(( This was...also supposed to be in the Arba, but it was disbanded before I got to post it. ;3; ))
Lying out in the sun, Mzuka had been up for a little while now. Being Lieutenant had meant having to actually get up and do things, but it had been fairly slow around the pride as of late. Mzuka wouldn’t want to admit it, but somewhere deep down, she probably already knew the fate of this pride. At this point, though, she wasn’t sure how she felt about it; she had just been going on with her day-to-day life as always, ever since she first saw the life start to slip away from this place. She was a bit apathetic towards it, actually, since she wasn’t technically from this pride. Sure, she had come here to experience something new, but she also knew that she could probably leave it, just as well, when the time came.
She felt bad, though, for those who were from this place; like all of her half-siblings, and her half-sister, Njozi. Mzuka knew that this pride had meant so much to her, enough that she’d want to follow in her mother’s footsteps and head down the road of priestess-dom. But surely, now, she must have seen the truth as well. Though Mzuka doubted that Njozi would ever leave this place; she was afraid that she’d go down with it. Whatever she ended up deciding, though, Mzuka would stand by her, and Vayu, until everything panned out. It almost felt like standing on the edge of a crumbling cliff; you know it’s going to fall, but the real question is when will it finally take you down with it?
Walking slowly, Njozi had a solemn look on her face; every once in a while, she’d stop, and stare mournfully at the ground beneath her. It was sad, thinking that she’d leave her home. It was even sadder knowing that it’d probably fade off into nothing soon, with everyone forced to head their own separate ways. She was actually fairly reluctant to make a real decision on whether they should stay or if they should just go ahead and leave before things got really bad. Luckily, though, she had Vayu to help give her a little push. While it was hard, and it just about broke her heart, Njozi knew that he was looking out for her best interest. He always had, too. He was more like another brother than anything else; sometimes, though, she felt even closer to him than she did to her siblings.
Looking up, she knew they had come to the Earth Kingdom. It wasn’t all that different from the Water Tribe, and Njozi had made many an outing here just to see Mzuka. At first, it had been more to just hear about her father; a cheetah Njozi had never known. But then, the two became good friends, and as they both rose in the ranks, they formed a seal-tight bond. So now, as Njozi stood near the border of the Earth Kingdom, a wave of sadness washed over her. It was so intense that she almost began to cry, thinking back on all the good times she’d had here. But she refrained, thinking it better not to in this situation. Watered eyes looked around, but quickly spotted the light-brown figure of her half-sister. She seemed to be the only one in the area, making the desertion of the place seem even more real. Taking in a deep breath, Njozi tried to straighten herself, shaking any tear from her eyes.
“M…Mzuka!”
Slithering along behind Njozi, Vayu kept a slight distance between them. Normally, when he knew that Njozi was upset, he’d stick to her like a thorn; he knew better this time, though. She needed her space, to really absorb everything that was happening. This realization hit her pretty hard, and he knew that it was even harder for her to decide to leave the pride all together. But it was better this way, that the three of them would be leaving together, in a group, rather than leaving one by one. He also knew that Njozi was trying her best to act like the High Priestess she had become, even if only in these last minutes here.
His expression could almost be described as disappointed; it was more a mix of sadness with frustration, though. Being a snake, Vayu hadn’t really latched on to the pride idea like Njozi had; though, she was born here, whereas Vayu came here after Njozi found him one day on one of her stargazing adventures. She was just a cub back then, he was a much younger snake. She was like a younger sister to him, which was why he was so sad seeing her like this. Personally, he didn’t mind leaving the pride. It was a little sad, but nothing he would ever find himself crying over. But he didn’t mock those who did, especially when one of them was treading slowly before him.
When they finally reached the Earth Kingdom, Vayu coiled up around Njozi’s front leg, leaning his small head against her. He could hear her hesitate after she spotted Mzuka; he could almost feel the pain in her voice. Sliding off before her this time, Vayu wanted to make sure that Mzuka saw the seriousness of this conversation before it even started.
Flicking her ears up, Mzuka rolled on her side as she heard a familiar voice call out her name. It had been a while since anyone had come to visit her, and she had really gotten used to the silence that seemed to wash over the pride these days.
