[PRP] Hurry up, you little runt! [Roho x Tain x Uovu]

[Quickbeamed]

"Ow, hey, who do you think you are, you jerk!" the juvenile yowled, his blue eyes narrowed. "I should be back in the Pridelands with my family! Not with you. Ugh, that girl was a liar! She told me to meet her to play, not get stolen!"

Indeed, as the sun began to rise over the horizon, the youth's mood only grew worse. Here he was, being ushered along by some random lioness he'd never met, when he should be warm and comfortable in his den with his family. He growled, and when she growled in return and swatted at his rump, he leapt forward and sank his little fangs into her forepaw.

"Shut up, you worthless ball of fluff," she snarled at his complaints, pinning her ears back. "You'll be with me and that little liar until your pathetic daddy gets his act together and learns what's important in life. Oh, and trust me, you won't be doing much playing while you're here." She curled her lips in a sneer.

When he bit her paw, she roared with rage and smacked him away, knocking him to the ground roughly. "Little vermin! Don't you ever snap at me! If you ever do that again, I guarantee you won't live to see your family again!"

The two entered Roho's territory and soon they were at the camp site. Tain was unusually quiet after Roho's threat and the lioness looked annoyed, wondering where everyone else was.  

[Kinreii]

Uovu had been resting. He'd been a little sore from his wounds from the days before, and had spent most of the time sulking, licking at his sores... and thinking.

Hey, maybe this new life in Roho's following wouldn't be so bad. Indeed, he had earned new respect for Roho as a leader... and he, too, understood her cravings for power. Now, he had found a home, and something to live for. Now, he understood his purpose in the world... he had a reason now.

Power.

What a wonderful, wonderful thing. It had always intrigued him, even before meeting the lioness. And now, he was ready to act... Uovu was going to support his new ruler, and then he and the new pride would experience power.

Tononeka. A pride.

And he'd be part of that. Stretching, he grinned, and gave his wounds another thorough lick with his rough tongue. He'd thought on this for a while. Maybe stumbling across Katavi and Roho had been the best thing ever to have happened to him.

Movement at the camp interrupted him from his thoughts. Slowly, he rose, and bowed his head low as he realised his leader was arriving. Looking up, he caught sight of something white and striped... and incredibly squirmish.

"Lord Roho..." he began, but lost his words as he gazed at the little fluffball at his leader's feet.
 

[Quickbeamed]

There was satisfaction in Roho's gaze, though she also seemed tired and irritated. "Uovu," she replied in greeting, dipping her head. "Good morning. I'm sorry for disappearing last night, but only Katavi knew what I was doing, and I wanted it to stay that way. To make a long story short, this little runt is the meek offspring of a big coward in the Pridelands. I'm hoping to unlock the father's strength by making him fight for his son, but good gods, I didn't anticipate him being so damn annoying! I assume Kaihdin got home alright. I sent her ahead because I had to deal with this kid."

She growled softly. "Anyway, Uovu, it's going to be Kaihdin's task to watch this captive, but I want you to help as well. My dear daughter has wonderful potential, but I want someone a bit more experienced watching over her little... project, and I'm going to be too busy to do it myself."

"Who's that big, ugly beast?" Tain peeped, suddenly forgetting his silence. Before Roho could stop him, he ran forward and stood in front of Uovu, grinning. "Wow, your fur is all brown and patchy. It's too bad you're not handsome like me!" He tilted his head. "Did this lady steal you, too? You know," he said, his voice growing stern. "You're much bigger than I am. You should've been able to defend yourself! I mean, look at her, she's even smaller than my mom! And you're a big brute. I bet you could whoop her tail! Go on, do it!" He looked excited, turning around to smirk at Roho. "You can't touch me now! Look, your other slave is gonna help me!"

He swung around, looking at Uovu again. "Well, go on, beat her up! Then we can both get out of here!"  

[Kinreii]

Uovu nodded at Roho.

"Hmm, I see, I see. That's alright... hey, I don't need to know where you are all the time. A leader is free to come and go as she pleases, after all. I'm not a babysitter or anything. At least, not for you," he hoped the last few words showed no disrespect, but he meant what he said. Roho didn't need to tell him anything. He understood that sometimes a ruler needed to do things without explanation. He understood, so she didn't have to tell him anything.

