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 Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 8:24 pm
Esu'me had to stop. She hadn't been running for long, but she had never run so quickly, so far. And certainly not with a leg that had never healed right. The brown lioness stopped beneath a thick-leaved tree, sides heaving. She had to keep going...had to get as far from HIM as she could before deep night set in...But she just couldn't run anymore. Not yet.
Esu'me looked about her as she caught her breath. She'd gone completely out of familiar territory...and it scared her. Under other circumstances, she would have enjoyed the change...but now...she couldn't supress the shiver.
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 8:25 pm
Dark paws padded through the night in silence, or near to it. It came second nature to their owner, who'd worked for long days on end to perfect, to push herself and her hunting till she was a honed, deadly tool. Not that she thought of herself as such, oh no. She was just... okay. Her mother gave aproval, and that's all that mattered to Hippolyta in the end.
Red eyes caught movement in the darkness and narrowed as the young lioness crouched and crept closer, alert for prey or intruders, both of which would bring a nod from her mother if she caught it. The patrol had been uneventful lately anyway... some action would help her de-stress a little. With her half sisters growing up, the current heir felt her position in jeapardy, and while she didn't mind it, loosing it would bring disapproval from her beloved mother...
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 8:27 pm
Esu'me didn't notice company at first...and then an unfamiliar scent and a flash of dark fur caught her attention. Had one of Kenji's friends found her?! She kept herself from panicking and stood, breath steadier now. "H-hello?" Her voice was uncertain, and a little scared. "Who's there?" She reminded herself, over and over in her mind, to keep calm.
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 8:29 pm
Slinking behind a bush, Hippolyta called back, shifting to get a better look at this intruder into her pride's lands.
"A better question is who are you? And why are you here? You've trespassed on lands not your own, Lady. And we protect ourselves fiercely." Okay, so it was an empty threat, one the black lioness had yet to follow up on, but perhaps it would make the newcommer more... compliant. Hippy took her border patrol quite seriously. She refused to fail, even once. It was just unacceptable.
"If you're peacefully inclined, then you can relax. We're not cruel or warlike." Her softer side wouldn't let her go without the last comment, though. She really wasn't her mother, she couldn't watch the panic on the female's face and not say -something-.
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 8:32 pm
Esu'me calmed a little. So...not one of His friends. He wouldn't have kept her description from any of them. "I...I'm Esu'me. I apologize for treading on pridal lands...I...I haven't paid attention to where I'm going." She couldn't, not in her mad dash. "I really am very sorry. I...I shouldn't be here long." She took a deep breath, trying to finish steadying her breathing.
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 8:33 pm
The words satisfied Hippy and she stood slowly, both not to startle the other and to make sure she wasn't attacked if the female was lying. Cautiously, she slid out from the concealing brush and stood tall, looking this 'Esu'me' over with bright red eyes.
"You must have been in quite a hurry to not notice you were in the middle of nowhere." She said softly. "My name's Hippolyta. And might I ask? What puts you in such a hurry?" There were a few explainations, she supposed, but a sinking in her stomach left her sure that there was really only one... which could be trouble. If she was being chaised... then she had led her pursuers straight to the reclusive pride. That was fine, if they left without looking around too closely, but if they got curious... there was sure to be a fight.
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 8:39 pm
Esu'me opened her mouth...and shut it, then shuddered again. Should she tell? Would the other look down on her, or support her like her family had? Or would she just treat her as another passerby? She took another deep breath and spoke, in her level, quiet voice. "I...I am running from...from the one I thought I loved." She couldn't love him anymore. He'd hurt her...hurt her bad...And there had been too much chance he might hurt the lives that could be growing inside her.
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 8:40 pm
There was something... wrong about that simple statement. From what little Hippolyta knew, you didn't run from loved ones except in play, and she hardly looked like it was a game.
