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 Posted: Sat Jul 11, 2009 9:17 pm
Her black tail flicked back and forth like a metronome, ticking and tocking the time away as she thought of things. So many things. Things of the future, and the past that she so recently began to remember. Things of the present, like her newly grown group, her situation with Mir, the situation with Sellion, and with Tamaa... Hell, her whole life had become so complicated recently. She was seeing the hyena as less of a nuisance, for he knew her secrets. She was a seer, and the irony didn't escape her. She wondered if perhaps it was a God playing a cruel trick, but the pressure in the back of her head made her think it unlikely. It wasn't near the point of bursting, not yet; she hoped the vision that was to come wouldn't come for a long time. That s**t hurt.
With the great orb above her and the warm ground beneath, Zitomoya laid her head down and closed her bloody eyes, content to take a nap before some idiot came about and woke her up. Because it would happen. After all... Look at the company she kept.
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Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 12:33 pm
She was a demon queen, after all.
But slowly, the more Sellion walked, the more he began to forget about what he was doing. His thoughts wandered back to his own group of EVIL followers, his plan for world domination, demon lions, hell, Chana... Hmm... What was he doing, again?
"OOF!" Sellion huffed, legs locking as they hit something. He fell on his face in the dry savanna grass, butt in the air. He was about to explode in a string of screaming curses at the ground, but then he felt something...WARM underneath him...
Pink eyes blinking open, Sellion's nose twitched. He turned his head.
And was met with a pair of blood-red eyes.
Pupils thinning in shock, a stream of incoherent blubbering stammers erupted from his mouth as he scrambled to his feet, backing up.
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Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 6:39 pm
It was hot, and there wasn't a single thing to do. He'd been politely - well, more or less - shooed off by Mir and Kijani already today, and he was too intimated by whatshisname, that ripped-up kid who'd come tagging along behind Zito a while ago, to bother him. Zito herself had disappeared like she usually did, and he had no idea where she might be. So that left Sellion.
Tamaa had never met anyone who was truly crazy before. It was hard not to feel a kind of horrified fascination with the cheetah, wondering how the hell he managed to make it through a life that was pretty much one delusion after another. He seemed to think Zito was some sort of mighty demon thing, for one - and yet by the way he tended to grovel in adoration every time she so much as sneezed, that was some sort of twisted compliment of all things.
The skinny hyena had no plans to actually talk to Sellion, of course. As fascinating as the guy was, he could also be really, really unnerving. No, Tamaa was just going to see what he was up to wandering off like he had, and maybe drag him out of trouble if he decided to fall out of a tree or something.
What he was really itching to do was find Zito and make her tell him what was up with that filthy old necklace she'd shown up with one day. Had she stolen it off some days-old dead creature? Had she found it somewhere? Every time he'd oh-so-casually tried to bring it up, he'd been brushed off, and it was driving him mad with righteous curiosity. Somehow or other, despite every signal she had given to the contrary, Tamaa had come to consider himself Zito's best friend, and that meant she was supposed to tell him things, dangit!
...Hold on. He'd let Sellion get out of sight for a moment, and suddenly he could hear the cheetah babbling madly ahead of him like he'd just seen a ghost, or possibly the ALMIGHTY SALAMANDER KING OF ZANZIBAR. Tamaa grinned and snuck closer through the tall grass, ears practically vibrating with interest.
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Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 6:48 pm
Tripped over? Really? Really?!
Zitomoya should've anticipated something like this. The moment she closed her eyes, her whole body had bristled in anticipation of something, anything that might happen. It was just a habit, really; anticipating an attack that would or wouldn't come. Even if it didn't, at least she'd be prepared. But today, today the attack came.
...okay, so it wasn't an attack. Even so, Zito should've expected this. She hadn't smelled or seen the black and pink fur or the cheetah it belonged to, so when she was suddenly tripped over and flopped upon, Zito hadn't expected to see pink eyes when she looked up in baffled irritation. But she did, and the irritation didn't quite die, but it didn't get any worse. Despite the babbling as he shrunk back. She sat up slowly when he got off her, brushing herself off, and snorted at Sellion.
