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 Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 9:13 am
"Jadi..."
Her ears fell back against her head, her tail tucked between her legs in fear. Kali'ari hadn't expected this sort of surprise on their journey, and now that they'd come across what appeared to be actual danger... she wasn't sure what needed to be done!
Seeing her brother react, though, helped strengthen up her courage. No, if Jadi was going to be tough and fierce, Kali was going to be just the same! After all, she always talked about being a future Warrior, right?
"Y-Yeah!" she hollered out, stepping to the side (and yet still conveniently behind her little brother). Swallowing, she nodded her head and continued, "You'd better show yourself before we come in there and uh.. and eat YOU!"
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 9:21 am
Damn, damn, damnity damn!
Tapelo could feel his heart begin to pound faster and faster. Surely, he'd thought, the cubs would run away in fright at his little stunt, but it seemed that neither of them were willing to shoo after the big-bad-voice made its appearance. In fact, it seemed as though they were turning the tables on him and threatening to do away with him.
"YOU DARE CHALLENGE ME?" he boomed back, feeling a tickle in the back of his throat as he yelled. "WHY, I EAT CUBS FOR SNA-COUGHCOUGHCOUGH"
He shook the branches fiercly as he fought with his throat, attempting to clear out the tickle that had disrupted his scary yelling.
Well, crap. What in the world was he going to do now?
Tukutu could have laughed at the sound of Tapelo's pitiful attempts at fear-inducing, but having heard other voices in the distance caused her mood to grow more solemn. Was Tapelo in any real danger? The voices hadn't sounded terribly threatening, but all the same, Tukutu was uneasy with the fact her small friend was out there by himself, and doing it in attempts to defend her, of all things.
Quietly, Tukutu shifted into her mortal form, crouching low to the ground as she drew nearer where the trio stood.
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 9:37 am
If Jadi notices his sister's hesitation, he says nothing... but the chances that he does notice anything are pretty slim, given how intently he is glaring at the bush. While Kali steps forward to issue her own challenge in return, he is watching and thinking (even as a growl rumbles in his chest).
That bush really isn't all that big, he realizes. And the branches that are shaking are pretty low to the ground. And all of that scary-talk - well that's just like his siblings, talking big to try to stop others from calling their bluff! When the voice in the bush continues to bluster instead of acting, he draws his conclusion.
"Scary things," Jadi begins, stalking towards the offensive shrubbery, "don't hide in bushes." He growls deep in his throat (not a terribly threatening sound when compared to an adult lion, granted, but he's doing his best!) and begins to snuff around the ground, drawing nearer.
"Scary things," he continues, stopping just outside of the hare's hiding place. And then, suddenly, he thrusts his head inside. Teeth bared, red eyes narrowed, "don't cough."
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 10:24 am
The smaller hare cried out in distress as the gaping jaws of the young cub drew closer to his face. Falling over, Tapelo quickly moved to struggle his way out of the bushes, his intent clear.
He had to get away from these $)*@$ cubs!
Kali watched on in awe as her brother faced down the bush without any flinch or sign of fear. Maybe he really wasn't as sissy as she teased him to be!
She remained where she stood as he drew nearer, and gasped as he shoved his head into the bush itself, taking on whatever lurked within that had threatened them. The young cub had found it odd for the voice to cough.... but everyone coughed, even the bad guys, right?
When the spotted hare emerged from within the bush, Kali let out a small laughter of surprise. A bunny was the owner of the scary voice? How absurd!
Grinning, she took a giant pounce, landing on the black and orange creature before it could struggle to its feet and hop away. Pushing all her weight down on him, she giggled, spreading her mouth wide to show off her fangs to the hare.
"Now let's see who's gonna eat who!"
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 10:30 am
Tukutu suppressed a giggle from escaping as she watched her poor friend turn into a playtoy for the two cubs. It was undeniably strange to find two cubs wandering by their lonesome in the middle of the night, but Tu honestly couldn't blame them, as she tended to be wanderer herself, as a cub (though granted, being a goddess had its perks when it came to survival rates!).
A nearby boulder proved to be a fantastic wall to separate herself from the youngsters and the hare. She had no intentions of intervening just yet, but would first rather watch and see what the cubs do next, now that they've apprehended their 'monster'.
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 10:49 am
A BUNNY? Disgusted with himself for feeling even the slightest bit of fear, Jadi snorts and pulls himself free of the bush. A bunny. What the hell is a stupid bunny doing out here in the middle of the night, trying to scare two royal cubs? Hmph.
