"The gods have spared you, Kovu."

[Sinyaa]

Characters: Zira, Kovu, Vitani, Wesesa

It's been a depressing season for the past couple of moons. The Queen of the Mbaamwezi has watched with growing worry as members of her pride have fallen, one by one, to a plague that played no favorites - her own cubs and higher-ranking leonines alike falling to the disease. Fortunately, Kovu, her chosen heir, was spared from the fatal sickness - glorifying him all the more in the Queen's eyes. Her paw holding him close against her other foreleg, Zira speaks to him in a voice that is both soothing and eerie in its gravelly tones. "The gods have spared you, Kovu. You, out of countless others, have been chosen to live on and carry the Mbaamwezi to glory in the years to come."

Kovu, with ears slaked back and small form somewhat nervous in its crouch against Zira's legs, murmurs, "Yes, Mama." Truth be told, Kovu's... been kinda scared and sad these few moon-cycles, watching pridemembers fall away, die in languishing horrible ways. He may have been spared.. But that doesn't make him feel any better.. It kinda scares him. And the way his mama talks.. It means he's, like, some big Messiah or something! (Well, if he knew what a messiah was.) He moves to curl two forepaws about the leg he's being pressed into, trying to hug her. Mama's boy. Yet not the blithering idiot his older brother is!

Vitani watches the two of them from a slight distance. She had witnessed the death and devastation as well, and really didn't know what to make of it. Her young eyes scoured the dusty horizon, finally coming to settle on mother and brother again. With a roll of her eyes, she thinks to herself, "There they go again..." Though things weren't as bothersome to her as they seemed with Nuka. Pawing at a bone on the dusty ground, she tries to occupy her mind during this strange time.

Apparently pleased enough with this simple response, Zira moves away from her son, stepping over him to approach the edge of the rock she's situated on, gazing out over her conquered lands with a harsh intensity in her crimson eyes. "We will need to rebuild our forces," she observes, half to herself. Yes, a lot of lions she knew died, but life's tough - and the pride needs to move on and become the great force it once was once again. "And those of you who have survived this judgement from the heavens will help carry us forward," she says, speaking to the handful of cubs scattered around her in the now-desolate lands. Apparently, even cubs can make an impact.

Kovu almost lodges a complaint as he's not hugged back, or given some form of comfort or something! But no! Sigh. And there his mother goes again, to the edge of the rock, to address the world. A sigh. His ears lay back, and he sort of hunches a bit into himself there on the rock. Well, feh. With his mother's attention no longer on him, Kovu slowly turns, and starts walking away, perhaps intent on finding something more to do-- and as he does so, a mote of dust tickles his nose, and he lets out a loud sneeze.

Vitani raises her eyes up to her mother as she addresses the others. Though, the others only appeared to be a group of cubs gathered about. Wrinkling her nose a bit and quirking a brow, her attention is soon diverted as the dark form of her brother starts wandering. Her look of confusion soon melds into one of mischief, and she lowers herself among some scrub after she catches his loud sneeze. With a snicker, she starts stalking silently after his unsuspecting form.

The full meaning of death has yet to weave itself into Wesesa's mind, especially on such a level. The young lioness stops whatever she had been doing and sits, listening to Zira intently, trying to wrap her mind around the scope of recent events and what her mother is saying. A good portion of those Wesesa was used to had suddenly vanished from her life, and everything is going to be different from now forth. It's hard to accept on any level, at least for the time being. Wesesa stands, padding over to where her mother stands. "But... how're we going to do that?"

Vitani continues to creep slowly through the scrub until she notices her borther has stopped moving. With a quirk of her brow, she pauses for a moment before a smirk paints itself across her face. Hunching up and whipping her little tail behind her, she leaps out from the scrub, "HAHH!!" she yells, leaping to the side of her brother. Though, on second inspection she discovers he just nodded off to sleep. Wrinkling her nose she turns to find something else to occupy her time... "Pshh..."

As Kovu leaves, his sneeze alerting Zira to his wandering, the Queen eyes him almost suspiciously. Why is he not enthralled with the idea of leading his pride as a great king? Watching his sister as she practices her attacks, and at such a young age, the queen nods approvingly. Well, at least there's hope yet for her bloodline...she will make a good fighter when she's grown. Turning to gaze upon another of her children, she is suddenly reminded of Nuka - and wonders to herself, cruelly, why her lesser son wasn't taken down by the sickness that affected so many other, so many more /capable/, lions in her pride. "By scouring the lands for rogues who have not been weakened by the sickness and inducting them into our pride, of course. Wesesa, where is your brother?" she questions, as an aside.

Wesesa has barely enough time to ponder the answer, before she is in turn questioned. "Nuka?" The juvenile tips her head to one side, making a lazy effort to glance behind her. "I don't know. I thought he was gone like the others." Wesesa tilts and ear and looks back at her mother, taking note of Vitani in the process. "Should I look?"

Yes, where was Nuka... That weird flea bag was someone she hadn't seen yet, and he was usually glued to Mom's side. With a little shrug, she busies herself with pawing at a bleached bone on the ground. Could this be one of her former pridemates? Well, the thought really didn't cross her mind, and all she felt like doing was taking out a bit of frustration she had at Kovu. That pampered little brat...she had yet to wrap her mind around the thought of -him- becoming their leader.

Zira can't help but smirk sadistically at Wesesa's response. Not even his own sister notices he's still alive. "No, don't bother." She looks out over her lands once again, considering them briefly. "We will begin the rebuilding tomorrow. We cannot waste any more time mourning the dead." Her mind made up, Zira turns back towards the pridal cavern, scooping up Kovu in her jaws before padding inside to rest.