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The adolescent lioness felt much better now that she had had the conversation with her father. He had a way of making her feel at ease. And he had promised her a bird after all! That was a way she could still talk to Cani. She was excited about that! She was more attached to the little red juvenile than she had expected to be. But she didn't care. She just knew she didn't want Cani going off and finding any better friends. Not that that would have been an easy task.

Though darker thoughts plagued her mind too, and she found herself feeling uneasy. She felt like she had butterflies in her stomach. Momma had always said those were nerves, but she didn't have a thing to be nervous about.. Okay so she did.. But she didn't want to be nervous. She just wanted to feel.... safe again.

She was curled in the cave where her father had left her, though this time it was because she had drifted off to dreamland. She was thankful for the sleep she had found. It had felt like forever since she had slept last.

Burz had just finished listening to Klona tell him about the unfairness of life based on the fact that Finna was going to get a bird, and also letting his orange and white sister know about Kazul's new litter of cubs. He was utterly exhausted and wanted nothing more than to go to sleep, but he knew he couldn't fall asleep yet. Not until he bathed and got all the blood off his fur. Klona had been perfectly correct in describing him as covered in red and stinking. He couldn't smell much other than the scent of all the blood clinging to his coat brom the challenge and later Kazul's den, and that told him how badly he needed to bathe. Just thinking about it was exhausting.

He was tired enough that he was practically stumbling when he got into the back of the den. With luck there wouldn't be anyone there and he would be free to groom himself and just fall asleep without anyone seeing and commenting. Or, worse, freaking out as Klona nearly had. The blood wasn't his after all, but it was difficult to convince people of that when he had blood all over him.

Father had groomed the blood from her pelt, and she had been happy for it. In her distress, she hadn't realized she still had been bearing the blood from her grandfather. And once she had realized it, her father had been ridding her of it. She hated to be dirty, and this was no exception.

Her dreams had consisted of her grandfather, and an average day in the pride. Or what would have been average, had her grandfather not lost the title of Warlord. She was happy, and she felt free. Though then her grandfather's eyes began bleeding, and she found herself horrified as she tried to get away. Then she was surrounded by far, and she knew she was dead. She just --

A terrible smell caught her attention, even in sleep, and she blinked a bit. She hadn't meant to wake and irritate her brother, but she couldn't help the smell that had wafted in.

"Burz?" She asked cautiously, her eyes still focusing.

Burz swore softly. His voice was still rough, this time with weariness. Then he took a deep breath and made himself look a little less like a bloody, vengeful ghost. He didn't want to terrify his sister. She had been there for the fight and been really upset by it. He didn't need to make things worse for her.

"Hey. Yeah. It's me," he said, making an effort not to droop with exhaustion. At this rate he was just going to end up going to sleep with blood dried into his fur and going down to the river to bathe later on, since it would be impossible to lick the blood off by morning.

He swore again when he realized that he wouldn't be able to go to the river and bathe. At least, not the portion of river he usually preferred. That part of the river was also frequented by other members of pride and he couldn't afford to be seen by them. He'd have to use the portion of river in the forest. He hated that portion. It always had dead leaves and things on the bottom.

When he confirmed it was him, she relaxed a bit though she sat up to look at him. She stretched out her body, feeling the muscles that were tense with sleep, start to become loose and stretched. She offered a smile to him, though she knew he didn't look the smiling type right now. She could see the tired look in his face, and his body was practically sagging, as if he just wanted to lie down where he was right now.. and just fall asleep.

"You didn't get hurt.. did you?" She asked when she looked him over. He was covered in dried blood, and what looked like dirt. Had he fought on the way back home after her grandfather had lost? Was that why father had said it was so dangerous to return? Would SHE be treated like that if they saw her? She began to feel nervous again.

"I made it home safely. Though papa says I can't go back." She said, and her voice was that of understanding, rather than complaining.

Burz didn't even look down at himself. He knew what Finna was talking about. Klona had just asked him much the same thing. He only sighed and plopped down gracelessly on his bottom. Having to explain everything all over again just seemed so horribly exhausting.

"I'm glad you made it back safely," he told her truthfully. He had hoped that she would, having been left with their father, who was supposed to be a responsible adult and capable of keeping his cubs safe.

"I hear you're getting a bird," he asked without any kind of inflection whatsoever. It was meant as a question, but he was too tired for inflection of the vocal sort. Definitely no bath tonight.

She didn't smell Klona on him, so she was unaware that he had been chatting with her only a bit before. She probably would have felt guilty asking if he had been hurt, had she been aware. If he was hurt, he certainly wouldn't be chatting up Klona, now would he?

"I'm glad you did too.." She said, and looked at her paws. She felt so unsure today and she didn't like it. She didn't like feeling... weak. But she supposed from what she had seen, she was far from weak.

Then he mentioned the bird, and she couldn't believe how fast word traveled. But she didn't hide the excited perk the subject brought up.

"I am! I'm so excited. Now I can keep in touch with all of my friends." She sais happily.

Burz looked at her sharply, momentarily alert for the time being.

"What do you mean, keep in touch with all of your friends?" he asked. "Don't you understand what it will mean for our family if anyone finds out we aren't gone?"

He was so frustrated with her he could spit. Klona was sweet and kind of simple, and with her it would not have been a surprise if she'd said she wanted a bird to talk to people because he was pretty sure he could count on her to completely fail in training the bird to carry messages, but Finna wasn't Klona. She should know better.

"I talked to a lawspeaker today. He said that our family will probably be exiled or enthralled to keep us from seeking retribution for what happened today. If one of your stupid friends slips up even one time and mentions you, or if someone wonders why they're talking to a bird, or if your stupid bird says something to anyone, you're not just putting yourself at risk. You're putting mum and dad at risk, and Klona, and Odd-uncle and Kazul and her new cubs. How can you be so selfish and stupid, Fin?"

