I don't own either...

Kisibhi

Kisibhi smiled nervously at Shiro and Keith; it was clear that wherever they came from hadn't given them in knowledge or training in the house of Conjuration or Necromancy. And therefore, were very unlikely to tell any town guards they might run into about her practicing magic that was outlawed. She turned and opened a portal into her Oblivion pocket carefully, making sure it was stable. Thankfully, she rarely had any daedra intruders because the most valuable thing in there were the bones of countless Senche and Khajit that died during the Galra war.

Kisibhi walked through; there was a pleasant floating sensation before being gently dropped back on her feet. The world on the other side was twisted and inverted, the soil was a dark blue, and the sky was a streaked vivid combination of purples, jagged rocks, and boulders burst from the edges of the floating island she had taken them too.

Shiro and Keith followed close behind her; she fought a smile when Shiro gasped upon seeing the odd beauty of the place.

'Cousins, come' Kisibhi prompted gently to the lions, they came through and walked over to a clearer spot she directed them to before sitting in their resting positions. She enjoyed the awed looks on Keith and Shiro's faces before taking a deep breath.

"Kittens, this one wonders… Do the metal Khajit have souls?" she asked tentatively, Shiro's eyes widened slightly.

"I don't know, Allura mentioned our quintessence matched, but I'm not sure what that means. Could be the life force, I guess" Shiro admittedly looking just as curious. Kisibhi flicked her ear and looked up at Black. She pressed against Black's mind, expressing what she needed and walked towards her slowly, waiting for a response.

'Our quintessence is in the metal we are crafted from,' Black responded after a moment communicating with Red. Kisibhi frowned slightly, thinking hard.

'Is there a piece of you that you can confine yourself to for a short time? A crystal or loose piece of metal?' she asked finally. Black looked at Red for a long moment.

'We could form a quintessence crystal that could be removed' Black answered finally, Kisibhi smiled and walked closer to the center of the clearing.

'Please prepare a crystal and give it to Kisibhi' she asked politely, before turning her attention to the task at hand. This was going to be a bit more complicated than usual. Kisibhi stretched her hands out towards the rich soil, the earth rippled, bright white bones began to emerge as the ground churned on her command, she twisted her hands, and a battle senche's skeleton stood. Her hands burned with violet energy while its joints were clicking into place and keeping the bones from sinking back into the depths she had buried them in. She held the spell with her left hand; her right hand began making odd symbols, her hand lit up with teal flames, runes appeared burning on the ground around the senche skeleton. Kisibhi took a deep breath, and slowly, the soil began to rise and mold against the bones, filling in the places for ligaments and tendons, and then muscle. The dirt took on the appearance of tar as it created and filled out the body before the senche body settled into a sleeping position.

Kisibhi gritted her teeth as she focused on each detail, no matter how minuscule. Tiny bones in the ears, each muscle, and liquid in the eyes, each tongue hook, and rib lining. Her focus was so intense it was excruciating, thick black fur soon grew, patterned and covered the body, sleek and mighty now. She let it settle, breathing heavily. A massive black senche lay where there had initially only been bones.

'The crystal' Kisibhi prompted, walking over to Black. She lowered herself onto her stomach; a small compartment appeared, soft purple light trickled out. Kisibhi grabbed the crystal; the energy seared her mind. Blinking rapidly, she moved towards the body. The metal form shut down as Black's soul was removed. Kisibhi knelt on one knee by the senche body and held out the crystal; a large gash opened in its chest, she placed the crystal where the heart would be. As Kisibhi sealed the chest, Black inhaled deeply for the first time. Black blinked several times and gave Kisibhi a bewildered look. Feeling the air flow in and out of her lungs must have been curious for her. Kisibhi grinned over her shoulder at a gaping Shiro and Keith.

Kisibhi stood as Black lifted her massive head, shaking it and beginning to purr. Black tested out each limb slowly; it took her a few tries to finally get to her feet. Kisibhi giggled at how shaky she was, like a newborn kitten. Black stumbled forward and ended up crashing into Shiro and knocking him over; instead, he laughed and buried his hands and face in her soft fur. She laid her great head on his chest, purring loudly.

His head barely came up past her shoulder.

