Welcome to Gaia! ::

The stars were a welcome distraction. A welcome breath of fresh air against the pressing concerns of helping ensure the pride was hale and whole. A breath Irit welcomed with open paws.

"Mother?" The trickster looked over her shoulder to her warrior-daughter, smiling slightly at Chavvah.

"Hello, dear. Come, watch our ancestors with us. They're rather bright tonight. I hope it's a good sign." The younger lioness sat herself next to her mother, nodding.

"I hope so. I was approached by...Vitha, I think her name is? The other day. I don't like what she preaches." The council member shook her head.

"I don't either, Chavvah. Something about it just...doesn't sit right in my belly. Perhaps it is paranoia, but..." She shrugged.


"Hey Ufara, check it out!" The dark male nudged his little group's female 'leader', grin on his maw. "The stars are out already! Isn't that somethin'!" He'd never seen anything like it, and it was the kind of thing they'd have gone nuts over as kids. Fantastic happenings and grand adventures; that had been the dreams of their cubhood. But now they were grown, and it seemed that things had decided to make nods to those unfulfilled dreams.

Truth.Be.Told

Off in the distance, there were three hyenas spying on the event in the Pridelands. The darkening sky was helping to cover their location, and they were careful to make sure they weren't close enough to be tripped on. The Alpha, Masuko, always wanted to keep tabs on their neighbors. The fueling anger that had fed the Mava'Bunda had cooled over the years, but there was still a deep lack of trust in regards to lions. Jasi was the lead of the party, the skilled scout making sure that their tracks were covered as they inched closer over the border. The stink of lion was so heavy here, but she was able to rub her nose into the dirt to cover most of the smell. "Do you see anything, Jehanum?"

Jehanum was a rather bulky hyena, much larger than most of the males in his age bracket. He had been a late bloomer, small for quite a while as Jasi had attempted to help raise him and his siblings as his father had dumped them onto the Alpha like they were her problem. He never had much of a relationship with his father, the red hyena always skulking about, keeping himself busy and unavailable for anyone but the Alpha and her sister.

Then there was the night...the night that his father had the lion slave Ruslam kill a lioness and steal her daughter in the dead of night. Jehanum had seen that his father wasn't what he thought he was....but he had been too terrified to say anything to anyone. Who would believe him, that his father, his own flesh, was somehow...a lion-shaped being with wings? He hadn't been able to look at his father the same since, and did his best to avoid being left alone with the....maybe-hyena.

"Jehanum!" Jasi hissed, trying to get the stupid boy's attention.

"A-ah, yes ma'am," Jehanum exclaimed with a start. He had begun to show talent for visions after that night, and though he wasn't the best Seer in the Mava'Bunda, he was considered...expendable. Not like his half siblings his father had with Chora, who were never allowed outside of the pack's lands to keep them safe. Jehanum was a mother-less boy, deemed rather useless, except that Jasi always strove to take him out on missions to keep him busy.

Ama huffed. He may not be built quite as large as the younger male, but experienced radiated from his aura. He shifted the lion pelt that draped along his shoulders, helping him blend a bit better into the savanna grass. The shadows were disappearing as the sun's last rays were fading into obscurity.
"Boy," he ordered. "Report."

"Y-yes," Jehanum replied, taking a deep breath before speaking again. "I have only seen that a big event is taking place, and this is why there are so many more lions gathered out in the open than usual. I get the sense of..." he paused, his eyes darting between the sky and Jasi. "Of unease. This will be a long night." His blue eyes, dull in the minimal lighting, noticed that one of the stars seemed to burn a little brighter than the others. How strange...was this tied with his unease?

Ama scoffed. He never believed in these 'visions', this supernatural talent that he wrote off as luck. Or trickery. He had fought for everything he had with his own claws, and he wasn't about to start trusting anything else besides those right now. He had been recruited by Masuko to join her pack, to help actually assist in guarding the slaves and ensuring that everything stayed in check. He had grown a bit fond of her, but still felt like he didn't quite deserve the trust that she had extended to him. He was here to assist this small scouting excursion for information, to keep Masuko's beloved Jasi safe, and maybe bring back the nearly-dead weight of Jehanum. The boy needed to learn how to do anything other than stumble over his own words.

