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Kiv'mauti was a small lioness, and slight in frame to boot. She was born into the pridelands, but despite the pride being home to giants, she somehow wound up the runt of the litter. To make matters worse, she was the only cub to have survived, as her littermates had all eventually succumbed to sickness and death. Her parents had never let her forget that fact, as they had aptly named her so. Death's Shadow. Though they'd raised her in the traditions of the pridelands, they had never been all that close as a family, and Kiv'mauti believed they still harbored the pain of losing her siblings too deeply to fully commit to accepting her. It was all the same she supposed, as she was now grown and on her own in the pridelands, with little to no contact with 'family'.

The night was young, a bright moon hung in dark, star filled sky, and the dark pelted Kiv'mauti quietly moved along the border of the pridelands. She was a scout for the pride, and her black pelt helped her to blend into her surroundings. She enjoyed the alone time, the silence, the cool evening air. It helped soothe the hollowness she felt on the inside.

Like most nights the air had a quiet chill, and her bright blue eyes scanned the horizon for any signs of trouble. She was carefully in how she moved. Each step taken slowly and deliberately. For though the pridelands was arguably the safest territory in the realm, with guards constantly patrolling the borders night and day, she was such a small thing. And small things were easily broken. One misstep would easily give away her position to any rogues in the area, and though she was reasonably certain she'd be able to sound the alarm to alert the nearest guard in time, there was always that lingering doubt in the back of her mind. What if. What if she stumbled upon that one rogue that caught her off guard. What then? It was a chilling thought.

As she continued slowly on her route around the border, blue eyes scanning her surroundings, she failed to see the danger that lurked just under paw. She almost saw the dark scaled serpent too late for her to react, but luckily, she just barely missed stepping on and getting bitten by the large snake. Unfortunately, she could not help but utter a small yelp in surprise that carried on the wind, as she danced away from the snake's den and out of danger of its strikes. Quietly, and under her breath, she cursed herself for making such a noise.

Unbeknowst to the dark beauty that scouted ahead, a shadow prowled silently out of sight, just far enough to keep her within his gaze without getting too close as to alert her. Siyo'Jini was a large lion, though by no means was he pridelander big, as those lions were giants amongst most. It wouldn't be wise to pick a fight so close to the pridelanders border, but he for whatever reason couldn't pry his attention away from this lone lioness, no doubt a pridelander herself. He told himself he was simply looking for any vulnerabilities in their border guard and routine, but deep down something else nagged at him. It clawed and bit in the very depths of his soul and simply would not allow him to quietly slink away as he had planned to do many paces ago. The feeling lingered, burned, and all but forbade him from turning away from the little shadow of a lioness. It was absolutely maddening and madness all at once.

As a member of the outlands, he knew he was risking a great deal to be this close to the pridelands, but his warlord Muuaji had bid him to search for chinks in the prideland's armor. The time was drawing near when something was to be done, and Siyo'Jini was more than ready to sink his teeth into the lush lands and abundant resources of the spoiled pridelanders. Spoiled. Yes. That's what he had always believed them to be. Even her. This captivating, maddening, little lioness. What troubles could she possibly have endured in this lush kingdom. He doubted she'd ever had to scrap or scrape for week's rotten leftovers because there was simply nothing else to eat.

So why then, could he not shake these damned feelings? A silent snarl plastered itself across his maw as his lips twitched to expose deadly fangs. This was stupid. How could he possibly approach her? With a small shake of his mane, he managed to tear his emerald eyes from her slender figure and still his paws. He'd gone far enough, the night was now fully upon him, and he needed to return to his pride to report his findings to the warlord.

It took several moments longer for Siyo'Jini to tear himself away from the dark lioness' path, but he managed to silently turn and stalk away for several paces. Then he heard her yelp, such a small, delicate sound, and the blood in his veins turned to ice. Had she seen him? Quickly his lowered his body into a crouching position as he glanced over his shoulder back in her direction, just in time to see her dance away from some unknown assailant in the dark. For a long moment he did not move, watching to make sure it wasn't him she had spotted in the darkness. Knowing, and hoping, that he wouldn't have to silence her in case she had.