"Relax, it's me." Zitomoya smirked at him, arching an eyebrow. "You should watch where you're going." She said idly, looking at him and frowning a little. "What're you doing out here?" Away from the group. She hadn't anticipated being followed, but maybe she should've. She'd have to be more careful about where she wandered if they were going to disrupt her 'Me Time'.
She hadn't seen the hyena sneaking up in the grass, so her attention was left solely on Sellion. You lucky cheetah, you.
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Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 7:12 pm
Giggling, perhaps out of nervousness, the cheetah doubled backwards, then forwards, seemingly unsure of whether to stay away or come closer upon hearing the female's reply. Finally settling on a decision to pick neither, the male simply sat down.
The grass was spiky under his bottom, and Sellion fidgeted. But perhaps Zito would become irritated with his fidgeting. He didn't want to upset a demon royal. ...Or DID he? Still, he couldn't help it.
"I ammmm..." he began, eyes narrowing in thought, pondering a sufficient answer to the black and blue cheetah's question. Unfortunately, he couldn't remember. Head tilting back and mouth opening, the male stared at the sky, making a "huhhhh" sound in his throat as he stared upwards.
As he breathed, he caught a whiff of something. Pupils thinning and mouth closing, Sellion tilted his head straight. Pink eyes flitted left, then right, scanning the area. Finally, they settled on a gray form not too far away. Hair bristling, Sellion stared, lips curling to reveal fangs. And suddenly, for the moment, he forgot all about Zito, and thought only about how TERRIBLE that gray thing smelled.
But hm, perhaps he was just smelling himself...
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Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 7:42 pm
Oho, what was this? As Tamaa cautiously poked his nose through the grass for a better look, his eyes lit up with delight. Jackpot. Just the girl he'd been dying to see! Now to figure out a way to get himself alone with her so they could have a proper chat.
Or of course, Sellion could go and spoil it all by spotting him first. If Tamaa had known what the cheetah was thinking at that moment, he'd've been bristling in righteous outrage, but as it was he couldn't help but notice the uncomfortably ugly snarl Sellion had greeted him with. Maaaaybe it hadn't been the best idea to sneak after someone who was both larger than him and worshipped voracious demons, come to think of it. In defense the hyena turned to his usual determinedly happy-go-lucky manner, strutting out of the grass like he'd totally planned for this to be his entrance. Pretend nothing was wrong and keep Zi between him and Sellion, that was the key.
"You gonna come up with an answer, or should we just leave you alone with your stammer for a bit?" he said cheerfully, trying not to stare too obviously at those yellow fangs. "Uh, hey Zi! Fancy uh, seeing you two here!"
Mmhm. Good save, that.
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Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 7:51 pm
Zitomoya couldn't really help finding the stuttering endearing. Even if he was insane, it was easy to laugh at him and that was kind of nice. But she didn't laugh this time, only smiled and tilted her head at him as he 'huhhh'd and stared upwards, like an answer was just going to fall from the sky itself for him.
When his attention was distracted from whatever was in the sky to whatever was stalking them, Zito's head snapped to the side too, a snarl on her own face. This one wasn't for Tamaa specifically, because as soon as she spotted the familiar grey hide, she lost the snarl and just rolled her eyes. "Wonderful." She grunted under her breath. Two of them following her in one day; how lucky was she?
"Hello, Tamaa." She recited as he strode closer, snorting a little at his cheerful demeanor. It was almost like swallowing too much sugar at once, sickly sweet. Zito wondered if there was something wrong with her, because the sickly sweet cheerfulness of Tamaa was practically a staple in her social diet now. "Were you following one of us, Tamaa? Hmmmm?" She grinned at him, baring all those fangs. Who would it be better to stalk; someone who was ready to smack him anyway, or someone who might eat him for it?