"Shhh," Jasi snarled, her body pinning itself even closer to the ground. She could tell that something was coming....the hairs along her neck were beginning to stand on end. She slowly looked over at the two males next to her, realizing that they were sharing that same, awful feeling. There was something incredibly wrong here, and they were pinned down to the ground until that feeling passed. She wasn't about to risk any of their necks to high tail it back to the Mava'bunda...what if whatever the source of this feeling was followed them back?

The small band of hyenas felt like sitting ducks, but there was nothing else they could do. The soft crunching of savanna grass being pummeled into the ground was growing closer, and they could feel the ground shake with each foot fall. What was that? Ama glanced behind him, convinced that a herd of elephants picked a terrible time to move...but his eyes couldn't see anything.

His ears picked up the soft voices that were growing louder into an argument.

------

"I swear to you upon my life, this is where we are supposed to be!"

The insistent, soft-pitched voice was exhausted. She had realized several moons ago that she was nearing the end of her life. Lumina had always been an extremely talented seer...so much so that she had been able to find the sleeping god when she was just a cub, to help wake him from his slumber and mold him into a companion and guardian. He had been so easily to influence, she had near complete control over him for years. Her visions always guided her to the right areas, to keep them safe and fed. When he had begun to truly awaken from his slumber, and requested she bring him to his parents, she did her best to help him. Pinning down the locations of other gods was almost impossible, but as he had grown dependent on her visions, she had done her best to placate him. Little white lies had turned into fully-fledged falsehoods, and about a year ago she realized that she was in too deep.

Lumina was always able to see into the past and future, but the visions never went further than the Pridelands. For the first time in her life, fear had gripped her heart. She did not know if he would find his parents in these calm, docile lands, and thus her mission would be completed....or if she would die here.

And so she had lied. She led him all across the savanna, to different prides, mountains, even a bog. None of them had turned into actual leads, and his patience with her had hit nearly zero. Somehow, a miracle had happened. They had stumbled across his mother in the shrine keeper's lands, laying along her shrine as if she didn't have a care in the world. He had nearly fulfilled half of his mission there, but she had slipped through his claws.

Mwisho had nearly abandoned her in that pride after that stunt, and only her begging had reminded him to grab her when they chased after the small, striped goddess. She had disappeared, and his fury after that had been nigh impossible to handle. If she didn't produce more results fast, he would probably kill her.

So her life had come down to this. The future that she did not see most certainly meant her death.

"You had better be correct," a deep, vicious voice snarled at the small mortal. He never bothered to hide who he was, or what he was; his wings were spread out above him, black voids that seemed to swallow up any light that dared get close. His gold eyes narrowed as he looked towards the odd gaggle of lions that had gathered. Was this what she had seen? Something here was supposed to lead him to his father....to that traitorous b*****d Dathcharu'kai. All of these lions seemed to be too small to be hiding such a blood-soaked beast, but Mwisho had decided to offer one last courtesy of trust to Lumina. If she swore that he was here, somewhere, he would hold her to it.

His parents had abandoned him, what had felt like a lifetime ago. He couldn't remember must from before he had awoken, but that seed of rage that they had planted in his gut had begun to blossom when Lumina nursed him out of his haze. The drive to fulfill his revenge had only grown stronger as his strength returned, and his blood called out for it. Revenge, destruction, the end of everything. It was the only way for him to continue forwards.

They walked towards the gathering, Lumina's small frame requiring twice as many steps as her companion's. Her blue eyes noticed that there was a small group of hyenas, doing the same amount of spying as they were. Blue eyes of a different sort looked straight at her, and a jolt of pain shook her down to her chest. Mwisho glanced to where she had been looking, his own gold eyes piercing down at the odd little group. "What?" he snarled, half at Lumina, and half at the hyenas.

"N-nothing. Don't pay any attention to dumb hyenas," she breathed, pushing herself back up. What was that? She looked again at the largest of the three, his coat seemingly boring, but the red in his mane was a lot like the red that Mwisho had described his father's wearing. Was....was she actually telling the truth to him when she led him here?

