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 Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 11:28 pm
 Optimism had always been a part of Mazimwi's personality and that had definitely been driving his actions recently. Skugga had been so upset lately and he knew that he had caused many of the problems. He just really hoped that maybe he could find her sister, Yuusa, and convince her to come to the Dhati. They were sisters after all; their bond ran deeper than physical relationships.
So those were the thoughts that were running through his mind as he made his way through the Mizimu territory. Just maybe.. he would find Yuusa. He had never met her but she looked like Skugga except she was lighter and had a blue hue to her. She shouldn't be too difficult to spot against the savannah.
Even he had to admit that there were many flaws in his plan but he had to at least try. She could be with another Mizi lion or even worse, a warrior. Then he would be in trouble. And the worst that could happen is Sakata spotting him and then he would be breaking his promise to Skugga. He tried to push these worries out of his thoughts.
Immersed in his thoughts, Mazimwi almost didn't notice the other lion in the distance. Squinting, the lion could see a bright pelt... and blue... He got closer and then realized, this must be Yuusa. She had the exact same stripes that Skugga had; he hoped that she couldn't see him squinting at her strangely. The lion stopped and waited to consider his next move before getting any closer.
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Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 5:48 am
Once again, she had slipped away from her guards. Though this time, it had been significantly easier. Apparently, she had been more closely guarded before, because there had been suspicions about her. Suspicions that she would have defected to be with her sister. Some part of Yuusa frowned in cubbish ire at that thought - good thing that she had managed to put their minds at ease about her loyalties, huh? - but the more mature part of her admonishingly reminded her that they hadn't been completely off the mark.
How could she blame them for suspecting her, when she had, if only for a moment, toyed with the idea of leaving the Mizimu lands only to see her sister one more time? That alone was betrayal enough to warrant their suspicion.
The deep scratches that she had come away with from her encounter with the spiderweb-pelted Dhati had only recently stopped stinging, but for a day or two she had had to walk with a slight limp. She didn't need any of the Heart to tell her what those meant. They were her punishment, for straying so close to the border, for acting so recklessly - and for having been tempted. They had pretty much healed, but the marks still stood out clearly against her pale pelt, like a stern reminder that the spirits were always watching.
So yes, she had been humbled, and to be honest, quite a bit intimidated from her run-in with the dark stranger, but was she deterred? No. Not yet. Once again, her rebellious heart had led her to slip away from her guards, and she was straying further out from the heartlands than she really ought to go alone. Still not nearly as far out as last time, but still.
Something stopped Yuusa in her tracks. A faint scent? A sound? A movement in the periphery of her vision? She paused, her heart already beating harder, even though she knew she should be reasonably safe here, and let her gaze sweep over her surroundings.
There! She had almost completely missed him, his brown, striped pelt blending so well into the surrounding tall grass. Another stranger, and he was looking right at her, but making no move to either approach or run away, and there was something... She studied him, reaching for that insistent tickle in the back of her mind. Tan pelt with dark stripes, that for some reason reminded Yuusa of the skin of a snake, and a mane that was almost the same color as dried blood. Her ears flicked forward as the realisation dawned on her: Skugga had talked about this lion!
Stealing a furtive glance left, and then right, assuring herself that her guards were not within sight but must still be within earshot, Yuusa took a deep breath and begun to carefully approach the lion, which she was sure to be the same one that Skugga had once mentioned, and talked about as a friend. The spidery lion had only claimed to have knowledge of her sister, but if this one was who she thought he was, then he must know more. Her eyes silently pleaded with him to stay where he was, and not make any loud noice, until she was close enough to speak with him without risk of discovery.
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Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 7:45 am
He couldn't believe that he had strayed so far into Mizimu lands; it was very dangerous where he was right now... If Skugga heard about this, she would not be very pleased with him when he got back...
Mazimwi continued to study the lioness and then came to the conclusion that this definitely had to be Yuusa. And she was walking towards him! How strange. Had Skugga talked to Yuusa about him at all? If so, why was Yuusa approaching him? It made no sense because she couldn't have recognized him so it would have been very dangerous to make any contact with a strange lion especially during these times.
In the past few seconds, he had gotten very tense but had reminded himself that if needed, he could knock her away and escape. She was only a little lioness after all... He chuckled silently and began making his way towards her; the tall grasses hiding away the dark pelt wrapped around his foreleg.
Another surge of hope rushed through him. This really was possible! Skugga had made it seem like there was no hope but Yuusa was approaching him. Therein that action, there was hope that he could convince her to come over to the Dhati.
