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Lunik refused to falter as Uchanjaa's eyes sized him up. He took comfort from the lionesses beside him and Shangyue behind him, safe. Zuri, at his side was bothered again, but Lunik didn't change his defensive stance to one of aggression. Enough blood had been spilled, he thought.

Mvushi caught up to him and he spared the lion a quick glance. No surprise, with Mvushi as a slave, he took Shangyue's side. The king spoke, and his words further filled Lunik with strength, but uncertainty returned with the face of the Shaman's apprentice.

She looked when the black and green lioness brought the apprentice. She watched as they approached Shangyue, and he spoke to them, listening intently. The gray-marked white lioness spared a glance at the lions around. Lailah was Aysu's daughter... An older daughter, at that.

She remembered being a cub, fascinated with the fact the older lioness' first litter bore a resemblance to one of the guards, but his inexperience around lionesses had told her that it was, quite literally, pure chance. Then again... Both Aysu's first litter, and the young guard, had unknown fathers... There was always the chance, in her mind, that they shared a father. But then... There were lions with cloud markings unrelated to Kin. It was all a matter of chance.

Nina wasn't missing the look her mother was giving her. She glanced at Najisi, quietly asking him if he could stand her not being there as another body between Shangyue and attack, only stepping away when he nodded. She glanced at her older half-sister, jealousy apparent in her eyes, before she walked up to Aysu, eyes now.. Apologetic. "Mother... Please understand... My half-sisters don't get bad looks for their ranks. They get praise. And my brothers can marry out of this rank... I'm doing what I'm doing... Because I want a chance, too, a chance I can't have because I'm female." Her brothers, if they didn't want to be and could find a lioness willing to help, could cease to be slaves. Without Shangyue's help... Nina-dini was trapped.

Onalim had been so busy running between her two parents, making sure her sibilng's (at least the ones she could find) were alright and being thrown half way into a panic attack not knowing where Stellaluna was. Her relationship with her little Shaman sister had never been a close one; but when the murdered happened and people were starting to become agitated; Onalim had sought out her sister for guidance. And after that had been with her almost continuously until now.

She didn't know where Stellaluna was specifically but the Shaman had given her a clue to where the location may be; it was somewhere that the brown lioness had found as a child. She said she was going into hiding with her apprentices brother; Iah for protection.

Onalim had stayed beside her dark mother almost exclusively during this confrontation and when Lailah was approached; she had ducked down lower in the back of the crowd to avoid any possible sighting of her.



Mawu had been a mess since all of this had rained down upon them. It seemed all at once things were happening. First her ex mate had joined the pride and sired cubs with a female here; much to her undecided feelings dismay; and now a murder and now her own child's wellfare. She was busy tucked under Onalims paw, cuddling against her white child's chest and looking like a deer in the head lights. She hadn't spoken a word at all for a few days and now that the apprentice to her daughter was being questioned; she was releived to know that Shangyue had no idea where Stellaluna was.

She felt her winged daughter duck slightly when the conversation began in the direction of Stellaluna and she couldn't help but duck down as well.

Her impression, as Shangyue talked, was that he was earnest and eager to win her over to his side. And yet, she knew as well as he did that the Prince was putting on a performance for the crowd. It was obvious in his bearing, in his projection. Which made her wonder what the lion truly thought. He sounded so casual, so blithe, even while talking about the deaths of his grandparents and parents. She hoped that this was part of the act, that he did regret their deaths on more than an academic level.

"Regardless of how I do or don't feel," Lailah replied at last, "I would not kill for power." Her voice was flat, as dispassionate as she could make it. That didn't make her own words any less true. Yes, she was different than Stellaluna and sometimes resented her own position. But she would never wish for her teacher's death.

The white lioness had to keep herself focused. She knew what Shangyue was doing, what he was offering. And while she hadn't yet decided that he was right...she hadn't decided that he was wrong either.

If Lailah had been a female version of Shangyue, she probably would have taken the time long ago to figure out how to engage someone else's assistance in luring Stellaluna out of the pride and disposing of her in such a way that it seemed a completely innocent tragedy and allowing the Apprentice to advance.

But since Lailah was a different type of person who happened have similarities in her position to his, based on the duty she was chosen for as a newborn cub, she never even considered such actions. Violence was something that other people practiced, it was not something she resorted to.

However, even an idiot had to hear the implicit threat in Shangyue's voice as he spoke. She knew that he needed the support of the Shaman - even realized that he needed the support of the position, not necessarily Stellaluna.

If he thought that she would submit because of his implied threat, well, she was made of sterner stuff than that! Lailah considered what she had been told and formulated her own response.

"If you are speaking to Stelluna through me, then I must be obliged to speak for her to you, Shangyue. The Shaman is responsible for the spiritual well-being of the pride and so I ask you, on her behalf and on the pride's, to clarify. How will the pride benefit from your rule, that has begun with such bloodshed?" Yellow eyes gazed squarely into brown, silently demanding that he describe how this coup d'etat could possibly be worth the deaths that had already occurred.

Hmmm. He was being careful with his words, and she could understand that. But that didn't exactly inspire faith or confidence in him. Shangyue seemed to be, by his own admission (even if it wasn't in those terms) a schemer and manipulator. That didn't mean he'd be a bad King, but it wasn't exactly what she wanted to see from a ruler.

But...if he was serious about mending the divide he'd made in the pride, that was a good starting point, at least. Lailah exchaled sharply.

"Very well. I will convey your...request...to Stellaluna," the lioness answered at last. "But I make no promises beyond that."

She still wasn't certain she could trust him. At least...not as much as she wanted to.

The rumors and commotion had the lionesses interest. By luck she'd happened upon a group of lions. The whole pride was in disorder and chaos and every second of it was ... exciting. Zalediti hated to admitted given the fact many lives had been lost but it was interesting. She had come to the pride for her sister and agreed to lower ranks. The lioness held no loyalty either way.

Still , lions lives being lost was horrible. But Zalediti wasn't here to judge.

By the sounds of Shangyues words he sounded like he'd put some thought in to this. To Zalediti he sounded humble despite the lives lost.










It had been a pleasure to witness this chaos that Shangyue had unleashed on his own pride. He'd taken his own bloods lives just to obtain what it was he wanted. That was beyond stepping on a few heads. That was skull crushing a way to what you wanted and Chosimba had to admit that this lion had earned his deepest respects and loyalty.

Still the white lion carried his trademark frown and sat quite silently as he observed with cold restless eyes. Chosimba was extra interested in the apprentice though this not translate to his cold distant features. His eyes kept a steady stare upon her.








Akahana had come to the pride as a slave per Shangyues request. She had kept her head down and awaited for what ever it had been the purple lion was planning. And in the end it seemed it paid off. Quite excitingly actually.

Lives were lost. A pity she supposed but they weren't of any importance now. That wasn't the exciting part of this tale. The exciting part was that Shangyue had pretty much gotten what he wanted. Now he could stand up and be a greater lion than those that came before him. What ever that meant.

Akahana didn't really care what conditions he had in mind for the pride. What she cared about was how fun it had been. There she stood with the others with a self satisfied smirk despite all the blood that had been shed.

Besides, all of this was for the greater good she supposed. Yeah. Wow, all of a sudden Akahana felt really good about her self. Wow. She was a really good lioness for believing in Shangyue. She closed her eyes and focused her belief a bit more. There, she helped. She'd pat her self on the back if she had hands.

((Sorry for jumping in late. It took me a while to get m y groove back after vacation but im here now!!! : D !))