Jelani:
It didn't take him long to track down the boarder of the pride's lands. Once he'd drank his fill from the river, Jelani had followed his tracks to where he'd originally met the female. Large as he was, the lion was able to move in relitive silence. Even, controlled breaths barely above the stale wind and careful, calculated movements along with a dusty pelt practically made him a part of the scenery.

He'd found a vantage point just outside the pride's territory. Crouched in a patch of long, dry grass, the lion's single golden eye narrowed. He'd seen lions come and go, dusty colored beasts with creatures from monkies to avians following along like lost cubs.

The pride sat, convieniently, close to where his former pride had been stationed. Their traditions didn't seem to be too far off either. How ironic that he'd track his prey back here...to bring down a god would surely lift his curse- most especially one with a seemingly opposing domain.

Yokheved:
Yokheved had strolled away from her companions once more, though this time she didn't go nearly as far out as she had last time. She had had troubling dreams the night before, visions as they always were, but she was too comfortable when she awoke that she didn't move and they were gone from her mind. Would she have only remembered them.

Tamar had mentioned seeing some plants that would help ease an ache that had crept up within her paw, so she'd gone out looking for them. Her totem, meanwhile, was off looking for food as the vervet often did when 'Heve went searching for herbs. It was a sort of agreement between them.

Jelani:
Nearly half a day of waiting and watching had paid off. The mute female, smaller than some of the others he'd seen, made her way back out into the field. She must have been a hunter of sorts...though why she'd spend time gathering herbs was beyond him.

Smirking, the male prowled forward. His thick, scarred shoulders rolled, shifting the thick mane from one side to the other, which only helped to further the illusion that he was just another patch of grass. How lovely...you smell strongly of the little one...you must be a friend of his. He mused inwardly, his lips curling into a dangeorus smirk. I know that scent well... that one left quite a taste in my mouth...

Yokheved:
'Heve shifted through the grasses until she found the plant she was looking for. Lowering her face to it, she breathed in the scent, just to be sure. It was what she needed and she rubbed her cheek against it, closing her eyes at the pleasant smell it gave off. Plucking a few bits, she took them to a nearby rock and used her paw to crush the plant, getting the liquid within all over her paw and the rock. It had hurt to do so, but the relief she would feel from the effects of the plant well made up for it.

Looking as if she sighed, she walked over to the closest tree, being careful of her sore paw, and laid down beneath it, unaware she was being stalked.

Jelani:
He prowled just yards behind her, pausing only to watch her smash the small plant. Fascinated, he dared another step forward and leveled his breathing once mroe. What on earth?

The female slathered her paw with the small plant's sap, then sought out a place to rest. Perplexed, he glanced back over his shoulder. Had he happened upon a pride of lunitics?

Tightening his jaw, the male prowled forward, winding his way through the grass carefully and purposefully. Taking a long roundabout, he came within two yards of the female before emerging. An art he perfected as a younger lion- he seemed to appear out of thin air.

"A wonderful afternoon. Not too hot, not too cold."

Yokheved:
'Heve's green eyes were slowly shutting when a voice startled her, familiar and yet almost frightening, and she wasn't sure why. She jerked, eyes popping open, and muscles flexing including the one in her stiff paw. Seeing it was simply the male from before, she settled back and licked at her paw, trying to stretch the muscles out again as she did so. But that only made them hurt more than just be sore, so she stopped and looked back up at the larger male, a curious look on her face.

Jelani:
He stepped closer and, without any regard for personal space or what she might have to say (or in her case, think) of the matter, he reached out with a paw and pinched her wounded one between two claws. Lifting a brow, he tipped his head. "Ah. You pulled something. A bloody pain when that happens... I always find it difficult to get up to speed when that happens. My prey always get away." He sighed whimsically and dropped the paw.

Yokheved:
When the male stepped closer, 'Heve frowned and leaned her head back slightly, away from him. All of a sudden, her paw was between his claws. It didn't hurt so much, but she knew if she moved she ran the risk of cutting it. But she set her ears back and bared her teeth, showing her displeasure at the breach of space. If she could have growled, she would have done so.

He dropped her paw and she swiftly stood, backing a few steps away from him, away from the tree trunk. Her frown remained, growing increasingly more uncomfortable in his presence.

Jelani:
Jelani chuckled at her discomfort but took a few steps to close the gap she was trying to create. "An injury like that...such a little thing. Sometimes it's the difference between life or death." He reached a paw out and dug his claws into the trunk of the tree. Thus far, it was the only indication he'd give of his temper.

"Such an interesting scent." He commented once more, tipping his head to one side. "I know I've smelled it once before... scent, you know, is among our strongest senses. Especially when it comes to memory. And mine is....especially sharp."

Yokheved:
'Heve did her best to look confused at his words, wishing she had someone near, wishing she had that blessing many others took for granted, the ability to call for help. At the very least to scream. He was talking about Li, she was most certain of it. Why had she been so silly as to comfort her little friend after her encounter with this male? She should have known it was bad to smell like the young god.

Had this been the one to hurt her little cub, after all? Anger rose in her at the thought, but he was bigger than her, and no doubt more trained than she was in fighting. What could she do?

