When Kuendesha had returned to Ivory Tower, she was surprised to see that Cobarte and some of the wild dogs had gotten there first. More importantly, Iago seemed absolutely livid. "So let me get this straight: you piss-ants got the drop on them, knocked that bitch unconscious, and STILL failed to bring her here like I told you to?" The scrawny, yet powerfully-voiced lion berated. And there was something amusing about those dogs (one of who nearly matched Iago's size), simply cowering in fear at this weakling's tirade. "I ask for something simple, and was even gracious enough to tell my lionesses to not interfere with you mutts, and you have the audacity to fail me!?" At that, Cobarte spoke up. "To be fair, she couldn't have gotten to far. And the wild dogs should hold out for sometime yet, so Magnus could still lead the reinforcements there and capture her." He began losing steam when Iago glared at him, but Kuendesha wasn't going to lose her courage so easily.
"Iago, have you considered that maybe 5 male lions might actually be too much for just one pack of dogs?" She had said this sincerely, as five well-built lions working together is very much a threat to pretty much any animal currently walking the Earth, and even a lone elephant could find himself perturbed at the possibility of facing such odds. But, Kuendesha forgot that wild dogs weren't able to think of the possibility of them not being the top predators, and their growls said it all. "How about you shut the fuck up about our pack?!" Cobarte threatened, his teeth bared. "We beat the hell out of two lionesses already; we can do the same to you." He said, as the three dogs with him growled in accordance. Iago stifled a laugh at seeing the twinge of surprise and fear on Kuendesha's face, but he then also saw the vicious glint in her blue eyes replace those other two emotions and knew that now would be the absolute worst time for infighting to happen. "Cobarte, control yourself." Iago ordered, and the irony of that statement was not lost on Kuendesha, especially in light of the sullied, beaten young lioness on the ground behind him.
"Kuendesha, if you're here, I'm going to assume you have pertinent information?" Iago queried, and Kuendesha sighed. "Yes, and that is to tell you that you don't have much time before Icarus and the others get here. They'll no doubt be looking for Lana-" And Iago cuts her off. "Well, clearly she's not here, is she?" Iago blurted out angrily. To that, Kuendesha narrowed her eyes. "They'll also be looking to spill your blood, especially if Lana isn't here. All the more reason to do so, in fact, because this means that you won't be able to get to her." Kuendesha honestly couldn't believe she actually had to explain this to Iago, and from how quickly he changed his tune he perhaps already knew full well what to expect. "What the hell are you waiting for, then? Go assemble my lionesses, find Othello, and bring them back here to greet Icarus and his lackeys. I'll go look for Lana-"
And it was Iago's turn to be interrupted, but this time it wasn't a quadruped to do so. Oh no, instead it was the shaman who spoke, seemingly appearing out of thin air. "Might I suggest looking for her in the marula grove? Specifically, the one I'm using as my new home." He said knowingly, and to the lions his meaning was clear. However, one of the less intelligent wild dogs was confused by Korofi's words. "Why the hell would she be there?" Korofi rolled his eyes, wondering how any creature could tolerate an entire pack of these slow-witted canines. "Well, in case you missed it, you wild dogs inflicted some damage on her, so Othello had to bring her to my tree for some healing. He and I already discussed the plan. And Mirnai should be gathering the sum of your forces and bringing them here. Let them take care of the rest; you have a date with the Jungle Princess." Korofi reassured, and Iago grinned as though he were a kid in a candy store. "See, that's what I'm talking about. See that?" Iago looked at the 4 dogs present with a glower. "That is an example of a faithful subject. Take this piece of trash behind me" Iago gestured to the bleeding, violated ex-princess behind him. "… Out of my den. She's stinking up the joint." He ordered as he set off for the marula grove.
And as Iago got excited, and broke into a sprint for his meeting with Lana, all other thoughts and worries faded from his mind. She's all mine, now and forever more. She belongs to the Blood King now, and if she were as smart as she thinks she is, she'd thank me for it. That thought repeated over and over with increasing intensity as he neared the massive tree that Lana was being kept.
It was that thought process, to the exclusion of all others, that left him unprepared for what he actually found there.