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Amleth yawned. She was currently curled up at the base of the gnarled tree that she and Duhushi had agreed to come back to every night. It was late afternoon, but she had little better to do than wait there. Sighing, the hyena-marked juvenile poked a beetle with an extended claw. "Bored..."

Paws crashed to the dry earth as the smalll, pale femme raced across the ground, running faster than anyone would who wasn't fleeing something terrible - in her case, the object of her fear and revulsion, her shame. But the burst of speed fear had given her had died, and her muscles now refused to keep her moving. She slowed, coming to a stop not far from the darker femme, panting harshly. Her head bows forward in exhaustion, salmon fur almost brushing the dust beneath her paws.

Amleth's ears perked up and she lifted her head off of her paws at the sounds of the other lioness crashing through the underbrush. "Hello?" she called hesitantly, glancing around.. and catching sight of that tuft of salmon. "Ny? Is that you?"

Nyunya flinched as if struck at the voice, her head snapping up and her eyes darting. For a moment her mind had tricked her, making her think it was her father who had spoken, that he'd followed her. Her eyes are wide with the fear still working through her when she finally catches sight of Amleth. Her relief is so great, she drops to a seated position, her legs refusing to support her any more. "Amleth..." she whispers in a pant, for the moment, unable to do more.

"Ny!" Amleth yelped, springing to her feet and padding over. "Are you alright? What's happened?" the darker lioness sat down by her friend and looked her over.. she didn't seem hurt... physically, anyway. She nudged her friend under the chin in an affectionate manner, looking worried. "What's wrong?"

"I..." Her voice faltered, and she shook her head a little. "I just... I just met my father..." she breathed, the shock and revulsion close to the surface, infusing her voice and stopping her from deflecting the question, as she may have done were she over the meeting. This close, it's obvious she's shaking a little - but whether that's fear or exhaustion is hard to tell.

Amleth tried to remember back to their first meeting, whether Ny had mentioned her father at all. She couldn;t recall, but she didn't think she had.. Something awful must have happened to put her normally composed friend into this state.

"Your father?" Amleth pressed, crimson eyes filled with worry. "What happened, Ny? What did he do to you?"

A familiar presence was helping to calm her just a little. She swallowed, turning her head to look at her friend. The panic in her eyes had died down now - a bit, anyway - and she shook her head again, this time in an attempt to clear it. "Tell me, Amleth," she says quietly, for the moment not answering the question. "Have you ever heard of a lion named Nyekundu?" It would be easier to answer her question if she had heard of him; she'd already know what he was like.

Amleth thought for a moment, and then shook her head. No, she had not. But the way Ny said his name it sounded as though he was infamous. "No, I haven't heard of him.. Ny, is he your father?" she inquired softly, gazing up at her friend. She wanted to do something to help Ny, to comfort her.. but she didn't know what, and she was still confused about how Ny had gotten into her current state.

She nodded unhappily. "Yeah. I didn't know until today... my mother never told me." She took a shaky breath, looking back the way she'd come. "He's... I'd heard rumours before of what he'd done, cubnapping and other horrid things. My mothers talking of him, worried, and now I know why. He knows both of them. That's why I'm here," she says bitterly, sniffling a little. She hates that tears are threatening to gather in her eyes, hating the sting, although, for the moment, her eyes were dry.

"Cubnapping?" Amleth repeated in a near-whine. And her mother had never told her? Ouch, what a meeting that must've been... "I'm so sorry, Ny... how did you meet him? What happened?" She scooted closer and nuzzled her pale friend's cheek.

She sighed softly, leaning into the comfort her friend offered, a little nuzzle in return. "Yeah. I don't know what he takes them for, and I don't want to know. I also don't know why he didn't take me. He pinned me in his paws and... groomed me." She shudders again. "Like a real father would," she spat, disgust in her voice. "I shouldn't have gone to the Pridelands. I should have just stayed home. My mothers told me never to leave the lands." She closes her eyes again, noting that her trembling has died down, though the threat of tears was worse.

"Ny, I'm so sorry," Amleth murmured, ears folded back as she watched her friend. It was hard to imagine what could put Ny in such a state. Her father must be AWFUL, Amleth decided. "It's okay, he won't take you." she assured the pale lioness with a nod, now frowning. Not if she had anything to do with it! It didn't cross her mind that there was no way she could stand up to this Nyekundu, if he did some after Ny... but she didn't care just then.
"Ny, it's okay, your mothers will protect you. You'll be safe in the Mistie lands." she supplied helpfully, attempting a smile.

She laughed softly, a tad bitterly, at her friend's words, shaking her head slowly. "No. No, I'm not. If he came... Neither of my mothers are strong enough to fight him, Amleth. Together or apart. They're scared of him when he's not there, let alone when he is. And he..." She pauses as the first little tear slips down a pale cheek, wiping it away roughly. "He said he would come back for me when he wanted me. Said I was his."

"But what about your pride? They won't let him take you!" Amleth said, grasping at straws. "You.. you have more than the protection of your mothers, don't you?" As her friend began to cry, she flinched and leaned in, licking her friend's tear-stained cheek rather shakily. This was all rather a lot for her at one time. "He knows where you live?" she asked quietly.

"I think he knows I'm from the Umande'mfuni pride," she replies quietly, nodding. "I can't be sure. But if anyone in the pride found out I'm his daughter..." Her voice falters for a moment, before she continues on, having to force her voice to keep steady. "I don't know why, but hate for Nyekundu is thick where I come from. He must have done something bad. If they find out I'm his daughter, they might... they might want me to leave. Especially if staying will eventually bring him into the lands."