"Hmmm, a captive, eh?" he repeated, and looked to the little cub. In a way, he felt a little sorry for the child... to be snatched away from a family would be an awful thing for a little one to endure. Still, who was he to question Roho? Plus, her word was law... and not only was it that, it was for the good of the pride, "Will Katavi...?"

No. It was going to be Kaihdin's task he'd assist with. For some reason, his heart sunk a little, but he dismissed the thought away. He wasn't friendly with the fiery lioness yet, but he felt he had a score to settle with the girl, and she would have been darn fun to tease while babysitting the little runt.

"I'll help look after him," Uovu dipped his head again, and looked respectfully up at his Lord, "It's all fine and taken care of."

It was only a kid, after all. This would be easy... right?
Uovu turned to look at the boy. His pale blue eyes were bright and defiant, and at once guilt surged through the big lion as he thought about the ordeal the boy must be facing.

"Who's that big, ugly beast?"

The great lion blinked. Which big, ugly beast? Slowly, he looked, trying to find out who the boy was reffering to. A big, ugly beast, huh? But... there was nobody else around camp yet. Uovu peered around camp, squinting, but couldn't see anyone. It took a few secounds for him to register that Tain was looking straight at him.

"M...me?!" Uovu said, taken aback, "W...what do you think you're talki-?"

"It's too bad you're not handsome like me!"

At once, all guilt Uovu held for Roho's captive was gone in an instant. This kid sure had a mouth, didn't he? And some guts, it seemed... or no brains. Either way, he was making hurtful comments. Uovu growled.

"Is that the way to talk to someone you just met, kid?" he tsked, narrowing his eyes, "Geez, I see that your parents didn't teach you well in the manners department. And plus," he placed a paw to his mane, and flicked his head so that it shifted, "I'll have you know that I'm pretty good looking. You, on the other hand, don't even have your mane yet. And you know what the girls fall for? Manes! Especially the big, brown, fluffy ones, Little Stripey."

At once, he felt stupid. Arguing with a kid, much less a captive. What was he doing? And in front of Roho, too...

"You're much bigger than I am. You should've been able to defend yourself! I mean, look at her, she's even smaller than my mom! And you're a big brute. I bet you could whoop her tail! Go on, do it!"

But then again, he was pushing it. Pushing it SO HARD.

At once, shaking a little out of anger, Uovu padded forward, and bent to whisper down into his ear. He just hoped that the kid would sit still and listen.

"You shouldn't speak about Lord Roho that way, boy," Uovu whispered, his tone friendly, but message clearly sinister, "Especially since she's the one that holds your fragile little life in her paws. Nobody's going to help you, kid. It's up to your Daddy to come and save you, now."

He backed up, and winked at Roho, although he was a little scared to hear what the kid's response would be. There was no way that his words could shut up a kid like that. There was just no way.  

[Quickbeamed]

Tain smiled at Uovu as he spoke threateningly, tilting his head slightly. Even as the bigger lion tried to intimidate the cub, he still smiled that infuriating smile as though nothing in the world could bother him.

When Uovu finished, Tain leapt up and sank his teeth into his ear before he could back away, growling 'viciously'. He tugged and as Uovu began to move away, he let go, falling to the ground with a grin. "Well, if you're not going to fight her, then I'll fight you!"

Ridiculous as it was, there was no humour in his voice and he narrowed his eyes, preparing to pounce. In an instant her darted forward, baring his fangs as he lunged towards Uovu.

Roho snarled and leapt forward, blocking Tain from reaching his target. She unsheathed her claws and threw him to the side before he could get his teeth into her. Four small red slashes appeared on his shoulder and he let out a whine.

"You're nothing here," she growled, her eyes flashing. "Uovu is a scout. You are most certainly outranked by him, as well as myself, my advisor, and my cubs. You? You're a worthless ball of fur. Got it? So don't you even think about lashing out again, because I have absolutely no obligation to keep you alive!"

