[FinJRP]It's Alive! It's ALIVE! It's Pink!(Nawiri x Mittere)

[Uta]

It was early evening, the sun just beginning to reach its final few hours of light. The sky, which had shone blue all afternoon, was also beginning to transform in to the more radiant oranges, pinks, and yellows that represented that would eventually take them in to dusk. Long shadows began to reach out, waging war against the bright colours of evening, shadows that would eventually wrap the world in dusk.

But there was time yet. Nawiri wasn't concerned about night fall, though she was concerned about their exhausted and fallen stranger. They had found her days before collapsed on the edges of their borders, looking quite the mess; she was wounded and seemingly unconscious due to (she'd have guessed) loss of blood; she hadn't so much as moved a muscle underneath the healers ministrations and she was unsure if she'd actually make it. Who she was, where she came from, it was all quite the mystery and would remain so until she woke. . . if she woke.

Nawiri knew her presence was a risk, but it was a risk they were going to have to take. They had brought her past the quarantined lands under her orders, needing the more experienced healers on hand to keep her alive from her vicious attack. They had kept the pink lioness isolated in the least used den they could find and tried to send only those most-well to keep watch and tend to her. Though she was near the heart of the pride, they wanted to continue to keep her risk of infection as slight as possible. Still, there were very few immune healers in their midst, and in some cases there was no one else to help but those infected. Still. . . they tried their best and could only hope the Goddess of Pestilence would be kind.

It was too early to tell whether or not she'd catch the disease. But, if they were lucky, they could at least hope she would keep her life.

Curled up near the mouth of the den, the grey female was as much a healer as she was royalty. And seeing as she had given the order to bring her past the quarantined lands, she felt most responsible for her condition. Secretly she worried if her choice had been right . . . but she'd stand by it without faltering if asked. For now, all they could do was wait and see what the future would bring.
 

[mouselet]

PINK

The pink lioness stirred, maltreated muscles stiff and painful, sending complaints to her sluggish brain. Then, all at once, she woke, blue eyes snapping open and a surge of adrenaline running through her veins. She would have surged to her feet if she had the strength, but as it was she could only twitch her limbs and wince at the pain. It had been so much a part of her for more time than she cared to think about, but while asleep she hadn't had to constantly feel it.

Resolutely turning her mind away from the pain, the lioness realized she had no idea where she was...and that she wasn't alone. She was in a den - a real den, the sort she hadn't seen in many tendays - with an unknown grey lioness. Blue eyes fastened on the stranger suspiciously. She was sure she'd traveled far enough from the battlefield that this lioness knew nothing of what had passed, but that didn't mean she was safe. Was the stranger a guard then? She didn't appear to be as muscular as a fighter would and had something of a noble air...but appearances could be deceiving.

Enough of this wool-gathering the pink lioness admonished herself. She was stuck here for the time being, not even strong enough to rise on her own. She might as well talk to the stranger.

"Where am I?" The light blue eyes blinked in surprise at the harsh, hoarse sound that came from her throat. Had she been asleep so long?  

[Uta]

One red eye, one blue, had quickly turned towards the pink lioness as soon as she began to stir. It was the first real movement they'd had in days, and these next moments would be telling! Ears pricked forward, Nawiri didn't move closer. . not yet. She wanted to see how the stranger would respond, how much use of her limbs she might have, and how much strength she had. If she were too near and the lioness went in to a panic or rage or was stronger than suspected, it could be detrimental to both their well-being.

Best to give her some space while she collected her bearings.

Unfortunately for the stranger, Nawiri'chiwa noted that her movements were sluggish and slow, still very weak, and rightly so. She'd suffered horrible wounds, and while now conscious, was only at the beginning of the long road to recovery. When the pink lioness spoke, Nawiri ever so slowly stood. She didn't want to startle the female, but she did want to check on her condition, and see if she couldn't get her to drink a little.

"Currently, you're in the Kitwana'antara pride lands. The scouts found you on the borders, and due to the severity of your wounds, we had little choice but to bring you into our lands to tend to you. I promise, we mean you no harm." She wanted to make sure the lioness understood that she was not being held captive or against her will; they only had her safety in mind, but unfortunately, to properly heal her wounds also meant to expose her to the virus.

Nawiri held back, though now she was sitting in a more upright position. She wanted to allow the female a chance to digest such information, as well as ask questions before Nawiri properly introduced herself, or requested a closer audience. She wanted to check for broken bones or pains that might not be readily visible, as well as offer her water.

Food would come later, if the pink lioness felt up for it. If water couldn't stay down, food wouldn't either.
 

[mouselet]

The light blue eyes tracked the stranger suspiciously as she rose. Deeeeeeefinitely high rank the pink lioness decided. They always felt their heads needed to be higher so they could look down on the rest. Her nose twitched as she exhaled a small sigh of relief at the pride name she didn't recognize. They had nothing to do with the battle, thus they weren't her enemies.

