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 Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2012 10:30 am
The little cub was indeed still nestled in the bushes that he had climbed in. Unsure of what was going on he remained, but the sight of his sister was enough to coax him slowly out into view. He mumbled a few words strangely, like he wasn't even sure what the brightly colored lion meant. His ears perked, looking back towards home.
One word was clear: grandma.
Elcca hadn't been keen on the kids, and she still wasn't. But they had promised Arikara, and she had at least delivered on her side of things. It would have been very easy to turn them over. "We don't have time to explain to them," she said to Serkan. "He'll just have to trust us."
Her eyes scanned over the group to take a quick assessment of their numbers, before slinking close to the ground and moving towards the brush. If they got through it, hopefully it would block any sign of their escape until morning. Traveling west wouldn't be ideal, but... at the moment it felt right. They could afford to be a little paranoid.
"When we clear the brush, I say we start running. Put some ground between us before we figure out what we've learned."
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Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2012 3:20 pm
"Grandma wants you to come with us." Mkazo's eyes left the cub and went to Elcca for a moment before he nodded. "Won't do a damn bit of good to tell everyone if we all get caught sitting on our friggin' paws. Let's move now, and talk later." He shifted impatiently, ready to be off. Knowing troops, numbers, that would have been valuable...but knowing hints at targets, knowing that their tactics would not be the same as for other prides, was more so. They needed to get out away from this spot, they needed to make sure everyone knew, and then they needed to either gather more information or get the ******** out of here. Considering Yoan's words, he was firmly in favor of the second option. Being allowed to leave...had implications that didn't bode well for any of them.
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Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2012 3:32 pm
Mwako'damu moved quickly but kept low, silver eyes watching. He knew not the power the others had, or the dark male many spoke of. But he'd be damned if he let them come near his kin, or the children. He kept close to his group, eyes alert, ears listening.
"Kooka."
"Hmm?" Kooka said very softly, nibbling at fur at Mwako's shoulder.
"Keep listening, do not falter."
"Yes."
Quick and simple, and he began to move.
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Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2012 3:55 pm
Gently ushering the cub, Serkan began crawling again. He kept his voice in a low whisper as he addressed it. "Move quietly, make no noise. When we far enough, someone carry you." He only paused to spare a look back, wondering what that damnable vulture was up to. Just as well, maybe it was staying where it was. It wasn't like they NEEDED him, anyway. They had plenty of birds to keep them company now, first Yoan and Kooka, and now two little ravens and a baby vulture. He had to wonder how a vulture had ravens for children, though... But he'd save that pondering for another day and time, when their asses WEREN'T on the line.
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Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2012 4:28 pm
With a nod, Azulon continued moving out, keeping his ears perked in case either Morag or Mkazo began to disclose anything else they had learned. But both of them had the sense to wait, apparently, and now getting away from the Nergui was definitely the group's priority. He made quiet note of the fact that the cubs were accounted for, just because he liked to know who was about.
He wondered if the fledgelings would follow, as for now they seemed to still be over with the Nergui. He shrugged, not caring very much, they would crop up later if they wanted to.
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Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2012 7:44 pm
Morag silently bent and lifted the girl cub up in her mouth, pacing forward to slide into the brush and away from the danger behind them. So many questions, but it seemed there would not be much for answers right now.
When they were clear of the brush, the dark lioness set the cub down long enough to get a better grip on her. Holding on firmly, she broke into a ground eating gallop, stretching her long legs in a pace that would last and that ate up the distance. She briefly wondered about the little raven, but she had wings and obviously lived here... she should be fine.
Meanwhile, Kivu chirped softly as she sat on her branch, idly preening her feathers while she watched her father talk to the Godlum character. He certainly was strange the way he talked. She wondered what was so special about him.
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Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2012 8:52 am
(I hate not being able to post/fall behind ;-; If this post is a little out of please I'm sorry D: )
Aithne had been trying to keep to the side and to herself. She knew that she was bright, that she was a sore thumb, in her home it woudl be good, she was a firekin and her color proved it just as well as her attitude did. She was trying to keep herself down and out of the way of everyone, she didn't want to be the cause of the trouble for the group, although it seemed like there was plenty with in the encounters. Aithne, though trying to stay out of the way, was on guard, her hair was bristled, she was ready to move as quickly as she could if she needed to. Her tail flicked around behind her and her claws would retract in and out of her paws. She kept up with those that she could the best she could, she was trying to make sure that they were safe.
