Chapter 4: Time of peace...

[Asani]

Nadya's small ears pricked up in attention at the sight of the duo nearby, and to be quite honest, she felt like she couldn't practically deal with another set of newcomers on the pride scene.
Running back under her father she huddled close against Sabre's back leg, shivering slightly in fear, keeping her jade eyes alert as well as her hearing just in case something awful was about to happen.

Niomi just sat there watching Nadya run in fear then turned her head spotting the two lions in the distance. She wasn't afraid of them and she didn't care at all that they were there. She had other things she could be doing with her time. The toddler sat down and just stared at them wondering what they were going to do.

[Sabre]

The king looks down as he feels his daughter huddle against his back leg. "What's wrong Naddie?" He asks, looking up and seeing the newcomers. "More newcomers? Alright, time to go see what's up." He says before gently patting Nadya on her head and leaping down from the cave to the ground and walking toward the two. "May I ask who you two are? You've entered my territory and I need to make sure you're not a threat." He says in a neutral tone. It's been a while since they've been attacked by anything, but you never know. Danger was always lurking around the corner in the savannah.

[Silver]

The young female sat down, her tail curling slightly as the male approached, she gave another small chirping noise to him. Her maw pulled back into a kind smile as the male stood in front of her protectively, not allowing this new male to get too close.

"My name is Khalfani, this is my sister Maluum. I am sorry that she has disturbed the peace here, we are merely passing through." The male said, staring down at Sabre as he was just a few inches taller. It was clear that he was very protective of the young female who was ducking to look under his mane.

The young female, known as Maluum, chirped in greeting to the new male as her name was mentioned. Her tawny coloured pelt glinting in the sunlight as her dark paws lightly pawing at the earth beneath her as she started to stand again.

[Sabre]

"I see. As long as you don't try to harm anyone in my territory, you're permitted to come through." Sabre responds with a nod. He turns his heads to the lioness and chuckles. "She doesn't talk much, does she?" The male says bringing his gaze back to the taller male.

((Short post ))

[Silver]

Maluum gave another small chirping noise in agreement, standing up fully beside her brother so that she was now the same height as Sabre, if not a little smaller.

"She doesn't talk at all." Khalfani stated, continuing to look down upon the male, his blue eyes holding a small glare, a threat clearly in them that if Sabre so much as got too close to Maluum that he would quickly leap into action and attack.

Maluum gave a light chuff as she rubbed up under Khalfani's chin and against his mane, her tail lightly swaying from side to side as she watched the males interact.

[Sabre]

Sabre backs up when he sees the male getting defensive. "I see, never met someone who couldn't talk." He says, making sure to keep his distance. "And don't worry about us trying to hurt you or your sister, but be careful of the chance rogues, we've had our fair share of encounters." The male says as he sits down. "You might run into one of my pride's guards, ask one of them if you need help getting around, just be careful since they will likely be on guard since they never saw you two before."

[Silver]

"Thank you, but we won't be needing any help." Khalfani stated clearly, he snorted as pride was evident in his voice, Maluum however just gave a happy chirp as a thanks and raced quickly over to Sabre and rubbed her cheek under his chin, a light chuff leaving her throat as this was her only way of communicating. Khalfani let out a low growl but a cold look from Maluum was enough to shut him up as she trotted back to stand at his side, her tail in a high arc as she was clearly pleased with herself as she pressed up against her brother, rubbing against him while chuffing which seemed to be calming him down.

"Again, thank you but we will not be needing any help, we will also make sure not to cause any trouble while we are here." Khalfani continued, rolling his eyes now at his sisters antics as she started to stalk a bird not too far away, her tail lightly swaying from side to side as she leapt at it, not aiming to catch it, merely just easing boredom having grown extremely bored of the two talking males. Suddenly her ears perked up as she spotted the cubs and she lightly padded over to them, a kindly smile on her face as she neared them, as soon as she reached them she practically threw herself on the ground in front of them, chirping as she lay her head flat on the ground and continued to smile kindly. She always had a soft spot for cubs and was often found with the cubs of her old pride, her tail gently swished from side to side, disturbing the dirt and savannah grass as she lightly batted at the cubs, being careful not to hurt them if she did accidently hit them.

[Asani]

Nadya sat there on the cold den floor wondering where her father had run off to. Padding outside, she saw him speaking with another male and what looked like to be a female with them. The toddler began to tear up at the fact that her father had been gone for so long. “Daddy?” she called out softly as her small hair tuft blew in the light breeze that passed through. Small tears began to stream down her face at the fact that she was alone by the Pride’s cave, or at least felt like it. Deciding that he was lost once again, she hopped down from rock to rock eventually landing on the ground and toddled off to find him.