“Ah, Vayu, Njozi!” Sitting up, she spotted Vayu slinking up towards her before she did Njozi, who, for whatever reason, was lengths behind him. Her smile dropped as her eyes watched her; Mzuka could see that something was wrong. Normally, Njozi was such a bright and vibrant thing, so it really stuck out when she was feeling low. And right now, it looked like she was feeling really low. Mzuka could only think that it must have been caused by the recent decline in the pride; and if Njozi was finally seeing it, things must have gotten pretty bad. Letting out a sigh, she kept her eyes on Vayu, who seemed to be making perfect eye contact this whole time. He seemed a bit agitated, but she could tell that he was feeling whatever pain that Njozi was feeling.
“….what’s up, you guys? It’s been such a long time since you’ve come to see me, this makes me really happy.” Trying to pull a smile onto her face, Mzuka tried to lighten the mood a bit.
Ears drooped, Njozi subconsciously followed the slow movement of Vayu’s tail before her. As he came to a stop, so did she. It took her a few moments to really gather her thoughts; even then, she wasn’t all too sure about what she was going to say to Mzuka. It would be hard to start off this conversation, she knew, but it needed to be done. Now or never.
“…Mzuka.” At first it was hushed, almost at a whisper. Mzuka was still talking happily before her; Njozi knew she must’ve known how Njozi felt right now and was trying to lighten the mood, but that’s not what she needed right now. “Mzuka.” Her voice was harder, and she brought her head up, to look Mzuka straight in the eyes. “I…I know you’re not stupid, Mzuka. I know you…I know you know what’s been going on here, in our home.” Looking around, she almost hoped that the Earth Kingdom had fared a bit better, but all of her hopes were quickly smashed by the lack of life. “It’s dying.” Her voice squeaked a little, and she held back tears as she said the words. She was so attached to her home, she knew that neither Vayu nor Mzuka would truly understand why she was this emotional about it.
Keeping silent, Vayu watched Njozi, not wanting to provide any form of comfort in this moment. He knew that she needed to stand strong, to do this of her own volition. It was hard, of course, but he tried to look to the future; after a little while, they’d be glad they left while they still could, so they could truly enjoy their youth without being brought down by this dying pride. He’d only ever wanted Njozi to live her life to the fullest, and this was the only way at this point. He felt a bit bad, though, as it really would seem like the two were just abandoning their posts, ultimately leaving the pride to its fate. But what else was there to do? What could two younger members do for this pride at this point all by themselves?
Honestly, he was a little excited about returning to the rogue lands. No pride life to get bogged down in, and one could really feel free to do as they pleased. Sure, some would say it was a lonely life, but Vayu had Njozi, and Mzuka would probably stick around, at least for a little while. He wasn’t the concerned about the hybrid, though; she was of rogue birth, so she’d probably fare just fine out there again.
As his thoughts returned to the conversation, Vayu felt a little bad that he didn’t have anything to add just yet. Keeping a close eye on Njozi, he dropped his head a little, still feeling the pain in her words.
At first, Mzuka was a bit taken aback by Njozi; she had never addressed anyone in that stern of a manner before, and she’d certainly never done it to Mzuka. Now, Mzuka realized how silly it must have looked, trying to make things seem light and easy when they were far from it. Feeling like a scolded cub, she flicked her ears back, blue eyes dropping to the ground.
“I’ve seen it. For a while now.” Her voice was quiet and unusually meek sounding. Seeing Njozi now, she felt bad for not saying anything sooner. Mzuka had noticed it weeks, maybe even longer, before now, but had just let Njozi live in the sweet bliss of ignorance. At the time, it seemed more like an act of love, but now it just seemed cruel.
“It’s un-curable, though.” Looking back up at her half-sister, Mzuka had a feeling she knew what Njozi had come here for; they were planning on leaving this place, weren’t they? If she had decided to just buckle-down and ride this out to the end, they wouldn’t have made the trip to see her. Well, Vayu might have come, to try and ask Mzuka to talk some sense into Njozi, but that wasn’t the case.
Hearing her words, Njozi felt a pain in her chest. So she had known all this time. She was hurt that Mzuka didn’t tell her, but she also kind of understood; as long as she had known them, both Vayu and Mzuka had only done things with her in mind. They would never intentionally hurt her, and Njozi thought that maybe Mzuka was lying to herself for a while in the end.
