[PRP] I will defend you

[Atheare]

In the dark of night, Ku stalked through the tall grass of the Savannah in search of prey. Her feet made no noise as she moved through the eerie silence. She held herself low to the ground, near impossible to see save for her bright silver eyes and her yellow spots, courtesy of her father Limbuko.

For any who could see her, however, they would not see the tiny, helpless juvenile she once was. No, that time was long gone. She was no longer a lost little child, but a force to be reckoned with. Her body was smaller than a lion, yet far larger than a leopard. A hybrid cross, who had retained both the stealth of the leopard without losing the power of the lion. Her muscles were finely toned, giving her a quick and agile look while still giving the impression of being able to hold her own in a fight.

The odd beast froze and narrowed her eyes. There was something moving in the grass nearby... Something small, obviously not a threat, but worth hunting for practice. Slowly, silently, she approached, soon identifying the creature as a young hare. Creeping closer, all that was left for Ku to do was pounce.  

[PhiferWolf]

Why he ventured this far out, he did not know. He could not find that stupid tree where Adia'dafina and her cubs were suppose to be. He had searched and look but to no avail. He had lost his temper earlier, if anyone had followed his father, they would find nothing but fallen acacia trees, mounds of dirt, pit holes, and claw marks. That aside the few corpses of the unfortunate lives of prey that crossed his path. It seems the nocturnal scavengers will have a feast tonight upon this Lord's temper. Sheng Kou, his name within the Tianxia, or Sheng for short, slowly consumed his person, slowly referring it over his nickname, Trigger. With Ahali, Mwana, and Afu, he was slowly starting to accept his birth name, the name that his mother gave to him; Moto'Vianzio, Fire Starter.

The rumbling inside his chest rolled like thunder, he was sure that others could hear it miles away with how loud it was. Where was Mwana when he needed to be calmed down. With another growl, he lashed out a paw, breaking the bark away from a tree and sent it tumbling over. A few avians fluttered off before it fully collapsed.

"BLAST IT ALL, WHERE THE HELL IS THAT FEMALE!?"

The Lord of the North gave out a thundering roar, crying out all his anger and frustration.

Panting and growling, he spoke softly to himself. If he was enraged, he wouldn't be talking at all.

"Afu is counting on us to get more members for the pride... Mwana is busy with the cubs and Ushu was occupied with the same. Curse it, good for nothings are good for nothing!" he roared again. He cursed himself for calling those he respected 'good for nothing' when they truly good for something.

Good for keeping him in check... when they were around.  

[Atheare]

Ku hissed, startled by the sudden outburst from the large lion. What's more, the hare that she would have liked to snack on was long gone. More than a little irritated, and sure that she would be unable to find anything now that there was such a racket going on, she drew herself up out of her low position and glared at the large male, not too far off.

"Well, I daresay that was uncalled for." She spat, the fur on her back prickling.

Kumbuko wandered closer to him, and narrowed her eyes. Something about this lion was familiar...

"Wait a moment... I've met you before." A look of surprise crossed her face as she eyed him. Yes, once long ago, the two had crossed paths. "You're not nearly as big as I remember." She smirked. That was not to say that he was anything but massive, but he was not nearly as enormous compared to her as he used to be. She hardly even remembered what had happened, only that he had been kinder to her than some she had met.

"Who are you looking for? And what pride are you talking about anyway?"  

[PhiferWolf]

Sheng's eyes immediately darted toward the female before letting out another roar. His eyes burned a blazing green, the once circular pupil became slanted, narrowed, and focused. The rolling rumbling in his chest grew louder with this new presence, even louder by how she spoke to him. His claws shifted the dirt under the paws they homed, his teeth pulled back into a show of his weapons. By no means was this lion one to be trifled with.

"Watch your tongue, half-breed!" He growled. If he was not currently blind in anger, he would have been more tactful and spoke to her more like a Lord would. In his mind, he knew her. She was the little hybrid that he met before during his travels.

Kumbuko?

She was younger than, but she had grown into a beautiful female, one deemed worthy of becoming a lovely mate and a wonderful mother. But not the sort for him.

Sheng pushed himself back, walking away from her. Calm down, you b*****d. Calm down, you Firekin scum. Calm down! He let out another roar before lowering his head, the rumbling slowly dimming off.

"Forgive my own tongue, Kumbuko..." he spoke, not turning around to face her. But he could not deny that she had her own tongue and the nerve to eavesdrop.

"A female and ...." the pride... should she know? Would she be willing to join? Was she even fit to join the ranks of the Tianxia, let alone the North House? He will ask later.

"What are you doing out here..."  

[Atheare]

Ku barely managed to avoid flinching, disgusted that he had called her a half-breed as if it were an insult. She was extremely proud of her heritage, and did not take kindly to having it thrown around like a common curse or hurtful name. Still, she remained silent until he had calmed down a little.

"I forgive you, Trigger." She smiled. She knew he would recognize her!

