Meaning and Purpose [Closed to Julie_Skywalker]

[Carl]

Vitani sneered at his words, but did her best to keep his attention as her girls began setting about their task. She laughed a bit, trying to make it sound lighthearted, but it sounded cruel as usual.

"You're so eager for information, aren't you dear brother?" she cackled. "It was only earlier this day when we saw him. He's more clever than to allow us any more knowledge of him yet. No, we will have to fight for it. That is why we are here. Face it, we're the six best fighters in the land; with a seventh in training."

The other lionesses who had returned with Vitani had crept further into the cave, and they kept their voices low-ish. Kovu wasn't supposed to overhear them.

"See how he doesn't dignify that with a response?" N'gora whispered to the tears sisters under her breath as they lay down together in the back. "He killed his older brother too," she couldn't stop herself from continuing slightly louder.

"He killed him and took the throne. He's a murderer like Scar."

Some of the lionesses from Kovu's pride shifted uncomfortably at her words. Several got up and moved farther away from the three followers of the demons. One lioness, however, rose on her four paws and slipped over to drop down beside N'gora, her eyes shining, bright and the colour of sapphires and emeralds thrown together.

"I concur," she mumbled softly, "he doesn't deserve the throne he sits on."

"Who are you?" Masozi asked curiously.

"My name is Ghinjo," the pridesister replied, "I have never trusted Kovu. He is too much like Scar. He is rash, and he doesn't think things through properly. If what you say is true, that he killed his older brother, then that's even more proof."

"Ghinjo? Strange name for a pridelander," N'gora remarked.

"I was named with the intent of being a great huntress," the lioness said offhandedly with a flip of her paw. Then she shrugged, "I'm sure you girls are tired, and I know the king isn't all that fond of you, so I'll let you get some rest." She rose and padded back over to the other lionesses and stretched before laying down. N'gora and her companions exchanged glances before they rested their heads as well and began observing the lionesses for any other signs of dissonance.

-

Sauda chuckled, it was a somewhat dark sound. "True. But she is our pride leader, and you are bound by what she says as much as the rest of us. Perhaps even more so, as you owe her your very life. Or is that a reason to hate her for you? Ah, I'm sure we'll be back among the skulls and bones soon enough. Try not to let the Pridelanders rub off on you," she said lackadaisically before strolling past the den he'd chosen a little ways and leaving him alone. She found another opening higher up, close to the sunning stones. She purred looking at it.

The gray lioness didn't care much for the Pridelanders, but she had to admit, the lifestyle wasn't all that bad, and she'd missed this little spot. She had spent numerous nights tucked into the cozy little cave, and the dried remnants of leaves and grasses she'd used as bedding still scattered the floor. It wasn't very big, it could hold two lions, but only if they slept curled against one another. She'd never shared it with anyone. She slipped into the little den and made herself comfortable, smiling in pure delight. Something she'd not done in a while. Things were serious in nearly all aspects of the lioness' life, but for tonight, for tonight she forgot all that. She flopped onto her back and gazed up at the stars from beneath an overhanging tree branch.

As she smiled at the stars, she could almost swear she felt a presence beside her. She knew who it was, and smiled warmly. It was a lion she'd thought she'd lost long ago. A lion who's spirit comforted her, and made her feel at home for the first time in a long time. For tonight, Baya no longer mattered, nor did Vitani, Kovu, or the war that was approaching. All that mattered was this moment. She closed her eyes and made herself as comfortable as possible.

[Baya]

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[Carl]

When Vitani awoke, most of the other lionesses had already left the den. She hadn't realized how little sleep she had been getting the past few nights, hadn't realized that the quality of her sleep had been much shoddier as well. She had missed this place, she realized, and she slept well here, despite her proximity to her brother. Stretching, the lioness rose on her paws and made her way out of the den.

From atop the promontory, she could see several lionesses lazing about. Among them she spotted N'gora and Dikeledi, but she saw no signs of Sauda and Masozi. She also didn't see Kovu or Baya. She yawned and began descending the stair-like features of the stone mountain on her way down to meet her underlings. She stepped carefully and elegantly down, her paws gently touching the savannah grass at the foot of the rocky protrusion. She strolled over towards her pride members, pondering on the absence of the other two. Sauda was always eager to please (though she was quite grouchy from time to time), and it seemed odd to see no signs of her. Likewise, it was odd to find no visible traces of Masozi, for the tears sisters were never separated.

N'gora and Dikeledi lay on a stone apart from the lionesses of Kovu's pride, but not too far from them. To all eyes, it appeared that the two lionesses were simply enjoying a nap whilst lazing about, but Vitani knew better. She yawned again, chasing the sleep away as she drew nearer to them. The duo looked up at her approach, and nodded slightly out of respect.

