[PRP] We Are the Monsters

[Meepfur]

This is a group RP for the Qyrhyeshti lions on their way to attack the easternmost oasis, prior to the fighting. Please keep in mind that these lions are all already acquainted with each other at the very least, and some have likely been stationed or patrolled together before. In this case, they've been travelling together for three and a half days (not non-stop, they've rested...carefully and for short periods of time). They may not all know each other well, but they know each other.

As for time, the sun is just beginning to set, and they're about three hours away from their destination, so they don't need to be completely hush-hush yet - just alert, in case they happen upon an enemy patrol. As a group of 7, however, they would have an advantage over a basic patrol in a fight, so a potential fight with a patrol isn't necessarily a concern; being spotted and reported, however, is.

Edit/Addition: There is no specifically-assigned 'leader' in the group; they would be expected to determine amongst themselves who is most fit.

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SilverLutz

Andranis

Talencia

Lollipop x L u x u r y

Seaki

Painted Moose

 

[Meepfur]

Sabit was glad to see the sun setting behind them in the west, taking some of the relentless heat with it. The walking in and of itself wouldn't have been so bad, but having the sun beating down on her black coat while she walked was...an aggravation, to say the least. She had been careful, however, never to let it show; she couldn't afford to, in her present company. The borclu didn't dare to show any sign of weakness to the warriors she travelled with, particualrly given how the last fight she had been involved in had gone. Not only had she lost, she had lost miserably, and in the process gained several scars she was ashamed of.

They were a bitter reminder of her failure, of her helplessness in the wake of one of what she thought of more as 'episodes' than visions. She never even saw anything, and it hadn't even been useful. Maybe if it had happened a few minutes earlier, but no. As it was, it had only crippled her. And she had told no one the nature of the episode, refusing to use it as an excuse, more willing to be seen as a failure of a fighter than a useless seer.  

[SilverLutz]

Nur glanced over her shoulder as she walked with the group of lions, bright eyes staring back at the equally bright sun. The sky was red in color and she smiled just a bit. She considered a red sky before a potential fight to be a good omen. Blood would be spilled, and that was always an indicator of a fight well fought. The two prides were constantly at war so there was always an ebb and flow of power, but tonight the sunset was surely in their favor. They had been pushed away from the fertile spots within the lands for far too long. Now was their time to advance.

Looking forward once again, Nur turned her eyes towards Sabit. She had a dark coat and was probably thankful for the coming night. Nur preferred the light as it helped her blend in better to her surroundings, but the element of surprise only worked with prey. When fighting, it didn't matter what color you were.

She kept close to Sabit's tail, wanting to stay close to the other lions in the group but not encroach on her space. She knew they weren't close to their destination - a few hours more walking was required - but her fur was standing on end with the excitement of their mission.  

[Andranis]

Near the front of the group, Irnak walked with her head high. She didn't slink, she didn't sneak. She strutted, like a peacock before peahens. The dust-tan lioness frowned, glancing back. She swore she saw a determination in Sabit's eyes... She could understand why.

Feeling like they'd been in silence for too long, she cleared her throat, calling back. "So, Sabit... I heard you had a bad fight last time with those Burkuteshti dogs... You'll do better this time, I'm sure." She grinned. "They'll be running away from the oasis with their tails between their legs... If they're LUCKY." She looked back at the others. "Isn't that right?"

She'd been shaped by the desert, like the other natives, and by the dynamics of their way of life. While she would help others, and give words of encouragement, she could still be as harsh as the heated sands and rock around them. If she were to get into a fight with a fellow Qyrhyeshti, she'd fight until she won and then tell the other party what they did wrong... But not what they did right. After all, the desert didn't care what you did right.  

[Painted Moose]

Olu sim Ruh was not known to be a benevolent soul.

On his left paw were scars left by his mate when she had been pulled from him to be expelled for her actions. She had not only lost her pride for her infidelity, but she had cost his bloodline their good name. It had been a scandal that caused the already bitter male to become a solid piece of granite under the overbearing sun.

