Chapter 4: Time of peace...

[Asani]

Something was definitely wrong. Aina rose up from her resting area from inside the cave and padded outside towards her father Brownie, her steps light and quick as she trotted along the path. "Daddy? What's going on?" she asked, her dark indigo eyes filled with worry as she frantically searched for her father who was thankfully behind Brownie licking him as usual. the golden cub let out a sigh of relief and laid down with the duo, content with the fact that neither of her "fathers" had left to go see what exactly was going on.
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Kibwe laid upon the cave floor chewing some old carcass bones for fun. His stomach began to rumble quite loudly for he had not eaten for at least a few hours. "Mom? Dad?" he called out as he walked to the outside area. "I'm hungry!" With a pout he sat down, flicking his tail irritatedly wondering where his parents were. Normally they wouldn't leave him without food but something weird was definitely going on today. "Fine..I'll...I'll go get some food myself." he mused as he climbed down a few rocks and padded off into the grass spotting a nearby turtle crossing his path. Smacking his lips together, the young prince crouched down low, and moved slowly towards the reptile who had stopped to rest in the sun. With a mighty lunge, Kibwe pounced, flying over the turtle and tumbled onto his back. "I'm gonna get you!" he challenged his prey, who was quite startled and had sunk into his protective shell.

Claws bared, he hopped on top of the shell and tried biting it and clawing it with all his might. No luck. "I'm gonna wait here until you come out...you gotta sometime..." he told the turtle as he laid upon the shell to wait.

Hours seemed to pass by as Kibwe sat there in the sunshine upon the turtle's back. The poor cub was growing hotter and hungrier by the minute. "Ok Mr. Turtle...you win...but I'll be back." he told him as he hopped down off the shell and began to wander off somewhere else.

With the sun still rising high into the sky, Kibwe continued onward through the Savannah grasses, his small paws starting to feel quite sore from stepping on dry grass blades and stepping on small pebbles. With a small thump, the cub laid down on the grass staring at his reddened paw pads. "Owww..." he moaned. The cub decided to take a rest to strengthen himself back up and resume the hunt after he felt better, but his stomach was telling him otherwise. "Stop it!" he scolded as his little bulge started gurgling once more.

"Ok OK!" With as much strength as he could possibly muster, Kibwe wandered on, again, with a now somewhat annoyed expression still trying to find a snack.This time, he came upon a small herd of warthogs. Fat, juicy, warthogs. Oh how Kibwe would LOVE to come home with one and proudly boast of his first hunting accomplishment!

Bending down into a pouncing position, Kibwe moved quickly stepping on sticks and moving rocks as he continued towards his intended targets.
The pigs however, were aware of the prince's presence but continued grazing for they did not see him as a threat, yet. "Oh man, this is perfect!" Kibwe smirked as he flicked his tail and leapt through the air.

Eyes widened now in fear and alarm, the mother and smaller piglets began to scurry about, while the father warthog scraped the ground with his hoof and began to squeal and charge at the cub, his tusks gleaming in the sunlight. "WOAH!" Kibwe did a quick turn around and tried his best to scamper out of the angered animal's path, but it was too late.
Continuing to let out squealing battle-cries, the chase continued. Cub against a very large and very angry warthog for quite some time until Kibwe found a tree. As quickly as he could he climbed up into it's branches and stared down at the pig below and began to taunt it. "Haha! You can't get me! You can't get me!" he teased as he stuck out his tongue.

Eventually the warthog gave up, but there now remained yet another problem. In all his hunting that he had done, he'd never noticed how far from home he had actually gotten. "Great...just great." he muttered as he laid down on the branch thinking about what to do next.
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Renga flicked her tail as she still held Kujali in her paws. "I wonder where your sister is..." she mused as she stared off into space for a brief moment before standing up. "Come along Kujali, we need to make sure that Ustrina is alright." she told the cub as she bent down and picked her up by the scruff and carried her off throughout the Heshima-Mlinzi caves.

