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 Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2012 2:48 am
  A pair of small, crystal-colored eyes watched a lone figure running towards the forest in which the creature hid. A few moments of watching, studying the approaching individual and the little thing disappeared into the forest.
"A lioness, younger than my mum, older than Mini. I-"
"Don' call me that, chit, or Ah'll poison yeh in yer sleep. Ah don' care who yer fat'er is," a sharp voice hissed at the younger sounding one, interrupting it.
"You kill her and we'll all be in a heap o' troubles. Let the lass speak." This voice was male, sophisticated behind his accent.
"Fine cloth 'round her neck, an' a crown on her head. D'I do well, Barth?"
"Mmhmm, lass, your father'd be proud."
"Papa'd gully you if he knew you took me out."
"Aye, but I like your spirit. An' you're useful. Now go and hide yourself, we'll see to the rest." There was a pause and the barest of sounds as something small moved in the underbrush. "Dou?"
"Aye sir?" This voice was deep and it held a smile.
"Look dumb." The words were followed by a deep chuckle.
"As for you... Can you play the pitiful maid?"
"You could do better," the female voice hissed back, earning a growl. Another deep chuckle and an exasperated sigh.
"Let's go."
  Leinikki was running. It was the only joy she had in her life now and it still couldn't fill the aching void in her heart. Even after all this time, the loss of her love weighed heavy upon her. She was thinner now than she had been, in part because she had to hunt alone now and in part because it ached to do anything but lie in the back of her den. She had been staving off the king's messengers, saying that her father was merely out on one errand or another every time they came by to speak to him. They were becoming more and more suspicious with each visit, she wasn't sure how much longer it would last before they realized she was alone. And that would mean she would be more or less up for grabs by any available male in the pride.
So lost was she in her own thoughts that she almost didn't see the three lions standing in her path between the trees.
She stopped up short and gave them a look of mild disdain. There were three of them, two males and female. The taller of the two males was a hulking green beast that wouldn't have dwarfed her Pardel, but he would certainly have looked down upon him. As such, he towered over his companions. Despite his size and the muscle under his blinding coat, he had a pleasant look on his face as he smiled at her, as if everything in his world was absolutely wonderful.
The other male was almost a full head shorter than the first and the most brilliant color of gold she had ever seen. His features were offset by white in places and a black mane was swept carefully out of his deep black eyes. He, too, was giving her a smile, though his was apologetic.
The female was probably the most interesting out of the three. She was younger than the two males, not even an adult yet, and almost completely white. Her toes were a red the color of dried blood to match her mane, tail and a few markings on her shoulders and under her eyes. A webbing of gold and beads encased her mane and fell down the right side of her face. She was looking down, the face she wore tired and just a bit forlorn.
 "Excuse us lass." It was the gold male who spoke. His voice was soft and gentle on her senses, but she didn't soften towards him. "We're traveling performers and seem to have lost our way. Our dear fortune reader is nigh on exhausted, might there be somewhere we can rest and refresh? A pride perhaps?"
Nikki shook her head slowly at him. Her tone was just a little haughty when she replied to his request.
"No, sir. There isn't anything at all around here." The male's shoulders slumped, his face dropping as his eyes closed for a moment. The green giant looked to what appeared to be the leader and tilted his head dumbly. The gold male's eyes opened again slowly, the look on his face mild, but she could see there in the dark depths a smug satisfaction.
"Well, lass, then isn't that a pity for you?" he asked her, right before the larger lion lashed out. She felt the heavy paw strike the side of her head before she was out cold.
Auslief, or Rime as Barth and Dou called her, came crawling out of the bushes while Minuit bound the unconscious lioness' paws with braided vine ropes.
"We're taking her? Why Barth?" the little female, just barely old enough to leave the pridelands with an escort asked, looking up at the golden male. Bartolomeu, Barth to his friends and Black Bart to the rest of the pride, glanced at the little female. She crept close to him and he wrapped a paw around his little lookout. Oh, yes, her father would most certainly spill his guts upon his claws and strangle him with his own entrails if the Captain knew Barth was taking his only little girl out on raids. In truth, Rime wasn't old enough for this kind of thing, but her small size, quick mind, and willingness to please was far too valuable to just leave behind until she was a proper age to become a crewman. He didn't have any sisters, but then that was no surprise as he was the son of a mythic mermaid. His mother had kept them all in the depths of the sea and left just himself and his brother for their father. Despite her plethora of brothers, Barth considered the shockingly white lioness like a little sister.