"Morning girls," she addressed them tiredly.

"Good afternoon," Dikeledi greeted her.

"Where are Sauda and Masozi?" the pride leader asked bluntly.

"My sister and I were thinking," Dikeledi said with a cunning grin, "Some of the Pridelanders were going out for a hunt, and we thought it would be a good idea for some of us to go along, especially since our prime suspect for the snake was going, too. Since my sister and I are always together, we thought it would be a smart choice to split up, and some of us remain here to keep an eye our for other suspects while some went with the hunting party. Sauda and my sister volunteered to go with the hunting party, so N'gora and I remained here."

"Now that's thinkin'. You've proven again that I keep you girls around for more than just brawn. You're excellent fighters, clever undercover operatives, and not bad company either. You two keep at it and let me know if you notice anything suspicious. I have to keep up with my brother you know. By the way, have there been any patrols this morning?"

"Negative."

Vitani growled, "Why not? Where's Kovu? Where's Baya?"

"We haven't seen them," N'gora said flatly, "Sauda said Baya wasn't in the den he'd slept in when she got up, but he hasn't been down here, and neither has Kovu."

Vitani snarled again, angrily, "Males! Are they all worthless! Fine, I'll run a patrol myself just in case. Keep an eye out for those two buffoons, would you?"

"Yessum."

"Affirmative."

With that, Vitani sauntered off in a rage. She wasn't angry that she had to do a patrol, in fact she enjoyed patrolling. No, she was angry with Kovu and Baya for being so stubborn and thickheaded. Would Kovu have gotten so worked up if she'd been going off with a rogue lioness instead of a male? She didn't think so. Would Baya be acting this way if Kovu were a lioness? That answer, that one was yes. And in this moment, she wondered what she even liked about Baya. He was bullheaded and psychotic. There was no predicting what he'd do next, and the only guarantee was that it would be violent. He was perpetually angry and he got angry with people for eroding some of his anger.

Kovu's anger would dissipate if Baya was no longer around. She could easily clear up matters with her brother by finishing off the male she wondered why she'd ever spared. She could off him and Kovu would be fine and she'd only have to worry about Mrithi. But she couldn't end her problems so easily because she didn't want to be rid of Baya. And that made her very angry. He was infuriating and thick-skulled, and he was mercilessly violent. How could one so determined to writhe in anguish and murderous deceit be worth her time? She couldn't change him and she knew that. He would never be someone who cared, not truly, and he would always be eager to kill, and quick to violence.

In her fury, the lioness smacked a pebble off into the grass. It flew several meters away from her before thudding and... groaning? She stopped and looked around as she was snapped back to reality from her thoughts. She had no idea how far she'd traveled nor how long she'd been gone, only that something was odd here. She stepped through the high grasses cautiously, wondering what she'd hit with the pebble, her anger for a moment vanished as wonder and adrenaline carried her deftly over to til she could make out the a form ahead of her.

It was a lion, male, and grey, and handsome, but beaten and laying amidst the tall blades of grass. His injuries had clearly been dealt by a lion or multiple lions, and seeing him in his weakened state, the lithe lioness knew she had nothing to fear. Vitani strode confidently over to the male, taking in the scene with a bit of curiosity. She wondered what brought him here, and what had happened, and briefly, she toyed with the idea of ending himㅡ it would put him out of his misery and it would allow her to take out some of her frustrations from a couple of certain other males. She decided not to however, because she knew how it would irk them if she brought this guy home. Of course there was the possibility that he worked for Mrithi, but she didn't particularly care if he did or not. It made no difference in the end. Her side would still prevail.

"You look like crap!" she barked, almost laughingly, "Who are you, what happened to ya, and what are you doing in my brother's turf?"

[Baya]

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[Carl]

Vitani made a face. It was true that she liked the compliment, as she was't used to receiving them, but she was sure that he only uttered it because he was in such a sorry state. She also wasn't sure how to handle them, but she knew if he kept that up it would irk Kovu and Baya even more. She grinned devilishly to herself as she paced around Shwari, sizing him up. He was big, and apparently muscular, so he could potentially make an excellent ally. He could also make a dangerous enemy, but if things took that turn, she knew she'd have less trouble with him than with Baya.

"If my pride looks after you and restores you to health, you will be in our debt," she said flatly instead of addressing his compliment directly, "Can you pay off a debt, or are you no more than a desperate flatterer hoping to save your own skin?"

