The pair were tangled together as they rolled down the embankment. It was steep enough that Hēidào's voice was quickly lost between the grunting and the foliage snapping beneath their bodies. Zuo was easily outweighed by Quánlì, but the bard hoped that he could be crafty enough to keep himself alive. Anger swelled in his chest as he remembered the painful look on the black lioness' face. Whatever she had done to deserve her sentence didn't include merciless beatings. No matter what happened to him, he knew that he needed to report this to Lady Zhao. Quánlì mustn't get away with the abuse he inflicted on Hēidào, regardless of the fact that she was a criminal. He couldn't imagine the Lady endorsing that kind of treatment unless Hēidào showed absolute proof that she had done something to deserve it...and he guessed that Lady Zhao would administer the punishment herself.
"How dare you interrupt me!" Quánlì roared, feeling his body finally break free from the thinly-built bard. He couldn't believe that someone such as him would dare interrupt him on his duty. He was out there on the border risking his life everyday to protect...this? A flowery little bard that had probably never dealt with real danger in his life. All sense of control was slipping from the green lion's grasp as he felt his own anger surge through his bloodstream.
"She's mine! Don't touch her, don't even think about her. You have no claim to even be near her, being a pathetic bard as you are. I will show you right now that you have nothing! Nothing to stand against me!"
Zuo felt his stomach sink at the guard's words, but he wasn't about to roll over. Regardless of what was to happen, he felt like he had to help Hēidào as much as she could. He knew that she wasn't the best lioness. She had a mean streak, and used many of the middle class males against one another for her own whimsy. He had let himself be taken in by her, and perhaps that feeling of lustful loyalty made him feel obligated to help her. Part of him saw his mother in her too. Though she was cubless, there were parallels to how the house handled them. Mother was a lioness who had two litter with no present father, and many of the upper class lions couldn't believe how simple she seemed to be. Zuo knew different; his mother fell in love easily, but with all the wrong males. Hēidào's reasonings may not be the same, but Zuo felt that judging someone for such a simple reason seemed pointless.
Besides, she was worth far more than the sense of property that Quánlì seemed to think she was.
"She's not yours to own!" Zuo challenged, his thin legs stiffening as he got himself back up on his feet. Being entangled with a lion that was so much stronger than him was intimidating...but Zuo had knowledge on his side. He was doing his best to control his anger while egging Quánlì to lose his. The old songs he learned to sing had a bit of information on battles in them, as skewed as they might be. He had to ******** off!" Quánlì screamed. "You're just a ******** twig for a guard like me to snap. You give nothing useful, there are other bards who I at least know of their work!" The green lion wasn't sure how to hurl insults, but he was doing a good job on the fly. It was painfully true that Zuo was not very talented in making his own songs, and instead just sang whatever was popular at the time. He was mediocre, run of the mill, and desperately wanted to be better. Now he was risking everything for a criminal.
Zuo stood his ground, roaring in return. "I'll protect her from scum like you!" he challenged, feeling his whole world narrow to the existence of Quánlì and Hēidào. His beloved mother even fell from his mind, only intent on trying to write this wrong that was before him.
"Heh," the guard laughed. "Foolish bard." The guard was well trained, and stronger than the average guard. His lack of empathy perpetuated the stereotype for the guards, and his loud and brash ways gave him not a friend to count. He didn't care as long as he got what he wanted. With a surge of movement, he sholdered the black lion down onto the ground, landing a strong blow against the side of his head. Zuo was dazed, but still conscience, and tripped back up to his feet. He snapped at Quánlì's ankles, forcing the guard to jump backwards as Zuo tried to use his smaller frame to his advantage. There were less targets for Quánlì to aim for, but Zuo didn't have the strength to return blow for blow.
Zuo did his best to zip around the guard, nipping and clawing him here and there. Quánlì's coat slowly began to be covered with small cuts, oozing bits of blood as he roared in frustration. "This is not fighting," Quánlì yelled, swinging another strike at Zuo's shoulder, his teeth clutching into the black lion's mane. The thick mane protected Zuo from serious injury, but he was caught. He couldn't shake Quánlì, though he certainly tried.
