Like the Wind; Like the Sea.

[Narifia]

Nightfall. A muscular, tawny female stood stone-still on the coastal outskirts of the Busare territory. Less than a foot away from the crashing ocean waves, the strong wind seemingly begged to push her away. It sprayed the militant lioness with salty droplets of water, but unblinking she moved nary a muscle, even when the crashing waves came in close enough to nip at her front paws. Momentarily she looked down at the receding water with amusement and wonder.

'Maybe the old legends are true,' she thought, 'Maybe the seas are angry at my presence. Maybe they are trying to get rid of me.'

She looked up again and regarded the horizon of the ever-moving waters with both a fascinated and arrogant expression.

'Well, good luck with that, Ocean. You won't be getting rid of me any time soon. And soon enough, my brothers will cease to fear you as well,' she thought at the ocean, but didn't voice.

The lioness continued standing in her statuesque pose as the thought of her two brothers trailed off into other thoughts. This wasn't the first night that she had waited here for her brothers to arrive in secrecy. Shielded by the cover of night and the fear of the ocean that her pride so clung to, she had been training her brothers against the wishes of their king, Hahdi, for nearly a year now. She was a chosen assassin, picked from the time of her unnatural birth to carry out the vengeance of her mother and defend the dignity of the Busare pride.

Her two brothers, however, were a different story. For different reasons each, King Hadhi would tolerate neither of them being trained. For each their own reasons, they had insisted upon having their sister train them in secret. So for the love of her brothers, she had agreed.

However, since she began training them a year ago, she had never once gone easy on them. She was a ruthless instructor, and would only become more ruthless still. Especially starting tonight.

[Kai]

A pale figure slinked through the bushes. He seemed to fade into the shadows as he made his way to their training grounds. It was going to be a tough one tonight. It never was easy. But Hamali seemed to rise to the challenge, and even enjoy it. He wanted to be stronger, faster, better. As long as he felt all the pain and effort were making him improve, he reveled in it. His eerie white eyes showed in stark contrast to the darkness around him as he reached his destination. A determination showed in those odd eyes. They said he looked a lot like him, his father whom they hated so much. And thus, he seemed to inherit that hate. But thier hate only fueled that determination more. He would show them, he would prove his worth. Every night here he was working towards it. His ears flickered at a sound, another form coming through the bushes that made little attempt to disguise it's arrival. He rolled his eyes, typical.

Nyota was a prince. His tendency to announce his arrival to the world wherever he went had not quite been toned down by his sister's training. He was last to arrive, as usual. He shivered slightly from the cold spray of the ocean. Although he knew it was silly, he couldn't help feel that it's presence was oppressive. They had been taught to stay away from it since cubhood. The brothers waited for thier sister to speak.

[Narifia]

"Nyota. Does the thought of dying excite you?"

The assassin named Mahiri inquired coldly, not turning to face her elder brother. She didn't move even an inch to acknowledge his presence. She had no need to.

Within the borders of the Busare Pride's territory, Nyota was the prince and the law demanded that she pay him with the utmost respect. But this place was beyond the reach of Busare's laws. Nyota was neither prince nor vagabond here. Here, amidst the dismal ocean's spray, he was merely one of her pupils.

For the time being Mahiri ignored the presence of her younger brother Hamali, and instead waited only on her elder brother to respond.

[Kai]

"No. But we're far away from the pride, what's to worry about?" his bright yellow-orange eyes showed the faintest hint of hesitation in speaking. His high-and-mighty-majesty attitude was hard to bring down, but even Prince Nyota knew that Mahiri was not one to trifle with. And after all this time, he should know better than to be so brazen.

[Narifia]

Suddenly Mahiri turned and let out a roar as she charged at Nyota, making as if she were going to strike him with her paw but she stopped short, her threatening claws hovering uncomfortably close to his face. As much as she wanted to tear his hide up, she knew that if she left too noticeable a mark King Hadhi would start asking questions. Couldn't have a scratch on his precious grandson and heir, after all.

Hopefully it wouldn't matter. Hopefully the threat alone would put fear enough into her elder brother.

"Idiot! Haven't you learned anything in all your training? To our enemy, your rank will mean nothing! Carelessly barging through the bushes as if you own the ground you walk on will spell out your death faster than you can blink," she hissed out at him.