Her words were harsh and she intended for them to be that way. There was no way to know this male wouldn't turn on her, or be another thorn in her paw, and no matter how much she wanted to irritate Kovu and Baya, she wasn't going to just bring him in and keep him without having judged his character to determine if he was at least not likely to be a threat. She placed a paw on one of his hind legs, not caring that it was placed upon a wound, and felt the firmness of his muscle underneath.

This rogue wouldn't be a problem for her, but some of the other lionesses were not so strong. Some were aging, and some were just weak. It wouldn't be right of her to just risk their lives on account of her vendetta against the two prides' males. In fact, it would be almost like something her mother might have done.

[Baya]

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[Carl]

"Hold on there tiger," she said roughly, "I never said we're going to take care of you. I said if. You are awfully presumptuous, and quite full of yourself for someone so battered. Why should I take you anywhere? How do I know that you won't turn on us when your strength is returned? What if you're just as bad as the demon you've heard talk of?" He had started walking on his own, and in the right direction, as if she'd said he could come for sure and had pointed the way. He was acting very suspicious, and she was only walking beside him because he was going back towards Pride Rock. Of course, just because he was going the right way may have meant nothing, he could just be following her scent. It wasn't exactly difficult, but something about him seemed off to her, and if she didn't want to use him for bothering Baya and Kovu, she'd have finished the sorry sod off already.

"You may have a silver-lined tongue, but that doesn't guarantee you're worth my time, or that you are not dangerous. In fact, it makes me more weary of you. The most genuine and good lions I've ever met have not thrown compliments so carelessly as you. Either you are up to something, or you are more out of it than you think," she said in a mock-nice tone.

Then she bounded up in front of him and placed her paws firmly against the earth, her claws raking dirt and her face leaning close to him as she scrutinized him. His suspicious behaviour would agitate the prides' males even more than his presence alone, but she still didn't know if it was worth risking or not. After all, there were some lionesses, like Nala, who were nice and deserving of life who were aging and whom he could take out from full strength, and Vitani would not take the responsibility for any more deaths. She'd already cost her mother her life and she wouldn't cause Nala's death too over some petty disagreement with those boys.

"I'm not taking you anywhere just yet, and maybe not ever. You are much too cocky for my liking," she emphasized as he stopped suddenly at her blocking his path. "And if you are seen in my brother's lands without me to vouch for you, I can assure you, you will be killed. So, why don't we slow down and think about this. And please remember, I have the power here, not you." She had lost even the faked kindness and her voice now carried a hint of warning and dangerousness.

[Baya]

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[Carl]

Watching the events unfold, Vitani was unsure of which action to take, but Baya's actions and his harsh declaration that they were not friends made her resolve to bring the rogue back after all. This rogue was very pompous and presumptuous, but at least he had the decency to show her some modicum of respect or perhaps even admiration.

"Do not mind him," she said softly but dangerously, "He has no understanding of interacting with others, and it seems you don't know much better. I never promised you health in exchange for aid, but I have decided to grant it, and therefore, this once, no one else has to know that."

With that, she turned and started making her way back towards Pride Rock, dust floating into the air from her paw steps. "Worry not about what Baya says. He is not a threat to anyone so long as I am around. He may look mean, but he is under my control. Through force if necessary. It is best you rememberㅡ do not cross me. There is more than one pride here, and my brother is not the only one in power. Your life is in my paws, and should I see fit to end it or cast you into the desert, so it shall be."

She strode along, talking quickly as she did so, not looking back to see if the male was keeping up.

"You will be taken care of, but you are at the bottom of the hierarchy. As far as my brother is concerned, he is at the top, then his pride then me and mine. However, in reality, the only thing you must know is this: my brother, his mate, and I are at the top, then the queen's mother and Baya. Next come the lionesses. Then there's the cub. And then there's you. It's nothing personal, but you are a newcomer, and a third male in this little area. Too much testosterone abounds already with both being bullheaded and thinking himself above all others. It's best you know from the start that you are nothing and will most likely never achieve higher rank. It's not impossible, but it is unlikely. You will be treated well, I can assure you of that, but we will not hesitate to be rid of you if you cause any problems."

As she finished this statement, she had reached the place where N'gora and Dikeledi rested.

"A new stray, 'Tani?" N'gora almost purred bemusedly.

"This is Shwari. We're going to help him recuperate and in exchange he will help us. If he defaults on his debt, we get his life. Go get him something to eat, I'm going to introduce him to Kovu and show him to the den," the leader replied with a cruel grin.

"I don't know what you're up to boss, but I like it. We'll rendezvous with the hunting party and check up on their progress," N'gora affirmed, her words carrying a double meaning. Vitani nodded.

"Excellent." Then she turned to the newcomer, "Come on."

[Baya]

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