It had been a long, long time since Moto had hurt so much. But the healer had the satisfaction of knowing that her sister was in just as much pain. Her cubs were hidden, the ones that had not been taken...but Bavu...The last thing she'd seen before she blacked out was Hakuna limping away with her second-youngest cub. And now...now she lay in the mud on the river bank, infinitely glad it had not decided to rain while she was out. The golden lioness wriggled a bit, seeking footing in the cold mud. Mud that was tinted red with her own blood.
A lioness as red as the blood that soaked into the mud padded down the riverbank that led from her dens, her steps careful and precise, since she didn't like the idea of getting to the mud just below her. Red eyes scanned the surrounding foliage, though Kiuma doubted there would be intruders this far into her lands. Her daughter had just finished her patrol rounds and now it was her turn. When Hippolyta had only the usual to report, she'd figured this last patrol before the night's rest would be as uneventful as it normally was. Too bad for her that it seemed things would be changing tonight.
The scent of blood reached Kiuma's nose and she jerked her head up, her eyes narrowing. Perhaps another predator had made a kill near here, but most big predators had quietly left when her pride had taken up residence, since she'd made no bones about not tolerating any near her cubs and her den. Picing up her pace to a trot, she moved towards the source of the smell.
Moto stumbled as she finally got to her feet, keeping her cry of pain to a whimper. She had to get her son back...had to make her family whole again. Her breath came in shallow, deep draughts as she tried to avoid the pain the slashes on her chest caused. Another attempt to get up led her to shakily stand...but not fall down again this time. And through the scent of her own blood mingled with her sister's, another scent wafted through...fainter, but there. She was not in the mood for another fight.
But she would not just lay down and die. Moto braced herself and bared her teeth, letting a growl echo in her chest and throat. Whoever this was, she would not go down again.
Kiuma's own fangs bared as she heard a whimper then something large moving in the shadows down by the river's edge, a low growl finding her ears. So it was a predator... well, she'd make short work of it and 'encourage' it not to trespass on her lands again. Thick muscle bunched under her sleek red pelt and she surged forward, the queen of Antianeira braced for battle. What she found though, when she burst into sight, brought her to a bouncing halt, paws skidding in the mud.
Wavering before her in pain and exhaustion, looking severly beaten, was a lioness of all things. Eyes narrowed, Kiuma straightened as she eyed the stranger, taking in her state and the determinedly fierce look on her face. "Who are you?" She called out, putting authority in her voice and stance. She expected obedience and wasn't afraid to force it. "What do you want here?"
Moto's vision was met with a lioness of pure red, bigger than her...possibly even bigger than her demonic sister. No...she was demonic too, how she had fought proved it...But her sister, her sister was insane and let her blood control her. At the lioness' questioning, she forced her pain-clouded mind to answer.
"I...I am Moto'nyota. And...I followed my sister...I think...Took my son..." The pain finally overcame her and she fell back into the mud. After recovering from that daze, she continued. "I..." Help. She needed help, and healing. She would be no use to her son in this state. "Help...please help..." It had been a long time since she'd said those words.
The red female was taken by suprise when the female spoke in that broken voice and finally collapsed agian, her strength gone. Concern filled Kiuma as she came forward again, paying little heed to the mud now as she bent to touch a paw to Moto, giving her a gentle push to try and get her back up on her paws.
"Don't worry, you're safe here with me... come on, if you can get up, I have a place you can rest. When you're better, you can tell me your story and I can try to help... Its just a little ways from here, you can make it." She murmured encouraging words as she tried to help her up, grimacing at the mud getting into the wounds. Part of her wished wistfully that one of her daughters was here to help with this.
Moto let the words of the other sink in and she worked to push herself up. She managed to get up with the other's help. "Alright...But...I can't rest for long. My cubs...aren't far from here. They're hiding..." Hekima and Tara were likely keeping the other two calm and quiet...Especially Enzi...Her youngest son was probably sick with worry and fear. Fear of the lioness that was their aunt.
It wouldn't hurt to ask as they moved. "H-have you seen a lioness slightly larger than me...red with black and gold marking?" If she had...Moto would know where to start once she healed.
Nodding along to her words, the red queen pressed her shoulder to Moto to offer support. "I can send my daughter Hippolyta to gather them if you like and bring them to you in our dens. With these injuries, you won't be going anywhere soon, without collapsing."
She shook her head as she started up the bank of the river, guiding and supporting Moto till they were on firmer ground. Even though she wasn't a healer, she could tell the wounds were bad enough that they would keep this girl laid up for a while. "I havn't seen anyone but you. I havn't heard of anyone else from the boarder patrols either... if she came through here, it was in secret. Don't worry about that now though... we need to get you safe first." Kiuma tried to keep her voice gentle, but it wasn't something she was used to. Growling, calling orders, that was the types of sounds she was used to making. It was rare that she crooned or purred these days, though she struggled to give her daughters as much affection as she could.
