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Now Tael was scared. Owned? She wasn't owned by anyone... Gou would have told her. And Waka wouldn't let her get close to Gou, sweeping at her to get closer to the red lioness. Tael tripped on Waka's paw, sprawling on the sand in an awkward postition. Tael quickly got up again.

"I'm not owned by the Blood, Waka... Gou would've told me." She started backing up towards Gou, her ears flattened in confusion and fear. Tael didn't want anyone to fight.

Gou snorted at the lioness, not bothering to reply and eyes always on the mass of muscle, ears alert to any noises made by the lioness. She was lucky the lioness looked heavy — the Firekin member looked very strong and could probably beat Gou senseless in a fight, but she probably wouldn't be as fast as the caracal. Not to mention everything the lioness did was noisy. Gou could hear the creature's bones creak and muscles tighten from this distance. If Gou could grab Tael and run as fast as she could, she might be able to reach the Pridelands or the old Mistweavers lands... Her charge would certainly slow her down, and she didn't know the lioness's endurance, but she might make it. Tael was making it easier for her too, getting herself farther away from the lioness.

Come on, cub... Just a few steps more and we can get out of here.

Kinja smiled at him. "I can take you a little ways actually, but I won't stray more than a half a day from my cubs. I promise to tell Kiu farewell for you. I am sure he will understand why you left though it will probably hurt him that you didn't say goodbye to him yourself." She looked sadly at him. "You don't have to worry about becoming a slave, we pridelanders don't believe in such things. That's why I reacted to strongly when Jasi told me your father was trying to make her and the others slaves. It's downright horrible. A lion should learn to hunt and how to survive on his own, not rely on others to bring him his dinner all the time. You may have a hard time convincing Mufasa, the king, that you truly have left the Firekin pride though. Until then you will probably have a hard time living, but after you prove yourself you'll be welcomed into the pride with open paws."

"If you want, I can get you all some food before you leave, but, Mwali, you'll have to learn how to fend for yourself so you better watch carefully when I hunt." She smiled. "This is about all I can do for you, but please tellt he others that I, Kimondo, am fine and I have made a life for myself, but please... don't tell them I have joined the Firekin pride. I am... I am not sure how they would react to that." She looked to the ground momentarily before gettin a hold of her emotions and looking back to Mwali. "If you're going to leave tonight we should probably go hunting now. It's the best time to find prey out in the desert."

So she would take him part of the way in... still he had wished that he knew for sure where to go on his own. He was running away to shead his dependance on others - not to increase it. Still he'd be out in the desert depending on the fox and her family to guide him the rest of the way and perhaps even teach him to hunt. How embarassing... a lion prince who couldn't hunt. How he would explain that to the residants of the lands ahead of him he didn't know... hopefully he'd learn how to fend for himself during the crossing of the desert but it wasn't likely. What was worse was he would have to come up with a way of letting the king of this land know that "Kimondo" ,or Kinja as he knew her, was alive and well without telling him that she had joined the firekin. Afterall, he was firekin himself obviously and they'd question how he knew that. He surely won't deny his royal linage to them, they'd simply have to trust that he wasn't like the others... very far from it in fact. He surely wasn't built like a warrior. A few days in the desert wouldn't remody that. His fur was glossy and almost flawless in its grooming so apparently he was a very wealthy lion here. There would be no mistaking that he had some tie in with his kin.

She began speaking of his brother- and how he would be hurt if Mwali himself didn't go to say his farewell in person. Just what he needed, a guilt trip to go along with a dangerous one. He wished he could say his farewell to his brother but he knew that their father would probibly be close by and it would not only cost him his life, but the cheetah, fox, and cubs theirs as well. Now was not the time for sappy good-byes. He simply roated his shoulders to pop them back into place and lifted his head, "Send word to me when it is safe to return. By then hopefully I'd have grown stronger. I would like to visit these lands... perhaps when my brother is king and I would not be labeled a trator to the blood for leaving." He sighed, shaking his head... more guilt. He'd never see his father again. Though they weren't close- he was still his father, "And tell my father my farewell as well... but wait until we have a day behind us. Surely he wouldn't be able to catch us with that much of a lead if he were to become cross."