"And why would you be running from them?" She said quietly, her voice cooling, hardening in unknowing imitation of her mothers. Well, it seems her gut had been right. If a jaded lover was after her, they probably wouldn't stop searching for her.
Great... just great. This was not something Hippy felt able to deal with... should she take the female in, hide her? Or turn her away, show her the way out of the lands and let her go? It was a type of decision that seemed to make Kiuma thrive... not so with her daughter.
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 8:41 pm
Esu'me walked in a small circle, the limp caused by her left back leg and the scars scattered along her body making themselves known.
"He was not who I thought he was. I could stand it...for a time. But now...now I have more to fear for than myself. And if not now...than in the future." She shuddered a bit holding back fears and tears. "I am only resting...I must get as far from him as possible."
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 8:44 pm
Hippolyta sighed as she deflated a little, her eyes giving her too much evidence to the truth of her words. Well, there was nothing for it, then.
"If you like... I can take you into the lands with me. The pride... is a sanctuary for females. We don't allow males inside the lands and we protect all females that come seeking shelter." She shrugged helplessly. "We wouldn't be what we claim if I turned you away. There is safety, if you follow me, shelter, food and water... things I'm sure you're sorely in need of."
Surely Kiuma would approve... and if she didn't, well, what else was she to do? They'd have to double the guard on the border for a while, the patrols going in pairs, until it was safe again.
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 8:46 pm
Esu'me couldn't believe her ears. There...there was a place that coud take her in? She almost took the lioness up on the offer. She was so tired...and food and water sounded wonderful. But...no. She...she could get food and water. That was fine. He wouldn't try to hurt them if they just gave her such things. But if she stayed...if she stayed, it would be worse.
"Food and water, I can accept. But...beyond that, I cannot burden you." She smiled sadly. "Perhaps, one day...but not while I know he is still in pursuit. I am thankful to say I'm a good amount of time ahead of him." Thank the gods he had still let her visit her family.
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 8:49 pm
Hippy blinked in surprise at the refusal, frownling in confusion. She was... not going to take her offer? "But... you're hurt! And we're strong... we can protect you..." Her voice trailed off as she sighed, shaking her head. "I don't understand..."
Unsheathing her claws, she cut into the loam under her paws, venting her frustration. Sure, it was a inconvenience and some of the females could be hurt, but... females should stand together. If there was anything Hippolyta believed, it was that. "Do you think he's that powerful? Or that a whole pride of females can't chaise him off?"
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 8:52 pm
Esu'me blinked. And then her entire posture changed. Changed to someone more sorry than scared.
"Ma'am...Let me ask you this..." She sighed and shook her head. "How would you feel if you were being chased by someone at least half-again your size and a good deal of his friends? And someone you didn't know offers you shelter? Ma'am...It is not that I don't think you can't hold him off..." The brown lioness hung her head, pale eyes darkening a little.
"I do not wish to see ANYONE hurt because of me. And if you do more than just maybe supply me with water and a meal...I can guarantee he will hurt whoever chooses to fight him and his friends." She hated saying things like that...but they were true, and needed to be said.
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 8:54 pm
Shaking her head in frustration, the black lioness gave in and shrugged. "I guess you do what you need to do then." She said, much as she didn't like the idea. She had a strong feeling that the lioness before her would be dead in a few days... or less. "Come on then... I can atleast feed you before you go. You'll need your strength if he's as relentless as you say..."
Hippy turned and siddled into the brush, glancing back with a flick of her tail to be sure the other was following. Maybe on the way, she could do a little more convincing to get her to stay where it was safe... she looked in sore need of rest and a place just like this one.
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 8:57 pm
Esu'me followed, learning to ignore the ache in her half-lame leg. "I am sorry if my thinking...seems strange to you..." She wasn't sure if she was the reason why the other female was so...annoyed. She was at least part of the reason. "But it is...it is what makes sense to me. What seems right in my mind." She tried to smile...but it was a tired, half-hearted thing.
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