Now that he was free of the cur he was able to see weaknesses in others, and gave them no small amount of criticism for them. The borclu that traveled with them was better off cast out in his eyes. She was no better than a cub, and had he wanted to watch after the young he would have stayed with the elderly.

He would give his life in service of his Bey and though Sabit was with him, he thought the rest capable enough to handle the task. It gave him the confidence to walk with his head high, pale eyes quick and alert.  

[Seaki]

It had been a long trip so far, one full of shifting sands and winds and ruffled through their fur. He was glad of his light appearance, for he doubted the Borclu among them was having a nice time of it. The heat could be biting, like an old wound that had re-opened and was just beginning to scab again.

He knew the dark female had lost a fight, but everyone lost at one point. She could have done better, yes, and he rather hoped she would do better this time around. The oasis was important. They needed this.

Personally, Bozkir stuck nearer Olu, who he knew a bit better than the others. The other had a sharp eye, and he might spot something. "We all must do better than we have before," he commented, though, vaguely in the direction of Irmak.

"We don't even know who we're up against," he reminded, gently. After all, as they had become stronger, so had the enemy but who knows how strong? They could even have more members that were hidden. He turned his direction back towards their destination. It was so close now - at least closer than it had been, but still pretty far away...  

[Meepfur]

The moment Irmak mentioned the incident, Sabit's ears flattened against her skull, and her lips curled, baring her teeth. It was not a welcome subject for the spiky-haired lioness, and her expression and low growl made that very clear. "You should not be so sure of anything," she snapped. "You cannot know what the outcome will be, and assuming you do is a mistake."

Sabit was a stocky bruiser of a lioness, quite large when compared to most of the desert lions, and she at the very least managed to look and sound intimidating.  

[Talencia]

Bahra had spoken little on their trip here, but ever her eyes burned with subdued heat that matched that rising from the sands. Perhaps even put the shimmering sands to shame. Her brother's return had been both a relief and a sort of torture. He seemed to still be himself for the most part, but he was broken. And he could not remember. Not her, not his pride, not his position. Just his mate.

Padding at the front of the group, just ahead of Imak, Bahra huffed a soft sigh. She did not resent Adala for being the one Kotu remembered. It was right that it should be so. But deep inside she was jealous. She had loved her brother longer than Adala, and had searched and worried endlessly, just as the white female had. But Kotu was only her brother, not her mate. It left a twinge of wistfulness that she did not have a mate, and a heavy sadness that she was as yet a forgotten part of Kotu's life.

At the brief conversation that went on in the gorup, Bahra flicked a glance into the sky above them. Soaring in the darkening skies was something new in her life, a positive she should remember to be grateful for. Zinkia had appeared after their last skirmish. Why the falcon had chosen her to assist, she had no idea. But the help was definitely welcome, as was the surprising loyalty the bird displayed. As for ferocity... Bahra knew the small hunter had every bit of it in her feathered body as the lioness herself did.

Though she had pointedly ignored the borclu the entire trip, she flicked her ears with a grim expression at Sabit's words. Her words were true on all sorts of levels, not the least of which was assuming Sabit herself would somehow do better this time around than last. Bahra had not been at all pleased to discover the borclu would be part of the group yet again. Still, if she could manage to occupy one of their opponents while the rest won their fights, at least there would be some use out of bringing her along. She suppressed the urge to spit a hiss at Sabit and instead called up to Zinkia. "Any sign of patrols?"

"Nothing sighted," the falcon cried down to her partner. She wheeled in a large circle, keeping the plodding lions at the center. Her sharp eyes scanned the horizons as she spiraled up higher and higher. She knew the oasis they were attacking was likely to be visible to her at her height, if the sun wasn't sinking so quickly. A smudge to the east might have been their destination, but she spotted no movement between it and the group she scouted for below.

