[PRP] This is Not the End (Msiba, Mchawi and Mtalia) FIN

[Kimaria]

Nondo was gone.

Something in Mchawi’s heart told her she should be sad about that. And she was. There was no longer the sound of wings above her head or the harsh caws that uttered from his black, shining beak. There were no more talons gripping her shoulders or the feeling that his eyes watched her back to prevent sneak attacks.

He was gone.

And for the first time she felt a sob crackle through bloodied lips. The pain of the fight with Hisia, the pain of losing Nondo, the pain of knowing that all hope was gone, the pain of seeing Machafuko dead. Dear Machafuko. And now she was searching for her brother, hoping desperately that she could find him before it was too late. She’d be damned if she let them die in this miserable place.

She paused to gather her breath, turning her head to let eyes graze down one side of her body. It was matted with blood and wounds. Luckily they would heal in time, none of them deep enough to be fatal. But…she’d remember them no matter how much fur covered them. And she’d kill that lioness. She’d kill her if it was the last thing she did.

That did, however, mean focusing on two prides. How easy would it be to punish two communities in their lifetime? Was it foolishness or could it truly be accomplished?

Not alone.

But with Msiba, who knew?

She stumbled up a craggy incline and paused to glance back across the lands; the valley that had held so much promise. Another sob broke through and she turned away, bitterly. How dare they destroy their hopes and dreams! How dare they judge them when they didn’t truly understand! All they knew was the evil that they had brought onto them. They knew nothing of the pain she or Msiba had suffered.

But how could the pride know when they had never been told.

That thought, however, didn’t even cross Mchawi’s mind.

The pride had taken from her. It had taken Machafuko, Kitisho and Nondo. She wouldn’t let them take anything else from her. Certainly not Msiba. She did not know what had come of Unyevu, but if he was not dead he soon would be. She’d see to that herself.

With a despairing cry, Mchawi reached the gap in the valley and paused to glance back again. Had she missed him? Had he gone through without her? Had the others gotten to him first?

She urged a vision but nothing came.  

[MoonRazor]

He had one main thought. Flee. And then came another, even as he cursed the lands from which he ran. These lands, they had made him weak, they had taken his brother from him. And his seer. Though in truth, the death of Unyevu troubled him not a bit. He had meant to kill the creature from almost the moment they had met, and he had finally managed it. A goal completed, that was all it was to him.

Deep in the pit of his stomach, he began to feel the emotions that he kept so well bottled up beginning to weigh him down. Hisia. Unyevu. The shock of seeing his brother slain. It had felt like a physical blow, a hefty kick right to the ribs, and it was much more painful than any true attack he had suffered in any fight.

So he fled, and he cursed the valley and all the lions behind him. Because they would pay. He would be back to make sure they did, if for no other reason than to be able to die assured that Machafuko's death had been avenged. That Mapatano. He fixed his mind's eye on the surly black lion, his brother's murderer. And he felt hate. True, unadulterated hate boiling within him.

His legs stretched into the steady rhythm of his lope, the motion giving him time to collect this thoughts, or at least do his very best to. His vision and mind were mostly clouded by bursts of anger and the images of the moments that had passed only a short while back. That image. Mach. It would stay with him forever, he knew that. He knew, too, that for a very long time to come, he would not be able to shut his eyes and not relive the memory of ducking out of his fight, only to see his brother dead.

He began to realize he was nearing the end of the valley. The place where it had all began, where he had led his interlopers through and into the lands all those days ago. Right now, it seemed an eternity away, as his mind drifted between denial and someplace else very far away. His thoughts were slow, and blurred, sometimes incoherent, with hardly anything to do with the thought right before.

His body was attempting to cope, he knew, so he let it wander, for once not focusing all his energy on his latest plot.

Then he saw a familiar shape. Mchawi? He felt his heart lift, only realizing in that moment that he had been so very frightened that perhaps this accursed valley had taken her from him too.  

[Kimaria]

What would Mchawi have done if they had taken Msiba from her too?

Standing there alone at the cleft in the valley, even Mchawi wasn’t sure. What use would there be in heading back out into the world alone with no one left to understand her? What point would there be in seeking revenge if there was only her? What could she possibly do?

But would she turn back to the pride and seek her death?

Would she?

