Taban paced to and fro, his jaw tight and his great shoulders hunched up over his slender form. The cheetah’s bi-colored mantle hackled up around his shoulders and down his neck like a great spine and his eyes blazed with outrage. Every report had boded very, very badly for the twins. The scout had reported that a lioness with mad, savage eyes had penetrated the border along with a lion with a black pelt, blonde hair, and a mismatched pair in eyes. The scout had been overwhelmed, over-powered, and left to die in a pool of his own blood. All he could recall was the lioness scooping one of the cubs up with the darker one falling onto the other. She scent of the cub’s blood, then blackness was all that followed.
Gremio was characteristically frantic over the news. Both he and Safimoto had been asked to keep their heads about them and to keep within the troupe’s territory to protect what remained of their offspring. For the pair, it was a tall order. Gremio was an old war veteran with no knowledge of fear in his heart. He would stare down death itself if it meant protecting his loved ones. At one point he had done just that. It was not a story that he cared to repeat, and with good reason. Safimoto had not taken the news well, and the remaining cubs were left to wonder what had happened to their brothers.
They couldn’t just act, though. To act without proof was to invite further violence on the troupe. While there were many already crying for blood, even they had to grudgingly admit that they could not lower themselves to the enemy’s level. They had to act wisely. Carefully. Tactfully.
“Kirkis.” The Tenkai said finally, addressing the pale leopard standing expectantly at the mouth of his den. The troupe had founded themselves along the sea. While many members slept where they chose, most under the open sky, any significant meetings and discussions were held within the caves of the cliffs facing the sea. It was a fortress unto itself with caves and narrow pathways similar to those of the Mistweavers. Humans might have inhabited the place at one point. There were still tools, arrows, and drawings on the walls from those days but it had long been abandoned. To the troupe, it was their stronghold.
“Sir.” The leopard answered quietly.
“I’m sure your ears have already picked up on the more recent events.”
“Yes… the young cubs taken or…”
“We won’t assume the worst.” Taban cautioned. “We can’t.”
Kirkis offered a tight smile. Of course not. Their lot had never lost hope, even when all had seemed lost. Gremio was an old friend of his from a war long past, one that had left him without a homeland, without a tribe, and nearly without hope. A war that had separated him from his beloved and often carried the leopard’s feet far from the troupe’s territory in desperate, hopeful search of his beloved. It was Gremio’s bold but gentle words that kindled the small embers of hope left within the Tensoku’s heart. He owed him at least the benefit of hope. Of thinking that there was still a chance that his children still survived.
“I need you to do something for me.” Taban said after a short pause. The request pained him. It was a dangerous one and by the look in his eyes, it wasn’t one that he would have asked of anyone if the situation hadn’t been so dire.
“Anything.” Kirkis replied.
“Take with you two of your people, the shadow-hunters, and track down this lioness. She must have been an accomplice of or in service of this other male. Gather any and all information that you can. Where the cubs are at, if they are alive, what state they are in, what the enemy wants with them, their numbers, their location- anything.”
“Recon.” Kirkis confirmed with a short nod of his head. “Into dangerous territory.”
“Very dangerous.” Taban frowned and shook his head. “Kirkis… I knew their founder. We were cubs together.”
“Oh?” the leopard raised a brow. He’d not heard of that just yet. He knew that the cub had come out of the Mistweavers, yes, and that the troupe had once helped protect them, but Taban’s personal involvement had always been fogged in here-say. “If…you do not wish to share this information, I can fully understand.”
“No.” Taban shook his head. “You need all the details you can get before selecting those who you will take. Moses was… strange. It was almost as if he was possessed by a bad spirit.”
“A bad spirit how?”
“He was born in the Mistweaver’s territory prior to the arrival of that viper, Masika. Prior to his father’s betrayal, he was a loyalist to the prince there, Maji. Ramses was his name. A good lion, one that would defend the place with his life. But… Moses was different. There was malice in his eyes. It was like he was drawn to the border of his pride. Just like that… another male appeared.”
Kirkis fell silent and rolled his ears forward.
“Nyekendu. Another one infested with a bad spirit, or so we could only assume. His mother took refuge in the Mistweaver’s lands and confessed that her son seemed…bad at birth.
“Ah… the one who waged war on them from the outside.” Kirkis affirmed.
“The same.” Taban nodded gravely. “He came to the borders… as if he expected something, and Moses followed him. I wasn’t about to let the cub just walk off with this beast, so I followed. They both believed that, like Moses, I was interested in this male’s power. He led us into the desert to a secret place where he was building an army. Stolen cubs, lionesses, former slaves- all of them cowering in this lion’s shadow.”
“Stolen cubs…” Kirkis made a quiet note of the statement and nodded for the cheetah to continue.
“They were each marked with a series of scars- three “v” shapes carved into their flesh by Nyekendu’s hand. Moses was completely captured by this lion. I believe that his cult was created when the monster was finally killed.”
“So… you believe that this is the same cult started by Moses?”
“He would know where we are. He would have reason to take our cubs.”
“Why is that?”
“I deceived him and his master.” Taban smirked. “The location of his army was a mystery until then. Fortunately, in my homeland of the Anasi, we learned to navigate not by landmarks, but by the marks in the heavens.”
“The stars…”
“Exactly.” He gave a short nod. “Now you see why we take ranks that carry the names of stars.”
“We all point our own way.” Kirkis mused. How very poetic. “Very well. So I am to look for this flesh-mark that was left?”
“I want you to keep your wits about you. Any detail that may help us identify this cult, their intentions, and any weaknesses that we can take advantage of. We leave no one behind. If one of us is taken captive, it’s up to all of us to save them.”
“Understood.” Kirkis rose to his paws and gave a short dip of his head. “I will report my findings, Chief Star of Heaven.”
Taban snorted in dry laughter. “Off with you, speedy star.”
Word Count
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...I didn't do that on purpose XD