Several moments went by before her racing heart started to calm, the scare of nearly getting bitten by the snake wearing off, while the anxiety of worry set in. She hadn't meant to make that little yelp, but she was certain if there were any rogues in the area, they would have heard her. Inwardly she chastised herself for making such a mistake. She a gave deep sigh, there was no taking it back now. She had only just turned her head and lifted a single paw, preparing to step away and continue her scouting for the night, when the unmistakable sound of a growl pricked her ears. Her blue eyes swung quickly in the direction of the stone, where she was greeted with the intimidating presence of a large male, his teeth bared and an intensity in his eyes that sent shivers down her spine. There was almost no time for her to react, he was so close already, towering over her on his high perch.

She felt herself shrink away from the monster's shadow, her eyes widening slightly at the sight of him against the nightsky. She drew a sharp breath, and was hit immediately with his scent, a wash of blood and death that was almost dizzying at such close range. There was no mistaking his intention, and though she commanded her legs to move, to run, to carry her to safety, fear rooted her in place. "P-please..." was the only thing she managed to utter between ragged breaths. She couldn't help but wonder, how far was the nearest guard? If she screamed, would they even hear her? Would they get here in time? She had to try, and though her voice felt strangled in fear, she shouted the best she could, "Please don't!"

Several silent moments went by and Siyo'Jini was prepared to take his leave, not willing to further risk getting caught, and potentially having to make the regrettable decision of silencing such a beauty. With a deep breath he pushed himself back onto his paws, when first he was struck with a familiar, and infuriating scent. He was downwind of Jioni, and the wind was more than happy to announce the other male's presence. However, it was the rumbling growl, closer than he would have expected, and the horrified scream that came after, that reached his ears and made his head whip around in haste.

Siyo'Jini's red eyes were quick to find the source, landing squarely on the towering frame of the former outlander. They had both been of fighter rank in those days. But now, Jioni had betrayed their warlord and started his own pride, and Siyo'Jini had risen to the rank of destroyer, second only to Muuaji himself. "TRAITOR!" Siyo roared, shattering his silence, a snarl ripping across his face as he realized the dark beauty was a mere leap away from her doom. He didn't need an excuse to sink his teeth into Jioni's hide, but the thought of that particular lioness being struck down by the likes of that wretch brought Siyo's blood to a boil.

He wasted no time in digging his claws into the dirt and launching into a charge to where Jioni stood perched. "She is MINE!" She wasn't. But perhaps the bluff would give Jioni enough pause to keep him from killing her before he could reach them.

She almost couldn't believe it. Had a guard actually heard her and been close enough to intervene? Kiv'mauti dared to tear her eyes away from the nightmare lion on the rock to glance in the direction of the second one, only to realize she had never seen him around the pridelands before. The rage and snarl plastered on his dark face was just as terrifying as the first ones. As quickly as the thought of her salvation had come, the hope died as she listened to the words being roared from the both of them. This lion wasn't her savior; he was another attacker!

Thankfully he seemed to have stolen Jioni's attention away from the lioness, now he just had to keep it long enough for her to escape. "I'LL HAVE YOUR BLOOD!" he roared back in fury. His powerful legs ate up the distance between them in his charge, and he couldn't help but steal a glance at the dark lioness as he passed her to get to Jioni's rock. Her beauty was more stunning up close, though seeing the terror in her eyes merely fueled his rage against his opponent. This wasn't how he'd planned on his night going, nor how he'd wanted to meet her, but there was no going back now. In the brief moment his attention was divided, he saw Jioni make his move out of the corner eye, though it was too late to fully react to the other male's lunge.

Siyo'Jini attempted to veer out of the way of Jioni's attack from atop the rock, and though he managed to avoid being completely dropped on, he still felt the weight and sting of sharp claws slicing into the hide along his back. He snarled in pain and rage as he struggled to regain his balance and face his opponent. He could feel the red-hot fury Jioni's claws had left on his back, but there was no time to think about it, he had to act! Siyo'Jini wasted no time in launching an attack of his own, fangs bared as they sought to sink into any part of Jioni's exposed flesh they could latch onto.

