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 Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 7:00 pm
She trotted through the night, ears and eyes open for two things. The first was food. Her cubs were safely tucked away (despite Nyota's protest to come with her) and she was getting hungry. She needed to rely on herself again for food, before she became soft.
The second thing was other lions. She was always on the lookout for others to torture or bring into the forming pride. She grinned cruelly. The lovely wonderful pride of demons. Her thoughts were interrupted by a scent upwind, and she quickly crouched so she could not be seen easily in the grass. It wasn't prey, but smelled like other lions.
She kept from chuckling, instead stalking as close as she could without being noticed.
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Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 7:18 pm
The soft white pelt of a young lionness glowed dully in the night. The grass was tall enough to hide all but her ears and the slightly curling fur on her head, but her loud rustling gave her away easily. Still too young to know the ways of stealth, Mvua'wingu bounced her way along with a pleasant smile on her face. She had been named as an oxymoron; she acted more like sunshine or rainbows than a raincloud. Thus she had perfected ignorant bliss, and even giggled randomly whenever a blade of grass brushed her small nose. In her pointless joy on her little escapade from home, Mvua was completely unaware of the dark lionness behind her.
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Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 7:30 pm
Hakuna had to keep from laughing. Such a pretty little white cub. And very alone. Oh such a wonderful opportunity. Her grin grew wider as she rose from her crouch. Sweet first...lure the little one in. Then she would act.
"What are you doing out here little one?" Her voice was strangely soft, sweet as honey. She'd gotten plenty of practice on that voice.
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Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 2:00 pm
Mvua spun around with surprise, raising her head above the line of the grass. There was a big red lionness with black and gold markings; she was very beautiful. Now that Mvua was focused, she could detect the faint scent of cubs and milk. She must be someone's mother, she assumed bluntly. She seemed kind enough, so the little white cub answered, "The night is very pretty." Her indirect way of speaking was one of the many traits inherited from her father.
Mvua smiled and bounced closer to the stranger, offering some bland form of manners. "I'm Mvua'wingu! Who are you?"
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Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 7:02 pm
It just kept getting better! The little one seemed to be a trusting cub. "It is very pretty." She made a slight bow, smile on her face. "I'm Hakuna'jina." She looked about, seemingly worried. "Is your mother nearby? A cub shouldn't be out on her own at night..."
The demon-lioness needed to keep this act up a little longer...just a little.
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Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 7:49 pm
Mvua wasn't the normal cub who might have been told not to talk to strangers. She and her brother weren't particularly close to anyone in their family aside from their mother, who usually kept them too well hidden when she was busy for any rouges to find them. That was, of course, when the cubs weren't wandering off. Their older sister had stayed behind to watch them, but had fallen asleep on the watch, along with Mvua's brother. Sharing her real father's wanderlust, she had danced off into the night.
The little cub's silver-blue eyes glinted in the night as she laughed, "Nope! Momma left and Sis's asleep." Mvua wasn't worried, and took another step forward, looking up into the mysterious orange eyes of the lionness. "I can take care of myself," she said confidently.
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Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 9:28 am
Hakuna shook her head. "Little one...you are still so small..." Now was the time, while the cub wasn't afraid of her. This little one would be perfect...a toy she could mold from the beginning. "You could easily get lost. Or worse." A cruel smile crossed her muzzle. "Stolen."
She quickly made to knock the cub out, one large paw to the head. She remembered not to hit too hard...she didn't want to break the pretty little thing. The lioness wanted it to be a good long time before her new plaything broke.
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Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 2:50 pm
Mvua's mouth parted in confusion at the lionness's words, but nothing came out. Frankly, that's because there was no time. She saw the glint of a cruel smile and felt an agonizing pain in her head before she felt herself on air. The small cub couldn't tell if she felt so light because of the pain or because she was really flying through the air. Which she was.
Mvua's white body thudded to the ground a merciful three tail-lengths away away; Hakuna had spared her from being completely knocked out by flinging her any greater distance. There was a dull ache in her body, but her head throbbed uncontrollably. Her silver-blue eyes glazed over slightly as darkness invaded her vision, but she stubbornly flailed her legs in an attempt to rise. A vain, useless attempt.
She remained barely conscious, able to see the crimson lionness still smiling.
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Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 5:52 pm
Hakuna chuckled and took a few steps to where the cub had landed. Perfect, still breathing, still able to move, although a bit futilely. Looking about, she saw no other animal coming, and picked the cub up in her mouth. She could catch a rabbit or some such near the den. For now, she needed to get her new toy to the den, before her mother decided to come back or her sister awoke. With that thought, the crimson lioness took off at a brisk trot.
Once she reached the den again, she put Mvua down, waiting for the cub to gain her bearings. Once she had, Hakuna smiled at her with honeyed venom.
"Welcome to your new life, little one. You are mine until I say otherwise."
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Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 6:39 pm
Her world was just starting to come back into some kind of messed-up focus when she felt sharp, yet somewhat gentle fangs close around her scruff. Weightless again, she was unable to resist the uncomfortable movement. Mvua's head seemed to explode on each bounce of her captor's trot, which didn't help her wooziness.
She felt the ground again and the throbbing began to recede slowly at first, but her vision soon cleared and she could at least hold her head up. She looked up at the lionness that she had so foolishly trusted and felt a fresh wave of fear; Mvua could see a long, difficult future in Hakuna's greedily glittering eyes. At her words, the cub merely whimpered.
This could not be real. Mvua was a happy young thing. She couldn't be this afraid. Yet there was the fear. A stranger had hurt her for no reason to speak of, and now there was no turning back.
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Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 7:03 pm
Wonderful. The cub was starting to wise up and properly fear her. She sat in front of the cub, tail flopping back and forth.
"There are a few rules...you needn't learn them all at once, but you WILL learn them. Running away will be punished. You will come when called. You listen only to me, and those I tell you to." She would make sure this toy knew her place. "You will be fed. I will not have you being skin and bones. And you will be taught to fight. If, one day, you can best me in combat...you are free to go. Until then...I will NOT have a weakling as my toy." She grinned.
"You live among demons now, Mvua'wingu." She placed a paw under the white cub's chin in an almost motherly gesture. "Try to survive."
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Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 7:27 pm
It was all happening so quickly. Her confusing but peaceful world had been quickly pushed aside by this frightening new one. One with demons.
A barrage of words were flung in Mvua's direction, and it took all of her still slightly fuzzied concentration to understand them all. One thing she had already figured out: running away would simply not even be possible. Not from a character like this. The rest she would have to learn gradually, but she nodded obediently, eyes wide.
She had just met this demonness, and she had seemed so nice. But now Mvua could almost feel the evilness in her. Hakuna's poisonous smile burned her.
The cub flinched when her captor raised her paw, but instead of receiving another random swipe, she felt her pads beneath her chin, raising her eyes. She couldn't tell if there was some kind of emotion behind Hakuna's words other than violence. It was as if she sincerely wanted Mvua to live. That was hard to believe.
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Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 8:05 pm
Mvua seemed to understand. That was good. Hakuna moved her paw, using it to turn the cub to the den, then nudge her towards it. "Sleep. We will be moving soon, and I want all in this group at full strength. Including you. I will be back soon. As I said...running is futile. If I don't catch you, someone else will. Or someone won't, and I can guarantee you won't find your way home before something decides you'd be tasty."
With those words, she stood and trotted off, in search of a small meal...making sure to never stray too far from the den. She would not lose this toy...oh no.
((End here?))
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Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 8:24 pm
((Sure, this is a good place!))
FIN
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