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 Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2011 10:53 am
Her nose twitched, detecting signs of a pride. With a gloom of clouds overhead, Shetani was wary of almost everything around her. Especially now, when she carried cubs with her. The dark and mysterious male had certainly been charming... Far better than her previous encounter with a male. Did she just have something for dark lions, though? Maybe. Tall dark and handsome.. She paused, unable to resist a little giggle at herself. Now she hoped she had another dark-coated son who'd grow up tall, dark, and handsome like his father. Which reminded her... What had ever happened to Yu? Her first baby... She missed him greatly. The brown lioness paused, eyes widening as one ear flicked. She swore she'd just heard something...
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Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2011 11:04 am
 If Ruzanski had known he was making enough noise to be heard, he would have been disgusted with himself. He had no reason to attempt stealth, given he was simply returning to the pride after a viking. He'd been sent ahead to give notice of the band's return, and also to have some of the hurts he'd acquired on this viking seen to.
However, his progress was stopped, much as that of the brown lioness had been, when he heard a giggle. Because he was not returning to the pride by the sea entry, and thus was crossing a generally uninhabited stretch of land that had been cleared out long ago by raiding bands of Stormborn, giggling was not a sound he had expected to hear. It also was not one that much pleased him to hear, as he could only imagine it was one of the Stormborn being amused by his injuries.
Even though he had probably already been seen since there'd been giggling, Ru instinctively switched into sneaking mode, though his ability to sneak was somewhat limited by the pain that shot through, well, everywhere. He did his best to be stealthy as he followed the sound to its source and spied a brown lioness who looked to be swollen with pregnancy. There had not been any pregnant lionesses in the pride when he left, as far as he knew, and she did not smell of the pride.
Perhaps, he reasoned as he positioned himself to attack, he could redeem his less-than-stellar performance on this raid if he brought back a Thrall...
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Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2011 1:16 pm
Shetani's first reaction was to look around. Being an unfamiliar place, she naturally saw shadows of things that weren't there. Slowly, she started walking again, mouth drawn in a line now. When her paw broke a twig under it, long forgotten from some other time, the lioness gave a start, running a small distance away from the sound. Old panic began to return. Was Toshiro following her? Had he found her again? Would he drag her away? She stopped again, gold eyes wide and looking around.
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Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2011 2:09 pm
That moment of panic was just what Ru had been waiting for as he stalked his prey, and he took advantage of it. The dark lion leaped from his vantage point with the intention of knocking into the lioness and hopefully landing in such a way that she would be pinned to the ground but relatively undamaged. Things could go wrong in the moments between his paws leaving the ground and his predicted impact with his target, but Ru was hoping they wouldn't.
Oh, yes. And just in case his prey wasn't already terrified, he completed the whole process by roaring as he sprang, the better to potentially paralyze her with fear. An unmoving target being far easier to strike than a moving one, after all. It spoke well of the lions who had trained him that he did all of these things without consciously thinking about it. It had become instinctive to perform these tasks with these goals, although in the back of his mind he knew there was a reason for them.
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Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2011 6:56 pm
If he'd expected her to freeze, then he was rewarded as she did so, at first. Then she let out a scream, turning and running as best she could. As her paws flew under her, panic filled her every particle of being, afraid not just for herself, but for her cubs as well. She couldn't run forever, though, and soon slowed, soon stopping and huddling by a bush, eyes wide. "Please don't hurt me!"
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Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2011 7:11 pm
Ru landed but his landing was off and she was fleeing. Ru could not do anything except go after her, but - gods! - running hurt. Ru's breath came in short, sharp, pained inhalations that he would never call gasps. He was too proud to say he was gasping for any reason whatsoever, and certainly not from pain.
It was a relief that she didn't run too far and in fact was soon stopped beside a bush, hunched and frightened. It still bothered him to see someone, particularly a female, in such a position. He couldn't help thinking that must have been what it was like for his sisters when they were captured and killed by the pirates. But he didn't intend to kill this lioness, he reminded himself, or even hurt her.