They hyenas were pinned to the ground, all feeling the frightening pressure of the winged one's aura. Mwisho wanted to continue on his way, so he snarled and snapped his jaws at the three of them, scattering the hyenas in different directions. Jehanum scattered foolishly towards the group of lions, his red mane flashing in the last of the sun's light.

The god's jaw hardened. "You knew that, didn't you?" He felt the anger in his chest rising, the control over his mind slipping as the rage flew into his limbs again. "That is his red, isn't it? That is what you saw?? On a piece of s**t hyena that ran away like a scared hare?" His control snapped. His golden eyes cloud over, and Lumina knows that her time has come. She lets herself reflect on her past, knowing that she inflicted cruelties on other innocent lives. She even had toyed with the hyenas for a time, before they bored her.

He screamed into the night's sky, the bright stars above seem to shake underneath the lashing out of his rage. He screams until his chest burns, the rage fueling him and his control slips completely from his grasp, as well as Lumina's. "You've lied to me for the last time!"

Her visions had come to this; a fate she delayed for a time, but was unable to avoid completely. She felt his massive jaws clamp around her neck, and a whimper escaped her throat. Please be kind to me, and bless me with a better life next time, Death.

As he felt her body go limp, he threw himself into the air, his wings seemingly growing with every stroke. The darkness spread above him until it seemed to cover half of the sky. The stars seemingly screamed out beyond, some of them growing brighter and brighter as he shifted directions to chase after the lone, foolish hyena that was running straight towards the large group of lions.

As he drew closer, the red of the hyena's mane was clearly, clearly the same red as his father's. He dropped Lumina's body, far too close to the stunned lions below, and snapped his jaws at the stupid beast, only able to grab a mouthful of that cursed, traitorous red that made his soul scream for revenge.

"If you're here, Dathcharu'kai, you murderous piece of s**t, get out here instead of hiding behind this lie of a form like the coward you are!"

A God was here, and a vengeful one at that.


((Summary: A God has murdered a mortal in front of any of those gathered, whether Pridelanders or passing rogues, and the body has been dumped just a few yards from them. An odd, red-maned hyena has frighteningly run straight into the middle of the lion gathering, missing a large chunk of his own mane. And that very angry god is now hovering above said lions, looking for his father. You have many options of things to react to!))

She'd remained quiet for the most part. She'd never been the religious sort, perhaps a touch spiritual, but when the 'cult' had found more fertile ground she had been forced to raise an eyebrow. She'd never been one for doom, destruction and desperation, they had done no one any favours and to feed in to their notions served no one any benefit.

...If anything it did more harm than good.

Yet as the fallen lioness lay nearby, over shadowed by the mighty beast that now called out for a name she didn't recognise, she did have to concede that some of their notions had been correct. Whether this was sheer coincidence or not remained to be seen, but the death of an innocent had been unmistakable and they were now faced with something quite unlike anything she had ever seen before. Alas, despite her travels she had never stumbled upon a deity and beyond staring up at the creature that now made up a significant portion of her line of sight, she didn't know quite how to respond.

Fear? She wasn't quite there yet.

Reverence? Absolutely not, his toxic demeanour radiated even from here and if she were to swear fealty to anything it definitely wouldn't be that.

It was something to consider as she glanced about to take note of the reactions that others might have. Given her's had been muted, coupled with an uncertainty on how to act around something quite so foreign, she might find herself in striking contrast to others.

All that she knew was that all wasn't well, whomever this being was he certainly wasn't friendly and he had no qualms with removing anything he disliked. She suspected this entity would have no qualms about sweeping them to the side while he sought out this 'Dathcharu' or whatever his name might have been...

The green council lion liked to think that the council was doing everything within their power to keep those within their lands safe. The three males that traveled with him were scouts within the lands and he trusted them a great deal, especially Areo and Argy, mainly because they'd both been outside the lands, whether it had been from birth or travels. Their knowledge about the lands beyond their boarders were important to him and he often sought them out for their company to hear of their adventures. "Things have been oddly peaceful lately, I'm not sure if that should be a good thing or not." Green eyes looked over towards the violet and orange male that was to his left.

