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The Visitor
Topic Started: Thursday Aug 15 2013, 03:16 PM (113 Views)
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Basic Timeline -
* Nafsi and Mtima are born.
* Aida is born.
* Aida's orignal pride is absorbed by the Katanga Pride.
* Aida kills the King and becomes a judge and executioner - The Visitor.
* Nafsi kills his abusive mother.
* Aida builds a reputation around The Visitor's name.
* Nafsi and Mtima overtake a pride.
* Aida comes by a few months later, has a hunting accident. Nafsi and Mtima take advantage of it.
* Mtima is ....?
* Three days to a week later, Aida wanders into the pride territory by chance.

______________________________________________________________________

Morning twilight bled through the long blades of grass, thin though they were. The rocky terrain remained so even on the plateau, and pebbles threatened to shift under the pale lioness' predatory steps. The surface, however, still damp with dew saved her that risk. With the wet season in full swing, the lands were flourishing, even if areas had been rendered unusable.

The huntress was intent on breakfast, however. A succulent adolescent had wandered from the herd, and there were no scent markers to brand her a poacher. Though the wildebeest was not far from the others, it was far enough. The bull - judging by the size and thick, corded muscle - grazed downwind from her, and Aida continued her slow creep forward. Even a judge and executioner needed sustenance. And what was before her would work nicely.

Slender paws ate the ground as she moved, the lioness' midnight eyes locked onto her target's every movement. She was relying on the gray of early dawn to hide her, though. Aida's pale tawny pelt sang of white lines, descendent of a pride most pure. But the scars that cut across her the tops of her shoulder blades sang a different song, or at least spoke of a plight that the would not usually befall one with the privileged blood.

But privileged blood was not enough.

Aida slowly shifted her weight as she came to a pause, and proceeded to run her tongue over her muzzle as the herd meandered. Her claws extended. And she lunged.

Thunder pealed across the rocky plateau as cloven hooves bit into it, and Aida was but a tawny streak as they wove around her. A larger bull fell back in the ranks. The lioness pounced. Blood flowed as her claws scored the male's hide, a shrill mix between a grunt and a 'hick' escaping it as life ran, hot and wet as her jaws closed on thin air. The second time he swung his head, the twisted horns caught her in the ribs. A gasp came from the pale lioness as she was almost unseated. The second strike hit dead on.

Aida landed with a thud on the hard ground. Hooves flew over her head as she struggled to her paws, only for her ribcage to give way to a sickening crunch. The breathless lioness barely had time to register pain before the next pair connected dead on. Her world went black.
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The king tilted his chin upwards proudly, surveying the vast lands that he had fought tooth and nail for. Gentle hills rolled under tall golden grasses, dotted by occasional acacia trees and wild African animals. A family of cheetahs was barely visible nearby, camouflaged by their spots and golden-orange fur. As the huge lion glanced their way, they ducked and flattened their ears defensively, freezing and ready to spring if he decided to give chase. Nafsi smirked, pleased to have the fearful reaction to his presence. As king, he deserved respect and a healthy fear of his mighty paws... as did his brother, Mtima. The black-maned lion turned against the wind to face the lighter-furred male.

“Hmm... do you smell that, brother?” Nafsi asked in his deep, rumbling baritone. Mtima lifted his nose and gave the air a few whiffs, closing his eyes as if pleased.

“Ah, that smells like...”

“Blood. Lion’s blood,” the darker lion finished for him. Nafsi turned back to where the scent was coming from; somewhere north of them and farther from the den. Perhaps a failed hunt or a battle between lions... either way, it needed to be tended to. As the king, Nafsi needed to rule his lands with an iron paw and be sure that none would dare challenge his rule. He began a slow, leisurely trot in the general direction of the coppery tang of bloodscent, Mtima following behind. They were silent as they went, but the promise of blood sang in their veins. They would have the chance to let some of their violent tendencies out, to kill a worthy enemy. The opportunity did not present itself very often, so this was a welcome surprise.

Soon they came upon a set of bloody pawprints, though these carried the strong smell of herbivore. A hunting cat had apparently had an accident, then... pitiful fool. Mtima suddenly grunted in surprise, catching Nafsi’s attention.

“Brother, I’ve found what we’re looking for,” he announced. Sprawled out at his paws and barely breathing was a lioness, crumpled and broken and barely alive. She was doggedly dragging air into an obviously injured ribcage. Her pristine fur was covered in her own sanguine fluids.

“Hmm. We should wake her and find out where she came from. No stranger is allowed to simply walk upon my lands,” Nafsi growled. “We should teach her a lesson... don’t you think?” the dark lion asked his brother, a cruel smirk lighting his features at the prospect of causing a female of his species pain.
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Her head throbbed. But that wasn't all. Pain wracked her pale frame, as if she'd been ground into the dirt. The irregular dip in her ribcage shuddered with each breath, the break painfully obvious. One ear twitched at the voices, one that oh so slowly registered. A low groan of pain escaped her as she shifted, not yet awake enough to clamp down on it.