"What're you doing out here, anyway? Where's Mir and Kijani, and that other one..." She'd remember his name, just give her a minute... "Vu." That was good enough.
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Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 8:12 pm
Ahhhh, it was the demon queen's SLAVE.
No need for alarm then.
Hackles lowering, Sellion grinned; though there was something in his demeanor that suggested a sort of higher-up air, as if he were looking down on a small child in need of guidance.
The gray hyena's words filtered in and out of Sellion's ears, but none of their meanings truly registered. Why that was was unclear, but for the moment, he was content to ignore that and focus back on Zito. His ears twitched at the name "Vu" that left her lips, and something in the male brightened.
"THE DEMON?!" he exploded. But hushed himself immediately, for it was quite rude to speak out of line in front of such a strong, amazing, multi-headed cheetah demon...
But mmm, talk of demons made him positively giddy inside.
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Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 8:31 pm
He jumped a little despite himself at the look in Zi's eyes, a skittish sideways hop - but of course she just didn't realize it was him at first. Silly Zi. Of course. And that was a perfectly friendly grin, too. Nothing to be worried about. They were friends, after all!
"Who? Me?" he said innocently, pink eyes wide and guilty. "Never! I was just uh, you know. Wandering. Mir said I should check t'see if anyone's been trespassing on our territory and stuff, y'know." Funny how fast this place had become home, how fast he'd forgotten his da and the rest of his family.
Or tried to seem as if he had. He'd taken pains to make sure the others never heard him cry.
"And then the breeze shifted and I caught this, this horrib- wonderful smell," he winked confidingly, casting a significant glance at Sellion; "and look who I found! But yeah, none of the others are here s'far as I know."
His head jerked up at Sellion's jubilant explosion, and for a moment Tamaa's eyes were wide with the fright he never let himself show - but in a moment he was grinning easily again. Idiot cheetah.
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Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 8:42 pm
"Yes, you." She snorted at the innocent tone, rolling her eyes. "Sure he did." She snorted at him again, rolling her eyes. The guilty eyes were a dead give away, but she couldn't help the bemused smirk. Especially at his little almost-jibe.
"Good." She snorted, stretching a little. "I'd rather not be stuck with all of you at once more then necessary." She smirked at Tamaa, reaching up to scratch a spot on her face with one claw. She jarred the dirty, dingy necklace, but simply lowered her paw. It had become something she was used to, hardly even felt anymore. Sometimes she even forgot it was there, and forgot her plan.
And forgot that she still had to tell them about it. When the subject of Vu came up through Sellion's outburst, she was grateful for the distraction.
"Yes, that one."
Funny how Zito knew exactly who he was talking about when he proclaimed 'the demon'. It was kind of easy to connect the dots; the red eyes both she and Vu shared seemed to make them 'demons' in Sellion's eyes. Leave it to Zito to try and find a method in Sellion's madness. She did notice the fear in Tamaa's gaze, having been observing him closely instead of watching Sellion. For some reason, she felt no threat from the psychotic cheetah. At first, she was wary around Sellion and his outbursts, but Zito found herself not so much fearing them as... being comfortable with it?
Oh god, was she getting used to the Psycho?
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Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 8:57 pm
Once again, the hyena's words drained out of Sellion's ears, and his eyes locked on Zito's claws as she scratched her face. His grin faded into a look of blankness, pupils dilating and head tilting slowly, just slightly, as he stared and stared. His face turned down to stare at his own jagged, pink claws, and slowly, carefully, he brought his right paw to his face, examining his claws very closely.
Images of bloodied claws came to his mind, and he tilted his head the other way, very slowly, as if to get a better angle of observation. The images became more vivid, more familiar, until Sellion remembered Durion, the lion he had fought with twice. That had been a strong demon lion...Yes...That demon had bested him twice now...And he hoped it would be a third, if he found him again. Sellion had torn his claws clean through the lion's flesh...Blood everywhere...
Pain, red, demons, laughter...