The Demi-God turned his own orange gaze towards the green male and let out a small sigh. Where his visions going to come to pass? He truly hoped not, but only time would tell and really it was a matter of time before they did. He'd never not had a vision come to pass and he was fairly concerned for the future of the pride but he wasn't going to let anyone on to those feelings. "The calm before the storm....." His voice faded and he replaced his frown with a smile in an attempt to reassure his companion. "Let us hope for the best." Gaze followed along the crowd of lions that were currently huddled in a particular area.

"Yes, let's." His attention was then stolen by one of the other council members and his mother who happened to be in close proximity to him. "If you'll excuse me." He gave Areo and the other's a small nod of his head and made his way towards Otea with a bright smile upon his face. "Hello Soren, beautiful night is it not?" His gaze was upon Otea though, and they were bright like the stars in a way. "Otea, it's wonderful to see you here on such a pleasant evening. It's a nicety we aren't allowed often with the times we've had thrust upon us so I do hope it's enjoyable for everyone. I don't believe we have been introduced?" He said looking towards the other male standing nearby.



Maahes felt fortunate to be around such pleasant company, the other scouts were welcoming and more than willing to show him the ropes as he had been growing up. The white and silver male as a little ahead of the small group, his red gaze looking over the faces that were gathered before them. He didn't see any of his family members present, and while he wasn't entirely worried he did hope they were doing alright. The cult had been growing more fervent within their boarders but he didn't pay them no mind. As long as they weren't doing anything that would harm anyone, what was the problem right? As they found themselves more mingled his gaze fell upon a soft colored female with heart like markings upon her shoulder. Putting on a smile he approached, "Beautiful evening isn't it?"

Argyros paid little mind to the conversations the other's were having, his eyes upon the king and the other's gathered. The stars above them were slowly growing brighter as the time continued to pass. He wanted to have these few moments to himself so that he might have some nice memories as who could tell what the future would hold. One things was for certain, he would do everything within his power to care for his mate and their future children, he would do anything to keep them safe and if that meant he needed to keep a closer eye on the cult and their on-goings then he would do that. He spotted a dark male and his familiar companion not far off from where he was. "Hello, passing through?" They seemed nice enough, but one never could tell, first appearances weren't always what they seemed.






The healer was enjoying herself on the soft grasses of the pridelands, gaze turned towards the sky as it slowly started to fade to dark. Life was good, or as good as it could be at any rate. "When do you think you'll have any cubs of your own?" She asked the splotchy female that laid nearby her, gaze also turned towards the sky.

Kimara gave a small shrug, "I'm sure Huru will want a large family sooner than later, I love helping him cub sit every now and again but I've been itching for a few of our own. I'm just not sure if he'd want to add that to the number of kids he already watches." She said with a light laugh towards the darker brown female. "What about you? Any future prospects or prospect in your future?" Turning her head to look at her she watched and waited to see how she'd respond.

'Well, I'm not sure if it's going to go anywhere just yet.... BUT I have met someone. He is a bit older, but I don't mind the age difference." There was an air of mystery to the male and she quite enjoyed his company, even if he seemed like there was a part of him that was broken. While she was a healer she wasn't the type to try and fix everyone. She knew he had his story, his past and when he was ready to open up to her, she'd be ready and waiting to hear it.

"Oh this is exciting." Rolling onto her side to get a better position to watch Diora she raised a brow. "So is he from around here? Do I know him?" She wanted to know so many things.

"In time Kimara, in time."

Nesrin was sorta sitting off alone, watching some of the Adols as they pestered some of the other adults and even themselves. While he was a nanny they were old enough to look after themselves for the most part, with mild supervision. Which was what he was providing from his small perch not far away. The silver and pastel colored male couldn't help but chuckle as he watched them all interacting with one another and the other members of the pride.

It wasn't long after though that seven sets of eyes turned upon the God as he threw the black form of a lioness not far from where a majority of the other's were and Madelhari couldn't help but look upon the angry God as he hovered above everyone. "Stay behind me." Instinctively he put himself between the winged creature and Otea, standing tall as if he were a shield. "No one make any sudden movements." His voice wasn't loud, he just wanted those near him to remain calm, a panic now wouldn't bode well for anyone. While he didn't want to undermine her ability to take care of herself, he felt strongly for her and would never forgive himself if he allowed anything to happen to her.