She turned to glance across the lands again, seriously considering it for a moment. Would she really have that much to lose? Would she—but she didn’t have time to consider it any further. For at that moment her keen eyes picked up on the pale green lion whom she knew and loved more than any in the world. Her brother, Msiba. She knew then, looking at him, that somehow everything would be alright. If they were together nothing could ever harm them. Nothing could ever beat them down!

She turned to face him fully, watching him for a long moment.

It really was him.

It was!

And despite the fatigue, despite the pain, she scrambled back down towards him, closing the gap between them. Another sob wracked her body as she threw herself at his chest, burying her face in his mane. It was all going to be okay now. It was.

So then why was she crying? Why was she shaking? Why was her throat so tight that she couldn’t speak?

She clung to him as if the world were dropping out from under her feet and he was the only thing stopping her from falling to her death. She clung to him as if she were afraid he’d disappear and that he’d be dead too. And finally the tears broke free and her voice returned to her.

“Msiba. Oh, Msiba!” And she pressed her face harder against him, almost as if seeking to heighten her physical pain to numb the pain in her heart. “Machafuko. Machafuko! He’s gone, isn’t he? I saw it. I saw it! How dare they take him away. Not Machafuko. Not our brother. Not him. They can’t do it, Msiba. They CAN’T!!”

She was almost hysterical. No, she was hysterical.

She thought her heart was being torn from her chest. She thought it would burst.  

[MoonRazor]

"Mchawi..." One moment she was far away, the next, she was there, and the familiarity of the moment brought his breath back. Though his mind was still whirring, attempting to come back under focus, for the while, he was content to simply let it slide and wander where it would. It would be back on its own, he knew, when his body was good and ready to fully comprehend what had happened.

He sat, pressing his cheek against the top of her head and he felt his heart wrench. She was beside herself with the shock and pain of losing their brother, and it was his fault. It was. He should have paid more attention. He should have planned farther ahead. He shouldn't have recruited Mach to go hunting for the seer cub with him. Yet even as he blamed himself for everything that went wrong, he knew it wouldn't help either of them.

For the first time in his life, Machafuko was not around, somewhere or other. He was not lazing about in the shade, he was not attempting to beg food off of anyone. He simply was not there. It felt as if a physical part of Msiba had simply vanished, and there was absolutely no knowing where, or how, or even why.

His entire being ached for wishing he could turn back time. Wishing he could go back, far back, so they would never have had to come to this wretched place at all. He wouldn't have met Hisia, he wouldn't have killed Unyevu as he had, he wouldn't have a lot of things. But it was all better than this.  

[Kimaria]

She’d never felt like this.

Yes, she’d felt angry and bitter and full of vengeance, but it had been nothing compared to what she was feeling now. Hell, if the pride had thought her heartless and cold before, they had seen nothing. Worse, it was they who had created this monster, this wreck of uncontrollable emotion.

But it wouldn’t last.

A few days, maybe a week, and the stern-faced Mchawi would return. The loss of her brother would be a throb in her heart, the loss of Nondo nothing more than yet another painful memory. But she wouldn’t forget. She wouldn’t ever forget. What they had done to her and Msiba was unforgivable.

They had only wanted a cub. One little cub. The pride could have had more cubs; they could have had more families and replaced those who had been lost. But she could never replace her brother. Never. And she hated them for it. She hated them so much she thought she’d burst with her rage.

Her name was spoken and she felt the comforting presence of her brother absorb some of the hate. Having him close made it bearable, though it had also brought it bubbling forth too. But she was over it now. She had to get herself under control. She was afraid of this, afraid of not being in control of her own emotions. Afraid of what might happen if she allowed the anger to drive her.

But the bloodlust was in her now and the feel of it; hot in her veins, made her mad with fury.

She’d get them some day.

She’d kill them all.

“They’ll regret this.” She spat, already returning to her normal spiteful self – though her body still trembled violently and the tears continued to wet her face. “Every last one of them. They won’t get away with hurting them.” And she looked up at her brother then, a pleading expression in her sharp, green eyes. “We’ll make them suffer, Msiba?” Her soul ached for revenge. “They’ll regret it. They’ll wish they were dead before we’re finished with them.”

