A/N: I'm sorry to inform you that, due to the army being pure rubbish, I will not be taking my laptop with me this time. I don't know when I'll be home - the next update could be in 2 weeks from now or in 3 but it hopefully won't take longer than that. Just letting you know.
"Kill me now." -Hatari
"I can kill you." -Desta
Chapter 20 - Alliance
"Find her and bring her here. Now." Abasi's voice was rather firm and impatient as he ordered everyone who was inside the den to leave. "She has some explaining to do." Inside, aside from himself, remained Malia, Hiari, Kopa and, of course, Jenebi and Nuru. Eisha's little brother looked rather tense and his expression conveyed anything but relaxation. When he'd eagerly asked to be brought to where he now was he'd obviously hoped that his sister would be there. But she wasn't and, being a cub, he couldn't help but feel very uneasy as a result being at this unfamiliar place and at the presence of this mean looking lion who looked as if he was angry at his older sibling. The king, however, wasn't really as furious as the little cub was making him to be (Nuru's young mind couldn't help but exaggerate in such a stressful situation), he simply wanted an explanation as to what a queen from another pride was doing in his kingdom. He had no intention of killing her and causing a war.
Kopa silently stared as the little prince huddled closely against Jenebi's leg, obviously scared. The adolescent hadn't expected anyone from the Milma Pride to not be eager to see Eisha again. He'd expected some sort of a grudge from Jenebi, however, but it looked as if he was too worried about his fiancée in order to care about it (in case there was one, that is). When the runaway queen had told him and Kato her story Kopa thought, while many of her pride members might be angry with her, that they'd understand things better and calm down once they got an explanation regarding her policies and behavior. Seeing how Jenebi was acting, it seemed as if he was right. Perhaps that would encourage Eisha to return home. Yes, she'd left in order to make her mother take the throne, but one of the other things that were obviously deterring her from going back was what the rest of the pride would have to say when they saw her.
Surely, with them not necessarily hating her and with at least some of them adopting her view as to who should hold the throne for the time being, she'd feel encouraged enough to return home. Her mother could easily hand the leadership back to her if Eisha would be the only one against it, whether in order to act according to her deceased mate's wishes or not, but the situation would probably look different if the runaway queen had the support of at least some of of their subjects. Either way, Kopa hoped that young adult lioness would see things in a similar manner because simply looking at her little brother's heartbroken expression was more than enough to convince him that she had to go back. The poor cub had lost his father just a week ago or so after an entire month of not being allowed to see either one of his parents, he didn't deserve to be away from his sister as well...
"Hiari, Kopa." The two adolescents looked at their father when he spoke to them. "You may go and help look for Eisha if you'd like. We'll be fine here." His daughter and stepson quietly nodded and left. Kopa already knew the details, possibly even better than Jenebi himself did, while Hiari, as curious as she was, felt as if finding her was far more important when she looked at her little brother. He looked so sad and afraid...
Once they were outside, Kopa looked at his love interest. "We should probably split up." he said. Many of the Tazua Pride's members were already looking for Eisha, but aiding the search separately instead of going together would increase the odds of finding her more quickly.
"You're right." said the princess, her expression uneasy. "The sooner we find her, the better..." She let out a sigh. "Did you see her poor brother?" Kopa slowly nodded. Hiari didn't even know what Nuru has been through before Eisha ran away... He did manage to smile a small smile, however, when she nuzzled him briefly. "I'll see you later, okay?" she asked, purring softly. The young male happily returned the gesture and nodded quietly, watching her take off in a random direction before beginning to make his way towards the waterhole where he and Hiari had found Jenebi and Nuru.
