[PRP] A Nergui Welcome (Zizima and Nergui)

[Kimaria]

Sarangerel was looking for someone in particular that day. The newest member of the Nergui: Zizima. She only wished that when she did, he would know her tongue and be able to tell her of the battles he had fought in. After all, if there was anything that Sarangerel enjoyed it was a good war story and Zizima looked like he would have many of those. Hopefully he could learn quickly and then he could tell her and the other Nergui of blood and glory. Maybe someone would even construct a new battle song around his experiences. She imagined marching to war on a song built up from the scars on his grey pelt and thought it would be a good, intimidating song indeed, especially when echoed in the voices of all of their warriors. Hers included, of course.

Up above a bird wheeled overhead and she threw up her gaze, expecting it to be the raven. She was thus relieved when it was nothing more than a lone eagle; turning in its search for food. She doubted it would find any in these lands amongst the forces of the Nergui. Few pickings were ever left here with the greedy cubs.

But she would not think of cubs because such thoughts led her down darker paths of thought and she did not want to be in a bad temper when she finally caught up with Zizima. Huffing quietly to herself, she threw her gaze about, seeking his face amongst the others. Only then did she lift her voice to ask if any of those nearby had seen him.

"Hok anyone kaam Zizima?"  

[~Masamune~]

Zizima had only been with the Nergui for a few days, and already it felt stranger to him than he thought it would. Having never truely been a part of a Pride or a group, he wasn't quite sure what to make of the fact that he was now a member of one. A quite revered member in fact, as most of the Nergui that he had encountered seemed to be very interested in and in awe of his scars. That was very strange too.

Still, despite being surrounded by so many, he still felt very much alone. Most of them spoke that strange language that he had first heard from the pale brown female named Sarangerel. Although he had begun to pick it up in basic terms, he was still very much a novice. It didn't help that he chose to keep to himself either. Wherever the majority of the Nergui were congregated, he was very rarely seen. He really did prefer to be alone these days.  

[Kimaria]

Ah and there he was.

She couldn't help but brighten as she pushed forwards towards him, giving a low call of greeting as she neared. "Bruud and Grurae Zizima." She sought her mind for some of those wretched common tongue words but could not come up with anything that might enable them to have a conversation. It was infuriating but she knew in time, this would become easier.

Drawing up closer she pointed at him. "How ora you" And then gestured to the lands around them. "kassrems in?" She hoped the meaning in her words would get across. All she wanted to know was how he was getting on in the group, whether he was glad that he ha come and whether everyone was treating him with the respect that he surely deserved.

She would have to make the most of the pleasantries, however, for her mate and the Kaar Oma were on the approach and things always got...tense...when they were all in the presence of one another.  

[~Masamune~]

When he heard his name called, Zizima breifly peered over his shoulder to see who had called him. It was Sarangerel, the pale brown female who had been present when he had joined the Nergui. She had actually been one of the reasons for him joining, as he wished to rid the World of the ones who had killed her cubs. When she reached him, all he offered was a small nod of acknowledgement, as opposed to any sort of greeting. He just wasn't really in a social mood right now.

Still, he wasn't without manners. From what he could gather, she was asking how he was, and if he was fitting in well. "I'm...kema? Thank you." He replied, hoping that he had found the correct word for 'fine'. In regards to fitting in, Zizima had made very little effort to do so, so that answer wasn't going to be quite as straight forward. "They..." When he said this, he motioned towards the area where the majority of the group were. "Think I'm..." That time, he raised a paw and placed it on his chest. "A great vorreur." As far as he could tell, 'vorreur' meant warrior. He frowned lightly, clearly as frustrated with the language barrier as Sarangerel was.

"How ora you?" He repeated what she had said, although he was sure the answer wouldn't be any better than his own.  

[Kimaria]

Her smile could have been considered radiant and unusual. Those who knew Sarangerel knew her as a moody creature who rarely looked pleased about anything. And despite the fact that her position was most likely envied by other females she seemed to be incredibly unhappy about where she had ended up in life. Married to a male who was akin to an emotionless brute. Refused any role in any important battle. She was no longer a child and yet, deep down, she felt as if she was still treated as such.

Even still, she smiled to hear Zizima and to know that he was attempting to learn their language. Her language.

In response to his question she gave a short nod and replied "Kema." Using the word that he had used. Her tail swished and she continued, gesturing at his scars. "Your kcork. They sarr of komae battles." She smiled again. "Zizima is vorreur."

"Sarangerel!"

