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Asmar had been out hunting and had returned to a confusion of strangers. Again. It had been annoying enough when Ru and his band had first stopped by, and then they'd stayed for a moon before continuing on to the main pride. She hadn't cared for the sudden influx of strangers, but she'd gritted her teeth and borne it.

Now there were more and different strangers. She could have forgiven a new face or two - it did happen, and wasn't that how she'd ended up here? - but a whole group was pushing it. She'd even have been okay if it was just Ru's group again. But no. This was a totally different band of lions from the main pride.

Everyone had been talking excitedly and loudly and the striped female had stopped only long enough to deliver her kill before heading away from the noisy bunch. Whatever it was, she didn't care.

She may have been a member of Hroarr's band for more than a year now, but the expressions common to the Myrsky Syntynyt remained strange and foreign to the lioness. So the greeting, when mated with such a smile, fell flat. Pink eyes watched the dark lion with annoyance, allowing the silence to stretch out between them.

He was, quite clearly, one of the strangers. And why he should choose to seek her out, Asmar had no idea. She could think of a few reasons though, and liked none of them.

"I'm no Thrall weakling," she returned at last, an edge to her voice. "Go bother someone else."

Besides, speaking of thralls, she had one that she should...check on. Make sure he hadn't tried to run again.

Asmar was, unfortunately, all too familiar with the expression she saw on the male's face. She'd seen it on the faces of numerous males that she'd turned down in a variety of ways. The lioness had no intention of ever being some lion's plaything, and had learned quite enough to keep it from happening.

The surprise came when the dark lion changed tactics and told her that the exile was ended. She'd known, intellectually, that Hroarr and the core of his warband had come from the Myrsky Syntynyt and were exiled by order of the Warlord for some stupid reason. She didn't really care, as it meant that she lived in a smaller group of lions in a more remote part of the lands claimed by the pride. She'd become comfortable here.

Now this stranger, Dragur, was turning her world upside down. She had absolutely no idea how to respond to that.

"W-what?" she managed to force the single word out as she struggled to comprehend and come to terms with what she'd just been told.

Well, Ru being Warlord didn't sound so bad, he had seemed like a good enough guy. He was centered and grounded and seemed to have the best interests of his band in mind. She didn't know him well, but she wasn't going to raise a stink.

But this part about returning to the pride...how could you return to a place you'd never been? And did she want to? Not to mention the fact that if she was to return to a pride, it would be the Ukuucha'Wafalme...and that was never going to happen. Not now, not ever.

Her face stiffened with resolve against that as she thought over what Draugr had said. This was a future she'd been unprepared for...no. She should be honest, if only for herself. The only planning she'd done for some time now was centered around her training. She'd learned to defend, to fight, and become a Reaver. But she hadn't thought beyond that in the least. Nor had anyone even intimated that she should. She'd agreed to follow Hroarr.

He was her Captain.

That was it, the key she'd been looking for. In many ways, Hroarr himself had become the focus in her life. Much of what Asmar had done since joining his band had been for herself. But just as much, if not more, had been for Hroarr. Oh, she knew he was happily mated, but that wasn't what she wanted. In many ways Hroarr was the father she wished she'd had. Taking a Thrall hadn't been just because she could, it had been to prove to Hroarr that she'd learned what he'd taught.

"Hroarr is my Captain," she finally answered aloud.

Narrowed pink eyes watched Draugr even as he watched her. What was this attempt to converse? Was he really trying so hard to get at her...or was this perhaps something more subtle and sinister?

Was he some agent trying to fracture Hroarr's warband? Now was a perfect opportunity, if they were returning to the pride. After more than a year living in such a small group and each with such responsibilities, they would be joining a much larger group and each would have significantly more free time with which to mingle amongst others. To talk, to learn, to be persuaded by soft-spoken and hard-edged words...

Asmar wasn't certain that such purpose was Draugr's, but the possibility remained. What better way to undermine Hroarr's authority than to return him to a place where he was not sovereign and his band would scatter and be absorbed by the pride?

"I will," she answered at last, keeping it short and curt. She wanted nothing more to do with this dark male, but did not want to be overly rude. Not yet, at least.

Asmar watched, suspicious and untrusting. What was the purpose of this? Why did he single her out? Why carelessly toss out the suggestion that she meet his sister? The striped lioness couldn't think of a good motivation for Draugr. So many ran through her mind, from the innocent trying to help a stranger find their way in a new pride to the subversive trying to separate Hroarr's band.

Perhaps she would take him up on his offer. Perhaps she wouldn't. Many decisions would have to wait until she had actually been to the Myrsky Syntynyt's heartlands and met the lions there.