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 Posted: Fri Aug 23, 2013 2:15 pm
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It was late in the night, the moon was no longer full but it provided a reassuring light in the darkness. Selene was hidden out of view, though she couldn't convince Fuu to stay there with her now that they were finally to the edge of the West House borders. She trusted him to keep an eye on things but she was nervous of being found out before Biti could return to them, hopefully with the former Lady of the house. Though she was laying down and her head was resting on her paws, she didn't sleep. Instead she was staring up at the moon and thinking. As it did frequently over the weeks since they fled the Mwezi'Johari, she thought about the night they learned what Shangyue had done, the night he attacked them. Tried to kill them.
Fuu was restless, he had not slept much over the weeks they slowly traveled towards the Tianxia lands. Biti was the only reason they were able to stop with any comfort. He was long convinced they were not being pursued, though he wasn't sure it would never happen, but it didn't change his mood. Like Selene, he was struggling to come to terms with what happened. He was grateful for Biti, a bird that had not been seen in the Mwezi'Johari for a long time but reappeared in time to help save them and guide their escape. Now they had sent Biti ahead to find Fuu's mother and while they waited, Fuu's anxiety only grew. How would they explain what happened?
He kept watching for Biti to return but it was useless in the dark, the bird was so small and dark they would never see him. They might hear him but only if he thought to warn them they were coming.
So he paced, though he had an obvious limp, waiting. |
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Posted: Fri Aug 23, 2013 2:32 pm
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"My lady, you must slow your pace," Fēisù Zhuǎ warned, the guard keeping pace with the older lioness. She had always been quick, but when word of her son's arrival on the border came to her, she nearly disappeared from everyone's eyes. Though Fēisù was merely a guard, he had been sent after her to make sure she would arrive safely. It was dark, too dark to rush through the dense foliage that protected their borders.
"No, we must hurry. Bad news could be the only reason why Fuu has returned..." Mio's face wrinkled with concern. Though she had hated to see her son go, it was only fair. They had Alizeti. A fair trade, in crude terms. Now, though, things couldn't be good.
"My lady, we do not need you to trip and injure yourself." Normally Die and Tishtar followed Mio, but as dark as it was, having a full lion escort the former lady seemed much more secure. Fēisù was started to have his doubts...oh how the Lady Ren pressed on regardless of risks.
Mio slowed her pace, though her heart was pounding through her chest. It seemed like to take forever to reach the border. Though it was a bit of a walk, the stress that crushed her made it seem all the longer. "Fuu?" Mio called out now and then, unsure as to their exact location. The border was not marked well, and it was hard to name landmarks in the dark of night.
Fēisù's eyes narrowed as he thought he saw movement. "Slow, Lady. I believe we are nearly there." His guard flew up as he felt his muscles tighten. Whether it was the Duke or not, something was there, and he had to protect the Lady, former or not. |
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Posted: Fri Aug 23, 2013 2:46 pm
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Biti flew swiftly ahead of the pair of lions, not bothering to stop and reroute them while they stayed on the correct path- and so far they had. He had, apparently, done a fine job relaying Fuu's description of exactly where they could be found because they didn't seem to need his guidance. He didn't slow down until he landed abruptly on the ground not far from where Selene was hidden and Fuu paced, then he let out a shrill chirp to announce his return- and the arrival of Mio.
Selene started when Biti suddenly cried out, lifting her head and holding her breath for just a second. She was having a hard time getting used to the bird's shrill call, it was hard not to treat as urgent. If he was back, that meant he must have found someone. She hesitated before emerging from her shadowy hideout to see how Fuu reacted.
When Biti returned, Fuu froze and he listened carefully. He heard voices, his name- he was sure of it. Selene had appeared not far from him and he glanced over to her, offering a small smile, before straightening himself up.
"Mother?" he called back, hoping it was his mother that Biti had brought back. His voice was slightly hoarse but he sounded the same as he always had otherwise. She wasn't alone- who had come with her?
A sudden fluttering sound was all that could be heard when Biti decided not to stay on the ground. Instead, he joined his two friends, taking a perch on Selene's shoulder. The guard clearly was less trusting than Mio but they were here, that was the important thing. Hopefully they wouldn't react to the shadows and Mio would recognize her son. It might have been easier to do this during the day but that wasn't what Selene had wanted.