The pridelander prince was more than aware of the way Eisha has been avoiding company of any sort for the past week. Just a few days ago he'd spotted her once around the area of the mountain, making her way back down after having probably wondered through it a little. He assumed that she hadn't climbed very far and had simply gone there because the odds of running into anyone there were low. Maybe she was there again. The mountain had many nooks, crannies, caves and small cliffs all over it. Navigating through it was most likely very difficult if one had no prior experience or knowledge about the place. But Kopa was hoping to follow Jenebi and Nuru's scents (which were probably still very fresh) in order to be able to head into the maze that was the mountain and then find his way back out. The odds of the lioness he was looking for being in the exact same path her brother and fiancé took were probably not very high, but it was worth a shot. Besides, he's always wanted an opportunity to explore the area without getting lost, and now he had the chance to finally do so.
So, after scouting around the waterhole and the rest of the bottom of the mountain that was the western border for a short while to see if the runaway queen was there, Kopa managed to identify the scents he was looking for. He began to follow them and head up the mountain, soon discovering that the landscape was even more complicated than he'd originally thought. However, while he did look around curiously at everything and was rather fascinated at some of the things he saw, he kept heading according to Nuru and Jenebi's scents and didn't go off the trail. After a short while of not seeing anything unusual, when the adolescent lion realized that he was starting to go too far away from the Tazua Pride's territory, he turned around and began to head back, once again following the same scents.
But, as Kopa soon began to feel as if he was either walking in circles or reaching areas he hadn't gone through on the way up, he suddenly remembered the way Eisha's fiancé had scolded her little brother earlier, telling him that the mountain was a maze and that he'd barely been able to follow him by tracking his scent. Great... So Jenebi and Nuru had obviously wondered around for quite a while before reaching the bottom, meaning that their scents were all over the place. He was lost. "Why do I always let my curiosity get the better of me?!" he asked out loud, to no one in particular.
Meanwhile, back at the Tazua Pride's den
Jenebi was still explaining things to Abasi (as best as he knew them) and Nuru still hasn't moved from his little hideout between the lion's legs. At some point, Malia couldn't help herself from interrupting. "I'm sorry, but he looks simply exhausted..." the queen told Jenebi, making a small gesture with her head in the direction of the little cub that was standing underneath him. "There are some leftovers from yesterday's hunt in the back of the den." She smiled at the prince. "Are you hungry?"
Jenebi, who was no longer as worried for their safety as he'd been earlier, slowly moved aside and nudged Nuru in Malia's direction with his nose. "Go on." he said quietly. "It's okay, she won't hurt you." He then made a slight bow with his head. "Thank you, your highness." It was impossible for him not to chuckle as he watched his fiancee's little brother follow the queen slowly while listening to her quietly say that he was simply the cutest cub she'd ever seen. She definitely knew how to speak to an uneasy cub. He then looked back at Abasi.
"So let me see if I got this straight." The king said. "Eisha tried to keep her father's illness a secret in order to reduce the chances of this other king doing anything that could endanger your pride." Jenebi slowly nodded, an uneasy look on his face. If only he'd given Eisha a chance to explain herself, perhaps she wouldn't have run away... Why did he have to pressure her in front of the entire pride like that? "She thought that her hold of the throne might not be bad as long as Mutahi and his pride didn't forget the fact that her father was still around, something which would have been ineffective if his condition was discovered. Then, when he passed away..." He cleared his throat. "You have my apologies and condolences, by the way, if you'll have them."
"Thank you, sir."
"With her father gone," continued Abasi, "she felt as if the pride would be better off with her mother as the queen instead."
"Yes." said Jenebi. "That's what her mother told me after Eisha ran away."
"What I don't understand," Abasi frowned, "is what gives her the right to put my entire pride at risk by coming here." Jenebi was about to say something, but the king cut him short. "As sorry as I am for hearing about your king's passing and about the danger your pride might be in..."
"Might be?" muttered Jenebi under his breath. "Your majesty, things are falling apart. Mutahi and his pride are getting bolder with every passing day."
"That does not explain why Eisha is endangering my pride as well." continued Abasi. "If Mutahi does take over your kingdom he's going to come looking for her and I do not want to get dragged into your feud."
