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 Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 1:40 pm
The spymaster caught Serkan's look and shrugged as she stepped out, keeping to the side and out of any direct path to their new 'guests'. They could be traitors, or they could be spies, or even assassins... the possibility of each of them was obvious enough to anyone who thought about it.
Morag tried to project calm though, hoping he would pick up on her alert, but unworried, demeanor. If they were traitors, they were valuable beyond belief if they were willing to share their secrets. If they were spies or assassins, well... this small group had them out numbered. If they had support hiding behind them, that was what the scouts she had sent out were for.
"We're interested in anything that manages to kill one of our own and wound a great many others." She said as she turned toward the pair, making no effort to hide that half of her face was horribly scarred, and not long healed either.
Turning back to face the direction they were heading, she resisted the urge to actually glance to where she felt the other Watchers hiding. There was no need to draw attention to them, not until they were needed.
-----
It took a bit of walking to get to the Northern Outpost, but it gave Morag a wash of relief to be somewhere familiar, near where support could reach them if they need it and farther from the reach of the faceless enemy. She took the lead when they padded into sight, approaching the guards stationed there to send them out on patrol and allow her and her group to occupy the actual outpost. A little privacy was called for now, and it seemed the easiest way to put them to use away from the conversation she wanted to have.
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Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 3:25 pm
So, the Nergui had made enemies of these people? That could either work in her favour...or against it. She could have screamed in disbelief at her bad luck but opted for silence instead. The dark male with her remained silent, too. She walked in a weary daze and, by the time they arrived, she felt close to collapsing. How she held it together, she did not know. Her fight for survival clearly was stronger than even she believed. She didn't particularly feel safer at the outpost but at least there was more distance between her and the Nergui. With these strangers her fate was unclear. If the Nergui found her she'd be dead.
"I mean you and your people no harm." She spoke when it seemed they had reached their destination. "I've been planning to leave for a while now but...the opportunity never presented itself. One does not just walk out on the Nergui but it was never my choice to join to begin with." No, that had been her father's choice. Not hers and certainly not her mother's. "I was sent out with another to hunt down a powerful seer and bring him back to the pride to serve as Kaar. Ziro was that seer and when we found him he helped orchestrate my escape."
And the blood on their fur suggested that the other Nergui who had journeyed with Juno had not escaped with its life.
[I'm out of town for the weekend but will be back on Monday/Tuesday to respond <333]
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Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2012 8:38 am
Morag turned from scanning the area and padded back to sit at a safe distance from the intruders, her paws placed neatly and her posture straight.
"What is a Kaar? Much of the Northern language is strange to us and I've never heard that word before. What position did you yourself hold, that you were sent to fetch him?"
The female was a traitor, was she? This pair could be a golden opportunity, but the shine of good fortune around them made her suspicious. Learn what they knew and give away as little as possible that the Nergui didn't already know, then send them on their way. That seemed like the best way to deal with them.
Taking them captive was an option, giving them a chance to dig further for information or even use them as leverage against the North, but... that was two more mouths to feed and bodies to share water with, two more eyes and ears to hear and see things they shouldn't. Better to get rid of them, but killing in cold blood was... just not Morag's style, not without a really good reason.
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Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 2:26 pm
Serkan took a seat near Morag, keeping a suspicious eye on the two new lions. When he heard her question, he tilted his head. He swore he'd heard that word... He'd have to ask his brother if he remembered it at all. For the moment, he was a silent sentinel, eyes hard as they watched the two lions. A curious pair... They were hiding something rather big, he could just feel it. But what was it they were hiding? Obviously, it wasn't their former alliances with the Nergui. Or were they secretly still allied, and leading an army here right now? He looked at Morag, one eyebrow up as if to ask that very question.
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Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2012 11:58 am
[Apologies for the late response, ended up getting sick after my weekend away ): ]
"Kaar is our word for seer." Juno replied simply, trading a glance with the black lion. Unfortunately he did not look her way, his eyes shaded as if he wasn't even paying attention to what was going on. Perhaps it was best that way - that he retreat into his mind and pretend this wasn't happening. "I was but a humble emkurcar." She continued. "I do not know how to translate that for you. I was trained to fight but that was not my sole role. We did other things, too, such as hunting and watching over the cubs. No two days are ever the same in such a rank. I was being tested for promotion and assigned to this duty alongside one of the braak. They are like...warriors. Soldiers. Higher up than I was. If the mission was a success I may have risen to rank of braak, too."
She blinked and cast a look about the strange brigands. "Two of us were sent to find the seer but when we found him he was...unwilling." Her eyes darted back to Ziro. Still he said nothing, so she pressed on: "The braak with me meant to intimidate him and I used the distraction as an advantage..." She gestured to the blood on her fur. On Ziro's fur. "Then we ran."
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Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2012 8:04 am
Red eyes narrowing, the dark lioness assessed the new information. Kaar was seer. Emkurcar was a low rank, possibly the lowest above slave and a common rank if they did duties like hunting and caring for cubs. Braak was a step above that. She aligned the ranks in her mind with the Firekin equivalent and pondered what use it would, or could, be to them. All knowledge was worth having, even if it seemed useless.
