[PRP] Not All Brainwashed? [Furchtlos and Orenda]

[Kimaria]

Lions.

She was sick and tired of lions.

They were everywhere, their stink rotting every crevice of the land. The sound of their roars grated on her nerves and she had taken to grinding her teeth in an effort to keep her temper at bay. At the rate she was going, she'd have no teeth left by the end of the week.

One of her jackal companions seemed equally irritable, though perhaps that was because his mistress was so on edge and, when she couldn't take it out on lions, she'd take it out on him. The grey-faced jackal, Saren, had narrowly escaped being grabbed by the scruff and was carefully out of reach of her teeth - balancing on the stump of a broken old tree. Desolas, his son, on the other hand, was yawning and looking more bored than anything.

"There are no females." He complained loudly. "My charm is wasted here."

Orenda growled and finished her pacing, sweeping up her nose to scent loudly at the air. Amongst the stench of lions was something else.

Hyena.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

There were some rather rough felines in this area, but Los didn't pay them much attention. He was in their pride, after all. He was one of them. They could cause him no harm if he did nothing to bring it upon himself. Lions were, to him, a powerful ally. They were bigger and stronger than he, so he wanted to stay on their good side. Fighting with them was a thrill, exciting, and he was glad he had found this place to call home. The one thing it seemed to be lacking, though, were other hyenas.

He had seen one or two here and there, but only in the distance. Today he had decided to set out and find some of his own kin to talk with. This pride was still new to him, after all, and he wanted to get a feel for the felines and canines within it.

Los sniffed the air from time to time as he walked about, finally catching wind of one of his kind in the distance. He followed the smell until the wind changed, tossing his own scent towards the other hyena. His ears twitched as he finally caught sight of the other canine. There appeared to be two pups with her, but as he got closer he realized they were jackals. Not a mother, then, but certainly of this pride.

"Ah, another hyena," he said, lips pulling back in a grim smile. "I was beginning to think I was the only one."

Kimaria

 

[Kimaria]

Hyenas were certainly a minority though perhaps better respected than she would have thought. Strange, really, considering her relationship with felines had only ever been aggressive. She was almost waiting for one of them to turn on her and when they didn't--it was disconcerting. Orenda didn't like it. Still, on the plus side, being surrounded by lions meant that she was more relieved to see a hyena than she normally would have been. Orenda was a loner, pure and simple.

She felt claustrophobic.

"Mostly lions here." She agreed with a snort. "You are what they call...Nohoi?" She growled at the sound of the word on her tongue and cursed herself for sounding interested. She wasn't. Not one little bit. "Or are you here against your will, too? I hear the lions like doing that. To their own kind as well as ours."

Saren, the jackal, grumbled and nodded. "The longer we stay the greater the risk for us."

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Los tilted his head to the side at the growl. This female didn't seem as calm as he would have been lead to believe. "Indeed," he said quietly, brown eyes calculating. As the light female went on, more clues were given as to her rather sour attitude.

"I am here on my own accord," he said evenly, eyes darting to the two jackals. They must be this female's familiars, then...normally little creatures didn't stick around when he came through. He gave off an air of confidence that usually sent them running.

"I take it you are not, then?" he asked, turning his attention back to the female. "Which is a shame. I have found much direction since joining the lions here. Furchtlos, by the way. But please, Los will do just fine."

Kimaria

 

[Kimaria]

Oh. So he was one of them. No better then those lions. What had he found here, then, that she could not? Was it just the Nergui or was it any gathering of creatures - lion or hyena - that she found abysmal. She didn't work well with others and playing nice just wasn't in her make-up.

"No." She answered him flatly. "I am not."

She threw her head to the side, annoyed. "The lions have already tried to sway me. It will do no good. I shall not stay."

He had a strange name. Suited to this place. And she supposed that it could not hurt to give him hers. The lions knew it. Why not a hyena? "Orenda."

"And I am Desolas." The pink and black jackal offered with a yawn. The grey one did not offer a name.

Orenda hushed him and moved forwards. "Were you born here, Los?" Perhaps that would explain why he followed this lions; being brainwashed from an early age would explain that little oddity.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Los frowned a bit at that, eyes narrowing once again. Usually those that didn't agree with the pride were dealt with swift and unforgiving force. They hadn't gotten rid of this one for some reason, he was sure, so he wouldn't follow through with the usual order of business.

"Orenda and Desolas and..." He stared at the third canine before him for a while. "And you. Well. Even though you three seem to be here against your will, I can assure you that I am very pleased to see you. There is familiarity among your own kind that cannot be found with lions."