Mahiri let out a low growl, showing her teeth menacingly to make sure Nyota knew she meant business. She wasn't about to have a year of training go to waste because this spoiled prince thought he was the greatest thing to walk the earth. If only he could be more humble, like their younger brother Hamali!

In the back of her mind, though she felt sorry for her younger brother's low status in the pride, she was silently grateful for the humility it had forced upon him. It was serving well to help hone him into a fine young assassin. Unlike a certain spoiled cub beneath the threat of her claws at this very moment.

[Kai]

Nyota's eyes widened and he pulled back to avoid the swinging claws and teeth. The Prince knew he had incurred some serious wrath. With some effort, he attempted to tone down his attitude. He needed his sister's help after all. Even though the pride favored him, he still had one serious source of shame: his mane. Or rather, lack thereof. All he had was a small tuft near the top of his head. What kind of King would he be without a mane? He was certain it made him seem lesser in the eyes of the pride. If he could avenge his mother along with his siblings, that might make up for it.

"I-I'm sorry, Sis."

Being under the threat of her claws was even more oppressive than the roaring ocean.

"I get it! I get it!"

[Narifia]

'So he gets it, huh?' Mahiri thought to herself.

Somehow she didn't feel convinced.

She retracted her claws and pulled her paw away, resting it firmly and precisely on the ground. Her stance was rigid and militant; the disciplined training she had received from Zengea was evident in her pose and posture. She glared down at Nyota.

Her voice cold, grim, and calm, she replied, "'Sorry' won't save you when we face our enemy. We're going up against a monster. You'd do well to remember that, Nyota. You both would do well to remember it."

As she said the last part, Mahiri turned to regard both of her brothers. The three of them were nearing two years of age now. They wouldn't have too much longer before they would have to set out on their mission. They needed to shape up, and shape up now.

Turning her attention now to Hamali, she issued him a cutting look and asked, "Hamali. Why did you not correct your brother?"

[Kai]

Nyo sighed inwardly, and relaxed slightly as he was temporarily relieved of his sister's attention.

Hama sat attentively, looking through his long white mane at Mahi.

"I didn't feel it was my job to correct him."

In truth, he was also very tired of trying to deal with Nyota's carelessness. He wouldn't get anything but a smart remark for his troubles.

"If the monster found him, it would be his own undoing."

He could tell even now Nyota was barely holding back some sort of clever quip.

[Narifia]

"Oh grow a backbone," Mahiri spat, obviously put out with the way the brothers treated one another. She paced to and fro in front of Hamali, her tail flicking in irritation. "I don't care if he's the nastiest lion on earth, and I don't care if he outranks Aiheu Himself. You will learn to work with him and keep him in line."

Mahiri stopped her pacing and faced him again.

"Hamali, you are a disciplined and promising assassin. Regardless of Nyota's attitude, I am counting on you to stand strong by his side and guide him. Even if that means you need to knock him around a bit. And as for you,"

She pivoted to face Nyota again, making it a point to let him know that she was not letting him off the hook just because she had turned her attention away from him for a moment.

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Hamali is your brother. He is your blood. Out here, it doesn't matter that the pride regards you as the Heir. It doesn't matter that the pride regards Hamali with scorn. Out here, and out on the battlefield, it won't make a lick of a difference what anyone thinks of either of you. In the eyes of the enemy, you'll both be just the same--a threat. The monster will destroy any threat without a thought. If you have poor discipline and care for one another, then we'll all end up in scraps at his feet."

Mahiri let out a half-growl, half-sigh, and turned away from them for a moment. She didn't know how much plainer she could emphasize it. If the two of them remained as divided as they were, then it would jeopardize them all. She needed them to pull their acts together.

The three siblings needed to act as one. Only then would they be strong enough to take him out; the lion that killed their mother. The reason for their unnatural birth. The monster that destroyed their lives right from the very start.

[Kai]

Hamali frowned at her comment, but said nothing. Normally he was a fairly tempermental lion, and would probably have had an angry outburst. But things with Mahiri were different. She was one of the only creatures in this world who cared for him. Even if she was harsh sometimes, she had always been there for him. He always felt more calm and under control around her.


Nyota tensed up as he was put on the spot again. Both brothers had heard this talk repeatedly. He didn't see how caring about his brother the pride reject was going to help them kill the monster. Skill, speed and power would do that.

