Welcome to Gaia! ::

As his gaze drifts across the escaped Sacrifices, Sakata has to suppress the urge to lift his lips in a disgusted sneer. Here they are, born into the most blessed position imagineable, and they throw that away? It's as if they never understood how lucky they were that they could live a full life, have children of their own, and die with honour. Bemused, he shakes his head.

"Skugga, Samehe. Although you got there through different routes, you abandoned the pride and values with which you were raised. For reasons I cannot begin to fathom," and he shoots a glance at Hodari'nafsi and Aula'nafsi, "you have been given a second chance to prove your worth. But the honour of a Sacrifice is something you will have to earn, now that your spirits have been tainted with cowardice." The Warleader pauses, and another Haruspex (since the first is still busy with the cousins) steps forward to mark their flanks. It seems as though that is all they will have to suffer, until the Haruspex's gaze drops and she sees the pelt Skugga wears. With a snarl and a careless swipe of her too-sharp claws she rips it free, slicing into the lioness' leg in the process.

Sakata actually seems startled by her actions, until he notices the pelt. A curious waver enters his voice when he continues, speaking as if from rote. This is what he is meant to say, but clearly not all he wants to say now. "You will serve the pride in every role, but as a Slave. Through this I hope that you will find a deeper understanding of the Mizimu'Tungika. Perhaps some day you will earn your freedom; perhaps some day you will even earn the honour of being a Sacrifice once again." To his credit, he manages to keep his voice free of the doubt that is plainly seen in his eyes. Something tells him that at least one of the lionesses before him will never earn the honour of regaining the status of Sacrifice.

"Yuusa. You dishonoured on yourself and your sister by hiding her escape. You put yourself in danger, needlessly, on more than one occasion. You brought suspicion down upon yourself, even to the point where we had you guarded for fear that you would attempt to escape as well." A scowl flashes briefly across his muzzle, then he shrugs. "But you proved your faith in the spirits and your pride when you stood against those who would steal our youth. Understand that, had you not done this, you would no longer be given the honour of a Sacrifice. The worthiness of your spirit has been proven. Let us hope that in time, your sister's spirit will also be vindicated." He gestures for the three lionesses to leave, then turns to the next group.

"Petra," Sakata frowns, "I have been petitioned by Shinda, on your behalf, to allow you to join us as a Warrior. With my assent, you fought at her side against your former comrades. But before that, you fled the pride as a coward would. You fled your fate, instead of fighting for a new path." He rises, and gestures towards Majaliwa - an Augur. "When I came across a member of the Heart playing at war, I offered him a chance to learn from my Warriors. It is not impossible to change, Petra, not if you have the will. But I did not hear that there was a Sacrifice who wished to fight. You assumed that you would not be welcome. And your assumption could have cost both your own life... and your sister's."

"Una. Your actions, though well-intentioned, were wrong. You should have given your sister up long before you did, and what's worse, you put yourself in danger." And finally, his gaze settles upon Shinda. "You should have known to come to me sooner," is all he says.

"Petra, your bid to become a Warrior has been denied - for now. You will be a Slave to the pride you abandoned. And Una, you are no longer worthy of the rank of Sacrifice. Since your concern for your sister outweighed your concern for the spirits and your pride, you are now her Master. And Shinda... I will hold you responsible for them both. See that Petra gets her training, when she has finished with her daily duties as a Slave." The Warleader snorts and looks back at the blue lioness; he gestures for the Haruspex. She places the mark upon Petra, and then an orange mark upon Una. "When Petra earns her freedom, perhaps you may reclaim your position as a Sacrifice. Until that time, she is yours to command."

With that duty done, Sakata sighs quietly and turns his attention back to his pride. "It will take some time to adjust to their presence among us." And in the days that follow, the rules of conduct concerning the slaves will be circulated. But for now... there are two other things that need to be addressed. First, "It's time for the Healers of the pride to step forward, to care for our wounded and the captives. I know that some of the Healers 'retired' after the last war, so I ask that you work with the younger generations to train them in your arts. Something tells me that we're not done fighting yet."

And second... the former Second. His attention is called towards the Dhati leaders, as Ufahami emits a particularly loud moan of pain. It won't be long now.

The war and the personal ordeals she'd been forced to endure because of it had left their marks on Una, and given her much to think about. All the lies she'd told, and the scheming she'd done had been for the betterment of her sister's life. She had felt, in the darkest recesses of her heart, that the choices she'd made and the things she'd done were right. Her behaviour had been absolutely necessary, to ensure Petra's well-being and to satisfy what she'd believed to be the will of the Spirits.