As night fell, her usefulness would fade. She gave a final glance around, then folded her wings and plunged. She shot through the air like a falling star, flaring her wings only when she absolutely had to. With a noisy thunder of feathers, she came to a stall just above Bahra, then settled neatly down on the lioness' back. "We are on track, and no enemies were sighted," she reported, flipping her wings to settle them more comfortably. She turned her green eyes to stare at the others with her partner, her gaze critical. Most of them would do, though that dark one was a liability. She fluffed her feathered haughtily. She clearly had chosen the best of the warring tribes to take as her partner. She would bring glory to the Qyrhyeshti.  

[SilverLutz]

As a few in their party broke the silence that had descended over the group since their last break, Nur rolled her eyes. It was typical to point out others failings, but right now they needed to build each other up, not tear each other down. They were a team and personal issues could be poked fun at at a later time. She flicked her tail back and forth as she walked, ears twisting this way and that to pick up what everyone was saying.

"We can be sure that we'll give them hell," she mused, bright eyes starting to glow in the dying light. "Come, such pessimistic talk is what loses battles. You heard the bird...no one stands between us and our prize. If the surprise doesn't chase any guards away, our teeth and claws will."

She flexed her claws as she mentioned them, letting them dig into the sand. A little shiver of delight ran down Nur's spine, making her scarred muzzle twist into a grin. She looked quite devilish with the way the last of the sunset was catching her eyes and the scar on her maw letting more teeth show through than a normal grin might. "This is our night. I can feel it."  

[Meepfur]

Sabit had been perfectly happy with the silence from Bahra. Even the sight of the arrogant lioness made her seethe - if she had spoken to her, she would have been sorely tempted to dig her claws into her instead of saving it for their enemy. As it was, she managed to ignore her for the most part, and tried to remind herself that this was Adala's sister-in-law, and that her friend likely had some fondness for the lioness she'd grown up with...although Adala rarely displayed much fondness for anyone, even her own cubs. An effect of growing up in this desert, Sabit supposed.

"Realism, not pessimism," she defended offhand. "I'm sure they think they can't lose, either, but someone has to be wrong."  

[SilverLutz]

"Ah, but they're fat and comfortable in their victory," Nur said with a malicious grin. "They're not hungry as we are." Not so much in terms of actual hunger, of course, but in terms of pride and the need all lions had for the space to roam where they wished. They had been pushed back so far that their numbers had seemed far greater than they actually were, if only because they were all living in such limited land.

"And as you all know, when you're full, you don't run as fast. You don't care to try as hard to take down a beast. But when you haven't eaten in days and you can feel your stomach snarling inside of you, you have that extra burst of speed, the increased stamina to make the kill. When you're comfortable, that's when you fail."

She flicked her tail back and forth, turning her bright eyes ahead of them once again. "But if you wish to spread your 'realism' among the ranks, go right ahead."  

[Seaki]

"I don't think they would let land go so easily, even if they have plenty," Bozkir sighed. He hoped that the others would not get fat heads and assume a victory. Victory was not a guarantee, even if all the odds were in the favor of their side, they still had a chance of losing. He hoped they would remain vigilant.

He hoped whomever he encounter, he would be able to win against. He feared loss. He didn't know if he would be able to show his face again if he lost badly. The borclu held a lot of bravery coming with them again, and he hoped she would be able to redeem herself from her past loss.

"It will not due to assume anything, Nur. We will lose if everyone becomes cocky," he huffed.

(Just trying to see if this can taper to an actual close even with the battles going <3)

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Nur glanced at Bozkir as he spoke to her and she rolled her eyes. "Very well then, I shall be the only one out of all of us with any confidence going into this thing. If you doubt your abilities, there's no way you can even hope to win."

She flicked her tail through the said as she walked, the mood her companions seemed to be settling over the group turning her own positive one sour. How could they walk along like this to battle with such dour faces and thoughts? You had to lift yourself up in words and spirit if you wanted to perform at your best. Of course there was the chance of loss, but if you allowed yourself to consider it too much, it was what you'd end up with.

"Look,' Nur added, glancing to the horizon. "The sun has set. They'll probably be changing their guards around now. That will give us enough time to approach them and have the tired lions sound asleep and the newly posted just starting to grow bored with their task."

There was only so much sand one could look at before starting to let their mind wander, after all.

Seaki