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 Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 8:47 am
Kimacho was troubled, and it showed on his face. The black lion had taken refuge in the very back of one of the dens, hoping to avoid the majority of the sun's rays. Black was clearly not a good colour for the desert, but he would survive. It wasn't the heat that was bothering him, however, but the problems in his mind. There were too many suspects, too many questions he didn't have answers to and it was like trying to put a puzzle together blind. All he could think about was Nasiha's last words to him.
Mtenga. It had to be Mtenga.
But why? Kimacho had rarely done anything in his life without first thinking it over to the best of his abilities. He had a good mind, a sound mind, and one that had never let him down. Certainly, things had not ended well for him, but such things sometimes couldn't be avoided. It was because of this that he hesitated when it came to accusing Mtenga. He didn't want to outcast the lion – he was like that enough as it was – and if he really had done something without knowing was it really his fault?
With a soft huff, the detective dragged his claws through the dirt and watched the rivulets they made. It just didn't make sense.
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Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 12:53 pm
 Soft sands shifted through the large, red lion's paws, trembled as one raised into the air, and frantically flew outwards as it would make the journey down again with a heavy impact. These were the steps laced with agitation of the equally troubled brute, though trouble was all too usual for him.
No one dared tried contact with him; before, he was left alone out of the others' vague concern for their own welfare--now, he was left alone even more for some reason that had a less calming effect than the previous. After all, Nasiha wasn't around anymore to promote his capacity for interaction without consequence.
Eyes squinted and chest heaved as he began to think about Nasiha again. The only thing he had to provide an alibi for his sake was doing the opposite. Her accusations were harsh and unjustified, and he replied as he should have, except it took a lot of restraint to keep his paws from lifting. This was the discipline he kept up within the strange lands, and another, Kenna, did well to train him without knowledge that she was doing it. She seemed to be the only one brave enough to harass him under the heat of the sun's rays, especially with a subject so provocative.
His stride was slow and almost aimless, and he wasn't looking at where he was going, but he embraced the heat underneath his paws. Fire was a fierce fuel, a symbol of unstable power, energy, and anger... He welcomed it.
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Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 8:11 pm
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of approaching paw steps, and Kimacho's ears perked. Someone was out for a walk? It really wasn't surprising, given that most lions in this pride seemed to enjoy the heat, but he found himself curious. Perhaps a distraction was what he needed to solve this problem. He was, after all, only chasing his tail round and round without actually catching it, he supposed.
The detective got slowly to his feet and sauntered towards the den entrance, looking for the wanderer. Mtenga? What on earth was he doing? Kimacho frowned slightly, his expression hovering around 'puzzled.' Was he wandering? Was he lost? Had Nasiha really thought so badly of him that she refused to be in his company any more? Should he heed her warnings about him and let him wander by the den?
Kimacho, however, was not a lion who spent all of his time in silence, and whatever Nasiha said to him he still had a duty to the lions he had brought to this desert. He owed it to Mtenga to announce his presence. The other lion could decide if he wished to stay for a conversation.
"Mtenga. I did not expect to see you out here so late in the day."
He hovered near the edge of the den, not wanting to go outside just yet. If given the choice, he much preferred the coolness the den offered him.
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Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 2:25 am
The strain of the head pains gave Mtenga quite a disability in his sensory awareness. Not only did it clutter his head with relentless pain, bringing his ability to focus to a very minimal level, but it often left him open for preemptive encounters from anything who entered his presence. He was barely even aware that he was walking right next to the entrance of a den, and only turned his head when the very familiar shape started to emerge from its opening.
Instinctively, he moved to the side and adopted a defensive stance, though he knew Kimacho could cause no harm. Even if he tried, Mtenga wasn't sure if Kimacho could even best some of the Firekin adolescents running around. The only thing Mtenga would only admit in his mind, however, was that Kimacho wasn't all that bad following through the desert - though it probably helped that Nasiha had expressed much faith and praise towards her cousin.