"Hello." Once he got close enough, he called out to the other lioness. Mazimwi tried to keep his voice as low as possible because who knew where the Mizi guards were. And he just wanted to get right to the point, "Are you Yuusa, Skugga's twin sister?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 10:52 am
Yuusa's heart beat almost painfully hard as the striped lion started towards her, but she bit down and forged on. Here she was again, taking stupid, reckless risks. And for what? The chance of a few, more or less unreliable words of comfort? What if he wasn't who she thought, what if he was another one who would try to hurt her. Had she really learned nothing from last time? She had had guards within earshot back then, too, and look at how close she had got to being seriously injured. Who could guarantee that this time would be any different?
But as soon as she heard his soft-spoken words, all those thoughts scattered like motes before a gust of wind.
"I knew it!" She smiled excitedly, ears and head perking up. "You are Skugga's friend, aren't you? You know her, don't you?" She almost felt like jumping with excited joy, but quickly composed herself. It he was indeed that lion - whose name she could not quite remember - then he was of the Dhati as well, which meant that he had risked quite a lot just to come and see her. Her smile quickly gave way to a worried frown.
"What are you doing here? Has something happened to Skugga?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 12:17 pm
For some reason, Mazimwi hadn't really thought that he was going to find Yuusa and now he wasn't sure what to do. He honestly wasn't sure how he was going to try and convince her. Her twin sister had tried to persuade her but it didn't even work but he knew that he didn't have much time. He had to do this fast... Mazimwi tried to remind himself that Skugga would be so incredibly happy if he returned with Yuusa.
Raising a brow, the lion was really surprised by her reaction to his question. Why did she look so... happy? She looked like she genuinely wanted to see her sister again. "Yes, I am her friend and yes, I do know her." He wanted to grin but refrained from doing so.
"I'm here to..." Mazimwi paused and collected his thoughts before answering. "I am here to convince you to try and persuade you to join the Dhati. Skugga is fine... I know that you two have talked about this quite a bit but I'm here to try again." He waited to see what her reaction was. He was expecting a rather unpleasant reaction because she was being bothered by the subject a lot...
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Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 12:43 pm
Yuusa's posture relaxed - or perhaps deflated would be a better word for it - at his words. Her frown changed from anxious concern to a much more controlled thoughtfulness, and she studied the lion's face carefully.
Somewhere inside, a small fountain of joy erupted at hearing that her sister was fine, but she put that aside for now. He had come to take her back to the rebels, had he?
"Is that so," she murmured, gazing sharply into his light blue eyes - and she couldn't help but think that they looked like good eyes, honest and with a certain sort of happiness to them. If this was a person that was close to Skugga, then perhaps... perhaps she didn't need to worry so much. But she tilted her head to the side and decided to see just how honest he really was.
"Did she send you here?" she asked, softly but bluntly. "Did Skugga ask you to come and try to persuade me again?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 4:48 pm
He really hoped that this could work out. They could live happily ever after and maybe they wouldn't even have to worry about the war! Maybe all three of them could live happily and not ever have to see bloodshed... Deep inside, Mazimwi knew that this would hardly be possible but he had to stay hopeful or else it really would have been impossible.
The lion shook his head at her last question. "No. She didn't send me here... Skugga actually doesn't know that I'm here right now... I'm doing this on my own accord and I took the risk by coming here. I understand that you two had had this conversation before but things might have changed... And I also know that you two had stopped talking so I thought I would come over here to speak with you." Mazimwi honestly was not very good at persuading people but he really was doing his best.
There was a genuine tone in his voice and he hoped that Yuusa would be able to understand that. Is it really possible that he could convince Yuusa?
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Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 6:01 pm
Yuusa did hear the genuine, honest tone of his voice, and smiled at it. Though it was perhaps a little bit risky to do so, she sat down, neatly draping her tail over her paws, and nodded.
"I guessed as much." Somewhere inside, she was a little bit heartbroken to have been right, but then again, it was certainly nothing less than she had expected. Skugga wouldn't come any more times. She would not ask again, not on her own, and not through anyone else. But this lion... He must not know that. So then, that would mean...
She favored him with another smile. "So you came here on your own, taking such a great risk as to venture this far into enemy lands... to bring me back as a... surprise gift for her?" She nodded again. "You must really like her. I'm glad. It's good to know that she has someone who cares so much about her." She heaved a small sigh and shook her head slowly as her face gradually hardened into expressionlessness. "But I'm afraid you came here for nothing. Things have changed, more than you can possibly know, and... it is too late to un-change them now. Some things can never be mended. I can't go with you. I can't, and I won't. The Mizimu is my home."