"You're mistaken, sir. Mutahi is a cruel tyrant who wants nothing more than to wage war and conquer. Didn't you ever wander why your grandmother stopped having contact with our pride when it first inhabited the mountain?" he asked.
"Explain."
Jenebi took in a deep breath before continuing. "Mutahi's pride had plans of relocating on the mountain at the time because they wanted to take over your kingdom. However, our presence there stopped them. There has been a tension between our pride and theirs ever since and your grandmother didn't want to take either side so to not end up in a war. Don't you understand?" An uneasy expression appeared on Abasi's face. "They won't stop with the mountain. If we go down, they'll come after your pride next. Eisha's presence here isn't the reason your family and subjects are in danger and I bet she knows that."
It took the king a few moments to reply this time. "And you're here to look for her, I presume?" he asked.
"Well, yes. Sort of. Nuru ran off because he wanted to find his sister. I don't know how he navigated through the mountain and made it down here, it was probably just pure luck, but here we are now..." Jenebi let out a soft sigh. "We have to find her and take her back with us... Her mother hasn't had the chance to properly grieve about the loss of her mate before she took the throne and she hadn't been trained to take care of the king's responsibilities, even if she had ruled by Mfalme's side ever since his coronation. It's why Mutahi's endangering us now more than ever. We need our queen back."
It was then that Malia returned with Nuru at her side. The little cub ran over to Jenebi and affectionately rubbed his little body against the lion's leg, causing the queen to chuckle. "Your brother in law is very attached to you." she commented.
"Um... We're not married yet..." replied he, rubbing the back of his head with a paw sheepishly. "Wait, how did you know?" He hasn't told her that he and Eisha were betrothed. Or were they, what with how she ran away and all? What if she would refuse to come back? No, he couldn't think like that.
Malia simply shrugged her shoulders with a smile. "I know now."
"Did you find Eisha?" asked Nuru quietly, looking up at all of them with his big eyes.
"Not yet, Nuru." Jenebi gave the cub a short nuzzle. "But they're looking for her right now. Did you eat anything?" The little prince nodded his head in approval.
"It seems as if we have a common enemy." continued Abasi. "Our pride has known peace for generations and I am definitely not looking for trouble. However..." He sighed. "Even if your pride does hold him off in case you're attacked, a war will still result in many casualties on both sides. And, since our own safety is on the line as well, simply standing on the sidelines would be like using your pride as a shield. I think a little trip to your kingdom is due." This seemed to surprise both his mate and Jenebi. "Rather than rely on the small chance that Mutahi won't attack you at all, we should show him that the prides are united on the matter. He'll have to be crazy to start a fight he can't win. It's the only way to prevent a fight."
"A-Are you sure?" asked the younger male, not knowing what to say. "But... What will the rest of your pride say?"
"They will realize it's for their good as well as yours." said the king. "Let me talk to them. In the meantime, we should wait until the searches are over."
"Wow... I don't know what to say..." Jenebi was quite speechless to say the least. This was most likely the best solution there was to his pride's problem. Mutahi would never attack two prides simultaneously. Even if he waited for the Tazua Pride to leave and return home, he wouldn't take the risk of having word about any future assault reach Abasi and his pride because then they would come to the Milma Pride's aid as soon as possible. Even if Mutahi would manage to take over the mountain by the time they arrived, his pride wouldn't have time to recover enough in order to face another pride. "Thank you so much!"
It was then that, completely out of the blue, a hornbill flew into the den. "Jenebi!" it exclaimed in a feminine voice, looking quite surprised to see the lion there. "Oh, and little Nuru too!" She landed on the ground next to Eisha's brother, who gave her an affectionate lick. "Thank goodness I found you! The queen is worried sick!"
"Who is this?" asked Abasi, looking confused.
"She used to be Mfalme's majordomo." said Jenebi, looking at the hornbill with a smile. "The only one other than the shaman and Eisha's mother who knew about the king's illness. You can tell her majesty that we're alright and will be returning home shortly. The Tazua Pride did not harm us and they are a peaceful pride. Oh!" His expression lit up. "Tell her that we found her daughter! Well, not yet, but she's somewhere around here! The pride's looking for her as we speak."