He grumbled when he saw Kimacho, though--once the mask that rested on his face came into view, immediately reminding him of Nasiha. He hoped that Kimacho wouldn't spew the same foolishness she did, angering him even further.
"Then where do you expect me to be, Kimacho?" he replied, a tone of belligerence in his voice.
On another day, he would have ignored Kimacho completely. There was just nothing to say to others, and those who knew him settled into a habit of returning the same favor. But the past few encounters have squeezed more words out of Mtenga than the many days before he came into the traveling rogues thanks to Nasiha and Kenna, and perhaps he was on a roll.
"I'm going to be cross if you were sent here on business," he tested, keeping an eye on Kimacho's form.
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Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 3:36 pm
Hrm. A defensive stance. Interesting, but not anything worth noting, he decided after a moment of careful though. Had Mtenga not acted defensively at the sight of another, Kimacho probably would have been more concerned. As it stood, the red lion was only acting normally. It was a little frustrating, to say the least, especially since he was trying to decipher exactly what part – if any – his companion had played.
If he was going to prove Nasiha wrong or right he needed more evidence than just a reactionary defensive posture from Mtenga.
"Somewhere cooler," the detective replied easily, holding his position with an easy authority. It would be stupid to push the red lion's buttons, and stupider to try and engage him in any kind of direct questioning. Honest though he may be, he had never struck Kimacho as the type to think before he used his claws. The black lion was not in the mood for hiding out in his den with a scratch on the nose.
At the mention of business he blinked and tipped his head. "Business? Oh, about the murder?" Kimacho gave a small shrug. "Not really, no. I was here to avoid the sun, really, and to think. You are welcome to come in if you like. There's room enough for both of us. But I'm not going to ask you any questions. Not unless you want me to?" He had a good feeling Mtenga didn't, but he would leave it open ended. Let the red lion do as he pleased.
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Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 4:13 am
Sometimes, or most of the times Kimacho displayed his nonchalant manner way of handling things angered Mtenga. Well, more than how things usually angered him, anyways. Perhaps it was because the passive responses gave him nothing to work with. Or perhaps he was envious of the stoic yet stable character Kimacho pulled off. However, Mtenga would rather bite his own paws off before admitting any admiration (if he housed any) of anyone.
He paused as he assessed Kimacho's answers and speech; he wasn't sure if Nasiha's cousin would start playing word or mind games with him in order to make his tongue slip. He wouldn't be surprised if she put him up to the task... She was able to trick him into befriending her; it probably wouldn't have been hard to charm her own cousin into "accidentally bumping" into him for interrogation. His paranoia was getting to him, now, and it wasn't even a result of his pained head.
"Somewhere cooler," he repeated in a mutter, "Like this heat is supposed to bother me. I don't need to hide in the 'cooling' shadows."
Mtenga then stared at the den entrance on which the black lion stood. The offer to join the other was a very strange one, as no one ever offered aside from Nasiha. This could only serve to raise his suspicions, and so it did.
"Yes..." Mtenga started with wary unease, "Kenna has been in my face one too many times. I am not looking for another similar instance."
As he said that last line, Mtenga raised his paw from the ground and looked at his sharp, extracted claws, meant to be a subconscious threat, "I doubt you want my company for any other reason than hers."
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Posted: Thu Mar 04, 2010 6:21 pm
"Suit yourself, then." Kimacho shrugged his shoulders and relaxed down again. No use moving over to allow for Mtenga to join him if the lion wasn't going to do so. It wasn't surprising, but it was still mildly disappointing. The detective had thought that Nasiha really was getting somewhere with Mtenga, but all that seemed to be going down the drain. Without Nasiha, the poor lion was probably lost in a desert of inhospitable lions.