[Sabre]

In a few moments the Heshima king reaches the meeting, his heart skipping once he sees the gathering...he knows what's happening. And it wasn't good. All this time his friend has been shattered from a month ago, and now he was being challenged. The challenger wasn't familiar to Sabre, though, he has not heard of a lion with his coloring, but just looking between the two, he knew this newcomer was going to be trouble for Blaze, just by the way their postures are held, Blaze low, and the other lion proud...and there wasn't anything he could do to help him, doing so would likely forfeit the challenge and cost all of them their lives. The brown male stops his advance once he gets closer, making sure to keep a good distance to avoid any kind of mixup.
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The long ears of the Shaderian warrior prince Naraka raise up as he hears the crowd outside, causing the black furred feline to promptly raise to his feet and hurry outside, only to see the challenge being issued. He knew deep down that Blaze was one of the more fierce creatures he's ever seen in battle, but ever since what happened that fateful day, he watched as the once mighty king wilted, becoming fearful and shattered. Thankfully he wasn't as hardcore as the other Shaderians and his father, as in this condition Blaze would have been sentenced to either slavery or death. He's seen what his clan's slaves went through, some of them even saying that death would have been the better decision. But now here they were...death was staring them down in the face. The consequence to the challenged king for losing...was death for the pride. He knew that much, but he wouldn't go down so easily. No, he'd give them the fight of his life if it came to that.

[Flash]

Flash had left the cave along with Kibwe, she didn't want to listen anymore. Of course she didn't follow Kibwe, she simply sat on a rock that was bathed in warm sunlight and laid down. She watched silently as Kibwe wandered off. Biting back her laughter as he tried to attack a turtle and eventually sat on its shell waiting for it to come out. After awhile he grew bored and Flash watched as he wandered farther and farther away. '' Don't go to far! '' she yelled though the cub didn't seem to hear because he was so far away. Grumbling the young lioness fell asleep on the rock tail swishing back and forth across the smooth sunlit surface. Only five minutes passed before she woke, standing up she sighed heavily. She couldn't sleep, she kept thinking about what would happen to Blaze. Quickly the white furred lioness jumped up and padded quickly to where Sabre was standing. She looked up at him with desperate eyes and whispered to him, '' Sabre... Blaze is going to be okay right..? '' She needed some relief from the undying tension in her body and she hoped Sabre would supply said relief.

[Blaze]

Kujali squirmed and writhed about as Renga lifted her off of the ground with her jaws by the scruff of the cub’s neck. Her violet eyes closed themselves tightly as her limbs flailed about in protest. Being brought further inside was not what she had wanted right now. She wanted to look at her father, to watch what would happen. She was scared for him; he had been so jumpy for a while now, and it looked like he was scared of that strange lion with the white mane, as far as she could tell. Her heart raced in her chest; what if she lost her daddy? What if she’d never see him again? It looked like he and that strange lion were going to enter a fight. She’d heard about the last fight that had happened, while she was away from this place with her parents and siblings. A lot of lions and lionesses, on both sides, were lost never to return again. Never to see family or friends again.
“Auntie Renga! Stop! I…I wanna see daddy. I don’t wanna take my eyes off of him. What if I never see him again? I…I know what happened in the last fight with our pride. About how so many d…died. What if that happens to daddy?”
She craned her neck around and opened her eyes to look at the lioness who held her. Her violet orbs peered intently at Renga, a great sadness within them. Tears began to well up at the corners of her eyes. She couldn’t bear the thought of never seeing him again; or, if that did come about, never being able to say goodbye one last time.
She mewled at the tannish-brown female pleadingly. Her eyes said it for her: ‘this is something I need to do. Someone has to care about him since Kibwe seems to care more about food than him.’
As this thought came to mind however her tears began to ebb. She hadn’t seen her gluttonous brother in quite some time. She wondered, now, where her older brother was.
“Auntie Renga…where is Kibwe anyway? I haven’t seen him all day.”