The question made him shake his head, his dark mane flopping a bit to the side. "No, I was born a rouge and lived as one most of my life. I happened across this pride and...well." The lion that had talked to him had been very convincing. What better way to live if you enjoyed fighting than to scour the savanna in search of those to covert or fight?

"I fit right in, despite my breed. Tell me, if you don't want to be here, why *are* you here? Certainly you'd have been chased off or killed by now."

Kimaria

 

[Kimaria]

Saren merely showed his teeth, the fur on his neck prickling with warning. Father and son were nothing alike. The father all serious and angry. The son tending to play the joker. The charming flirt.

Orenda didn't bother to introduce the jackal on his behalf, leaving him to his silence. "I have not been amongst my own kind for a while." She admitted. Jackals were her only friends now. What did that say about her? Was she truly as happy as she thought she was out in rogue lands all alone? No. She had her pride to think about. She would not let them brainwash her as they had brainwashed so many others.

Still, she was disappointed to hear that this dedicated follower had not been born into these lands. That he had joined of his own free will meant that he had found something that attracted him. But what? She mulled over the information with quite annoyance, not liking how it settled. It was unnerving. Hyenas and lions working together. It didn't seem right or natural.

"I was hunted." She replied. "Seen in a vision, they say. Some wretched witch spied me and sent her dedicated follower to track me down. I fought but he found me wounded from another battle." And she had been overpowered, though she hated to say it. Losing to a lion was unforgivable and she hated herself for it. "If it is as you say then they must have some use to keep me alive."

"These people do seem like a pleasant bunch, don't they?" Desolas quipped unhelpfully.

Orenda continued as if the jackal hadn't spoken: "Do you have any idea what they might want with me?"

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Ah...yes, that would make sense. The seers in the pride were very highly revered, he knew, so it was a good thing that he hadn't attacked her upon hearing she didn't want to be here. He might have gotten kicked out of the pride for that. Possibly attacked as well, but he could hold his own against a few lions. Getting exiled from the pride would probably be the worst thing that could happen to him.

"I haven't a clue," Los said, shaking his head. "I'm fairly new here and no information regarding any hyenas has been divulged to me." He frowned slightly, not sure what he should do. He knew he should do what he could to persuade Orenda to stay, but if she had been here for a while any efforts would probably be useless. So, perhaps instead he could try to make her feel at home.

"Well. No use in dwelling on that," he said, rolling his shoulders a bit. "I'm sure it will be made clear to you sooner or later."

Kimaria

 

[Kimaria]

She scowled at him. He was hardly useful, was he? Newcomers wouldn't know much of anything and it was knowledge she needed. There had to be some kind of weakness she could manipulate. Some way of escaping. She just had to figure it out. And quickly, before it was too late. Orenda could not help but think that time was beginning to run out. How long would they give her to convert before they decided she was better off dead?

Eventually, her scapegoat would come in the most unlikely of forms and there would be a bargain she could not yet even begin to fathom. Orenda would soon find out how much of a price she was willing to pay for her freedom.

"Sooner or later." She grumbled. "But since I am stuck here, perhaps you can show me where they drag the carcasses?" She was hungry and it was more important than ever, now, to build up her lost strength. She had a feeling she might be fighting her way out of here before the end.

SilverLutz

Perhaps conclude with your next post (unless there is something else you wish him to say!) and then we can do another with the two of them with Orenda asking for his services...so to speak XD !

 

[SilverLutz]

Los could see the frustration on Orenda's face, but he didn't pay it much mind. If she would simply join them, after all, there wouldn't be any problems. It wasn't such a bad life here: there was comradeship among all the species that weren't slaves, there was always food, and safety was no issue. Still, each were entitled to their own thoughts, he supposed. They just might get you killed, was all. And that was their own fault, then. It was very easy to change your mind and if life and death were on the line...well. He knew some that would change in a heartbeat if that were the case.

"Certainly," he said with a nod before turning around. "Come on, then. I think someone just brought in a fresh zebra." He walked off, no qualms about turning his back to her or her little friends. He had no qualms about turning his back to anyone, in reality, be it a disgruntled hyena or an enraged lion. He knew he could hold his own, both in speed and muscle, to do whatever needed to be done. He wasn't a fool, after all. Most who had no fear were, and would die in some easily avoided way. Los, however, knew danger and knew what could possibly end his life. Just because he lived without fear didn't leave him immune to sensing when a situation had turned sour.

And with Orenda...well. She might be grumpy, but he felt as though he had made a possible friend, if only because he himself wasn't a lion.

Kimaria

All right, last post! Just tag me in the new one once you've got it up and running X3!