At the mention of Kenna, the black lion frowned. "Kenna has been questioning you? Recently?" Had Nasiha gone to Kenna? No, that didn't make sense. She had come to him first to get his opinion on Mtenga's past, and he had told her not to worry. She had had a hard enough time doing that. Divulging such information to another such as Kenna would have been the last thing on his cousin's mind. The Firekin lioness must have simply been doing her own digging. Kimacho couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Digging of that sort with Mtenga would only make matters worse. Already it was making him suspicious, which the detective definitely didn't want. The more suspicious a creature, the less likely one could get anything out of them.
"If I didn't want your company, you wouldn't be here with us now, would you? I have always considered you a part of our group. Nasiha believed in you, and so do I."
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Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 2:58 am
Putting his paw back down, Mtenga exhaled, apparently exasperated, and squinted at the smaller black lion. Nothing seemed to provoke him into being anything but his calm, collected self. It was useless to try to get in a fight with Kimacho had he wanted to, but then Mtenga realized... He didn't really need to argue with Kimacho. He snorted, releasing the tight grip he had on the sandy ground. Well... If Kimacho wasn't here to antagonize him, what was the point in getting his attention?
Mtenga refused to let go of the belief that anyone would approach him without an underlying intention. Nasiha once would have been the only exception, but even that was proven wrong. This was an err on Mtenga's part--the only time he opened up to another was undeniably a bitter mistake, but it was a mistake in which he drew a lesson.
Trust no other.
Thus, Kimacho's words fell on deaf, unwilling ears, and the only form of signal Mtenga gave of recognition was an irritated grunt, and a displeased turn of the head to the other's last words.
Everything was wrong. The first part of Kimacho's words were rather bothersome in that assumption that he held reign over Mtenga's presence, and that it was Kimacho picking Mtenga to participate in the mismatched troupe opposed to vice versa; had it not been for the pleas of Nasiha to stay and how vulnerable the rest looked as a group, he wouldn't have given the travelers his attention. As for the second...
"The other day, yes, Kenna did," he mumbled again as usual, a sharp pain passed through his head as he sorted his memory, "And you neglect to mention that you barely spoke to me when I followed your group..."
He stared at Kimacho, almost as if he were slowly focusing his anger and rage on him - but rather, he was trying to keep the low ache in his head from rising. It took a while for Mtenga to continue, but he did in a low, almost growling tone, and had to lower his eyelids until he saw Kimacho's black form blur in with the brown and tans of the surrounding area.
"She does not believe in me," he stated flatly, a rather defeated look betraying his eyes, "And she never did. You do not 'believe' in someone, and then convince them that they are a criminal."
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Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 12:56 pm
It was almost sad in a way what Mtenga's existence had come down to. At one point, Kimacho had hoped that spending time with Nasiha would eventually heal some of the red lion's old wounds, or at the very least help him integrate better with the rest of them. She had always been the kindest among them, fearless and loving. But after what she had said about him, that plan had quickly fallen apart. Now it seemed that Nasiha's friendship and subsequent betrayal had only made Mtenga worse.
It really was a pity.
"You never struck me as the type who wished to participate in idle conversation. I can, however, seek you out to discuss things if that is what you wish of me. I had thought that you wanted some semblance of privacy and solitude." Kimacho gave a small shrug, lowering his head down onto his paws. Mtenga was a riddle, and not one that he felt particularly inclined to solve. It was hard to know if there was anything beneath the surface. He had hoped Nasiha would console the poor creature, but it looked like it was his turn to take up the role.
The parting of ways had definitely been hard on Mtenga, and the detective took a mental note of his reaction. It seemed that he had actually liked her, perhaps even considered her a friend. Interesting. "Perhaps she's afraid. Sometimes we think we know others and then they tell us something that makes us wonder if we really knew them at all."