The bright blue lioness stood before Sakata, amongst the other who'd been called up to stand with her, and there was a stony expression on her face. Her head hung low, and her fiery gaze was glued to her front paws. She had listened as he and the Haruspex as they dealt out punishments, and it had taken a lot out of her to sit in silence as she waited for Petra's turn. Then, when she heard her own name on that whip of a tongue, her heart had had nearly given out.

This was beyond unexpected. He addressed her, delivered her sentence, and it was all Una could do not to howl in horrified outrage. Sakata said that she should have given her sister up and, for the first time since the beginning of this whole mess, Una felt herself at complete odds with the Mizimu. Una would have sooner died than give up on Petra. It was ridiculous for them to suggest such a thing.

She did not trust herself to look up, and she tested her claws angrily against the softness of the soil beneath her paws as she was robbed of her Sacrificial rites and handed a new, foreign obligation. Una had no desire to be anyone's Master. Least of all Petra's, a lioness whose heart was so wild and reckless that it could only be guided, and not contained.

Petra had barely looked at or spoken to her since that fateful day when Una had sold her soul to salvage what was left of her sister's, and now neither of them were getting what they wanted. She loathed the prospect of a future where she and Petra were no longer sisters and, instead, servant and master.

This was not what she'd meant to happen. This wasnot how it was supposed to be.

Silently furious, seething inside, she stood icily and allowed the Haruspex to brand her. When that was finished, she turned and reclaimed her old seat, and was pleasantly surprised when Petra settled down beside her. She glanced sideways at her opposite, and pledged to help the orange lioness in anyway that she could.

Yuusa sat stiff and straight as her sister and Samehe received their sentences, and only Skugga's sudden scream managed to shake her out of her concentration. Glancing over, she too saw the dark pelt bracelet fall to the ground, and something deep inside of her shifted, somehow. She didn't even look at Skugga as her twin was being led away, but found her attention thoroughly captured by the simple, dirty little rag.

Then Sakata called out her name, and her bright blue eyes snapped back to him, only to falter and lower in shame as the Warleader pulled her sins up for all to see. She tried her best to prepare herself for what was to come, but she had not dared to hope that it would be such complete forgiveness. Hearing the Warleader proclaim that she had vindicated herself and proved her faith filled her with such a wild sense of relief and gratitude that it was all she could do to remain upright as her paws began to tremble, and she offered up a single, heartfelt prayer of apology and eternal gratitude to the spirits, under her breath, and a deep bow of her head to the Warleader.

She was beckoned to leave, and somehow managed to stand up on paws that shivered like leaves in a storm, but something halted her steps. Turning back once more, she padded over to where the discarded little rag of black fur laid, and gently took it in her mouth, carrying it with her as she walked back into the crowd, head held high even though her chest thrummed and burned with an old, very familiar, but finally truly released pain.

It tasted like a sacrifice.

As the procession of lions passes before him, the Warleader grows visibly more worn down. Emotionally, and physically. This war has been longer than it had any right to be, and the seeming-eternity of scant meals and high stress have taken their toll. Having to pass judgment on members (and former members) of his pride is not a task that Sakata takes lightly, and it shows.

He suppresses another, deeper sigh, and then rises to make his way towards the labouring ex-Queen of the Dhati. The tasks that lie before him are unknown to most within the pride, but the darkened expression that the large lion wears does not bode well for the mother, nor her unborn cubs. She works to bear her spawn alone, isolated as she is upon a smooth plane of rock. Her rasping cries for help (forcibly quiet thanks to Malaika's sharp claws) are punctuated by groans of pain, her breath coming sharper and faster.

The pride watches in silence. Sakata watches in silence, his gaze intent. And as the Queen rises to bear down and free the cubs from her womb, both Minders and Haruspex move forward to do their duty. Her form is hidden by their bodies; the pride can see nothing. But they hear the cries of newborn cubs. They hear the cries of pain from their mother. And then... a gurgle. And silence.

When the assembled lions disperse, the scene is revealed. Ufahami is dying, her throat slit and her entrails spilled. In the end, she dies as a Sacrifice should. Her dimming gaze seeks wildly for the cubs she was never permitted to see, never permitted to groom for the first time, or feel their warmth against her as they feed. Keen-eyed members of the pride might catch a glimpse of the Dhati cubs before they are spirited away by the Minders.

