Welcome to Gaia! ::

It was cold in the rogue lands, where every face belonged to a stranger. Nhlanhla couldn't remember the last time she'd slept through the night, and pined for the days of her youth; before her siblings had set out in search of their own lives.

Before the land and the culture of her birth fell apart.

The Spirits had forsaken them.

Currently, the sun was setting over the savannah. Lanhla crouched low in the tall grass, ears folded back over her head, and kneaded the soil with her claws.

Patience, she reminded herself, patience.

A herd of antelope grazed nearby. The hindquarters of a calf were reflected in her crimson eyes. She held her breath, and started counting down.

One.

Her tail swished back and forth.

Two.

The calf's ears twitched with the wind.

Three!

There was a flash of teeth, and she was off; a veritable flurry of lean muscle and desperate hunger, closing in for the kill--

The calf was in her sites, just out of reach. The earth was solid beneath her paws. The thumpthumpthump of her heartbeat was rich in her ears. She was excited by the imminence of dinner, and could already taste the calf's death on her tongue.

It was sweet.

And then there was a blur of darkness at her side. Something faster and larger and more skilled than she was. Lanhla made a frustrated sound and, fearing that this stranger was about to steal the meal she'd worked so hard for, shouted, "No!"

But it didn't matter.

The calf was gone, and so was the herd. Their hooves kicked up a cloud of dust that blotted out a part of the sky. But there was no time to stare after them, or to continue pursuit. Lanhla might not have mastered the art of hunting in the short time that she'd spent alone, but she had learned the value of self defence.

Still, she was no warrior, and shied away from Jarujan's rage in the name of survival. Anger and fear curled the corners of her lips into a snarl.

"Maybe you should move faster next time."

It was true. Until the downfall of the Mizimu pride Lanhla had never had to do anything for herself. Her bright colours had marked her as a sacrifice, and she'd spent much of her life preparing for her death. Without much fear. Death, the way that Lanhla had come to understand it, was a sure thing.

Life was full of uncertainties.

Once upon a time hers had value. Now? She was just another lioness, and a considerably helpless one to boot. Lanhla was vulnerable and mostly talentless, but not foolish. She saw it in Jarujan's face, when he recognized her, and was frightened by the tone of his voice. He sounded as though there was no hope for her.

She didn't want to die unless it meant something.

"You know what I am, then," Lanhla's voice was steady. She straightened, and fixed him with her fiery stare. There was something calculating about her gaze. "I… remember you."

Telling lies had always been her forte. They came as easily to Lanhla as breathing. She was a clever girl, and sensed an opportunity here.

"But only a little," she chanced a smile. It was a friendly thing, if slightly on the shy side, "forgive me, but my memory isn't the best. My names Nhlanhla. You can call me Lanhla, if you like."