Sellion closed his eyes and trailed his tongue across his claws, blood splatters and lion roars in his head and ears, suddenly completely oblivious to the world around him.
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 8:26 am
Funny how Tamaa automatically knew who Sellion was talking about, too, although he hadn't put it down to eye color. It was almost too easy to believe it of the scarred and muscular young lion, with his intimidatingly physical manner, even if he was a Pridelander. Zi might be ready to vouch for the guy, but between one excuse and another Tamaa hadn't yet gotten around to approaching him.
His eyes couldn't help but catch on the necklace as Zito brushed it; he'd nearly managed to forget, but now his burning curiosity was on the rise again. Tamaa opened his mouth as if to say something, and then closed it again. Maybe now wasn't the time. If he was too baldly nosy, Zito might just clam up and he'd never find out the juicy details. He glanced at Sellion, who seemed to have zoned off into some violent reverie. No conversational inspiration would be forthcoming there.
"That necklace," he suddenly blurted out, and then stopped, ducking his head in uncharacteristic embarrassment. "It's... nice," the hyena added lamely. Oh yes, what a brilliant way to bring up the subject.
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 10:17 am
Zitomoya looked over at Sellion, blinking a little in a baffled sort of way when she saw what he was doing. It was pretty obvious he wasn't grooming himself; he must've been in some silly daydream. She shook her head a little, deciding it best to leave the other cheetah to his... daydream? She focused her attention back on Tamaa, just in time for him to blurt out something.
She blinked again, and looked down at her necklace, using one claw to hold it out a little further so she could get a good look at it. "It's dirty." She replied, snorting a little at Tamaa. "I'll have to wash it later." She let it drop and looked away, keeping her eyes opened for one or any of the others. Avoiding the subject? Very much so. She didn't want to share this particular secret.
Sure, she knew she'd have to. In fact, it was a bit unfair to keep it to herself; she might require them to come with her. (As much as she disliked the thought, it was a long and dangerous journey from where they were all the way down South.) But she wanted to be selfish and keep it to herself for a little while.
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 11:11 am
The a clanking sound snapped Sellion out of his vivid fantasies, and for a moment he was reminded of the sound his sister's ashen bones made when they fell to the ground around what was left of her burned corpse.
Ears flattening, the male searched for the source of the sound, eyes ultimately falling on Zito's necklace. He gazed at it, ears swiveling to listen on on the cheetah and hyena's conversation, though he really wasn't paying attention. Suddenly, he was consumed...consumed by the magnificence of the musty-looking necklace. It was...Could it really be...
A DEMON TRINKET?!
Oh sweet hell! Perhaps it was! Oh, what powers it may have possessed...And if Zitomoya herself was wearing it, that was surely a sign of its GLORY.
...He...
Wanted it...
Sellion scooted a little closer, eying the necklace hungrily, while trying to remain casual-looking at the same time. He didn't want anyone to notice his clever plan, especially the smelly, thieving hyena (because he was completely sure the hyena wanted it for himself, looking at it the way he was). But he was failing quite obviously, and ended up looking like he was having a side-ways seizure while sitting down.
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 12:16 pm
She looked at it as if she'd forgotten it existed, as if it was as much a part of her as her paws. Tamaa wondered what that meant; she'd only just gotten it, after all. Hadn't she? Augh, the mystery of not knowing was killing him! Before the day Zi had collapsed in that freaky seizure, he'd thought he was beginning to figure out who she was - and then suddenly his little world had been well and truly shaken up. Whatever story she was keeping from him, he'd find it out.
But for now he might as well pursue the opening he'd accidentally created. "But it's... well. It's nice," he lied, venturing a bit closer to catch her eye again. It was pretty filthy. "I've never seen a claw that big before. Did you find it somewhere or..."
His voice trailed off, and he stared at the twitching Sellion, nonplussed. What in the name of the demons he worshiped was the cheetah doing now? Then he grinned at Zito. "Aww, I think he liiiiiiikes you," the hyena teased in a sing-song voice. "Or maybe just your claw."
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