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Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2010 2:37 am
Kimacho's suggestion almost made Mtenga snort out a chortle - that is, if he remembered how. Regardless, he was partially amused by how ridiculous that sounded, but remained steadfast, unresponsive, and speechless in his position. It was true Mtenga did want privacy and solitude, or at least that is what he thought. Now was not the time to make a friend, however, or better the relationship he already had with Kimacho - the same relationship he held with the rest of the lions he encountered: Don't bother Mtenga, and he will not bother you. This worked very well, as Mtenga hardly would trouble himself with another if there was no provocation on their part.
Mtenga was tiring of the way Kimacho was inspecting him now as they spoke. The silent, neutral, yet judging presence of Nasiha's cousin was only bearable because Mtenga was only half listening to his words, half recognizing that Kimacho was actually there. Now, Nasiha was becoming a touchy subject for the big red brute, and one he wasn't particularly inclined to speak more of. He didn't want to roar out again at Kimacho, especially if it would put him in a negative spotlight once again, so Mtenga was able to restrain himself, but only barely just. His head shook wildly, his decision absolute. As well, he was just starting to realize how deep his 'betrayal' ran...
"NO," he said loudly, voice seething in rising anger, "She's told you..."
He didn't know what, but it was something nonetheless. It took so many days, so much time for Nasiha to get close enough to know his story - to know what he knew. It was most of what he embodied; it was something not to be shared, especially by mere panicked whim alone. As the seconds flew by, Mtenga found it increasingly harder to breathe, his emotions almost winning him over. He trembled as he stood, and wasn't sure what he would do if he stayed any longer - he wasn't sure what would happen to Kimacho if he stayed any longer.
Who else could she have told? It didn't matter anymore. The cries of blame had already damaged their relationship, but breaking his trust did so much more than sever it. Mtenga then turned away, closing his eyes tight, not caring about his present company any longer. He was at a loss of what to do.
"She's told you," he repeated in a snarl, closing his eyes in a vain attempt to calm himself, "Nasiha..."
There was nothing more to say.
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Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 1:01 pm
Hmmmm….
Kimacho's brow furrowed as he evaluated the current situation thoroughly. Mtenga's reaction was interesting, and if he wanted to be certain of the red lion's innocence and intentions then now was the time to do so. Anger was the easiest emotion to see. His voice was thick with it. But anger at what? Anger that his secret was out? Or angry that Nasiha had betrayed his trust? It was difficult to say. The detective kept a detailed mental log as Mtenga continued, taking note of his body language.
Head shaking, trembling, quickness of breath. They were all signs of anger, but this was Mtenga he was dealing with. Mtenga's emotional instability made his anger difficult to read. The turning away, however, spoke a different story. Shame perhaps? Was he honestly ashamed of the things he had done in his past? Or had the betrayal hurt more than he had originally let off? Kimacho needed more to be convinced.
"She came to ask my council. She was afraid that if you had done something without knowing it to be so that I would be forced to convict you as a murderer. Can you blame her for being frightened?" It was a half-truth, but the detective wasn't about to tell him what Nasiha said. Let him think she had come with a hypothetical situation.
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Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2010 5:05 am
No pacifying explanation was going to calm Mtenga down, nor was Kimacho going to get the red lion's understanding through a rhetorical question. He was lucky enough that Mtenga continued to let him speak, especially if it concerned that troubling lioness. But leaving now didn't even seem like a possible option for him - his paws felt weighed down by heavy stones, which intensified the feeling of not being able to move his body. He was too mad to even move, and if he had been able to focus, he would have wondered why Kimacho wasn't moving away in spite of Mtenga's accumulating aggression.
Anything that was more than what the others knew about him was too much information to give. That was what Mtenga continued to realize as Kimacho spoke again; even if vague words and speculative situations were used, it would have still been too much. It was clear, despite Mtenga's aching head acting as a barrier to his awareness, that Kimacho had an encounter with Nasiha that gave him a different or additional comprehension of the volatile lion's nature. He didn't need to hear any more. He didn't want to hear any more.