But...it was odd that the stranger spoke of how they'd had little choice and how they meant no harm. Almost as if she was in more danger here than she'd been in when she'd been walking, setting one paw before the other, thinking only of a place to be safe...

The pink lioness shook her head with more force than was strictly necessary to clear the thought and winced at the renewed pain in the bite marks on her muzzle and ear, and the gouges on her cheek and forehead. She'd been injured before, but never this badly, and it was hard to remember that just about any movement would spark the pain.

By the force of her will, she dragged her attention back to the stranger before her. She was wanted to know who the other was, but knowing nothing of the pride the stranger's name would tell her nothing. It was better, she decided, to be practical.

"Water, please," she rasped, aware of the disgusting feeling in her mouth that only being unconscious for several days could produce.  

[Uta]

It seemed as if the battered worn female would have no objection to her approach. That was good. It wouldn't do well if the stranger was unnaturally aggressive. Giving her water would also allow her to better assess her wounds and see how her body was healing.

"Of course," she quickly responded, moving past the pink lioness to a small niche in the back of the cave. A few hollowed out gourds of various sizes had been placed in the back, furthest away from the entrance to keep them away from the afternoons heat. Some were filled with various roots, while a few others were filled with fresh water. The healers had wanted to be prepared should she take a turn for the worse, or should she finally rise. Thankfully, it was the latter.

Gingerly picking up the largest of the water-filled halves, Nawiri carefully brought it to the female. She set it down close to her face, so she might not have to move. "If moving is too difficult, please let me know. I've treated many who were too weak or too ill to actually comfortably drink." She didn't doubt that Mittere couldn't handle it, but she wanted to make sure that the lioness was aware her help was genuine, and they meant to care for her as if she were one of their own.

"My name's Nawiri'chiwa," she introduced herself as she stepped back to give Mittere some room. She was a skilled healer, and it was a position she rather be recognized as than royalty. Besides, they were all equals. . rank meant little in a pride of the damned. Still, she did allow her gaze to asses Mittere's wounds. They were healing, albeit slowly. The female was in for a long recovery.

 

[mouselet]

Ignoring the pain her movements woke, the pink lioness turned her head to keep the stranger in her sights at all times. It wasn't that she thought the other lioness might be enemy. It was that she assumed any stranger to be an enemy until they proved otherwise. It was a mindset that had kept her alive before now.

But now it was all she could do to stretch forward and down to lap at the water in the gourd. It soothed her throat and refreshed her. The best thing that had happened since she woke up in this place.

After draining the water she'd been given, the pink lioness returned her attention to the grey, to Nawiri'chiwa. It was good to have a name to put to the face, but knowing the other's name didn't mean she trusted them. Still, a name for a name.

"Mittere," she said at last, settling herself again in a position that seemed to cause less pain than others. She had seen Nawiri looking over her, and the other's familiarity with the den implied that however high her rank - and Mittere still suspected she was of a high class - she still belonged here as a healer. That was...somewhat comforting. At least she wasn't an idiot sent to talk to the pink lioness for whatever reasons the pride leaders had.

"How long?" she demanded, blue eyes fastening on blue and red. "How long will I be stuck here?"  

[Uta]

Mittere.

She was glad to see that the female was active, at least she could still move various limbs. Of course, part of the healer in Nawiri objected - her wounds were far too fresh and haggard! If she moved too much she might split them open and risk further infection but . . . she wasn't about to lecture her.

Mittere's attitude was aloof and after she questioned her about the length of her stay, Nawiri realized they weren't dealing with someone who was mild in nature. Not that she was surprised. There had been some debate as to how the stranger had come to be so battle scarred - was she the instigator or the victim? Regardless, to stay alive after such a beating required willpower and strength.

It was quite obvious she had both.

Still, the question, the demand to know her state cause Nawiri to hesitate. It was only a moment, a consideration of how to phrase and explain her predicament. Well, Mittere didn't look like the sort to sugar-coat things, so Nawiri would be honest. "Your wounds are healing surprisingly well, but it will take some time. I'd say it will be at least two or three weeks, before you're feeling well enough to even consider roaming far. And you will be weakened - there was some muscle damage which may take even longer to heal and be rehabilitated." They wouldn't know for sure how she truly felt until she was able to begin walking again . . .

"Unfortunately though, even if you heal perfectly, you might never actually be able to leave the pride." Her ears flattened somewhat and she heaved a heavy sigh. "The Kitwana'antara, we are cursed by a plague. While we keep ourselves restricted, quarantined from outsiders and visitors to our lands so as not to spread our curse, but in your case we had to make a choice. We could have tried to treat you near the borders, but our immune healers are limited and our resources were even more strained that far out. . . It was my own decision to move you closer and nurse your wounds where you stood the best chance for survival.