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Frost raced down the slope towards the group. Her path however was toward not her brother and the strangers, but toward the Heshima king and to the other newcomers. She knew that if she went too close then she may be seen as a threat, or as assistance. She couldn’t do that. That would cost not only her brother his life, but the entire pride as well. Her heart raced in her chest as she drew ever closer to Sabre and the pair accompanying him. Her mind buzzed electrically as a myriad of thoughts surged through it all at once. It was almost overwhelming. There were so many things that could happen in the battle. So many things that could easily go wrong, especially on Blaze’s end, and likely would go wrong.
A battle isn’t just fought physically, but also mentally. One has to be focused always on the battle, thinking of the next ten steps, trying to think of what the opponent will do next and counter it. It isn’t just a matter of reflexes…it’s all strategy. And Blaze…Blaze’s mind is scattered, doubt clinging to his mind like a dark cloud and choking his ability to plan ahead and predict his opponent’s strategies.
This…won’t end well for him. That much is obvious already. Doubt can cripple even the most powerful warrior. Physical barriers are no much for the ones we place in our own minds. And ever since that event a month ago…ever since Brownie raped him, he’s never been the same. He hasn’t had that keen strategic mind or that warrior’s spirit. He hasn’t had that ‘do or die’ mentality. He can’t win. As much as I hate to say this…my brother can’t win this battle.
She stopped as soon as she reached the dark brown form of Sabre. Her deep cerulean blue eyes were focused on the Heshima king. He had been an object of her affection in the past, though back then it simply was not to be, with him having eyes on the late Heshima queen and Romanov Grand Duchess, Anastasiya. Her attention had turned to Dhahabu and it was wonderful for a time, but then that too shattered away much like glass being struck with a stone.
“Sabre…I’m scared. Blaze can’t win this. He doesn’t have the mental strength to,” she whispered. Her voice was shaky, her trepidation and concern for her brother permeating every fiber of her being.

Another male, this one with fur of a dark brown as well but with a greying black mane and cold, steely grey eyes, ran down the slope of the mountain in which the Mlinzi pride had made their den. His gait was still filled with strength, despite his advancing age. He was still the beta of the pride after having passed it on to his son. No one dared challenge him for the beta position, given that he was still a fierce warrior himself. Now, however, his grey eyes were not filled with fire and strength. Now they were filled with worry for his remaining son. He too saw the group of lions that approached and recognized the leader for who he was. All the Mlinzi knew, and the members of the pride began to gather on the ledge just outside the entrance as Mkali made his way down.
Not Ikazuchi Radi. Why did it have to be him who was challenging Blaze? My son…why does fate have to be so cruel? Have the Great Kings forsaken us? Forsaken you?
His long strides soon took him to Sabre’s location as well. He found himself still intrigued by the Heshima king. So fiery tempered, even more so than Blaze surprisingly. And yet he still has such a gentle heart. It was amazing at just how one could be so fearsome and yet so kind and caring. The Heshima king was himself a warrior, and a formidable one at that.
“He’ll die. You know that right, Sabre?”
His voice, too, was shaky. It was something he himself wished were not true. However, with his experiences with battle, and knowing the mental state that his son was in…this was a complete mismatch. It may have well been like the training battle between Blaze and that Shaderian scout a month ago. It would end just as badly, though Blaze was now in the position of that scout.

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Dhahabu looked on at the conflict that was developing off in the distance. Anxiety tore at his mind and heart as he saw just how listless his old friend looked. How broken the once proud, strong king appeared. He may as well have been an old, sickly lion on his deathbed; that was about the chance that the red-furred lion stood now against this king.
“Ikazuchi Radi…I’ve heard of him. He’s like another Blaze. Another warrior prodigy. He became king of his pride after overthrowing the previous one. The battle was over in less than a minute. That does not mean, however, that the previous king was weak. Not by a long shot.”
His deep indigo eyes were trained on the two warriors staring each other down in the distance. A sigh escaped him while he shook his head. He couldn’t bear to watch and turned his head to look instead at his daughter.
“Your uncle is going to be in a…challenge. A very difficult game. But he can’t have any help otherwise he loses right then and there. He has to play on his own,” he said to his daughter.
His indigo eyes lowered their gaze now to the ground. He was incredibly uneasy about this sort of thing now.
“He would have to be at his best to even have a remote chance. This was over before it even began…”
He wanted to be proven wrong. He wanted, just once, to be wrong about what he knew or said. Just this once. Blaze had always been good to him, and he had always admired the Mlinzi king. He didn’t believe in miracles, but for Blaze to win, that was what it would take. A miracle, some unexplainable thing to save him was the only chance he had; a Deus ex machina.
“If anyone can pull a miracle off it’s you Blaze…pull one out of this. I beg of you…” he muttered.

