[PRP] Streaking Through Airport Security

[LadyPipen]

Epine de Rose

Daffupanda

Of all the gods-damned, heavy-brow FOOL things to do- Matope was screeching the whole way over, from the moment Muhali picked up the large old- and growingly conscious of her own fragility- lioness, the whole flight over... It was Muhali's own luck that Big Momma had enough sense about her still not to struggle, though she carried on like a cub being washed for the first time, tail firmly between her legs. There was a good bit of complaint to be found with the lack of earth beneath her paws- ironic as that was- and Matope was making very sure everyone in close enough earshot heard so.

She hadn't realized the descent wasn't planned- Matope made serious business of keeping all four paws on the ground, thank you very much and good night... So the fact that Muhali was dropping, and at an alarming speed, was not quite at the forefront of Matope's mind until her a**, and then her hind legs, drug the ground painfully- and then the old lioness had only enough time to hiss in a breath before she felt Muhali's grip disappear and her own leg twist painfully, prompting a snarl of pain.

The moment the daze of the fall cleared from her head, Matope's first thought was of Muhali.

"Muha-" Her cry was cut short in a second snarl of pain. In her initial fear-filled reaction she'd forgotten to take account on her own well-being, a mistake on her part for as she jerked up to run to her newest cub, something tightened around her hind foot, cutting flesh painfully as she pulled and immediately slackened.

On closer inspection, it was some kind of... Trap. Something Matope would have expected to come out of Shandor's own mind, some sort of twine or rope disappeared into an angry, weeping red line around her leg. "Muhali?" Matope called, head whipping back where the goddess had crashed- this time, only her head, and she let her aching body sit where it was tied, though the panic at silence crept fast and cold into her breast, "Muhali, child, are you alright?"

Everything else could be considered after- even if she had to chew her way through the damned contraption that tied her so she may go pull Muhali out of whatever trap she found herself tied into.  

[Daffupanda]

Quote:

Rolling rollin' rolling

- As a random note, this is an Epine sanctioned rp, we have permission and she'll be joinin' us XD Also, I rolled a 1 in my d4, but I need her actually hurt so we're disregarding that for now, yeah. *whistles*

She'd stayed too long in her disguised form. Entirely too long by far, as was promptly clear when one of her wings missed a beat and Muhali found herself lossing altitude at an alarming speed. Granted, the armful of old lioness she was carrying was really not helping at all, to be fair. She'd underestimated Matope's weight and her own ability to carry her over and through the rift safely; a mistake she wouldn't make again for sure. A gulp of air was taken in as the goddess tried, in vain mind you, to lift Matope's body higher up.

She failed rather spectacularly, given she suddenly felt her charge hit ground and with that, her grab on her was lost and Muhali found herself crashing through the foliage. She narrowly missed the trap set out to stop sneaky interlopers such as herself, as she felt the ground give way under her scrambling feet. Unfortunately, when she tried to flap her wings in an attempt to avoid further contact with any sort of trap, she found that one of them would not respond to the order; it hung limply to the side, dragging uselessly on the ground. It was only then, and through the haze of adrenaline that Muhali felt the sting of pain when she attempted to move it once more.

She had no idea how they were going to get back home now.

Matope's voice floated through the jungle to her right and the small goddess could not refrain the whine the ripped through her throat as she stumbled dizzily, almost comically towards the lioness' large body, "NOoooooo...." came the near cub like whine from the shrunk goddess, "I hurt!" she'd given up on trying to move her limp noodle of a right wing, and it was accumulating quite a bit of dirt and grime as she came closer. Another whine was cut short, dying before entirely forming within her throat as her nostrils caught the scent of blood, and just as promptly as her cub like behavoir had started, it vanished, "You're bleeding!" it was less of a question, more of a statement, really, as Muhali stumbled to sit down by the brown female, her mouth setting to work on the rope that held her, huffing, "Maybe we should've walked after all.... M'sorry."

Epine de Rose

LadyPipen

 

[Epine de Rose]

The traps were supposed to be the loud things, the creations that made enough sound to alert guards like him to the area. However when both lionesses fell from the sky it wasn't in the most subtle fashion either. Siarnaq had already been gazing idly into the sky, for few attempted to cross both a water filled rift and these traps. I anything he was of the opinion that it was all for show and had been a huge waste of time... Or he had of been until the pair of entities fell from the sky and a series of traps snapped to life.

Had Shui also planned for aerial visitors too? Siarnaq somehow doubted this, that required too much forethought and quite frankly, the trappers had created things that couldn't hit anything airborne anyway. For all intents and purposes this was a fluke and there was every possibility that they had simply fallen by accident.

Collateral damage of innocent beings who were simply flying over the land elsewhere, this now became his immediate concern.

"Bugger," he uttered under his breath as he sprang from his spot and moved towards the area. He knew better than to expect he'd be given the right to autonomy when Shui's chosen guards arrived, but the least he could do in these moments was to find their new visitors and limit the damage. Given his already close proximity to the pair, it wasn't long before the striped lion finally arrived and cast his gaze upon... well... Two lions, one of which had wings.

Another deity?

Save for his mother who lived here, they hadn't had many divine visitors recently. As for the other lioness, she was clearly Kizingo'zaa and that wouldn't benefit her in the slightest given the ruffled feathers within both regions!

"Don't move!" he called over to them and shook his head. He'd already noted that both were in distress, one seemingly bleeding and the other, more divine creature, most assuredly in discomfort as well. He was no healer but there was something about how that wing sat that concerned him, and he could already smell faint traces of blood from here. "Those things are everywhere," he added and glanced over his shoulder.

It shouldn't really have been a surprise to anyone that Shui's favoured guards were already approaching, but the lion was grateful to see that they had one of the Trappers with them. At least they could disarm the defences and they could escort the pair of visitors out safely.

