[PRP] Discovering Truths (Nguvu and Moma)

[Kimaria]

Above the rocky crags of the Aka'mleli lands a dark shape flew unhindered.

The day was pleasant, the cool winds rushing beneath her outstretched wings as the sun warmed her back.

The avian was a raven and her name was Moma. A strange name for a raven, perhaps, for it's very meaning was 'adder'. It had been a theme of her parents' to name their children after vicious beasts, perhaps to make them appear more intimidating than they actually were. So she was adder, just as her brother, Nondo, had once been named snake. 'Once' because that raven was now dead.

She knew that much at least. Knew that his life was over. Knew that she would never get to see him again. Knew that somehow her new 'bonded' Mchawi was responsible for it. The lioness would not speak a word of it, pretended that she missed Nondo, too. But Moma was not a humble, foolish servant. She had been queen of a flock until her desire to find out the truth had overcome any other responsibility she may have had. And that was why she was in these lands.

Her brother had died here.

She intended to find out how.  

[Nuxaz]

Nguvu was out on his own, a rare sight among the score of lions and their avian companions but both he, and Peke, had always been the type to stray from the norm and do their own thing. Often it was simply because Peke would slip away in the early hours, before the raven would stir, to seek time alone and out of respect (along with the knowledge of what the lion had gone through) the bird would allow him peace. It wasn't much, but often it was all he had to offer.

So there he was, flying low across the lands seeking out the familiar form of his bonded when his pink eyes caught sight of what was an unfamiliar avian form. He pulled up sharply, flapping his wings to keep him suspended in the air, as he took a moment to observe the foreign raven. Normally he wouldn't have even batted an eye but something about the coloration of her feathers struck a chord deep within the albino raven.

She looked familiar, but he could not place why.

Until he began to fly forward, toward the dark bird, ignoring the dull ache of the wing that had once been broken. "You there," he called, his voice sharp and commanding.  

[Kimaria]

The commanding tone took the raven by surprise, but she was not one to be meek and submissive - particularly with her own kind. She back-winged sharply and uttered a caw as she turned in a lazy circle to return the...somewhat suspicious greeting.

"Greetings, fellow raven." She called out over the clear, cool wind. "Have I wandered into your territory?" She had known of some couples who had fiercely defended their own 'piece of sky' from others, even fellow ravens such as herself. Seeing as he was alone, however, she wasn't sure how likely that was; unless he had a female sitting on a nest of eggs somewhere.

Moma, of course, knew nothing of what had gone on here in these lands all that time ago. Only that Mchawi was not a trustworthy sort and her brother had died here. She wasn't even completely sure she was in the right area, though she recalled Mchawi's description of the 'enclosed pride lands' in which she wanted to settle. This place...seemed to fit the description.

She circled lower and, with another caw, expanded her wings and dropped daintily onto a pillar of stone, taking some strange pleasure in how her claws clinked sharply against the hard surface.  

[Nuxaz]

Nguvu had never gotten over his distrust for strangers, even birds, after the events of the past., but was more trusting than his bonded. Of course, this raven was a different story because she reminded him so much of another. "In a sense, yes," he replied, tone calm and collected which was a direct contrast to how he felt inwardly. He flapped his wings to keep him afloat, swallowing at the ache that resulted. He would have to land soon, being airborne for too long was a struggle. Nearly impossible.

"I have not seen you around before," he said slowly, taking a moment to observe her, study her. "You remind me of a bird I once encountered," he told her choosing his words carefully. He didn't know if she was attached to the raven that had been bonded to the deceitful lioness who had reeked her havoc upon his bonded's childhood.

"What brings you here?" he asked, finding no reason to skirt around things. He was being direct, it was the only way he could get the truth and briefly he wished Peke was near. His ability to detect lies would be helpful.  

[Kimaria]

Interesting. Perhaps this hadn't been a waste of time after all. After all this time of waiting, was she finally going to find out what had happened to her brother? It hardly seemed possible but, here he was, this white raven saying things that had her hopes surging. Had he known her brother? Or, better yet, did you know how her brother had died? Mchawi had been less than forthcoming with that information. And unlike her brother before her she trusted the lioness little indeed. She was certain that there was more to the story then she was letting on.

"That is what I was hoping you were going to say." She replied from her perch, head up and watching him as he flew. "My name is Moma. I came from a flock not far from here. My brother went by the name of Nondo before his death."

Straight to the point as always. This raven was not one for beating around the bush.

