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 Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2006 5:21 pm
 Nightfall, she'd traveled quite a ways since setting out to find her brother. When the sun first began to set Tai had decided then and there that it was time to settle down for the night. She could detect the scents of many others out in this area, but that was really no different from anywhere else. Rogues wandered freely and frequently no matter where you went, so it was really not to her knowledge that she'd happened across a Pride's borders. The Pridelands, anyway, was open to rogues, but she hardly counted as such.
Born to this Pride as the result of a forced breeding, Tai had come in search of her brother Daimyn. They'd both managed to escape the tyranny of their father, who had dismissed them both as failures. Tai did not leave unscarred, however, as the single clawmark across her eye indicated her disgrace. She didn't care. She couldn't let herself care.
"Here is as good a place as any I guess..." She said tiredly to herself, easing underneath the shadow of a hill, settling down near a small bed of rocks and lush grasses. She'd rest, probably fall asleep within an hour if uninterrupted, and then set out again come morning with her search.
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Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2006 5:36 pm
Red almost always ventured out at night time, he didn't sleep much, feeling that Na napped quite enough during the day. He was constantly on edge, feeling that even the night sky could hide Mrost within it's midnight blue embrace. The god was everywhere in his mind, just waiting to steal away everything from him, but in particular the most important thing to him, his life. The clawmarks across his back were only from a scathing blow, the idea of what the god would do given half a chance boggled his mind.
But he pushed this aside, instead ambling aimlessly across the grasslands, illuminated by the moon overhead.
After a while, he froze in his tracks, spotting a white figure not too far off. At first he had thought it could have been the pale fur of Mrost but on closer inspection, no, it was female, as pale as the moon overhead.
Smirking in a most feral manner, he prowled closer, pouncing sleekly to loom over her, smirking.
"Why hello there ma'am."
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Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2006 5:47 pm
She'd just gotten herself comfortable. The grass was soft against her underbelly and paws, and the air was cool enough to be comfortable. Being raised in the mountains left her often wanting for cooler weather during the day, but especially back in Mteuli's homelands. The jungle was simply no place for her, the humidity was too much, even in the center-valley!
Anyway, she'd just lowered her eyelids over both pale blue eyes and was perfectly content to drift off to sleep, but a foreign scent invaded her nose. Tai's head snapped up, eyes open in an instant just as "Red" appeared before her.
At first she nearly mistook him for Ali, but the coloring was wrong. Were they siblings, perhaps?
"Ah- hello?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2006 5:55 pm
Red sneered nastily at the female for a few moments, just creepily flicking his tail behind him. He had made a promise to Na, hadn't he? One he had broken almost right away. Well here was another chance to possibly break that same promise again. "Hello." he repeated with a smirk "I'm Red. And you don't quite look like you know where you've stumbled into. The pridelanders sleep in the dens."
He sat down in one casual movement. "Infringing on territory is frowned upon and the penalties can be....most harsh."
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Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2006 6:05 pm
It didn't take a genius to realize that the look he'd just given her was less than kind, and Tai was quickly deciding that she wasn't too keen on the direction this decision had taken her.
Before she had a chance to offer leaving before she stirred up and trouble, the male was seating himself. Strictly embedded lessons in "respect" quickly sprung forth again and Tai resumed a more appropriate position to compliment her superior, head lower to the ground. This male was putting her at a feeling of unease, and unplesant memories were beginning to ghost their way back to the forefront of her mind.
"I'm sorry, I didn't realize... I was just following my brother's scent and it led me here."
Daimyn hadn't.... he wouldn't, would he? Maybe she'd been wrong to think that time away from their monsterous father would change him. Had he simply found another pride to terrorize other's from?
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Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2006 6:12 pm
Red's grin turned even darker as the pale female actually bowed out into a respectful and submissive posture, it only served to fuel his superiority complex and interest. He didn't care that he had interrupted some soul's rest and played the intimidation card, that was just the way red was.
"Your brother? " he smirked "Does he have a name? Maybe I've encountered him. Either way, he's not around here I'd say. It's just you, me and the stars. Even the patrols don't come out this far this late."
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Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2006 6:18 pm
"Daimyn..." She answered, her tone was clearly hesitant and nervous. The other's confidence was overbearing to her, one who had become so accustomed to being around others who were the epitomes of "laid back" and kind. She hadn't encountered another lion with this kind of attitude in months, and despite that long span of time between her home and here she could not shake those damnable old habits now when she probably needed to most. Hopefully some other would come along and spare her this akward meeting.
"It's just you, me, and the stars."
Oh no, the little voice of fear in the back of her head wasn't liking that idea at all. "I didn't mean to trespass."
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Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2006 6:33 pm
Red shook his head, as usual those normally gentle amber eyes darkened by his thoughts. "I've never heard of him. a good thing if I do say so myself. Wouldn't want another big bad lion coming after me." he cackled darkly "Though I can see you've probably had your own encounters with less than favourable lions. That scar." he smirked. "Is nothing compared to what you deserve for trespassing on the pridelands."
He didn't mention that he held no position in the pride, that it was a welcoming home with fair leaders, only his own ends counted. He got to his feet and took a few steps closer.