She looked up at Uovu, her expression darkening. "His father better get his a** over here and take his son back soon," she growled. "I can't guarantee my patience is going to hold out."  

[Kinreii]

Seeing his leader slash the young boy's shoulder, Uovu's brow furrowed. It was only for a split second that he felt pity for the little one grab him once more, but he shook away the feeling as soon as it had come.

Sympathy was the enemy. It was a weakness. And this boy was an enemy.
Gingerly, Uovu touched his stinging ear, and looked with wide eyes at Tain. Well, well, well, he'd actually drawn a spot of blood. This kid had more determination than Uovu expected.

"Kid..." he said, stepping out from behind Hodari'Roho and circling the cornered child, "You know, you could always switch sides. He has strength, potential in there, Roho," he looked to his leader, "Although I do know that he is made of hated, dirty enemy blood."

It was his small, distinct way of trying to spare the youngster. As heartless as Uovu could be, he didn't care for teasing children... sure, he would follow Roho's orders to rip out the heart of an adult male lion, or even a female lioness, but a kid?
Still, if his Lord Roho ordered him to take a life, he would do it. At least, he thought he would. That was how it was, that was the extent of his extreme loyalty to his leader.

"You should pipe down, kid," he said slowly, coldly, "Be careful around here. Lord Roho and I don't tolerate funny business."

A tiny droplet of blood ran from Uovu's ear, and then dripped onto the ground, splattering as it went. The large lion pretended not to notice the sting. The child sure had some sharp fangs. It seemed he wasn't all mouth.  

[Quickbeamed]

"Well excuse me, you dumb oaf," Tain growled. "I wasn't trying to be funny. And what do you mean, Lord Roho? She's a freak! This isn't a pride and you're stupid if you think it is. All she does is run around stealing cubs." He shot the lioness a glare. "What a great leader. I'm sure you guys have a WOOOONDERFUL time here." He exaggerated on the word, rolling his eyes, before grinning again.

Roho's claws popped out and she landed a quick hit on the cub, scraping across his flank. It wasn't too much damage, and though she longed to do more - kill the little runt, even - she couldn't. It'd ruin her plan. "Shut up," she snarled. "If you think you're going to get away talking like that, you're in for some nasty surprises. I'm sure Daddy doesn't do much more than give you some stern words," she said, her voice mocking, "but we don't tolerate crap like that here."

The small lioness turned her attention to Uovu. "Care to help me take the little furball to his... ahem... den?"  

[Kinreii]

"How dare you sa-" Uovu spat, but hesitated. Hey, this little runt was only a kid, right? And a big, scary adult like himself should not get himself worked up over small fry like Tain. It wasn't cool.

And loosing his cool at Tain wouldn't impress Roho. He had to remain in control. Still, as much as the kid annoyed him, it made him glad that Roho wasn't going to resort to murdering the child right here in now. If Tain was to be killed, Uovu didn't want to see or know about it.

However, imprisoning the brat sounded good.
Yes, Uovu liked that.

"I'm sure his father has been too easy on him for all these years, Roho," Uovu agreed, trying to ignore the pain of his stinging ear, and stepping forward to escort Tain out of his leader's prescence, "But, you know, I'm sure he'll become a little more disciplined while he's staying here. After all, this is the Tononeka. And, boy," he hissed, leaning down to talk to Tain, "... don't think this is a pride, huh? Well, pride or not, you're gonna' know it well by the time we're through with you, Prisoner. If you don't like it, you can complain to the walls."

And with a grunt, he bent down and firmly gripped the scrag at the back of the cub's neck, hoisting him off the floor.

"Lesh go, Wrohwo," he murmered through clenched teeth, making sure to keep his eye on Tain, just on the lookout for the potential occasional swipes, "Whrrrere to?"  

[Quickbeamed]

Tain didn't know what Uovu was doing until it was too late. And the second he was scooped up, he turned into a hissing, spitting pile of claws and teeth.

"GET OFF OF ME!" he screeched, writhing violently as he tried his best to scratch Uovu's muzzle. "LET ME DOWN! I'LL CLAW YOUR NOSE OFF! I'LL TEAR ALL YOUR WHISKERS OUT! PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NOW OR I'LL DO IT!"

