof of this; if they wanted to be uppity about it then... hell, that was fine with her. At the end of the day, she knew she had won, "I won't argue, after all, if this goes through, I'll be dropping out of my position, no doubt. We'll all be your problem to handle, what should I know?" her head turned to look away, but there was a pleased hint within her burning eyes, "It's not impatience, Kidondo. I just want a simple yes or no, so we can either see history repeat itself, or we can go along with our merry ways."
But she had their answer. She'd seen it in the black female's eyes even if she couldn't hear their hushed voices from her spot. When she was spoken to again, the Queen licked her chomps and offered them both a grim smile, "That just wouldn't do. It's best to show myself at my worst so there's no surprises down the lines. I don't believe in lying or tricking others into false safety," her growl resonated her chest cavity as she continued, "That is bellow me. If you can tolerate me as I am, then that's half a battle fought and won. Besides..." her eyes narrowed, "You should know better than anyone that personality is hard to change. You can change yours as much as I can change mine to please you. I will play by your rules, but I will not change myself."
It was clear she wasn't, in fact, planning on changing that side of her, and if accepted... it was something they would have to deal with, "You can not extinguish a fire just with words, Kidondo, or a threat," she took that moment to stand up though, having decided that it was fine to do so now, "I will go back to my mate and my children then. Unless you have a problem with that too?" a brow arched up, as if waiting for them to say something, "When you and your.... democracy have come to a decision, you may come fetch us," she turned around, offering them her back, clearly giving them an opportunity to attack her, "We will be waiting," she called back to them as she walked calmly away from them.
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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 2:27 pm
No shook her head with a sigh. Well, good to know that Kenna's sunny disposition would not be changing along with her crown. There wasn't going to be reasoning with this one, despite how seemingly every word out of her mouth was like driving a nail into her foot. She made attempts on seeing the situation from Kenna's point of view. It helped marginally, but only just that.
She focused most of her attention on Kidondo now. To his half joke, she gave a weary smile. It was true. If they needed to go to war, they'd go to war. But now that the lands were theirs, they couldn't simply play an offensive game. If there was the potential for conflict, they needed to n** it in the butt as they saw it. This, most certainly, was one of them. She nodded sternly to his observations.
Kenna was leaving. Was she a puppet, No thought? As she stared at the other female's back, she tried to look past the vile words for hidden enemies. Who pulled Kenna's strings? She had indeed been a cub when they'd overthrown Kimeti. But who stood behind Kenna? Thirty three was a huge number. You couldn't just hide thirty-three lions from the pride. This would be an all out affair.
"I believe I may hate that woman, but she is honest. She means what she says." No observed stiffly to Kidondo once she was out of earshot. "But I worry who else is at work here. You can't tell me thirty safi lions are all as understanding as their queen."
Her face fell. "They'll need an answer soon. We better speak with Kibela and Azarax about this."
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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 2:44 pm
He nodded sternly, relaxing a little as Kenna moved off across the sands, leaving him free to discuss his feelings with No without worry of being heard by the Safi.
"She certainly isn't very good with giving shining first impressions, is she?" He replied, his face solemn. "But you are right. As dislikeable as she is, I don't think she was lying to us. She did not pretend. Did not come with promises and sweet words of flattery. She is honest and, though her attitude might be a problem, I think we could come to trust her if we gave her the opportunity."
His eyes glanced after her departing figure, to where the other thirty odd lions awaited her return, probably fearful of their queen's safety. "It's the others I don't trust and there are many of them. I wonder what truly changed their hearts. I wonder if there is more to this than the simple fear of the closing of bloodlines. It must be a good reason for them to swallow their pride like this."
He leaned forwards and touched his muzzle to No's shoulder. "Yes, you're right. Time is of the essence. They won't wait forever. We need to have an answer before she comes calling again."
He sighed deeply. "If the others agree and they come to stay, they'll have to be watched. I don't like not trusting them, but it wouldn't be wise to think they will all convert so easily."
He leaned close, brushing against her as he headed back towards the dens. "This is turning out to be one of those days..."
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