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 Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2011 1:47 pm
The smell of blood was mixed with some strange medicine. It still bothered Haji, but she ignored it, because that and the grass she had chewed earlier were the only reasons she was still moving. She waited in the shadows at the base of the weeping lion, keeping an eye out for Ligi, and growing impatient for the other slave to show up. They had to do this quickly, otherwise they would be caught.  Jabari seemed to be asleep. That was a bit of a shocker, since he hadn't slept in all the time that Sitaki had been there. Either he had passed the point of exhaustion, or he had suddenly decided to trust her. All bets were on the exhaustion thing.
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Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2011 2:00 pm
 Sitaki had fought with herself for most of the day. No, that was a lie. Sitaki had fought with herself ALL day. She did not know why Jabari kept such a close eye on her, or why he'd even caught her in the first place. It would have been so easy for him to turn a blind eye to her trespassing, but the moment she'd tried to turn on her 'charms' he would have none of it. And his words from many days past, the anguish and rage that had filled his words. They haunted Sitaki like nothing else had in her life. She shook her head, ridding herself of the thoughts, and as silent as she could she picked her way through the slumbering Ligi within the jaw. It had been easy enough to free herself from Jabari. He'd been sleeping the sleep of the dead. As she stepped from the jaw, she turned back for just a moment, eyes drinking in the sight of him, before she turned to make her rendezvous with Haji.
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Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2011 2:12 pm
Brown eyes opened and he debated for a moment before yawning and getting to his feet. He owed it to her to at least watch her leave, he thought. He had never gotten to the point where he could trust her. Maybe he never would trust anyone other than family... That was a sad fate, but one he had been raised to.
Oh well. He headed out of the mouth of the jaw, feeling as if a burden was about to be lifted off of his shoulders. Until he saw who she was meeting with, that was.
"Over here," Haji whispered, motioning for the lioness as soon as she saw her. "Did anyone see you?" she asked, favoring her leg as she looked up at the Jaw. There was no one there.
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Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2011 2:18 pm
Sitaki hurried over to Haji, shaking her head at the female's question. "No. He was dead to the world when I left, snoring and whatnot." She sent a glance over her shoulder, peering into the endless depth of night. Not a sound, not a movement. Of course, had she been skilled at hunting, tracking, picking up scents, well she might have seen him.
She didn't.
"We should hurry," Sitaki grunted. Before I change my mind. She sent a sideways glance towards the leg that the lioness favored but decided against any questions. It didn't matter, not anymore.
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Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2011 2:37 pm
Haji nodded, but she couldn't stop the foreboding sensation that someone was watching them from bothering her. She kept glancing over her shoulder as she limped her way to the deepest shadows of the night. The moon wasn't out, since it was a new moon. But the stars shone brightly. She prayed, silently, to the gods she had given up hoping in that there would be clouds soon. The clouds never came.
They were going to get caught, she knew. Soon someone would step out of the shadows, starting up a cry, bringing the Ligi here to kill both of them--
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Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2011 2:43 pm
"Stop," Sitaki whispered, ears flickering about. Tension was obvious on her face. If they were caught, they would be killed. There was no question in Sitaki's mind that capture by a Ligi this time would not be like her capture by Jabari. No, they would be branded as traitors and killed.
"I hear something," she continued after a moment, nostrils flaring. She couldn't tell if she could actually hear something or if paranoia was playing a part in this, but honestly Sitaki couldn't think of any reason why they shouldn't err on the side of caution.
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Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2011 2:52 pm
Haji pulled to a stop, not about to argue. She felt the same way as the other female, but she had no idea why. It was completely silent. Not even the birds were making a noise. Maybe it was too silent, she thought, turning so her back was to the nearest tree.
"Just going to leave without saying goodbye?" Jabari's voice came out of nowhere, then the white lion stepped out of the shadows, looking much like a ghost. "I'm a bit hurt by that," he drawled. He shouldn't have said anything. He should have just let them run. But he couldn't seem to help himself. He looked at Haji. "Go back to the jaw."
