[FIN] He Was (Orion & Halili)

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The challenge. Halili had gone, as had most of the pride, to see, to witness. With all that had happened, she couldn't even have said for certain which lion she wanted to triumph. It had hurt to watch, to see the King beating Meshach into the dirt. Especially because the Prince wasn't fighting back. She'd held her breath as Shangyue prepared for the final blow -

- only to see her own father rush in as he had so long ago, claws first. And this time she wasn't there, standing in his way. Even if this hadn't been single combat, Halili was no longer certain that she would stand in his way.

She'd been riveted, watching Uchanjaa fight Shangyue. He didn't look or act old, not really, and he'd certainly done better than Meshach. He'd looked like the Guard she'd worshipped as a cub.

Then the unthinkable happened. Uchanjaa fell, struck truly by Shangyue's claws. He ceased to move.

"Father!"

The word had burst out of Halili as she stared at the pile of brown fur and blood that had once been the most important lion in her life. She'd continued to sit, staring, while around her the fight ended, people talked, and dispersed. Eventually the beige lioness came to her senses, stood up, and looked around.

She had to find Orion.  

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He had to be here. Had to. Halili could not, would not accept that Orion would not have come to see the fight. She scoured the dispersing crowd, growing ever more frustrated, until her pale eyes finally fell on his distinctive markings.

"Orion!" she cried out in relief, rushing over to her mate and pressing her tear-soaked cheek to his. It didn't matter that they'd disagreed so recently on Tyfu's death. Uchanjaa was dead and Shangyue had killed him.

That, Halili could never overlook.  

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"Me too," she whispered, too overcome with emotion to hold anything back, yet unable to speak in a normal tone - as if she was afraid of the world taking her beloved away from her again. The lioness nuzzled her mate fiercely, wetting both their faces with her tears.

"Can you ever forgive me?" She'd said such awful things to him, had been so cruel, had stayed at that murderer's side until he'd destroyed one of the few good things left in her life! She didn't deserve Orion's love.  

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"I won't," she promised. "I won't ever let you leave without me ever again." This was...this was home. This was Mwezi'Johari. This was the Great Lion. All of these things were what Orion was to her. Her love, her everything.

Halili finally stepped back so that she could look her mate in the eye. There was something to say, beyond the obvious platitudes they'd both been spouting.

"I was wrong. I should have gone with you after...after Tyfu." She paused, lips twisted in a grimace. "Maybe, if I had, Father wouldn't have had to..." The lioness' words trailed off as her throat closed up, refusing to give voice to the horrible tragedy they'd just witnessed.  

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Halili was quiet as she considered Orion's words. Inevitable? Perhaps. She knew that Uchanjaa hadn't even been half the lion he was before Shangyue's ascent. That was why she'd said such awful things - about it would have been better if he'd died a hero than lived a failure.

And now what was he? Simply dead, and Shangyue still lived.

"I don't even know anymore," she admitted at last, looking up at Orion.

"I just...want to go home." Her lavender eyes pleaded silently with her mate to come with her and help her forget all the tragedy they'd just witnessed.