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 Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2011 7:39 am
Mananakbo By the time they reached the Kuroi'Nera Mananakbo was beginning to become concerned about the small cub he had stolen. To capture her he had first knocked her out, knowing it would be much easier to deal with a cub when she was unconscious than to take a conscious, struggling cub all the way from the rogue lands to the Kuroi'Nera. That had been several hours ago, and she still hadn't stirred or shown any signs of waking up. In a way, that was just as well, since the rules for bringing people into the pride were explicit. They had to be blindfolded or unconscious, and the cub being unconscious now fit in well with that requirement. However, Mana did wonder if he had done her some kind of permanent damage. She really ought to have woken up by now. Jakyra Her head hurt. That was the first thing to occur to Jakyra. It hurt a lot, and the feeling wasn't made significantly better by the fact she was being carried by the scruff of her neck as if she was a little cub. She most definitely was not a little cub anymore, and she resented being treated like she was. Jak resented all kinds of condescending or patronizing treatment, which was why she got into so many tussles with Vaako. But perhaps the aching head was related to why she was being carried. Perhaps she had been injured, and now she was being taken home. But injured by whom, and carried by whom? If it had been any of her siblings, she didn't think they could have done anything which would have knocked her unconscious. They weren't big enough, strong enough, or mean enough. But one of them couldn't be carrying her, either. Not even Vaako. He wasn't big or strong enough for that. It was a mystery, and her head hurt too much to try to decipher it, or even open her eyes.
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Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2011 9:10 am
Mananakbo Mana decided not to worry about it. If the cub had been brain damaged or something like that, it would probably make her more biddable. He didn't know anything about her, which might have made him anxious with an older lioness. For all he knew, she might be quite the little spitfire, in which case maybe some docility would be to everyone's advantage. Just as long as she wasn't actually a moron. Mana had very little patience for the slow of thought, as was obvious by the way he avoided Nyoka's little pet, Enzi. Thinking of Enzi made him wince internally. A hybrid. Worse, a lion-crossed hybrid. His parents must not have loved him very much, or else simply been incredibly selfish. How could they have carnal relations, knowing that doing so could potentially produce half-spirited offspring was simply beyond Mana's comprehension. But that was neither here nor there. At the border of the pridelands Mana was stopped by guards who knew he was allowed to come in and out, but were doing their job in making sure no one went unquestioned. He had to put the cub down to answer their questions and speak the correct code words, but since she still didn't seem to have regained consciousness, he didn't think there was much to worry about. Jakyra Jak had lapsed back into unconsciousness as the journey continued, too woozy to devote much thought or energy to anything else. Whatever had happened to her, she would be surprised if serious damage didn't come from it, but there wasn't much she could do about it at the moment. It was all she could do to keep from feeling ill with the motion of being carried. When she was set down it was a relief, and she was so glad to collapse into a furry puddle of sleepiness. She was dimly aware of a male voice speaking and of other voices answering him, but very little else made it through her dizziness. Jak wished her head would stop hurting and that she could figure out where she was without opening her eyes. Opening her eyes would have to come eventually, but Jak was content to let it wait for the time being. At least until she stopped moving. She had been picked up again and was being carried once more. She hoped they would get to where they were going soon. She felt like throwing up.
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Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2011 10:05 am
Mananakbo Mana's next stop with his slumbering charge were the underground caverns. The darkest ones, where slaves were brought when they were first taken into the pride. She would be put into a small, dark hole in the ground with a rock moved in front of the door. He didn't envy her that experience. Probably she would wake up terrified by the dark. Tomkrie told him that one of his cubs had a problem with the dark. Paternity didn't suit him, and he didn't like to spend time with lions, but this was only a little lion, and he couldn't stop himself from feeling a little bit responsible for her. He put her into the hole, rolled the rock most of the way in front of it, and then crouched down to wait for her to wake. He had permission to go out and bring people back to the pride. At least this one slave. He hoped she would wake up soon. Suddenly, oddly, he wanted to see his cubs, particularly his oldest. Jakyra As Mana had predicted, Jak woke in a dark place, and she wasn't pleased. Oh, the darkness was less harsh on her brain than the sun's unrelenting light might have been, and for that she was grateful, but just waking up in complete darkness was not comfortable for her. Particularly not since she'd woken alone. Always she had her siblings sleeping around her, and usually their mother was nearby, too. It was strange, and a little scary, to be alone. But at least she could open her eyes without lots of pain, and she did so. The pale blue color of her eyes probably would have glowed green and red if there'd been any light to catch and reflect, but it was too dark for that. Instead she caught just a hint of a glint of something else reflective, two somethings set on the same level, actually. Like a pair of eyes. She could distantly hear running water, she thought, and there was stone beneath her paws and against her fur. With a start, Jak realized she had no idea where she was. "What happened?" she asked, irritated by how high and squeaky her voice came out. "Where am I?"
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Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2011 10:38 am
Mananakbo It didn't take very long for the cub to recover, and Mana was glad of that. The longer she'd spend unconscious, the more Mana had been concerned that he'd done some kind of serious damage in knocking her out. Nyoka would not be impressed if he ended up stupefying the slave he'd set out to capture. Not that he'd set out for this particular cub, but someone. Yeah... "You're in the Kuroi'Nera. You will serve as a slave here from now on, unless you're sold to someone else outside the pride. Because you're a lion, you are the lowest of the low, and you will have to obey orders from everyone else. If you obey well, you will be well-treated. If not, then your treatment will be unpleasant." He had given this speech before. Last time to a hybrid named Masizi. That one was a singer, and the oddest-looking thing Mana had ever seen. Even odder than Enzi, though he was the same sort of hybrid. He wasn't sure if it was better or worse that the cub he was speaking to was a pureblooded lion. Jakyra Jak was not reassured to hear a masculine voice. There were only two males in her life, both of them were her brothers. Neither Riddiq nor Vaako sounded like this. It was just further confirmation that she was not home. Definitely not home. She didn't like this. Not at all. The more she listened, the less she liked it. She had never heard of the Kuroi'Nera, but she sure as anything didn't want to be a slave. Here or anywhere. And those vague threats about the kind of treatment she'd receive based on how obedient she was served only to make her angry. A growl rose low in her chest, and at last she couldn't contain her ire any longer. "My brother's going to kill you!" she snarled. "If I don't do it first."
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Posted: Fri Feb 04, 2011 9:37 am
Mananakbo "Trying probably wouldn't be a good idea," Mana remarked dryly. This was more familiar territory for him. Of course, this cub's threats were even less threatening than most slaves' threats, and more laughable than usual. He continued his spiel, less bothered by the fact he was delivering it to a cub now that she was beginning to react more like other newly-brought slaves. He was accustomed to new slaves being defiant and angry and issuing threats. Soon she would learn her place, as the others did. It might not be easy for her, but it would be better than the alternative. At the end of his routine Mana paused and sighed. He didn't think she'd have questions now, but she would later. It wouldn't be his job to answer them. There would be other slaves who could explain things to her, or low grunts. As Nyoka's right hand, it really wasn't his job even to do this, but he was used to doing that sort of thing. And he did feel a little responsible for bringing her in. "Look, what's your name?" he asked. Jakyra Jak grew more and more annoyed, but she couldn't help acknowledging that the adult was correct. It probably wouldn't be a good time to try. Not right now, while she was little, but she knew she'd get bigger, and when she did she would be out of here. In the meantime she could play their stupid docility games and do as they said, but in private she would hone her skills and one day she would escape. She'd find her way back to Riddiq, or maybe he'd find his way here, and then everything would be okay. "I'm Jak," she said sullenly. "And I'll do as I'm told."
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