It was a lazy day for Kari. She stretched out underneath a small tree, digging her claws into the ground as she did so. The wind was calm, barely a breeze at all, which didnt help the brown lionesses energy level.
After rolling around a little bit, trying to find a comfortable position, Kari sat up and sighed. Seemed like she wouldnt find any rest in the midday heat. Hopefully something interesting will happen at the very least...
White paws padded against the ground as jade-colored darted back and forth warily beads of sweat trailing down the side of his face. His tail flicked back and forth nervously and the young male kept glancing back over his shoulder as if someone was following him. No one was behind him, he was alone.
Suddenly Kabili broke into a heavy run ignoring the bits of his dark mane falling into his face. All he focused on was running, running far, escaping from the imaginary creature following him. "Go away!" He shouted louded as he glanced back one more time. "Stop following me!"
Well, she wanted something interesting...
What Kari had not expected however was some young lion running into the space just in front of her yelling at someone who did not appear to be there. She shrugged slightly. To each their own.
"What on earth are you doing?"
Hearing a reply, and reply startled the young male who was barely an adolencent. It startled him so bad that he suddenly jerked himself crashing to the ground fast and hard. A groan slid from his lips as he skidded forward a bit before finally stopping. "Owwwww..." He moaned his eyelids fluttering as he struggled to push himself up. "Who said that?" He growled suddenly on his feet looking about wildly.
Slowly his jade eyes landed on the female and he blinked confused, it wasn't who he expected at all. When he glanced back one last time he saw nothing. The invisible stalker had vanished. "Who are you?
Kari just about scoffed at the young thing as it collided with the earth. She sat placidly a few feet away and studied him. He seemed rather distressed yet, and wildly unpredictable.
"You still havent answered my question, so why should I answer yours?" It was a day to be difficult, apparently.
Kabili shook his head ruffling his mane as he stepped backward squinting at the female unsure if she was real or not. Gulping he stumbled forward reaching out a paw to touch her, to prove that she was there, real. However when he got close enough to touch her he dropped his paw and retreated almost in a frightened manner.
"Are you real?" He whispered his voice meek as his ears flattened against his head. His mind was a swirl of unorganized confusion. He had no idea if she was real and if she said she was could he believe her? Were the voices back, the insanity that plagued his family? Was he really crazy or was he just unwell. What was he? So many questions and no answers. "Are you?" He mumbled looking up from his position flat against the ground his voice pleading.
Of all the responses she had expected, Kari was not anticipating to be asked if she was real. Blinking at the young lions audacity to be so close to her, she was rather stunned. Didnt this younging know any manners? Anything about personal bubbles?
Slowly she got up at walked over to the cowering lion and moved to pat him on the head. Perhaps physical contact would assure him. "Of course I'm real. Havent you ever seen a lioness before?"
Kabili nearly jumped out of his skin when she touched him upon the back but once he realized that her firm...real paw was there his body relaxed and he breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't crazy, not as crazy as he thought at least. Thank god." He breathed pushing himself up to sit up inhaling and exhaling deeply. He needed to calm himself.
"I rarely know what's real anymore..." He admitted hanging his head before peeking at her sideways. "I'm sorry, I could have sworn someone was chasing me but no one ever sees them but me..." His tone had gone from semi-confident to meek once more.
At least the touch seemed to calm him down. Backing off a few steps, Kari sat down again in front of him. She didnt quite know what to think of the young lion. Seeing things that werent there? "Well thats strange, isnt it."
She was curious though. Very curious indeed... "Have you always had these visions?"
"I know, I know...some think I'm crazy...maybe I am." He told her his words fast and rushed as if he thought she was suddenly going to vanish like everything else. His breathing began to grow more rapid but out of paranioa and nothing else. Eventually it calmed as did the rest of his body.
"N-no...I haven't." He mumbled keeping his eyes down not bothering to glance at her anymore. If she disappeared fine. "Ever since I went into the forest. I knew I shouldn't but I was different...at first it calmed me then...then...then..." He couldn't seem to finish his sentence at all.
"Your hardly making any sense at all. Slow down." Since physical contact had calmed him down before, Kari figured it might work again. Reaching out a paw, she aimed for his shoulder. She'd been told as a child it was a soothing gesture, though it had never meant much to her.
"So this forest gave you these visions?"
His attention focused completely on the paw on his shoulder. He struggled to keep it within view without going cross-eyed. It was good to keep him calm. "No...I don't think so, I just think it..." He trailed again having gone cross-eyed and he shook his head finally looking at her.
"It triggered something...something that's plagued my family's line...I think but I don't know, it all happened after I told her were were leaving." Kabili's words returned to the rushed blend it had been before. "I was going to lose her and depression, it settled in...I spent more and more time in the forest then...then I attacked..." His voice was gone and he hit the ground covering his head with his paws.
She was still very confused, but Kari tried to peice it together anyways. It seemed that the poor little lion had a history of being mentally plagued... or at least, his family did. The last part, however, caught her off gaurd. "You attacked? Who did you attack?"
After seeing how hard he concentrated on her hand, she got closer to the lion on the ground, and patted his head. Or at least, did what she could while his paws were covering most. "Tell me what happened." Kari's belly was full of emotions she'd never really felt before. Was it maternal instinct? She shook the idea physically from her brain... that was preposterous.
A small line of water had gathered at his eyes, he had never been so weak before, never so emotionally weak as he was now. His paws moved back and he looked up at her grateful for the touch. "I attacked my own sister." He whispered clearly ashamed, it had been one of the many reasons he had fled his homeland. He couldn't bear with the shame, with the pain of knowing he could hurt those he knew. He could hurt them bad and probably wouldn't think a single thought about it until it was too late. "She provoked me but...but.." His voice trailed again his body fighting the emotions that threatened to spill.