Diora and Kimara rose to their feet quickly but didn't say anything as they watched, wide eyed, at the God above. Not to mention the hyena that had run straight into the group of lions. While he wasn't close to them it was still concerning, he looked like a right mess and they wondered if he even knew what he had done given the look upon his face. Had the God driven him into their midst like this? Either way Diora reacted quickly placing herself in the males path.

Areo was unfamiliar with the God above them or the name that he was shouting, he was quite relieved to know it wasn't his own Sire that was there or being sought out, the Gods knew he wasn't needed upon these lands, but still. Something was seriously wrong here and the Demi-God was quite concerned for the well-fare of the rest of the pride. He was close enough to Diora and Kimara to know that if that Hyena decided to lash out it might not end well for anyone so he moved beside the brown female and spoke to the frightened creature. That was fear radiating off him wasn't it? Plus a huge part of his mane looked like it was ripped away.

"What possessed you to think this was a good direction to go?" Diora stood close by, while she was a healer she wasn't going to treat the male unless it was for a good reason and she didn't like Hyena's on the best of days but if he was a valuable witness to something, keeping him alive and well taken care of might be a good thing to do. She wouldn't be the one doing any of the heavy lifting of course. "I'd be wary if I were you." She added.



Maahes instinctively moved closer to the female, "I would stay close to me for now. This doesn't look like it's going to go very well."

Argyros would have laughed had it not been for the dead body. "Welcome to the pridelands I guess. I do have to say, you have terrible timing as this isn't something that has ever happened upon our lands before." Trying to make light of the situation was really the only thing he was capable of at the moment.

He reminds me of Amaryllis! Doesn't he? Are you related to her?

Dhahabu wasn't from the branch of his family that tied to the Royal family but his family was just so big that he didn't care which ones he actually was related to, faced with this sort of question there was really only one answer as far as he was concerned. That was to shrug.

"I dunno, probably, I guess."

Nailed it.

Nobody seemed that interested in talking with him but he was perfectly content to stand there in the middle of everything, ready to talk if it did come up.. unfortunately, it just gave him fewer distractions when something dark and ominous approached. He was stunned silent until Lumina's body was dropped nearby and Natia screamed. He wanted to run away, the looming darkness and the challenge issued by Destruction was beyond chilling, but instead he forced himself to move forward. He wasn't much of a shield to the little group he had butted into, but he wasn't going to abandon them or hide behind them. What... what were you supposed to do in a situation like this?

--

Kituwe and Uzuzi were back to chatting idly when a sudden chill went through the elder brother. He turned to the sky in time to see the god drop the body of a lioness and chase a hyena through the crowd. Both brothers were immediately on their feet, searching their brains for any knowledge of what they were seeing or hearing.

"What's a god doing here?" Kituwe asked dumbly, stumbling back a few steps.

"I don't know," Uzuzi growled, tense and alert. He wished his father was there with them, suddenly. Maybe there wasn't anything an old councilor could do but dad always just seemed to know what to do, and knowing about gods was kind of his thing, wasn't it?

Uzuzi's eyes stayed on the god but Kituwe's gaze went back to Vitha and Mkate. Was this what Vitha and the damned cult had been going on about? A demon like this certainly seemed to fit the rumours he'd heard about their pitch, at least..

Ears flicking up at the soft sound of paws on grass, Mei turned as the male spoke. Throwing him a slightly wary smile, she stretched out a little more across the ground before replying, "It is." She scanned the sky again, "I wonder why they're so bright right now, but at least everyone seems to be enjoying themselves." A far cry better than the unease thus far.

Or it was, before the most unexpected thing happened. Scrambling to her paws, the lioness stared with wide eyes as the corpse was dropped nearby and the winged lion (lion? She actually wasn't sure, having never come across a god before) began his rampage.

With a shiver and ears plastered against her skull, she cringed down beside the male, "W-what?! What's going on?!"

AstoriaFallen

Totally using the quote to separate my SoA's posts.

With how settled everything was, it was hard not to notice the lion making his way towards them. Noct watched with guarded eyes, carefully shifting his paw to shield Car just a little more, as he started speaking, and then gave a faint smile, if only to seem a little more friendly. To be fair, a rogue's life wasn't the cushiest, and he'd learned in the short time he'd been one that he should be wary of strangers.

