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 Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 11:13 pm
 Something was bothering Uovu. Why this patrol felt different from any other, Uovu couldn't tell, but he knew that something was amiss. Maybe it was the unsettling feeling of seeing Roho take herself away from camp to embark on her own private patrol - then again, Uovu thought, perhaps he was daunted by the prospect that he might come across his leader.
After all, his last meetings with Roho had been fleeting and quick, and hardly any words had passed between the two. Roho, Uovu suspected, still wasn't sure about how loyal he was to Katavi. For that very reason, the raggedy lion had avoided Toroka the past few moons. He could not do anything to stir Roho on, for those flaming red eyes were always watching, always judging him, waiting for him to stuff up and put a paw out of place.
But he refused to give Roho an opportunity to question him. It there was one thing he had learnt from Katavi, it was that warfare was best fought in silence. The skinny male swallowed at the thought of a confrontation, and sullenly continued his rounds, crestfallen and confused. His heart was not into the patrol today. Something was distracting him, but what...?
Blood.
Uovu wrinkled his nose as the scent splashed into his face and up his nose. It was a very distant, faint scent, but yet... it smelt so familiar, as if he knew it well. The cogs in his mind began to turn, and the answers hit Uovu like a ton of bricks.
Roho.
And another...
"T-Toroka?" his heart lurched, and he felt sick, "No... no, it's not..."
The blood had the same faint scent, but it was not her. Or was it? What if Toroka had come to find him, and clashed with Roho?
The mangy lion crashed forward through the undergrowth, swearing violently to himself under his breath, and cursing his luck.
What the hell had happened?!
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Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 11:31 pm
The last thing Janikiwiti wanted was to run into one of Roho's cronies.
The big lion was tired, both physically and mentally, but so very pleased in a very grim way. All of the blood on his body sickened him but reassured him at the same time. He had won. It was over. Tain was free and Roho... well, he did not know what happened to her, and for the first time in his life, he did not care.
Then there was a lion.
Kiwi stiffened, green eyes suddenly narrowed. The scent was oddly familiar, as though he had caught the faintest trace of it sometime recently. He thought about this before realization struck.
He had smelled it on Toroka. And he had smelled it on Roho, too.
"You!" he growled, lashing his tail violently. Was Toro's boy working for Roho? Or was he with Roho, too? What the hell was going on?
"Who are you? Tell me now!"
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Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 1:19 am
Uovu had almost felt sheer relief, staring up into the stranger's green eyes. Almost felt it. But as soon as the fact that it was neither Roho nor Toroka he was facing sunk in, a new realisation bit him square between the eyes.
"Roho..." he choked, staring transfixed in horror at Kiwi's bloodstained coat, "What did you...?"
The words wouldn't come. Uovu's heart was beating faster now, and at once he felt a blend of emotions rush through him. First it had been shock, then despair, and now...
Anger.
This lion wasn't drenched in his leader's blood for no reason. He was an enemy, and Uovu knew it. Perhaps he was linked to the brat boy and Roho's traitor cubs - after all, Uovu now recognised another scent through the stranger's blood. Yet, perhaps he was only a rogue male. But no matter who he was, one thing was certain... he presented a threat.
Uovu's hairs bristled, and he pulled back his lips, flashing black gums and sharp teeth. He approached Kiwi, moved to action only by a blind rage that he had never felt before.
"Get off this land," he spat, his tone dangerous, "Get lost, or else I swear I'll kill you. I swear!"
And he swore again, mind swimming. How big he felt all of the sudden, how strong and large. It was strange... and the scent of Roho's blood mixed with the male's was almost intoxicating. It almost threatened to drive him to madness.
"Don't mess with me. Seriously, don't do it, man."
Uovu's eyes flashed with confidence. Although rather skinny and undernourished, he was fit and had stamina. Too, it looked like Roho had not gone done without a fight - this male had his fair share of nicks and slashes. Uovu had the advantage.
The younger male took a threatening step forward, ignoring Kiwi's demands to reveal his identity. Now was not the time for idle chatter.