Her tail thrashed and then the despair returned. She shook her head dismally and her hackles smoothed as she thought of her brother. Her dear brother’s face. It had only been a few days since they had last spoken. They had lain together in the shade, talking about the plot to take the cub. He had done something that no one else, save Msiba, could. He’d made her laugh. He’d made her smile.

He’d made her, for a moment, feel happy.

And now he was gone. Snatched from her so suddenly that she could hardly even believe it. But she knew it was true because she’d seen him. She’d seen him and…

“It’s over…Kitisho is gone too. There’s only us left…” She looked to the sky and realised, for the first time, that the vultures were gone. Her eyes, wearily, moved to Msiba’s back but there was no vulture perched on his shoulder either. No Werevu.

The feelings of grief and anger were too much to hold in. Another growling sob broke free and she shook her head, knowing that they were about to make a retreat.  

[MoonRazor]

He felt his eyes drawn back to the lands, in which so much had happened over the course of only the past few days, and he wondered. He wondered how it could have been so. How they had managed to lose control so quickly, so rapidly, so that they hadn't even noticed their entire operation was hurtling away from them, too soon to be reeled back in.

It had taken so much, and they were walking away with nothing. Unyevu, Mach. He nodded, even as his eyes took in for the last time the lay of the valley behind him. At least, the last time in a long while.

"We'll make them pay." He assured her, and though his voice was flat and soft, he knew it was enough. Because these lions would pay. Between the two of them, they would make them all suffer for what they had done, what they had taken, and Mach's death would not have been in vain.

He felt, wearily, his mind wonder what life after this would be like. Life without Mach, life without Unyevu. It would all have changed, he knew that, but how much, he had absolutely no idea. His mind, fuzzy though it was, marked the irony of the situation. For so long, he had dreamed of life without Unyevu. And now that it was here, he wouldn't enjoy it. Because it wasn't simply life without the griping seer. It was life without his lazy brother, too.

It was only when she mentioned Kitisho that he finally began counting the numbers. The black assassin was dead. His brother was dead. Unyevu was dead. Where was Nondo?

Dead.

That he remembered from the last time he had seen Hisia. Once more he felt the pull backwards as he turned his head and gazed back the way he had come with those bright sapphire eyes of his. He was never going to see her again. He not only knew it, he had come to terms with it, as much as he could have. And when he and Mchawi returned... who knew. Maybe. Just maybe.

He doubted it though.

His gaze shifted skyward, noticing that daylight was beginning to fade, and the sky was only just beginning to be streaked with pinks and oranges. The sunset. He remembered watching the sunset once before while he had been here. With Hisia. Momentarily, his brow creased into a frown as he put the memory out of his mind.

"Say, have you..." He glanced around. "Seen Werevu?"  

[Kimaria]

The words brought relief.

It was as if Msiba's words sealed the fate of the pride, as if they had power enough to destroy. They would get what was coming to them, eventually. Even if many years passed between now and then. They would suffer and they would perish and they would live to regret the day they had killed Machafuko...

And Kitisho...

And Nondo.

She noticed Msiba looking out towards the lands and wondered what he was thinking? He looked...so different. Where was that confidence? That charm? He looked broken...he looked like a stranger. But then, so did she. They'd both been changed by the events here in the valley. Some for good, some for bad.

They'd both found love, of sorts.

She closed her eyes and tried to picture Nondo again. Before he had died he'd been trying to tell her something, something important. She remembered the bashful bobbing, the clacking of his beak as he pondered over his words. But time had run out and the moment had been lost.

But in her heart, though she tried to deny it, she knew what he had been wanting to tell her. That he loved her. And Mchawi, with moist eyes, knew that it was that love which had him sacrificing himself for her.

Would anyone else have done that?

She watched Msiba and her heart filled with regret. She had lost Nondo before she'd fully begun to realise what he had meant to her. But what of her brother and that lioness, Hisia? She'd always thought Hisia just another plaything but...it had gone further than sweet talk and nuzzles. Did Msiba know he was going to be a father? No...possibly not. So then why the look?

Could it be...

Jealousy twisted her heart but it was snuffed out by Msiba's next words. So, it wasn't Hisia he had been thinking about. It was Werevu.

"No...I haven't." Her eyes went to the sky again. "The vultures are all gone. Maybe Werevu went with them." But without saying goodbye? Without reporting back?

