[PRP] So, you saved me. Thanks. [Hifadhi/Mapa]

[demonstration_evil]

Hifadhi was finally finding it easier to walk, after what seemed like years out of comission. The damage to his back it seemed was not as irriversable as he had first feared that it could have been... though it was likely true that he shouldn't have been up and moving around yet.

He was just giving Ngao more reasons to condemn him to staying with the pride by doing this... tempting fate. But the old lion had never been one of those who would just sit around while there was work to be done.

Work that he couldn't do without attracting Ngao's attention...

"You're really bad at this whole sneaking away thing." Pepo informed him, flying over the lion and sighing.

"I don't need you to play nurse, Pepo." Hifadhi informed him, indignant at the implcation, "And I can 'sneak' as much as I like."

"If Ngao finds you, she'll find a way to tie you down to keep you from moving around so much." Pepo said, grinning, "But then, she shouldn't be up and about either. If you two were any more stubborn, I think you'd explode."  

[wooga Paes]

mapatano was flopped on the floor somewhere nearby. No so much because he wanted to, really, because Hisa had just slammed into his head. No, it didn't particularly hurt him as much as it hurt Hisa, though she'd been quick to recover. He'd been surprised enough to flop onto his side, but seeing as he'd been running aorund all day..

For once he had no objection to getting back up. Hisa, however, soon regretted insisting on him to rest, after all, now she had a killer headache, and if he lied around alll day long, something might come along and... step on him. Or something. He wasn't even watching his surroundings!

"Mapaa, get up. " She grumbled, landing beside him and prodding at her bonded with a talon.

"You're the one that told me to lie down. " He grumbled.  

[demonstration_evil]

Hifadhi almost didn't notice Mapatano at first, but when he did, he sighed, "I suppose I'm not the only one whose up and about when I shouldn't be..." Though he was suprised to see that his fellow pride member's bird also seemed to be in an odd way.

Birds. Always so strange.

Pepo followed his bonded's line of vision and nodded, "Yeah, looks like... Hey! Hisa!" The harrier called, taking flight once more and landing near the other two members of the pride, "What brings you two to a place like this? We haven't seen you since..."

Hifadhi didn't like to think about what had been happening the last time he had seen Mapatano. Unfortunate business that he wished he could forget... and yet at the same time, glad he didn't. They had lost good fighters to the outsiders... and friends. Better to remember them going down in a blaze of glory, though there had been nothing glorious about it.  

[wooga Paes]

"Pepo! " Hisa glanced upwards as the harrier landed next to them. "Nice to see you're in one piece. " She nodded slightly, then at his next question glanced at Mapatano. "He's just being stupid. And not healing. Mapa, you do know if you-know-who comes back, it would be best if you weren't walking around like a lame badger, right? " She fluffed up slightly. "and egtting stepped n won't be too good. " He was lying down right -now-, but in the most inconvenient spot possible.

Mapatano grumbled, glancing at Hifadhi and at least rolling onto his belly rather than his side, raising his head to look at the other lion, promptly ignoring Hisa. He knew, chances were, eventually Msiba would want some revenge, but the green lion was injured too, he found no need to be too careful just yet. Besides, he had Hisa to sound an alarm at anything green and white.

"Hello, Hifadhi. "  

[demonstration_evil]

"Well, nice to know that you aren't the only one acting like an idiot." Pepo told Hifadhi indignantly before looking back at Hisa, "I really don't know how other lions survive without birds looking over their shoulders ever minute of every second of every day. And if enemies don't come and beat him up while he's weak and helpless, Ngao certainly will. They need to take better care of themselves."

Hifadhi sighed, sitting down next to Mapatano. He was doing his best to ignore Pepo, but sometimes the harrier was just too hard not to notice... though they had been together a long time. He was quite good at pretending the bird didn't exist, when calledfor.

"Do you think that Hestia would smite us down if we just... killed them?" Hifadhi asked sarcastically, watching Pepo and Hisa. But then he gave Mapatano a weary smile, "It's good to see that you're doing well."  