"Whatever the hell you did to Roho, I'll make you feel double, you b*****d."
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Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 1:28 am
"Back. Off."
His voice was deathly serious, eyes hardening. One battle was all he had bargained for; he was not interested in dealing with anyone else. Suddenly, the thought of Toro disappeared from his mind, and he focused instead on the lion's connection to the now-defeated Roho.
"You'll kill me?" It was a simple question, and though his voice was cold, there was no other emotion present. "Make me feel double? I don't care. Oh, don't worry, she isn't dead." In a more grim voice, he continued, "But she won't be the same. And if you think that you can fight better than she can, well..."
Kiwi let out the briefest chuckle.
"So, unless you want her blood mixed with hers..." he nodded down to his blood-stained fur, "...then answer me, damn it. Who are you? How are you connected to her?"
He was scared, scared of himself. He felt like a monster, threatening, attacking - mauling, even... but he had just defeated Roho. This little headstrong punk wasn't going to mess with him. Kiwi was not in the mood, he was sick of fighting, he wanted it to stop.
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Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 1:46 am
Uovu felt his insides twist with hatred. Kiwi's tone seemed to challenge him, and the male instantly took offense. How dare this lion waltz in and mess things up? How dare he...
His thoughts were interrupted. Kiwi's words sliced through Uovu's thoughts like flying claws, and the younger male immediately felt as if something inside himself had shattered.
'...she isn't dead... she won't be the same...'
The words, the words! They just kept pouring out of his mouth, and every one of them was hurting Uovu. He didn't understand what this stranger was talking about... the words went by so quickly, he couldn't take them in...
"What did you...?!" he cried, losing confidence for a moment, letting despiration and worry flow out with his voice. Quickly, he pulled himself together, and anger seized him again. It was a much more intense anger than before... it took everything in Uovu to hold himself back from flinging himself at Kiwi.
"Uovu," he spat, breathing heavily, eyes wild with hate, "Roho? She's a fearless leader to me, to others. An admirable woman to those that understand her."
And then something sunk in. The stripes, the fur, it was all too familiar...
He knew it at once.
"You," Uovu breathed and stretched his maw into a sinister grin, chuckling slightly to himself, "..are that brat's helpless little daddy. But baby's gone, run off. Ha, well, aren't you a little late?"
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Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 2:06 am
"Admirable woman." All he could do was laugh. There was nothing, absolutely nothing, admirable about her at all. "She's disgusting, you know that? And by associating with her, you, too, are disgusting. What do you get out of senseless aggression? Have you ever really turned anyone, Uovu?" He narrowed his eyes. "There is no convincing people that you're right, because a lion is either good, or bad. If they're good, they'll want nothing to do with you or her. That alone tells me that you, sir..." he said it with disgust, "are truly revolting inside."
Kiwi sneered at the comments. "I heard all about it. The wretch tried to convince me that she killed him. I know it isn't true; she admitted it herself," he added, before Uovu got any ideas. "I hope that Tain gave you hell."
"And as for helpless... well.. I just single-handedly took down your almighty leader." The words came out scathingly. "By your line of logic, if she was so great, then someone as helpless as me would've never won... don't you think?"
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Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 3:02 am
"What narrow-minded thinking, you shallow brute," Uovu retorted, "You think that's there's a bold line between good and bad? And if you're above that line, or below that line, you're either a demon or saint? You're kidding me. Well then, lion," he hissed, his grin faltering, "Where do you, you who so brutally attacked and mauled a lioness, stand? And eye for an eye, is that it? Revenge? And that's a quality of a good lion?"
His malicious grin returned. Uovu lifted a forepaw, and pressed it proudly to his chest, his steel-grey eyes not leaving Kiwi's vibrantly green pair.
"Lives are different. You have your beliefs, I have mine. You have your side of the story, I have mine. You say, 'Roho captured and tortured my kid'. I say, 'You're drenched in the blood of someone I...',"in spite of the situation, he couldn't bring himself to say 'love', "...care about.' There is hardly one way of thinking, stranger. And by your own standards..."