"Because I wish it, little one. She's a pretty thing, mayhap she'll be a good wench or at least a fair ransom. Now, don' make that face with me. You're a pirate princess, you know our ways," he replied as Minuit finished her job and Douceur carefully slipped the sleeping lioness onto his back. If she woke during the transport, she could struggle but she wouldn't injure him. It would take more than that to hurt the gentle giant.
Auslief sighed and shook her head. Yes, she knew how they life was, but she didn't understand the males' fascinations with stealing ladies. Weren't there plenty of ladies in the pride already? Maybe it was because she was female. She tucked herself against Barth for a moment, glad for his comforting manner before she pulled away and stood up, ready to head home. It would be a long trek and probably take the rest of the day. Her father wouldn't miss her, he was on a raid right now. And her mother... She half expected her mother to already know what she was doing. Her mama seemed to know everything.
Barth gave her a light tap to her behind to get her moving proper-like and watched as the little lioness started forward, leading the procession trough the trees, deeper into the forest as they headed back towards the coast. Dou took up the rear, it was what he always did. Usually, Barth kept Minuit in front of him. It wasn't that he wanted to keep her safe, it was that he just plain didn't trust her. The pirate king's daughter had a few shells missing from the seashore that was her mind and there was no telling what she might suddenly do. Today, however, he allowed her to walk beside him, as it was clear that the younger female had a bone to pick with him.
"My fat'er will hear about this," she said, her tone low as she referred to the disrespect he had shown her in favor of the little one. It only made Barth smirk in a very charming way at her.
"Oh, aye. You tell him how you threatened the Dragon's baby girl and you see how well your papa takes to it. He's your papa, but he's no fool. The Dragon is his strongest ally," he replied with a shake of his head. Mini's lip curled a little, though she held back the snarl. She didn't like being treated like a cub and yet that was what Barth seemed to relish. He was young, foolish, and far too reckless. She looked forward to the day when it got him killed.
Minuit huffed at Barth and walked away from him, closer to Auslief, but not so close that Barth needed to worry for the little girl. It was mostly bluster, Mini just liked getting her way and made a righteous fuss when she didn't get it.
Suddenly, without so much as a shuffle of leaf-litter, Dou was at his side. Not long ago, Barth would have been startled by how quietly such a large creature could move, but, well, he'd gotten used to it.
"We're not going to get back to the pridelands before nightfall, Barth," Dou said softly, so the ladies wouldn't hear. Barth frowned at him, unsure of what he was talking about. Of course they would. If they didn't, well, there was a good chance he'd be getting an earful from the king as well as the mate of his favorite captain. Wouldn't that be just wonderful? He watched Dou c**k an ear to one side and sure enough a clap of thunder rumbled overhead. Damn the gods! Dou always said he could feel a storm coming on, something about older bones or whatnot. A storm might not have been a bad thing, but there was one major difficulty. To get back to the pride, they had to cross a narrow river. It normally wasn't an issue, Auslief would be fine on his or Dou's back and Mini could get across herself without too much trouble. But rain meant the river would swell. It would be too dangerous to cross until after the rains had stopped, maybe even longer.
Barth let out a frustrated growl. They would have to press on as far as they could and if it started to rain before they hit the river... then they would just have to hunker down for the night.
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Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2012 1:28 pm
The downpour started before they'd even left the trees. Barth was not in the least bit pleased, but there wasn't anything he could do to stop the rains from falling until nature or the gods had decided to stop it. It would be far too dangerous to try crossing the river now, and as selfish as he tended to be he wouldn't risk little Rime's life. The small group found the thickest grove of trees they could, ending up under a pair of huge Manilkara trees. It wasn't completely dry, every so often a drop of water would come tumbling down from the leaves above, but as the smallest and most innocent of the "crew" remarked, at least they weren't completely drenched. The other female argued, but then Barth and Dou figure at least in this instance Mini was just doing it because it was what was expected of her.
Mini lay against the trunk of one tree, isolating herself a bit from the group as was her nature. It looked like she had already fallen asleep. Barth lay on his side with his back pressed up against the other tree, Rime protectively folded in his large paws with their hostage in between the pair and Dou. The largest of the group lay on his stomach, his head on his paws and a devilish smile on his face as if he was dreaming about something best kept out of public ears.