"Msiba..." She wanted to give him hope of the vulture's safety but in her heart she knew of the possibility that Werevu, too, had been taken from them.  

[Light Atago]

The lammergeier normally would've felt and enjoyed the breeze on her wings. Her feathers ruffling in the air... Under normal circumstances, she would've very much enjoyed this flight. The air currents were perfect, and she hadn't flown this high up in weeks because of Werevu's vultures. Yes, it was the perfect flight, honestly.

Except that there was one thing missing. Mtalia's eyes were still wet with pain. She'd managed to stop the sobbing, but just because her lungs needed the air to keep her in flight. He was gone. The lion whom she thought she'd never miss was gone, and so was a part of herself. These weeks with him had changed her, and towards the end she'd stopped griping at him.

They both griped pretty often. Another thing she'd found that they shared after his death. She fixed her eyes on the ground and saw two familiar figures.

His siblings. Did they know? Didn't matter. Mtalia remembered what he'd muttered before he died- he wanted to pass a message on to them. And if for no other reason than to comfort herself, Mtalia dived down, pulling up and landing with a liquid grace.

"Msiba... Mchawi... Do you know about him?" She asked, looking from one face to the other solemnly, her own typically-naggy voice broken. It was somehow good to be near these two. They weren't Mach, but they were his siblings, she somehow felt like she was welcome to their family, if she so desired.  

[MoonRazor]

((Oh, yea, Msiba would definitely know about Mach, since seeing that he was dead was what made him flee xD; ))

"Went with them?" He shook his head. No, the vulture wouldn't have done that. Though he was king of the vultures, Msiba knew Werevu had always harbored a sort of distant distate for the lot of them. They were a ragtag bunch that barely understood the concept of loyalty, and there was little to no order in their ranks at all. There was only one rank: the king. The rest of them could all very well go to hell for all their unruliness.

So no, Werevu simply would not have up and left without so much as saying a word. Msiba was sure of it.

And Mchawi was right, the vultures were gone. Which meant that, if he was willing and ready to face the facts, his bonded was dead as well, adding his body to the count that only climbed higher and higher.

Yet, Msiba knew it was not merely fate. He didn't believe in fate. It was his fault. He had been the one to send Werevu out seeking Ufunuo. He had been the one to recruit Mach. He had been the one to charm Hisia and make her fall in love with him and then break her heart. He had been the one to do everything, and every single broken heart, every single death, was on his shoulders. It didn't matter what anyone else said, that was all it boiled down to.

He was their leader. He should have been the one to make sure everyone was safe and protected.

But he hadn't, and in that aspect, he had failed them all miserably. And in his mind, he sent out to everyone who had died because of him - except, perhaps, Unyevu - a silent apology, that his own failures should have affected them so and ended their lives, directly or indirectly.

"Mtalia..."

He wondered how she was doing. He didn't know how close his brother had been to his bonded - if it had been like the relationship he had had with Werevu, or if it had been something more typical of the bond between bird and lion. He wasn't entirely sure, but regardless of how close they had been, he knew she would be feeling beside herself with the knowledge of what had happened. He knew the feeling. Werevu.  

[Kimaria]

So that was it then. Another dead to add to the rising numbers. Who was going to be next? Well, she'd be damned if it was going to be her - or her brother. Perhaps they'd best get out whilst they still had the chance. Clearly the pride was gripped by bloodlust now.

Odd, really. A pride so kindly and opening is turned to murder and bloody battles over something so insignificant as a cub.

Really now, what was the world coming too?

Sensing the turmoil surrounding her brother, Mchawi stepped closer, pressing her shakign body against his. She wouldn't leave him and she wouldn't ever blame him. She needed him if she was going to keep any sense of sanity. It was already being torn to shreds by anger, hate and grief. He was all she had left...all she had.

And then a familiar shape came down to land before them and Mchawi felt her throat tighten. Her heart clenched in her chest and an image of her brother was conjured out of nowhere. Without warning she suddenly wanted to strike out at Mtalia. She wanted to hate her for bringing back such a vivid image of her dead brother.

Dead.

He was dead.

She gave an anguished cry and turned to press her head against her brother's mane, wishing that it wasn't true. Wishing that somehow she could take her revenge now so that the pain and anger would stop hurting her.

Her hackles rose and after a moment she turned her eyes back to the bird with her shining black wings and orange-tipped beak.