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The male snow leopard simply shook his head in response to the statement of the dark female. He knew full well that doing such a thing would make Blaze the loser by default, and the punishment for him and any trespassers would be death. His icy blue eyes were focused on Amira as a sigh hissed past his lips into the cold, frigid air of the mountains.
“You know as well as I that we can’t. If we don’t help, he dies. If we do help, he dies, so do we, and any other trespassers. Blaze has to do this alone…much as I don’t like it.”

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Ikazuchi turned to the six following him and issued them a silent nod. With this signal they stepped further away from their king and the lion he was challenging, until they were at approximately the same distance from them as the Heshima king and those gathered by him were. His eyes were focused on his quarry before him. Just the look in the red-pelted lion’s scarlet eyes told him all he needed to know.
This is going to be disappointing…he’s lost his warrior’s spirit.
He lowered his form into a defensive stance, claws unsheathed and eyes locked on the lion in front of him. He bared his fangs at Blaze as he waited for the male to assume his own ready stance. He took in every shift in the other lion’s body, every slow, uncertain change in posture until at last the Mlinzi king now stood prepared, or as much as he could be, for the upcoming battle.
The tension was heavy in the air and bore down on both of the combatants like a weight. Scarlet eyes were locked with golden as the two began to slowly circle one another. Snarls rumbled from their throats as each stalked the other, carefully watching for any change in the bearing of the other.
A sudden shift in the foreign king’s stance, and the red male leapt at the sudden opening made by Ikazuchi. The Radi king’s eyes widened at the quick shift to offensive that the Mlinzi king displayed. He hissed in pain as he felt Blaze’s claws dig into his side and leapt away from his opponent. He’d been careless and let the other male’s frail appearance catch him off guard. He’d underestimated just how driven the other king would be to protect himself even when vulnerable. He wouldn’t make that same error again.
Ikazuchi quickly reared up onto his back legs, standing high over Blaze. The Mlinzi king looked up, startled by the change in the Radi king’s position. Though the red-furred lion tried to scamper away it did no good; the Radi king came crashing down onto Blaze.
A roar of pain ripped through the air as the dull gold lion’s claws sliced through fur and flesh on the sides of the red lion. Crimson rivers began to flow as the Mlinzi king stepped back. Where his blood mixed in with the fur it began to stick together and matte up. He continued to back away from Ikazuchi, wanting to create a safe, manageable distance between himself and the Radi patriarch. His eyes narrowed as desperation and panic started to gnaw at his mind. His heart raced in his chest. He had to keep fighting. He had to keep going. Not just for his sake, but for those he cared so deeply about.
The two charged at each other, proudly roaring as their claws flashed and danced through the air with each swipe of their paws. Each took blows from the other, each had their fur start to clump together from the blood that was shed by each other. Yet most blows were inflicted by the Radi king, with Blaze’s strikes being, for the most part, ineffectual. His blows lacked the strength they once had. They did not create significant gashes or make the foreign king reel from the force of impact. Instead, Blaze was the one who would take bloody gashes, who would have the wind knocked from him each time he was sent to the ground. Yet still he rose, determined to fight to the last.
Time seemed to stand still for the two, all senses cut off save for sight, sound and touch as their bodies writhed and twisted in the deadly dance that started to pick up at a more feverish pace. The Mlinzi king continued to lose more and more ground until, at last, he was thrown once more to the grass of the field. He moved once more to stand, only for Ikazuchi to place his claws to the side of the downed lion’s neck.
“You lose.”
Ikazuchi’s words struck like a death knell to the vanquished lion. He closed his eyes in shame. “Very well…finish me.”
“No. You’re too weak to kill; too weak to waste any more of my time on. I came here expecting a challenge. I came here expecting to have the fight of my life. Instead all I got was a vast amount of disappointment. You supposedly fought a Shaderian Overlord to a stalemate? That’s preposterous. Your mates and children will be spared, and I will not take your mates. No. A weak sire will have only weak children. Your children are no threat to me.
“Instead…I want only one thing from you. Get out. Leave my lands. This pride and its lands are mine now. I never wish to see you near these lands again.”
He turned to look to the members of the Heshima and Mlinzi prides. “The Mlinzi pride has a new king! Your old king is hereby exiled from these lands.”