Every time the thunder boomed overhead, Rime flinched, until Barth tightened his hold on her and she managed to relax into him, pressing her face into his fur. He knew she missed her mama and his heart ached for the little girl, but there was nothing he could do until the rain ceased.
Just about the time that Barth dozed off, a crash of that accursed thunder startled another creature into waking. Nikki gasped as she jerked awake and looked around. She realized two things almost instantly. One, it was raining, or worse yet, storming. And two, she was with the lions from earlier. It all came back to her, the pitiful looks on their faces, the huge male lashing out at her. For a moment, she thought she might have been dead, but then she didn't find herself in a paradise with Pardel waiting for her so she knew she was either still alive or damned.
A second later, she realized that her paws were bound, for she had tried to move them in an attempt to stand and get away as it appeared all of her captors were asleep.
"'s no use, miss. Mini ties better'an a monkey when she wants to." The soft, unfamiliar voice drew her attention to the lioness she hadn't seen before. This one couldn't be much more than a cub, but a big one at that, and she was snuggled firmly against the golden male's chest, his paws wrapped around her. Hope blossomed in her. This little one hadn't been there before, they must have captured her, too, while she was asleep. That was why the leader was holding onto her so strongly, wasn't it? Nikki did her best to give the little girl a pleading look.
"Please, please help me. If you can get me free, I can take you home to wherever they took you from," she whispered softly, not wanting the leader or his giant waking up. She caught the look of confusion on the little one's face and wondered if she was younger than she had assumed.
"But they are taking me home?" Nikki sighed. The little lioness didn't know what danger she was in. She had no idea what kind of lions these creatures were, but they certainly weren't good folk. For all she knew, they would sell her into slavery, and the little one with her.
"Don't believe what they told you. What about your mama, don't you think she misses you?"
"Mmhmm, o'course she does. My mama loves me, and my brothers and sisters."
"Well then help me get free and I can take you home."
"You're going home with us, miss, and that's final." Nikki flinched at the sound of the voice that rivaled the timbre of the thunder. She turned and saw him still in his relaxed pose, but staring intently at her through golden eyes. "And there be no use in tryin' to get little Rime to help you. She's the Dragon's daughter and a treasured member of our pride."
Nikki's ears drooped when she realized the mistake she had made and felt anger rise when the giant chuckled after seeing the realization dawn on her. So the little lioness wasn't ignorant, she was just one of them. And it seemed to her that the giant wasn't really stupid either. What were they going to do with her? Why had they brought the youngling along? Had she been some sort of look-out? That made sense. They said they were going back to their pride, she wondered what kind of pride it was where the members kidnapped others. Were they going to enslave her? Kill her? In truth, the latter prospect didn't bother as much as she felt it probably should. True, she feared death and yet... she didn't seem to have very much left to live for...
"You're a pretty lady. Are you a princess?" The innocent voice brought her out of her thoughts. She frowned at the little lioness.
"No, I'm not a princess."
"Oh, don't tell Bart that. He's hoping you might be worth somethin'," the little one, Rime, replied with a shake of her head and a snuggle against the gold male. That one must be Bart, and the other female... maybe she was Mini, the one who had tied her up. That only left the big one.
"You should get some sleep, Rime."
"... I miss my mama, Dou. Do you think she's scared?"
"Mmm, she might be worried for you, but with Bart and Mini and me being gone, too, I 'spect she knows you're wit' us and that we won't let no bad come to you. Bet she'll give you all the hugs an' kisses in the world when we get home tomorrow, and you're gonna wanna be rested for that, no?" The little one nodded and cuddled up to Bart before closing her eyes again. Nikki looked away, but she could feel Dou's gaze on her.
"We won't hurt you, lady. You've my word on that one."
"You kidnapped me. How am I supposed to take anything at your word? And you hit me." She was sullen as she snapped her response. His chuckle was soft as he shook his head.
"That was just a little love-tap. You'd know if I hit you with the intent to hurt."
"What do you want with me?"
"Bart does what he wants, I just do what he tells me to. Asking me's no good," Dou replied with a shrug. Oh, he could speculate what was to be done with her, but he wouldn't say anything. For all he knew, it would terrify the lady.
