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Zalla giggled and spun away as the butterfly fluttered toward her, as if giving the impression of playing tag before she abruptly and bounced high into the air, pawing at the butterfly. She landed on her feet, smiling as she watched the insect climb higher into the sky, until she lost sight of it.

She sat down, sighing wistfully. "Bugger...Now what?" She wondered aloud, glancing around innocently. She gave pause when she saw where she was, tilting her head as she glanced toward the lands she'd never know. It really was a pity, if one stopped to think about it. All the lions and places that land held that were lost to the others on this side of the boarder, and vise versa.

"They can't really be all that bad...Right?" She asked herself, standing up and craning her neck as if it would help her get a better look at the place. "Maybe they're just grumpy. Everyone has off days." She muttered, before sighing and looking up toward the sky. The sun was really blazing today and se'd beenn chasing the butterfly pretty long....

She glanced around, then frowned. She wasn't eve certain where she even was anymore. Not that it mattered, since she knew she would find her way home....eventually. Spotting a tree, Zalla smiled and hopped to her feet. A nap in the shade wouldn't be so bad. She thought, heading toward it. Just a short nap, then back home. What could it hurt?

Zalla gasped and screamed, flying to the side as she lept away from whatever had jumped out and 'attacked' her. She paused, glancing out of some grass toward the little roaring cub, then stood up and huffed. "Wha...what the heck was that about?" She asked, getting up and walking toward him, lowering her head to look him in the eyes.

"Aren't you a bit far from your own pride, cub?" She asked, raising an eyebrow before she looked around. "Or are these your lands?" She wondered, looking for his mother and father. Perhaps he was trying to protect his territory. Awww, that'd be so cute! She thought, looking back at him again. "What are you doing all the way out here alone like this? It's dangerous for someone your size out here."

Still, he did look cute, all bright blue with those spots. Her eyes froze when she looked at his head, then she playfully pounced on him, poking at his head with one paw as she held his down with the other. "HEY! You have something growing out of your head...." She observed, obviously not being very 'observant' as she completely overlooked the other cub. She laughed, smiling happily. "What kind of lion are you? I've never seen one with bumps on its head like this."

Zalla yelped as the cub bit and clawed at her, letting him go out of shock rather then from any pain. She stared at him as if uncertain what was wrong with him, then took a step toward him. "You can't just claim someone else's land like that. You're only a cub!" She exclaimed, stalking cautiously toward him. "A cub can't claim lands, and especially not a Da'Lin!" She raised herself up a bit, using her obvious height and weight advantages to stare down at the cub. "These lands will never belong to a Da'Lin. Zahina would never allow for these lands to be taken from her prides."

She frowned as she looked down at him, watching him. "So that's what you are...? A Da'lin." She looked him over calmly, then pounced on him again, her mouth aimed to nab him up by the scruff of his neck. She doubted any cubs would fight when held in such a position, though she'd never dealt with a Da'lin before.

Zesiro started howling with rage as soon as the bigger cat had his scruff. He was angry. More than angry. It was somewhat humiliating for such a big cub to be lifted like a baby, and this cat had simply scooped him up with no regards for his words. That shame almost immediately channeled into his rage and he struggled wildly, trying to reach around and claw at the older lion's face. One well-placed claw could cut an eye or a sensitive nose or lip and he could break free.
But then, with a shout, Boipelo shot out of the bushes like a black and orange lightningbolt. The blue cub used that moment to struggle free and turn to swipe at Zalla's face - hoping to catch something before beating a hasty rereat to his brother's side... And trying to stay out of range of the claws of the Zahina just in case.

Boipelo tumbled off the female's back, managing to land on his paws somewhat gracefully and not knock into his brother in the process. He snarled again, ears flattening against his skull. "Who are you to say we can't be here?" The snake colored cub's tail twitched back and forth as he watched the lioness, she seemed more like a cub than his brother and himself. Females... He huffed, clearly irritated.

There was no point in giving away the fact that they were just two cubs out by themselves. The lioness would be wary as long as she thought there might be someone else (possibly even more of a threat than a pair of cubs) nearby. That would leave them with a little advantage.