"He is dead I presume?" Her feathers ruffled. "If you knew him you must tell me the truth of the matter. I need to know how he died. The story I have been told is not… Satisfactory."

It was clear that, in her heart, she already knew what had happened.  

[Nuxaz]

The minute the name Nondo was mentioned, Nguvu visibly stiffened with a slight narrow of his eyes. Immediately he felt on edge, more so than previously at least, and he took a good few minutes to respond to her. "I do not believe this is a conversation I feel comfortable having with just you," he told her slowly trying gauge her reaction. This little piece of news sent his heart racing and he knew that he needed Peke by his side. She was the sister to the raven that assisted the demon lioness, for all the albino bird knew...Moma could have been sent by the devious cat to find and manipulate him.

"He has passed," the bird confirmed with a stark nod. "But I am afraid this conversation is not one we may have alone. For many reasons all outsiders, including avian kind, must be in the prescence of my bonded," he would tell her no more of the events until Peke was located.

"If you wish to learn the truth, then follow me," he instructed swooping low and turning around and heading to the watering hole where he hoped to find his lion.  

[Kimaria]

His reaction to the name 'Nondo' was a curious thing. A sudden tension that had her bristling with curiosity. Something had happened then. Something...not good. She didn't believe for a moment that Nondo would have done something to upset another raven. But perhaps, being bonded with Mchawi meant that her actions reflected on him? Or maybe...maybe she had changed him. Moma remembered all too well the shining adoration her brother had had for the lioness. Had it been this adoration that had led to his downfall?

"Your bonded?" So these avians also tied themselves to lions and lionesses? Had this been the reason Mchawi had come to her brother all that time ago? What sort of deceit had she been weaving? The female raven was angered at how she had just let her brother fly out of her life without being firmer with her questioning.

"Lead on, then. I will follow." She sprang aloft once more, sweeping her dark wings to join him in flight once more. "The truth is all I seek. If it pleases you, I shall leave as soon as my question has been answered."

And so she followed behind him, keeping enough of a distance that he would hopefully not feel too uncomfortable at her presence.  

[Nuxaz]

Nguvu said no more to the female raven as he flapped his wings, heading off in the direction he hoped he would find his lion. Though his first instinct was to check the den they shared, he knew it would not be the place to find the often elusive male. Instead he made a beeline for one of the higher points in the pride. It had been a place that Peke's friend Ethiopia had taken him to and the male had found that it was one of the places that left him with complete tranquility.

That was where the dark male could be found.

"Peke," the raven called eagerly settling upon the male's shoulder once he was acknowledged.

"Nguvu," he responded, startled by the raven's sudden appearance. Often his bonded would leave him be unless it was important. "What's wro--" he cut himself off when he saw the other raven. Immediately a feeling of dread overcame him and he could only whisper one word, a name. "Mchawi."  

[Kimaria]

She asked herself, in that moment, whether this would be worth it. She was potentially flying into a dangerous situation that could leave her wounded -- or worse. Her brother was already dead. She didn't need to risk herself. And yet her loyalty to him kept her on course. It was partially her fault that this fate had befallen him. She believed that with all her heart.

She back-winged to slow herself, the snap of her pinions audible as she set down on a rock just out of pouncing distance. It seemed like her wariness had paid off, too, because the male lion's eyes were on her and the name on his lips sent a bolt of dread through her. Maybe this has been foolish. What reason would they have to believe that she was not another puppet of the witch?

Moma wouldn't have believed herself.

"The witch seems to have left quite an impression on these lands." She croaked, trying her best to seem confident and unafraid. "As I told your friend." She tipped her head towards the white raven now perched upon the lion's shoulder. "I am here to discover the truth about my brother's death. No more. No less. She is nowhere near these lands and I am not under her control."  

[Nuxaz]

Peke cocked a brow when the raven called the evil lioness (that still haunted his nightmares) a witch. He worried that she was just another pawn sent by Mchawi to spy and reek havoc upon the pride that had barely settled into a peaceful state. It made sense, the more he thought about and questioned it, to send another avian to do her dirty work. They weren't as scrutinized as the felines that sought entry, most assumed that the birds were born and bred here in the lands. But that didn't mean that they couldn't be corrupted.

"How do you know her?" he asked, blue eyes narrowed slightly but not quite glaring. She was on trial but her words, so far, had been truthful. Many times, and more often than not, Peke hated being a living lie detector but it was incredibly helpful and in a situation such as the one before him made him glad he had it.