"That...I would appreciate that. There's...four of them." She let the other support her, but she didn't rely too much on her. Moto, now that she was thinking a little clearer, was taking inventory of her wounds. A couple of possibly cracked ribs, plenty of bites, scratches, and gashes. Thankfully, nothing was truly broken, but she would be in pain a great while. After she was rested a little, she'd figure out the plants she needed to take care of the wounds. But they would scar. Oh they would scar.
Kiuma kept her side to Moto's, offering support only when she wavered now that she was up on her paws. She seemed to be doing okay, which was a good sign. If she had collapsed again, it would have suggested injuries that were far worse. As they moved forward, her eyes kept scanning the brush restlessly, hoping one of her daughters or their pride mate, Kannah, would appear. They could help her, or she could send them for the cubs. Either way would be a great help right now...
Meanwhile, the red lioness kept her steps short, even, and smooth so as not to jostle the one she guided. "Its just a little further." She murmured as they emerged before a tall waterfall, a few more steps giving them a view of the cliff face riddled with caves. Now would be a little tricky... getting her through the water that reached to the sides of an adult lioness. "Do you think... you can wade through the water alright? If you fall, the current might keep you from getting up again..." Kiuma said softly, a little worried.
Water? Oh...Moto noticed the river and waterfall and the cave-riddled cliffside...It was beautiful, but as Kium warned, the water's beauty could be deceptive. Was she in a state to wade across. She closed her orange-amber eyes and went through her wounds again, testing the strength of her legs, then gently prodding her chest where the maybe cracked ribs were. Not too much pain. Good. Moto nodded.
"I...I believe I can. Maybe it'll help clean me up a bit." She laughed softly, trying to keep her spirits up. She was of no use to her cubs hysterical or depressed. And laughter helped one heal. She had to heal quickly, to get Bavu back. And give her sister an unforgettable lesson.
Nodding, she guided the yellow-black lioness to the water's edge, moving in first to show her where to step. She kept herself down river from Moto incase the other happened to slip. There was a chance she'd be able to catch her, that way.
A small smile curved on Kiuma's face as she rolled her shoulders in a shrug, water lapping around her cream-tipped paws. "I don't want you too wet though... you could get cold and that can't be good for your current state." She said softly as she waited to escort her acrossed, only stepping forward when Moto was ready. "In fact... I think maybe you can rest on the other side, in the sun, while I go find my daughters and send them for your cubs."
Moto picked her way across carefully, following Kiuma's steps and making sure her own were steady. "That is true...I'll do my best not to take long." Ah...the water felt good, though the pressure did ignite sparks of pain in some of her wounds as dried blood was washed away. "Some time in the sun does sound good...especially if it's out of the mud." The lioness was rather aware of the fact both blood and dried mud had made her fur rather unpresentable. But by the time they reached the other side, her fur wasn't quite so dirtied.
And the thought of having her remaining cubs soon to join her made her ecstatic. Being a mother, she couldn't hep but worry. What if her sister had gone back for them? What if a hyena had found them and decided they were dinner? Hek and Tara would probably scare it off, with how fiercely protective of their siblings they were. The thought of that brought another laugh into her throat. Like she and her sister, her cubs were far from small. And the elder two were certainly fierce when riled.
Kiuma perked at the laugh that came from the new lioness, blinking and glancing over. She wondered just what she was thinking about, to bring a laugh in such a situation. Still, a laugh was another promising sign of a good recovery for the gold lioness.
At the other side, Kiuma stepped away from Moto, feeling the smooth pebbles shifting under her paws. "You can rest here in the sun. I don't think I'll be gone long. And... try not to fel nervous. You really are safe here. None of my pride will hurt you and no one could get this far inland without being spotted by a sentry." She nodded encouragement before she turned and padded off, moving to look inside the lower caves incase one of her daughters were there.
Moto lay herself down carefully, choosing a patch of rather soft grass. It was good to lay down, rather than flop or fall down...even if her muscles ached. "Thank you..." Safe...for now, she was safe. It was strange though...she wasn't sure if the other had given a name. She knew the name of one of the lioness' daughters...but not the lioness.
She lay her head down on her front paws, careful of her wounds. She would ask later...And her little ones...they would know she wasn't a threat. Tara was good at telling when someone spoke false. The warmth of the sun and the exhaustion of resisting her wounds caught up with her and Moto fell into a dreamless sleep...
It was a long time later that a pair of figures emerged from the brush to move towards the river seperating the dens from the trees. One figure was black and young, a pretty little red flower tucked into an ear. The other was more familiar, recognized as Kiuma. And between the two trotted Moto's cubs. The two weakest were carried carefully in each lioness's mouth and all seemed in good shape.
With equal care, they took turns carying them acrossed the river. It was too deep for them to cross on their own. Each was placed by their mother's side till they were all together and the pair stepped back. Kiuma smiled and nodded her approval of her daughter, Hippolyta, and the black girl grinned in pleasure, her tail curling against her back legs. Reaching, Kiuma gently touched Moto's shoulder, hoping to bring her gently awake.