Kiv'mauti, for as terrified as she was, wasn't about to stand there helplessly and let those two monsters fight over who got to tear her apart first. The explosion of violence around her finally pushed her pounding heart into action and she stumbled away from the tangled lions as quickly as her paws would carry her. She had to get away before they could lunge at her! Though every step felt like she was running through thick mud that kept trying to pull her back towards the gruesome scene.

The iron taste of blood filled his mouth as he managed to rip a piece off the cannibal king's face, and perhaps to add insult to injury and further keep Jioni's attention on himself, Siyo'Jini very visibly spat it out before Jioni's paws. "Tastes of traitor," he sneered. For all of his bluster, he didn't immediately lunge at his opponent. Instead, he chanced a glance over his shoulder to make sure the dark lioness was, in fact, taking the opportunity to run. And perhaps he should do the same while Jioni momentarily shook the blood from his eyes. It would save him further hurt and bloodshed to be sure, for as much as he despised the other male, he had to admit Jioni was skilled fighter. It would mean risking his life if he prolonged their fight, but... he couldn't guarantee Jioni wouldn't immediately take off after the dark lioness and continue his hunt.

s**t. In for a pinch, in for a pound of flesh. It seemed like he'd have to buy her as much time as possible. Carefully, and purposefully, Siyo'Jini maneuvered himself to cut off Jioni's easy path forward, in case he got a wild hair anyway and attempted to run after the lioness. A low rumble bubbled up in his throat as he adopted a more defensive position, his red eyes narrowing to lock onto the other's gaze. His back ached and stung, and he knew the wound dealt to him must have been deep, so he'd need to be careful if the fight continued. Unable to press the attack against his opponent, Siyo'Jini knew he'd already lost this fight. Instead, he would need to focus on making it out alive if the night master continued his assault.

Kiv'mauti continued to run, eventually gaining her stride and putting distance between herself and the fighting lions. When she was certain they weren't following her, at least not yet, she slowed to take a look back and study the situation. They seemed to have come to a momentary standstill, but she wasn't going to take any chances. The dark lioness took a deep breath, steadying her breathing, and unleased a series of roars into the night sky. It was a signal to any guards patrolling the area. She had found danger.

It only took a matter of seconds before the first roars echoed hers in the distance, an answering guard. She roared in return to confirm the danger, and with a final look back at the horror she had narrowly escape, she dug her claws into the dirt to sprint back towards pride rock. She could hear the sound of more roars answering the first guard. This area would soon be overrun by pridelander guards.

The second the roars began, from the lioness and the answering roars that called back, Siyo stopped in his tracks. He took the moment to take several deep breaths, his back aching from the movement. He couldn't follow her. It would be suicide. Instead, he watched her dark form disappear against the night horizon. He couldn't wait any longer, he'd need to leave or be overrun by the guards. But at least he had managed to save her from the cannibal king, Jioni's jaws. He turned to leave, satisfied in the thought that he had indeed saved her.

One moment he was turning to run towards home, and the next something hit him hard and fast from behind. Siyo'Jini was knocked off his paws, only just barely managing to catch the image of a large, dark pelted and fiery pridelander sneering over top him. Then nothing but darkness as he blacked out.

Kiv'mauti didn't stop running until she had pride rock in her sights. She had never before been so relieved to see the giant rock which was home to her pride. Her sides hurt from panting and running for so long, and she was more than happy to find a spot at the base of the structure to lay down and catch her breath. The nights events gave her more than enough to think and reflect about, but what she didn't expect was the sight of several guards approaching pride rock from the direction she had just run from, dragging something heavy between them.

She squinted her eyes, attempting to make out the shape. It wasn't until they were nearly upon her that she was able to see the form of a dark lion being dragged between the group of them. She gasped quietly as she recognized one of the attackers, the one with the brown mane. She swallowed hard as she watched his head bob listlessly along with the guards' strides, his eyes lids fluttering open for just a moment, just long enough for those terrible red eyes to land on her, before they closed again.

The guards gave her a polite nod as they passed her, but none offered to say a word. They had done their job, and she had done hers. The threat was neutralized. She watched, astounded, as they dragged the lion away, deep to the caves that hid under pride rock.