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Ufisadi hadn't grown up believing in gods. He had grown up in a cave, in the dark, with his siblings and his mother, and knew nothing but them until they ventured outside. Even as he grew he had no knowledge of gods and goddesses, and it wasn't until he was kicked out and left on his own that the possibility of higher power even crossed his mind. In his journey across the rouge lands he had come across various prides. Some were decent, some were terrifying, and others were just plain confusing. But Ufisadi had noticed one thing about most of these prides...they worshiped gods and goddesses.

Walking alone allowed him time to think about these deities, and he came up with a brilliant plan. Perhaps if he could talk to one of these gods and got on their good side, he could gain some sort of favor from them. He wasn't sure what he'd like from one or what he'd have to do in return, but he was sure he could strike a deal. He had gained some smooth-talking capabilities from his father that he had never met, according to his mother, but he was sure he had perfected the art.

Now...how to bring a god to him? Ufisadi had watched a few prides from a distance as they prayed to whatever gods they believed in, and a bright idea struck him as a young antelope was slain and prayed over. Of course! Sacrifice! How stupid could he be. After putting some distance between himself and whatever pride he had used for information, he set about hunting. Unfortunately the only thing he could find was wildebeest. These huge creatures required a whole pack of lionesses to down on a good day. Unless there was one so ill it could barely walk or a newborn without a mother around, he was out of luck.

Ufisadi stalked the pride for a day or so, trying to pick out a weak link. Finally he was given his chance. A mother wandered off from the herd to give birth. Without thinking twice, Ufisadi took his chance. While the mother was still recovering from birth, he charged forward and grabbed the calf. It was difficult to run with the screaming animal, but before long he reached a safe place, far from the herd and the lowing mother.

With a quick bite, Ufisadi stilled the squirming calf and gently laid it down on the ground. With a few more bites and swipes of his claws, he backed up to let the blood soak into the ground. Great...now the really hard part...

"Oh great god or goddess that can hear me," he said in as holy a voice as he could manage. For doing this on the fly, he felt like he was doing an okay job. "I pray to you and ask you for your help. Come to me that I may ask of you a favor." Oh...that sounded a bit demanding.

"Please."

That was a bit better.

Ufisadi closed his eyes and lifted his head into the air in what he hoped was a regal pose. Perhaps you had to be some kind of priest to do this. Great, had he killed this little guy for nothing? Well, he could always eat him if it came down to that...

A gust of wind made the lion open his eyes in time to see a rather bloody lioness materialize before him. Grey eyes widened in surprise as he took in the sight before him. The goddess was nothing like he had seen before, with horns growing out of her head and spikes out of her front legs, odd red rune-like markings on her body, a flowing mane that blew in the breeze...the blood on her paws just added to the whole divine spectacle.

He was about to fall in a bow in front of the goddess - it seemed proper - when she started speaking to him. Her voice wasn't booming and the earth didn't shake as he thought it would. Rather, it had a rather...dry tone to it, almost bored in a way. Ufisadi's fear trickled away just a bit as he was scolded, being replaced with embarrassment. Had he really sounded foolish?

The lion waited as he was requested to do and was greeted with a sound like quiet thunder. The air around him hummed as the particles settled and he was addressed once more. Oh dear...what had he even wanted?

"I...I'm sorry, your grace. Your um. Holiness." How did you even talk to gods? Realizing he was making a fool of himself again, he snorted in frustration and kicked his paw in the bloody dirt. "Right. I have sacrificed this calf for you, goddess of...of...um. What are you the goddess of exactly? I'm kind of new to this whole...summoning business." In case that wasn't obvious enough.

The goddess' laughter made Ufisadi's fur stand on end and his mane fluff out a bit. It felt like the air had become static changed just a bit, and as soon as she finished her chuckle it was gone. The lion still was horribly wigged out, though, and he shook himself to make his fur go back to normal. He didn't need to look like a dandelion on top of being an amateur at this.