"Are seers revered among your people? Would kaar put him higher than braak, or lower?" She said softly, keep her face smooth to show little more than interest in what they were saying. Seers holding rank in the pride could account for some of the oddities they had found in the campaign against the Nergui. Like how the enemy had known a small band of spies would try to infiltrate their lands... Morag wondered if their own refusal to utilize the power of Seer visions would turn out to be an asset or a weakness. It certainly seemed to be helping the enemy.
"And what about Oma?" She said finally, being very careful this time not to give away how much she wanted to know this bit of information. "We've heard that word added to names from the North, once or twice."
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Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2012 10:52 am
Juno nodded. "Revered and feared both. They see things they shouldn't." She explained needlessly, though it was clear that the power made her more wary than awestruck. "But there must be some value in what they see. The Nergui would cast them aside if it wasn't so." She blinked. "As to their status...the braak would probably be on equal terms with them. Only the most powerful Kaar study their--craft--full-time. Those who do not see as much as the Nergui would like take other roles to serve better."
Her tail twitched. "Oma? Oma is like...'sir', I would think. Only the most respected of Nergui have the title following their name. There is a Kaar Oma and she is the head of the Kaar. Few are higher in rank than she is."
Her eyes flicked nervously. "You...have met the Nergui? They did not try to...recruit you into their numbers?" That seemed off, especially considering the size and ferocity of these lions. She swallowed, growing nervous again and behind her, Ziro gave a gruff sound as he cleared his throat.
"The little female." He meant Juno. "Tells me they will come. They want me enough to chase. If they see you, they might want to keep you, too."
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Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2012 1:33 pm
"Our interactions thus far have come mostly second hand." Morag said as she mulled over the new information. "Save for a convenient attack on our southern outpost that killed one of our own and wounded many others. They were disguised, though, and as we didn't take any captives, it can't be conclusively proven that the Nergui are behind the attack. We meerly suspect. They have thus far gone to great lengths to avoid direct conflict or contact with us... Its quite possible here, so close to our pride, could be the safest place for you two to be at the moment."
Glancing to the lions that stood with her, she gave her tail a flick and worked on how much information to give these two. Too dangerous to be completely open with them and risk information leaking to the enemy, but at the same time, if they were truly traitors, not enough information would lead to suspicion and withholding important details. Morag's mind was constantly working, going over and over what to say and what to withhold, what details to relate truthfully and which to twist to her ends.
"The Hongshan came south when they escaped enslavement by the Northerners and brought with them dire warnings and tales of the mysterious Nergui. They know little of that group's inner workings though, having spent most of their captivity doing hard labor. And even that they couldn't explain, as they couldn't find the reasoning behind it. Some have spoken of a Graos Oma... but our information on him is as sparse as the rest of it." Let them think it was the Hongshan who had told her of him, and not a little raven who had been promised to him. Kivu was safer if no one discovered her and her siblings involvement with the Firekin.
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 6:17 am
Listening intently, Serkan remained quiet for the most part, mulling over the information this lioness was giving them. He wasn't sure if he trusted her or not yet, but so far she seemed... Truthful. When the dark male finally spoke, the tri-colored lion's face became a deep frown as his brow furrowed, and he listened to Morag's reply. Finally, a question burned in him that he couldn't bear to NOT ask. He gave Morag a look asking forgiveness for speaking up, then turned to the little lioness, forcing some of the words out to not give away the fact this wasn't entirely his native tongue. "Why do they make.. The slaves... Do menial tasks?" He motioned with a paw. "Digging for nothing, or something?" He wasn't sure why he thought she might know, but the question had been burning... In everyone, really. What were the Nergui looking for, and why did they have the enslaved lions do otherwise pointless tasks?
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Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 7:07 am
A small attack at the outpost? Juno frowned a little at that. Perhaps it had been a test, to see how strong they were. How worthy. Well whatever it was the Nergui would not be done with them. These lions clearly had more than one outpost in any case. Widely spread. A dangerous thing, perhaps.
"Safe? No. Nowhere is safe. The Nergui take what they want." Juno replied grimly. They were a stubborn people. Admirable in a way. They truly believed in their cause but demanded that outsiders follow their ways, too.
"The Hongshan? Oh, yes, I recall some gossip of a successful escape." It was such an unheard of occurrence that Juno often wondered whether the whole thing had been orchestrated. Perhaps the slaver patrol had been told to avert an eye and let a few slip by unseen. It wouldn't be an impossible theory. Best not to word that particular part to her 'captors' however. "The Hongshan were a proud, strong people. Their refusal to follow Nergui lead was a great disappointment to them, or so I am led to believe. But all I hear is gossip and a story can be twisted any number of times before it reached the likes of emkurcar."
To Serkan, she gave a short nod. "Slaves are kept because they show promise but refuse to accept our ways. It is hoped that, before they die a slave, they might find enlightenment and join us instead. As for their tasks, it is better to have a slave work than to sit bored and waste away." There might have been more to it than that, but she was emkurcar and hardly worthy of knowing such things.
