Moyo was pissed - no, he was beyond pissed. He wasn’t even quite sure what had sparked his rage, but it was enough to make him want to tear out the throat of anyone who happened to cross his past.
He didn’t get angry often, brushing off any smart comments with the knowledge that the sweet flesh of their kin and kith would soon end up as his next meal, but no - something had gotten to him today that had not gotten to him before.
Perhaps it was the whisperings of how their Jarl was not fit to lead, or the fact that their Jarlkona was too kind in her approach. He snarled as he turned, nearly pouncing on whomever dared entered his space.
Luck, though, held him back. The figure standing just across from him appeared as none other than Jarlkona Liana. She held a soft expression on her face.
“I came to check up on you,” Liana said softly. Moyo was still tense, however, wound up in his anger. A snarl again pulled from his throat and he turned.
Liana stayed silent for a moment, but stepped closer anyhow. “Moyo, shh,” She murmured. She settled, sitting among the shore of the river Moyo was pacing before. The Ráðgjafi did not settle down however and Liana could only watch as her advisor paced to and fro before her.
He would have to calm down on his own. It was a rare sight, this tightly wound up figure. Moyo, normally calm, was there as an advisor - someone who kept laws and traditions safe within the pride.
It took several long moments before the red and white lion sighed. He seemed to slump and deflate. He pulled himself towards the Jarlkona, settling near her. He huffed.
“It’s been a long while since you’ve been so angry, my friend,” Liana sighed. The pair had traveled to these lands together, finding the pride already starting to mend itself. She had taken on the role of a hunter, while he had become a merchant. They had worked as a team easily. While Liana had not officially been a crafter, she had learned, and they sold and traded.
She had nearly married Moyo out of ease, so men would stop bothering her. She wasn’t some common plaything to be toyed with, after all. But then, she had met Ghana, who had married her for her cleverness.
Her friendship with Moyo did not stop there, however.
She listened to Moyo sigh again, and she nudged him. “Don’t let words get to you. Words only have the meaning you let them have, my friend.” She heard the red lion chuckle, and she could only smile as well.
“You’re right - the only answer is brute force,” he snorted, and Liana gave a small laugh. It was a small joke between them, both knowing how words could tear a person apart, especially if they held the sway of dozens of others. Voices could wrend someone to pieces, or heal them. They could Lead and Destroy, or soothe a crying babe.
It was all a matter of who was speaking them, after all. Words could carry talons to piece, or a gentle breeze of song. “Of course you would say that, you savage.” Despite the harsh words, her voice was teasing and gentle.
Still, Moyo sighed, rocking forward to stand again. “You know my loyalty to you is unwavering,” he spoke, suddenly. The whispers had sat deeply with him, and he vowed to take care of the one who spoke ill.
He would have to be clever, though. Random disappearances would be seen as disloyalty and abandonment - but if he messed up, then it would be seen as murder. “I have not doubted you, my friend,” Liana shook her head, closing her black eyes for a moment.
“Don’t do anything drastic, please,” Liana sighed. Moyo had grown up differently than she had. While Liana had been born into a pride - one she could not remember - she was raised by a mother who bit at her to become better. Or, as her mother said, she had to ‘ be less useless than your father, Liana!’ She had been a nomad from a young age before coming here.
Moyo, though, was raised in a strange pride where he was trained as a spy as a child and grew weary and restless until the pride disbanded in his adulthood. It left him without an anchor, making him wild and violent.
She stood as well, coming up next to striped lion. He was a lot calmer than before. An angry Moyo was a dangerous one. He could lash out and harm someone. So far, within the pride he was tame as a kitten, but anything could make him snap.
“Moyo,” She called softly, not speaking again until the red male looked at her. “Promise me that if you’re this angry again, that you will come find me.” There was an uncertain look on the advisor’s face, however, and she pushed forward.
“Promise me,” she demanded, face stern. She stared intently at her friend until he sighed and nodded his agreement.
“I will try, and that is my only promise,” Moyo warned. He huffed at the Jarlkona, but a gentle smile crossed his maw. Liana shook her head and sighed again - she had done so a lot today. Still, the thought of one of her closest friends in such a state worried her and made her feel uncertain in a way she hadn’t before.
She bumped shoulders with her friend. “I suppose that is all I can ask,” she murmured. “I need you to be strong for me.” She pressed against him for a moment, as if to emphasise her point. “But it does not mean I cannot do the same for you.”
Moyo gave her a grin. “Alright, Liana,” he murmured, pushing back a little, pressing their weights together for a moment. She laughed, nuzzling him.
“Take a small break, yeah? Craft something and sell it to a merchant,” Liana told him. She gave him a mock-stern look and Moyo could only laugh. He nudged her again, and started wandering away.
“Yeah, yeah,” he snorted, but he was determined to complete the suggestion despite the teasing tone of it. Liana could only smile as she watched her friend walk off. She sighed one last time before making her way back to the den she shared with Ghana.