(bleh post is bleh x.x)

[Blaze]

Outside the border of the Mlinzi lands there was a male, with six others behind him, lions and lionesses, though mostly made up of the latter. His pelt was much like gold whose shine had long since faded and dulled, though never blackened. His eyes were golden themselves, and gleamed lustrously in the sunlight that bathed the lands he looked into. But what was most unusual about him was the colour of his mane. Or rather, the lack of colour; it was pure white, as the clouds in the vast blue sky that hung overhead like a blanket over the world.
"So these are the Mlinzi lands...I heard their king was strong. We'll just see. I hope he provides a good challenge for me," he said.
He turned his head to look at the group gathered behind him. With a wordless nod of his head he beckoned them on, the seven stepping into the lands of the warrior pride.
The grass crunched under their paws with each step they took. Their heads swiveled about, and their eyes took in the landscape of the area.
"The Mlinzi lands certainly are appealing...many areas around mountain bases are it seems. Don't get too comfortable here though...I may end up losing if the rumors are true."
Further and further they journeyed, wanting to reach the mountains that rose up high over the horizon. The heart of the lion at the head of the group beat incessantly in his chest in anticipation. His mind raced at the thought of facing a strong opponent, unaware of just how mistaken he was at this point in time.

-----

Kujali had been perched at the entrance of the cave. Her bright violet eyes scanned the area of the pride's lands down below. Even at the young age of two months she was still one to be ever watchful for any strangers. She'd been doing this for some time when she'd heard talk of the war that had ended recently.
For now, though, she had not seen anyone. She wasn't sure why but she was both relieved and disappointed; relieved that no one was coming to try and hurt them, but disappointed because, of course, it meant that she was bored simply sitting here for nothing.
It was different this time though. Her eyes caught sight of the group of seven lions making their way toward the mountains. The seven didn't look familiar to her. Immediately she sprang up and bolted into the caves.
"Strangers are here! They're heading right for this cave!"

The broken king listened with rapt attention to the cries of his daughter. In his mind he swore, but there was some glimmer of hope in his mind.
Perhaps they're just a group looking for shelter? he thought.
Slowly he padded out from his spot in the caves. His eyes scanned the horizon, trying to find the strangers that Kujali had seen. Downward his scarlet orbs gazed, and finally he noticed the group of seven, made up of three males and four females, heading for the mountains. The one in the front looked the most striking of them all, with his pure white mane. His eyes widened in realization as he recalled only one lion he'd ever heard of with a mane such as this, along with that pelt colour.
"King Ikazuchi...of the Radi tribe," he muttered.
There was only one reason that Ikazuchi would be here, he knew; a challenge. He swallowed hard as anxiety took hold of him. As king, he could not back down from the challenge; if he did he would forfeit there. He knew that, in his present state, he stood no chance against the other king, who himself was renowned as a warrior.

-----

Eis looked down at the entrance of the Mlinzi caves from where he had perched himself. He noticed immediately how the once proud king backed away slightly on seeing the group of seven approach.
"If he's scared...then the Mlinzi may have a new king soon," he whispered.
He began to lope up the mountain, back toward the cave where his mate and children rested, along with his nephew Tundra. Times would be changing, he knew. And he wanted his family to prepare for the worst case scenario.
"Blaze doesn't stand a chance."

[Sabre]

"If you're sure you'll be ok, I won't press you to accept my pride's help. Enjoy your stay in my lands, but I need to get back to my cave." The brown male says as he stands back up, turning to the direction of his cave. The walk wasn't very far, maybe only five minutes away from where he is. It'll be an enjoyable walk, the savannah was nice and cool, compared to how it was a month ago; the air was crisp, more moisture was present now as the dry season was coming to a close soon, maybe in just a few weeks, maybe in a month, but the signs were there. Of course, this was a very welcome sign. The rainy season meant that prey would migrate back to this area, and the pride's food stores would again be filled with the many different foods of the savannah. This fact brought a smile to Sabre's face, soon his pride won't have to worry about shortages, but surplus.

It wasn't long before new scents entered the male's nostrils...there were more newcomers, except...more. His heart begins to speed up, not sure if these newcomers were a threat, or just passer-bys like Khalfani and Maluum. He hopes it's the latter, his pride and his friends don't need another war on their hands, especially after such a devastating one that was the Bolshevik war...it was almost annihilation for the other pride. Sure Sabre was glad that his pride survived, but the fact they literally destroyed another pride hung heavy in his chest. He never wanted it to come to something like that, and yet it had. He makes a quick prayer to the Great Kings as he speeds up his pace, praying that this was no threat.

[Asani]

Renga lay quietly in her normal spot resting but her ears pricked up at the sound of Kujali yelling something about a group of strangers nearby. Reaching out a large paw she pulled the Mlinzi Princess close to her body and looked at her. "Now now, just let your father handle it my dear. We wouldn't want anything to happen to you now would we?" the large female cooed as she began to snuggle the side of the cub's face while continuing to hold her close with really no intention of letting her go.

Elsewhere Nadya continued her journey through the tall Savannah grasses trying desperately to find her father. "Dada?" she called out as she sat down and looked around. Suddenly her expression brightened as she saw a nearby figure and began to run towards it as fast as she possibly could. "Dada!" she laughed only to stop and look up at the stranger. This wasn't her father. It didn't even look or even smell like him...
Curious as to what it was she sat in the dirt just staring at the being quietly, wondering who it was and why it had come to be here of all places.