"Unfortunately, it also means you have a greater risk for being infected by the disease. We will know more as time passes. Some lions are immune, and if such is the case, we will let you on your way. But if you do fall ill . . . it will be impossible to allow you to leave."

 

[mouselet]

Two or three weeks. Around three tendays. Not bad. Of course it would be moons before she recovered in full, but she knew from past experience that she would be grateful just to get out of the den by the time the first three tendays were up. And as for the rest, the muscle damage and deep scars that had not yet had time to form, she would deal with it when it came. Mittere was confident she could overcome this-

And then Nawiri's words crested and broke over the pink lioness like a sudden flash flood down a dried up riverbed in the desert. She stared up at the grey lioness, blue eyes wide, mouth sligthly agape for several long moments.

A plague. A plague that she was likely to catch between her own physical state and the fact that they had brought her deep within their pridelands in order to better care for those selfsame wounds. Her lips twitched, trying to form words, but no sound came out. She closed her mouth, swallowed heavily, and shook her head to clear her thoughts again, ignoring the surge of pain that followed.

If she caught the plague, she'd never be allowed to leave. Well, that made sense, if it was really as dangerous as Nawiri was implying. But to be limited to the lands of just one pride? To never again see new (or old) places?

And dear sweet gods above, would she never get to fight again? Overlooking, of course, the question of whether she'd even recover enough to do so. It was a future that didn't appeal very much, to say the least.

For the first time since she'd woken up, the pink lioness closed her eyes and rested her head on her forelegs, pointedly turned away from the grey lioness.

"Please, go away. Now." It was all she could do to utter the words, politely, civilly. Mittere doubted she could restrain herself from attacking the other if she stayed much longer.  

[Uta]

The grey female studied Mittere, waiting to see how she'd respond to such news. Unfortunately, there was little to know. Her thoughts were her own, and being a stranger, there was nothing to read. A . . . breath. A swallow. A shake of her head.

Dropping her own gaze, Nawiri said nothing. What else could she say? She was sorry? Yes, she was sorry that fate had brought this stranger to their borders. It was unfair that she had no say in the matter, no way to have controlled the events of her fate. Yes, Nawiri'chiwa could have had tended to her so far from the dens but . . . . it was likely she would have perished. She had done her best, had done what she thought was right.

Death or disease . . . Considering there was a chance she could fight off the plague, that chance was enough for Nawiri to want to keep her alive. Unfortunately, Mittere might never see it like that. Essentially, the pink lioness was trapped. . . .

And to some, being trapped was a worse than death.

". . . if you need anything . . . " Standing, the female quietly made an exit from the small den. She'd give the female space, time to think, to better stew over her situation. Of course, others would be in attendance but for now they'd let Mittere be.

Aggravating her further would do no one any good.

 

[mouselet]

It had been half a day since Nawiri had left. Luckily for the grey lioness, Mittere had finally determined that she had acted in the best interests of life. She still wasn't thrilled about the idea of being restricted to these lands, this pride, for the rest of her life, but at least she would be alive for some time yet.

Alive...and in pain for the foreseeable future. She'd had little sleep. Not because of the thinking she'd been doing, but because it was almost impossible for her to sleep without even twitching her tail. And, of course, the slightest movement would trigger the pain and she would lunge into wakefulness. Her ragged breaths would fill the den as she carefully shifted her position to one that she could fall asleep in again.

It was almost worse when she felt eyes upon her and woke up because of it. She knew they were simply doing their jobs, but it wasn't helping at all. At least when she'd been unconscious from exhaustion and strain she hadn't woken up at every little thing. Hair-triggered, and too injured for it. Mittere sighed mentally at the thought. Maybe it was a good thing that she was stuck here. It would be the first time in seasons - years! - that her nerves could finally unwind.

Now, now she was awake. Or as awake as she could be, given the circumstances. And she was calmer than she had been yesterday when she'd demanded that Nawiri leave. This boded well for her getting a chance to learn about her...new home.

"Hello?" she called out. Though her voice was slightly raspy, it already sounded worlds better than the day before.  

[Uta]

As promised, there had been healers and other sorts stations not far from the entrance of the den. They rotated shifts, if only so they might come to aid if things took a turn for the worse. As fate would have it, it was Nawiri who approached when the call came out.

"Mittere." She spoke softly, words warm. If she felt uncertainty with how she would be received, it didn't show in her gait or her words. She would understand wrath and even loathing, but until Mittere was well enough to not need care or assistance, Nawiri was going to be there. She treated all of the members of her prides, including those whom had unsavory personalities.