"I'm surprised, that if you know her, that you're being truthful with me. What's your angle?" He asked, a brow cocked in curiosity. "Don't bother lying, it will do you no good."

Nguvu kept his breathing steady as he watched the exchange taking place between his bonded and the raven, it was an interesting thing to see him interrogating a bird but like Peke, Nguvu had reached the same conclusion. The avians of the pride were just at risk to be manipulated and toyed with by the witch as felines were.

"He's right, lying is something that is useless before him."  

[Kimaria]

"What reason have I to lie?" The raven croaked, fluffing up her feathers and hopping a little closer on the rock she had perched on. Her claws clicked noisily as she did so, punctuating the quiet. "I have no 'angle'. I merely want to know whether Mchawi was the one who killed my brother. If the answer to that question is yes, then I must see to it that she pays for her crime." One way or another...

"As for how I met her. It is a short story but one that I do not like to recall. I was once part of a flock close by to this land - for a raven, anyway. My brother, Nondo, lived with me alongside a handle of other siblings. I reigned as their queen, if you like, though we have no such title in our species - not as far as I am aware, in any case. But one day, Mchawi and some others I do not know the names of happened by our roost. Most of the other felines with her had bird companions with them, though none of them ravens. In any case, they hung around for a while and then I caught Mchawi beginning to speak with my people. I attacked her to drive her back - thinking she planned to eat them - but then she spoke to me. She said to me that she admired my courage and intelligence and that I could do better than the wretched flock I lead. She span tales of glory. Promised me more respect and power than I could ever imagine. But there was something I did not like about her and so I turned down her offer. I never was much one to trust lion-kind and there was something about her eyes that held deceit. I turned down her offer, hoping that they would leave, but she did not. Within only a few short days she had seduced my brother away from me. I ordered him not to go but he seemed smitten. He left and I did not know of his fate until Mchawi returned sometime later with the same offer."

And that was when she had learned that her brother was dead.

"I should have done more to stop him. But I didn't. And now he is dead and I must avenge him because if I do not, then who else will?"

She paused for breath, eyeing them both cautiously. All she had spoken had been truth but she wasn't sure whether they would believe her or not.  

[Nuxaz]

"Those that travel with Mchawi are known for their deceiving tongues," Nguvu responded coldly. He had suffered through much with Peke, both taking a brunt of the beatings that came with the interlopers. His wing had never fully recovered, flying could be painful at times and he could not do it for extended periods of time. It made being a bird quite difficult at times, something he would forever lament.

"Nguvu speaks the truth," Peke commented, almost as an afterthought. "But I suppose that is why Hestia has granted me with my unique ability," he mused though did not give the raven any insight as to what this ability was. "Still, anyone associated with the interlopers whether by force or willing must be carefully examined."

When she began her tale, he listened quietly. With every word he wondered when the tingling sensation would tug at his senses. When he'd feel the spark of a false word but it never came. "Tell her Nguvu," he instructed after a pause between the end of her words and the beginning of his. He could have easily told the tale but it would have ruffled his feathers too much, so instead he let the calmer one speak.

"I suggest you consider your position before you consider revenge, Mchawi is a cruel lioness who will do whatever she sees fit and will sacrifice whomever she deems necessary to further her and her brother's plans," Nguvu cautioned before he swallowed. He then began to speak of the tale.

"They came not long after an earthquake hit the Aka'meli and divided the pride. Their crown prince and cousin separated from the rest of the pride and the interlopers, which include Mchawi and her two brothers along with one other male who perished protecting Peke," he paused to examine his lion's expression. It was a troubled one, but Peke never did well with remembering the past. "Through a chain of events their misdeeds were revealed and they sought to steal away one of the prides cubs, at first it was one of the heirs because they thought him to be the seer cub who would allow them to exact their revenge but they had targeted the wrong cub. Then, as a result of two visions one by Mchawi and one by Peke, she found me and broke my wing with the intention of perhaps ending my life when Peke came upon the scene.

With my rescue came a great chase and one of the interlopers perished, along with one of her brothers while one of the pride's seers had been wounded. Mchawi was confronted by one of our lionesses, one who had been wooed by the witch's brother Msiba," he paused because this was likely more than Moma expected or wanted to hear. "They dueled and..." he sighed because that was the fight that had lost two avian lives. "Mchawi killed Hisia's bonded and in a rage the lioness lept at the witch who was having a vision, your brother dove between them to save her life. He died playing a twisted hero."  