Her brother's bonded.

She was all they had left of him. All they had left. Would she really strike out at the creature who had been at her brother's side as he died? No. Because even though she was a bird, even though she brought painful memories, they were the same.

They had all loved and lost.

"You live, then." Her voice was strangely hoarse.  

[Light Atago]

"Yes, I'm alive. I'm not sure if you want to know how your brother died," she said, getting down to business. "I'll leave you two to prompt that, if you wish. However... He did want me to tell you two some things in his dying moments. His last words... were of both of you. He would've told you two yourselves, but you weren't around and asked me to deliver the messages." She looked from one face to the other, slowly pulling back on her business-like attitude. Slowly, but it was imperfect, cracked. She wasn't the same either; she was more than glad that Mchawi didn't do what she'd expected- lash out at her. "And that's why I'm here. After I relay the message to you, I intend on heading out. Where to, I'm not sure, but I feel like I need to move out of here." The memories are too painful, she added silently in her head. Though, she was sure she felt nothing like the pain that Mchawi and Msiba were feeling now. She gave her feathers a quick ruffle, before she continued on.

"Mchawi, he asked me to find you, and tell you to get out of here, that the One wasn't worth it. He told me to tell you to be happy, and that he loved you," she had no idea if she would get killed relaying these messages, but it was Macha's dying wish. After all, such tender words were bound to bring about more sadness at his loss. But a promise was a promise, even if it had temporarily faded. She knew he'd said more, but she couldn't remember for the life of her what the rest was, her own thoughts were scattered.

"Msiba," she said, turning to the pale green lion. "To you he said he was sorry that he failed in his duties. That was all he got the chance to say before Mapatano returned and..." She didn't want to full-out inform them of how it had exactly happened, more rage would just make things worse at this point. "... And he put Mach out of his misery," she said flatly. "If there is such a thing... He died a good death." She heaved a heavy sigh. Once again, her wings felt like they were made out of lead, she just couldn't leave these two... Not yet. She was the remnant of their brother, she carried his secrets and had witnessed his death, she had been the closest to him over these last weeks of his life- or so she liked to think. She knew that she held no place in his mind next to his siblings, that she was insignificant to him in comparison, but... She had grown fond of him, and learned a few lessons that would alter who she was until her own dying day.  

[MoonRazor]

Behind the haze of chaos and death that seemed to linger about the pale lion, there was nothing. There was no emotion, no sense of hatred, nor fury. There was nothing except the facts. He simply took them in. There was no comprehension, nothing. All that would come later, he knew, because this blank slate his body had somehow erected against the torrent of tragedy was the only thing keeping him from completely breaking down under the weight of all that had happened. He was teetering on the edge, he knew, and he was not about to try to push himself over.

Yet even as he recognized just how close he was to the verge of tipping over, his mind made a mental note. One day, he would return with the sole intention of revenge. To kill that which had killed his brother. Mapatano. Even before he had realized, Msiba had marked the black lion's face down, forever to be stamped on his memory. Because the next time he saw this valley, the next time he saw that face, he was not leaving until all of it was lying in ruins beneath his feet.

Images of these scenes would continue replaying in his head for months, years on end, even, and he knew that he would never be at peace again for as long as he lived. He had just lost one sibling. He was not ever planning on losing another.

"Mach," He said with a small shake of his head. There was no duty that his brother could have failed. He had fought where he could easily have turned tail and run. He had come to look for the seer cub when he could have simply stayed in the shade, lazing the day away as usual. He had done more than enough, and anything that he might have done wrong in his life faded in the light of his death. No, his brother hadn't failed in his duties. If anything, Msiba had failed in his.

He frowned. "No," He said softly, knowing how flat his voice was as compared to how he normally spoke. Because for the moment, all he felt was an eerie sort of emptiness. And nothing else. There was nothing else to convey. "Dying in pain is no good way to die." He paused, as if pondering some idea, though his mind was blank. "So Mapatano will one day face the same thing."  

[Kimaria]

Mchawi shook with rage.

Unlike her brother she was finding it hard to keep things together, Every emotion flickered wildly through those painfully expressive eyes. Those eyes were normally sharp with confidence but now they were wreaked and shining with anger and sadness.