"Do you think you can handle some solid food today?" She strode past the pink female, replacing an empty gourd nearby the female with one filled with fresh water. Food would be the next thing on their list. The lioness hadn't eaten anything for days. The sooner they got some food in her, the more energy she'd be granted and the more her body could heal.

She would ask how the lioness was feeling, but by looking at her, it seemed pretty redundant. And somehow, she doubted the lioness would appreciate it. She had been terse before, it was likely she'd be just the same now.
 

[mouselet]

The pink lioness wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing when Nawiri was the one to respond to her. On the positive side, she wouldn't have to begin judging someone new from step one. On the other side, she still didn't trust the grey lioness completely. But that, she conceded, would have been the case with anyone.

She considered the question of food. Yes, it had been many days since she'd last truly eaten. And she was weak. But she knew she was on the road to recovery, and that if she was going to die she'd already be dead. She would eat the food and it wouldn't kill her, she was sure of it. Even if that meant holding off death by will alone.

"Yeah," she answered, wondering how long the rasp would stay in her voice.  

[Uta]

"Good." Nawiri responded, a small smile crossing her features as she strode to the back of the den. Resting within a gourd was some meat that had dried within the sun. It was fresh enough, but came in a small portion. "You've gone so long without food, I'd like to start you with something small, just to be sure you can handle it." Furthermore, if she had gone hungry (for who knew when she had last eaten before her battle!) a little amount would mean she couldn't gorge herself silly. Too often she witnessed her own diseased pridemates lose self control as they slowly starved near the end of their lives. They would try to eat but only make themselves more ill . . . Thankfully, she doubted Mittere would have such a problem, but the grey lioness wanted to play on the side of caution anyway.

Pulling the second gourd closer to the pink lioness, not far from where the water had been placed, Nawiri took a moment to eye her wounds. They were looking all right . . . Unfortunately, some might need to be groomed or tended to, to avoid infection. Hopefully Mittere would allow such a thing.

"You look to be recovering well, though I know it doesn't feel so now." She added, stepping clear of the pink lioness and coming to rest a ways away. No need to crowd her, after all. "If you . . if you do start to feel a change though, illness. A possible fever or chills. . possible aching joints, if you can tell beneath all the pain you no suffer, please let us know." Some of the earliest symptoms of the plague were often confused with common ailments - a passing cold, a slight discomfort. But with Mittere's susceptibility, Nawiri wanted to be sure she understood changes in her condition might not be something to shrug off due to her current state. The sooner they could tell if she was infected, the sooner they could begin to treat her and keep her as comfortable as possible.

Nawiri did hope, for Mittere's sake, that she as over looked. Perhaps Pestilence would shield her yet.
 

[mouselet]

Blue eyes tracked Nawiri still as the grey lioness moved around, but stayed riveted on the meat that she brought over. The pink lioness' stomach announced in no uncertain terms that it was empty and heartily tired of the situation. Mittere glared down at her body as if she should be able to shut it up by will alone. Unfortunately she could only affect it so much.

She'd been waiting for the other lioness to settle down again before grabbing the dried meat in her jaws, but paused when the other started talking. Mittere's eyes narrowed suspiciously. She already knew she was recovering as well as could be hoped...but why was Nawiri still going on? The pink lioness listened to a list of symptoms and her eyes narrowed further as the grey revealed they were signs of the damnable plague. Not something anyone wanted to hear, but she could appreciate knowing what the signs were.

She nodded a curt acknowledgement to Nawiri before swiftly ducking her head and snatching the meat. She chewed slowly, not just because it had been so long since she'd last eaten, but also because the jerked meat was tough and difficult to chew. Still, she closed her eyes in pleasure as the taste of something other than water. They said hunger was the best seasoning for any meal and it was so true.  

[Uta]

Nawiri stayed quiet as the pink lioness ripped in to the meat. She was glad to see her eating, and was glad that her body seemed to be receptive to the meat offered. A loss of appetite could be signs of other issues, so it was good to see that such worries could be pressed aside.

The next question would be to see if Mittere could hold the food down. "If you don't mind," she finally spoke after the food had been completely devoured, "I've lingered for a few reasons. One, I'd like to make sure you can actually keep the food down, and if so can then begin to regularly bring you portions. The second was to see if you had any questions or concerns about your stay here. And lastly . . . is there anyone or anything we should keep an eye on near the borders? Any family or pride that might come searching for you or . . . anyone who might still be looking for you?"

Nawiri had no idea how she had gotten in to such a fiasco, in to such a fight. It had left her near dead, and the Queen had a duty to her pride to protect her members. A scout could unknowingly give mention that they were protecting a pink furred lioness and who knew what might happen then! Especially if those Mittere had battled were vindictive and cruel.

If no one was seeking the stranger, than she could give word for her guards and scouts to be wary if anyone did begin questioning the whereabouts of Mittere.