“We can’t stay here like this.” Eyes not focused, Njozi was almost having to convince herself of these truths. There was no way the three of them could live here any longer, knowing that the Arba was only headed downhill now. But now, she was finding herself at a loss for words. She felt choked up, with a lump in her throat. Looking over at Vayu, her eyes looked desperate.
Feeling the time was right to finally chime in, Vayu rose up a little, sliding in closer to the pair. “Mzuka, you know that we’ve tried to care for you and make sure that you were completely settled and comfortable here in the Arba.” He almost felt like an adoptive parent, trying to intervene in his child’s life. Though, this was a sort of intervention, but less so for Mzuka. “We – Njozi thought it’d be best if we take this chance and leave….before it’s too late.” Well, he wasn’t quite sure what ‘too late’ would mean. He didn’t really want to find out, either; he’d heard the horror stories of dying prides being attacked by other prides, or rogue lions coming in and creating a horrific mess. He didn’t want to see Njozi defeated, and that’s what she’d sink to if she had to see her pride die out.
“Now, we’re family…right?” Looking to Njozi, he knew that they were vastly different species. Though it had never been said before, he knew that the other two probably felt the same bond. “We can’t – we won’t leave you here.” There. The decision was made, the words were said, and Vayu knew that there was no way the Mzuka would refuse them. Not now.
Listening to them both, Mzuka felt chilled. She was almost in a daze now, like all of her emotions had washed away. While she wasn’t as attached as Njozi was, Mzuka still felt some connection with this pride; it was why she stayed, why she rose up in the ranks. But now, she knew, it was time to leave it once and for all.
“I knew it’d eventually come to this.” Letting out a sigh, Mzuka stood, closing her eyes. “I’m a little surprised that you were the one to say it, though, Njozi.” Opening her eyes, she gave the blue cheetah a small smile. “But, you’re right. We can’t stay here any longer.” Hopping down from her slight perch, Mzuka rubbed up against Njozi, trying to comfort her. “It’ll be alright, though. Since we have each other.” Looking over at Vayu, she was glad that she at least had the two of them now. Ever since she left her mother and father and massive family she’d felt a little lonely. While she was here, in the Arba, she may have had Njozi and Vayu, but they were usually caught up in the duties within their own clan. “I think…it’s time to go.”
Lying out in the sun, Mzuka had been up for a little while now. Being Lieutenant had meant having to actually get up and do things, but it had been fairly slow around the pride as of late. Mzuka wouldn’t want to admit it, but somewhere deep down, she probably already knew the fate of this pride. At this point, though, she wasn’t sure how she felt about it; she had just been going on with her day-to-day life as always, ever since she first saw the life start to slip away from this place. She was a bit apathetic towards it, actually, since she wasn’t technically from this pride. Sure, she had come here to experience something new, but she also knew that she could probably leave it, just as well, when the time came.
She felt bad, though, for those who were from this place; like all of her half-siblings, and her half-sister, Njozi. Mzuka knew that this pride had meant so much to her, enough that she’d want to follow in her mother’s footsteps and head down the road of priestess-dom. But surely, now, she must have seen the truth as well. Though Mzuka doubted that Njozi would ever leave this place; she was afraid that she’d go down with it. Whatever she ended up deciding, though, Mzuka would stand by her, and Vayu, until everything panned out. It almost felt like standing on the edge of a crumbling cliff; you know it’s going to fall, but the real question is when will it finally take you down with it?
Walking slowly, Njozi had a solemn look on her face; every once in a while, she’d stop, and stare mournfully at the ground beneath her. It was sad, thinking that she’d leave her home. It was even sadder knowing that it’d probably fade off into nothing soon, with everyone forced to head their own separate ways. She was actually fairly reluctant to make a real decision on whether they should stay or if they should just go ahead and leave before things got really bad. Luckily, though, she had Vayu to help give her a little push. While it was hard, and it just about broke her heart, Njozi knew that he was looking out for her best interest. He always had, too. He was more like another brother than anything else; sometimes, though, she felt even closer to him than she did to her siblings.