"Yeah. We were going to travel further, but well," He threw a glance down, "Someone couldn't keep their eyes open." It was said good naturedly, showing that he really wasn't that bothered by it.

He had paused, not really sure how to continue the conversation and half debating just keeping silent, when the black shapes in the near distance caught his attention. One a lion and the other a god (because that had to be what that one was. His own mother was one, and he'd never mistake that large size and bulking wings for anything else) Narrowing his eyes, he jolted to his paws as the confrontation turned violent and not even a few seconds later, the body was dropped a little too close for comfort.

Which of course woke Car up. With a yelp, the jackal flailed on the ground beneath Noct's paws, before managing to scramble to his feet as well. Unsure what had happened, he at first barred his teeth at the mystery lion standing next to them, but when it became obvious that neither lion were even looking at each other, he turned black eyes in the same direction.

And promptly felt his stomach drop to his feet. What a horrible thing to wake up to, and even worse, that god didn't look like he was going to stop....

With a whine, he debated hiding further under Noct's legs, but his protectiveness pulled him just a bit forward instead, hackles raised and snarling.

Jasi and Ama had split the moment that the creature had threatened him. Ama went right, and Jasi went left. They seemed to click well enough that the two of them were able to reconnect short after all thee had split...but Jasi panicked. "Where is Jehanum?!" The poor idiot child with too many worries to keep his head on straight had disappeared. Her violet eyes searched the skies, watching as a body of a lion dropped to the ground with a sickening thud. Her hackles raised, realizing that the creature's companion had been the one that he silence. She watched as the creature came up with fur in its mouth...and that was when the scout realized that jehanum was running straight for the Pridelanders.

"What the hell is he doing?" Ama snarled, the lion coat on his shoulders feeling oddly heavy at the moment. Everything had happened so quickly, it was hard to gather their wits to plan out a rescue attempt for the hyena. "He isn't going to come back from there alive."

Jasi was feeling her heart flutter as she began to panic....what would happen to Jehanum, between the black creature and the lions? She desperately tried to think of a plan to get him back, but they were sorely outnumbered.

----

Jehanum was going to die. He was going to die, and it was going to be at the hands of this mutant creature that was looking for their shared father. Just the thought of that churned his stomach, and it took everything within him to not crumble to the floor and purge his stomach. Even on the night that they had killed that lioness, stolen another one as a slave...he had never felt fear course through his veins. His neck throbbed, unsure if he was even bleeding from where his mane had be ripped from its place. The cool night air was all he felt there as he rushed to get away, get away, get away....

And it wasn't until he was greeted with a grown that he realized he had run completely the wrong way. Fear and panic, and a drive to survive, and made him forget the scent of lions growing stronger as he ran, not until he nearly ran headfirst into one. He skidded to a half, fear clearly plastered all over his face.

He was going to die, all alone, and no one would learn just how deceitful his father really was.

"No, no, no!" he yelled when he thought a lion had spoken to him, and continued to just run. He felt that his heart would burst out of his chest, but it would be a more gentle death than that sickening thud of a crushed throat and dropped from the sky.

Felyn

AstoriaFallen

---

Natia had been thoroughly enjoying herself. She was basking in the attention from the other boy...what was his name? No matter, she would get it from him later. She let herself smile warmly, keeping her attention split between him and her sister. "Ah, a pleasure indeed," she giggled, trying to control her emotions to play it cool. She had always been outgoing, but this was the most social she had felt, and she discovered she relished it. If only she could get this much attention from her paintings on the rocks...but yet, no one had yet paid her a compliment on her work. Hmm.

She was about to offer her own sweet words back to the handsome adolescent, but the screams that shattered the warm atmosphere startled her. She was slow on picking up exactly what was going on, but she felt her sister scream next to her, and instantly was driven to do anything she could to protect Kore. She threw herself as on to her as she could, trying to get the sound...that sound...out of her mind as she did everything she could for Kore. "Kore, Kore...we need to leave...!"

Krysin

----

At the sound of the earth-shattering scream, their bickering stopped.

