Kusimamia'Utulivu - -_Wish of Tevarae_-
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Siochana - -_Wish of Tevarae_-
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Hakuna'jina - Das Tor
Concern had written itself over her face, her paws carrying her quickly towards the place she knew her father and Grandmother would be located. What she'd found...It would change things. This much she knew. If her father and Grandmother could not do anything about the female that had threatened her, then the Pride had a true problem, "Grandmother! Father!"
Tulivu glanced up from his meal, noting how tense his daughter was. that wasn't good...."Siochana. Daughter. What's wrong?"
Hakuna blinked, looking up from Tuli to her granddaughter. Something was wrong, she could see it on Sio's face. And that worried her. Sio wasn't near as emotional as she'd been around her age. "What is it Sio? What troubles you?" Hakuna let her form waver and shift into what she'd been before her death and rebirth, familiar orange-amber eyes instead of blue.
Her golden tail flicked back and forth, looking up into those familiar eyes, her legs quivering as she managed to sit, "I was on a patrol near the forest and I found something....Concerning. I saw what I could have sworn was a ghost, running away from a kill that had been drained of its blood. I followed..."
Tulivu's brow knitted together, his maw curling into a frown. Something that had been running away from her. That wouldn't be good. If SOMETHING was out there...then they needed to know more. He settled back to listen, wondering what else she would have.
Hakuna listened, frowning. What...what the heck? "A ghost? Go on, Sio." She didn't think ghosts could exist...but if they could...There was only one forest, one jungle attached to the Aegnor lands. And if there were ghosts coming out of it? There was only one thing they could be the ghosts of. And that was a disturbing thought. A very disturbing one.
"I followed her for quite a while, at least until she finally revealed herself to me. The lioness was strange, pale as the moon with red eyes. She was unafraid of me, and called herself one of the dead returned. Said Demons held no sway over her...or her people." Meaning that there were more of them hiding in the woods. Tucked away somewhere, stealing kills, "Something about the Vizuka."
Tuli's fur bristled slowly, and he felt fear inch through his chest. Lions that believed they were dead. That were draining the blood from kills. Who had claimed the forests around their home. Shaking out his pelt, he looked to his mother, "This is not good, Mother..."
"No, it isn't." Hakuna let the information roll around in her mind a bit, sorting through it and determining what it most likely was. "We'll need to set the mori'osta in pairs around that area. Herd the ran'ar'ma from there for a bit. The last inhabitants of that place, besides us, were the Mwana-a'lela. Do either of you remember them?"
Sio shook her head. The Mwana-a'lela was not something she'd ever known, but her grandmother would explain. Her tail wrapped about her paws, eyes studying the pair. Her father, however...He looked somber.
Tuli glanced up at his mother, "The Mwana....I do remember them. It seems long ago now, but..." Huh...If they were what he thought, "Do you think they may be a remnant of the Mwana, this group?" Whatever they were, they were a threat. No fear of the Demons, taking the prey, and this female had stood against his daughter.
"The Mwana-a'lela were a bit like us, Sio. Night-dwellers, dark creatures. Unlike us, however, it was not the demons inside that bound them to the night. It was blood. Blood meant even more to them than it does to us. I think..." She nodded at Tuli. "Your father is correct. It is also possible that we really are dealing with the ghosts of the Mwana." If so...
Moricorm would not be happy. Hakuna remembered that the demoness had a friend among the Mwana, the father of the darker lioness' first cubs.
Shaking out her pelt, the girl stood to her feet, tail flicking back and forth, "I can organize the Cor'osta. Arrange for patrols to begin. Perhaps start training some of our younger lot." She was almost instantly in the mindset of a teacher, as she'd once been. Her claws dug into the earth, mind whirling.
Tuli sighed, "I think we may have to be very cautious in our approach, Sio. There is a measure of caution that must be taken, and we need to let Moricorm and Nyota know what you've seen."
"Hold your ground for now, Sio. Until we've discussed this with the inner leaders, simply up patrols to pairs instead of singles. Make sure no ran'ar'ma go through that area for their safety." Hakuna knew border patrols. She knew that jungle. And she wanted to lose no one to it. They were, after all, larger than the Mwana-a'lela had been on average. Less suited to the jungle. They would not lose anyone to their opponent having the advantage.
"Go, talk with the other cor'osta and ensure the patrol changes are made. Then meet us at the training area. There are no classes right now. It's the perfect place to talk."
Sio listened carefully to her grandmother, ears twitching as the order not to take action was given. She wanted nothing more than to hunt down these....GHOSTS, and bring one of them back as a Nat. To drag it back by its scruff and protect her Pride, as she always would. Nonetheless, she could gather the Cor'osta. Warn them. Help train the new contingency so that they were ready for whatever this new threat was. She would keep the Aegnor safe at any cost, even her own life, "As you wish, Grandmother." It was spoken tersely, as the lioness warred with herself on whether or not she could actually hold her ground for very long.
Tuli, on the other hand, was calm. It explained a vision he'd had, a sight that had come across his mind much as a phantasm for a moment. Slowly, the lion raised himself to his paws, shaking out his pelt. It would be something that needed swift decision and action, something that he was good at, "Mother, may I have permission to discuss this with my mates as well? I want their opinions on the matter. I have much to think on." That was Tuli for you. Always thinking. Always trying to come up with the best solution.
"Their counsel has yet to be detrimental. You may, Tuli." She sighed. "You will not be holding long, Sio. I know how hard this can be. I will try to get things going quickly. But remember this; if we move too quickly, we will lose. And that is something we can't afford."
A quick bob of her head, and the dual-eyed female took off. She had quite the job ahead of her, and a temper she needed to let loose. Sio found that the best way was to find a partner to spar with, and that was what she'd do before going after the rest of the Cor'osta.
Tuli sighed, watching his daughter leave, "I worry, mother, that she might aggravate things. Sio means well, but she has been more...angry than usual. I am concerned about what that might mean for the Pride." Shaking his mane, he moved to press against the goddess' side, sighing softly, "I'm hoping that I am only over-thinking things."
"We shall see, Tuli. Until we can determined that her anger is for the worst, all we can do is keep an eye on her. The anger may also keep itself managable. With our line...it could go either way." Her line and the line of Sparda were quite the mix, she had to admit. "Come, let us find our fellow leaders. There is much to discuss."
[Word Count: 1317, according to Google Docs]