[wooga Paes]

"It really is amazing. Our lions all depend on us. ... maybe our lions are just stupider. " Imagine having an independent lion that didn't need her!

Mapatano shot a glare at Hisa. "I doubt it. It'd be a justifiable murder. " He flicked his tail, then glanced back at Hifadhi. "Likewise. Dodged past Ngao, I see? " He smirked, twitching his tail tip. Unlike Hifadhi, no one besides Hisa seemed to give a crap about how Mapatano treated himself; he had to dodge no one.  

[demonstration_evil]

"Could be." Pepo agreed, "They're let themselves get a little too cozy with us always taking care of them. If they stepped out on their own, who knows what would happen to them?" Well, Hifadhi had certainly gotten on well enough when he had been alone... but Pepo wasn't about to admit that. He liked to think he took care of his bonded... and he did.

"Fair enough." Hifadhi said, managing a grin as he glanced towards Pepo, "Yes... I suppose you could say it's easier since she's also recovering... but she's a tricky lioness." A tricky lioness who would probably have his hide if she found out he was out wandering around, "But it's good to see you well. I had wanted to catch you... to thank you."

Though the fact that Hifadhi had needed to be saved still embaressed him... he should have been able to fend for himself. Against two much younger lions. Yes. It all made sense in his head.  

[wooga Paes]

"They'd step on a thorn. and cry like a newborn. " Hisa chuckled, eying Mapa, as if daring him to go through with what he'd said to Hifadhi, before turning her attention back on Pepo. "Did you see that lammergeier? " She was referring to Mtalia, Machafuko's bonded. Though Mtalia was on the bad side, Hisa did wonder what'd happened to her.

Mapatano smirked to himself. "One of these days she'll catch you out. I hope I'll see it. " The black lion tilted his head, then his tail flicked, glancing away slightly at the thankyou, smirk fading. It was a bit odd to be thanked. "No problem. " His shoulders shrugged slightly, and he focused on a blade of grass. And he was being thanked by the former captain, no other. ugh.  

[demonstration_evil]

"Oh, no doubt." Pepo said with a grin, which also faded a bit at the mention of the lammergeier. He had fought with her, in hopes of getting past her so he could help Hifadhi... with her bonded dead, what would the bird do now? "I haven't seen her since... well, frankly since she was trying to kill Hifadhi. Maybe she left with the others?"

"Ah... yes, well, while you look forward to it, I can constantly look over my shoulder in fear of that day." Hifadhi said with a sigh, but he smiled anyway, "I'm not used to thanking others for saving me... that has been my job... But I know how to thank when thanks is due. And I would have died without your help..." He was probably embaressing the other lion, he knew that. But if he was going to be embaressed, he was sure as hell dragging the other lion down with him. He had only been rescued twice in his entire life. Neither moment was one he was proud of.  

[wooga Paes]

Hisa shrugged. "I guess she probably would've. " the red kite frowned slightly. "What did they all come for in the first place? We never got caught up on that part. "

He flicked his tail. "Umoja saved you. " Yes, divert the fact. Umoja had taken on Msiba. Mapatano had killed his scrawnier brother, Machafuko. To him, Umoja had still taken the bulk of the rescue, and he was quite happy to sit back and.. not take credit. For being the snarky as sin the background, Mapatano was happy. He wasn't a happy 'hero', though. At most, he'd be an anti-hero, and that was pushing it.  

[demonstration_evil]

Pepo looked dark for a moment, "The Koza’maisha. That's where they came from... it's where Hifadhi and Ngao recieved their training. The rouges were banished from that pride... for murder. Then they came to ours."

"Ah... yes, well, if I had been attacked by one lion, which Umoja killed, then Umoja would have saved me. But I was attacked by two lions, and saved by two lions. And frankly, was stupid enough to attack two lions." Though he hadn't had much choice. They had already killed one friend, and were attacking a cub... He would have done it all over again, "But I suppose it was just good that no one else had to die."