The booming voice snatched the smile from her voice and she actually growled, the muscles in her neck and jaw going rigid. Perhaps foolishly, she chose to ignore the summoning, continuing to speak to Zizima of how his scars were like medals; signs that would grant him much respect. "Wemmems battles verr earn aeui honour omd respect. With kcork, respect kur you ek already resr."

And then the owner of the booming voice stamped into the fray, his jaws snapping angrily as Sarangerel side-stepped away from him.

Muunokhoi was a hulking male with a collection of scars himself - though small when compared to Zizima's. He was a barbaric creature who liked to throw his weight around and didn't care who got hurt in the process. His skill in battle and respect had won him Sarangerel almost six months ago. She had been quite a prize, too, being the daughter of a respected Founder family. But to say that their relationship was rocky would have been an understatement.

"Wru are aeui?" He asked Zizima, narrowing his eyes. "You ora not Nergui."

Sarangerel bristled at his words.  

[~Masamune~]

A somewhat more thoughtful expression graced his face as Sarangerel spoke about his scars. She too seemed to appreciate them, much like many of the other Nergui. Too bad he didn't feel the same. "I ok not vruid of sraka scars." He spoke slowly, sounding out each word, conscious of the fact he was still a novice when it came to this language. In his opinion, scars proved very little in the grand scheme of things. Having said that, if he understood Sarangerel correctly, the Nergui took those scars as proof that he was strong in battle. If would be quite selfish of him to put any doubt in their mind about what he was capable of.

Just as he was considering this, a booming voice suddenly interupted his train of thought. Someone was calling for Sarangerel, causing her to get very tense. Despite this, she went on to further explain that his scars provided him with instant respect, which must've been why he was already held in such high regard.

Then the owner of the voice arrived. Zizima frowned deeply as he looked him over. The fact that he was wearing bones was the most obvious sign that the male was dangerous, and he didn't look particularly happy either. "I'm Zizima." A low growl radiated in his throat. "And you are?" Apparently not all Nergui had been made aware of his recent arrival.  

[Kimaria]

Muunokhoi snarled, his eyes flashing over the large form of the grey lion standing before him. He uttered a low growl and then opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by Sarangerel.

The female's hard eyes were fixed upon the skull-encased face of the large, brown male as she did so, her body tense as she introduced him. "This ek my rikbomd. My daor one. Hek name ek Muunokhoi. Ha is o great vorreur. Like aeui are, Zizima." Her husband. Her 'dear' one. A warrior. Her comparison of him to Zizima had clearly been a mistake, however.

Muunokhoi's tail thrashed. "Dum's ever cukvora me su an uiskedar, Sarangerel."

To that she stepped forwards and responded: "I found rek, Muunokhoi. Ha has iuemad us omd he rok seen komae battles. Tra others roqa welcomed rek and umca he rok learned uir tongue sram he verr share rek knowledge vesr our aeuims. Would aeui not vekr for aeuir cubs su have rakkumk from o lion reda Zizima? Ik you ora jealous sram--"

He struck her then, a heavy paw straight across her maw to silence her. And silence it did, though her eyes burned hotly and the hate boiling over in her almost had her strike back at him. Her claws curled into the earth to still herself.

"I am mus jealous uk him." Muunokhoi spat, though clearly he was feeling threatened by the grey one's presence. "He ek weak." And then to Zizima directly he said: "Yui should ksoae out uk my voae." Or, in the common tongue: you should stay out of my way.  

[~Masamune~]

This was Sarangerel's mate? The father of her cubs, the ones that had been murdered? He didn't seem like the family type, and although Zizima did try not to judge others too quickly, he took an instant dislike to him. The way in which he spoke to him and Sarangerel, it was completely without respect. And from what he could make out, he took it as an insult that Sarangerel had compared him to himself. The feeling was most certainly mutual.

Sarangerel continued to speak about him. Although she was speaking at a normal pace, he did end up losing track of what she was saying as a whole. He picked up the word 'cubs', and then 'jealous'. What happened next stunned Zizima for a breif moment. The brown male, her mate, hit her right across her maw. The scarred male roared and lunged forward, getting right in Muunokhoi's face whilst putting himself between him and the pale female that he had just struck.

"How dare you strike a female for no good reason!" In his anger, all that he had learned about the Nergui's native language left him. "YOU are the weak one." He seethed, a fierce growl radiating in his throat. "If you are so strong, I dare you to do the same to me." Zizima was furious. Although he knew full well that females were just as capable as males when it came to defending himself, he would only ever strike a female if he had to, after she had started the fight first. Never would he hit a female for no reason. In fact, he wouldn't hit anyone without good reason, as that just wasn't his style.