Vitha's crimson red eyes shot skyward, what colour there was draining from her face. No....no... This is exactly what she never wanted to have happen. Her stomach twisted in fear, the weight of pregnancy mixed with her fear keeping her planted in her very spot.

Aoife, next to her, was nearly the same as Vitha. Her body felt faint as she watched the dropped form of a lion hit the ground, the sickening thud muted with the distance they shared from the monstrosity that was threatening all of them. She swiveled to Vitha, fire nearly visible in her eyes. "You did this! All of your lies, you sweet words...this was to call this creature here, wasn't it?" She snarled at the black lioness, tears flowing from her eyes. "You hate us all so much, threatened us...and now you've fulfilled your promise in the form of a lie." She raised her hand to strike at Vitha, her patience for decorum and etiquette shattered.

Mkate blocked the blow, his own soul feeling cracked. Everything they had done, all the work they strove to improve to keep the Pridelands safe...was it all for nothing? He believed in Vitha, and couldn't fathom the release of rage that Aoife was displaying. "Control yourself!" he ordered the creamy lioness, his body a wall between the two enemies.

Vitha barely registered Aoife rage. She stumbled away from the angry group, her father trailing for a moment before pausing next to Mkate. Aoife struggled to follow after Vitha, but the two males continued to keep her away from the pregnant prophet. The sound of struggle that reached Vitha's ears was drowned out by the sorrow in her throat.

"What...what did I do wrong?" she sobbed, her footfalls slowly pulling her closer and closer to the black creature that demanded a name Vitha did not recognize. Was this where she had failed; she didn't understand what it wanted that night? Had she been tasked to find this....this Dathcharu'kai, and in her failure, caused the death of that poor lioness? The body lay there like a lashing against her back, a failure for the entire pride to see. Their eyes burned into her back, the hatred and blame like a fire singeing her life away.

She slowed her walk to a near crawl, her stomach threatening to churn itself into oblivion. The tears were still falling, her sobs barely heard over the roars of the creature that she had failed. Was this really how it was to go, all of her work doomed for failure? She felt herself fall to the dry grass, nearly laying flat on her belly as she cried, "Why...? Why did nothing I do actually help...?"

She felt the presence of someone next to her. With great effort she glanced upwards to see her father, Mwovu, defiantly staring down the god that was hovering over them.

"This doesn't seem to be the same creature you described to me, Vitha. Keep your chin up; there is more to this story than what you're seeing with your own eyes." The old storyteller was certain that there was more than meet the eye here, and only wanted to help her see.

Vitha gasped as she stared at her father, and then looked back up at the god, hovering over the group. There was a sense of urgency exuding from him, but she was still so unsure if what she was seeing was, or was not, the same creature that haunted her dreams.

-----

The King of the Pridelands had been doing his best to engage with the pride. Small talk was given, and it seemed like everything was going well. Simi was a few strides behind him, exchanging with his own small talk with some of the older pride members. Tau's voilet eyes glanced back at his grandfather, resisting the urge to let them wander towards the arguing Aoife and Vitha. His frustration with the idea of the cult was growing, but he didn't really feel like it was fair to smother a conversation due to it merely being a guess. It seemed a bit cruel, and rather heartless, to not allow one who so vivaciously believed in something to flourish. He...felt a twinge of jealously about that; Tau had never felt that feverish obsession with anything before. Was that how one truly felt alive?

He was jarred from his thoughts when a blood-curdling scream yanked him back to the present. All eyes were suddenly skyward, and Tau wondered if there wasn't anyone who didn't witness, or hear, the solid 'thump' of the dead lioness that hit the ground. This was something he never, ever would have expected. How did Aoife, a known, gifted Seer, not see any of this? Did she lie to him, to keep Vitha away from the Crown?

He wasn't sure, but he was suddenly intent on actually doing something in his life.

"Fall back!" he roared, ordering his pride to flee back towards the relative saftey of the are around Pride Rock. "Fall back! Stay back from this beast!"

His paws carried him as he ran, making sure that his grandfather was actually going to fall back as well. "Grandfather, please, keep yourself safe. I don't think I could survive if anything happened to you." Tears threatened to leak out of the corners of his eyes, but his jaw was set in such a way they resisted. Tau looked straight at Simi, intent on enforcing his order.