Suddenly he was on his feet teeth bared. "What do you care though? Are you just pitying me?" He hissed a sudden change in personality, a change that had been unprovoked. "Well newsflash I don't need your damned pity!" He growled backing away from her seeming to have some of his self-control still intact. "I don't need anyone's pity! I don't!" He shouted throwing his head back.
So that explained why he was so distressed. The little lion had probably had a mental break after he'd attacked his sibling. He was probably on the run too, considering she hadnt seen any other lions nearby. However, Kari wasnt having any of his little tantrum.
She looked over at him with a glare. "Its not pity. Why would I pity you?" At his growl, she languidly got up from her sitting position, trying to remind him who was larger in a non-aggressive way.
Kabili didn't care that she was bigger than him, nothing matter right now. "You seem to be pitying me, pitying my poor state, my mental illness. Yes it is a mental illness, I'm aware of it. I am it!" He growled at her eyes narrowed and dark. Such a dark jade it was too close to black. "Female's are all the same, they feel bad for the poor little cubs that wander by them, they want to take care but they can't! They can't!" He his tone escalating with each word. "I don't need your pity, your comfort, your anything! So leave get out of here!" He hissed taking three steps towards her ready to get in her face. Suddenly fear flitted across his face and he shook his head.
"Flee now, please....god please leave now!" He pleaded his body shaking before his normal jade eyes went dark again. "That's right you should run, I'm not safe to be around, ask my sister."
"Bah. Like you could hurt me little cub." So much for showing a little compassion, it always got you into trouble. It had gotten Kari's mother into trouble, and now it seemed to be doing the same thing. Feeling very aloof, Kari sat back on her haunches again and rolled her eyes at the cub.
"I'm not pittying you, young lion. I'm not attempting to help you either." She sighed. "I'm just simply here."
A dark laugh spread from his lips and into the virtually empty area surrounding them. "I'm not a little cub." He stated although he wasn't an adult either, he was in between roughly a teen for a feline. "Do you think you could fend me off if I attack?" He questioned almost asking to toy with her, for her to push him. "Are you sure lady?" He asked dryly with a cocked brow. "It didn't seem like that a little while ago. You seemed to be patting him, my head." He stated moving to circle her. He wasn't going to attack, no he was going to wait to see if she'd be fun to play with now that he had slipped free. "That seems to be comforting, which is helping, to me." He commented shrugging while his dark eyes were trained on her never leaving her form. "Maybe you being here is the problem, whenever he-I am around people I tend to get...nasty." A grin spread at the thought.
The sudden change made the hair p***k up on the back of Kari's neck, but otherwise she showed no change. Clearly the boy-lion was possessed by something, or someone it seemed. He kept slipping up between nouns, calling himself 'he' in the third person. "Your certianly not a fullgrown lion either, with your little scraiggly bit of mane. Do you think you could fend me off if I attack?"
Her last sentance was mocking in its monotone. She knew that she would have no problem killing this abomination of a cub if he attacked her, but Kari would rather avoid it.
"I think I'd stand a decent chance." He stated with all confidence, although she was bigger he was still larger than the adverage lion at his age, family genes, maybe he had gotten the humogosaur gene after all. "Is it worth it to you though?" He mused turning his head away fro a second a smug expression on his features. "Do you really want the blood of a trouble boy on your hands? Maybe you should just walk away." He stated almost taunting her but keeping far enough away that if she wanted to swipe it wouldn't be too easy for her. "I won't do anything if you do but watch you go. He likes you y'know, the kid too bad he has no say." He laughed.
"Why should I leave when I got here first?" She casually glanced over at the lion. "Besides... why should I care? I care for no one but myself, certainly not for some little lion brat." Kari would play this game, and she would play it without remorse. Seems like this demon needed someone to match wits with. And the brown lioness would oblige.
"Maybe I should just put you out of your misery, young thing. Its a shame that your so..." Kari played with her claws casually. "afflicted."
"Would you want to cause the poor child's large, very large, family such grief?" Kabili's dark side asked arching a brow. "He's related to the pridelands royal line, the kusini royal lines and so much more." He grinned flicking his tail and falling to his haunches. "Can you blame someone who had no choice in the matter?" He inquired cracking his neck a bit by rotating it. Whatever the lioness chose to do it didn't matter much to him, he'd have fun either way but whenever Kabili finally woke up he'd be horrified, even all the more reason to cause some trouble. "If I was your own child would you kill me?"
Kari chose not to answer to the previous questions. She didnt care who he was related to, or what lineage he claimed. He was just a boy possessed. His last question, however, Kari didnt miss a beat on.
"I most certainly would." She would never allow such an abomination to walk the earth, if it was her decision. If he could keep it in check, well, that would have been a different story.
"I don't think you would even if you say that." He replied looking back and her with a frown and then a shrug. "But then you've never been a mother have you? What mother would kill her own children unless she was heartless?" He asked sliding to his paws and circling her one last time. "You'll get much more attached then you think." He stated before trotting away. "You'll see. Then I'll come back. This won't be the last time you see me deary." He smirked laughed loudly and broke off running still laughing loud and eeriely.
Kari shrugged the whole encounter off. Whatever that lion was, she hoped it would get help someday. If she ever had children, Kari wouldnt let a demon attack them. Whoever that childs mother was must have been fairly bad at it, just like her own mother had been.
Whatever the case, Kari was certainly glad that it was over. Looking back over her shoulder once more, the brown lioness stood and walked away from the area.