Why were they even having this conversation? Why were they putting up with this creature? She wasn't like Machafuko, she was no replacement. What else could she say to make anything better...

A message?

Mchawi held onto her growl by gritting her teeth.

And then it came and her hackles rose and madness entered her eyes. She leapt forwards, snarling angrily. But she said nothing. She imagined a dying Machafuko speaking them and it stayed her claws. But for how long?

She hesitated as her brother spoke, but not for long. The moment he had said what he had to say she advanced on the bird with a growl. "And that's supposed to make it all better is it? Or is it supposed to drive us to further rage? Machafuko is dead and neither of us could help him, both helpless, both entangled in our own battles." She stepped forwards. "Good death? Good death? What is a good death, Mtalia? To die in vain because he gave his life and the cub still got away? He died and we still failed? He died and we're running like cowards?"

She held herself back by a single thread, the only thing staying her claws the thought of Machafuko.

And through bitter tears she yelled again. "Leave us Mtalia. You bring no comfort here with your words of good deaths and wishes of happiness. There is no happiness to be found in this world. None. It is filled with cruelty and injustice. You either embrace it or veil yourself in ignorance. And my ignorance was long lost."

She lashed her tail and before she gave into the urge to kill she turned and stalked up to the opening of the valley. She paused but she did not look back. It was clear, however, that she wouldn't pass through without her brother at her side.  

[Light Atago]

Mtalia had expected such a reaction, and that was why she hadn't truly wanted to deliver her bonded's last words. She took to the air, where she knew she was safe before she continued. "Machafuko died, I'm sure, to give you two a chance to live. Don't forget that, and don't waste it. After all, he told me to tell you to get out of this place," she paused to think of how to word what else she had left to say, only for a moment. "And I was only fulfilling your brother's dying wish, I don't think that that's so bad, don't hate me for it." She said simply before flying off. No, she would not be welcomed among the siblings anymore. Part of her had wanted to stay, but... It was quite clear that she was unwanted. It seemed to her... That Mchawi had needed a little more time with the easy-going lion. She could use a few moments simply existing in the shade.

Alone once more. The Lammergeier scooped the wind and glided East, towards the rising sun, flapping only when she'd lost too much altitude. Perhaps... Just maybe she could get yet another fresh start. She did not look back, and she was determined to block the events of late from her mind, and from her memory. She just might lose her sanity if she didn't.  

[MoonRazor]

He remained silent throughout his sister's outrage, hardly in the mood to put up any sort of argument or agreement. It wasn't the time, and much as he wished he could simply stop worrying for a second of his life, he knew that chances were high that before long, there would be lions out hunting for the two of them. It was best they left the valley before nightfall, found a place to stay for a night, and continued on their way. Best put this place behind them, until they were ready to face it once more.

He stood, for a moment, watching as his sister paused before the opening to the valley. Yes, they were both good and ready to be rid of these wretched lands. Mach was too, he knew. Before...

He glanced up at the lammergeier flapping in the air. His brother's bonded. She was only doing what he had asked, and what he had asked was no easy task. Msiba knew that.

"Mtalia," He said again, hoping to halt the bird in her tracks for long enough to hear what he had to say. "I just wanted to say. I really appreciate that you didn't shirk from what my brother asked you to do. I know it couldn't have been easy."

He glanced back at his sister for a moment. His apologies, without actually having to say them, for her outburst. He understood her. She was overcome by all that had happened, and nobody could blame her for it. But he knew that others might not be quite so understanding of Mchawi's moods, nor did they know her as well as he did.

"I hope..." He sought for the right words. He was about to say good bye to all that he had left of his brother. Mach's bonded. And he knew that they had to part ways. She couldn't stay with them. She would only serve as too painful a reminder of their little brother, and right now, what he and Mchawi needed was some time away from it all. Some time to bring rational thought back under control. "I hope you'll find someone else. Or, at the very least, I hope you'll find happiness out there. Just promise me you'll do that. He wouldn't want you to be unhappy."

He managed a weak smile, knowing how flat it was - just like his voice - but it was the best he could manage for now, and it would have to do. He stood for another moment more, gazing up at the lammergeier, silently saying his farewell. And then he turned and, with one last glance back at the bird flying off towards the fiery yellow orb that was the slowing setting sun, he joined his sister where she stood.

It was time to move on.