"But why are you here?" he furrowed his brow. "Don't you know that you aren't allowed to come in anymore?" he hazarded. Maybe the Kizingo'zaa hadn't been informed by their leadership that the border was closed, or perhaps the leadership hadn't thought they needed to give the gigantic body of water between them.

He paused, albeit it briefly to regard them further.

"How bad are you hurt, can you move on your own?" he asked. Niceties and 'interrogation' could wait, there were priorities and determining how quickly they needed a healer was the highest ranked at this time...

Daffupanda

LadyPipen

 

[LadyPipen]

Despite the pitiful whine of a no, Matope's panic choked down the moment Muhali answered- she knew that tone, and that was less a 'not fine' and more a 'I scraped my knee, give me attention', and the knowledge settled very well- oh, her foot still stung like nothing else, but she was an old lady who didn't particularly need all three feet operational anymore.

What did cause worry was the strange limpness in the goddess' wing, apparent the moment she stumbled out of the brush from where she crashed- Matope was no healer of birds, but she knew enough of Chi's troublesome magpie of a raven to know that wings weren't meant to be limp as such.

"Don't you worry about me none," Matope chuckled- the sudden change in attitude was endearing and enough of a distraction to put the cutting wire in the back of her mind- oh, it hurt, certainly, but in her day she was far rowdier than any Alchemist had any right to be. Pain could be ignored, especially when there was Muhali to fuss over.

At least the wing didn't look like it was bent to an impossible angle? Bird bones were fragile... She assumed the bone of the wing took after avians more than felines, otherwise how would she ever be able to fly? "This looks... like a dislocated joint? Or a bad sprain..." It was harder to tell, when there were two joints in one place- an arm, no problem, but she wasn't exactly sure where the wing was supposed to be connected- she'd hardly had any chance in her lifetime to study the anatomy of gods- and that made it far harder to tell with certainty. "Should've, could've, would've- 's too late for such talk now, darlin, and besides- I do believe we both still have all limbs, granted in state of disrepair, but we have them all the same and if this is heaven, I'm going to have a fun time giving my complaints to management..."

Matope griped as she took account of her charge, pressing gently at the wing- not at the joint, but down the length of the limb, touch light as a feather as she felt for any bumps or sign of broken bone when she heard Siarnaq's call, and she finally took notice of the fact that they had both attracted company- not that she could rightly blame the attention, they hadn't exactly crossed quietly or secretly.

She paused her close examination to glance back at the... she assumed he was a guard, that would make the most sense. And she didn't- move, that was, not an inch- she hadn't jumped the border to cause trouble, after all, but to fix what trouble had caused. Being troublesome in turn would help that end very little. At his explanation, however, Matope case her eyes about the undergrowth- squinting suspiciously at what evils she could not see.

"Darlin, you answered your own question. These cub-kings have worked their fur into a bunch with how this-or-that one did something-or-such to offend and don't have the good sense to learn words don't always need actions and that actions can be solved with words," She spoke frankly- she wasn't in presence of neighboring royalty yet, and besides that, she was rather sure that there were those on the Bahari'Moto side that shared the opinion. A pride was a pride, and different as cultures could be, individuals did not always agree with the rulings of their kings or queens.

"'taint fair, what neither of them are doin. I didn't spend a good chunk of my life puttin' up with Shandor and his ilk and raising sweet babies to see their hearts broken and- apparently- paws taken for a he-said-she-said. I ain't sayin' Puzzle's been right in what he's been doin- but Puzzle ain't layin' traps, either, isse?" Matope gestured to the trap caught 'round her foot- hell, had her neck been caught rather than her foot, this situation might have ended a whole lot worse- Matope spared no love for the brew, but murdering innocent lions who want to see their mothers and fathers, or their cubs or siblings, was not right.

So, ready or not, Big Momma was comin'.

She ended her little speech with a huff and a nod for good measure before regarding her paw and answering his last, more important question, "I'll live. I'll move, too, but only after we finish chewin' our way through it." He was a nice boy, this one, she could tell- perhaps she had prepared for and expected more hissing and jeering, but the fact they were not settled nicely. Was it the goddess? "Muhali, how's that wing?"

Epine de Rose

Daffupanda

 

[Daffupanda]

Well, she thought idly. So much for elegance and finesse and a show of strength, power and immortal superiority; defeated by traps and her own lack of foresight. Then again, to be entirely fair, Muhali had never quite been known for much introspection or foresight. She was much more prone to going with gut feeling and passionate thoughts, never giving the broad picture a good looking at; it simply did not go hand in hand with her domain, and at this point, no matter how childish it seemed, she just wanted to stomp her proverbial foot in the ground like a toddler and demand her pride be fixed and turned back to the way it was.

Mother, her toy was broken and she wanted it fixed right now!

Despite the fact the fleeting notion did fly across her mind, Muhali was old enough to know that course of action would not work and was hardly mature. Still, there was something strange about the old, brown mortal that brought out the cub in her; she deserved to be mothered once in a while, even if the here and now was hardly the time for it, and thus the goddess pushed the need to the back of her mind for the time being. Her head lifted from where she was gnawing at the ropes and vines to look at Matope and then at her wing before she let out a sigh, "I don't know. I can't lift it at the moment - hoping just sprained..." she'd lived a long time and she'd seen dislocated bones and how they were set back up, "It hurts rather like an absolute b***h though, I'll tell you that," she even made an attempt at lifting the wing off the ground, the muscles tensing around the area of her shoulder before pain flashed through her features and a cold sweat erupted under her pelt.

Moving the thing was entirely out of the question.

Her whole body tensed by the larger lioness' one as the guard called out to them; like Matope, Muhali meant no harm, and had not come to the Bahari to escalate the tension. She had no problem following orders, and her head remain perked until her gaze landed upon the striped male that came from within pridal grounds. A guard, no doubt, from his general disposition. After all, they had been particularly noisy in their arrival.