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Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 7:40 pm
Raising his brow at her comment, Mazimwi wasn't sure what to say in response to her. "A surprise gift, perhaps. And yes I do care about her greatly." Did Yuusa see through the facade that even Skugga couldn't see through? He guessed it was very obvious though... Only a crazy lion or a lion crazy in love would even come near the enemy line for someone else.
He noted her expression change and frowned slightly. "Are you sure there's nothing that I can do to persuade you? Skugga would like it very much that you joined us. She has... changed since you two last spoke. She's angry about everything and has focused her energy on the upcoming battle..." And Mazimwi's usual happy grin turned stony; he knew that it would be virtually impossible to change Yuusa's belief but maybe he could make her see how detrimental it was for two sisters to be apart.
"Lions are going to die. I've already told her that we would take care of each other when the time comes but what if I'm caught off guard and something happens to her? She is your sister." He paused once more after she spoke. Some things can never be mended. The comment rang in his head. "What do you mean things can never be mended? What... happened between you two?"
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 1:36 pm
Yuusa's posture drooped and her ears sank disheartedly as Skugga's friend kept talking. It was not entirely unexpected to hear that Skugga had changed, and not really in any good way, but Yuusa still didn't feel good to have her suspicions confirmed about that. Unfortunately, she could very well imagine what was happening to her sister right now.
Neither did she like to finally have complete confirmation of one of her innermost fears - that the Dhati really were planning a war, and that it would be soon, no less. She hung her head and shook it again, avoiding to look him directly in the eyes.
"No... If you don't know, it's probably better that way. And also I..." She swallowed back a lump that threatened to rise in her throat. "I really don't want to talk about it. I have accepted my part of responsibility for... what happened, but... I can't talk about it." She swallowed again and closed her eyes in a moment of intense concentration, that allowed her to halt the horrible memories at the door and retain control of the situation. She really could not afford to be this careless around a stranger, and a Dhati at that, even if he was Skugga's friend and didn't seem to harbor any thoughts of violence right now.
She looked up at him with as much earnestness as she could muster, her ears remaining in a sorrowfully low position.
"Listen... I didn't catch your name," she said, "But if you really do care about Skugga as much as you say you do, then please... I beg you: Don't let her fight this battle. Take her away from here. Somewhere where... where..." She shrugged and heaved a small sigh. There was just no way of saying it without being dramatic. "Where her heart can heal. Somewhere far away from all of this."
Far away from the Mizimu. Far away from me, She thought, and cursed her weak heart for aching at the idea.
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Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2009 10:54 am
The lion moved closer to her trying to be as relaxed as possible as it seemed that she was getting somewhat distressed. That was not his purpose in being here. He just needed to somehow make Yuusa see that their sisterly bond took precedence over this battle between the Dhati and Mizimu.
What could have happened to make the two sisters stop talking? It must have been traumatic and the pelt didn't even seem to cross Mazimwi's mind. "I understand that it must have been a difficult situation but if I knew then perhaps we could fix it." He paused and listened to her continue.
"It's too late." Mazimwi heaved a sigh and continued, "Her mind is completely wrapped around fighting and the upcoming battle. When we talk about other things, it just comes back to that. I will not try to persuade her to stop because it keeps her mind off of you. And this war is going to happen. We need to be ready when it does or else we will both die."
Everything was too ominous and depressing for Mazimwi but he wanted to explain to Yuusa the gravity of the situation in the Dhati.
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 1:55 am
Yuusa shook her head more determinedly, a frown deepening on her face. This lion seemed to know about Skugga: He spoke as if he saw her regularly, talked to her... and there was no doubt that if he had risked as much as it seemed for her, he really cared a lot about her. But did he really know her? And could he possibly understand her sister's heart the way Yuusa did? She needed to make him see.
"No," she said, "It is too late to try to fix things... and believe me, no one regrets that more than I do. But listen to me, this is important: if Skugga fights in this war, I don't think she will-"
Something had been tugging at her attention since the brown lion had stepped closer, and now, finally, it hit her. Like a boulder to the head. She looked down, away from his blue eyes, down to what the tall grasses couldn't fully hide anymore, and her heart turned to stone in her chest. She didn't even notice that she slowly got to her feet, even as she took half a step back as if the distance could protect her from what she was seeing.
Her own voice sounded strange in her ears, deeper, huskier, as it spoke through her suddenly numb mouth:
"What is that... on your leg?"
Surely, she must be mistaken. Surely, the direction that the conversation had taken was making her see things. Surely, it couldn't be... How could it possibly...?