He had plenty of reason to hit Muunokhoi. The only thing that was stopping him from striking the male back on Sarangerel's behalf was the belief that he had lost his cubs recently. Although that was no excuse for hitting his mate, Zizima had to give him the benefit of the doubt. If he did it again though, he wouldn't get away with it.  

[Kimaria]

Anger exploded all around her. It writhed in her own heart, burned brightly in her mate's eyes and speared from Zizima as he stepped forwards to defend her. The grey warrior's words were loud and incomprehensible to her ears but she didn't need to hear him, not when she could see the anger he directed at Muunokhoi.

He was defending her?

The very thought of it helped ease the burning in her chest and she found herself taking a small step back, as if surrendering ground to the two males. Perhaps she was hoping that Zizima might attack and kill her mate. Or perhaps she simply wanted to see what he was capable of in battle. He might have some interesting tactics he had picked up from his time in the rogue lands.

Muunokhoi, who clearly had understood some of Zizima's words, settled into a challenging posture, his tail thrashing behind him as he eyed up the grey male. "Yui dare su challenge ka? An uiskedar new su our voaek? I verr make aeui regret es."

Behind Muunokhoi someone cleared their throat sharply and stepped elegantly down into the 'ring' as if she were preparing to part a pair of rough-housing cubs. If there was fear in her it did not show in the slightest. Instead, she gave them a smile full of teeth and cast a look between them. "Fighting again, Muunokhoi?" She replied in the common tongue - indicating that she, too, was from the south. "How is that any way to great the infamous Grey Warrior I have heard about through gossip?"

Behind Zizima, Sarangerel gave a low growl but did not move. The new arrival ignored her.

"You are Zizima, I presume? Your scars are rather impressive." She blinked, the smile never wavering. "I am Mchawi, the appointed Kaar Oma of the Nergui. Let me make up for Muunokhoi's poor manners and welcome you to our humble abode." She stepped closer. "It would be my honour."  

[~Masamune~]

(( =O I remember that girl! Didn't she have a hot brother (who lived) and an angry brother (who died)? ))

Zizima continued to snarl as Muunokhoi prepared to fight him. Despite the loss that he believed the skeletal male had suffered, he was more than willing to teach him some manners. After all, he was still hurting greatly after his loss, but that didn't cause him to lash out randomly at those that did not deserve it. That was the kind of negative emotion that was best saved for the enemy of the Nergui. "Bring it on." He muttered.

Their fight didn't get any further than mere words, as another female arrived on the scene. She seemed somewhat rough around the edges, a bit like Sarangerel. When that Raven had said that the females in the Nergui were warriors too, she hasn't been kidding. Zizima relaxed his muscles, but his eyes didn't leave Muunokhoi, even when he was being addressed. If things were going to escalate, it wouldn't be his doing, but he would be ready for it.

"Yes, I am." When the female introduced herself, he finally turned to her, giving her a nod of acknowledgement. The fact that she spoke the same language as him was quite a pleasant surprise, as so far the only other lion he had met that did so as well was Ovu. "Pleased to meet you Mchawi." He wasn't quite sure what the Kaar Oma was, but he figured that she was a leader of some kind. "Thanks." He frowned. "Don't worry about it." What Muunokhoi had done today would not be forgotten, but at the same time, he wouldn't let it tarnish his view of the Nergui as a whole.  

[Kimaria]

((Mchawi plot ftw! x3 ))

Muunokhoi took a step back to make room for Mchawi, though his eyes were still firmly fixed on Zizima. His lip quivered as he fought back a snarl, his whole body held tense for a long, horrible moment. He did, however, manage to keep himself in place, though he seemed to find it a struggle.

"Well." Mchawi laughed. "It looks like you have made quite the impression on the people, Zizima. I hope not all of them have been quite as unpleasant as Muunokhoi, here."

At hearing his name the armoured male gave a low growl of warning.

"Although, in truth, he cannot be blamed completely. You will understand, in time, the workings of these people. Quite barbaric at times, though thankfully I have kept myself out of such circles. Muunokhoi won his mate upon rising to the rank of Warlord." She smiled at him. "So he is protective."

"I kuimd him omd brought rek to sraka lands." Sarangerel interrupted.

Mchawi fixed her with a look and it was not clear whether she had understood what the female had said or not. Her expression was carefully masked either way, she returned her eyes once more to Zizima. "Are you an ambitious lion, Zizima? If the answer is yes, I think you will do very well here. Yes, very well indeed."

The warlord snorted and snapped his gaze to Sarangerel. He clearly did not want to hang around now that Mchawi had stepped up to interfere. He also did not want to leave without taking what was his. Protective was right. Sarangerel belonged to him and he'd be damned if he let her get taken from him.