"This is awesome!" Shiro laughed, scratching Black behind the ears and on her chin. Kisibhi beamed with pride.

"Kisibhi would like to give Red a body as well" she called over to Keith, he grinned excitedly at Red. After she nodded, Kisibhi summoned another set of bones, smaller but not by much. As she formed this body, she was careful to focus on agility and speed. Red's mind felt different from Black, and she had a feeling this would be her need. As each muscle and tendon settled into place, russet-colored fur with golden spots flowed over the body, Kisibhi retrieved Red's crystal more carefully, earning herself less searing contact with Red's soul. She slid a finger down Red's chest as she held out the crystal emitting red light and lodged it inside where a heart should go.

"Come, sleeping kitten. You must learn to walk" Kisibhi laughed when Red opened her eyes and looked bewildered. She carefully assisted Red in moving her limbs, but the lion seemed to learn faster than Black and reacted better to the instincts of her muscles. Red pranced somewhat clumsily over to Keith and headbutted him, almost knocking him off his feet before starting to groom his hair. Kisibhi laughed while he tried to fend her off.

"Did this one succeed in what you needed?" she asked casually, shifting her weight onto one hip and inspecting her claws while smirking at Shiro. He was wrestling Black now.

"Yes" he laughed, beaming with joy "this should do perfectly!" Kisibhi beamed and led them back out into the forest in the Reach, closing the portal and securing the metal bodies safely inside. Early sun spilled through the trees, the air smelled of mist and pines. She snuck a glance at the lions who were inhaling deeply, looking awestruck at all the scents around them, and all the textures under paw.

'How does it feel?' She asked softly; she was hit with waves of joy and curiosity. Kisibhi laughed as she walked to the far edge of the clearing, scampering up a boulder and surveying the area. She was searching for signs of the Forsworn. Everything seemed still. Kisibhi shifted so she could better see outside the tree line, from what she could tell, they were somewhere between Markarth and Falkreath. She narrowed her eyes, scanning for enemies.

"Kisibhi, come here, we have to find the others" Keith called, she promptly leaped over a small boulder on her way down and joined them. Black headbutted her playfully, making Kisibhi grin.

"Where are they?" she asked, combing a hand through her mane. Shiro put his helmet on, she wasn't sure how that would help, but she didn't say anything.

"Somewhere East of here, from what I can tell" Shiro replied frowning slightly, Kisibhi flicked her ears, a soft tinkle came from her earrings.

"The closest Hold east of here is Falkreath," she said to them, pulling her map out of her bag. It was made of a canvas material that had each detail and placemark magically. She showed them where Falkreath was in comparison to them. Keith took the map curiously, dark eyes scanning the details and surrounding areas with intrigue.

"This is the coolest map I've ever seen," he said finally, watching the little rivers moving. Kisibhi felt a warmth in her chest; she had created the map herself.

"We will head East towards Falkreath, this one can guide you" she offered, taking her map back, rolling it up and tucking it into her handbag. They smiled gratefully and turned to their lion's who was half crouched so they could climb on. Shiro grinned and leaped up eagerly, holding onto Black's fur.

"This is so cool!" he laughed. Keith quickly climbed onto Red, also smiling and rubbing Red's head. Kisibhi adjusted her bag and pulled out her compass, starting off going East. Black quickly caught up and blocked her way.

"Wait, Kisibhi" Shiro started, shifting slightly "You're exhausted, we can tell. How about you ride with me?" Kisibhi glanced between Shiro and Black nervously. He scooted back and offered a hand to help her up.

"This one… can walk" she answered hesitantly, although she was drained from forming two bodies in one day. Shiro frowned worriedly at her and didn't pull his hand back. After a long moment, Kisibhi sighed. She ignored his hand and instead climbed up behind him. He scooted forward, so she had more room. He exchanged a mildly confused look with Keith but shrugged. Kisibhi pulled her compass back out and handed it to him.

"That way" she pointed Eastward and Black bounded forward; she almost fell off had Shiro not grabbed her thigh last second and she not grabbed his shoulder. Kisibhi wrapped an arm around his waist and grinned as they raced smoothly through the rough terrain.

o~o

AN: So... flesh and blood lions!