User Image

-You're a Slave-


Truth.Be.Told
She hadn't been so worried since Haramu-chanua's birth. But that had been because of her first daughter's coat. This...this was because of what she'd seen since the earthquake. That dreadful tremoring of the earth. The small lioness had grown restless because of it, and had taken to wandering the pridal lands while Iar was off doing...well, things a king did.

And she couldn't believe what she'd seen and heard. The way the cubs fought...not played, FOUGHT. The whispers between them of demons and sometimes nasty eyes towards her. One cub she'd seen had taken one look at her and ran back to the den she'd come out of. No...there was something wrong. Something very wrong.

And she intended to find out. She wasn't under Mwenye's paw anymore. She could speak for herself. And so she sought out Iar, her worry showing.


Manda
At the moment, Iar was lounging about outside his own den, tail tip twitching and eyes half-lidded as he considered what other things the earthquake might portend for the pride. He wasn't expecting anyone to come questioning him today, but he was pleased with the cubs Maluuni had given him so he didn't appear to be in any sort of foul mood when he saw her approaching.


Truth.Be.Told
When she was a few feet from him, Maluuni stopped and bowed her head. "Iartuupe...I'm worried. I'm sure you don't want to hear my silly worries...But I can't help but feeling that something's wrong." She kept her green eyes down, her heartbeat quick. "I grew restless after the earthquake and went wandering while the cubs were playing...And I saw the way the cubs of others acted and heard what they spoke." Maluuni looked up. "What is this talk of demons?"


Manda
Iar blinked, and then very nearly laughed, but chose to keep his peace for the moment. It seemed that his little game was up, but there was still a bit of time to play. "Which cubs were these?" he asked almost lazily. And eyes narrowed a bit. "And aside from that, what were you doing wandering near there?"


Truth.Be.Told
"I...I'm not sure. They were quite a bit older than ours, bigger as well." Her ears lay back...Something was wrong, very wrong. But she had to know what was going on. Had to..."I'm not sure how I ended up there...I just let my paws lead me. I'm sorry."


Manda
"Hmm..." Iar hummed, saying nothing for the moment about her wandering about. Obviously she shouldn't be doing that - as he'd told her not to. But he would let it go for the sake of the game. "What about demons..? What were they saying?"


Truth.Be.Told
"Th-they said that the earthquake was a sign of their blessing. That it was a sign of their power." She ducked her head, obviously feeling less than most. "One noticed me and looked at me like I was nothing. And there was another cub that seemed terrified of me." Maluuni looked at Iar with wide eyes. "Why would a cub be scared of me, of all lions?"


Manda
"I'm not sure," Iar temporized - thought secretly he was glad that the young ones could recognize an inferior slave when they saw one. The cub who had run, though... he wondered which that was. Hmph. Likely one of Verge's offspring. One of -his- children would never be frightened of a slave.


Truth.Be.Told
"I know this is your pride...But something is wrong. Everything has started to feel wrong, look wrong...Ever since the earthquake, I can't help but feel I've been kept from rather vital, need-to-know information." She gave Iar a pleading look, not knowing how little it would help her. "I'm the mother of your cubs Iartuupe...and even they seem to know more than me at times."


Manda
Iar glanced down at his claws for a moment, almost the equivalent of buffing nails or something of the sort. "Perhaps that is simply how it -should- be," he suggested, with a nasty little smirk playing at his maw. Time for this game to be up, he rather thought.


Truth.Be.Told
Her eyes widened. "How....why should it be that way?" Run. Her mind told her to run, but she would not. Not yet. "How can I raise them if I know next to nothing?! I've been here for over a moon cycle...and yet I know so little. Because I've been kept to the den and the area around it. Iartuupe...I-I'm tired of being a mushroom."


Manda
Iar let that smirk widen and leaned a bit closer to her. "How little you know... really, you must be incredibly stupid," he half-drawled. "You have been kept to the den for a very specific reason, my dear," he continued, watching her carefully. He had thought at first of actually making her part of his pride, but her attitude now simply proved that he had been right in what he -had- done. And he never dreamed that she might run ... even after he was finished telling her exactly what her position was.


Truth.Be.Told
She leaned back a bit, for once truly scared of the lion in front of her. That tone...Mwenye had used it on her all too often. That 'holier-than-thou' tone. And she knew it. Knew she'd been duped into the same thing she'd run from. And it made her seethe. But she wouldn't let him see her anger. Oh no. Maluuni would play her own game right back...Her life depended on it. "W-what reason?"


Manda
Iar let out just a bit of a growl, still smirking. "Because, my -dear- Maluuni... you are a slave here. Really, I thought you would have realized it before now," Iar replied, head tilting a little. She must be exceptionally stupid or something -not- to.


Truth.Be.Told
And stupid Maluuni felt, though stupid she wasn't...just rather blinded by a romantic notion. Rather than fight or scream or cry in front of him, the small lioness just gave him a sad smile. "Well then, it seems I did not escape that fate after all..." She shook her head. "I'll go back to the den, then. After all...that's where I belong." Let him think she was complacent with her fate.


Manda
Iar purred at that and stretched just a bit. "Good," he praised her, almost absently. Obviously, he thought the matter over with, and was prepared to go back to his previous thoughts. At least she wasn't so stupid as to rail at him and fight against her fate.