It seemed she openly realized either it or their presence, though, and shifted her paws underneath her. The first attempt to rise failed - dizziness slamming into her, the foreign lioness' midnight eyes clenching shut for a moment. It was with the second attempt that she succeeded, even if the pair was hazy in her vision. But she was oddly attentive for one with such wounds.
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Surprised she was still alive, Nafsi made his way over to the pale lioness whose breaths were thick and shallow. The scent of blood laced her own body's feminine musk. His brown paws stopped right at her back, where she faced away from him. Her flesh was torn in various places where sharp hooves had apparently slashed into her and broken bones... The dark lion's expression grew dark with hatred as he stared down at the lioness, until he could no longer see her. Instead, he saw a tawny figure sprawled on the ground, cold golden eyes glossing over. The fear in those eyes... it both disgusted and delighted Nafsi. He remembered raising a paw for the final blow...

"Nafsi! What, you gonna kill her already?" Mtima called, snapping the king to his senses. Nafsi blinked, coming to, and realized that he had a paw up, claws unsheathed, as if he was about to slash the pitiful injured lioness through the jugular and kill her. She was moving slightly now, eyelids twitching and breaths becoming quicker.

"Mtima. Flank her other side," Nafsi ordered. His brother did as he was told, a hungry gleam coming into his eyes. He knew what was coming next... but first, the lioness needed to at least be partially awake. It was no fun playing with limp prey that didn't fight back. "Wake up, dearest," Nafsi grinned, putting a paw on Aida's side and applying slight pressure where he knew it probably hurt most.
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As Mtima moved according to his brother, the lioness' rise to unsteady paws faltered when Nafsi's paw caught the dip in her ribcage. Her jaw visibly clenched, and the hiss that escaped her was barely audible even to their hungry ears. As she shifted, though, Mtima realized that the angular marks across her shoulder blades weren't fresh. They were scars, pinkened with age. And if he was not mistaken, from claws.

Both ears perked forward as he stepped forward, and the lioness jerked away from his brother with the fluidity of a river. The lighter lion couldn't help but tilt his head, ever so slightly, and then she stutter-stepped to keep her balance. The gashes across her forehead said plenty - she'd taken hooves to the face.

But their prize was an oddity. A white-born, perhaps. And to think that such privileged lines had fallen into his brother's lands. Mtima's glance at Nafsi almost spoke for him - Would she have other uses?
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Before Nafsi could properly subdue her, the pristine-furred lioness had gotten to her feet almost nimbly, save for her obvious confusion from her head injury and the broken limbs she so obviously sported. Ah, a fighter... and she even had some old marks to show for it. This one wasn't a pushover by any means. Nafsi's muzzle broke into a full grin, pearly whites gleaming like a shark that had scented blood. She was stumbling away, facing her two oppenents as if to defend herself. The black maned lion lowered his head and fixed her with a hungry stare, making his way slowly towards her. Mtima, on the other side, began to circle her from the other side, and Nafsi obligingly tightened the circle to trap her between them.

"Mmm, where are you going, my dear? Don't you know it's impolite not to introduce yourself to strangers?" Nafsi taunted in his smooth baritone. His muscles rippled just beneath his fur and clung to his heavy frame; an imposing figure to most, though he had a feeling that this lioness was not going to be phased by looks alone. She looked somewhat dazed and confused, as if her head injury had done something to her mental facilities... well, it would only make her an easier target. He glanced at Mtima behind her, who took the moment to pounce. He dug his claws into her flanks and bit down hard on her hip, and while she was distracted, Nafsi charged at her front, snapping at the scruff of her neck and attempting to pin her down using his formidable weight.
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Her vision swayed. It was tempting to clench her eyes shut, in attempt to steady her surroundings, yet unpleasantness seemed to ooze from the male's honeyed words. In the time it took to actually process them, though, she paused. Even if she were to oblige ... what would she oblige with? What was her name?

One question stumbled over another, one more unknown joining the stampede of others through her mind. She stiffened, the temptation to panic snapping at her like a crocodile. But it was subdued with a clenched jaw, drawing a sharp breath, as she tried to focus on the male. His bulk seemed larger than her own, even if the splitting pain in her head made it almost impossible to tell the actual color of his pelt under cloud cover.

"Perhaps," the amnesiac acknowledged, her singular response quiet. And then fire raked across her hindquarters. The lioness snarled as fresh blood added to the stains on her pelt, twisting as her claws extended. Life ran beneath her claws as she caught the lighter male's foreleg, gripping at his limb. Her instantaneous reaction, aiming to shred his means of offense, was cut off by the bodily shove from behind. Jaws snapped shut as she ducked her head, and the click sounded next to her ear.

She released her grip on the first male, and twisted. Not only did the lioness artfully worm away from them, it seemed to be all from an instinctual level - one honed, perfected. She stumbled, however, when one of the males struck again. Claws hooked into a hind leg, capitalizing on her unsteadiness. Flesh ripped when she pulled away.
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As soon as the brothers attacked, chaos ensued. A flurry of fur, teeth, and claws whirled into action as the lioness came to life--suddenly, silently.

Mtima gasped in unexpected pain as the lioness lashed out, defending herself tooth and claw from her attackers. He howled and wrenched his paw backwards, only serving to ruin it more than it would have been before. Rage lit his eyes and he launched himself outwards again, and felt claws from his good paw hook into her flank and rip flesh. Blood flowed freely from the female's wound, but before Mtima could roar in triumph Nafsi had pounced once more, taking advantage of the lioness's error to swing a paw like a club at her head, hopefully knocking her to the ground.

"You little bitch!" Nafsi snarled--the change in his honeyed voice was sudden, harsh, and it made him sound quite out of his mind. Golden eyes flashed dangerously with ill intent, teeth bared both defensively and to try and intimidate the smaller, pale lioness into submission.
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