[Silver]

Maluum let out a continuous shiver as she watched the two males fight, shutting her eyes quickly everytime she heard a roar of pain, this reminded her to much of when her father and the two males fought and thus she couldn't watch another die before her. She whimpered quietly as Khalfani tried his best to comfort her but knew it was inadequate, she could not be comforted, she was not a fighter because she was far too kind to even think of being one, she had no heart for battle where as Khalfani did.

The young male watched on as the fight commenced, his tail giving a light twitch every now and again as he stared at the competition, a low glare coming from his eyes. When he wasn't paying attention to the fight, he was paying attention to Maluum in an attempt to comfort her by lightly chuffing and reassuring her that all would be fine even though he knew otherwise. These fights were always to the death, any male knew that if they wanted to become king, he himself had been brought up by fighting the best in his pride so he knew the dangers of the fight.

The pair looked up however as the final blow was drawn and the red male lay down in defeat with claws on his neck from the golden male, Maluum quickly turned away and buried her head within her brothers mane as he continued to watch, shocked when the golden male just sent the other male off his territory. This was most certainly unheard of in the lion kingdom but he assumed it may have been a sort of pity act more than anything else.

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Amira let out a sad sigh and lowered her head as her ears went back. "I know... But it doesn't seem right for Blaze to have to fight on his own." She said, her body lowered back onto the ground beside her cubs as she looked up at Eis. Slowly her ears twitched as a roars met them and she knew the battle had started, all she could do now was pray that Blaze made it through. When the roaring stopped she automatically assumed the worst that Blaze had lost and lowered her head to her paws, a small tear leaving her red eyes, the wetness marring her brown pelt and causing it to become a shade darker.

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Brownie sighed as he watched the fight, knowing it wouldn't end well with Blaze and he was correct, the golden male knocked Blaze to the side and pinned him down, but instead of killing him he let him go. Brownie lightly shook his head before turning to Dhahabu. "Do you think we will be forced to leave by this new male?"

[Sabre]

Just as quickly as it started, it was over. Minutes upon minutes of fear and agony, and it all came down to this...defeat. Sabre's blood goes cold as ice as he sees his once mighty friend fall to the paws of this new threat. The male lets out a silent sigh once he hears that Blaze was being spared...but his heart skips yet another beat when he hears the charge. Exile. With Blaze being in that condition, he might not survive on his own... Worse yet...what would happen to Heshima now without one of their greatest allies, or did they fall in the same category as the Mlinzi? If that was the case...Ikazuchi would have to fight him, and there was no way the Heshima king would give the newcomer a chance to take over his pride. He would fight harder than he ever has before. His rage continues to build up, but he manages to turn his head to Frost, his eyes showing the turmoil in his mind, a mixture of sadness and anger, though the sadness is beginning to show more prominently. All he does after this is lower his head and give her a small nudge, trying to give her some kind of reassurance, just hoping that things will turn out right.
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Naraka had watched the entire fight carefully, every change in stance and every flaw both of them had done, but he couldn't help but growl at seeing his adoptive king fall, someday this Ikazuchi would pay for what he did here today, even if Blaze was sent into exile, but that could be a fate just as bad as death would have been, considering the condition the lion was in. The warrior prince had to fight the urge to leap down and slaughter Ikazuchi while he was tired from the ordeal, but there was nothing to gain from that, except the potential to cause a new war, and none of them need that. So, all the Shaderian does is give Ikazuchi a death stare, his orange eyes filled with hatred and anger.

[Asani]

Nadya still continued to sit down in front of Maluum pawing at him in confusion. "Dada?" she repeatedly asked as she sat there, her attention now focused upon the female with him. This wasn't her father! Tears began to spring to her eyes as her small lip began to quiver in terror. "Da.DA...DADA!!" she cried , tears beginning to roll down her face and hitting the ground.
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Renga continued to hold onto the squirming cub. "Your father should be back in no time at all dear, and as for Kibwe...well I have absolutely no idea where that little rascal has gone off to. Maybe he's playing with Ustrina, that's another reason why I want to find her to make sure my little darlings are all safe." She replied as she placed Kujali down with a paw upon her tail. "Oh Ustrina dear?" the tan lioness called out into the caves. "Where are you?"
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Kibwe still continued to lay upon the branch deep in thought, or rather about as deep as a cub's mind could possibly go anyway. "How am I gonna get home? I'm sure I came from that way..." he thought as he descended down the tree and landed back onto the ground. "Yeah! That's the way!" he decided as he ran off in the completely opposite direction of the Heshima-Mlinzi caves.