She paused as the cubs were retrieved and then her ear's perked as the Nergui talked. Destroy the leaders? That made her angry, her lips curled back in a silent snarl. No one was going to touch her parents if she had anything to do with it. Her body wanted to run forward and take on the Nergui, attack the creature that talked as such but she resisted, she instead looked toward the others and started to move with them. "I agree, it would be a good idea for us to get going." She said in her hushed whispers. She turned toward the others and then nodded. "If we need a distraction let me know." She stated simply, she wasn't a big fan of needing the distraction however she knew that she was more than willing and had the energy and the want to.
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Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2012 9:08 am
Although the brush scratched at her heels and even dislodged the makeshift bandage around her wrist, Elcca moved with more assurance than ever before. Maybe it was the adrenaline, or the thought that they might actually make it out of this scott free. But as they moved her mind mulled over the brief burst of information Yoan and the others had relayed.
Tra Ord Omak. Finally a phrase she understood, at least in part. It told them nothing about who their leader was, but it said a lot about their motivations. The Nergui weren't the only group out there to believe in the concept. It was surprising though, that anyone had actually gotten it into their head to march a war party for it.
By the time she felt it was safe to stop the brisk pace, night had already fallen into its darkest hours. They were still in Nergui territory- and by going west, it would be a bit longer before they managed to get a safe trail back to the desert. But the grass was flat, and only a few scarce mountains dotted the distance. If anyone was coming they'd see it, even in the dark.
She took a few moments to catch her breath. "What exactly did you hear?"
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Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2012 9:51 am
Only when he felt they were finally clear enough did Serkan rise to his paws. He stopped near Elcca, looking back the direction they'd come. It was dark, very dark. They'd all have a hard time seeing, both Nergui and Firekin. The dominantly red lion frowned, brow furrowing. "Tra Ord Omak..." He felt like he'd heard it before, once, long ago. He just couldn't remember where. He looked at Elcca. "You can... Translate words?" Even for the Hongshan-born lion, the words seemed... Foreign.
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Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2012 10:24 am
Shaking his mane out, Mkazo took a deep breath. "They called us hiniraullu, said we destroyed our god. That we followed Tra Ord Omak. They want to remove our leaders, so that we'll be more willing to join them, their...rurda. They weren't specific about which leaders." He shifted, and his eyes traveled around the group. "I don't think they want to destroy us, not like they destroyed other prides. I think they want to...to make us part of them." It would still end in the destruction of the Firekin as they were, if they succeeded. It was not a thought that he liked much, and he scowled. "That...the skull-face one, he was talking pretty loud. It was like he knew we were listening, like he friggin' wanted us to hear what he was saying."
He cast a glance back towards the patrol, as though waiting for the birds to return with what they had heard. "There's something wrong about all this."
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Whimsical Blue rolled 1 10-sided dice:
9
Total: 9 (1-10)
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Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2012 11:27 am
((1 she remembers nothing - 10 she remembers word for word))
When they finally paused, Morag let the girl cub down and stretched her jaw in a large yawn, finally shaking her head to loosen up her neck. This was a lot of work, but she would be the last to complain about it.
"Someone knew we were coming and sent this patrol after us. It was our luck that we found them before they found us and have kept ourselves hidden. I agree with Mkazo... he did seem to speaking to us and I believe he knew we were there, but chose not to expose us. There seem to be tensions between Godlum and the patrol... he seemed to be prodding at them for not knowing we were so close, and we already heard how that Tengri female felt about waiting for him." She said.
Starting from the begining, she struggled to remember word for word what had been said, relating it as best she could. Surprisingly, she remembered nearly everything, though a few of the foreign words escaped her and she stumbled over them.
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Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2012 1:56 pm
"What does that mean, those words, Tra Ord Omak?" Mwako'damu asked, looking to Elcca, perhaps one of those that stood with them that remembered some of the language. Mwako knew none, and felt a shame for it. They knew they were coming, but how? Gods, meddling of other kinds, it did not suit war. There was no god of war, was there? It puzzled the red male.
"Does not matter, much no, must get back soon I think, must be nina, must be strong for all others." Kooka spoke for a mere minute, then silent again, turning the coin over and over.
"Where've you heard such words, Kooka?"
"Back home, wherever it had been, it was olathe, beautiful, yes, Kooka not there now. Kooka stays, loyal to the fire."
Mwako smirked at the bird.
Least they could trust a feathered hare..right?