As Matope spoke up, she watched, and then finally raised a paw in the air, "We mean no harm by the by - we just wanted to talk, apologize and hear out what was happening. The landing was... er... not programmed, really. My bad," interestingly enough, she had not heard that the border had been closed - much less that traps had been laid out, but all in all, it made some vague sort of sense, given how pigheaded both her son and the Bahari king were being with each other, "To be fair... I didn't even see my son come into Bahari that day. I'd have stopped him if I had. Passive aggressiveness does not suit my pride nor this one; both are old enough to span many generations and we've never had a problem with each other. Even before the alliance!"

Muhali knew enough about their neighbors to know that the pain and concern writ plainly over Siarnaq's face was true and honest. If both prides had shared a single core value back in the day, it had been the will for pacifism; these traps likely troubled a lot of the members in the area, "I'm fine. It's just useless right now. If I don't move it it's fine but... I'm going to need a touch of help before I can fly once more," she turned her head towards the guard, beseechingly; she knew enough about Bahari customs from generations of living next door to them. They would not turn them back away while injured, Muhali was sure of it, "A lil help, please?" she remain on the ground though, unwilling to make herself seem like a threat at all.

She would play entirely by their rules.

Epine de Rose

LadyPipen

 

[Epine de Rose]

Siarnaq's eyebrow shot up at Matope's remark and he couldn't help but shake his head, he wasn't the most avid fan of the traps and concerned them an extreme measure...but given someone had attempted to cross it Shui's point at been made. It wasn't the cleanest of resolutions but it was certainly effective (unless you could fly of course).

"There are...two other borders you could have crossed," he pointed out, a touch sheepishly. Shui had only seen fit to defend the most controversial border, the others were simply watched. It might have been stating the obvious but he felt it necessary in light of the older lioness's remark. There had been alternatives and for some reason the pair had chosen this one!

...Although at Muhali's remark he did crack a smile.

"I mean, if crash landings were your style then it went quite well," he offered before glancing at the guards and trapper who'd drawn near. Much to his surprise they were not the more controversial of those who had pledged allegiance to the 'crown'. If anything, they were the more benevolent individuals who didn't really seem to have an opinion, they very firmly sat on the fence.

...Dulfy was it? He was fairly certain that was one of the Guards' names and he wasn't entirely certain he knew who the sapper was.

"What have we got, hm?" The patched white and blue lion regarded the two lionesses and nodded towards the sapper who slipped through with an almost ethereal agility. Scarcely touching the ground, the lion swept back and forth and seemed to be carefully snagging his claw upon specific regions in the ground. After several moments, regions of the ground seemed to fall away as these traps fell in upon themselves to reveal the pits and snares... When the sapper had finished, there was a safe path for both to move out.

"Out you come," 'Dulfy' instructed and glanced towards Siarnaq with a raised brow. "Make sure you get them seen to by the healers, aye?

Siarnaq nodded wordlessly and watched as the older lion moved away to give the pair of lionesses some distance. The younger lion knew that 'Dulfy' would remain with the sapper to rebuild the traps, but at least he wasn't being particularly provocative, he was simply doing his job.

"If you'll come this way we'll get that leg and your wing seen to," Siarnaq remarked with a small nod of his chin. "It's a bit of a walk so if you need to stop, you can say so. You...didn't bring anything with you did you? We'd prefer you didn't bring that inside if you did."

Daffupanda

 

[LadyPipen]

Had Matope wanted to snip back at the guard, the opportunity was well and past the moment the patrol arrived- she assumed it was a patrol, given the nature of things. Besides, his sass rolled off her back like raindrops on a duck- he'd asked why they came, not why they came in this particular border, and those were two entirely different answers for two entirely different questions. Besides... Any lion with eyes- or ears- could hardly deny the flight wasn't exactly willing on her part.

.... Definitely walking next time.

Besides, it was much more interesting watching the trap-maker work, and for once the old lioness was silent, watching the lion as he went, though it made little and less sense to her. Crafters were an endless source of interest- she'd spent many an afternoon watching Chi work her mortal magic- and little as Matope cared for the death-traps, the swiftness and ease with which the newcomer worked was enough to gain the same attentive audience Chi did- even moreso once the trap wound tight around her foot fell loose, loose enough for her to work her wounded, throbbing paw out.

"Thank you," Matope uttered- as much to the trapper who worked them out as their guard, sparing a glance in his direction. After all, he did a job, he didn't order the traps there. "I got plenty enough spring in my step left," It was still early in the evening- and yes, sore as she was and as much as her paw throbbed, the fire of purpose and Muhali beside her both lit a fire under her paws. She could rest when it was done, and that was that.

"I 'spose that makes sense, then. I didn't bring any of that shameful brew, if that's what you're worried at, and... Well, 's obvious enough I'm plain," She wore little adornment, at least for the moment. None, really, a plain lioness for a plain cause. At least now she was no longer enraptured in the trapper's work- though it did mean Muhali and Siarnaq both were condemned once more to the old lioness' judgments.

The dragging of that wing concerned her, after all. "Had I been about, he'd've had to march in without neither of his ears. It's behavior I'd've expected from the father, the son is better than it. Now there's canyons and traps and a lotta raised hackles that there ain't a reason for," Matope answered Muhali's earlier comment- perhaps too late for anyone else to realize what she was referring to without a bit of thought first. She opened her maw to continue, but paused in consideration before starting again, "Muhali, that wing worries me, and is getting tatty. Can you put up with my carrying it?" It's require picking it up, and then the movement of Matope's hopping walk- but it wouldn't be dragging anymore.

That concern out of the way, she continued, this time turning her attention fully to Siarnaq, "I'm an old lioness- back in the day of Misae, hells, or even her sweet boy Nili, I'd've been fore-front of any politics an' allegiances an' such- Seems Puzzle considers diplomacy in a different way than my old self does, besides, so I'd like to ask you, sir- since my ears heard only the Kizi and we have a walk 'asides- just what your king has been up to, right, and just what Puzzle did say when he came."

