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She defiantly glared back at her mother, then gave her brother a dissapointed look. "Well you WOULD huddle up to her, YOU can marry out of the class!" She pushed past Aysu, irritation high. Nina saw little hope in the world for her. One option was to simply leave the pride, but she was too loyal to her family for that. She only paused long enough to wait for Kin and Najisi to catch up to her, tail lashing as she refused to look her mother in the eye again.

Najisi walked over to Kin, offering the hunter a smile. "Thank you Kin. And, by the way..." He reached up, pinching the cloud-marked male's cheek. "My name is Najisi. Don't forget it, and don't ever call me Goldy again." What was he, a lioness? He walked on past Kin, following Nina. "You may want to have someone check your wounds later, Kin... Don't want them infected, do you?" Perhaps that was his youth talking. He'd grown up around a lioness who practiced the healer trade, using her seer powers to try and fix physical injuries. She rarely touched anybody otherwise.

Kin fell into step behind Najisi. "Whatever you say, Goldy." He simply grinned through a swollen eye at the glare he got, before he looked at Halili. Her cloud markings made him wonder for a moment if she was related, before she remembered that her mother, the nurse priestess, was where they came from, making her unrelated. She was a slave, though, and that was what mattered to him far more. "Where do you think Shangyue MIGHT be?"

As he sat down, Gyps glared at Kin while the lion passed. As his gaze traveled around, he spied Mvusha, thinking about what he'd heard from one of the huntresses. The lioness had what looked like delicate butterfly wings on her back, made of some form of moonlight and clouds. It was a stunning effect... But she'd told him that when she had last seen the blue-maned lion before she found where the pride had settled, he had been a priest. When she'd found the new home, he was a slave. Gyps figured the lion was probably bitter since then. He looked away, before he got up and started following the others. His leg twinged, sore from his fight with Kin. The younger lion was strong, he'd give him that...

Akemi huffed at the sudden call for silence. Her attempt to bait the female guard to initiate the first swing had failed, and the lioness wasn't intent in stirring the pot anymore than it was at the moment. Her eyes glanced to the high-class and middle-high class lions that were beginning to gather. A bit of a resistance to the slaves stirring up the current trouble. She stealthily moved herself away from the other slaves, giving a respectable distance from everyone around her...though she did keep at eye on the interesting Najisi.

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Upenzi had put herself into a mild stage of hiding after the initial death announcement of the king. There were...things that she had to put together, things that she rarely had to do in the past. Funerals. Especially when it had been so near the new moon, would the Great Lion even notice the death? She knew that he would once his soul went to him, but it was still unsettling. Everything happened so suddenly, and now she was suddenly feeling like her world was crumbling beneath her.

Finally, she could take it no longer. She herself walked towards to scuffle that had broken out, cut short by the angry yell of Aysu.

"Please," Upenzi said, her voice cracking as she tried to speak loud enough for everyone to hear her. "Please, no more fighting. I cannot prepare anymore funerals so soon, please...." Her tail curled under her body, as she hoped that the useless fighting would just stop.


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"Hunters," Hyousa ordered attention as she walked past Upenzi from out of no where. Her deep violet eyes noticed a decent amount of her hunters here, paying attention to Aysu. Good, good. "We must all follow Aysu. Keep one another safe. Leave your ears open and your eyes sharp. Do not pass judgement until we have the truth." Her tail twitched, the normal social and gossipy lioness forced to act to the title of her job.

She turned to Aysu with a nod. "We will follow."

So now the group was moving, and Rishima and Stela remained in their thick shrubby hideout.

"Are we going to follow them?" Stela asked excitedly, even though she hadn't heard a word of what had been said, and had just been pouting not seconds before.

Rishima gave it a thought, turning things over in his mind. One could only stand on the fence for so long. But he wasn't considering taking sides. Not yet, but rather he should follow and gain more information to help his decision, or keep out of it entirely....

A new order of things in the pride was at stake - could they just sit here and not have some paw in it? They could. Things would never be the same again, though. Rishima didn't exactly feel like hearing the outcome second hand. The least he wanted was to bare witness to the proceedings himself.

Rishima nodded, "Yes, but at a distance. We do not mingle withe either the slaves, or... Or the others. Remember, we are not taking a side until I say so."

Stela squealed and started off, "Alright! Got it!"

Rishima followed after her.

Amarantos just shook his head with a grim look on his face. He didn't know what to believe at this point. One murder, and rumors about more... It was impossible to know if it was true that Shangyue had done it.

"I don't know," he said, "Wait, there's Maua!"

He hadn't seen her at all until she left the shadows to heed the call for hunters.

"Yes," he said at that point, "I think we should follow."



Xwaya also followed the group. He ran without really knowing why, but he kept to the edge of the group. He didn't dare to leave the protection of the more fortunate lions this night, but with all the hostility and fighting he was also afraid to run too close. What if they thought that he was going to try something funny? Why did this have to happen when the Great Lion didn't look at them? He hadn't been this scared and worried since he was a cub.