She nodded her head, solemnly. "Graos Oma is the king, though none in our group had ever seen him. He stays in the north where the Nergui began. All Nergui will tell you a different tale of him. The lions more fanciful with their words might say he is a colossal lion spun from sunlight, so bright that none can look at him. Others say he was the first to realise the existence of the power Tra Ord Omak and harness it. Some say he is the son of that power. Others say he is but a humble mortal, scarred from head to toe with the glory of battle, who, on his death bed, was visited by the divine power and granted life anew." She shrugged. "But no one knows. There were rumours that he was to visit the horde but he has never come. But, whoever he is, he is wise and strong or else he would not be followed."
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Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 12:09 pm
A lot of information that she more or less already knew. A lot of hearsay, a lot of holes where information had not been passed on to this low-ranked individual. It made her wonder what sort of other information she'd really be able to get from these two. The most useful things she had learned are some vocabulary words and some low rank positions.
"Were you born into the Nergui? Are there others like you, who wish to be free of the pride, or are you unusual and all others are devoted to them? We have never seen defectors come south before." It made Morag wonder about that river of corpses... had they been defectors? Rivals? A small pride that had refused to join?
"Our pride is predominately reds... does the Nergui have such a leaning as far as colors and markings? Most we've seen have been dark in color... save you. One among the Hongshan, who helped them escaped, had strange markings, like bones, showing on his fur."
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Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 7:55 pm
They were forced to do pointless things... To give them something to do until they accepted the Nergui way... Serkan scowled, finding this a deplorable action. "And they do same to cubs, don't they?" Something so small couldn't possibly do that all day every day, though part of him worried that they simply killed any cubs they found. He suddenly greatly hoped they did the same with cubs instead of kill them. It was horrible logic, but the young would be easier to mold to their way. He glanced at Morag, a worry in his eyes about that answer. He then looked back at the lioness, ears flicking at the mention of Tra Ord Omak and the stories of this Graos Oma. He gave a sneer. "This... Graos Oma... He is nothing but a bogey lion, a story, I bet. Someone made him up, story grew from white lie and has spread into plague."
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Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2012 12:35 pm
"No." Juno replied. "I did not start off life there. My parents were rogues until my father was taken in by the Nergui's way of life. I was too young to wander alone so I was taken in with him." She shook her head. "If there are others who think like me, none would dare speak of it. One slip-up in front of the wrong lion and...well, Nergui don't take kindly to traitors. I would fancy that most are devoted, though. They seem that way, at least."
She gave a nod, shifting her weight as if her legs were starting to give out on her. "The Nergui come in all shapes and colours but those with unusual markings are favoured above the rest. The bone markings you speak of are some of the most highly sought after markings. They make one look intimidating and the Nergui like that very much." And then there was her with her pale coat and little more than the mark emblazoned on her neck. She tried to think who the particular male might be, but she had kept herself to herself and had never been one for names.
And then, to Serkan, Juno gave a short shake of her head. She slumped a little until she was forced to sit, grateful that the large black male was there for her to lean against. "No. If a cub's parent's don't submit..." She trailed. Surely she didn't need to spell it out. No Nergui would want to raise a slave's cubs. She shook her head again and leaned against Ziro as if to draw strength from him.
"Whatever he is." She mumbled. "His influence is strong. The Nergui are stubborn and they won't be talked out of their beliefs."
The black lion gave a low growl. "We have been fleeing. We are tired. Let rest then we go. Answer seems simple to me. You join them or you fight. Or...you flee now whilst you have the chance."
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Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2012 10:08 am
Morag watched the pair with interest, her red eyes glittering. Well, they had given them some information, at least... it was her own fault that the spymaster in her was not satisfied with what she had gotten. She suspected it would never be enough, no matter how much she ferreted out. And now that the female looked ready to fall over, there was probably very little else that could be gotten out of them.
Turning, she beckoned Serkan closer and spoke quietly to him. "Go and get something for them to eat. Once they're ready to walk again, we'll escort them out of the pride lands."
To their 'guests', she spoke loud enough they could hear, though her voice held little emotion. "When you are ready to move again, we will escort you south and out of our territory. I'm having food brought to you, as thanks for what information you've been able to share with us, but be warned that if you show your faces here again, you may not be met as warmly as you were this time. Spies are dealt with harshly and I would advise that you avoid being branded as one."
Had the female not been that pale blonde color, she might have offered them refuge the way they had the Hongshan... but a lion couldn't change its pelt, and the male surely wouldn't want to separate from her, not after coming so far together. Escorting them south was all she could do for the deserters, while keeping an eye out that they didn't try any funny business along the way.
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Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2012 11:22 am
The tri-colored male gave a nod, watching the two strangers for a moment before he left - Backing away until he was a safe distance and only then turning around to head off to find something.
It would be a while before he returned, dragging behind him a gemsbok that had seen better days, but was at least disease free as far as any could tell. Very likely, it had been an old animal, ready to die of non-predatory and non-disease causes anyway. Serkan had simply hurried the process.
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