[Flash]

Flash's eyes filled with tears and she rushed out of the cave, though she was slightly relieved. At least Blaze would live. She continued running about until she vaguely remembered seeing Kibwe leave the caves, and he hadn't come back yet. Grimacing she forced back her tears and rushed off in the direction she had seen Kibwe run off in. The white teen raced about her eyes flicking about trying to locate the one she considered a little brother, '' Kibwe! '' She shouted, straining her ears for an answer. She continued to wander in the direction Kibwe went, only catching faint whiffs of his scent. In what seemed like hours later to the young lioness, she found a herd of warthogs snuffling around. Glancing briefly at the ground she saw small prints and her eyes widened, Kibwe hadn't tried to catch one of them had he? Desperately she called out again, '' KIBWE!! '' Causing the warthogs to startle and run swiftly away from her, searching around she sighed in relief, there was no trace of blood or anything that would make the young lioness think Kibwe had gotten injured, or worse..
She swiftly marched on, determined to find her younger brother before something terrible happened to him, occasionally calling out the pudgy cubs name.

[Coral]

Coral was doing the usual stuff, you know, coral stuff! She was sitting back and lounging on a tree in absolutely the middle of friggin’ nowhere. She was also completely unaware to the drama that possessed her mate, children and friends within their icy cave. Instead, she gave a loud snuffle… idly dazing off as she’d look about the treetop in boredom, something to catch her sights? Indeed something did, but it wasn’t from the tree tops. No, it was from below her very dangling feet – a glimpse of a fat, overly round thing talking to himself like some insane mad man. Then, a flash of light would pop out of nowhere as she darted around; scavenging for whatever was appealing to her. Coral didn’t know it yet, but of course there were her children. So, defensively, she’d sit upright in her tree to glare down at whatever was in the distance/below. “Helloooooo…?” she’d call down below in some silly imitation, before the blurs were identified as her own. “OH, hi kids.” She’d grin toothily before clambering down the tree then waltzing over to her little monsters. AH, the family was somewhat back together again. Truly it wasn’t, but she was quite content to find herself with them again – even if she assumed both were probably dogging mommy’s paw steps and were just here to bother her from her peaceful evening ( or morning ? ) up within a tree. Fun. Coral would first look Kibwe down, in some motherly urge to see if either was hurt. He had problems, she could tell – he was dreadfully fat. But that was the norm, when did that kid ever stop eating? Where did he get it from? It defiantly was not her side of the family! Then, she’d glance to Flash’s face... and that was when panic struck. She was crying (or whatever she was doing, looked like an emo nemo)? What, what was wrong? Coral would imminently swing her head back towards the direction of the caves, then to her children. A fake smile was put on, as if to comfort them. “What’s wrong, dearies…?” she’d purr in a gentle manner. “Tell mommy what happened.”

[Flash]

Flash was shocked when she ran into Coral and Kibwe way out in nowhere, and her mood dropped even more. Oh by the great kings, she probably didn't know, so poor little Flash was going to have to tell her mother that her mate had been exiled. Fun. Finally she couldn't help it anymore and started sobbing like a baby, '' Mommy! '' She cried out and ran forward burying her face in her mothers fur. She quickly began blubbering nonsense little hiccups and large sobs escaping her every few seconds. However she soon realized that she was getting nowhere and took a few shaky deep breaths to try and calm herself, looking up at Coral with puffy eyes she hiccuped, '' Mommy.. Blaze got in a fight.. And he lost, and now hes banished.. And.. And.. And.. '' She went back to her sobbing, she soon pulled away from her mother and hung her head, totally forgetting that her chubby younger brother was sitting right next to her and could easily hear what she was saying. She turned her head to the side to wipe the tears away when she noticed Kibwe there and froze, how would he react to being told so suddenly that his father had been banished?! You IDIOT! She thought to herself mentally.