Simi's wrinkled face seemed to droop more, sadness and concern clearly written across his face. "Alright," he said with a sigh. His rusty-brown eyes searched into Tau's, and he turned around to walk back towards Priderock. The old retired king could not walk fast, but Tau only prayed that others would look out for him. He ran again, this time looking for her true and only friend, Kituwe.

"Kituwe!" he yelled, trying to be overheard by the screaming and cries of the god that seemed to scream at the stars. "Kituwe! Can you help me evacuate everyone? We need all of them to fall back. I'll see if I can distract it long enough to keep its attention away from our most vulnerable." He did his best to not mention Aoife, to not even let himself think about her. His violet eyes were staring at the group of adolescents, unfortunately the closest to the body.

"I'll...meet up with you again. Keep yourself safe." His words sounded like a plea, as he looked his friend straight in the eye. With a nod, the king dove back into the chaos, intent on fulfilling his word.

Ecavi

----

A solid white lioness lingered in the panicked group of lions, clearly distressed. She knew that she needed to do something, but the fear that clung to her heart kept her from running anywhere. Olive eyes searched to adolescent group, realizing that these young hearts were changing with every breath they took; ones so young should never be exposed to the horrors of the world, a world that the Pridelands sheltered them from. A peaceful land had come to a terrible fate this evening, and she wondered just what the outcome would be. She felt her paws finally gather their strength, and she ran towards the form of the dead body, if only to shield the view of it from the young lions that seemingly couldn't look away.

She felt herself blindly run almost too close to the dark stranger with his jackal, clearly distressed from the event. "Ah, sorry!" she said, her voice light with a twinge of fear as she threw her head back to apologize. She didn't have a moment to waste, if she was going to act.

MangoMeow

---

A dark lion's form walks calmly towards the gathering group, the scream that pierced the heavens pulling him closer and closer to the conflict. The chaos around them made it appear that there was no attention on him; the best outcome. His red eyes narrowed as it looked upon the scene.

So much crying. The stench of fear hung heavy in the warm early night, though there was an undercurrent of anger. All directed at one particular lioness, foolishly confronting the beast that screamed for blood. He noticed that the young king was demanding everyone to flee, and gathering up others to help him round up stragglers. "Well, that will hopefully leave an opening," he mused to himself, his paws carrying him further into the mayhem. He had a stray hyena to catch.

Stars continued to fall through the night sky so gracefully that she couldn't tear her eyes from them, admiration written plainly on her face. F-al had been so enthralled that she barely noticed the group of those her own age that had gathered and began chatting animatedly, nor did she spy her mother.

The only scene that stole her eyes from the stars was the sudden darkness that seemed to swallow the sky whole. Black eyes turned from one last shooting star to see the final moments of a lions life. Shock washed over her, fear was quick to follow and she was to her paws so fast that her head began to spin rapidly. She didn't dare make a sound, not when those large burning eyes seared the very souls of those he peered at - or so she imagined. Fortunately she seemed safe, even with the shrill screams of terror ringing out around her.

This is what they had meant...

The rumors that had been fluttering about hadn't made sense, not until now. F-al recalled there being mention of a prophet, but what that meant to her was next to nothing. She hadn't taken the time to consider what questions to even begin asking. The prophet herself had become apparent during the gathering, though she still didn't know the lioness's name. A question for later.. it seemed she was faced with a crisis.

For her part panic hadn't subsided, even as thoughts were calculated and connecting what she had heard to what was currently happening. She was able to briefly calm herself, but had begun to feel faint at the same time. Trying to escape the situation wasn't impossible, save for the gathering going on and so she grew incredibly anxious.

"Oh!"

The only sound she ended up making was the one to accent a relatively clumsy bumping of her hind quarters into what she thought might be a fluffy wall - please be a fluffy wall. Strange as the thought had been she still wished it to be so, but her wish wasn't granted as dark eyes fell on the form of one of the adolescents that had been chattering. Her mouth was agape to utter an apology, but only a squeak escaped. Fear rolled with her own social awkwardness collided to become something beyond her control and she stood there.. open mouthed and silently staring at the lion she had bumped into - a lion she didn't even know the name of.