Moving with exaggerated calmness and poise, the young cub wanders to his sister's side and grins down at their hapless prey. "Hm," he muses, rubbing at one leg while he considers the options. "No no, Kali, it wouldn't be right to eat him." Jadi smirks, his teeth glinting.
"Hold'im down. I think this stupid bunny will make a great offering, n'I want to try. Gonna be the Vates one day, y'know, so I should start practicin' early!" He leans in closer, baring one claw and directing it towards the pinned hare's belly.
"Let's see how loud y'can yell when I slit you open, hmm?"
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 11:07 am
"no No NOOOOOO" the small hare screamed, flailing beneath the body of the young female cub. His eyes widened when he saw the gleaming claw drawing closer to his poor defenseless belly.
"...for the only companion I saw was a spotted hare, of all things."
"WAIT!" Kali demanded at her brother, her paws still standing firmly on the rabbit, refusing to let him escape.
"Jadi," she commented at last, after giving herself a moment to think, "Jadi, I think this rabbit is the intruder's rabbit! Mother said the hare was spotted, and this one's got spots all over his back...and, since he's near the caverns, this rabbit just has to be the intruder's!"
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 11:13 am
Tukutu might have been impressed with the reasoning behind the cub's conclusion, had she not been enthralled with the new title she'd discovered she'd been given by the Queen.
Intruder, hmmmm, she mused to herself, her grin quite large. I suppose I have been called worse. Not very fancy, for certain.
It was clearly time for her presence to be known, less poor Tapelo find himself a few pounds lighter after the young boy exposed his insides. Taking a graceful leap, the large lioness landed atop the boulder she'd been lurking behind, and crossed her paws as she lay there.
"I'd advise against spilling his guts, unless you wish to be treated the same way, little one." She called out clearly, giving the two young cubs a cheerful smile.
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 11:22 am
Poor Jadi, denied his opportunity to practice his skills not just once, but twice! He's about to argue that the hare could probably lead them to his owner even if he was missing a few pounds of intestine when the lioness suddenly makes her presence known.
"...uh," he gapes, staring up at the intruder. She's HUGE, what was his sister thinking?! There's no way they can bring the intruder back to their parents, not in a million years. And now they're far from the den, and all alone, and she's so big. His initial fears of getting in trouble are now replaced with the very real fear of getting injured, or even captured.
Thinking fast, he darts forward and rests his paw upon the rabbit's belly, claws bared. "Y-you stay b-back, y'hear me? S-stay back, or the rabbit gets it!"
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 11:34 am
If Kali had thought the rabbit's eyes were big, she should have seen how large her own had grown when she noticed the large lioness's presence!
Her thoughts left the rabbit, and her focus and vision remained on the larger being sitting a ways off, watching them. How long had she been there? Had she seen all of it? Why hadn't her mother made mention of how big she was, instead of making it sound like she was some sort of easy catch?
Now that the intruder had been discovered, Kali'ari's plan was finished. She'd plotted to find the intruder, to bring the intruder back to Mother and Father, but the method and means of capturing and transporting... never occurred to her, to have to figure out beforehand.
Her head jerked and she watched Jadi threaten the older lioness to stay where she was. Despite obviously being nervous, he still managed to hold his own. So why was her tail still tucked under?!
Swallowing, she took a deep breath, her mind racing, trying to come up with some sort of defense, some sort of way to save both her and Jadi, since she'd gotten them both into all of this mess.
Finally, the solution came to her. If Jadi's threat could work (the lioness wasn't moving, after all), then why couldn't one of Kali's threats work too?
"She doesn't realize who we are, J-Jadi." Kali started, keeping her voice loud enough in hopes of the lioness hearing. She struggled to keep from shaking, but did the best she could manage. "If she knew that we were the cubs of the Queen and Warleader, then she'd know that killing us would mean d-death for her."
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 11:41 am
"Oh, come now." She cooed, the smile never leaving her face as she watched the two cubs' reactions. "You wouldn't hurt poor Tapelo, now, would you?"
Rising from her rock, she let out a small giggle, shaking her head as she gave them a wink, her focus particularly on the young determined male. "Of course you wouldn't. For I'm sure, being the children of royalty after all, that you'd be smart enough to know that if you were to kill my friend, you'd only make me all the more angry. And I don't think you'd want to risk your chances by spoiling my mood, hmm?"