[Asani]

A little ball of dark grey fur let out a small mewl for attention, for little Ekimu was beginning to wonder where everybody in the cave had gone. They were here only a moment ago before he fell asleep, but then again he had slept for a long time. Yellow-green eyes scanned the surroundings for either one of his parents, Ghost and Silver. Sadly they were nowhere to be found, at least where he was. Standing up on wobbly legs, the tiny tot walked unsteadily for about 10 steps before plopping down onto his stomach. Ekimu laid upon the pride den's floor somewhat contentedly before rolling onto his back beginning to suck on his tail to pass the time.
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The young Mlinzi prince tilted his head in confusion as to why Flash was sobbing quite uncontrollably. "I'm OK, really..." he told his mother thinking that all this emotional drama that was happening was about him. Then again he hadn't really heard what the female had told Coral in the first place, since he hadn't really been paying attention for that matter. Laying down in the grass he flicked his tail back and forth idly before asking, "Where'd Dad go? Is he out hunting?"
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Renga couldn't take it anymore. She knew that Kujali had to go and see her father. Placing her down upon the ground she nudged the princess forward. "Go on, but be careful!" she called out to the cub could hear her. Padding deeper into the cave, the female let out a huff. "Where IS Ustrina..." she muttered as she looked around for the little female. Her eyes lit up at the sight of a small rust colored tail. Walking over, she nonchalantly collected the young princess to her foreleg and began to pet her. "Ustrina dear, you shouldn't worry your Auntie Renga so.." she cooed as she laid down to get eye level with her. Continuing to hold her, Renga's motherly instincts kicked in as she began to bathe her.

[Ghost]

Alright....I'm bk....finally...
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After a very long hunting session, Ghost returns back to the Heshima Cave with about 4 animals for dinner. "Sorry that took so long" Ghost says as he drops the meat onto the cave floor. After dropping the meat, Ghost takes a quick walk around the cave to get familiarize with his surroundings again. He then goes to his usual spot in his cave and sits down looking about to everyone...."It's good to be home again" he says with a smile before taking a cat nap.
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[Blaze]

