[FIN] A Time to Kill (Tyfu, Sabah, Orion, Shor'ame)

[mouselet]

The black lioness waited at the meeting place she'd specified in her...private conversations with her team. A wimp, an assistant, and a problem that would be taken care of soon enough. Their task was to finally dispose of Uchanjaa, something Tyfu had been itching to do ever since he'd dared to defy Shangyue.

She didn't imagine it would be a hard task, considering that the big brown lion had failed to do anything notable in that time except for being a visual reminder of the rebellion. He'd apparently been at the Hunters' strike even though he was a Guard, and that was the most obvious thing he'd done since the coronation.

In preparation, she'd gotten him assigned to a simple patrol, by himself, in a less well-traveled area of the pride. Couldn't be simpler.

She simply needed her crew to arrive on time. Or she'd go fetch them. With her claws.  

[Painted Moose]

Fear of Tyfu and their King kept Sabah from being late to the meeting place. She scurried along, resisting the urge to look over her shoulder because, well, who was going to get mad at her for doing something in support of Shangyue? She wouldn't be spied on while working, right? It wouldn't make sense for the King's eyes to be on her now when she was helping him out.

She wasn't looking forward to taking the life of another, but it was his own fault, really. All he had to do was keep his nose down and support whomever happened to be on the throne. Sabah really hoped he wouldn't put up too strong of a fight. She was feeling guilty enough as it was without having to imagine it all playing out in her mind.

"H-hello, Patrol Leader." The urge to run away, and hide until the dark lioness had left was strong. However, she dared not defy those claws so Sabah remained steady, even if if her limbs were shaking.  

[I Lady Kiya I]

It was something Shor'ame was waiting for, some real action. He had been the last to join their little group. He had almost gotten lost, he wasn't about to admit that, but at least he wasn't late, it seemed. He was only a few paces behind the other male. He hadn't really known any of them, though Tyfu had her own reputation that he caught wind of.

He wasn't about to test if they were true or not. He made no noise when he stopped with the others and waited for instructions. He nodded to each one of them, but kept quiet in general. It would do him no good to cause issues before he could prove his loyalty. A frown was stuck to his face, but if anyone knew him well, they would know that was his happy face.  

[mouselet]

Tyfu surveyed her team, pleased that they had all arrived in a timely fashion, a small smile playing on her lips. Whatever means had been necessary, they were all here now. Which meant the real fun could begin.

Those who were unsophisticated thought that Tyfu was just a thug who enjoyed making others bleed. They weren't wrong, but they had no appreciation for her real skills. For example, she knew at a glance that Sabah was quivering in her fur in fear. A typical emotion that Tyfu evoked, yes, but that didn't prevent her from savoring it.

What she would relish, however, was how torn Orion would be when she asked him to kill his father-in-law. The agony he'd be in, as he'd never been a supporter of Shangyue, and now that Halili had become relatively disenchanted (something else that she'd have to do something about), Tyfu knew his loyalty was wavering.

In this group, Shor'ame was something of a nonentity. A good solid lion that Tyfu was counting on to back her up.

"Now that we're all here," the black lioness drawled softly, "it's time to begin the hunt. Our mission today is to remove one of the key obstacles for King Shangyue - the Guard Uchanjaa." She glanced around to see how they took that announcement.

"This will be your last chance for questions before we leave." Tyfu's tone of voice indicated that there had better not be very many of those.  

[Painted Moose]

Sabah passed a small, welcoming smile to the darker male that abruptly died when she tried it on the purple male. Of course she didn't know him well enough to know he wasn't actually as pent up as he looked. Still, it caused her to take a big, gulping breath and turn her full attention to Tyfu.

She tried to stand tall, and look as collected as she could. However, there was no mistaking the 'oh s**t' look on her face when the target was made official. Sabah hadn't totally been in the dark, but neither had she known all the details, either. For all intensive purposes being hit in the gut with a rock might have been easier to take.

"Will....that is, uhm, will he be guarded? Or...?" There was no way she could back out of this, not now, so Sabah thought the next best thing would be constructive questioning.  

[I Lady Kiya I]

"How are we going to do this?" was Shor'ame's only question. All he needed to know was the specifics on where the target was, how they were going to capture him, and then what's next. Simple as that, he was there to do what was being asked at any means necessary. Sure, it seemed a bit more dirty than he had actually anticipated, but if the king thought he needed to be removed, Shor'ame was going to be the last one to question.

He noticed the other two seemed rather hesitant, which wasn't completely unreasonable, though Shor'ame knew nothing of the other's relations with the target. The thought of "removing" someone from the scene might make many uncomfortable, but he would take notice upon their actions. Suspicion was high in situations like this.

His attention moved to Tyfu.  

[mouselet]

"That's correct," Tyfu confirmed Orion's words. "He's currently patrolling alone on the southeastern border," she informed the group. "As you may know, there's a game trail that the Guard circuit follows where a boulder and a tree face each other from opposite sides. Orion and I will make our way behind the boulder. Shor'ame and Sabah will conceal themselves behind the hillock between the pride and the tree. When Uchanjaa approaches, we'll attack on my signal."

The black lioness ended her preplanned speech by gazing carefully at each of her team members, gauging their willingness and capability. She wasn't about to give them any further chances to argue or delay however.

"Move out," the Patrol Leader commanded sharply, and began to head southeast.  

[Painted Moose]

Ecavi

Alone.

So this was it; Uchanjaa was going to be doing his duty for the pride, and they were going to kill him in the middle of it. Thinking about it that way made her feel dirty, as if her very blood were being tainted by just going along with this, but doing the 'right' thing was never easy. If this was what her leader wanted then who was Sabah to say no?

She didn't speak again after the orders had been given out. There didn't seem much point in it, and not just because those words were so finite. If she talked she would just be a hot, stuttering mess and right now Sabah needed to hold onto as much resolve as she possibly could.

The lioness kept her body low, hoping that her pelt might help to conceal her. Since she didn't know much of the land, having spent very little time away from her father's sight, she moved to the side to allow Shor'ame to lead her to their position.  

[I Lady Kiya I]

Shor'ame gave a dutiful nod to his instructions. He eyed the lioness before he took the lead "Hurry now" He said. Things had to go exactly according to plan, and he wasn't about to wavier from it. He wasn't as comfortable with his group as he would have liked, hesitation made him nervous.

As soon as he got to where they were instructed, he got into position. "Get ready" He said in a hush voice. They had one shot at this, one shot to do it right. He wanted to prove that they could do it correctly. Or rather, he could. He didn't care what she did, unless it interfered with what was to come.  

[mouselet]

It was several nights after the Hunters' strike and Uchanjaa was now certain that Shangyue and his supporters knew about it. And knew most, if not all, the lions who'd been present. The brown male could feel the tensions rising throughout the pride as rumors of events and actions began to run rampant.

He was a target.

He'd been one from the start, though the most overt action taken was his son-in-law becoming a Royal Guard. And even that had affected his daughter and grandchildren far more than Uchanjaa. Still, he was no fool, and when his patrols were currently solos, with no one else in sight for large stretches of time, he knew that sooner or later the attempt would come.

Or not. After all, Shangyue had kept him alive for two years already. Neither had done anything active against the other since that night. It could be that the supposed King was waiting to see what Uchanjaa did.

It could be that he'd seen the strike and decided that the Guard had to go.

He was approaching a perfect ambush point now. Was today the day? Or was it merely another patrol?

Ecavi