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 Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2008 2:23 pm
 Unguzo was not in a good mood. Of course, there were very few days when he was, but this seemed different. He wasn’t in a rage against nothing and everything. He wasn’t reliving the nightmares that haunted him over the death of his pride. He was not livid because of how powerless and alone he still was, despite his best efforts to revive his glorious pride. No, he was just in a bad mood. As if someone had called him a name, or he had experienced some aggravating bad luck that had left him without a meal.
Grumbling to himself, used to his own company and not having any qualms about speaking to himself, he padded around his watering hole, the one he had claimed in the name of his pride and would not let anyone else come near, and wandered aimlessly out into the grasses nearby.
Looking around, he wondered if he might find something to take his mind off the irritation he was feeling. He needed a way to vent.
Múscail, on the other paw, was gloriously happy. She'd had a vision that her sister was alright, and while she missed Codail terribly, knowing that her beloved twin was safe lifted a weight from her shoulders. Although she had a feeling it would be a while before they would meet again, she could live with it. She was slowly learning of a new pride, one that made her feel warm and safe. It was so much like her home that it made her happy.
But a girl needs to wander, and that was why she'd ventured into the Rogue Lands. The long journey had left her parched, and she gave a relieved sigh when she spotted a watering hole nearby. Fresh water sounded good right about now...
Sounds of a creature approaching drew Unguzo’s attention, his ears turning in the direction of the moving grass. He turned his head, eyes scanning, and spotted the soft colored lioness approaching. From her gait and direction that she was aiming for his watering hole, which he could simply not allow.
With a loud growl he moved to cut her off, stopping in front of her and holding himself up to his full height. He was a large, powerful lion, with years of training and violence behind him so that he was left with sturdy, quick muscles. He growled, snarling at her as he tilted his head.
“These are my lands,” he said, by way of introducing himself, “you are not welcome here, unless you earn the right.”
"Really? What pride do you have by which to claim these lands as yours?" Múscail said softly, narrowing her eyes towards Unguzo and flicking her tail. She was not intimidated by him in the least, as she was rather large for a lioness. Perhaps it was Audilifu's blood in her veins, but then again, her father was a large lion.
“These lands will belong to the proud Dhalimu, but while I gather them the lands will belong to me. I am more than enough to protect them, and to honor that which will be.”
He growled, flexing his paws and digging his claws in the earth. He was really bad at inviting people to join his pride. Though, being raised in a world of violence, it was all he knew. He would not accept those that were too weak to belong, and he would not allow his new pride to succumb to the inevitable destruction that had befallen the last. In his mind, he was strong enough to make the pride work this time, since he alone had survived. Of course, he held out hope that there were others of his kin out there.
He just never bothered to ask before he picked a fight, “So If you want to stay here, you’ll have to convince me.”
Múscail was about to respond when a vision came to her. What had triggered it, she had no idea... But she saw the lion before her, and many other lions. Time seemed to fly by, and the other lions fell to disease before her very eyes. And then, the vision vanished and she felt she understood Unguzo a little better.
"The Dhalimu are dead. You are the only one left," she said simply.
“I live on, and so do they, female,” he said with a growl, “they may have died, but there is a reason why I survived for them. I will restore their honor, their glory, to what it was before the disease. We will roam this wild lands and our power will grow. We will be revived. Even if it is difficult, I will do it. On my own, or with the help of those strong enough to aid me.”
He sat down, not having any intention of letting her pass, but wanting his anger to simmer a bit. He felt like lashing out at her, but resisted because his interest was piqued.
“You saw something. Your eyes changed. How did you know the Dhalimu died? You are not of our blood.”
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Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2008 2:25 pm
 "I am a Seer. I am able to see the past, present, and future, whether I am there or not," Múscail explained, merely entertaining Unguzo's rant. She had not seen the Dhalimu's future, so it was not her right to tell him one lion could not revive an entire pride. So she sat down before him, blue eyes focused on the muscular lion before her. "I am Múscail."
Unguzo frowned. There had been no Seers in his pride. Or they had not shown themselves to be so. Such power would have been exploited, without a doubt, and the idea that there may have been those within the pride, hiding it, infuriated him. He knew the Dhalimu had been flawed, but insubordination within the pride was utterly unacceptable. When he restored it, every member would be sure to know that.
“A Seer? How very curious. You are interesting to me now, female,” Unguzo said, flicking his tail. He eyed her, wondering if her blood was strong, and if the ability was genetic. He did not use her name, though she had offered it, “I am Unguzo. “
Múscail frowned slightly at the notable absence of her name, but she ignored it for now. The male was irksome, but she had her quirks as well. She bowed slightly after hearing his name, ever the polite one.
"A pleasure to meet you, Unguzo."
Growling, an ever constant rumble in his throat, he stood and moved closer to her. She towered over her a moment, looking into her eyes, before prowling around her to get a better look at her. She seemed strong enough, larger than some of the females he had seen around, and her attitude was one of confidence. Irritating, challenging confidence, but it was a form of strength.
He spoke as he slowly circled. “I have no doubt it is,” he said, somewhere in between sarcastic and sincere, “but for myself it’s more… fortune, than pleasure. I feel we were destined to me. Tell me, do you have a pride?”
"At the moment, I do not, although I am living in the Tuait'tekem lands at the moment. But if you plan on inviting me into your pride, you must also conceed to allow my twin sister a place," Múscail said lightly, glancing at Unguzo curiously. Was he... Sizing her up? The very idea made her bristle slightly.
“And what is your sister?” he asked, interested. He sat down once he was finished with his appraisal, keeping his thoughts to himself and not giving anything away on his face. His eyes were as angry as ever, though his scowl seemed to have lessened and his ears were not so far back, “a Seer, like you? Or does she have some other skill to offer?”
In his world, females needed to be useful. If they had no skills to offer the pride, such as an acute adeptness at hunting beyond that which they were naturally born with, they were simply breeding fodder. It was why most of the females in his pride were so strong, and so volatile. They had come to know how to survive.
“If a female,” he explained, “has nothing to offer, they are no more than a means to produce more males. And even with skills, they are not above such use.” He said this slowly, not blinking.
"Yes, Codail is a Seer like me," Múscail replied, narrowing her eyes and trying to keep her fur smooth and unruffled. Obviously, Unguzo had a lot to learn about the females from her pride.
“Then she would be allowed to join,” he said nothing about being ‘welcomed’, as he didn’t see his pride as something others might want to be welcomed into. It had never been a particularly happy place, and he doubted it would be in its revival. Proud, glorious, violent and powerful, but perhaps not happy. Those that joined, however, would find something else, a new kind of emotion, to keep themselves devoted to the pride.
“You are a beautiful creature, Muscail,” he said, tilting his head, “the more I look at you.” He grinned.
"Thank you... I think," Múscail said, eyeing Unguzo nervously and twitching her tail. She was beginning to get a bad feeling about Unguzo, and she felt it was about time she left. So, she was still for a long moment, before she got up, nodded politely to Unguzo, and attempted to leave.
Unguzo was not about to let her leave. He had made his decision regarding her fate. Whether she joined the pride or not, he would use her to repopulate his lands. His blood. She seemed the perfect candidate, strong and with that remarkable ability to see things, and he would not let her get away now. He would find her, skilled in tracking, and take what was his from her when the time came, just as he was taking what he wanted now. She had, after all, trespassed in his lands and so he had every right to punish her. Growling and letting out a roar, he moved to catch her, pouncing on top of her and pinning her beneath him. He said nothing. He didn’t have to. END
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