Selene was reassured to see her mate smile and to have Biti perched on her shoulder. The bird would not have returned with someone they did not want to see, he would have been able to move more quickly, warn them. So she didn't hesitate anymore and walked out to join Fuu, though she stood behind him. |
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Posted: Fri Aug 23, 2013 3:06 pm
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Fēisù was still tense, though it seemed that they had found them. Fuu and his mate. He didn't know her name, but right now that didn't matter. Safety was on his mind, that and bringing everyone back to the rest of the family soon.
"Oh Fuu..." Mio approached him carefully, unsure as to exactly what she should do. She honestly wanted to comfort herself and him, but she knew that he was an adult. Coddling right now might not be the best course of action.
"We weren't told much, but...it can wait." The purple lioness sighed. "There's no point in telling me when you'll just have to tell your father all over again. Are you safe, though? Do you need a healer? Fēisù can go fetch the apothecary if you need one."
Fēisù merely nodded, his eyes going from Fuu, to his mate, to...something on her? movement. Perhaps it was the little bird that hard called the alert. Something seemed...off. They may not be in danger now, but he wondered if it was still nipping at their heels.
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Posted: Fri Aug 23, 2013 3:24 pm
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Fuu sighed when his mother did indeed respond, now well within view. He was nervous his injuries would be apparent but they were helped by the darkness, it seemed. And he wasn't sure if he was relieved or not to be told not to tell their story yet, though he certainly wasn't keen on sharing it with a stranger present-- he didn't even recognize the guard that had come with his mother.
"We're fine," he said, taking a step closer to his mother and smiling at her. There was clearly something not quite right about his face, though exactly what it was was hard to see by moonlight. An attempt to blind him had been, thankfully, unsuccessful but left an obvious mark across his muzzle.
"We probably should see an apothecary but it can wait."
Their decision to get as far away from the Mwezi'Johari as fast as they could, added to their injury and anxiety.. they hadn't had much of a chance to properly heal, though they were careful to be clean in an effort to avoid infection. Hopefully they had been successful.
Selene's eyes were on Fēisù when they were finally certain they were found by those they had been looking for. She was relieved to not have to immediately relive the story that had brought them all the way here but she knew it was still coming- and, like Fuu, she didn't like the idea of telling much in the presence of the guard. They had discussed how they were going to handle this and none of their plan involved spreading the whole truth too far.
She followed Fuu when he stepped forward, looking from the guard to Mio. Even in the moon she looked more whole but she seemed reluctant to speak.
Biti didn't bother trying not to stare at Fēisù, he didn't recognize the guard either. He knew Mio and enough of the nobles here, he had never seen this guard. That made him far more interesting but also more suspicious of the whole thing, it seemed. Hrmm..
"We were hoping we could stay here," he said after a pause, deciding this much of their intention was necessary to make clear from the start, "We have no interest in returning to the Mwezi'Johari, I was hoping we would be welcomed back home, here."
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Posted: Fri Aug 23, 2013 4:05 pm
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In the length of time that she had spent living here, Mio had grown so accustomed to a guard escort that she never thought much about Fēisù. Her eyes were focused on Fuu, and as an extension of him, Selene as well. The more she looked, the more worried she felt. Heightening the anxiety wouldn't be any help what so ever, so she did her best to remain calm; she actually looked completely calm on the outside. Living with Zahi had taught her that skill.
"When we get close enough, I will send Fēisù to fetch the apothecary," she replied with force. "No getting around it. Everyone is awake, as there was enough alarm to worry everyone. We aren't used to having alarms in the middle of the night," she offered with a smile. She peered over at Selene, who seemed more upset than Fuu at the moment, a bit surprised about how silent she was.
Fēisù's eyes narrowed again, analyzing. Everything was safe here, for the moment, so though his eyes were on the pair, his ears were working to listen to everything behind them. It seemed quiet and safe, but a guard was never to lower his senses just because it seemed alright.
"Are you all able to walk safely?" the guard asked, still unsure as to the true status of the two. Like Mio, the longer that he looked at them, the more he noticed things were wrong. Injuries that were only half healed, if that.
A revelation of danger, it was clear that things had gone wrong in this other pride, this Mwezi'Johari that Lord Alizeti was from. No wonder they were so skittish. Mio's eyes widened, and Fēisù's brows furrowed.
"I know you wouldn't run here without reason, but..." Mio gasped just thinking about what could make them return here in such a state of exhaustion.