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 2:05 am
Mazimwi really did like to think that he knew Skugga somewhat well. He knew that there were a lot of things he didn't know about her but she had told him a lot about her sister. And Mazimwi's optimism might shelter himself from the true feelings that might be going on between the two.
It's never too late...
And then the lion noticed a change in mood. Looking at her curiously, Mazimwi wondered why she was looking at him strangely and then he looked down. Oh. Sometimes he forgot that he carried a cub pelt on his leg and that it could attract strange glances. But... Yuusa was giving him an even deeper look that seemed to penetrate right through him.
"It's... a pelt." That was all he was ready to divulge about that fateful night, the night that would forever connect him to Skugga. After that night, Mazimwi had never talked to her about what had happened. He didn't even know the reason for her actions and why he had to take a part in it. He would do anything for Skugga.
He knew that if he told Yuusa all about the pelt, she would surely never speak to him or Skugga again. To kill something so innocent and pure seemed impossible but they had done it. The story horrified himself when he thought about it.
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 3:09 am
Yuusa barely heard his half-hearted reply. There was an insistent, ringing noise in her ears, and it only seemed to grow stronger. She pressed her ears back against her skull trying to shut it out, but it didn't help. The noise drowned out all the sounds of the present and made it difficult to think straight.
But she didn't need to think. She knew. And all the cold, logical thought in the world could not shelter her from the truth of what she was seeing. Every swirl, every dot, every strain of hair on that little tail, even the very nuance of black on the little pelt was irrevocably burnt into her heart. She had groomed it so often...
"The spitting image of his father, isn't he? You can barely tell that he's yours, Yuusa!"
"Don't say that, he definitely has her eyes, doesn't he?"
The noise in her ears did absolutely nothing to keep out the voices of the past. If anything, it only seemed to make them stronger. And she couldn't stop staring at the pelt.
She knew it. She had known it. Back when it had belonged to a warm, soft little body. A body that would cuddle up against her side and fall asleep purring.
"Ma-ma"
"Thats... my son," she mumbled, and as she confirmed it to herself out loud like this, something began building up inside her. Her claws unsheathed themselves and dug into the dirt as if to keep her in place while the world crumbled around her. Her blood ran painfully cold through her body. "She... killed him. My sister killed him... to sever my ties with the Mizimu'Tungika." The high-pitched ringing noise was giving way now, fading away as the roaring force of grief and anger and pain came surging up to the surface, and Yuusa finally looked up into his eyes - his happy, carefree, lying blue eyes.
"She killed him," she half-hissed, half growled, her body forming into a crouch and visibly trembling with emotion and tension. "So why... why are YOU wearing him?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 6:51 pm
Mazimwi didn't even know what to say next. As Yuusa spoke, Mazimwi began to realize everything. There was so much meaning behind the small pelt that he couldn't even begin to comprehend until now. At first he had only thought that it was his reminder that Skugga and he had intertwined destinies; also, it reminded him of the sin he had committed for her. He could not take back the past.
Why would Skugga want to kill her sister's child? There was no reason to take such a life and he was beginning to think that Skugga had taken things too far... But then Mazimwi began thinking that Skugga maybe had a point, her sister would have no reason to stay with the Mizimu then.
The atmosphere between the two lions shifted quickly and Mazimwi unsheathed his claws too. He was experienced... and trained now but who knew what damage a mother's rage could inflict. "I am... so sorry." That was all he could tell her. "I had no idea."
Mazimwi noticed Yuusa's body language and then realized that he was in deep trouble. ********. Skugga had never told him the reason why he had to kidnap that cub... And now he could get his a** kicked for it. There was no way he could lie to Yuusa even if he wanted to. "I took the cub to Skugga; she had asked me to."
The lion began to inch backwards hoping that he could make a safe escape; he did not come here with the intention of harming Yuusa. "It's a reminder... of the deed that I contributed to. There's no turning back for me." Furrowing his brow, Mazimwi didn't know how to feel now; Skugga had not lied to him but she hadn't told him the truth either. Basically he killed this cub.
He was forced to remember that night; he retrieved the cub like Skugga had asked him to. He thought that they were going to raise it as part of the Dhati or something along those lines. And he vividly remembered feeling the blood splatter on his paws. That night had greatly shocked him but he was too enraptured with Skugga to think poorly of her.
Beginning to plead, Mazimwi didn't know how he would convince Yuusa to join the Dhati now. "I had no idea what she had planned. I did and still would do anything for Skugga and I had no idea that it was your cub... But still, Skugga wanted you to join her and probably felt that you wouldn't unless you had no ties to the Mizimu. Skugga loves you; you must understand..." He tried to continue but how could he defend a killer?
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