If they were going to act like cub-kings, Matope would very will treat them like cubs- Puzzle had made a point not to give out details, besides that. Cubs would whine and hiss and act like such great insult were given- well, perhaps Shui had some right in that, actually, given Puzzle's mischief that afternoon- and refuse to admit that they just might have had paw in the conflict. Since Puzzle did not speak beyond the breaking of alliance, Matope was quite sure this was the same- Oh, she'd heard plenty in her pride of Shui chasing out lions for breeding rogues or outside their mates or something such... Why Puzzle saw fit to get involved, she did not know- Bahari were Bahari and Kizi were Kizi- but it was best to hear what was being said on the Bahari side, as well.

"I don't hold any hate for your pride or your king," Matope sighed in the end, "But families hurt on both sides, I'm morein' sure. I look to speak for those hurt in Bahari, too, when we return home. I'm sure Muhali seeks the same," More than sure, really- her self-blame was as heartbreaking as it was needless, and she was sure the goddess held the same mind... The old just had to remind the new, was all.

Epine de Rose

Daffupanda

 

[Daffupanda]

If a goddess could look sheepish, the small blue one that eyed Siarnaq sure did; her ears flopped down a good notch, as did her head, her shoulders hunched as she turned her gaze away from the male, "I... it was a bit of rash decision on my part. I'm afraid I've always been more do than think, and my wings have been under guise for a rather long time while I worked with Riddle Mouth," she used his old Gypsy name, aware the Bahari would not recognize the true one, given Shandor's paranoia. Muhali had always thought that strange, given that for a lion that supposedly hated Insanity, he held an unhealthy amount of paranoia and other symptoms that made her arch a brow, "I hadn't realized the wings would fail me mid-flight, but then... they've gone unused a loooong time - lions tend to take much less notice of me and ask less questions when they can't be seen and with the turmoil..." she let her words hang and slowly die. Even their neighbors were likely aware that the Kizi had been going through a sort of identity crisis.

A small, sheepish smile touched her maw then, "Ten out of ten, but would not recommend," she said, and then turned to watch the trapper do his work. It was rather enchanting how the lion moved in an almost ethereal way, his paws barely touching the ground, and had Muhali not known better, well, she might have thought him immortal. It was only when he'd finished setting the traps off and allowed Matope up that she turned wide eyes to the guards, "That's fascinating..." in the old times, her pride had barely even needed Watchers, since her blessing worked in a defensive sort of way too; it kept those with evil intentions otherwise occupied, and if they came with the idea to harm or invade... well, they soon lost the will when her influence gripped them.

Now though, her children were defenseless, and she didn't think Shandor's ways had truly helped keep them safe. The Kizingo'zaa had seen more drama and negative emotion in their lands in the past few years than in many, many generations passed piled up together.

Thankfully, Bahari traditions seemed to remain true, given the guards swiftly indicated their next stop would be the healers; that should buy them at least enough time to both listen to some stories and get a word in edge wise. Muhali was unsure what good it'd do, but if the tension was any indication, at that point, anything would have been better than the silence, "I... don't think I can lift it," she turned near doe eyes at the large, brown lioness at her request, but did walk closer and leaned over, helping her place the limp wing over the other female's back. She only paused briefly to look at Siarnaq, and then at herself, "I do have these old rags and few metal bangles, but no brew - I've never needed it. My children never needed it before," her eyes closed against the sadness for a moment and then, she motioned Matope to help her pad over to the Rift with aid. It sat ominously just a few feet to their side, and the trapper had cleaned that section of jungle already, "I'll rid myself of them, though," it wasn't like these guards were in the wrong about not wanting items to pass the border anyways, and thus, with care, the small goddess stripped herself of her bandana, her bangs falling rather carelessly over her face, and then, her jewelry, which she allowed to slip over the edge of the rift and onto some ledges below.

She'd come back for them - no mortal lion could get the items there, and once her wing was cured, she'd retrieve them and make sure she wouldn't come dressed over the border again.

With Matope's help, she walked back to the guards, and then, slowly began to follow Siarnaq through the jungle, her eyes falling on her female companion as she walked, "I would like to apologize either way, for all the good that may do. I am their patron, and things have.... gotten out of hand. I think... I think..." and here she hesitated slightly, sighing, "I think it is time I finally make a move. Things have gone far too long unattended. Perhaps the old ways were not perfect, but they were better than this," she turned to Matope then, "Did you know Shandor claims I put him on the throne? That I tossed out poor little Rive and Nili and set both himself and Fireheart as king and queen? I'm still not entirely sure where he got that story from... nor why he believes it to be anything other than a fever dream - I did no such thing."

LadyPipen

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

Siarnaq was taken aback by the speed at which Muhali rid herself of her personal affects. He had been of the opinion that he would at least try to persuade the others to hold on to them until the pair were ready to leave but he need not have concerned himself. Instead he could do little more than bow his head in respect as he led them through the jungles towards the Hlare and Mwani regions - while they may have lived in the central area of the pride, they prefered to operate a distance away to avoid any disruptions...Both professions had made this decision for differing reasons but they were conveniently nearby one another.

"It would be wrong of me to offer the full story when I don't know it," Siarnaq shook his head. "I'm younger than the King is," he admitted as he navigated his way around some of the more 'unusual' features in the forest. While they were mere fragments of rock, they weren't quite normal. As it stood no one in the Bahari knew what they were or where they came from, but they'd connected it to shooting stars as of late.

...it was the only thing that made sense.

"But there is someone who might be able to help you," he added after a few moments of consideration. He wasn't completely up to date on his history, his father had been doing his best to educate him at speed, but even Solomon wasn't entirely aware of the more nuanced details. What had been clear though was that there were lions within the Bahari'mtoto who remembered the founding of the Alliance vividly.

"She is in the region that you will be residing in until you are well again," he smiled just a touch. "Her name is Zephyranthes and she was there for the founding of the alliance, if there is any one who can tell you exactly how and why it came to be, it is likely to be her..." He elected against warning them that this particular lioness had a son with such controversial views that she had summoned his father to deal with him as that was a story for another time.