She kept her distance from the group, all the same, but made her point clear that she was ignoring the direction this 'Jadi' had given her by taking a few steps foward towards them.
"Now, tell me, little ones. How is it that two children of royalty managed to wander into my territory this late at night? Wouldn't that make you the intruders?"
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 11:50 am
"None of this is yours!" Jadi spits, with surprising venom behind his words. The nerve of that intruder! Who does she think she is, waltzing into lands that are theirs and theirs alone by right of conquest and the will of the spirits? "We are the Mizimu'Tungika, and you do not belong here. Outsider! You are trespassing on our lands. The spirits are not pleased, and neither are we."
More angry than he thought was possible, the young cub hisses and lashes his tail. "Kali, go," he urges, his voice low, and he leans more of his weight upon the rabbit. Sharp little claws would create an unpleasant and unnerving sensation for the helpless rabbit - how hard does he have to press before flesh gives way to claw? "Go!"
"You stay right there!" he yells at the intruder, a snarl behind his words. If he can keep her attention on him then his sister can escape. He may not be the Vates yet, but he's already embraced the concept of protecting his sister - the possible future Queen - with every fibre of his being. "You stay there, and you tell me why you are here." Forcing a calm he does not feel, Jadi'Aushi lowers his hackles and affects a neutral expression.
"If your reason is good enough, then perhaps we will spare your life."
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 12:07 pm
"No Jadi, I'm not leaving you!"
Her tiny claws were still pressed against the poor rabbit's body, but Kali'ari had made up her mind. As tempting as it was to run away and leave all this mess in another lion's paws, this was not Jadi's responsibility to take care of. She was the one who got them into this mess, she was the one who was so determined to be strong and fearless like a Warrior... and now she was being defended on by her baby brother, of all lions. Despite the fear coursing in her, the idea of leaving without her brother... having to explain to her parents what happened to her brother, and then having to live with the knowledge she was the reason for his death... no, she couldn't deal with that. She wouldn't deal with that.
"I'm not leaving you for her to split open." She reiterated, this time, more stubborn. "We're gonna catch her and return her to Mother and Father and then we're going to go back to BED."
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 12:21 pm
Tell them why she was here?
Give them a reason and they'll spare her life?
Turn her in?
The goddess bit her tongue to keep herself from all-out laughing at the adorable little duo who seemed to think quite highly of themselves. Had they run into anything of actual ill-intent, neither would last long. It was a wonder, really, how those two had managed to make it as far as they had without running into trouble. Nevertheless, their presence presented a wonderful opportunity for Tukutu, who had managed to quickly devise a scheme into gaining further access into the pride.
Her train of thought was quickly interrupted, however, as Tapelo let out a shrill shriek at his stomach being cut.
Although Tukutu had a soft spot in her heart for children (after all, what better minions of mischief were there, than children themselves?), her friends held a higher priority. She let out a warning growl, her eyes narrowing as she stepped forward to examine the slice made across the hare's body. It wasn't too terribly deep, which was good for the cub's sake.
"Alright." She uttered, staring down at the Queen's offspring. "Alright. I'll make you a deal. Let Tapelo go and in exchange you may escort me back to your parents as your prisoner. As far as your questions go, sir, only your parents may hear the answers I have to give."
Leaning down, she moved to where her nose was nearly touching Jadi's, her serious expression slowly moving back into a smile. "Do we have ourselves a deal, young Prince?"
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 12:35 pm
"Nobody's gonna split me open," he mutters sourly. Jadi manages to be both annoyed at Kali for her refusal to leave, and immensely grateful. He does huff at her a little, but some of the fear he's been shoving deep down inside dissipates. ...well, until the lioness growls, that is. Her growl - which is infinitely more threatening than his own childish utterance - brings a new welling of fear to his heart. Struggling to maintain his outward calm, the cub swallows hard and stares right back at her.
"O-okay," he stammers, then frowns and squares his shoulders before retracting his claws and stepping away from the trapped hare and conveniently enough, also stepping away from the lioness' too-close presence). "You are free to go, Tapelo." The situation is still a little uncertain, but the youth does his best to mask his own worries. What if she's lying? There's nothing stopping her from doing whatever she wants now... well, he might as well act as if she'll behave. Maybe if he acts like it's going to happen, it will!
"I'm no Prince," he scoffs, shaking his head. "I'm Jadi'Aushi, m'a Royal Sacrifice. But some day I'll be the Scion, and then the Vates. Y'should learn more about our pride if yer gonna trespass here, y'know."
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