Roho simply rolled her eyes at Tain's fit. "Oh, I'm sure he will," she said to Uovu. "There's no way he'll leave here, acting like that. It won't be long before his spirit is broken and we don't have to listen to him complaining." She said it coolly, as though not realizing the severity of the statement.

"Follow me," she said, taking off at a swift pace towards a hill in the distance. It was only moments before they were there, standing on the top. In front of them was a large hole carved into the top, a pit beneath the opening. It was a good distance down, and, at the right angle, it was obvious that there was no way out. "Go ahead and drop him in."  

[Kinreii]

It was almost as though something dawned on Uovu, and time seemed to freeze for a moment - could Uovu really release his grip on the child, and fling him down into that hole, leaving him there until - as Roho herself, had said - the cub's spirit was battered and broken?

There was a slight hesitation in the lion's next movements - for a moment, Uovu clung on to the boy, gritting his fangs together a little more tightly than before, as if to double-check that the boy would not slip so soon from his grasp. It was a natural fatherly instinct, one of Uovu's 'personality flaws' that was registered as a weakness in the binds of the Tononeka, and Uovu realised, with horror, that Roho was speaking to him, commanding him to imprison this child, and that he had no choice but to obey. For a fleeting moment, Uovu was doubting Roho's decision.

A clean swipe on the nose coming from the youngster's claws made him 'come to his senses'. With a grunt, his maliciousness returned, and he released his grip, tossing Tain angrily down into the pit.

"You deserve all you'll get, you little mongrel!" he growled coldly at Tain from above, "Let's see how energetic you feel after a few days, eh? You're a kid, aren't you, so I suppose you'll have to use your imagination and make up some imaginary friends to talk to. That's what you cubs do, don't you? And while you're down there, you should start imagining yourself some food and water, too... with your attitude, you won't be dining as well as you used to for a while, let me tell you."

With a growl, he looked coldly back at his leader, so angered by young Tain that he felt himself strangely un-intimidated by Roho.

"Geez," he sighed, as if talking to an old friend, "That one's a bloody handful. So, are we actually going to be giving him any food to shut him up these next few days, or are we letting him starve?"

He paused, and looked closely at Roho's intense red eyes - and, slowly, his uneasiness returned as he realised just who he was speaking to. His formality swiftly returned, and he made sure to bow his head slightly, as if asking for 'pardon' that he had hesitated moments before. Still, he could not help himself from asking:

"You... are going to keep him... well, alive, aren't you?"

He tried his best not to sound concerned, and rather played his voice in a way that suggested mere curiousity. That was the great thing about being an actor. Acting was really what kept the lion alive, and in his leader's good books.

Uovu made a mental note to work on that soft spot of his - he needed to become harder on cubs, he really did. Bringing in Mufasa had been a risky business, and showing even a brief amount of compassion for Tain could give Roho the incorrect impression that his loyalties towards her were straying elsewhere.

And that was the last thing Uovu wanted.
 

[Quickbeamed]

"Hey, hey, don't you even think about it... don't think about it, you big oaf, you better not.... ARGH!"

The cub fell into the pit, and, with a sickening thud, hit the bottom. He made no more protests, merely whimpering.

"Of course we'll keep him alive," she growled, eyeing Uovu a bit suspciously. "He'd be no use to us dead. There'll be no food for him today. Perhaps, if he learns to keep his mouth shut, he'll get something tomorrow. But if not, then he can wait until the day after."

Roho wrinkled her nose. Kiwi damn well better come get his runt soon, because her patience surely wouldn't hold out. After all, this was more about him than it was Tain. She couldn't care less about the furball - she just wanted to provoke his father, make him attack, fight. And if that didn't work, they'd die. Both of them.

"Here are the orders, Uovu," she said, turning to him. There was a ferocity in her red eyes. "When he does get fed, it should be very little. Just enough to keep him alive. I don't care if he's healthy, just make sure he doesn't waste away. Don't let anyone else bring him food." Not that many of them would... but she didn't trust a few of her cubs to keep their soft sides under check. "Under no circumstances will he be allowed outside. When the den starts getting dirty, just drop some grass in."