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Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2011 3:15 pm
Sitaki thought her heart would burst from her chest from surprise when Jabari's smooth voice came out of the shadows. She immediately turned wide eyes to Haji. What would the female do? If she was smart she would turn and do as Jabari said, but that meant that she would be left alone with her captor and that frightened her.
Sitaki hated fear.
"I'll go back with you," she said softly to Haji. Maybe they could just forget that this had ever happened? An idle wish, but Sitaki really didn't know what to do next.
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Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2011 3:23 pm
"You smell like blood," Jabari said as Haji hesitated. "Do you really think you can beat me when you're in this state? Regardless of how much training you've had, you're not capable of fighting right now. Go back to the cave, I'll take care of this."
"Let her go," Haji said. "She's not doing anything to profit you! You haven't even used her in a way that could get you cubs--"
"Do you really think I would want cubs in this pride?" Jabari asked. "Go, Haji, before I lose my temper."
Haji hesitated, then looked at Sitaki, a worried expression on her face. "I'm sorry," she said. "I should have waited for the next new moon--"
"GO!" Jabari roared. Haji ran away as fast as her limp could take her.
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Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2011 3:32 pm
Sitaki recoiled at Jabari's final demanding roar towards Haji. Why did the lioness want her to leave so badly? And why -- cubs? Sitaki was so confused, so unsure of what to do. She would fight if Jabari came at her. She would fight and then she would run. Sitaki-hii watched him carefully after Haji limped away. She couldn't read his expression, couldn't even guess what was going through his mind right now.
She could easily say that it had been her own idea, that Haji had only helped her after Sitaki had approached the blue lioness. That was another option.
"Please," she whispered, watching him carefully, "Do not tell the Shatkona."
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Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2011 3:36 pm
"Do you really think I'm going to tell him? Did you see her?" he asked, his frustration with this pride showing clearly. "She looked as if she'd fall over at any moment. She walks like she's been trained--she must have been--Dammit!" he snarled, hating the Shatkona more and more with each thought. "He turned an excellent warrior into... that," he spat out, his lips curled back in a silent snarl.
"Go," he said, still not looking at her. "Get out of here now, and don't look back. I should have never thought--"
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Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2011 3:43 pm
Sitaki's brows furrowed as she listened to his words. A Ligi keeping a secret from the Shatkona? A secret that had to do with Sahen's personal pet? She narrowed her eyes as she tried to figure everything out. The puzzle felt so close, just within her grasp and yet missing too many vital pieces, pieces that made the puzzle unsolvable.
She felt it was safe to rise now. She heard the frustration in his voice, the same frustration that she'd heard in days past. Sitaki shook her head, moving towards him with confusion clouding her eyes. He was sparing her life and the life of Haji. Those were not the actions of a Ligi. His words were not those of a Ligi.
"Thought what," she asked, her voice low and eyes bright.
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Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2011 3:52 pm
"I told you to LEAVE," he roared at her. "Get out of here! You're not a part of this pride and you never will be! I want my damn bed back!" He stepped forward, his teeth showing dangerously. He wasn't attacking, he was bluffing. He wanted her gone!
He had been such an idiot to drag her into this in the first place.
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Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2011 3:59 pm
Sitaki frowned, a heated look coming into her eyes. She wasn't going anywhere. Not now, and not until she figured out what was going on behind those dark eyes of his. It was obvious, at least to Sitaki, that he was hiding something. Something big. Something important.
"Shut up," she said succinctly, calling his bluff. She didn't roar back at him, not yet."Finish the words you were going to speak, Jabari." She wasn't stupid, and she felt as if he were implicating such a thing. Did he think she was dumb? She spent hours by his side at night, watched him sleep more often than not. She could have tried to kill him multiple times, but she had not. Sitaki was not a stupid girl.
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Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2011 4:03 pm
His eyes narrowed on her. "You really want to know? I was going to use you," he said bluntly. "I was going to make you infiltrate the rest of the pride, to find out who was planning on going up against the Shatkona, and then I was going to figure out if there was a way I could use them, or if they were going to wind up dead."
He scoffed. "But that isn't going to work," he told her flatly. "So get out of here."
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