"When do you think we'll be ready?" Hamali inquired, breaking the silence.

[Narifia]

Mahiri's right ear flicked at Hamali's question. It was the only indication that she'd heard him at all. She straightened up and recomposed herself, then strode a few feet back to the spot where she'd been standing before they had shown up. Ears perked up, she raised her head and stared out into the sea in deep thought.

She was silent for a long time. It almost seemed as if she'd forgotten about Hamali's question entirely when finally she spoke.

"Not soon enough," Mahiri stated bluntly. She then turned towards them again and sat down--a rare gesture during training. Mahiri would normally never seat herself during training sessions with her brothers. Always standing, and always very rigid and commanding in posture, sitting was a lax gesture and never permitted during training. But when Mahiri sat, it meant that something serious was on her mind. It had to be of the highest importance to put training on hold.

She held each of her brothers in an iron gaze before she spoke again. She said, "It won't be long before Tunza, Byron, and I will complete our training. Once that happens, there's no way around it. We'll be setting out on our mission with no time to spare. If the two of you are really so determined, then you need to set all cubhood inhibitions aside now and start training seriously, because once Zengea sends Tunza, Byron, and I on our way, it will be too late."

Mahiri let that thought burn into the two of them for a moment before adding, "Do you really feel that it's right that the two of them are taking your rightful places in this mission? Do you really feel as if it's their place? Because I'm starting to suspect that neither of you are dedicated enough to do this."

It was a harsh blow, but it needed to be said. Mahiri knew that Hamali was dedicated, and she even recognized that Nyota was too, in his own way. But they weren't near ready enough, and time was running short.

[Kai]

When Mahiri sat down they both paid rapt attention. Hamali looked slightly insulted at the suggestion that he might not be dedicated enough, he'd put his heart and soul into this. It was the rare time when some of his anger began to show through.

"Not dedicated enough? I've put everything into this! I belong on this mission, I'll be damned if Tunza and Byron are going to take my place! It should be our mission to kill this phantom lion."

In a rare moment, Nyota seemed to actually agree with him.
"It's our mother he killed. It's us that has the most reason to take the spectre down! It's our right!"
He paused for a moment.
"Do you really think Zengea would actually send Tunza though? I mean... he'd probably be sleeping in the cub caves as we speak if they'd let him. He loves being around them so much. I thought Zengea was going to tear his head off after she found him off playing with them while he was supposed to be training. Again."

"He's still been through the same training as Mahiri, the same training as she's put us through." Hamali cautioned.

[Narifia]

"Hamali is correct, and Zengea will send Tunza regardless of his own interests. He and Byron are her sons. Her honor and vengeance rests on the two of them. But it is not their vengeance to be had, it's ours."

Mahiri eyed her brothers for a moment, her orange-red eyes scrutinizing them as if to judge if they really were serious or not. Hamali's outburst certainly proved that he had the heart for it, and he most certainly had the skills for it. Heart and skills alone weren't enough, however. The three of them needed to be an unbreakable force. After all, they were going after the Ghost Lion himself.

She couldn't be too sure of Nyota. He certainly wanted to do this, but she wasn't too sure that he had the drive to be the best that he could be. Aside from his serious lack of a mane, Nyota was already practically at the top of the pride. He had little else to prove besides his lionhood in spite of his mane. Sure, he wanted to avenge their mother as well, but was that enough? After all, they had never gotten the chance to know their mother. Was his heart tied closely enough to her like Mahiri's was?

After the momentary silence Mahiri stood once again. Her ears perked up as she glared at her brothers seriously, letting them know with her eyes that tonight would be the deciding factor. Tonight, she would know if they were strong-willed enough to go through with this.

Tonight, she would do the unthinkable.

[Kai]

Hamali could sense the intensity in Mahiri's gaze.
"What have you in store for us tonight, Sister?"

Nyota had been wondering the same. He listened to the crash of the waves on the shore as the brothers awaited her answer.

[Narifia]

Mahiri let her intense gaze linger for just a moment longer before she very calmly--and coldly--turned once again to face the ocean.

"Do you know why we fear the ocean? It's just a huge collection of water, but why do we fear it so?"

This was a direct question, and it was obvious that she wanted an answer from each of them. As she waited, the waves continued to push and pull violently against the shore. The water came in closer and washed over Mahiri's paws. Undeterred, she stood still as if nothing had even touched her.