"Oh, and Uovu? If Kiwi comes, send him directly to me."  

[Kinreii]

"When he gets fed, it should be very little. Juuuust enough to keep him alive. Make sure he doesn't waste away. Don't let anyone else bring him food," Uovu repeated, as if mentally making notes to himself, "Okay, Roho, got it. You're the boss."

He let out a small, careful sigh in a subtle expression of his relief - he didn't care if the boy was uncomfortable, but a dead cub on his hands would be something else. He'd have to keep an eye on the youngster, make sure that he didn't get too skinny - but nor would Uovu try to fatten him up. For one thing, it would alarm Roho. For another, Uovu wasn't that kind.

"I'll make sure he has a wonderful stay," he growled, coldly, feeling the knick on his muzzle sting again, "But not too wonderful. After all," he bent down on his forepaws, yelling straight into the den to make sure Tain could hear, "It's just as well that there's a special package on for brats staying at the Tononeka. Food and lovely accomodation for free, hrm? Aren't we a generous bunch?"

He leant back up again, chuckling. There was something, however, still bothering him - and if Roho was assigning him this job, he'd make sure that he'd do it properly.

"How am I to give him water, Roho?" he asked his leader curiously, "I'd let it rain and have the kid suck the liquid from the soil, but I can't control the weather, and somehow I don't think he's got the motivation for soil-sucking. And if he doesn't get enough water, well... instant waste-awayage. That could be troublesome."

He paused, a little concerned. He didn't want to have to go down there and deliver it to Tain personally - to tell the truth, he didn't want the little bugger to scratch him up anymore than he already had. Tain was a fiesty little chap.

"Oh, and," he added, dutifully, "If Kiwi comes, then great. I won't bother with the house-warming, then, I'll just send him straight to you."  

[Quickbeamed]

Roho was distracted by her thoughts - grand visions of either shredding Kiwi and his son, or unleashing the potential in the great lion, and perhaps even 'converting' him... making him see what life was truly about...

"Yes," she growled absentmindedly, not really paying attention to Uovu. He was obedient, he would follow her orders. She had her doubts about him sometimes, but everything seemed to fall into place. "Oh, water? Soak some moss in the pond several times a day and take it to him. Push it through the opening in the front, don't drop it down."

What if Kiwi didn't come? How long would they waste energy on his pathetic cub? Roho wasn't too keen on the idea of raising him to adulthood. It would be a drain on the pride, which needed as much energy as possible at this early stage. Then again, she figured, if Kiwi didn't care enough to rescue his own son, then they would just let him die. It wasn't her concern.

"Good. Yes, do that."

She turned away, consumed by her thoughts.  

[Kinreii]

"Ah, yes, the pond. I suppose that makes sense," Uovu agreed, nodding his head, "Yes, yes, then I'll make sure Tain's... taken care of. Just leave it to me."

He paused, realising with a start that Roho's mind seemed to be focused on something else - which was fair enough, he thought, since Queen's had many things to think about, especially Queen's like Hodari'Roho.

With a sweeping bow, Uovu spoke out to his leader once more.

"May I be dismissed?" he asked, keeping his eyes trained to the floor in a sign of utmost respect. He knew that Roho's eyes were not on him at this moment, but he still wished to show his loyalty to the woman some way, and this seemed to be it. These days, Uovu was confident enough to look Roho in the eye without fear while talking to her - they both knew that he was hers to order about, after all. However, she was still his leader, and Uovu felt that he needed to show his loyalty whe meeting Roho, and on his departure. It was only right.  

[Quickbeamed]

Roho looked up at him, matching his gaze. "Yes, yes," she said. "Go spend some time with Katavi, hmm? I don't like how you haven't been with her much recently."

It was an empty sort of 'threat', but she felt it necessary to remind him that he would not, in any way, shape, or form, get away with hurting or neglecting her adopted daughter without severe consequences. "Let her know what just happened, too. I don't have time to go update her right now. I have... things to attend to."

Things indeed.