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After settling with Kamia that tonight was the night, Ota and her friend had split up to spread the word to those they could trust- who would spread word to those they trusted and help get the ball rolling. There was only one really big issue they had been avoiding from the start and that was Ota's uncle, who had no problem making a spectacle of his distaste for the king from the start. And who could really blame him?

His visibility as a dissenter was only one factor, another was guilt. Ota and Kamia knew more than they let on, more than they would ever let on.. but it was a secret that would give her uncle peace and knowing they couldn't say anything was a horrible feeling. It got more complicated than that, of course, but for now it was not her place. If Selene and Fuu wished to remain dead to the Mwezi'Johari, that was their choice.

Tonight was different, though. Tonight, their cover would begin to break and he deserved to know that he wasn't alone anymore.

With the help of Vesper, Ota knew where to expect to find Uchanjaa and so she headed out towards his patrol area and hoped to find him quickly.

Relieved to find him, and without any company, Ota's pace quickened when she spotted Uchanjaa. She didn't work as cautiously as she had been in the past, it didn't matter if passers-by saw them tonight, so long as it was not the King or those closest to him.

"I'm glad I found you, Uncle Uchanjaa," she said, smiling when she caught up to him, "I really think we need to talk."

She had never been really close to him but they were far from strangers. She didn't have a plan, she didn't think she needed one. It would come as a great shock if he refused to take part in the rebellion now.

Taken aback by his harsh tone, Ota slowed down and changed her demeanor every so slightly. She didn't know what would make him so suspicious of her, though if she had thought about it she might have realized it. She did wonder, though, if it was the strain of living under the murderous king and the effort it took not to put himself or his family into serious danger.. he wouldn't be the only one living that way.

"About the king," she said seriously, her voice louder than might be expected of someone passing on a secret, "About the pride, about how we can fight back."

As much as she wanted to spill it all, she had a sudden feeling that he might not be the most open to the idea that she and Kamia knew more about the past and future than they ought to- at least not now. It had been hard enough explaining it to Meshach and that demanded more details because it was truly out of the blue that they found him.

Ota's expression remained the same, she was more prepared for this than she was for his expected harshness- it helped, too, that she believed strongly in their cause and their chances for success. It took some effort not to flinch when he spoke of Shangyue's children, being so close to Kamia, but she stood firm.

"When Shangyue took over, it would have been too dangerous to fight back," she answered, "You found that out for yourself. He divided us before he made his move, we couldn't have taken the pride back then. And we still can't if we don't get as much of the pride as we can on the same side, and there was no hope of swaying the fearful in the wake of his takeover.. and now it's been so long, so many have gotten comfortable as long as things are quiet and peaceful, even if we have no love for our king or how he has treated us and this pride."

She visibly drooped when admitting that it had been too long, but she pushed herself back upright and made sure she never lost eye contact.

With a sudden blink, Ota held her tongue and gave her uncle a good, hard stare. She could have all the confidence in the world about their cause but if she didn't have any confidence in herself then she wouldn't get anywhere, that was becoming embarrassingly clear now-- so much for approaching her own uncle being easy.

Lifting her chin up ever so slightly, she narrowed her eyes back at him.

"We need each other, we all do," she said firmly, "It's been a long time of figuring out who can be trusted and who can't. There was never any question of where you stood and there was never any hope of safely discussing it with you after you made a spectacle of yourself."

Her mind was racing and it was a struggle to swallow her pride but she hid it well enough.

"You can help us or you can not," she went on, "But this is happening and it's starting tonight. We're not as unprepared as you might think, we're just better at keeping our secrets."

Ota was relieved that Uchanjaa offered peace, but she didn't really let her guard down. Tonight was a busy night and this was just the beginning- but having his help would be huge.

"We need to start small," she said, "Avoid causing trouble directly in view of Shangyue or any of his closest companions but stop taking direction from those who support him. We need to reach out to the rest of the pride so they know we don't have to just let this keep happening. Since you're high class, it'll be especially important for you to be involved and supportive of the other rebels. We hope to avoid direct conflict too early but we're not going to hide anymore, from the king or the Great Lion."

It was tempting to suggest all activity should stop, that no hunts or patrols should be participated in at all.. but it wouldn't work until they had more support, until the rebellion grew. And she suspected it wouldn't be allowed to get to a point where the majority would refuse to work before Shangyue struck back violently.

"It doesn't seem like much but it won't be the quiet acceptance that they're all used to."

"Yes," she said, daring to smile a bit when he remarked it was as much as he had already been doing, "But this time you won't be alone and we're trying to ruffle as many feathers as we can."

Ota was finally feeling more relaxed-- and then he asked the most obvious question. It was Kamia who had borne the king's would-be heir, of course they were expected to have a plan.. but was it too early to let him know the truth? Anybody who knew about Meshach's group did.

For the first time since the conversation started, she glanced around them.

"Antara is already in danger and it will only become more serious as we move," Ota said, frowning, "She's been burdened with more than her fair share since she was too small to truly understand the part she has to play. We can barely hope to protect her.."

Another horrible feeling twisted around in the pit of her stomach, the knowledge that they had knowingly risked Antara's life to save Nketa.. but she hardly expected Uchanjaa, or anybody else, was worried about Antara as herself. That was something only a few would risk everything for.

"Her safety is of great personal importance," she said finally, "But strategically, she is a decoy. The king never got his heir. She is living in secret, on the border, in the care of Meshach."

And if Shangyue discovered the truth, Antara was certain to be beyond help.

"I'm not sure they do," Ota said, "But they don't like what's happened here any more than the rest of us. He's head of his own rebellion, and though we have communicated, I think our expectations are a bit different."

She really wasn't sure if Meshach would return in the end, but the fact he hadn't gone far or accepted any invitations elsewhere said a great deal. She was sure they needed as much of the royal family as they could get on their side anyway.

"There will be more time to talk another night, though," she said, glancing up and wondering how long it had been, "If you need to communicate with us, you can go to Vesper, one of Aapep's sons. He'll usually know where to find me. He'll be happy to help you out, too, of course.. but I'm guessing you already have some friends in mind to go cause trouble with."

She smiled.