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Posted: Fri Aug 23, 2013 4:34 pm
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"My apologies, Lady," Biti said, suddenly speaking up when Mio explained how everybody had been woken by his alarm, "I didn't mean to cause such a fuss, you were hard to find and I know we're all eager to relax."
He was a polite little guy. He had never forgotten his meetings with the nobles around here when there was all the fuss with getting Alizeti settled in here and, eventually, sending Fuu back tot he Mwezi'Johari. He did, however, fail to remember the layout of the West House's territory and keep up with the goings-on or he might have had an easier time.
Fuu glanced back to Biti when he apologized for waking everybody up. He wasn't upset about it but he was a little disappointed that they couldn't sneak in quietly. That's what they got for trusting a honeyguide bird with delivering a message, of course. And it was still preferable to randomly wandering into the lands without warning.
"We've already walked a great distance," he said, looking to Fēisù when he questioned them, sounding much more optimistic than either of them looked, "I think we can manage to go a little bit farther. Right, Selene?"
He looked back again to her.
Selene couldn't bring herself to speak, she just didn't know what to say, didn't trust her voice to be steady. Of course she had been trained to be able to stay calm and speak through everything but nothing made any sense now and she couldn't just put it all aside the same way she always had before, like she had managed on the night that her father was murdered. Everything changed when they found out it was because of Shangyue and admitting that to anybody seemed unreasonable.. so she couldn't speak.
She nodded, though. They could indeed walk.
Fuu frowned and looked back to his mother.
"We were attacked, usurped," he said, offering a somewhat vague explanation though he was certain it wouldn't help overcome the shock and worry that held them up now, "We managed to escape and so far we haven't been followed, I expect we're assumed dead by this point."
It was certainly adrenaline and the will to live (and keep each other alive) that got them moving as quickly as they did. Though neither had been fatally wounded and now having had some time to heal, even through the journey, it was not outside of reason for Shangyue to believe they might have died. Especially Fuu.
"I promise we're not bringing trouble with us," he added, though he wasn't sure that would always be true.
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Posted: Fri Aug 23, 2013 7:50 pm
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"Things have changed since you've left, Fuu," the former lady said. "Don't worry about trouble following you. To tell you the truth..." She glanced over at Fēisù, wondering if he'd mind if she told. When he merely shrugged his shoulders, she continued on.
"Fēisù Zhuǎ is actually the son of a god. One that watches over the West House. They both appeared before your sister, and though Bai Hu is rarely seen, Fēisù has become a guard."
The black-striped lion shrugged again. "It is nothing. We will assure you of your safety, Duke, and that of your wife. I am sure the Lord and Lady will want the details, though it can wait until after we arrive and the apothecary looks after you."
Mio laughed. "Yes, that sounds like a plan. And we will make sure you've eaten, as well."
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Posted: Fri Aug 23, 2013 8:07 pm
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He watched his mother and the guard carefully, raising a brow at the declaration of Fēisù's parentage. That was indeed different, it sounded like they must have something greater going for them now and it was a relief to know they were not so concerned about trouble.. but part of his mind went to what that could mean if Shangyue did try to follow them.
"Oh," he murmured.
Selene straightened up when Mio explained that the guard was the son of a god, giving him a confused, almost skeptical look. She had never learned a great deal about gods other than the Great Lion, naturally she had heard there were other creatures that claimed to be gods but the way they were treated, she hardly believed it.
Biti stumbled back a bit when Selene straightened up, his perch suddenly becoming more awkward. Ruffling his feathers a bit he hopped backward to rest on her back, his tiny claws digging into her fur just enough to hold him in place. He wasn't surprised by this information about Fēisù Zhuǎ, he was just glad they were on their way to a safe place to rest.
Fuu glanced back at Selene with a small smile when he felt her move suddenly in response to the unusual information but he didn't bother to draw any extra attention to it. The closer they got to their welcome home, the more tired he was beginning to feel. He could finally relax, he was glad for that.
"Alright," he said, "Thank you."
Fuu's eyes on her pulled her attention away from the demi-god standing before them and, embarrassed, she looked to the ground while her mate thanked them. She wasn't looking forward to the full telling of their story- particularly with Alizeti, somehow it made her even more uneasy to know someone who really understood their pride was going to have to hear their story.
She didn't look back up but she leaned against Fuu gently and sighed quietly.
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Posted: Fri Aug 23, 2013 8:55 pm
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