"But the immediate fall out seems to be a cultural disagreement," he shrugged. "We believe in monogamy here, one mate only. Those who do not adhere to this disrespect tradition and thus, the ruling of the sea itself," he pressed his lips together into a thin line. "We have had several natural disasters and they seem to coincide with periods where our lionesses in particular have forgotten the sanctity of marriage."

Another pause.

"If I understood my father's explanation correctly, whatever happened between the Kizingo'zaa and Bahari'mtoto resulted in the Kizingo'zaa agreeing to take these lionesses under their wing until such times as they and their children were ready to take their rites and ask for the sea's forgiveness... or they simply decided to stay in the Kizingo'zaa where they were not subject to the scrutiny of the ocean's divine," He glanced towards both lionesses and the nodded towards the dens in the distance. There was some activity around them, though it was a quiet sort. Lions came and went but for the most part, chatter was fleeting.

"I think that it was meant to be a place of sanctuary and safety, a place where they wouldn't invite disaster, and also a placed where they wouldn't be judged. I am not sure why this changed, or if it might have been forgotten," Siarnaq sighed.

"Regardless of what might have happened within the Kizingo'zaa to put that aside... I'm not so sure that your King's decision to storm into our lands and demand that we follow your traditions in regards to that particular subject was well received. "

He came to a halt just short of their destination and shook his head.

"Your King's tone made it clear he didn't want the Bahari'mtoto, they were a burden... At least this is why I heard. My lessons are not yet complete but I am not so sure that was what the original agreement was designed for. It was supposed to be something benevolent to benefit both prides..."

"But the only one who would know that is one who was held captive in the Kizingo'zaa until the Alliance negotiations were completed -"

"Willingly, before we end up jumping to any conclusions," The feminine voice swept through the air towards them as a pink lioness approached. "It was a necessity in light of the events that led up to the negotiations," she finally came to a halt and regarded both lionesses curiously.

One mortal, one deity.

"A rather poor time for a visit," she mused and shook her head, a wry smile on her lips. "And by the looks of it, the wrong door was chosen too."

"They were caught in the traps," He confirmed and nodded towards both. "But they have good intentions."

"Most Kizingo'zaa do, but a few foul apples can spoil all of them," she gave a wave of her paw. "Shall we tend to your wounds? While we have a strong male here he can may prove to be a useful set of paws."

Siarnaq's smile became a touch more shy.

"This is Zephyranthes," He said finally. "One of the lead alchemists of the pride, and most capable of getting rid of some of your aches and pains until a Mwani is ready to see you."

LadyPipen

Daffupanda

 

[LadyPipen]

The moment Muhali mentioned Shandor, Matope's easy, gentle nature dissipated- simply an easily unnoticed tensing at the subject, but the moment 'did no such thing' left her mouth, however, Matope's featured had contorted into outright rage and disgust, at odds with the easygoing, albeit firm, creature she was but a few moments ago. "I knew it!" She snarled at once, for a moment forgetting the current company and mission, "I knew he was a lying snake in the grass, he.... He....," The changing scenery, or more aptly, the sudden stones that made an appearance silenced her, and cutting her gaze back to their guide, Matope settled for clamping her maw shut and whipping her tail angrily back and forth as she listened.

She knew what he did. Everything else would very well have to wait until she got home- though the thought of Misae and her sweet babies and breaking the news to them twisted Matope's heart uncomfortably, and her gaze cut to the ground before she answered, rage flowing out of her almost as soon as it came.

She was glad he had offered help- help, and his own knowledge of the incidents. She did not expect every common member to know, but common opinion counted for just as much, or perhaps more so- after all, there was a great lot of good knowing did in the incidents of Shador... Still... 'the sea rules for monogamy'- Matope almost laughed, at that- it was her good manners that caught it in her throat, though she opened her maw to answer as their young guide paused, "Well... I've never known a lion more faithful to his wife and mate than Hadithi is to Misae, I can say that much for you, so who am I to say your belief is any lesser? Puzzle was wrong to presume as much."

When Matope's eyes finally left the ground under her, the scenery had changed again- lions milled about, speaking in hushed tones, and the realization that they must be at where the Bahari lions lived and that her body ached terribly hit both at once. "I remember no such stipulation to the agreement- I remember the Mummer's Ball, certainly, though I never had need to attend... But if the agreement ever included what you say, I was never told of it," And she felt secure under the assumption that the old royal family knew just as much about it as she did, though she'd never presume to speak for them without being asked- not in such a situation, anyhow.

As they stopped, Matope's attention was on their guide once more, ears perked in attentiveness- she liked this young lion, she decided, though he was not Kizi and thus not hers. He was a good boy, though, and that mattered far more than beliefs or pedigree. Before Matope could respond at all- or the lion finish what he said, even, another approached- a very pretty lioness indeed, and Matope dipped her head briefly in a polite greeting.

"Perhaps the best time for a visit," Matope offered with a sheepish smile, "We have to make up for the bad apples, after all," she instantly liked this lioness, as well- she had a kind air to her that had Big Momma immediately gravitating towards her, though the rank and title had her raising a brow.

"An alchemist? Our prides are closer than I might have expected- I'm head of nothing, but there was once a time I was also an alchemist. It's a pleasure to meet you, Zephyranthes," A mouthful of a name, but Matope made certain to commit it to memory all the same, "I'm eager to see how Bahari'Moto Alchemists measure up to the Kizingo'zaa, though if you can stop my aching I don't think I shall complain," It was easier to calm down here, hostile pride or not- Matope had always enjoyed company, despite her forced solitude in her own pride.

"I'll be frank- I've never liked my pride's new in-name-out-name foolishness- but I had a second name all the same, long before that came about. Call me Big Momma or Matope, it's all the same to me," Despite the complaint, the smile was plain on Matope's face, and her tone was light and welcoming, even as she looked to Muhali- adopted or not, she was old and well enough to do her own introductions, she was.