Then, it was as if Mtenga snapped, when he suddenly raised his head and roared with rage, lacking a care in whether the sound of it would reach anyone else in the surrounding desert land. He turned back to Kimacho from the direction he faced previously, beginning to subtract the several steps that separated the two. His stride was slow but menacing, and his eyes narrowed on the black lion causing his present anger.
"You all SHOULD be frightened," he growled out loudly, "And I will blame her. I do blame her. I told her to not get near me. Give me a reason to get mad and I will."
He stopped his movement once he was a few paces away from Kimacho. It was close enough to have a good shot at pouncing to hit the target. But while one part of him was furious behind imagination, another part of him felt lost. Destroyed. It conflicted his actions, and the latter part made him pause in his hate, subduing his mind. He simply stood, then, just breathing heavily. She gave me a reason.
"I'm not going to kill you," Mtenga muttered with a tone that almost sounded regretful, "I did not come to these lands looking to murder..."
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Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 2:48 pm
The detective's ears pressed back against his skull at the roar, Kimacho weighing the pros and cons of holding his position. He couldn't escape backwards into the den. Not only would it give him no escape route but it would make fighting extremely difficult. He could escape out into the sands, but it was hot and he would overheat very quickly. Perhaps he had not choice but to hold his ground. The black lion slowly pulled his front paws up so he was sitting, never taking his eyes off of the red lion. He didn't want a fight; but at the same time, he needed to find the murderer of his friend. He couldn't die here.
Thankfully, it seemed like Mtenga wasn't going to lash out.
Still, Kimacho kept his posture rigid, holding firm in the entrance of the den. He would have been lying if he said that Mtenga wasn't frightening. That kind raw power in anyone was nothing short of terrifying. But his fighting days were over and he was here to talk. He couldn't let the red lion pull him into a battle he did not wish to fight.
At the mention of murder his ears flattened, looking more sad than wary. Murder. "Nor did I, Mtenga, nor did I. I did not intend to put you in a position that would compromise your relationship with her and I did not wish to drag you into a murder investigation but so it must be. We have to accept the things that have been given to us." Pausing for a moment, he inclined his head, before continuing, "I would very much like your help in this investigation. If you are willing to give it."
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Posted: Sat Apr 17, 2010 1:22 pm
With eyes glaring precariously across the sands, Mtenga actually listened as thoughtfully as he could to Kimacho - he lost whatever motivation he could have had to strike at the other male, and the fire that raged at his previous thoughts seemed to have cooled down. He was confused further, and skeptical at best. How could someone else ask Mtenga of his aid? It was a rarity indeed, unless the aim involved maiming or loss, and the proposition left him momentarily speechless in its surprise.
"What?" he breathed out doubtingly, lifting his head to squint at Kimacho again.
"How?" he then asked, his stare growing focused.
While it wasn't like Mtenga to stick around and consider pleas for his aid, however infrequent the occasion, perhaps this matter in regards to Kimacho could be somewhat worthwhile. At the very least, it piqued his curiosity.
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Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2010 4:55 pm
Kimacho hesitated for the smallest of moments, eyes scanning Mtenga's face as he silently contemplated what he was going to ask the red lion. Some may have thought him foolish, to leave his cousin's safety in the hands of a lion who had clearly proven he could barely take care of himself. But to the detective the bond between his striped cousin and this strange red lion was something that wouldn't be so easily cast aside. Wrongs would be righted in the end, once the murder was solved. He had to attend to that first, however there was no reason not to start this ball rolling while he had the chance.
"Protect Nasiha. There may come a time when you will both seek to forgive each other for the wrongs of the past, but until that time it would put my mind at ease to know someone else was looking out for her. Her safety may be in jeopardy, and that is all I can say." The last bit was a small fib on his part, but not without reason. Nasiha was the perfect target for someone who was looking for trouble, or worse, looking to strike close to the detective. In the off chance that it did happen he would like for Mtenga to be around. At the very least it would put his mind at ease.
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