But poor Magadi, situated as he is, can only see the dying form of his mate. And then even that view is cut off, as Sakata steps deliberately between them.

It was a funny thing how a memory could fluctuate. The mind could be clouded and lost in one moment and in the next clarity could come crashing down like a cold wave. For Magadi, the comfort that his muddle mind provided was wearing away, and his confusion parted like a veil to reveal the truth to him.

His eyes followed Sakata, watching him as he approached Ufahami. Staring at his mate before Sakata shielded her form from him, watching her panting and slowly coming to realize what was happening to her, aided the first bits of his memory. As the cries of newborn cubs filled the air, cold truth gripped his mind. Those were his cubs crying out, that was his mate laying in labor, and this was not a meeting where he was an honored guest at all.

Things happened too quickly.

Just as Magadi tried to stand and reach Ufahami, the sounds of gurgling filled the air. The guards around him swarmed to keep him down, but as Sakata moved to show the pride the dull-eyed form of his mate, entrails decorating the ground like a sick masterpiece, his cold fear was replaced with a boiling rage. He'd killed her. He'd killed his shining light, the only hope he had in this world. And where were his cubs, he'd heard them, he'd heard them!

"SAKATA!" it was a growl, shout and roar all at once. He was struggling uselessly against the forms around him as his claws dug at the soil beneath him. He was flinging dirt around him, churning the earth up in his fury, and his gaze was a wild-eyed stare that tried to kill Sakata from a distance. If he could reach him, if he could just get his paws on that b*****d he would show him what it felt like to have his entrails dragging the ground. He would, he would do it for Ufahami. How could he forget her?

The enraged bellow of the Dhati king rolls off Sakata's broad shoulders, unacknowledged. His attention is on the dying Queen, his gaze fixed upon hers until the spirits finally come to claim her tainted soul. Did she deserve the honour of being sacrificed? Did she deserve the penalty of never seeing her cubs? That is not for him to decide - he does only as the spirits bid. A silent nod from the Vates tells him everything he needs to know, and he turns away from the scene.

And now, on to the final order of business.

"Magadi'Afya," the Warleader intones, his pace measured as he closes the distance between them, "your mate has paid for her wrong-doings, paid in the life she brought to the pride, and in her death. But you..."

"You have nothing to offer. You are beaten, your false cause is lost. Those who followed you are captured, dead, or scattered to the four winds. Cowards, the lot of you." He snorts, his breath hot upon his encumbered rival, and gazes down at the pinned Dhati with disgust clear in his eyes. "There is nothing of value left in your spirit, Magadi'Afya, but your presence can still be of some use to me."

He gestures to the lions holding Magadi down, and they begin to work. Despite his struggles, the pelt he once wore is ripped away. And his own pelt is decorated - both with the mark of slavery, and with spiraling tattoos that gleam in silent mockery of his dead mate's markings. A quiet huff escapes the Warleader as he looks at the results of their work, and he steps aside to allow the Dhati -- the ex-Second, the new Slave -- to see the remains of his Ufahami.

"Take one last look at her, Magadi. Drink in that sight, and remember it to the end of your days."

And then the Haruspex finishes the job.

Sakata steps back; his paws were too close to the pool of tears and blood that spreads beneath Magadi's head. And after glancing down at one paw - to make sure he hadn't gotten any eye-goo on it, most likely - he re-settles before the assembled members of the pride. Silence reigns, heavy in the air, and he casts his gaze across his pride, his responsibility. It seems that the Warleader has finally accomplished his life-long goal to have sole rule of the pride (his Queen, largely absent during the war, is showing no signs that she wishes to return to power). But now that he has what he wanted, what will he do?

The silence stretches on, and still the pride waits for their leader to dismiss them. He searches for the right words, for something to say that will inspire the souls before him. And then he realizes: there is no need for a fancy speech, no need for a re-affirmation of their strength and unity. This war against the Dhati has unified the Mizimu'Tungika in a manner he could never have imagined.

So he smiles. It's a slow process, an expression that seems to creep across his muzzle as if the muscles are ill-used to being used in that way. But eventually the smile is there for all to see, a smile that is reflected sincerely within his bright orange gaze.

"It is done," he intones. "Change is coming. At the rising of the new moon, we will reconvene and discuss the future of our pride."

With that, Sakata rises and pads away.