Epine de Rose

For context, Matope blames Shandor for more than a few wrongs in the past- some deserved, and more that aren't, but who's gunna convince an old lady she's wrong? Also, an irony I noticed- Hadithi's muse is the sea, which opened up for at least hinting at what muses really are :3c

Daffupanda

 

[Daffupanda]

She offered the large lioness a small, sad smile before she allowed her paw to reach out and pat her new friend's shoulder; a very vague motion, because granted... she had not meant to cause the old lioness so much distress. Shandor, she'd noticed, was an iffy topic around a lot of members; it was interesting how things changed, and how things became different as time passed, because once upon a time... she had been the controversial topic, not the old Gypsy king, "He had his moments," she whispered to the other lioness, "He could be charming... when he tried to be," her gaze hooded over, becoming distant. She had no idea where the lion had gone, but with him, that made two mates she had 'lost'.

First Uka, and now Shandor.

Perhaps she was cursed. Or perhaps she was being over-dramatic, "He's not the first mate I've lost. Won't be my last either," not with the tendency she had to take mortal mates... or gods that gave up their domains, anyways. She certainly knew how to pick them. She was dragged out of her own self flagellation by Matope's voice, and the goddess pondered her words silently. If one were to tilt their heads just so, and interpret certain things the Bahari said in just the right way... "It's almost probably fair to say that Bahari, as a whole, have the ocean for a muse," the notion was murmured softly before she arched a brow and looked at the lioness currently carrying her wing on her back, almost as if silently asking her what she thought.

"Ah," a pause followed the breathed word, even as they finally entered a slightly more populated area, "I'm afraid the Bahari treatie was a but under wraps at the time, from what I can recall... Shandor didn't have advisers, unless you count me, and I could only do so much," from what she knew of the accord, which wasn't a lot, to be fair, none of that fell into the stipulations, but then again... the only one who knew was the old Gypsy king, and he was gone now. A sigh escaped her maw softly, "It's not even entirely Puzzle's fault; rude as his actions were, he had no way to know. His father vanished before the boy was given a full education - poor boy has no idea what to do with himself, thrust upon too big a role to even begin to ponder over... before he could even finish growing up."

Misae had taken the Song Keeper title just barely out of adolescence herself, but those had been different times, Muhali realized. Story Keeper and Gypsy King were different titles, and held different responsibilities. Puzzle was intrigued by the old ways, but did not have enough knowledge to properly take up the role he'd taken. The fundamental base was missing, and he was thus playing in a game with a broken set of rules; there was no winning.

The lioness that approached them seemed benign, her whole form radiating no nonsense and yet also a motherly air that reminded the small goddess of the lioness to her side, "There's rotten apples in every barrel," she said softly, and then stepped forward, slowly sliding her wing off Matope's back so that it hung limply to her side once more, dragging on the ground, "My name is Muhali, patron of the Kizingo'zaa, but right now I just come forth as a worried mother," a pause followed the proclamation before she stepped forward again, "I would be much obliged if you could take a peek at my wing; I clearly didn't do one of my best landings to date and seem to have done er... something to it."

She looked first to the alchemist and then to the guard, "Should we offer something in return for the hospitality while we heal? We're more mouths to feed as it is, if it takes a day or so."

LadyPipen

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

"One set of actions can be considered rude," Zephyr glanced over her shoulder at both lionesses. If there was ever an individual who took no nonsense, it was this one, and she wasn't about to forgive Puzzle for his behaviour. "Storming in and demanding we conform to your societal rules is ignorant and rude," she shook her head. "Attempting to drug us with your uh... " She struggled to find a complimentary phrase for what the brew was and sighed.

Crutch? No, too offensive.

"Drink," Siarnaq offered with pursed lips as he shifted several obstacles to the side in the alchemist's den.

"That," Zephyr confirmed. "Was as close to war as the time that Shandor invaded our lands and stole our cubs," She pointed out. "Both times this pride has shown restraint, and the first we attempted to work through it and find common ground on both sides," she shook her head. "However attempting to physically harm us with your creation is not something that even I feel I am ready to forgive," she pursed her lips.

Shui had shown incredible restraint, well the credit had fallen on him, though she wasn't sure it had been him to hold back. The traps had been his message, she'd accepted that much and she counted her blessings he hadn't gone so much further. There were elements of his father still in him yet... Even to this day she could remember how close Ram had come to war and instead he had tempered it.

...What Shandor had done was forgivable then, he'd acted out of desperation in a time when the Kizingo'zaa were stagnating.

What Puzzle had done though? There had been no need... She was no war monger, but even she would have preferred they hadn't sat back and just accepted it.

"Regardless," she waved them inside and released a sigh. "The damage is done now and there's no point dwelling on it further, while your boy king continues to sit on his throne that rather potent 'gift' of yours will remain a contentious issue," she clucked her tongue as she examined both the lioness's wing and then Matope's leg.

"Siarnaq would you be so kind as to request some vines from the Bumani, they should have some of ample thickness for that wing..." She had dismissed the lion somewhat unceremoniously, but he'd gone with a half smile. He'd never been one to rock the boat, while two of his siblings had already left to explore, he'd remained at home to attend to his pride. For all intents and purposes he was a good lad but much too young to be embroiled in something as ridiculous as this.

It was only when he had gone that she finally flicked her gaze towards the pair in grimaced.

"We have no need of repayment," she reassured them. "It is not our way to demand it when individuals require sanctuary," she pointed out. "But I can assure you that what you are attempting to do at this particular moment in time will fail."

She paused briefly.

"While your former King may have lacked advisors and historians to document the events that occurred and led up to our alliance... Our pride does. Truth be told I am not entirely sure that there is enough good will to forgive you among some to even attempt to wash over the malicious intentions of your young ruler," she pointed out gently.