When he threw that look at her, she felt ten inches tall. She shrunk back against the wall, her eyes shooting down. She didn't even want to make eye contact. The fight had scared her, and she still wasn't ready to deal with confrontation again. Not yet anyway, she could try again tomorrow.. She hoped.

"I.. I.." Well damn. What did she do wrong? She hadn't thought it was wrong. Papa hadn't thought it was wrong, in fact, he had suggested it. She felt as if her heart was going to explode from her chest.

"Papa didn't tell me I was wrong! If it was wrong he would have told me. I didn't do anything wrong." She frowned, her eyes narrowed. She didn't move from her huddled position, but she still could glare.

"My bird will know. If it says anything I will rip it's throat out. Same with Cani. Neither of them will ever say anything. Ever." She had the greatest of faith in her friend, and her future bird.

"Yeah, well, dad's great and all, but he doesn't really think ahead all that much, does he?" Burz growled softly. He didn't want to upset the rest of the den by fighting loudly. Not right now. But he was angry enough to fight now, at least until the tiredness came back.

"Birds are dumb. Their brains aren't even the size of a nut. I have serious doubts a bird will be a good secret keeper, or even inclined to keep secrets with the threat of it's throat being ripped out. Probably it'll figure out how much better off and safer it would be if you and all the rest or us were dead." Now he was just being unreasonable, but exhaustion could do that to a person.

"And as for Cani, well, I hope you'll understand if I don't just breathe a sigh of relief hearing that we can trust her not to say anything. She's not one of us. She can't be trusted. But, hey, fine. It's not like anything important is riding on this. Just the fate of every lion who has our grandfather's blood. You know, the same blood that got splashed all over us today, or had you forgotten that part in your joy about getting a pet?"

"Don't say that about papa." She said firmly, though her body language clearly showed she wasn't trying to cause a fight. But she loved papa, and she wasn't about to have anyone, even Burz, talk about him badly. She wasn't sure what had gotten into him. Perhaps he was taking what they both saw today, and having his own sort of reaction. She couldn't blame him, but yet he was making her so angry! (And scared!) It was rare that she saw Burz like this.

"If birds are so dumb, then it wouldn't be able to figure out it's life would be better with us gone, now would it?" She asked, and she sat up a bit, straightening her shoulders as her confidence in the situation grew.

"I haven't forgotten at all, Burzum. And I think you are being cruel." She scowled at him, his words hitting her core. She had been clinging to the bird as a sign of hope that things would soon get better. With Burz shooting the idea out of the air, making her bad for wanting it, she felt sick to her stomach.

"I wouldn't risk my own life if I didn't believe it." She let out her own small growl. "Don't confuse me for stupid Burzum, because I'm not. I'm far from it." Now she was being unreasonable herself, but damn it he had hurt her feelings! She wasn't even particularly angry.

"So which would you rather have? A bird too dumb to keep your secret or a bird smart enough to be spiteful?" Burz hissed. "Or let me put it this way: would you rather have a bird or a family?"

He really didn't know why he was getting so worked up about the damn bird, but it was hard to stop himself at this point. He was just so very angry at everything and he couldn't be angry at Klona because it would be like being angry at a baby, so Finna got to bear the brunt of it.

"Yeah, I am being cruel. Because you are being stupid. And selfish. Do you know why I'm covered in blood? Because I just helped Kazul bring her cubs to the forest so they will be safe. And you..." Weariness was coming over him again. He couldn't really sustain this much anger after the day he'd had. "You can risk your own life all you want, but I'm warning you right now: if I have even a hint of a suspicion that your bird is going to put my cousins or my siblings in danger, I will slit it open from beak to bunghole and give its guts to Aunt Ember to use in a protection charm."

He felt a little sick to his stomach when he realized he didn't even know where that aunt was. The last time he'd seen her she'd been standing with one of Aunt Kazul's brothers at the fight.

She didn't have to answer to him. She wouldn't put them in danger, she'd rather die than do that. But Burz was angry, and she wasn't sure if he'd even believe her if she said it. She was genuine in that thought though.

"If the bird does something wrong, kill it all you like. My loyalties are with you and mine, brother. Not a lying bird. But my bird -won't- be lying." She said it firmly. She wasn't going to allow a bird to destroy her family, but she wasn't going to have a bird that would do that. She knew it. But she was starting to wonder if he was right. Though for the few moments she thought he was right, she shook her head. Father was right, father was always right. She trusted him.

"I'd kill it myself if I suspected it first." She added, looking at him and sighing. "You should sleep, or something. You're being mean, and words are hard to forget." She wasn't sure he would even care, but even he loved his family. She was part of that.

"I'm not particularly worried about the bird lying," Burz muttered without his previous venom. "It's the truth that's going to get us all into trouble."

She was right about the sleep. He knew he should. But he didn't think he could now, despite how horribly, sickeningly tired he was. He didn't know where his Aunt Ember was. Or his Uncle Calder, or any of his dad's other sibs. He would have to find out before he could rest.

"I'm going to go...I don't know. I'll be back before sun-up. Don't tell mum and dad, huh?"

The truth was a dangerous thing, that was for sure. But she felt confident in herself. She was Aesir's granddaughter, just like he was his grandson. He had the same smarts she did, even if Burz liked to think his sisters were relatively unintelligent.

"Be careful, Burzum. You really need to sleep. But I won't tell." She said, nodding her head as she settled herself back in her corner. She supposed if he was leaving, it left the den open and lonely once more. And she still didn't feel entirely rested.

"Im just going to..." and before she could answer she had fallen asleep. Today had been a hard day, and her body just wanted to move on.