His eyes narrowed, and his nose wrinkled up into a snarl.
"... you're classing yourself in a category that's not much better than I am. Well, I'm glad I disgust you. Makes things easier. And heck, I never said your boy died, mongrel," he laughed - it was a long, cruel laugh, "I simply saw to it that he suffered while he lived. Just as you have inflicted to Roho, eh? Spare a lion their life, but make that life miserable. Great minds think alike? In that case, you're like a weaker, flawed version of Roho," his voice took on a tone of mockery, "... I'm glad you took your time to rescue little Tain. The more time you wasted, the more your son suffered... and the boy learnt a thing or two. Don't rely on daddy. He must've felt abandoned, and so he took things into his own paws."
For a moment, nothing happened. It was as if the earth itself had quietened, and instead was listening intently to the lion's quarrel. Nor would any preybeasts stray near - the noise Kiwi and Uovu had been making was vicious. Nobody would interrupt them here. This was their fight.
"True, you've taken Roho down," Uovu spoke softly now, yet his voice still stood out against the silence, "Yet her ideals were great. She was great in strength, but stronger in mind. And never, while the Tononeka still stands, while I still stand, will those ideals die!"
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Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 8:34 pm
The second Uovu went on about Tain was the second Kiwi lost it. Everything went red as he lashed forward, roaring as angrily as he could. How dare this rat say such things? How dare he insult him, as if HE was the good, upstanding lion, torturing a cub, serving such a brutal lioness...
He didn't care what he hit as long as he hit. Claws and fangs lashed violently against Uovu, trying to strike as hard as possible.
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Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 8:52 pm
Kiwi had previously been right - Uovu, though young and able-bodied, lacked the experience of a fighter. Turning on others was just something that Uovu usually avoided doing - he would whip the enemy with his tongue, perhaps have a brief tussle, and it would be over.
But the sheer size of Kiwi was intimidating. His mane was so large, so frightening, and for a second Uovu wanted to shrink back. He flinched, hesitated and paid the price... claws raked down his neck, Uovu felt pain. Hot, steaming blood started dribbling down his neck.
Teetering backwards, Uovu swore once more, and his initial fear was replaced by an angry rush of adrenalin. The male roared and threw himself at Kiwi, flashing moist black gums and teeth. He instinctively aimed for Kiwi's back... yet, the sheer size of the brute seemed to force him away from direct contact. Everywhere he turned, Kiwi could get him - and blow after blow after blow rained down on the raggedy lion.
It hurt, it hurt, it hurt...
"Urrrrghhh!" Uovu screamed in frustration, and dived for Kiwi's neck.
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Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 9:05 pm
So determined was the lion that he accepted the counter-blows so that he could continue dealing his own. It hurt, and he was tired, more tired than he'd been in his entire life, but he couldn't stop. He would not allow himself to surrender - Uovu would be the one that surrendered. Kiwi didn't know when it would end, but he had to keep it up.
Uovu's attack landed, but Kiwi spun away just fast enough that the damage wasn't too serious. After another blow, he jumped back, panting as he growled, "You want to keep going? Or would you rather crawl back home?"
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Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 9:20 pm
Uovu was shaking now - everything ached, everything pain, and he felt hot and cold all at once. He tried to stop his hind legs from giving in under his weight, and instead stared defiantly at Kiwi, noticing grimly how his own blood had been added in splashes to the Pridelander's pelt.
"Crawl... back home?" he groaned, swaying a little, "Like hell... I will. But you... hahaha, you should... p-perhaps your little boy will be waiting for you. Looks like Daddy's going to be..." he spat blood to the floor, "....late again!"
And he lunged again, using all his strength in what he hoped would be the final, deciding blow. He swung his claws like knives, aiming for the throat, in what would be the make-or-break moment...
... and perhaps fatally exposed his own neck as he stretched to deliver the assault.
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2007 10:20 pm
Uovu was lucky that he was up against Kiwi and not some other more malicious creature. He caught sight of Uovu's throat the second it was exposed, but had no interest in making the fatal blow, despite the temptation Uovu's biting words brought. The brown lion's claws struck, but not on the throat as he had hoped, for the bigger lion had moved just slightly, just in time. They sliced across the side of his neck, perhaps the most painful wound Kiwi had received since he fought Roho, but not one that would be fatal.