The hornbill looked delighted. "That is wonderful news!" she said. "But I'm afraid I did not come here looking for you and the prince... I mean, I was hoping to spot you on my way here, but I am actually here to speak to the king."
"About what?"
"I was scouting from above just this morning." continued the majordomo with a gloomy expression. "There's no sign of Mutahi and his pride anywhere within their territory. They're not there."
"What?!" Jenebi practically exclaimed. "They're going to attack?!"
"I don't know for sure." said the hornbill. "I can't get a good view of the paths that lead up the mountain from their side because of all the greenery, the nooks... Oh, you know how complicated the mountain is! I have no idea where they are!"
"So I take it your queen is asking for help." said Abasi with a firm expression.
"Yes sir, she wants me to inform you that King Mutahi also has plans of conquering-"
"I already know that. Now, since we don't have time to waste, I'd like your help in gathering my pride members. They're scattered all over the place looking for Eisha. Can you do that?"
"Yes! At once!" The hornbill immediately flew off, hoping to also find Eisha on the way.
"What about the cubs and adolescents?" asked Malia, looking at her mate with a worried expression.
"I'll go over there with the males and a few lionesses." said the king. "The other adults will stay here with the younger members of the pride. I want you to come with us too. They might start fighting by the time we get there and your knowledge in healing will be useful. I'll leave Usiku in charge with Kato and Kopa until we come back."
"I can lead you up the mountain." said Jenebi. "I remember some of the way and I can follow the scents Nuru and I left behind."
"I'd imagine Eisha knows the way better than we do." said Malia. "Won't we be better off waiting for her to come back so that she can take us to the top?"
"There might not be a lot of time." Jenebi shook his head. As much as he wanted to see her again, their reunion wasn't the most important thing at the moment. "Besides, knowing her, she'll head directly back home as soon as our majordomo informs her of the situation."
"Very well, then." said Abasi. "Once the pride gathers here, I will inform them of the situation as well as of why we must help you. Then we will go."
Meanwhile, somewhere on the mountain
Kopa was still completely lost. He's been wondering around for at least an hour already in an attempt to find a safe passage back down to the waterhole. The annoying thing was that the young male was too far up in order to yell in an attempt to get the attention of anybody who might be at the bottom of the mountain. He was on his own. Or was he? All of a sudden, the pridelander was able to hear something heading in his direction. Turning around, he was surprised to see a group of male lions. They weren't from the Tazua Pride, that was for sure, which could only mean that they were Milma Pride Lions. Was being where he was considered as trespassing, technically? Either way, Kopa doubted they would hurt him if he told them that he knew where their queen was. With Jenebi and Nuru knowing, it was only a matter of time until the rest of Eisha's pride discovered the truth as well anyway.
"What do we have here?" asked one of the lions, who looked as if he was the leader of the group even though he was definitely the youngest. He wasn't what one would call an adult, but he was very close to adulthood by the looks of it and he was bigger than Kopa was. What made Kopa uneasy, though, was the smile on his face.
"I'm afraid I got lost." he said, doing his best to keep a steady composure, which wasn't very easy with the way he was being stared at.
"How fortunate." replied the latter, grinning slyly. "For us..."
"Uh... Are you from the Milma Pride?"
"You wish." Snickering menacingly, the lion looked at his older companions. "Bring him. Father will be most pleased..."
saintlygrim: Brother zoned? Never heard that before. :)
Incarnate Firefly: Like Kato said, Kopa and Hiari are going to mellow out over time.
ThatTexasKid: You'll find out what happens with that. Obviously. What, have you nothing to say about the cliffhanger? :o
raowr: His name's Jenebi, not Jasari. But I'm sure he appreciates your concern.
ThoughtsOfAReader: Well, yeah, you're right. Poor Hatari. But he'll live.