Zesiro pressed himself lightly against his brother for support. His presense as an ally was reassuring in this situation. "Stupid Zahina!" Zesiro spat contemptuously. "Why can't we claim this land? Because your god says so? Your god drove us to the desert! She banished us from these lands. Look at yourself defending your land! And why wouldn't you?"
Zesiro snarled and stepped forward in a crouch. He was clearly passionate about this, an overwhelming passion. It was one of the few stories he had heard from the lionesses. And his belief in Da'Lin and the legends and every word on how Da'Lin were strong and unjustly punished pounded in his brain as he spoke with a strong voice. A voice full of hatered.
"Zahina gave you this land! But only after taking it away from US! No wonder you are expected to defend it from it's rightful owners... Da'Lin was powerful and made us like him! So your stupid god was a coward and scared of his power and chased us into the desert! But it didn't work... We just got stronger from our hardship. In that amount of land that I could walk in a day could feed every Da'Lin because we are strong! So why should we sit and suffer while you sit being lazy and weak in the luxury of the forest! And now we're taking back what's ours and we won't be scared anymore! If we lived here we wouldn't have to travel so far to find food or water or places to hide. This land should belong to Da'Lin... This is where we belong!"
The last of these lines was shouted with a growl. The cubs eyes were huge and the blood was pounding in his ears like the beating of a drum. Zesiro was convinced now as he felt the adreniline those words gave him. This was his calling. Yes, he would still find a way to destroy his siblings and parents. But he would serve Da'Lin despite that and despite the suffering he had endured. Da'Lin had given him his strength and passion. Zahina was the only reason in his mind for any suffering brought on by anything but his god-familly. The days in the dry harsh wind and the teasing of the other cubs... And perhaps even his own mother's cruelty. He blamd it all on Zahina. He vowed would repay both someday by changing this land for the good of his people and driving out the Zahina... Bringing in the rule of Da'Lin.

A large blue lion ran through the dirt path, brow furrowing deeper as the vegetation grew sparser. Kartu and Sibdu, the two black Tusks, followed closely behind him in silence, their usual playful dispositions subdued by the seriousness of the situation. They had crossed the river with ease, something that would never have been possible during the monsoon season and they were now threading on a dangerous ground. This was no-man’s land, a small line between the territories of the Da’Lin lions and the Bhanu pride. They held no claim to theses lands but Carmon had spotted activity – he‘d seen cubs! - and Malek need to know what they were dealing with. Zahinas getting too close to the Da’Lin lands or Da’lins getting too comfortable around the borders?

Russo had stayed behind to gather a few more Tusks to serve as support should the situation require it but Malek hoped their assistance wouldn’t be necessary. One blue ear twitched. He could hear something already. A cub screaming?

“Stay close but don’t say a word.” He whispered to his dark companions as he moved forward.

Zalla huffed slightly, her ears pressed to her head in frustration. "Your murdered prides? Zahina would never murder anyone. If anyone told you such a thing, they are nothing by lying cowards!" She glared at the cubs, her own childish personality and pride in her people surfacing in a flash. "Who do you think you are, coming to our home and telling us that we are not only weaker, but undeserving of such a home. What have you done to deserve such a home?" She argued, her fur standing on end as she tried to glare the cubs down. "You think you're such poor, innocent lions? You think you're the only ones who suffer?" She scoffed, shaking her head. "We lose cubs on this side of the border too, you know. Death and suffering are not only in that wasteland your prides were tossed into."

She stood silent only for a moment, tears filling her eyes as she watched them, trying to act like the adult in this conversation but only feeling like she wanted to yell and scream right back at the cub. "Da'Lin will never have a place in these lands. The only thing such a god can create is death and destruction. These lands would die and become nothing more then a shell of what they are now. They would become just as bad as the lands you both came from, and you think we would ever let that happen?"

Zalla's tail flicked behind her in aggitation. "Zahina gives us life. Zahina gifts us with plentiful food and protects us. What has your god gotten you, but a wasteland for a home, where all you ever do is suffer? If your god loved you, why doesnt he make your lands better for you? Why doesnt he gift you with plentiful food and green savannas?" She taunted, her tone childishly mocking. "If your pride is so wonderful, so strong, why are you two the only ones who have come into Zahina lands?" She scoffed again, smirking at them. "Seems to me, even your parents are too weak and cowardly to come and challange a Zahina pride for Zahina land. I bet they wouldn't even be able to win in a fair fight." She mocked again, glaring at them.

"You are nothing more then children to be pitied. You were dealt a very bad role in a land that was harsh. But just like your role was not chosen by you, neither was ours chosen by us. It is what we did with our lives that we chose. You chose to come here, and why? I think you two are jealous. You wish you were born to Zahina and her beautiful lands, but instead you were sucked into a demon's hell." Left out of breath and panting, she watched them as her anger and frustration all slowly drained from her. So much for being the adult here, but still....she wouldn't let these cubs badmouth her homeland, her friends, and her family, and get away without even a good verbal lashing.

"You do not belong here. Your god does not belong here. Go back to your home, and don't return to ours."