"They'd make you leave?" Amleth squeaked weakly, leaning back to stare at Ny. How could they? What kind of a pride what that, to kick out a cub instead of protect her from her evil father? Looking offended and confused, Amleth sighed. She couldn't really offer for Ny to come with her and Duhu, after all, she doubted being with Tanaka and Kiuma would be any safer... and they'd be in the Pridelands, which was apparently where Ny had just come from.

"What will you do..?" she asked finally.

"I'll do the only thing I can do. Go home and try to forget." She shakes her head. "I'll tell my mothers... After that... I don't know. Try and go on with my life. When I'm strong enough to travel, I will. I'll go out and lose myself in the wilds, explore, forgeet about him, never stay in one place for long... Nothing more I can do, I don't think." Her voice is quiet, soft... weak, almost.

Amleth sighed again, feeling terribly sorry for her friend, suddenly. As she described how she would have to live her life, the hyena-marked cub found herself growing angry at Ny's father. He would force her to move around, never staying in one place, always fearing he's come after her? What kind of a horrible.. she couldn't even think of a word to use. "Ny, I'm so sorry.. isn't there anywhere you can go where he won't find you?"

She shook her head. "No. I don't know where he comes from... the next land I wander into could be where he lives. There's... nowhere I can go." She flicks her tail limply behind her, head sinking down to rest on her paws. "The only place I can go now is home. But I don't know how long I can safely stay there." She sniffles a little again. "I think I have the worst father in the world, Amleth. And here I was, thinking that I'd meet him one day and he'd be wonderful, with a magic excuse for why he hadn't been there before. What an idioit I was," she snorts.

"Ny..." Amleth murmured, feeling useless and frustrated. She wanted to DO something, to help.. but no matter how hard she thought, she came up with nothing. She scooted over to lie down next to her friend, hoping that some body warmth would be perhaps a bit comforting. "No, you're not an idiot, Ny, no one would imagine that their father would be.." she paused. "Would be so horrible."

"It's just... it's just... arrggh!" She digs her claws into the ground, scraping up clumps of dirt and soiling her white fur. "He's ruined everything. Knowing this has ruined everything. I'm always gonna be looking over my shoulder again, expecting to see him creeping up behind me. I... I wish he was dead," she finishes venomously, meaning every word.

Amleth nodded in agreement. If, indeed, this was all the case and Nyekundu would come after her friend at all costs.. then she, too, wished he was dead. She frowned. "What does he want with you, Ny?" she asked almost pitifully. She didn't want her friend to get hurt.

"He thinks I'm his. He strikes me as the type who takes what's his. Probably for no other reason than that, he'll take me eventually." She shudders again at the thought. "Where he goes, or what will happen if he does take me, I don't know... but I don't want to find out." She shakes her head sharply, her voice dropping to a whisper again. "Never. I don't wanna be cubnapped. Not by him."

"It's okay, Ny," Amleth murmured, nuzzling the pale lioness again. "Maybe he's all talk, maybe he was only trying to scare you.." She offered hopefully. "After all, he never wanted you before now, did he?" She looked back up at Ny, eyes full of hope. "Maybe he'll forget. He sounds like a busy guy, after all," she added bitterly.

"No. He meant it. I could see it in his eyes." She inhaled shakily at the memory. "He didn't know I existed until today. If he had, I think he would have taken me from my mother after she had me..." Releasing her breath slowly, she adds, "And he won't forget. I'm of his blood, that makes me his, as far as he's concerned. He won't forget it, and he won't let me forget it, either."

Amleth looked at her paws. She felt helpless and angry. "Isn't there.. there must be something we can do," she insisted, looking back up at Ny with an almost pleading look in her eyes. "After all, he's only one lion, there must be someone who can protect you..there has to be!"

"The only one... is Liza." Although, remembering Nyekundu's size and knowing Liza's, she wouldn't want her dopey friend going up against her father. She didn't know Liza's strengths or weaknesses in that area, but she just wouldn't want to risk him being hurt. "But... no. I wouldn't let him do anything about it. I don't want him to get hurt."

"Liza?" Amleth repeated, ears perking up a bit, with hope. "Who's Liza?" she inquired curiously. Still, even if he wasn't a match for Nyekundu, the fact that Ny had someone who would defend her was reassuring. "Perhaps you can go somewhere with Liza." she suggested. "Somewhere far away, where your father can't find you.."

"Liza's... He's just a friend. New to the lands. An adult male who's fond of me." It's over-simplifying their relationship, but she's not in the mood to explain. It would take too long. "He'll be coming with me when I travel, so I won't be alone, but... there's just... nowhere. I can't go anywhere and be sure he's not there. It's just... horrible."

Nuzzling Ny again, Amleth looked up at the sky. It was getting dark. "Do you want to stay with us tonight, Ny?" She murmured quietly. "Duhushi should be back soon, and we can take you to the Misties in the morning..." She couldn't think of any other way to help her friend, and she looked pained to admit it.

She smiled gratefully, nuzzling against her friend in silent thanks for the offer. "Thank you, but... I want to go to my family tonight. I need to be with them. If Feddy hadn't vanished, I'd be happy to see him right now. No matter how much of a brat he is, he's still family." She shrugs slowly. "Besides, if I didn't turn up before my mother went to sleep, she'd panic. I don't need that right now."