Gyps finally stood up as the others left, letting out a quiet groan of pain. He'd find a way to get Kin back for this... Through the ache, he started to walk away, going a different direction. He'd have to go find Haggy... Maybe she had something from her little garden that could help with the pain and prevent his scratch marks getting infected. As the leaves of a plant brushed on his wounds, he cringed, trying to not yelp. He was a big strong lion... He shouldn't let on that he was in pain THAT much.

Somehow, Atsuko had missed the scuffle that had gone on. In fact, she'd missed a lot. The Lady had been asleep when word had gone out that Selene and Fuu were dead at their son's paws, and as she went for a walk in the darkness, her pale coat popping out even in the dark, she noticed the lions hurrying along. When she spied Xwaya, she fell in pace beside him. "Xwaya, what's going on?" Despite her high station in life, Atsuko preferred the company of the slaves. Perhaps it was because her mother was one. One day, she'd take a mate who was a slave... And then they could share the Great Lion's favor more directly. She just wished she could help the female slaves, too.

Well, it seemed that the boys had calmed down, now that they'd gotten some violence out of their systems. Of course, what male was going to resist giving into the plaintive cry of a beautiful lioness like the Host Upenzi? Even Halili's thoughts dripped sarcasm as she watched the situation unfold further.

And of course a high class, prissy lioness like Caritas was only concerned about the lions she was related to, and the ones who were in her class. Hence her interest in Halili's father. Oh yes, the beige lioness did love Uchanjaa, but that didn't keep her from understanding that her father would almost certainly never forgive Shangyue for Selene's death...and that didn't mean she had to agree with him.

She snorted to herself and stalked off, following where Aysu led. For now. She wanted to know what happened next, especially since it seemed that her entire class was getting involved, or at least implicated.

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"That...that is good to hear," the black lioness replied to Aysu. She almost smiled in relief, but remembered that the Shaman's safety was just one person in an entire pride where no one could truly know who was safe at the moment. It was true that the only victims thus far had been those who literally stood between Shangyue and the throne...but who knew how long that would continue?

She was also disappointed by Halili's response concerning her father. Caritas had never heard of the slave being so irascible and malicious before - had, in fact, been told that there was no one else in the low class as friendly and open as Halili! - and wasn't entirely certain what to think of the other lioness' total about-face. And...was that one of Halili's daughters, over there? Cowering behind one of the Hunters?

It seemed as if the entire pride was being turned upside down. Sighing, Caritas followed the group that Aysu was leading. She might as well see this out.

Shangyue & Ianthe



It was a dark, moonless night that started out very quietly but quickly progressed into chaos. Shangyue was apparently moving through the pride alone but he knew his shadow followed close behind him and ran confidently. He was looking for one lioness in particular but he reacted quickly when he came upon the familiar form of his eldest sister. Ianthe would be his next biggest threat if not for her meek personality but he would not underestimate her. She was important enough not to pass by in hopes of finding Stellaluna.

The prince came to a stop a short distance from her, making no effort to hide his approach. This was not an ambush. He was looking rough and tired, evidence of his earlier confrontations clear in his overall presence-- but he also looked determined.

"Ianthe," he said, his voice level but dangerous, "I'm glad I found you."

The night's only blessing was that Ianthe hadn't been the one to find her parents' bodies. When her world erupted into chaos, the eldest princess of the Mwezi'Johari had begun to panic. She ran, trying to find her younger sister- but Zhen had apparently disappeared. Her search was desperate and frantic, but it drove her, completely obsessing her for the time. She had to think about those who might still be alive, because the alternative was a complete breakdown. The lioness was a gentle soul; coping with the violent death of her parents and grandparents wasn't something she was well-equipped for. The adrenaline rush was bitter to her mind; fear gnawed at her core like a vicious poison. So when her elder brother came across her, she almost bolted. His voice kept her somewhat grounded; at least one of her family had survived.

Of course, his presence might give credence to what she'd heard. Her voice trembled as she looked up at him.

"Shangyue, it's horrible. Mother and Father are... somebody's killed them. I can't find Zhen. I haven't seen Shuiyue. They... they say you..." She couldn't finish, her nerve failing her. Ears flattened, she forced herself to raise her head and look him in the eye. "Is it true?"

He couldn't have done it, could he have? Could her brother, her own flesh and blood, have brutally murdered their own parents and grandmother in ostensibly cold blood for the sake of power? Was being king that important to him? Or could this be something else? A slave uprising trying to lay the blame for the murders on him? This was what she'd prefer to believe, because if what the pride was saying was the truth...

Then she was in more danger than she ever had been before.

Shangyue's expression changed when Ianthe started off sounding like she hadn't heard the full story he'd had spread around, his head tilted and he looked almost surprised.. and then she trailed off at the accusations flying around regarding him. This was going to be easier than he thought, Ianthe looked like a mild wind could take her now. He frowned regretfully, having long since decided he had a better shot if he didn't go the aggression-only route.