"Die," Quánlì breathed between his clenched jaws, trying to tighten his grip on Zuo's throat. Zuo's forelegs were still trying to push the guard as far from him as possible, feeling his strength leave him as he struggled to survive.
"ENOUGH!"
The words didn't penetrate either lion, and suddenly Quánlì released Zuo's throat. Zuo felt himself gasping for air, struggling to regain his balance as it felt like a rush of wind passed near him. Through watery eyes he saw Quánlì on the ground with Captain Jing Zhishi standing over him. The fury that was contained on the Captain's face cowed Zuo down to a cub, even if the anger wasn't directly at him. He turned to look the other way when he heard someone else approaching him.
Lady Zhong Zhao.
"L-Lady Zhao!" Zuo threw himself onto the ground, cowering before her. His mind was turning into mush with all the events that had happened over the past half-hour. A fight, near death, and now he had the Lady of the West staring him down.
"I see we have an issue here," she said calmly, though all knew that Zhao had the same anger as her father. Easy to kindle, nearly impossible to soothe. No one had know that Die, Lady Ren's assistant, had seen the initial beating, and had quickly reported it to Lady Zhao. She knew what had happened, and didn't wait for an explination.
"Zuo. You should know better, knowing who your mother is." The words were harsh, and there was little sympathy in her voice. Zuo shamefully felt his ears burning, though he wasn't happy with the reminder. Everyone knew that his older siblings were illegitimate children of a Prince of the Central house. He didn't need the reminder, regardless of the fact he was smitten with Hēidào. She gently placed her paw on the back of his head as she walked past him towards the fallen guard.
"Quánlì. I feel like my mother, having to personally deal with a power-hungry guard. I am thankful you are not part of my personal guard, but regardless, you have completely overstepped your bounds. I should strip you of all honor and have you killed." She turned to look at her Captain.
Jing Zhishi, as Captain, was in charge of all the guards, royal or regular. He observed all their training, and assisted when he thought it would be helpful. He didn't assist much in Quánlì's training, as the green lion was already so talented. It seemed now that there was quite the dark side that he had hidden from his peers...until now.
"Death is not the right punishment, your grace," he replied. "Instead, I believe he should get a taste of what being a criminal is like." His deep blue eyes pierce Quánlì's pink ones. "You are to be in jail for five days. You will survive on rations, only within the company of your fellow guards. The Lady will visit you once you've completed your sentence, and from there she will decide what to do with you."
"That seems fair," Lady Zhao said with a sigh. She didn't seem happy with it, but she wasn't sure what else to do with him. She didn't trust Quánlì enough to send him to another house...though the North could be good for him. That structure was insanely tight, and West just didn't have the forces to mimic the North's specialty.
She turned back to Zuo, still cowering even though she had left him. She couldn't help but feel a bit bad for him, becoming entranced with that vixen's game. "Hēidào is a dangerous one to play with, Zuo. You should be careful. Have your fun, but don't forget to remember who you are."
She turned and disappeared into the brush. Zuo couldn't help but notice Die, the maned wolf that seemingly saw everything. He shivered as they disappeared, his weak body slowly pulling itself up straight. He looked over his shoulder, seeing the Captain haul Quánlì away. Fear overcame Zuo for a moment, as he shivered like a leaf. He almost died. For a lioness. Was it worth it? He wasn't certain, but he slowly pulled himself up the embankment, hoping to see Hēidào, to make sure that she was still alive. It was a difficult trek, and once he reached the top, no one was there. Blood and black fur marked the spot were Hēidào had been, and a few other foot marks told Zuo that someone had been here to get her. Well. Hopefully one of the apothecaries was looking after her now. He limped away, ready to revert to being a cub and bury his face into his mother's side, surrounded by the beautiful trinkets she made every day. Life was so complicated.
(1,686 words)