"Wa go muv." He snapped, waiting for the Nergui female to acknowledge the order and take her leave. She seemed to hesitate for a moment, her fact transformed with a scowl. And then, with another low growl she turned and stalked off. Muunokhoi growled too as he moved after, pausing once to look between Mchawi and Zizima.

Once they were gone, Mchawi laughed; the sound holding a hint of cruelty. "He is so easy to rile but watch your step with him. He did not earn his rank through snarls alone."  

[~Masamune~]

Zizima didn't focus on the female named Mchawi for very long, as his attentions once again returned to Muunokhoi. That didn't mean that he wasn't listening to what was being said however. "They recognise me as a warrior, even though they haven't seen me fight." He smirked, still facing the volatile male. "Yet." He then turned back to Mchawi. "No, everyone has been very welcoming, as far as I can tell." A small frown touched his face. "Their strange language does make it difficult to know what any of them are really saying to me. I'm picking it up in bits though."

The hulking grey male's frown deepened as Mchawi went on. He didn't really approve of the idea that he was now amongst barbarians, but then, after what the red male named Ovu had said, maybe they had been forced to adopt a darker state of being. If that was the case, after they had gotten revenge on the ones that had hurt them so severely, they could hopefully return to a more civilised state. That same applied to him as well.

His ears immediatly flattened on his head when Mchawi revealed that Muunokhoi had actually won Sarangerel. "He won her?" A low growl radiated in his throat. That didn't seem right at all. "He's going to lose her if he's not careful." Another dig at the skeleton-wearing male. Zizima had not been himself for so long, and despite being aware of how negative he had become, he still continued to be so.

He waited until the pair had taken their leave before giving his full attention back to Mchawi. "I wouldn't say I'm ambitious. I'm just here to help." He raised a brow. "If there's anymore like Muunokhoi, you'll need all the help you can get. I've fought his type before. Volatile, stubborn, wreckless. He is not the type that should be leading you to war."  

[Kimaria]

"He did." Mchawi replied simply. "The high-ranking males seem to take great pleasure in doing so." She gave a wry smile, as if she found them amusing; like naive children. Mchawi treated them much like brainless brutes and she the one with the brains to guide them - or attempt to do so anyway. Muunokhoi was just another one of those brutes, no matter what title he held. "Will he lose her, though? No. No, I don't think so. I think he rather likes having her as his little pet - even if she is a fiery one."

She nodded, balancing her weight evenly.

"Your help will certainly be appreciated." She replied. "We have much strength here but not enough brains. You seem like an intelligent lion, though perhaps that is because I can better understand you than them. Their language is a rather foul thing." One ear fell back as if to ensure that they were still outside of hearing distance.

Her smile was all teeth as she heard him speaking of his knowledge. "Ambition or not, Grey Warrior, I think you will go far in this 'horde'. Make some good battle decisions, prove your strength and they will be humbled by your prowess." She dipped her head very briefly towards him. "And perhaps one day you can teach brutes like Muunokhoi to think with their heads and not with their egos." Her tail flicked sharply. "Now, I must go and speak with my niece. It was a pleasure to meet you."

And her eyes lingered on him a moment as she moved to step past, her step elegant and proud.  

[~Masamune~]

So Sarangerel was nothing more than a pet to that arrogant male? Then what did that make his cubs, the ones who were so viciously taken from them? Perhaps when all of this was said and done, and the Nergui's thirst for revenge had been quenched, he would see about fighting Muunokhoi for his 'pet'. The least he could do was free the pale brown female, after everything that she had gone through. "We'll see." Yes, as long as he was around, he couldn't see that foolish male not losing Sarangerel, one way or another.

When Mchawi spoke of the Nergui's unusual language, Zizima nodded in agreement. "In all my years, I've never heard anything like it." Still, it was something he was going to have to put up with. Although he imagined that it had its advantages in battle. They would be calling out commands in a language that the enemy most likely didn't understand. He would have much to teach them in regards to battle and strategy, but at the same time, they would have a new language to teach him.

When Mchawi moved to leave, Zizima gave her a firm and formal bow of his head. He had certainly found himself amongst a strange group of lions. Those that seemed civil and intelligent, such as Mchawi and Sarangerel, and those that were just plain barbaric, such as Muunokhoi. Then there was the likes of Ovu, who he still wasn't sure he entirely trusted. Perhaps instead of keeping to himself, he needed to spend more time amongst the Nergui as a whole, in an effort to learn more about them.

"Rest assured." He said finally, just as Mchawi was walking away. "With me on your side, you won't lose." Zizima was not the arrogant type, but he was confident that his help could really make a difference. It would do him some good to feel useful again.

(( Finished! ))