"I need to rest...." Gasped Morwen, sitting down in the snow. They had been travelling again, the two of them looking for... whatever it was Mzimu was looking for. Their travels had brought them to a snow-covered mountainy area, which didn't really sit well with Morwen. It was cold and bitter, and she really hated it. Why was she still following him? She had recovered a good deal since her attack. Enough so that she could have moved off on her own by now. And yet, there she was, still hanging out with the stoic, silent male. Maybe something was wrong with her brain.

Somewhere along the line, she had become interested in his mission. But that wasn't REALLY her fault, was it? After all, she had thought him some kind of goody goody she could take advantage of, but he ended up being so much more than that. He was on a mission to kill someone.

That was something she really enjoyed the thought of.

Who was it? What had they done to upset this guy? Why couldn't he remember anything about it? Was he just lying to her and everyone else, hoping no one discovered his real intentions? Somehow, she doubted it. She was a very good liar, and she knew when other lions were not telling the truth, too. It didn't seem like Mzimu was intentionally trying to deceive those who asked about his little plan. He honestly didn't remember anything more than knowing he needed to kill one orange lion with a silver leg.

Interesting though it was, that didn't mean she was thrilled with the places he kept dragging her to. Now they were in the middle of a storm, and it was getting worse and worse as they continued! Plus, she wasn't feeling well again. Moving too much still wore out her mending body. She didn't like being pushed so hard.

It bother her that she was so weak, but she couldn't force her body to be what it was when she had received so many dangerous injuries.

"Hey, are you listening," the lioness called again as she stumbled through the snow, "I need to rest! We should get out of this damn storm! Are you trying to kill us?! Hey!" But the lion ahead of her didn't seem to be listening, he just kept walking.

Mzimu really didn't mean to ignore Morwen, he was just focused on getting through the storm. In reality, he knew already that they needed to find shelter, and that was just what he was looking for. He didn't hear Morwen yelling at him from behind her. Actually, he didn't hear much of anything over the screaming wind.

Then, he spotted it- a cave! Finally, he looked over his shoulder, his pink eyes seemingly glowing through the snow. Morwen looked up at him, aware he was now waiting for her to catch up. So she did, grumbling all the way, and the two frozen lions entered the cave to escape the storm. However, they quickly realized that they were not alone. And for Morwen, that realization was an enraging one.

There, lying in the cave, was the same green lioness she had met a few weeks ago! The one who had ended up beating her in battle with the help of that tan lioness! but they didn't seem to be together now. She growled at the lioness, who had instantly backed against the far wall of the cave. She, however, didn't start begging for her life as Morwen had expected. Instead, she looked nervous, but also curious.

"I didn't think I would see you again," Kiti said carefully, "but, honestly, I'm glad you're alive. I never meant to hurt you. If you had died, I would have been very sad."

"You were the one who hurt Morwen?" Asked Mzimu, tilting his head to one side as he purposefully sat himself between the two lionesses. With so little room in the cave, he easily kept Morwen from having access to the green lioness. She growled at Mzimu, plonking herself down.

"Yes," Kiti admitted, "I'm sorry. She attacked me for no reason and I was frightened. Another lioness came into the fight and together we pushed her off. But I never wanted to fight. I don't like hurting others. I'm a healer."

"I believe you," Mzimu told her with a nod of his head.

"Oi!" Huffed Morwen, giving him a nudge, "just whose side are you on, anyway?" The lion demanded bitterly. However, she was feeling too tired to really deal with the situation as she ought to have. That lioness should have been smeared on the cave wall, but there was no energy left in her. She sighed softly, lowering her head onto her paws while grumbling some more. "She had a stupid face, so I wanted to make her suffer for it. If I had known she had a friend, I wouldn't have bothered!"

"She wasn't my friend, she just decided to help me out," Kiti told her, calm though in the face of an enemy. Having a large male between them as a squishy wall seemed to help her relax a little bit. Somehow, she felt as though she could trust Mzimu. He was very... calming. "but why are you out in the snow now? You were a long way from here when first we met."

"That is my fault," the large lion said expressionlessly, "I am hunting for someone, and Morwen here is coming with me until she heals from the injuries you gave her. My name is Mzimu."

"I'm Kiti," the lioness replied, "It's nice to meet you, Mzimu. And you too, Morwen."

"choke on hippo dung," was Morwen's less than thrilled response to the introductions. Kiti frowned at the thought, but it quickly turned into a careful smile. While Morwen was being very crabby, she was not the evil killer Kiti had first assumed her to be. Perhaps that was the fault of the calm, large lion she was traveling with.

Kiti wasn't going to reveal the secret if Morwen wasn't aware of it, though.

"Well.... anyway.... I guess you two will be staying here until the storm passes. You're more than welcome, of course. I hardly have the means to kick you out anyway. Not that I would, mind you!" She smiled at the two of them. Only the male acknowledged her.

"Thank you, Kiti. Why are you out this way? We're passing through, as you know, but what brings you to such dangerous lands?"

"Actually, I have a pride near here," Kiti replied lightly, "a large group of lions all live here together on an island in the snow. It's quite a lovely place, really. I'm eager to get back to it now that my trip down memory lane has come to an end."

"Don't talk to Mzimu about memory lane- he lost that path a long time ago," teased Morwen from her position lying down. Mzimu actually grunted in response, before shifting back a bit and sitting on top of the lioness. She hissed and squirmed under the large lion, but she couldn't get herself out from under him.

Meanwhile, Kiti had burst into laughter, watching the two of them with nothing but surprise. She hadn't expected Morwen to tolerate that kind of nonsense when she seemed eager to kill just for the heck of it! Perhaps she liked the lion? No, that didn't seem to be the case. Perhaps she just wanted to learn more about him. Or about the mission she seemed to be helping him on. She was sure there were motives there, somewhere.

"Well, you two must be exhausted. Perhaps we should just... rest for a while," she offered the both of them, settling back against the floor as she had been prior to their sudden entrance. To think she would be sharing a cave with the lioness who tried to kill her! Yet, somehow, she wasn't upset by it. Actually, it was kind of... nice, in a weird way.

Maybe being out in the rogue lands again had changed her.

Mzimu nodded, sliding off Morwen to settle down beside her. He heaved a sigh, though didn't fall to sleep. He would make sure Morwen was sleeping, first, before he attempted to get some rest himself. He didn't want to wake up to find Kiti slaughtered. Morwen thought she could hide her true nature from Mzimu, but he had learned long ago what she was really about. Still, he didn't hate her. He felt sorry for her.

He would continue to help her while she wanted him around.

Morwen, meanwhile, huffed as Mzimu got off her, but didn't move when he pressed her large body against hers. She knew he was keeping her warm, and she accepted it, at least for the moment. It wasn't like she could get over him to get to Kiti, anyway. Ah well, maybe it didn't matter. She was just one little twit in a world full of them.

Wc: 1506