[Silver]

Khalfani padded quickly over his sister as she followed behind Sabre, clearly she was curious to meet his pride as her ears were flicked up in interest and her eyes explored the area but she came to a quick halt as she picked up a scent, she gave a light shiver and turned to look at Khalfani with a small whine. He stood to beside Maluum as he also took in the scent, giving a low growl as he trotted towards the scent, his hackles lightly raised as he went to meet with this other male as Maluum followed suit quickly. She had never really seen her brother fight before but knew he couldn't do it on his own so went along to help in whatever way possible.

---

The dark female looked up at her mate as he entered the cave, she let out a light chuff as she watched him come closer but turned her head to lick one of their cubs on the head as she continued her chuff.

---

A brown male rolled around on his back, the white marks under his eyes the only real color other than brown on his form but he quickly rolled onto his stomach as he spotted some figures in the distance, they were certainly new in this area and unlike other two that had arrived earlier that same day. He watched them carefully to make sure they weren't a threat to these lands even though he was probably one of the more dangerous lions around this area for what he does but he knew a certain bounds.

[Blaze]

Cautiously Blaze began to descend the slope of the mountain towards the group of seven who were approaching. His eyes were focused on the ivory-maned male. Thoughts and emotions surged within him as his life started to flash before his eyes. Ikazuchi would only be here to challenge him for the throne. And he would win in this state.
I'm about to die...He's going to challenge me to a fight and I'm going to die.
His footsteps soon stopped as he came to a halt before the visiting host. His eyes were locked on the face of the male who stood at the front.
"King Ikazuchi Radi...welcome to the Mlinzi lands. I...believe I know why you're here."
His scarlet eyes turned their gaze to the ground in front of him. A wistful sigh escaped him as he hung his head. There would be no escaping this.
I'm ready to meet death, then. Coral...Wedger...my children...I'm sorry.
"I'm ready when you are," he said, his tone of voice melancholic.

The male with the dull gold pelt looked at the Mlinzi king, amusement present in his golden-hued eyes. This was the warrior king he'd heard much about? The one who supposedly fought a Shaderian overlord to a stalemate in a training battle? No, this couldn't possibly be it. He did not have the eyes of a warrior. They were frightened, hesitant, lackluster. They didn't hold the confidence of a true warrior. This would be disappointing.
"Are you so certain you wish to fight? Your eyes tell me everything. You're broken, helpless. You're no warrior. You would be slaughtered in the battle. These challenges are to the death, remember?"

The red-furred lion nodded in response to the other king's question.
"I remember. But I would rather lose my throne and life with dignity in a fight, fighting to the best of my current ability, than to leave this pride in shame with my life."

------

Another male with golden fur, though more lustrous than the king who had arrived, lay on the grass beside the brown male. His dark indigo eyes were focused on the group of eight, now that Blaze had reached them, ahead. Gently he rasped his tongue on the back of the brown male's ear.
"What do you think this is all about?" he asked.

----

A lioness with pale yellow fur and deep cerulean blue eyes stood now at the entrance to the vast complex of caverns inside of the mountain that served as the home for the Mlinzi lions. Her gaze was focused on the gathering at the mountain's base. She too had heard of the white-maned lion.
Blaze doesn't stand a chance...not as he is now.
She started to jump down the incline of the mountain, headed toward the group. She knew, however, to keep her distance. She recognized this for what it was: a challenge for the throne. As she swiveled her head she caught sight of the Heshima king accompanied by the other two newcomers who had arrived earlier this day.
"I have to tell him what's going on," she muttered.

------

Eis looked to Amira as he entered the cave. His head hung low as he stared down at the ground instead.
"Blaze is going to be dethroned. Another male is about to challenge him to a battle...and he can't turn it down. If he does he forfeits and would have to leave the pride in shame."

[Flash]

Flash sat silently on the cave floor her tail twitched nervously as she watched Blaze interact with the group. She already knew what they were here for, they wanted to dethrone Blaze. She was adopted by Coral at a young age, so she always considered Blaze to be her father, she didn't want to watch her father die. She wanted him to beat these lions and continue on the way things had always been. She strained her ears to hear their conversation but only caught small snatches,

'' I'm ready, when you are. ''

'' Challenges to the Death, remember? ''

Her muscles clenched and she hissed softly, maybe Blaze wouldn't lose, maybe he would win. She tried continuously to convince herself. She knew that the chances of Blaze winning were very very slim.

(My post is so scrawny compared to Blazes. >.<)

[Silver]

The two siblings sat down a shortish distance from the lions, the female looking on with a sympathetic gaze while her brother's gaze remained the same as always, none changing, he recognized what these fights meant and would not intervene. Upon seeing that the red pelted man was clearly not in the best condition to fight, he lightly closed his eyes and said a silent prayer to the high kings before opening them again to watch the pair.

---

The brown male lightly rubbed his head under the golden males chin, giving a light chuff. "Well, from what I've gathered by observing the group, the way that the male with the ivory mane seems to be the leader and since Blaze is out then I'm guessing its a challenge... This could be dangerous for him I believe." The male replied with a frown as he continued to watch the lions.

---

"What?" The dark female asked in shock, getting herself ready to pull herself onto her feet before continuing. "We should go and see if he needs any help."