Moto would normally jolt awake, but she was too tired and too hurting this time. The touch of a large paw...she almost thought it her mate before she realized the paw was too big. The golden lioness opened her eyes and looked up at the red lioness before realizing the four smaller warmths at her sides. Seeing her four remaining cubs in good health made her smile brightly. She looked back to the lioness and her daughter.
"Thank you. My family...they're my everything." She nuzzled her gray daughter as the leopon carefully bat her cheek. "I think I missed your name though...My memory isn't normally so bad, but I hadn't hurt so much in a long time."
Hippolyta smiled as she stayed shyly behind her mother, peering around the larger red body to get a good look at the new commer. It was rare for strangers to enter the lands and she couldn't really remember any in her life time. It was quite a novelty and she found herself glad that she had been the one her mother had found in the dens. After completing her patrol before her mother went out, she'd been napping. Her mother's red eyes blinked from her dark face and friendly expression.
The red lioness smiled as she watched the mother reunite with her cubs, the small bodies warm and soft, from her experience carrying them. "I can understand that feeling." She said gently as she sank down to settle on her stomach, stretching out in the sun. The request for her name took her by suprise, but she smiled as she rolled her muscled shoulders.
"My name is Kiuma and this is my daughter and heir, Hippolyta." She didn't offer Moto's name to her daughter, but then, she'd told her about the hurt lioness as they'd traveled.
Moto's smile went from bright to calm. Having her cubs nearby and the thought of her sister far away brought back her gentle self...the healer. Though she knew full well she wouldn't be tending any healings other than her own until her wounds were no longer in danger of infection. "I am very thankful for the help you've given Kiuma. And thank you for helping bring me my cubs Hippolyta." Once again making sure her little ones had no hidden hurts, other than the loss of their brother, she lowered her head to rest on her front paws again. "Would...would you mind if I stay a bit...while I heal? I'm not sure I could make it back to my mate's den right now...We had traveled for a bit to where you found me."
Tarajia watched everything from her place near her mother's front right leg, orange-amber eyes blinking only sometimes to indicate she really was alive. Then she spoke up, after her mother finished talking. "The demon isn't coming back. Took Bavu off, but Mother hurt her." Her voice was quiet, but firm. It was a voice not often used, but certainly used with confidence.
Moto startled at her daughter's voice, wincing as some of her wounds brushed the grass the wrong way. "S-she's right. This is my older daughter, Tarajia. It...it was my sister who attacked me. We've never got on well, and it seems she truly went over the deep end this time. Took one of my cubs, when she realized she couldn't take them all..." Her smile had disappeared, replaced with a pained expression.
Kiuma smiled to watch the small family together, remembering her own moments like that in her past. They were few, but each one was precious to her. Behind her mother, Hippolyta smiled and nodded a little shyly. "You're welcome. I was glad to help, certainly." Kiuma offered her daughter a small smile of approval before turning back to Moto, nodding as she listened to her.
"Of course you can stay. I wouldn't turn you out with wounds like yours. Our home is a Sanctuary for any females that might need a place, and you are welcome to it for as long as you should need." The mention of a mate wilted her smile, but only a little. "You're mate will have to stay where he is though, Moto. We don't allow males in our lands, so you'd do well to warn him if you ever see him inside the borders. He risks being seriously hurt, should one of my daughters find him alone and decide to rough him up." She rolled her shoulders, as though that fact were a common place thing.
Moto nodded. It was understandable...Moto had healed many females who had gained their hurts at the claws of a male...Both mental wounds and physical ones. To know there was a place those females could run to was a relief to the healer. "I will make sure I tell him that, if I see him while I am still healing." She could wait a little longer to be back with him. She certainly didn't want Serithi to see her in such a state.
"Thank you...again, both of you. You are both very kind." And though Moto could tell the red lioness wasn't very used to being such...Well, Moto knew that kindness came in many, many forms. "I think I should sleep again. Wounds heal faster when one sleeps."
Kiuma rose immediently as she waved off the thanks, nodding at the suggestiong that Moto needed her sleep.
"We'll leave you alone with your cubs then. If you would rather sleep in a den, you can use one of ours." She offered, wanting to make sure the new commer was comfortable before they left her alone.
A den...a den would be perfect. "That would be wonderful, if it wouldn't be trouble." It was a little strange, now that her mind wasn't so fogged with pain, to be on the other end of kindness. She'd grown so used to helping others that she'd forgotten what it was like to be helped.
Hippolyta grinned as she took the initiative and stepped forward, her tail flicking behind her. "Come with me, Moto, and I'll show you were to go. Do you need help carrying your cubs or anything like that? If you want some food, I can get some for you too." The black female was eager to help, to be useful to her mother.
Kiuma nodded as she let her daughter take over this task, settling back to sit on her haunches. "My daughter will care for you then, Moto. I hope your sleep is good and your healing fast." She said in way of farewell, watching the small group move away.