"Your former King's cubnapping was one thing, and we did recover our young during the events... But to attempt to poison us, regardless of whether or not it succeeded, is decidedly more malicious," she sighed.

"Riddle Mouth acted out of desperation, his pride was dying and we saw as much, we sympathised as we were in a period of difficulty as well," she admitted. "But what your young King has done is not out of desperation, it is because he did not get his way."

She turned to collect some of her crude bowls and set them down, examining each of her herbs for a moment or two. She needed a poultice, she had an appropriate dressing, but the poultice was something she would need to customise. She didn't think there were poisons in the traps... But she also hadn't asked for the details regarding them either. In hindsight she was beginning to suspect that she probably should have asked for that tiny detail...

The pink lioness had clearly chosen not to acknowledge Matope's mentions of their similarities, if she had, she'd have been quick to point out they didn't attempt to spread plagues and addiction. Similarly, she seemed to have no intention of discussing anything that the Hlare had learned during their time in which they had worked closely with the Stormborn's priestesses. If there was one thing Zephyr was now very aware of, it was that the Kizingo'zaa couldn't be trusted with knowledge of anything dangerous... Not when their leader would use it as a weapon so quickly.

"I appreciate you may not have liked him, by the sounds of it you come from two clashing cultures...or perhaps periods in time," she finally settled on a mix of herbs that would hopefully cleanse anything in the darker lioness's wounds. "But Riddle Mouth, or Shandor as you call him, was the only leader we have ever known for your pride and he served as a stable and reliable ally," she pointed out. "His intentions were good, if poorly executed."

"His inability to trust anyone with the more nuanced details of our alliance is unfortunate, but otherwise irrelevant at this point in all of our lives," she offered a rather wry smile. "That alliance is now dead after all, so what he may or may not have agreed is of little value now."

She paused briefly.

"I will attend to your wing in a moment, I simply require the assistance of Siarnaq when he returns," she nodded to Muhali before gazing at Matope again. "You are not sensitive to any particular oils or plants, are you?" she asked. It was better she check now rather than have to deal with the fall out later...What a terrible example of hospitality it would be to make someone more unwell than they already were!

LadyPipen

Daffupanda

 

[LadyPipen]

There were many, many complaints Matope could find with Shandor's rule- none of which were appropriate to dwell on at the moment, with very few applying to the situation at hand.... Besides, Shador had disappeared as she once had, and Puzzle ruled in his place... But of course, it would have been foolish to expect the boy to rise above his father when his father's rule was all he had ever known. It was not entirely Puzzle's fault- no, she and the rest of the older generations had failed in their duty to make the boy aware of his history- but he was foolish and overeager all the same, and it only took one mistake to lead a pride to ruin, if it was serious enough of a mistake.

"Don't censor yourself on our behalf," Matope answered flatly into the silence as the lioness pondered her terms, "The only Kizi who bear any love or tolerance for the brew are those with the misfortune to have been born after it's conception," what Matope didn't understand, however, was how the lioness could ever believe the brew worse than cub-snatching- Matope almost bristled at that, not because of their hostess, but rather, the fact Shandor believed it appropriate to begin with. At least the brew- though Matope did not believe for a moment any proper Kizi lion would have let Puzzle smuggle it over- would have only caused a hangover the next morning, at worst.

"Puzzle is not a king in the same way Shui is," Matope began- something her own pride had forgotten, as well- there was too much forgetting and too little remembering done in the Kizingo'zaa. She had done her pride a great disservice, hiding away in grief and protest. What Misae and Hadithi had been up to, she hadn't a clue...

"Suffice to say his actions were his alone- and he'll atone for them when we return to the Kizingo'zaa, though I do not expect the Bahari'moto to accept such until it has happened. You were wronged, that much is true," The finer details could be debated all day- what was worse, whether it would have truly played out if given half the chance, if Shandor or Hadithi or any other king would or wouldn't have done the same, but the matter of the fact remained the same- The Bahari was wronged, and the Kizi were to blame for that, shameful as it was.

Matope tsked, "I have no doubt the Bahari remember their deals- all the worse my pride cannot do the same," it was infuriating, really- she blamed Shandor, the problems the Kizi now had began and thrived because of his rule- a farce and a lie, now proven from their patron's own maw. With that... Matope fell silent, for once, maw snapping shut each time she opened it with something to add. A sore body and full mind was a ripe fruit for snapping, which was certainly not appropriate given the situation, and she had no head for politics in the best of times. She was a mother- mothering was what she did best, not acting ambassador to any pride.

Besides, there wasn't a thing she could say to dispute the lioness- nor did she want to, it was plain and simple and truth. That is, until the lady spoke of Shandor- Matope had little desire for nit-picking arguments, but she had great difficulty letting that one go, though she still answered the lioness' question before tackling her great offense, "I am not. Though Shandor," Matope replied, with a great lack of hissing and bristling, to her credit, "Is the core reason why we find ourselves here today. You might as well take Puzzle as your king tonight and replace the ocean with drink, as you called it, and then you will understand how we Kizingo'zaa lions find ourselves with a cub-king who knows little and less of his true position and sees fit to dictate other's beliefs."

Matope took a deep breath before continuing- it'd do no good to get angry and revert to hissing and snarls- she knew little of the Bahari pride, but then, they knew little of the Kizi pride in return, a poor way to treat an alliance of friendship, for certain. "You are right, Shandor is the only king you have known of our pride- Shandor and his son. Yet Shandor forced his way into his kingship and destroyed our beliefs, replaced it with a mockery drug and turned us into.... Well, you see what he turned us into. I'm bitterly disappointed his son follows in his paw-steps," Matope paused- she was getting off track of the topic, as the healer worked.