Looking up, she knew they had come to the Earth Kingdom. It wasn’t all that different from the Water Tribe, and Njozi had made many an outing here just to see Mzuka. At first, it had been more to just hear about her father; a cheetah Njozi had never known. But then, the two became good friends, and as they both rose in the ranks, they formed a seal-tight bond. So now, as Njozi stood near the border of the Earth Kingdom, a wave of sadness washed over her. It was so intense that she almost began to cry, thinking back on all the good times she’d had here. But she refrained, thinking it better not to in this situation. Watered eyes looked around, but quickly spotted the light-brown figure of her half-sister. She seemed to be the only one in the area, making the desertion of the place seem even more real. Taking in a deep breath, Njozi tried to straighten herself, shaking any tear from her eyes.
“M…Mzuka!”
Slithering along behind Njozi, Vayu kept a slight distance between them. Normally, when he knew that Njozi was upset, he’d stick to her like a thorn; he knew better this time, though. She needed her space, to really absorb everything that was happening. This realization hit her pretty hard, and he knew that it was even harder for her to decide to leave the pride all together. But it was better this way, that the three of them would be leaving together, in a group, rather than leaving one by one. He also knew that Njozi was trying her best to act like the High Priestess she had become, even if only in these last minutes here.
His expression could almost be described as disappointed; it was more a mix of sadness with frustration, though. Being a snake, Vayu hadn’t really latched on to the pride idea like Njozi had; though, she was born here, whereas Vayu came here after Njozi found him one day on one of her stargazing adventures. She was just a cub back then, he was a much younger snake. She was like a younger sister to him, which was why he was so sad seeing her like this. Personally, he didn’t mind leaving the pride. It was a little sad, but nothing he would ever find himself crying over. But he didn’t mock those who did, especially when one of them was treading slowly before him.
When they finally reached the Earth Kingdom, Vayu coiled up around Njozi’s front leg, leaning his small head against her. He could hear her hesitate after she spotted Mzuka; he could almost feel the pain in her voice. Sliding off before her this time, Vayu wanted to make sure that Mzuka saw the seriousness of this conversation before it even started.
Flicking her ears up, Mzuka rolled on her side as she heard a familiar voice call out her name. It had been a while since anyone had come to visit her, and she had really gotten used to the silence that seemed to wash over the pride these days.
“Ah, Vayu, Njozi!” Sitting up, she spotted Vayu slinking up towards her before she did Njozi, who, for whatever reason, was lengths behind him. Her smile dropped as her eyes watched her; Mzuka could see that something was wrong. Normally, Njozi was such a bright and vibrant thing, so it really stuck out when she was feeling low. And right now, it looked like she was feeling really low. Mzuka could only think that it must have been caused by the recent decline in the pride; and if Njozi was finally seeing it, things must have gotten pretty bad. Letting out a sigh, she kept her eyes on Vayu, who seemed to be making perfect eye contact this whole time. He seemed a bit agitated, but she could tell that he was feeling whatever pain that Njozi was feeling.
“….what’s up, you guys? It’s been such a long time since you’ve come to see me, this makes me really happy.” Trying to pull a smile onto her face, Mzuka tried to lighten the mood a bit.
Ears drooped, Njozi subconsciously followed the slow movement of Vayu’s tail before her. As he came to a stop, so did she. It took her a few moments to really gather her thoughts; even then, she wasn’t all too sure about what she was going to say to Mzuka. It would be hard to start off this conversation, she knew, but it needed to be done. Now or never.
“…Mzuka.” At first it was hushed, almost at a whisper. Mzuka was still talking happily before her; Njozi knew she must’ve known how Njozi felt right now and was trying to lighten the mood, but that’s not what she needed right now. “Mzuka.” Her voice was harder, and she brought her head up, to look Mzuka straight in the eyes. “I…I know you’re not stupid, Mzuka. I know you…I know you know what’s been going on here, in our home.” Looking around, she almost hoped that the Earth Kingdom had fared a bit better, but all of her hopes were quickly smashed by the lack of life. “It’s dying.” Her voice squeaked a little, and she held back tears as she said the words. She was so attached to her home, she knew that neither Vayu nor Mzuka would truly understand why she was this emotional about it.
Keeping silent, Vayu watched Njozi, not wanting to provide any form of comfort in this moment. He knew that she needed to stand strong, to do this of her own volition. It was hard, of course, but he tried to look to the future; after a little while, they’d be glad they left while they still could, so they could truly enjoy their youth without being brought down by this dying pride. He’d only ever wanted Njozi to live her life to the fullest, and this was the only way at this point. He felt a bit bad, though, as it really would seem like the two were just abandoning their posts, ultimately leaving the pride to its fate. But what else was there to do? What could two younger members do for this pride at this point all by themselves?