"It's true," he said, holding his head high despite his feigned regret, "Mother and Father are gone, Grandmother is too. I personally made sure of that."

His voice was loud enough to carry beyond the two of them should they be approached. Now that he had Ianthe, learned Zhen was likely not to be found and had, at the least, his shadow behind him, he was not worried about being overheard. In fact, it was better that way.

"I don't want to leave any loose ends," he continued, his voice becoming more serious and taking a deliberate step closer to her, "I'm here to make sure I'm not going to run into any problems with you. Should I be worried, Ianthe?"

Body hunched low, Ianthe scuttled away from her brother, her face a wash of disbelief and terror. She couldn't defeat him in combat; he was bigger and stronger, and clearly hungry enough for the power of the throne that he'd kill those who gave him life. Maybe she could flee; the killing might have worn him down, made his muscles weary. Of course, it might also have invigorated him. To flee would instantly mark her as a problem, and he would hunt her down. She didn't want to be a problem- and this was her home. This was her pride, and she couldn't abandon them. This was her family- well, what was left of it, anyways.

"I'd heard rumors, but I'd prayed they were lies," she murmured, staring at her paws. "I- the slaves- I thought- didn't want to believe- but it doesn't... doesn't matter." She flexed her claws once, considered them for a moment, then retracted them once more. She didn't want to appear to be a threat, a thought she almost had to laugh at. This was her brother. He knew her, and knew that she wasn't a fighter. She'd do nearly anything to avoid violence.

Nearly anything. "W-where are Zhen and Shuiyue?" she asked, suddenly finding a voice. She stared back into his eyes, refusing to answer his question until he answered hers. "Were they loose ends?"

She knew she wouldn't win the fight, but if he'd killed their little siblings, then she'd make him suffer for it. Right now their survival was the only hope she had left.

Shangyue watched her carefully, his expression now controlled as he tried to keep from setting her unnecessarily off course as she worked through what was going on now. His eyes went to her feet when she extended and retracted her claws but he didn't take it as a serious threat, it was only natural to consider it and they both knew it wouldn't work.

He didn't immediately answer any of her questions, wondering how necessary it was to stretch the truth.. clearly the big question was if they were alive or not, and those facts needed no embellishment.

"They are safe," he said carefully, pacing before Ianthe, "My allies know to leave you three to me. I haven't seen Zhen tonight, you sounded like you had been looking for her and failed. Perhaps she is hiding or has fled. Shuiyue is no threat to me or my cause, he knew enough to figure out what happened last night and he kept his silence. He is most certainly my ally."

Never mind that the same logic that applied to Zhen could be applied to Shuiyue since, so far, neither Shangyue nor Ianthe had seen them that night.. but with evidence that Shuiyue was even passively participating in his takeover, Shangyue was confident implying their brother was alive, well and in favor of the events of the night.

Relief coursed through Ianthe, a balm to soothe the night's wounds. So at least her siblings had survived. Zhen might even have escaped, and as for Shuiyue supporting Shangyue's takeover... well, she figured that he'd been put in a similar situation and chosen the path of least resistance. "Then I am not- and will not be your problem," she said, raising her head just a little. "You are the king now, and I will support you and your reign. Shuiyue and I are both your allies. If I find Zhen, she will be, too." She paused, swallowed, considered. "You... you're still my brother. I always knew you'd be king someday. I just didn't think it would be so soon." The ghost of a smile graced her muzzle as a pronounced sadness drained the fear from her eyes. She thought back to when they were cubs, playing together without thinking of lines of succession under their parents' watchful gaze. This would have been unthinkable then; it was almost so now, like a bad dream or horror story to be told to cubs on moonless nights.

Nights like this one.

"Brother," she said, doing her best to emphasize that they were still family, "please... take care. I've... we've lost enough family tonight. I don't want to lose you, too. What of the lower classes? Of the slaves? With all the rumors flying about, there might be more to this chaos than there seems. The unrest might bubble over into riots. There might be attacks. You're in charge now; do you have a plan to keep control?"

Shangyue looked very satisfied by her submission. He didn't have to worry about Ianthe. Naturally he would be careful but he would give her what trust he felt was safe to offer. She would be a very useful ally, more useful than Shuiyue.

He tilted his head thoughtfully to consider her question, his eyes wandering out to where he knew his shadow, Firaga, was lurking. Something else caught his eye- but he looked back to his sister.

"I will keep things under control," he said calmly, confidently, "The slaves are my allies, they know they can count on me to help them improve their lot. Tonight was my doing but soon, everybody will understand the power they possess."

He may have been the one responsible for the murders but he knew that his traveling through the pride's lands without confrontation so far was in no small part thanks this his supporters- and the great majority of them were slaves. Without even a second glance behind him, he turned around with a flourish- clearly aware of the crowd gathering and not at all worried about it.

"So, my subjects have found their king."