"What was done is done, you're right in that, though I suppose I'm too used to lecturing in my old age," Matope grumbled- no lion would ever shake her of her convictions, that much was for certain, "I, perhaps, should have urged the pride into action sooner, and much more could have been avoided. However, the fact I suppose I am trying to make, is that I am tired, child. There's too much squabbling and I know very well the insults paid to the Bahari'Moto by our own cub-king. It is the same insult his father gave to the Kizingo'zaa, though the Bahari'Moto have a leader to defend you and yours, no matter the belief or technicalities of it."

Matope sighed- the longer she dwelled on it, the more defeated the lioness became- oh, she'd perk up sooner or later, she was sure of that, but she was not the kind of lioness to let things go easily, and wrongs done many years ago still weighed on her just as heavily. "The brew is an evil thing. You have my agreement there. I could hiss and spit and condemn it until I lose all breath in my lungs, though I'm sure you've heard enough of my complaints- the fact of the matter is the Puzzle had no right to dictate the beliefs of your pride, or do it on the behalf of ours. I fully plan to thoroughly remind him of his obligation and pride once we return- but that is how our pride was wronged, and there's still an atonement to make to the Bahari."

And atonement she would make- she was not so foolish as to believe all the nastiness would disappear over the night, no, it would not work that way among the Kizi and certainly would not among the Bahari. Still, there was a great necessity in both repairing the damage done and laying out the foundation, if possible, for a future friendship even stronger than what had been in place before.

Epine de Rose

Daffupanda

 

[Daffupanda]

"Our culture was wrecked," came Muhali's voice, "Overnight, like a wild rhino had stampeded through it and trampled the remains, and many did not understand why," it was whispered, in mourning. This had not been Shandor's fault, and she could not fault poor, little Li Wei for doing his job. The young god had caused a lot of harm, even if his intentions were good, "The road to Hell, good intentions and all that," she said as she lifted her gaze up to meet their hostess' one.

She had watched from the sidelines even when the brew had been created. It was nothing like what the Muses had been, "If you ask Misae or Nili, they would say the Brew is anathema to the Muses - it destroys the core of what they meant and what they were. They were not hallucinations, but rather, between you and me, just a manifestation of my magic, my blessing upon the territory. Bringing them down to a drug induced hallucination is nothing short of offensive to anyone that used to live life before the Turmoil, and it would take a blind lion to not see as much," it was, in essence, a crutch though it was interesting to note that none of the ones that indulged in it were from Ye Olde Times. It was the newer generations that seemed to need the crutch, and that showed more against Shandor's reign than anything Muhali herself could have said, mate or no mate.

She vaguely recalled mentions of stolen cubs, but that was before she'd infiltrated the pride under her Paradox guise, "The Children of the Sand would have never stolen life from anyone in the day," it was all she offered the lioness on the cubnappings. It was a horrendous practice, and she remembered a row she'd had with the Gypsy King over it when they'd tangoed with the idea of mating; it went against the core belief of sanctuary, and the only rule she'd once upheld within Kizingo'zaa, "Never do harm upon others, physical or otherwise, or else, leave the territory, and do not come back. Stealing life, a cub from its mother could very well kill the parents from grief - the only reason you seem to be downplaying is because in the end, the cubs were returned, but what if those cubs had vanished? What if the practice had continued as Shandor wanted and expected it to? He wanted to call the cubs Princes and Princesses in mocking..."

She remembered that fight she'd had in particular because she didn't often voice her opinion against much of anything, instead simply watching from the sidelines. But as a mother, the idea was abhorrent to her. Her eyes went over to Matope as she talked and then nodded in unison; it was true her son had been out of line, and also true that words were just words. At that point, it was actions that mattered; the ball was in the Kizi court, and they could retaliate Shui, or attempt to make amends and make their neighbors feel safe. It was up to them to decide if they wished to escalate or stop the vicious circle, like any adult should have done at that point.

"No, Shandor was no fit king for my pride, but he tried - he did what he thought was best, even if it was in a tantrum and an attempt to run away from his past," she looked Zephyr in the eye for a moment and offered her a sad smile, "Shandor was scared. Paranoid, really. He took reign of a pride he did not understand and made everyone conform to his notions, when Kizi, as a whole, has never had a king or a queen before; we were a parliament - a democracy of sort. All voices had a say, even if the Song keeper and the Story keeper were looked onto to maintain chaos at bay. Shandor, my mate, abolished that, and I let him. I tried to do what was best for them... and did not bless the land - I was wrong."

She was, at the end, just as guilty in her inaction.

"I mated him. I did not like him; I loved him, and have the children to prove it. But that does not mean he did not do wrong; I can not judge your king now, in the same way I can no better judge his father before him. I was a neighbor and know very little of what went on in here - we will have to agree to disagree on Shandor and what he did," as far as she was aware, they would not be where they were today had her mate deemed her or the future king worthy of the details of the alliance, "You are right though, to say it is of little consequence. The past is past after all," a pause as Muhali looked at her wing and then at the healer, "I... don't think so? And even if I were, I think we tick a little bit differently than mortals do. I'm much more sturdy," she lay down on the floor and now looked up at Zephyr from her position, "Go ahead."

There was a long pause as Matope spoke, the old lioness clearly much more upset than Muhali was. The goddess was just... sad, "What Matope means, is that what Shandor did to my pride, was the equivalent of erasing the ocean and what it means for the Bahari - it ruined us. A few died, many left..." a sigh, as she extended the wing that was not limped and brushed Matope's side, "You are no more guilty than I am, or Misae and her mate were in this - we stayed to the side, let the young one plow through. It might have been a mistake, Matope, but that does not make us guilty of their crimes or failures; they did not ask for help or advice."

Her wing tucked in, and suddenly, determination crossed her features, her brows knitting, "That will change," she said, and her eyes flashed white very briefly with the words, illuminating their surroundings for a moment, and though the small Goddess' form did not change size, her presence was suddenly near oppressing in feeling, "I will fix it. They are my children, and I will fix it."

She then blinked her eyes, and the light and feeling around her were gone, her head coming down to place itself on her paws, "I should have fixed it long ago."

Epine de Rose

LadyPipen