Honestly, he was a little excited about returning to the rogue lands. No pride life to get bogged down in, and one could really feel free to do as they pleased. Sure, some would say it was a lonely life, but Vayu had Njozi, and Mzuka would probably stick around, at least for a little while. He wasn’t the concerned about the hybrid, though; she was of rogue birth, so she’d probably fare just fine out there again.
As his thoughts returned to the conversation, Vayu felt a little bad that he didn’t have anything to add just yet. Keeping a close eye on Njozi, he dropped his head a little, still feeling the pain in her words.
At first, Mzuka was a bit taken aback by Njozi; she had never addressed anyone in that stern of a manner before, and she’d certainly never done it to Mzuka. Now, Mzuka realized how silly it must have looked, trying to make things seem light and easy when they were far from it. Feeling like a scolded cub, she flicked her ears back, blue eyes dropping to the ground.
“I’ve seen it. For a while now.” Her voice was quiet and unusually meek sounding. Seeing Njozi now, she felt bad for not saying anything sooner. Mzuka had noticed it weeks, maybe even longer, before now, but had just let Njozi live in the sweet bliss of ignorance. At the time, it seemed more like an act of love, but now it just seemed cruel.
“It’s un-curable, though.” Looking back up at her half-sister, Mzuka had a feeling she knew what Njozi had come here for; they were planning on leaving this place, weren’t they? If she had decided to just buckle-down and ride this out to the end, they wouldn’t have made the trip to see her. Well, Vayu might have come, to try and ask Mzuka to talk some sense into Njozi, but that wasn’t the case.
Hearing her words, Njozi felt a pain in her chest. So she had known all this time. She was hurt that Mzuka didn’t tell her, but she also kind of understood; as long as she had known them, both Vayu and Mzuka had only done things with her in mind. They would never intentionally hurt her, and Njozi thought that maybe Mzuka was lying to herself for a while in the end.
“We can’t stay here like this.” Eyes not focused, Njozi was almost having to convince herself of these truths. There was no way the three of them could live here any longer, knowing that the Arba was only headed downhill now. But now, she was finding herself at a loss for words. She felt choked up, with a lump in her throat. Looking over at Vayu, her eyes looked desperate.
Feeling the time was right to finally chime in, Vayu rose up a little, sliding in closer to the pair. “Mzuka, you know that we’ve tried to care for you and make sure that you were completely settled and comfortable here in the Arba.” He almost felt like an adoptive parent, trying to intervene in his child’s life. Though, this was a sort of intervention, but less so for Mzuka. “We – Njozi thought it’d be best if we take this chance and leave….before it’s too late.” Well, he wasn’t quite sure what ‘too late’ would mean. He didn’t really want to find out, either; he’d heard the horror stories of dying prides being attacked by other prides, or rogue lions coming in and creating a horrific mess. He didn’t want to see Njozi defeated, and that’s what she’d sink to if she had to see her pride die out.
“Now, we’re family…right?” Looking to Njozi, he knew that they were vastly different species. Though it had never been said before, he knew that the other two probably felt the same bond. “We can’t – we won’t leave you here.” There. The decision was made, the words were said, and Vayu knew that there was no way the Mzuka would refuse them. Not now.
Listening to them both, Mzuka felt chilled. She was almost in a daze now, like all of her emotions had washed away. While she wasn’t as attached as Njozi was, Mzuka still felt some connection with this pride; it was why she stayed, why she rose up in the ranks. But now, she knew, it was time to leave it once and for all.
“I knew it’d eventually come to this.” Letting out a sigh, Mzuka stood, closing her eyes. “I’m a little surprised that you were the one to say it, though, Njozi.” Opening her eyes, she gave the blue cheetah a small smile. “But, you’re right. We can’t stay here any longer.” Hopping down from her slight perch, Mzuka rubbed up against Njozi, trying to comfort her. “It’ll be alright, though. Since we have each other.” Looking over at Vayu, she was glad that she at least had the two of them now. Ever since she left her mother and father and massive family she’d felt a little lonely. While she was here, in the Arba, she may have had Njozi and Vayu, but they were usually caught up in the duties within their own clan. “I think…it’s time to go.”
