[FIN] Moving Forward (Mari & Nyeusi)

[mouselet]

The score, in lives, was one to one. But Shangyue was losing and beginning to realize it. Yes, it was a damned shame to lose a brave young lion like Umepatwa. However, taking out Tyfu was a powerful victory and Nyeusi could almost feel the balance shifting - strongly - in favor of the Rebels.

In order to keep control, Shangyue had commanded his remaining loyalists to kill anyone they knew to be even remotely connected to the rebellion. This, of course, included Nyeusi herself. Frankly, she didn't mind. Even if she died, the fact that someone would waste the time and effort trying to kill her would mean they weren't spending that same time and effort on someone who was actually important to the rebellion.

Again, she didn't much know or care who was in charge. The Huntress was perfectly happy to inform anyone who crossed her path why the king-killer should go, but she wasn't about to order anybody.

Leave the plotting to someone else. Nyeusi hadn't met with any real opposition yet, and she intended to keep moving forward. In a damned straight line.  

[mouselet]

The appearance of the younger lioness was not entirely surprising, but Nyeusi could provide no explanation for why she was here tonight. It wasn't a particularly noteworthy night by the moon - the full moon had passed but the Great Lion's Eye was still quite open - nor was there anything of interest happening in the pride tonight.

The lioness in question was another Huntress, and one that Nyeusi would never refer to as a "fellow" in any way. Of Tyfu's children, Mari was the one who'd made their parentage clearest to all the pride.

Still, the black female wasn't about to let the purple intimidate her. She stopped walking and raised an eyebrow - invisible against her dark fur in the night.

"Looking for my father, are you?" She supposed it was remotely possible that Mari sought Uchanjaa, not Orion, but this lioness seemed more likely to want revenge than taking out one of the lion's who'd topped Shangyue's kill list for literal years.  

[mouselet]

Nyeusi offered a harsh bark of laughter in response. Her father wasn't truly a coward, he simply preferred to protect what he valued instead of baring claws and fangs wildly. She wondered, briefly, if the younger lioness thought she'd be an easier target than Orion who now had a known record of success.

"In that case, I have no reason to run," the black lioness replied, bounding forward with claws outstretched.

Not to mention that Mari would probably chase her if she chose to run.  

[mouselet]

Nyeusi was almost upset with Vesper for the interruption. After all, she knew how little she mattered to the organized rebellion to which she was reasonably certain the male belonged. But if the black lioness knew her life could be lost with little cost, it still behooved her to not throw it away blindly. The Great Lion frowned on that sort of behavior and suicide wasn't her preference.

She moved to put her shoulder in line with Vesper's. "It may not be a fair fight, but do you really think you can take both of us at once?" the older lioness asked the younger. Then she grinned, a bit of tooth showing in an expression that didn't seem to suit the Huntress' face. Would have, in fact, looked quite at home on the face of Mari's deceased mother.

"Tyfu would probably have been able to. But you're not her."  

[mouselet]

Had rage overcome Mari's ability to use words? Or was she just not really a talker? Nyeusi couldn't be certain, as she herself had avoided the lioness on principle. The black-furred female knew, however, that she could not assume that the purple lioness wasn't thinking everything through. She might not be her mother, but Mari had been trained by Tyfu and therefore could not be underestimated.

Hell, after the Hunters' Strike Nyeusi had been stunned to hear it was Chunyue who'd killed Umepatwa. He'd seemed quite nice, if a bit eager, that night. Perhaps blood had finally told, or perhaps he feared disobeying his parents more than anything else. She wasn't about to ask.

But Nyeusi wasn't above a bit of petty revenge for it. She deliberately inserted her claws into Mari and just as carefully removed them, leaving behind four bleeding puncture wounds.

"We should knock her unconscious and leave her for someone to find," the black lioness told her self-appointed bodyguard.  

[mouselet]

The black lioness glanced at Mari when she spoke and back to Vesper. She'd had her fun - if you wanted to call it that - and now she was content to leave. Yes, she fully understood that if they left Mari alive, the purple lioness would almost certainly come back for one or both of them. But that was her choice and this was theirs. Neither she nor Vesper wanted to be like Shangyue, and while it was good that Tyfu was dead, it would almost certainly be better if the sinister lioness hadn't been killed.

"Then you'll try again. So be it," the Huntress would have rolled her shoulders in a shrug, but she wasn't quite ready to let go of Mari yet.

Nyeusi looked over to Vesper again. "You're probably the best one to knock her out. You've got the strength and the training. I'll hold her still."  

[mouselet]

Nyeusi remained in place until she was certain that the purple lioness had lapsed into unconsciousness. Then and only then did she plant all four feet on the ground. And now she did shrug.

"I'm not so sure she was sent. Yes, we all know he'd like me, you and a number of others dead. But I don't think this was an assignment," she told the white lion. They stood in silence a few more moments, watching the purple lioness breathe.

"Thank you again," the black female added before turning and vanishing into the moonlit night.