"We need to get the children back, but if they knew we were coming, that means...the others would know," he stopped, looked to Morag, "they would have told the main party of their party that a group of warriors was breaking off wouldn't they?" His claws touched the soil.
Their pride could be vulnerable.
Split up, there were less back home to defend against their tactics.
The nergui in the group had been some type of purposeful diversion?
They needed to return home swiftly.
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Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2012 2:14 pm
Elcca listened to the recount, seemingly lost in her own thoughts. There certainly was something going on. On that, they could all agree. Tension between the Nergui was something new. But perhaps not surprising...if they were a large pride, perhaps their factions were as numerous as any others. Or they could be simply jockeying for power or attention from the mysterious Graos Oma.
"Godlum walked right by us," she said, looking towards the others who had been on the diversion team. "Didn't make eye contact, but he had to have known there was someone there. The smell alone would have been hard to ignore."
"Tra Ord Omak is not a word I can translate, per say. But I've heard of the concept," she continued. "It is like... like a religion, but not quite. Their god isn't a god that has a face or an identity. Its like a power. They say the Tra Ord Omak rests beneath the earth and all magic and godlike powers weaken him."
"The theory goes, if those powers could be destroyed, natural order prevails. The stronger the Tra Ord Omak is, the stronger the domain of earth. The stronger you are as apart of the natural order. A follower of that theory would look down upon groups that followed other gods. To them, these gods weaken the natural order. If the Nergui follow that path, they may see firekin as also following Tra Ord Omak without knowing it."
"The Nergui follow their seers, that is what the older lioness said. When you pit yourself up against the unknown, strange actions like letting a group of enemies go are just strands in a larger web of ideas. Perhaps Godlum believes we will return home, make their intentions known." She took a moment to raise her paw for emphasis. "The idea spreads. Are firekin so different from Nergui? It was not long ago that you roved and took slaves. Some firekin still look to the old ways. Perhaps it is those allies they seek."
"Or it could be something beyond our knowing. Some small action we've already done, or will do. Or maybe he is simply sympathetic because we hold his son captive," she shrugged. "Ultimately it doesn't matter. I can say from experience simply dreaming of something does not mean it will come to pass. Just as you see webs, so do other seers, and they are all spinning webs beside yours. Just when you have everything in order, a new path opens and that future is lost."
"But to be on the safe side," she concluded. "I felt traveling west might be the best. It is the direction I least care to go for, and was least likely to suggest. You can overthink the situation if you let yourself... but better we be on new ground than anything the Nergui might have already thought about at length. When you fight against unseen forces it is better to be as unpredictable as possible."
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Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2012 4:58 pm
The skull-faced one--Godlum--had walked right past the others? Mkazo flattened his ears, not liking the sound of that at all. Elcca's words failed to improve that, as she explained the potential motives of the Nergui and how those that believed in the old Firekin ways might find them attractive. His tail twitched behind him. "We should keep our mouths shut about what we've heard, until we tell the Regents. Let them decide if telling everyone is worth the risk of the Nergui gettng some converts." His paws flexed, extending claws to dig into the earth. "But for now, let's worry about getting away. I don't want to trust a damn Nergui to let us get out."
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Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2012 5:05 pm
The run didn't bother him much, though even Azulon was beginning to feel rather hungry. He pushed the desire to eat away, convincing himself that it didn't matter just yet. He was excellent at blocking out all kinds of feelings, and it didn't bother him again. It would just be rather inconvenient if, physically, it began to take a toll on him and the rest of the group.
He listened to Moran and Mkazo with interest, then to Elcca, as she explained what Tra Ord Omak was, and theorized. "If it is as you suggest, and they are hoping to... recruit the firekin, that's probably where eliminating the leaders comes in." It wasn't even that bad a plan, many firekin would probably approve of this worship of strength, despite the pride being technically atheistic. It could even explain their interest in the disease of the Kitwana'antara; a way to eliminate many without needing to engage in battle.
The Nergui's first big mistake was, of course, attacking them and killing one of their own. The firekin were proud, and they had been slighted. Azulon didn't think it likely many of them would be rushing to join the Nergui. But, who knew. He could be mistaken. "Now we have some better insight into what they want." So aside from a few hiccups, Azulon thought this mission had been quite the success.
"I agree with Mkazo, let's put a bit more distance between us and the Nergui." They were taking the long way around to get back to the Motoujamii and would need some rest, for certain, but here might still be a bit close for comfort, even with the great visibility they had of their surroundings.
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