"I'm not going to hurt you," he told her. "But I do consider you a captive at this point. You can come with me back to my pride, willingly and without trouble, or...I have other options."
His tone implied that she would not enjoy those other options if he was forced to resort to them. In truth, it was more likely he'd just knock her out if he was able and then send someone back to collect her later.
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Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2011 1:03 pm
Captive... Her mind went back to her time held captive in the Mwana lands, right under Toshiro's claws. She could scarcely remember how she even got away - At some point, about the time her daughters had. And now she was a captive again, to another dark lion. The biggest difference, though, was that she now feared not so much for her own life, but for her cubs. She swallowed, whole body trembling from fear. "I-I'll go quietly..." He already at least seemed nicer than Toshiro. And far younger, but that was an irrelevant point.
----------
Elsewhere, Yu had finally taken a break from keeping a close eye on his half-sister. His face was still smarting from her reprimand, anyway. While Susu was a large lioness in her own right, she was still smaller than Yu... And while much younger, willing to show she was a force to recon with. He couldn't argue with that point. Now, the dark lion padded through the more communal areas, when he smelled something on the wind. It was almost... Familiar. He let out a slight grunt, turning and heading in the general direction it was coming from.
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2011 5:46 am
Ru's first feeling when the lioness said she would go quietly was likely not the one a true Stormborn would have had in his situation. There was elation, yes, and that was probably pretty typical, but also relief. He was too hurt and tired to want to deal with a feisty thrall, and if it came down to it, he would almost rather see her killed than have to fight her all the way back to the Stronghold. Though the option of knocking her out was always there and infinitely preferable. Unlike his mentor Voldemaras, Ru had qualms about killing females.
"An excellent choice," Ru said, doing his best to growl. "Come with me this way."
He knew the lands surrounding the Stronghold very well, having spent many nights wandering them when he was new to the pride. Sometimes he had company for his wanderings in the form of the Warlord's daughter, but mostly he made his explorations alone, and that was a good thing he had recently decided. Lately the places he had been with Kazul tended to fill him with inconvenient thoughts and feelings.
But anyway, his familiarity with their surroundings meant that he was able to devote most of his attention to watching the thrall he'd just captured, rather than his surroundings. He was unaware of the dark lion who had picked up his scent.
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Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2011 4:59 pm
Shetani kept her head down, almost crawling on the ground as she followed the younger lion. The brown lioness wondered, briefly, how the other lions of the pride would treat her. Would she be harmed? How would her cubs fare? She took a shaky breath, closing her eyes as she paused.
Suddenly, she opened them. The winds had shifted, bringing a scent to her. Familiar... Yet strange. She forgot her new place for a moment, lifting her head and looking around. Where was it coming from? It was so close...
As the other two lions came into view, Yu felt his heart and time stop for a moment. Was that who he thought it was? He couldn't be sure. He hadn't seen the lioness he thought he was seeing since he was small, just a juvenile. He walked slowly toward Ru and his new-found capture, determination burning in his gold eyes. If the lioness was who he thought she was... He was going to save her the fate of a Thrall.
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Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 5:28 pm
Ru was tired and hurting, but he was not so oblivious to his surroundings that when he came in view of Yu he was unaware of it. He simply didn't know what was going through the older lion's head as he approached them.
Had he known he was about to be deprived of his unexpected capture, he probably would have been annoyed, but as it was he only vaguely recognized Yu for who he was. He didn't even make the connection between the similar markings his accidental Thrall bore and those on the older Reaver's coat.
As it was, he was mostly grateful that she was willing to come along without a fuss. Perhaps that had to do with her condition. She looked to be in the family way, to put it politely. Ru couldn't remember what became of the cubs of Thralls. Were they considered freeborn or were they also Thralls? Would he be held responsible for them? He doubted that.
When Yu was close enough to hear Ru greeted him: "It's a good day to die."
