Chapter 2: A New World (Canon)

[Asani]

Peke nuzzled Nikita back. "Come on..let's go before anything else happens." he said trotting back.

[darkrose283]

<sub>Nikita nodded, letting him get up. She followed Peke closely, glancing over her shoulder to see Shura's deceased body. Eyes wide, she quickly turned her face away, burrying it in the boy's side. While she may be a tom boy, Nikita was still very much a girl, and to see that sight as young as she, it could have permanent damages to her subconcious. She would obviously having this nightmare for a long time, if she were even able to fall asleep any time soon.

Hours had passed, yet Anastasiya was still unable to sleep. Gently slipping from Sabre's side, she began to pace the den again.</sub>

[dsi]

Peke stopped walking seeing as Nikita's head was buried in his shoulder. He looked at Shura's body while gulping slighty. "C..come on..let's keep going." he said trying to reassure her.

[Sabre]

Sabre feels Ana leaving his side and opens his eyes, yawning. "Still couldn't sleep?" He asks.

[Blaze]

Mkali turned around and began to walk back toward the caves. His eyes were closed in thought. "The others must be informed of these events," he said.

---

Kawaida had his eyes looking every which way as they walked. Except, of course, in the direction of Sacha.

[Ishana]

A while after she had seen Nikita go, Ishana left the cubs to rest. While she was walking back, she saw her mother's body. Her tail fell, her heart knotted in her throat and then it came. A ear-piecing scream of horror and pain split the air as Ishana ran to her mother and threw herself on Shura's body. "MOMA! Moma wake up! I'm sorry moma! PLEASE! Wake up!" She sobbed and her body writhered as she cryed out in pain. "I swear I never meant the things I thought! MOMA! WAKE UP! PLEASE!" She began to quiet as her body shook and heaved wih her cries and wails. Ishana clung to her mother's corpse and kept crying.

[darkrose283]

<sub>Nikita nodded, following Peke back to the caves, never once straying too far from his side. As they walked in, she glanced to the spot where she normally slept with her parents. Flattening her ears, she looked to Peke.
"Is it okay if I sleeps with you? I'm too scareded...."


She winced, looking to Sabre.
"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you..."</sub>

[dsi]

(Poor Ishana >

"Sure. I'm feeling abits cold anyway." he replied. To be quite frank, Peke was just as scared as she was by the whole ordeal though he wouldnt have admitted it.

Shura's lifeless corpse just laid there, no matter how much Ishana shouted and shook, she wouldnt come back.

[Hero58]

Wedger nods at Huruma and starts leading the young Zebra back to it's herd, she stays back though letting the young one approach.

Though Wedger leaps at them after she saw what just happened, the Zebra's turned him away and shoved him away hard. The back on Wedger's fur stood up.

[Sabre]

"It's ok Ana, I don't mind." Sabre says, sitting up. "Hopefully you can get some sleep soon."

[darkrose283]

<sub>The petite lioness walked over, licking his cheek softly.
"You should go back to sleep, dear. The family needs you to be alert, specially with the exiles around. I'll fall asleep soon enough."
Turning, she continued to pace, being as quiet as she possibly could.

Nikita faked a smile before she followed Peke to where he slept. She curled up on the ground, her bright blue eyes watching him and the other lions warily.</sub>

[Sabre]

Sabre nods and lays back down, closing his eyes before drifting back to sleep.
-----------------------
Siri had watched the whole ordeal with Shura, a sinister grin creeps onto her face and she silently stalks away from the corpse, making her way back toward Bolshevik...

[bonnie]

<sub>(Just a reminder that only this group is effected by this timeskip. Mlinzi life goes on as normal.)

- - - - -

^{"I just love awkward silences, don't you guys?"}
Vera laughed as she followed Sacha and Kafeel. A smirk was upon her maw, seeing Kawaida so grumpy. It made the journey hell of a lot more fun. The following days were rough on the small group. They had hundreds of miles to cross before they would reach Algeria. Sacha and Veronika would hunt whenever the opportunity arrived, however, they couldn't take large kill, seeing as they would just have to leave the carcass behind.
At night, the partially blind lioness slept away from the others, usually keeping watch over them then actually sleep. Kafeel's words had hurt her, so she tried keeping quiet and sticking to herself as much as possible. As days turned into weeks, it was obvious their journey was taking a toll upon the group. Vera had quickly lost the bit of weight she gained when she stayed with Sacha. Her belly was thin and her ribs were beginning to show. Sacha didn't look that much different, seeing as her cousin hadn't taken this long of travel in years.
Whatever food they caught, she noticed that Sacha would always allow Kafeel and Kawaida to eat their fills first before touching the carcass. Vera was more kind, letting the three of them eat before she would. Sure, it often meant there were barely any scraps for her, but she deserved it for her attitude. She never really minded that she ate less then them anyway.
Reaching their third week of travel, there were well into Chad and the scorching heat of the desert sun. The heat of the day made travel very difficult, so the group tried to shelter under any shade they could find and waited until night to continue along. Hunting was nearly impossible, but they managed to not starve by catching rodents and desert hares. Sacha had managed to kill a snake one night, nearly dying in the process. Vera looked to her cousin astonished as she handed Kafeel the dead snake, a meager toy to ease his boredom.
Two more weeks came and went and finally the group was in southern Algeria. The Ahaggar mountains lie in wait in the distance, a welcoming sight for Veronika.
^{"Home sweet home..."}
She took a glance to Sacha and Kawaida, curious about what they were thinking.</sub>

[Blaze]

Kawaida looked into the distance at the mountain range. His ears were greeted by the sound of Vera's voice. He thought nothing of it, however. Looking at the mountains, however, a pang of longing, of homesickness, surged through him. They reminded him of his old home. Of the Mlinzi lands.
"They remind me of the Mlinzi lands actually. Of the mountains there," he said. He turned his head to look back at Sacha. Over the past month that they had been traveling, he too had grown thin. He would often take a sizable portion of his share, of his own kills especially, and give them to the other three. Even Vera. Despite her prickly nature, he'd grown to see past that. To see the true lioness behind the sexist nature. The inquisitive lioness, who wondered why the males sought her, why they would try to hurt her, knowing her orientation.
He wanted nothing more than to convince her that not all males were like those who tried to violate her. That he especially wasn't like them. He began to despair, however, believing that one as obstinate as her would never be made to see that not everything is black and white. Especially not other creatures.

---

Huruma's lips curled with disgust at the display. Without thinking he charged at the herd of zebra, roaring loudly in anger.

---

Mkali soon arrived back in the caves with the rest in tow. He looked immediately at Blaze and at Sabre. "Shura is dead. I killed her. She attempted to slay Peke and Nikita. Isaak... believes that she was meant to assassinate the two under orders from Vladimir's favored wife. I believe he said her name was Zinoviya."

[Hero58]

The herd runs off quickly from Huruma.

Wedger looks a tthe young zebra and softly licks him "You alright?"

Just then the young zebra goes up close to her leg, acting grateful.