"Oh we don't always /mean/ to do things...sometimes they just happen. Like the sparring partner who kills his friend by "mistake"" he smirked "But the fact is, you ARE trespassing and the owners of this land can deal with you as they see fit."
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Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2006 6:40 pm
Tai tensed visibly at the same time as her ears suddenly rocked back to rest flat on the back of her head. No one could say she didn't try to be unassuming, but now that foreboding sentence after threatening word had been tossed her way nothing was to stop her from assuming the worst. Her tail curled in closer around her body, giving off an extremely nervous tick now and then. Self-conciously her gaze flickered down to the spot under her eye where the scar ran clean. That scar had come from her father, and being reminded of it, and incidentally how she got it, was almost all that she could take. Wide eyes moved back to the figure stalking closer to her and she finally found her footing, keeping her body tucked towards the ground with her tail swooping between her hind legs, she backed away slowly.
"No...! I'll leave, you won't tell anyone that I was here, will you?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2006 6:48 pm
Red flicked his tail carelessly "That would be the good and decent thing to do, wouldn't it?" he let out a deep growl more akin to a purr than anything else and stretched like an overgrown housecat. As he resumed his normal position, he looked set to saunter away, tail swishing at his hind paws.
But without warning, he stopped, spun and pounced towards Tai, growling, his gaze manic, fur bristling.
"Well I have news for you. I'm NOT a good and decent person. You will do as I say or I'll make sure you NEVER leave these lands again."
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Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2006 6:56 pm
~Oh thank goodness...~
She'd just begun to breathe in relief, now realizing how hard her heart was hammering against her chest. He looked set and ready to go on his way, and she would run straight back to the jungle and never look back, but no... it didn't look like it was going to work out quite that easily.
It came out of no where. He pounced, Tai screamed, scrambling backwards and stepping on her own tail, tripping over her legs in the process. Her forepaws flew to the top of her head and she screwed her eyes shut as if to shield herself from the oncoming attack. She was only vaguely aware of a whimper of fear sliding forth from her throat as she lay there beginning to shake like a leaf.
~This isn't happening, this is just another nightmare! It isn't real, you're not here, you're safe at home with Mteuli and the others!~
Absolutely pathetic.... so it seems like once again I have to come to your aide, honey-queen.
"Y.... yes, whatever you say, I'll do whatever you ask." She responded, voice low in volume, but not quite so shaken as Tai's had been moments before.
For the time being she kept her paws over her head, but opened her eyes and stared blankly ahead, waiting for instruction, if they were to come. The trembling slowly soothed, though she did still suffer from a shiver that wouldn't cease running up and down her spine right away.
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Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2006 7:05 pm
Red repressed the urge to pin her, preferring instead to torment her a little longer, after all. He retained his meniac grin though, tail swishing behind him as though he were hunting.
"You'll do as I ask? Good little lioness." He stalked over to stand by her side, leaning down to possessively lick the top of her head "The more you do as I tell you, the less I'll have to harm you. Though no matter the outcome, you'll get hurt, just because you couldn't even defend yourself you helpless, WORTHLESS little wanderer."
For Red, this was what bliss was made of.
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Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2006 7:19 pm
Tai obediently moved her paws back to the ground as he approached her, eyes shutting and a shudder slithering down her spine, different than the simple shiver from before. She couldn't agree more. Her other half was wretchedly pathetic, no backbone whatsoever to speak of. Perhaps if she had at least a little bit of spine then this.... no, she didn't want to continue thinking of herself as the same part of this body's dominant controller. She deserved her own name didn't she, after so much time spent protecting the little cur?
Ausi'Tai would due nicely.
Yes, but if Tai weren't so spineless then perhaps Ausi wouldn't have minded coming to her aide now and then.
But it was EVERYTIME she was in trouble. Anytime that she'd looked for somewhere to run it was Ausi that was left to take the brunt of the punishment that the ingrate brought upon them, up to HER to keep them alive and as unharmed as possible.
She said nothing, but her ears twitched as if trying to sink lower to her skull. This male seemed to feed off of dominance, just like all the others. Easy enough to stoke an ego such as his...
"I understand," She whimpered, eyes shutting again while not daring to move.
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Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2006 7:26 pm
Well this midnight stroll had been more than worth it, he'd managed to get himself a plaything and a submissive one at that. Smirking he decided that he'd see how much he could torment her before she either ran or broke her composure.
"Good."
Flicking his tail again, he lashed out a paw, aimed at her shoulder, intending to precede whatever other designs he had planned with a good dash of pain.
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Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2006 7:34 pm
He was toying with her... She couldn't tell exactly what it was he planned to do next, but she heard the swipe before she felt it. Her pained cry broke the air, and had she been standing she would've staggered to the side. Instead she cringed in on herself, shoulder burning with the pain of his claws tearing through her fur and skin. Blood slowly began to trickle down from the fresh-score marks almost immediately.
Her body remained tense, curling in with a wash of resentment, both towards this b*****d and for herself, for not being better able to deal with this. ESPECIALLY her other half, for making her suffer through yet another night of torment. One day she'd make sure she paid for it if it didn't cost them their life.
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