"Too bad Roho's right-hand man is an incompetent fool with an overinflated ego."
He curled his lips back in a snarl, eyes flashing with anger. "Somehow I don't think she'll be too pleased that you didn't finish me off. Roho doesn't seem the type to take her own failures into account when judging those of others."
Lifting his head, despite the pain coming from the wounds on his neck, he added, "So, are we done now? If you were capable of killing me you would've done it already. I, on the other hand, already had a chance to kill you, but unlike you, who seem to savor brutality, I'm not interested. So tell me. Should we keep fighting a battle that can't be won, or can I stop wasting time and go home to my family, while you go groveling back to your so-called leader?"
The hatred in his voice, so very unlike him, was very plain.
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2007 11:37 pm
Uovu stood quivering on unsteady paws, eyes fixed hatefully on Kiwi. How was it that this lion could be so intimidating, even drenched in his own blood? Why was it that Uovu, although having dealt the last serious blow, felt like he had lost the entire battle?
With heavy breath, the lion edged weakly forward, his own blood seeping in hot gushes from the deep gashes in his flank. His strength was ebbing away, and it was but sheer adrenalin that was keeping his own legs from caving in. He was a lion with stamina, and endurance. Yet, although his decision-making had often thrown him into trouble and disarray throughout his life, he was not stupid - and Uovu had for once made a sensible decision.
Kiwi was right. This fight was over.
"...an incompetent fool with an overinflated ego," came an insult, and Uovu felt the words sting him badly, as if this very sentence had been the battle's final blow. Still, it was all he could do to hurl back a weak retort.
"And I enjoy sporting such an ego," he breathed, his breath rattling coarsely, "You need one of such a size when you're working underneath a dragon."
And his eyes flashed in humour. Kiwi was right - Roho would never forgive him for letting Kiwi walk away, not after what he had done to her. But Roho, too, had fallen, and in that Uovu realised that he had the sense to not walk down the same road as she.
"I'll be more use to her alive, I've afraid," his eyes glinted, and he turned his back to Kiwi, looking in the direction of Camp, "What a shame. You could've won this thing like a warrior, but you backed down. You're no different to a cub on it's first hunt - unsure whether it has the guts to kill. Life doesn't leave room for hesitation, does it?"
Uovu wasn't speaking from the head anymore. Tail flicking irritably, he started slowly making his way back, taking care not to reveal any signs of struggle. Rather painfully, he forced himself not to limp.
"Thanks for today, you petty little b*****d."
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2007 11:50 pm
Kiwi's eyes hardened as he watched Uovu, even though he felt a bit of pity for the lion. The idea of fighting to live - or was it living to fight? - was sad, in a way. He would never understand Uovu's ideas, nor would Uovu understand his, he guessed. It raised many questions in his mind. How did this lion come to be like this? Surely spending a short amount of time (at least, so he guessed) with Roho wouldn't make all of her notions rub off so strongly on him. Had he been raised that way, or was he simply born that way, ready to fight, argue, bicker, even to the death?
And, more importantly, if Uovu had been raised this way, what did that mean for Tain? Tain, whether he liked it or not, had been raised by this lion and the rest of the little makeshift pride. Would Tain retain his goodness, even through his suffering, or had he been molded to Roho and Uovu's standards?
The whole thing made him feel depressed rather than angry, knowing that no matter what he did, he could never help them to feel happiness - true happiness, not what they perhaps perceived as happiness. So, when Uovu spoke, Kiwi's voice in reply was no longer bitter and hateful, merely tired and sad.
"I am no warrior," he said. "I have the guts to kill - every predator does. The different between you and I is that I choose not to."
He shook his head, suddenly feeling very weary, and only a part of it was from his injuries. "Go home, Uovu," he said, sounding almost like a father speaking to a cub. And, without another word, he turned and slipped away.
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