Then to address the rest of her questions he let his voice raise just slightly, "I'll give them your message..." Though he was a bit confused over her "other name"... or her true name perhaps, "If I live to give it.... lead away to the hunt." He wasn't exactally hungry but he'd be thankful for a meal later on down the road. He'd have to gorge himself of meat and water to survive this more likely than not.
((I'm at school at the moment, I should be home around one 3nodding ))

Kinja watched as Mwali seemed to have an inner struggle with himself. She smiled at him smypathetically and awaited to see what he would say.

"I'll come for you myself should need be, and I promise to tell both your brother and father a day or so after you have left. I do hope you find what you're looking for and find yourself in the process. I am sure the Pridelands will live up to your expectations though. Now... onto the hunt." She leapt to her paws and began padding towards the desert before stopping to look over her shoulder that Mwali was just behind her. Once the large, sleek lion was just behind her she picked up her pace to lead him to the best hunting area in the desert. She had to thank Waka for showing her this, or else she would be just about as lost as Mwali was, but not because she couldn't hunt.

Upon arrival of her desetination Kinja slowed down and crouched low as her blue eyes gazed around her. There was a small herd of impala grazing upon the little vegetation there was. "Stay low and be as quiet as you can." She spoke softly, just enough for the lion to here her. "You're just going to have to watch me, if this herd catches sight of you they'll run fast and probably won't be back for awhile. You and the cubs need to get out of the pride by sunrise tomorrow so this hunt needs to be fast."

Once sure that Mwali heard and understood her she began to slowly creep forward toward the herd. Everytime one of them raised their head she would stop cold, not moving an inch until the impala's head was facing the ground again. She moved as close as she dared before placing her paws under her and her uscles tensed ready to spring at the herd.

Yakuti shifted uncomfortably, she didn't care for watching prey die.. so she followed, but not enough to really see what was going on with the poor impala.. Bugs was one thing, they died a bit faster.. but watchign some other large animal get taken down by a lioness just like she could be by any of these large cats just made her fur stand on end..

Wokovu grinned, pinning himself to the sand ears tucking back against his head as he watched in antisipation for the hunting demonstration. The closer the lioness edged to the impala, the bigger he relized they really were.. and the more he relized that the more excited he got.

In his place in the clearing, Kavuasi sighed, stretching out. His muscles bunched together, sending a wave of shivers down his spine. Once he was finished, he stood, flicking his tail out behind him to get rid of the kinks. It seemed he had sat there for AGES.... He stepped forward, then turned, looking back at his sisters and brother with a glint of humor in his eyes.

Hmmm.....

"Hey, anyone wanna hear a story?" He spoke up, crouching down and rubbing the top of his head in the sand. Better to find out now if he would be ruling a bunch of boring lions or a pride of real listeners!

Mwali had done as he was told, crouching low to the ground and watching her closely. Her speed was increadable, how she was smoothe in her movement, how she knew how to hide from the watchful eyes of the desert deer, how to dart behind them, and finally taking the one down. She delivered a bite to it's neck and it had suffocated to death, laying limp on the ground with it's now flopped neck hanging from the maw of the lioness. Slowly he rose up to his paws, his ears rotating forward and his mouth opening sligtly to tase the air for the blood. Off in the distance the rest of the heard bounded away, their tails held high in alert and their bodies bobbing on the horizon until the dots of white and gold had vanished.

He began down the side of the dune, looking to the corpse. He wasn't all that hungry... but she did say he had to gorge himself on both food and water if he was to survive. She would know of all lions. Fortune was with him for running into her when he had.

Kinja sat by her kill, fully recovered from the chase. She still wasn't perfect at killing out on the sand but she was getting much better, her killing rate had gone up tremedously. Thankfully she managed to bring one down that time.

As Mwali approached she rose from her sitting position. "Did you catch a good deal of what I did? You'll all be quite hungry when you reach the Pridelands so I am sure you'll be doing some hunting upon arrival of your destination."

Glancing back up to where the other were still hiding she called to them again. They all needed to eat something. The little prey scattering the desert would not be able to sustain them all, and the cubs would be the first ones needing food again.