"Blood Magic...right..." He glanced at the dead calf as she looked over her shoulder at the sacrifice, his mind racing a mile a minute. Blood magic...what did that even do? Could she change how his body worked? Make him stronger? Faster? Smarter? ...ah.

"No, Goddess, my request is not as grand as that, I'm afraid." Now that he had his wits about him again his confidence was returning. "I wish to be so sly in my tricks that none can see through them. That my prowess in regard to tricks and pranks is insurmountable." He paused for just a moment before putting on his signature grin. "Please." This time, though, it held that same tone of dry humor the goddess herself had used when she first appeared.

Ufisadi might be new to this whole goddess and god thing, but his confidence in himself certainly hadn't been hurt.

"Yes, that's all," Ufisadi said, bobbing his head in a little bow. He figured he owed her some sort of respect even though this whole divine power thing was brand new still. Dang, if communicating with the gods and getting stuff from them was this easy he should do it more often! But not right now. Right now, he wanted to revel in his new found power. Once he got it, of course.

"Yes, yes, there's always a catch to everything," Ufisadi said with a nod. He knew how deals worked. He always made deals with his brother and always made sure he worked in some odd loopholes to keep him out of trouble while his sibling ended up getting grounded.

"What do I owe you in return?" he asked as he lifted his head. "Or will that only happen if I break the rules?" Bending rules was completely different. But he never asked to be a thief, just a trickster. He could press the limitations of his power to get what he wanted, of course, but he'd never go so far as to steal.

Ufisadi lifted his head a bit again as the goddess posed the question. "Of course I do. Anyone that doesn't like themselves probably lead a very sad life." How could you not like yourself? If you didn't, you'd better get used to hanging around with yourself because you weren't going anywhere.

The payment made him shiver slightly, though. Was she really the goddess of Blood Magic, or was she the goddess of making ones blood run cold? That's what she was doing right now, and she was doing a very good job of it. He tried not to shudder again, not liking the way her tone was making his toes curl.

"I'm afraid to say I haven't got any children," Ufisadi said, his confident voice and bit cautious now. "Unless you've got something hiding under those horns." He wouldn't put it past her to know something he didn't. She knew lots he didn't, he was sure. But how could he have cubs without realizing it?

"Ah...yes. I can't imagine I would enjoy it. I'll keep my word and place nice with all the other lions and things out there," he said, waving a paw in the direction of the savanna. "Ish. Niceish."

Ufisadi's expression changed to one of interest as the goddess added the second part of to her statement. Oh ho. Now he understood where she was going with this. He thought it over for a few minutes, and really couldn't find a flaw with this deal. He'd give the goddess what she wanted, he really didn't think he was cut out to be a father so he had no problem never seeing these kids, and he'd be the best trickster this side of the Nile. How could you argue with that?

"I'm not backing out," he said, meeting her rather bored expression with a confident one. As long as she wasn't doing that creepy thing he felt like he could meet her gaze steadily. "It's a deal." The words felt kind of lame and he cleared his throat slightly. "So...that's it? We don't need to eat the calf or anything to seal it? Or do you just make me how I wish to be and I help you get some cubs."

Ufisadi glanced at the calf, which was probably still warm from the kill. There were flies buzzing around it, but that never put him off a meal. Flies were like buddies out here. You could always count on them to be around, even if nothing else was. He shrugged a bit, having no qualms about eating it. And hey, maggots were just more protein when it came down to it.

He looked back at the goddess with a sheepish expression on his face. He really had no idea what he was expecting. It certainly wasn't for her to disappear, though. The space where she had been filled in with air with a surprisingly loud clap, which made him jump. Once he completed his task? Huh...well, he was sure she'd return whenever she wanted it completed, then. Nothing he could do but wait.

Excited for the prospect of being all-powerful as far as trickery was concerned, he descended upon the calf to feast, quite pleased with himself for conjuring up a goddess on his first try.

FIN