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2011 6:59 am
The older male nodded, "It is. What've you got here, Ru?" He wasn't about to jump to conclusions. It never got anyone anywhere good. Looking the lioness over, Yu observed the swollen belly - Cubs soon on the horizon. Very soon, from the looks of it. But the markings... He knew he'd known the lioness. He'd just keep his trap shut for now. "Are you getting flowers in your blood?"
A good day to die? Flowers in blood? What were they talking about? What kind of pride had she found herself at? Shetani kept her mouth shut, continuing to be demure and shy. After all, she didn't want to get hurt. But at the same time, this lion looked familiar... She knew him. She knew she knew him. But from where? She'd had to disconnect from so many lions in her life, she had trouble even remembering what some of her own children looked like. At least... The exact DETAILS... The younger male wasn't one, that was for sure, but maybe this other one was. Same caramel-blonde hair, after all.
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Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2011 10:47 am
"A Thrall," Ru replied. "Nothing floral about that, is there?"
His injuries were beginning to pain him once again and he really wanted to end this whole thing. That could be easily accomplished if he discharged his duty by letting Yu know that the band had gone out with was returning. He could probably leave his Thrall in Yu's care, too, since he didn't plan to keep her as a personal Thrall. That was entirely too much responsibility and effort for a lion his age and rank.
He did not pay much attention to his captured Thrall other than a general awareness of where she was and if she was going to make any sudden attempts to escape. He didn't think she would, particularly not now that he had been joined by another of the pride who was older and larger than he.
"The rest of the band is about half a day behind me," he said a little wearily.
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Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2011 11:40 am
"I referred to how gentle you seem to be acting to a lioness with cubs in the near future." Yu then glanced in the direction he knew the band had gone. "Indeed... You travel fast, Ru. The wind carries you far and wide." He then looked at the younger lion. "Do you have any plans for this particular Thrall, by the way? I hope they're not too grand..." He shifted on his paws. "Or.. Existent at all..." The large male paused in his dialogue, sitting to scratch at an itch. "I'd hate to see you publicly humiliated, at any rate. What with who she is and all..."
And there it was - Shetani knew that Yu knew. But what could she do? If she acted now, who knew what this Ru would do? She glanced back and forth between the two lions, before slowly laying down. For all she knew, this could take a while. She just hoped Ru wouldn't do anything to her for laying down. She didn't even know if he would NOTICE that she'd laid down. Yu seemed to be distracting him quite well from what she was up to... Or not up to, as it were.
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Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2011 11:53 am
Ru turned his head slightly and regarded Yu from a slantwise angle, watching to figure out what the older, larger lion had planned. He had not heard that Yu was any more of a bully than most other Stormborn, and it was not usual for a Stormborn to make any sort of remark or judgment on the treatment another Stormborn afforded their thralls.
"Explain yourself," he said shortly. He was not really in any sort of humor for playing games.
At the edges of his vision he saw the thrall lower herself to the ground, taking her weight off her feet. He could hardly blame her for the impulse and saw no reason to take her to task for it. Particularly in light of this game Yu was playing about her being someone who could cause him public embarrassment. Perhaps she was a Stormborn who had been afield for sometime, or dwelling in one of the outposts and Yu knew.
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Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2011 1:40 pm
Oh, he was getting SNIPPY now, was he? Yu let out a grunt, settling on his haunches. It was time to stop beating around the bush, as the saying went. Though how one did that, he wasn't sure. But that wasn't a relevant thought. "I hardly think she'd make Thrall material, being my own mother." He motioned with his massive paw. "I haven't seen her since I was younger than you are now... But that does not diminish my wish to keep her safe." Yu then pointedly looked at Ru. "Would you not want the same for your own mother...? And to be spared having the whole pride told the first Thrall you caught... Was actually related to a member of the pride?"
Shetani flicked an ear, merely letting out a curious sound. She'd be spared just for being Yu's mother...?
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