Jelani:
"Now now..." He rumbled. A deceptive smile graced his otherwise terrible features. His eye blazed and somewhere under the shadow of his mask's eyehole, a second eye narrowed. "There's no need to be so rude~! I simply wanted to thank you for...pointing me in the right direction."

Yokheved:
She continued backing away, holding the confused look on her face. Her paw hurt, but she had fear on her side, fear to help ignore the pain, should she turn and try to run for help. Should she try? If she did and he caught her, what would he do? Flashes from a similar situation, the deaths of her parents, flashed in her mind. She flinched at the vividness of the memories, remembering how the leopards had at first been so polite and kind as they neared her family.

Would she lose something with this encounter as well?

Jelani:
"Let me tell you a little story. I was so rude the other day, I didn't even get a chance to introduce myself."

He rushed forward, a blur of tan and gold swept past the female and cut off her slow retreat. Smiling pleasantly as ever, he lifted his eyebrows. "My tribe lived close to here...oh so long ago. We too had companions...though we had to go out and seek them on our own, and we had to tame ours. It was a rite of passage you see... those that passed were considered blessed by the spirits, the totem was your other half...those that failed were cursed."

He slowly lifted a paw to pull the mask from his face. What remained for her to see was a scarred mess. It was a small miracle that he'd managed to survive with a grevious wound such as that.

"A darkness touched my soul... some time later-" He replaced the mask and sighed. "I discovered a god was behind the curse. Now, I've tried everything to lift it- everything but the blood of a god."

He turned slowly towards her. "Do you happen to know where I might find one?"

Yokheved:
'Heve spun around in fear as he ran around her, backing away as he told his story. His pride sounded like her own, though there was much less taming of Totems and more befriending. Tamar was a special case, a Totem passed down from mother to daughter, a young companion who vowed to watch over the last piece of her original friend.

And then he took his mask off.
The lioness' eyes widened and part of her wished she had been there, a bit of compassion flickering in her eyes. She might have been able to help. But his words registered in her mind and she blinked, doing her best to hold onto her confused, fearful look. Don't give away anything, she told herself. She couldn't let anything bad happen to Li. Not again.

Slowly, she shook her head.

Jelani:
The lion smiled gently. Deceptively so so. In the next instant the composed, pleasant lion errupted into a roaring mountain. A paw flew out, throwing the back of it into the female's jaw with a force that would sent a gazelle flying. "LIAR!" He roared, black lips pulled back to show a hungry, dangerous mouth full of stained teeth.

Yokheved:
'Heve thought she saw a moment of freedom, before it was swiftly torn from her. The paw laid her out, sending her to the ground where she landed with a thud. Dazed, she tried to scramble away, blinking tears from her eyes and just trying to turn herself in the right direction of help, the right direction to get up and run towards.

Jelani:
In a flash the female would find herself pinned to the ground, a pair of paws, heavy as boulders, fell on her and slowly pricked her with just the tips of his claws. A nasty reminder of what he could do- if he chose to do so.

"I consider myself to be a fair lion." He mused, his voice silky yet cold at the same time. "I'll give you one last chance... you see I pride myself on my honesty. I may be touched with a curse, but I am truly an honest individual. If there's one thing that sets me off, it's a liar... now... I know you're incapable of speaking, I'm sure you'd have cried out by now."

He leaned in closer, bearing his teeth. "....where... is the god? I smell him all over you. I never forget a scent..."

Yokheved:
Her body pinned, 'Heve let out an sharp exhale, almost a gasp if there had been any sound to it. But even her breathing was muted. Trapped and hurting where he pricked her skin, she clenched her teeth and closed her eyes. He gave her an offer, to be honest and tell him where Li was.
It was at that moment that she realized what she needed to do.

Li was a part of the pride, and a god. But most of all, he was a cub, one who had braved the world outside their pride to find something from her dreams. And in the journey had been hurt. By this male. She cared for Li, wanted to protect him and comfort him when he needed it. She wouldn't let anyone hurt him again, not if she could stand in the way.

So she glanced over her shoulder at the scarred male, all sympathy for him lost from her eyes as she opened her mouth as if to speak. Her eyes narrowed slightly and her jaw snapped shut before she turned her head and closed her eyes, awaiting her fate, knowing she had done the right thing.

Jelani:
"Pathetic. You know the second thing I hate most is a hero." He sneered. "I could kill you..." He tipped his head to one side and pressed his claws down into her fur, the only indication to his boiling temper. For the moment anyway. "Yes I could...but then you'd die a hero. Death, you see, is hardly a punishment. It's a release really... I suppose I could consider myself a saint in that regard. Afterall-" He chuckled dryly, "If anyone were able to actually... take me down, I'd be more than happy to expire. No, I don't think I'll kill you."

He smirked and turned back to her, lifting his brow. "No that won't do at all.. I want you to live.."

Yokheved:
'Heve flinched at the pain from his claws. She most certainly didn't wish to die, there were so many things she would like to do before then. One of which was to find a male she cared for, like her mother and father, and have a family. To see this new land Li had found. To see him grow up. To, perhaps someday, learn why she was without voice when she was sure once long ago she had had one.

But now she worried. The tone, his words, if he wasn't going to kill her, what would he do?