The defeated king looked out into the distance from where he stood. His mind was empty, his body felt numb, and his world seemed as if it was crashing down around him. His heart pounded in his chest, adrenaline still coursing through his body, pumping through his blood, as he tried to relax himself after the battle he had just lost. Was that really possible though, relaxing? He’d just been exiled; he could very easily be killed out there in the lands outside of the territories he had known all his life, or possibly worse. He could possibly suffer a repeat of what Brownie had done to him not too long ago.
He still had one shot, he supposed, though it was a very slim chance, and not at all a situation he ever wanted to be in. Desperation however will make one do what one usually would not, especially if it was for survival. The chances of it actually coming to pass though were still rather slim though, given their nature. They could very well decide to kill him on the spot after knowing of his fallen status, just as they could take him in, though as a member of the lowest of their ranks. A slave, made to obey every whim of his masters, and literally any whim, possibly even ones similar to what brought him into this predicament.
Blaze swallowed hard as he thought about all of these possibilities, but what choice did he have? It was either subjugation, quite possibly sexual as well depending on his ‘master’, or death; the former wasn’t necessarily permanent. Not in their ranks. After all, status was gained through valour. Perhaps this would be just what he needed? Perhaps he had to start at the very bottom again, to regain a perspective on what was important, on what he had lost.
Thus he turned his gaze to Naraka and carefully walked toward him. His face was an emotionless mask; he had been utterly routed. “Tell me…do you know where your father is right now? Where your clan is? They…may be my only hope for survival now.”
His tone of voice was completely flat. There was neither despair nor anxiety in it, no trace of excitement or joy. There was no emotion or inflection whatsoever. It was hollow, broken, much like the lion it belonged to as he voiced the idea he had formed in his mind. Sabre, no doubt, would object. That was precisely why he hadn’t told the other king: to spare his friend even more disquiet. The last thing he needed was for the Heshima king to be weighed down by stress and thus made an easy target for Ikazuchi or some other king to topple.
“Slave I may be in your Shaderian clan, if I’m not killed…but at least it will be better than death. At least there is the potential to rise out of it based on what I know of your clan’s honour system. I would rather it be Rendarin’s clan than another.”
- - - - - - - - -
Ikazuchi, at this point, turned to look at Sabre. He had no look of smugness on his face, no triumphant smirk. Instead he appeared to have an expression of disappointment. He had been expecting a worthy opponent, a decent challenge. Instead, all he faced was a broken, empty shell of a lion who was reputed to be a fierce warrior. Had it actually been a challenge he would have let the defeated lion keep his place. But what good could a broken king do for a kingdom that needed a strong leader? The Mlinzi lands were in a very strategic location, one that was sought after by other prides. If their king couldn’t protect them, then the lions here would be massacred, even with their allies’ aid.
He felt it best to keep these alliances; it would serve better, it would help to keep these new lands of his safe. With this in mind he walked over toward the Heshima king, his guard lowered to show he meant no harm. Perhaps it was risky; the others may attack him in retaliation for their king’s defeat, but then again he doubted they’d risk another war, especially so soon after the last one had ended.
“You’re Sabre, king of the Heshima pride if I’m not mistaken. I’ve heard much about you as well. You’re stubborn and impulsive, but also kind-hearted, loyal, determined and strong, from what I’ve been told. You’re not fearless and that’s a good thing; only a fool fears nothing, because fear makes us careful, makes us more willing to get stronger to keep those fears from being realized. I’ll be blunt…you’ve nothing to fear from me. I will be glad to keep any alliance you’ve made with the Mlinzi intact.”
He broke off what he was saying to look at the lioness beside him, and a brow raised itself with intrigue. “Is this your queen? If so you have a very good eye; she’s lovely.”
Frost turned her head to look down at the ground, flattered and at the same time embarrassed. “N-No, I’m…I’m not his queen, nor his mate. I’m not anyone’s. I’m…I’m Blaze’s half-sister.”
A thought clicked into the gold-pelted lion’s mind as he looked her over. The way she was carrying himself, the way she had just spoken to him, she was the shy type, not one to throw oneself at a person, and very unlikely to be the sort of lioness who would use a lion for power or prestige. Her looks certainly didn’t hurt her either. He couldn’t help but curve his lips upward in a tiny, almost unnoticeable smirk.
‘She’d make a fine queen…after some time. I need to give her time to get over the shock of her brother being ousted,’ he thought.

[Sabre]

Naraka gives Blaze a serious look for a moment before he finally speaks in a hushed tone, to keep Sabre from hearing. "You do realize what you'll be walking into, right? Even if it is my father's clan, the others in it might not be as...kind as he is." He looks at the former king for a moment before speaking again. "You're not kidding, are you?"
- - - - - - - - - -
Sabre holds his ground, his expression showing his anger and annoyance with the usurper, but he couldn't deny what he was saying; the Heshima needed the Mlinzi. His gaze lowers over to Frost, his expression softening some as he gazes at her pale pelt. His expression hardens again as he turns his gaze back to Ikazuchi. "As much as I'd like to rip your throat out, I can't deny that our prides must stay together. The alliance stays." The king says before turning and leaving the chamber, heading toward his chamber within the caves.

[Ishana]

Silence. Over the blur of time, Ishana had faded into the very background of the pride's attention. She was very thankful for that. She had gown fairly nicely, and the perverting scars that had covered her forehead and body were finally starting to go away. The recent loss of Blaze was a fair blow to her, as her mental state hadn't improved much; before the war ended, and shortly after Blaze's... "accident" with Brownie, Ishana had begun watching out (to the best of her ability) for Blaze. Her efforts were too small to be noticed by anyone but herself.

Lately, though, she had been getting headaches and found staying inside to help. She lay there now, lost in her twisted mind. At this time she was considering to possibility of trying to talk to someone. In the middle of her thoughts, Sabre walked by, and everything about him shouted his frustration and anger. Those dark-green eyes of hers locked on him. "Sabre? Why do we fight each other? What makes people hate?" Her mental power was sadly low, and she hardly understood a lot of things she saw, so occasionally she had the brilliant idea of trying to understand. "Is fighting a good thing?"