|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2011 2:34 pm
Kosi's death had been terrible, but at least there was a finality to it. If his daughter had been stolen - or heaven forbid, his grandpups - things would have been much different. He would have risked everything to get his missing family member back.
Just as the lions would, when they figured out who had taken their cub.
Something had to be done. Mafuu was going to get herself killed. She might get them all killed. Ubongo had been unhappy about his wayward daughter, but he wasn't going to try and beg and plead for her to return to sanity. Not any more. Mafuu's actions had brought terrible danger to them all. "Mafuu!" he shouted, marching towards his daughter. "Have you lost your mind?"
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2011 4:06 pm
Her father's voice used to be a welcome sound to Mafuu's ears. It wasn't anymore.
The chain of war was long between lions and hyenas, and cubnapping the Pridelander brat was just another link. Kosi's death had been the link before that. It was Zimwi who helped Mafuu realize the way of things. There was nothing wrong with seeking revenge. Another war was inevitable. In fact, it had already begun. So why her father continued with his incessant down-talking was beyond her.
Her inner answer to her father was no, but there was no point in telling him that. He had already convinced himself otherwise.
"Stop your shouting. It's already done," Mafuu said, her tone almost soft. But there was no warmth in her stare.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2011 8:34 am
Mafuu's stare was indimidating, but Ubongo wasn't about to back down from his own daughter. He returned her stare, narrowing his eyes. "Undo it. Take that cub back and dump it where they can find it. If it's unharmed, they'll likely think it got lost and made up a story to get out of trouble." Ubongo didn't care about the lion cub. He would gladly watch the thing fall into a deep dark ditch, never to return, if it would somehow get the adult lions off their trail. He cared about his grandpups, and the lion cub being with them - in the damn pack! - was going to bring terrible trouble.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2011 9:18 am
Mafuu's snout twisted incredulously. After a moment of deep staring, the female threw her head back and laughed out loud.
"How can you act like you care so much about the well-being of a lion cub?" she asked, head tilting. "After what they've done--after what's coming, you still think you can turn back time and make it all go away?"
Mafuu stepped aside and moved to face her father in a different direction. There was a war on the horizon, but she knew now that her father would only realize that when it was too late. But not her.
She would be ready.
Mafuu's expression became grave. "It can't be undone."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2011 3:30 pm
Ubongo let out a laugh of his own, sharp and angry. Mafuu thought him stupid, but she was the one being a fool. It was almost as though she wanted the lions to attack, wanted a war.
"I don't care at all about that cub!" Ubongo snapped. "I'd throw it under the hooves of a wildebeest myself if I thought it would save us." Mafuu was too obsessed to see sense.
"I care about our children. What if they go after Kisu and Kombe in revenge?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2011 6:58 pm
For a split moment, Mafuu was taken aback by her father's sudden abrasiveness, something in her instinctively settling into her role as daughter and understanding his as the father. But she slapped it off, hardening her eyes once more.
It was all well and good for some to play the "what if" game, but Mafuu was going to have none of it. Hyenas were going to get hurt. So were lions. That was the whole point of a war--THE war that was on the horizon, the war that Mafuu had helped start. She was tired of her father being afraid of the consequences.
The time for mulling was long over.
"There's no point in worrying about the future," Mafuu replied. She had little hope in it herself. Better to take down every lion she could before the end. There was no point in fretting over what-ifs.
"The sooner you harden your soft ways, the sooner you can get your head around this war and do something to prevent those pups from getting hurt!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2011 9:13 am
Ubongo shook his head, frustrated. There was no talking to Mafuu any more. She was right - what was done, was done. But he couldn't just sit back and let her think everything was fine. The lions could easily take their pups in revenge. Mafuu was blind, bind to the havoc she was causing.
"Angering the lions won't prevent our pups from getting hurt." Ubongo returned Mafuu's hard stare. "Starting a war won't help them!" He knew he would fight if he had to, but they didn't need to go down that path. They shouldn't!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 8:58 am
"How many times do I have to go through this?!" Mafuu barked, frustration at its peak.
How could one talk to rock? That was exactly what conversations with Mafuu's father were like. And no matter how many times she told herself she was done with it all, she would somehow get herself cornered again--get lectured again--have to yell...again. None of their talks mattered. They made no difference to the bigger picture. They were trivial.
She wouldn't endure another one after this.
"Are your ears so clogged that you still can't understand what I say--what the pack says? What Zimwi says?!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2011 6:55 pm
This was going nowhere. Ubongo was just as frustrated as Mafuu. He was beginning to feel helpless as well. Mafuu had kicked a pebble down a hill and started a landslide, not caring that it might crush the whole pack in the end.
"Zimwi!" Ubongo barked back. "Zimwi has pups to care for! What does Zimwi care if we die fighting the lions?" He didn't care for Zimwi's words, had never cared for them, but now he was beginning to actively dislike the rabid old hyena. She had twisted Mafuu, maddened her, but Ubongo didn't quite dare call Zimwi foolish.
He shook his head, disgusted with himself for hoping that Mafuu would see reason. "I'll fight to protect us if I have to, but it should never have come to this."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2011 12:29 pm
Oh, it was easy to stand there and spit doubt, but her father didn't know Zimwi. Mafuu didn't know her quite well at all, but she had begun to trust her enough to take whatever she said into consideration.
There was no point in continuing the conversation. They were going in circles, and it was annoying. Mafuu had much more important matters to attend to.
"You can't say whether it was supposed to come to this or not," Mafuu said darkly, glaring. No one could say. But what was done was done. And what would be would be.
"I'm done with your lectures, so don't you dare try to corner me again."
With that, the daughter turned her back on her father and stormed off.
There was a war to prepare for.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
![[Eskimo]'s avatar](https://a1cdn.gaiaonline.com/dress-up/avatar/ava/ea/2c/53920899312cea_flip.png?t=1541710050_6.00_00)