"But if you're nice tonight, he might let you walk on your own instead of me carrying you tomorrow. What say you to that?"
Of course, he received no response. Nikki wasn't about to dignify him with one. As gentle as his tone was, he was a giant monster, they were all monsters. And worse, she had the feeling she would never see her beloved home again. Everything had been taken from her, everything. All she had left was the cloth her beloved had given her before he had died. With a shuddering sigh, she pressed her face into it, trying to find the scent that was long gone and closed her eyes, dismissing her captors as the storm raged on around them.
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Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2012 6:11 pm
Nikki woke up to something shoving against her shoulder. For a split second she thought it might have been her father, but then immediately remembered that he was dead, had been for a while. And it would have been Pardel, he would never be so rough with her. Besides, he was dead, too. Her eyes snapped open, blue meeting blue. It was the little female, from the night before. Both of Rime's front paws where on her shoulder and she had been putting all her weight into pushing her to wake up. As soon as Nikki's eyes opened a smile spread over her little face and she turned, calling out to the gold one... Bart, that was what they called him.
"She's awake! Does that mean we can go now?" The gold male smiled genuinely at the little lioness and nodded his head. He gave the eager little girl's rump a playful swipe, sending her running over to where Dou was grooming himself. That done, his face turned to her, a stern frown on it.
"I'll let you walk yourself, if you swear to behave," he said in that strange accent of his. His normally smooth, almost soothing voice had a hard edge to it, as if he meant business with his command. And much as she didn't want to go with them, she didn't want to be tied up anymore.
Nikki nodded slowly. "I'll behave."
"Good. Minuit," he replied, looking over his shoulder then calling to the older female in the group. She came over with another woven vine in her jaws.
"Hold still now, lass," the leader warned her and she did as instructed as the other female looped the vine around her neck and tightened the noose. It wasn't so tight that it hurt or cut off her air supply, but enough that she couldn't slip her head out or chew through the loop. Even if she did... they'd probably just run her down.
"Dou!" Barth called and the big one came over. Minuit held up the rest of the vine and Dou took it in his jaws. With a few swipes of her paws, the vines around Nikki's legs loosened enough that she could free them, now that she couldn't run away too easily.
Minuit stood next to the captive for a few moments before reaching one paw up and catching the end of the cloth wrapped around her neck and shoulders.
"Ah like this. Ah want it," she hissed, conviction in her immature tone. Rage burned in Nikki's eyes as she jerked away.
"No! Never touch that again!" she shrieked, gaining a snarl from the smaller female. Her ears flicked back at the challenge and little Rime rid behind Dou.
A roar caused both females to flinch as Barth leapt between them. He growled at Nikki before turning on Minuit, fangs bared.
"Touch her again and I'll-"
"Yeh'll what, Bart? T'ain't nothin' yeh can do to me an' yeh know it."
"Oh, there's plenty I can do to you, lass. What says I tell your father how you've been mouthing off to me? Daughter of his or nay, he won't like it, ye ken? Now shut it and move," he growled at her. Minuit's lip curled, but she just huffed in his face, turned from him and started stalking off towards home, her prim nose stuck high in the air.
"She'll walk into a tree if'n she keeps that up," Rime whispered from behind Dou's foot. The giant male chuckled, earning both of them a glare from Barth before he moved to follow Minuit. The three of them, Dou, Rime, and their captive brought up the rear.
WC: 4,321
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A pair of small, crystal-colored eyes watched a lone figure running towards the forest in which the creature hid. A few moments of watching, studying the approaching individual and the little thing disappeared into the forest.
Leinikki was running. It was the only joy she had in her life now and it still couldn't fill the aching void in her heart. Even after all this time, the loss of her love weighed heavy upon her. She was thinner now than she had been, in part because she had to hunt alone now and in part because it ached to do anything but lie in the back of her den. She had been staving off the king's messengers, saying that her father was merely out on one errand or another every time they came by to speak to him. They were becoming more and more suspicious with each visit, she wasn't sure how much longer it would last before they realized she was alone. And that would mean she would be more or less up for grabs by any available male in the pride. 
"Excuse us lass." It was the gold male who spoke. His voice was soft and gentle on her senses, but she didn't soften towards him. "We're traveling performers and seem to have lost our way. Our dear fortune reader is nigh on exhausted, might there be somewhere we can rest and refresh? A pride perhaps?"