[Kimaria]

Her wings flared at Nguvu's warning against vengeance, readying herself to snap back, though his continuing onto the story prevented her from doing so. It was perhaps good that he had. After all, she didn't really want to get into a fight before she had heard the story she had travelled all this way to hear. If she lost her temper now, they might send her away.

So, through the story, she listened quietly without a word, absorbing each word and committing it to memory. This was her brother's story. She needed to remember it because who else would?

But the story was not one that she was happy to hear and her pained cry spoke volumes. She had assumed that Mchawi had turned on her brother and killed him. Hoped it was because - in the end - he had defied her and refused to carry out any of her evil plans. But that could not be further from the truth - if this story was to be believed. He had sacrificed himself for her. He had chosen to die so that she could carry on living. Carry on filling the world with her cruelty.

Why would he do that? He had owed her nothing.

"You lie." She snapped when she had somewhat recovered. She knew, however, that it was not a lie. Somehow, she knew. "My brother, he..." Moma paused again, feeling the anger rage hotly in her. "She brainwashed him! She will pay for it. I promise you that. I might only be a raven but I can bring about her downfall as easily as any lion."

Perhaps easier, for she would be underestimated.

And then, quieter. "She cared nothing for him. Why would he allow himself to be so manipulated?"  

[Nuxaz]

"No," Peke snapped, eyes narrowing. He didn't lie, refused to lie unless absolutely necessary and made sure that Nguvu did the same. Especially to him, because lies were pointless when he could see right through them. "There is no reason we would lie to you and that story is a past that deeply cut both of us," he snarled even as she began to concede that their tale was true. "You came here looking for answer and we gave you truthful ones. To call us liars is to insult us and I will not stand for it do you understand?" He growled, true anger showing in him for the first time in a long while.

He didn't care that she might be one of Hestia's chosen or that the bird goddess would be angered by his blatant disrespect for her children but he didn't care. The raven had insulted him and he would not let it slide.

"I'm sorry Moma," Nguvu interjected before the lion could speak again. "That particular part of his past is still a sore subject, and may always be, but I promise you that I speak the truth." He sighed, a wing extended to touch Peke's head. He knew how much damage the interlopers had wrecked upon the young adult, it was a scar that would never heal.

"I cannot say for certain but the raven you claim as your brother seemed...smitten by the lioness," Nguvu told her carefully. "Love makes anyone foolish."

Peke shook his head at her insistence that she could bring the witch down. "She is more devious and clever than you give her credit for," he cautioned knowing first hand how dangerous the lioness could be. "They didn't get far if they weren't a clever pair, they were the only two to survive from their pack."  

[Kimaria]

The raven narrowed her eyes at Peke. As far as she was concerned it was an insult to be interrogated in this fashion and she did not - could not - understand the hurt that had plagued him. She had lost a brother, yes, but it had happened in a distant land, away from her home and...apparently...apparently he had chosen to give his life.

It was that part of the story that was the hardest to accept. His brother had been too keen to please his bonded. He had always felt as if he was not good enough, that his siblings were more talented than he. He opted to go with Mchawi to become something more and, in that moment when she was threatened, he chose to take a hit meant for her.

Moma did not understand that kind of love or devotion. Even as queen of a roost, she had no sadness about leaving that life behind. They would squabble in her absence until the strongest rose to take leadership and her name would soon be forgotten. They had been a ragged bunch of brigands, her people. But she had never taken a mate. Never had hatchlings to care for. She could not remember either of her parents very well, the times as a fledgling seeming so long ago now. So no, she did not understand the motivations behind her brother's actions and perhaps she never would.

Mchawi was not even a raven.

"She does not care." The raven replied after a long moment, when Nguvu and Peke had spoken. "She does not care that he sacrificed himself for her. Does not care at all."

She turned and paced to the edge of the rock she perched on, turning to pace back the other way. "Yes, yes. Too clever for her own good. After all, what could a pathetic little raven do to harm a witch? She plots something else. Something dark with a group of lions darker - perhaps - than even she. They plan war against others. Some strange lions north of here." The cogs in her mind began to turn, plotting her end. And, when she died, Moma would laugh over her carcass, peck out her eyes and leave her to rot; forgotten and unloved in the sands.

"You may rest easy in that she will not go unpunished. I will see to it myself. I will play along with her games, act like the willing servant she thinks I am and then I will bring the enemy to her."

And at last she hopped forwards and dipped into a brief bow, stretching her wings out wide. "That is all I wished to know. As promised, I shall take my leave of these lands. Maybe I shall return someday with the call of victory on the wind."