"Yes?" Ku was surprised at how he dropped off, not finishing his thought before starting a new question. She shrugged, "I guess you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"Me? I live nearby. What about you?" She asked, a suspicious look in her eye. She didn't entirely like how he was giving her so little information, and yet asking her about her own business. After that display of temper, though, she thought it best to avoid provoking him unless she really needed to. Without waiting for an answer, she sat herself down and wrapped her tail around her front paws before looking at him expectantly.  

[PhiferWolf]

"I'll tell you later, that is for sure, that is if we can keep our meeting going that long."

Sheng turned back to her in his full height, his chest out, his head eye, his eyes gazing down on her. She was a beautiful whatever she was, she had grown quite strong by the looks of her body. To have the nerve to speak to an angered lion, she must have had the confidence of keeping herself up with him in such case. The Lord smirked.

"You remembered my name, that's interesting as I no longer us it quite as often as I used to. I go by another name now, but you could continue to call me that for the time," he spoke. So far, she showed not a lot of traits that deemed her worth to the pride, if anything, he would just give her to Ahali and Afu to place her in one of the other houses. She will have to prove herself if she was going to become a member in the North House.

"So you live nearby? Interesting, have you seen a lioness with cubs tailing her? She is a single parent, I am seeking her."  

[Atheare]

"Good. I doubt we will be interrupted, with that display you had earlier." Ku nodded, "Few would dare cross an angry lion, especially of your size."

Ku chuckled, "I do not forget names easily, Trigger. I won't bother to ask your new name if you don't mind me calling you by your old one, but you may share it if you wish." Trigger, especially, was not a lion she would soon forget. Ku had never forgotten the eerie dream she had had before their first meeting. A vision of the future, in which Trigger and a lioness whom she had never seen before ruled over a good sized territory. Ku couldn't help but wonder if that was coming into the present.

"Yes, not far from here." Ku tilted her head to one side, "No, I've seen no lioness with cubs recently, I'm afraid. Why are you seeking her?" Her silver eyes glinted curiously, with a sparkle of hidden intelligence behind them. Ku had the slightest feeling that this lioness that he was seeking may be the one from her dream so long ago.

"Trigger, can I ask you something? Have you ever been a... Leader?"  

[PhiferWolf]

"Then they are smart not to."

With the drop off he made earlier, he was curious when she was going to ask about it. Well, the time was right to add it all into one reply and get the information out there. Ku had a sharp mind, he had no doubt of that.

"I am a Lord, one of four that govern the four areas surrounding Tianxia, the pride we live within. My House holds the strength of the pride, we are its main defenders when it comes to war, so I cannot afford to seem weak," With the North House under his control, he had to make sure that the north was well taken care of and thus the rest will be too. With Fuku constantly scurrying between the prides, hopefully keeping his presence unknown, and keeping an eye out for the other three Houses. Though, he would even admit that his attention was divided with the cubs and his mate and the pride.

"That's unfortunate then, the female I sought was a single mother who I had planned to home under my care. No female should raise her young without the father, far too much work for one to handle. There is love for the young but what is there for the mother?" Adia, he would gladly admit that he was... smitten by her. Her presence in the pride with her cubs in toe would make a great deal of improvement to the pride. More members and more friends for the dukes.

"Now it begs the question; are you prepared to join us?"  

[Atheare]

Ku listened intently to the brief explanation of Tianxia's north house, a look of curiosity on her face. The pride sounded large, as well as complex with it's many sections.

"A single mother?" Ku thought back to her own parents. Hivu had been more or less a single mother, as their father's visits were both rare and brief, but they got along all right. However, one thing Ku had noticed was that there were few in the world like Hivu in regards to children. She had always been patient and kind, no matter what, and at least she had some support from Lim. Ku couldn't imagine raising cubs without at least a little bit of help from the father. "That's sad, but it is kind of you to help them. I hope you will find them soon."

Join them? Ku was caught off guard by his sudden offer, and pondered for a moment what it would be like to be part of a pride. It would be almost like being in a family again... But didn't she already have a new family with Mhuni? Mhuni was part of a pride too, though, so she assumed that a pride would not interfere with her friendship with him.

"Of course, Lord Trigger." She bowed her head, "It is an honor to be offered a place in the pride."  

[PhiferWolf]

Sheng smiled. "Glad to hear it, my Royal Guard."

He turned from her and started to walk; they could catch up and explain things along the way. With the setting sun, they'll have to return to the House before the sun was down. Mwana would be pissed. Ushu may be over his tolerance level. The cubs may be more rambunctious than before. At least, that was what he thought... he needed to spend more time at the House and see what really went on in the long run.

"I am only offering you this high position to see if you are good enough for it. I am assuming your blood is good, accepting and keeping the strongest traits of both your parents' species," he explained. With a high position as a Royal Guard, she would have to struggle to get anywhere else. "Lion and Leopard, am I right?"

It was rhetorical.

Sheng continued to walk on toward home with his newest member in toe. With some respect, he acknowledged Kumbuko for getting this far, standing up to him, and accepting his offer. Now that she was here in Zhi Ming, he will understand more about these hybrids, and this walk will help him.

"Come, it is time to take you to your new home... and new family."