Waiting wasn't his strong suit. So while the band was seated at the border of their home and itching to return he decided to throw his own home coming. They had deserved something far more grand, but he did what he could. The females among them had been tasked with preparations that didn't remove the other thralls. His own thrall, a waterbuck, carried the various bounty he had acquired and also plenty of food. The meats were preserved well and served the band for their strenuous journey, now they were home. Where they had to ration before, they didn't now.

"Feast!"

The preparations were ready, music was acquired from a bard that had been captured along the way. The bards voice wasn't entirely entertaining, but he spun a good story. Between the foods, spoils, and entertainment the band was well sated for the time being. It was no secret that the true entertainment would be the following day, but for now they weren't as restless.

"Jicho, Silma, come with me." Ushindi left the celebrating band to be by himself for a few moments to gather his mind. Slaying the current Warlord was all he could think about. "What do you see when you close your eyes?" The lion had lead the two ravens to the rivers edge. As a cub he remembered visiting the river when it was much calmer, or as calm as it could get. He'd dare to dip a toe or two in, but nothing more. The river would sweep a full grown lion off his paws, let alone a small cub. But feeling its power had given him a rush he couldn't explain.

"Ushindi, what do you mean?" Silma had grown quiet while Jicho took over. She had recently been Ushindi's messenger and seen what he would be destroying. When she closed her eyes what she saw was a den filled with blood and the carcasses of not just a mother.. but a family. Even though he had asked Zjarri'fol to meet him at the borders, she couldn't picture another scenario. The scene was enough to twist her stomach into knots, but she didn't dare voice her feelings, not to Ushindi.

"When I close my eyes I see darkness.. only at first. It isn't the all consuming darkness of an unknown future. No. I see the faceless lioness that dared to set herself down a dangerous path, one that will end with the inevitable." He mused and made a dramatic point of closing his eyes, furrowing his brow and even removing his mask. "Her blue pelt starts pure, but ends in a bath of blood. It's red hues staining the mud beneath her." He breathed in slowly and exhaled. The image was there, in his mind.

She would die.. The thought struck Silma in a way that had her muscles tighten and beak clench. The way Ushindi described the scene hit home and she nearly croaked. Fortunately Jicho spoke up with a calm that startled Silma. "It sounds like you won't just beat her, you'll remove any possibility of her challenging again." The raven clucked slightly at the idea.

"Oh I have plans for that." The lion grew thoughtful and at that point dipped his paw into the rushing water. Rain had begun to pour down from above and lightning strikes lit up the sky. "I have plans for everything..."

"What do you mean?" Silma's dark eyes turned up, she hadn't even realized she had been staring at the ground. "You never told us about any plans."

"Do you think that I have too?"

"Well no.."

Silma shrunk from his out burst and chose not to press the subject any further. Her eyes stared at the skulls clutching to the cloak that bellowed behind him. The winds were becoming ferocious. Her attentions were drawn to the way the weather reacted, it was as though some force knew they were home.

---

Waking had been a struggle. She felt the aches of nightmares, and the stiffness of laying on a cool floor. Zjarri'fol hadn't uttered a word about her summons to anyone besides her father and she would speak with Mkhai before she left. The cubs would be attended too no matter the outcome. All of them. They were all her own, no matter their blood - she had chosen them as family.

Slowly she stood and tried to roll out her muscles, but there was no use. Sore before she had even begun and she bet that her competition had slept like a cub. "Look at you all." Her pink gaze found the slumbering forms she meant to abandon. Their abandonment would be temporary, but it broke to her heart to think that they would be alone for even a moment.

"I love you."

She whispered the last words she would speak to them for a while in hopes that their dreams might be that of something far more pleasant than her current reality, or theirs.

---

Ushindi did eventually join the celebrations. His ravens had tagged along, but settled with his waterbuck. They had been chattering to themselves since their discussion and he had taken a moment to wonder about Silma. She didn't seem to be herself and it worried him, but not for long. For a lioness had taken his attentions. Her pelt was the colors of waves crashing against the cliffs walls. She danced gracefully, like the winds that tousled the leaves on branches above to the bards awful singing and the way her body move took away his worries, excitement for the next day and even more so when her fiery eyes settled on his icy blues.

"Ushindi..." She spoke his name in a hushed tone before ushering him away. He was enthralled by her and didn't hesitate for a moment. There were no other words that evening, not a single one shared between them, not until the morning.

He awoke with the sun just cresting the horizon, but it was still hidden behind clouds that didn't waste time with threats. Rain still poured around them. Jicho and Silma had sought him out sometime during the night and for warmth had curled together, somehow, in the trees branch above him. He peered at them for a moment before he was met with a blink of an eye. "It's a good day to die, Jicho." He remarked proudly. Slowly taking up his mask and cloak.

"Let's hope doesn't make this any harder than it has to be..."

WC: 1084