The Jasiri & Sare Story

Chapter Three - Where the Story Ends

The Waterhole of the Pridelands The savanna grass thins out here, fighting valiantly but surrendering at last and becoming bare red earth; ground which has given way under countless paws, hooves, and claws. A ring of bare earth, its centerpiece a glittering jewel in the savanna sun; the waterhole. One of many among the plains of Africa, but to the animals of the Pride Lands, this has always been "THE Waterhole;" a place where animals gather to drink, socialize, and enjoy a moment of peace among their fellows, for traditionally, the king of Pride Rock has banned violence from this place, creating an unexpected centerpiece of every walk of savanna life. Exits: [W]est, into an open area of grassland [E]ast, toward the Nkosi Flat [N]orth to the wilderlands [S]outh, into the open savanna [IC] Kisiri, male adol. lion(pl) [Zzz] Sheena, female lioness (pl) [Zzz] Akase, female lioness (pl) At the edge of the waterhole, Jasiri stirs from her afternoon nap. One emerald eye opens, and then the other, and the dark-furred girl sits up slowly and stretches. Forepaws sliding out before her, every muscle in her body ripples, from her toes to the tuft of her tail, which swishes lightly as she turns to gaze about. Kovu's eldest child is the spitting image of her father, and though the girl could never be considered beautiful, she's nevertheless a picture of strength, a young lioness in her prime. After standing there for a few minutes with her shoulders squared and her chin up, looking around, she fails to notice any other furs present, and turns on her heel to pad into the long grasses. Bayete Stream (Pridelands/Giziva) A sparkling stream immediately catches your eyes; a tributary from the melting snow of the distant mountains, the water is clear and cold, refreshing to the body and soul. A natural boundary, this marks the westernmost limits of the Pride Lands, and the end of Kovu's territory. Across the water one can see the reborn and flourishing former Outlands, Giziva -- the grasses grow for the first time in generations, with a red fog hanging in the air that constrasts with the golden luster of the eastern Pridelands. Exits: [E]ast, Towards Open and Lush Grasslands [W]est, Into the former outlands [S]outh, Following the Stream Object here: Dead Lioness (Nongwa) [Zzz] Ausi, female lioness cub(g) [Zzz] Gubari, female lioness cub(g) [Zzz] Shetani, female lioness (g) Sawa has arrived. Jasiri pads slowly along the edge of the Bayete Stream, taking her time, deep in thought. Her gaze wanders between the sparkling waters and the far bank, where Giziva stretches before her, lush and alive like the princess has never seen it before. Her tail whisks along the ground behind her with a gentle hiss, swishing back and forth across the tops of the rocks. This is the farthest the young lioness has ever come before, having never dared to cross that border into the lands from whence her father came, so long ago. But ever adventurous, she wonders what's out there. The Falls (Pridelands) The Bayete Stream merges with The River of Rage to form a thick torrent that, only seconds after the merge, cascades brilliantly down a fall and into a haze of white, foamy mist. What lies beneath appears to be a large valley, with the river going on indefinitely into the future. Behind you lies the Pridelands, and across the Bayete rests the accursed Outlands. What lies beyond the River of Rage -- few know. Exits: [S]mall [C]ave [E]ast, Against the Massive River's Flow [N]orth, Following the Stream's Path Sawa has arrived. Jasiri continues to meander downstream until she reaches the mighty waterfall where the stream merges with the greater river. Her paws slip a bit on the rocks, now, slick from the heavy spray that shoots up from the falls, but she keeps her footing well enough and stares into the swirling waters, in awe of their power. The young princess is not the only fur who has chosen this day to venture far from home. Nor is she the only one who has decided to be daring. Oh the days, weeks, months Sawa has brewed. Every night. Every night. He goes with /her/. This... this other. This one who has taken him from her. Who has. Who has. Who has taken destroyed everything. Sare, and Sawa in particular were born.... missing. There was something debilitating in their makeup. They were mentally lacking. Yet, despite that inner emptiness, they found a way to exist. Through each other. In each other's presence, they were whole again. They were like two pieces to the same lopsided puzzle. But now... but now Sare was no longer hers. Jasiri. Jasiri was taking him, was taking part of her. With Sare gone, it was like a part of her had gone. A part of her identity through him. This Princess is taking her identity. Sawa was being clawed apart from the inside. This. Must. Stop. And thus Sawa had followed Jasiri. She had waited for the moment. The moment when Jasiri was hers. The moment to bring Sare back into the fold. Was that a rustle of leaves she heard? Jasiri pauses and looks back over her shoulder, blinking, and having the odd sensation that she's being followed. Her whiskers quiver as she sniffs the air, trying to pick up any unusual scent... but little does she know that Sawa had been trailing her for moons now, and never before had Sare's stealthy sister been caught in the act. Unable to detect anything, for the clever younger lioness is downwind, the princess shrugs it off and continues on her way. She finally finds a good place to sit, a high boulder on the edge of the trail, where she can climb up and stare down at the wonder of nature before her. Like a shark. Like a tiger. Like a cat. Like a hunter. Like a killer. Sawa watches through narrowed eyes the movements of Jasiri. In the shadows she views. The shadows of the trees flourishing along the water help her. Aid her. Stealth, hunger, need aid her. Now. Now is the time. Now is she ready. The inner pain has gotten too much for her to bear. To much for her to handle. Her eyes dangerously flicker, as if a fueled fire was driving behind it. Almost. Almost. Almost insanity. Yet wait.. wait a moment longer. Just a moment. Foolish, foolish thief. Crouching down, Sawa watches Jasiri climb the sharp rocks near the side of the waterfall. The pulse and power of the falls feeds Sawa's fever. It creates a static rhythm. It is the only sound she hears. She must get to the side of Jasiri. Climb the trail and get near her. Enough to match the lioness' escape either up or down. Then she can use gravity. Use the rocks and the power of her ally to crush the princess. Slowly Sawa rises to her paws. Keeping low to the ground, the slithers forward, creeping. Like a snake. Slowly inching forward and up the steep incline. But here, on the rocks, the foliage tapers away. Soon, Sawa will have no choice but to come into the open, and although Jasiri still seems absorbed in her own thoughts, she also becomes increasingly aware of another presence. Something just doesn't /feel/ right, as if Sawa's murderous intent were leaking out her pores and tainting the atmosphere around her. The princess shivers, feeling a chill race down her spine, and once more she cranes her neck around to peer over her shoulder, squinting. "Hello?" she calls out, experimentally, though she doesn't really expect an answer. It's probably just the wind, right? No wind. Not a wind. A plague. Forward Sawa moves, and forward. Now Jasiri is to her left, near the edge of the falls. Moving each paw up and over, with drawn-out motions. Her claws unsheathe themselves. Her mind now becomes intertwined with her body. Raw, savage emotion. Feet, teeth, claws all working on their own. Soon the trees are stripped from her. Then the bushes, then the small plants. Each cover peals away from her like layers. Like a person shedding clothing. Or a snake shedding skin. Now only the air surrounds her. Only air. And water. The song of the falls like a wisp of smoke encircles her, almost... almost blinds her. Yet she is already blind. Jasiri's meager words drop straight into the ground. Head lowered, dark ears back, Sawa advances. She is not but a foot or so from Jasiri. Now is time. Time. Time. Leaning back, Sawa balances her weight on her hind quarters. Her legs like spring instantly send her now forward. Claws out. Froward on Jasiri. Every pound of Sawa's being rushes forward, with an impact aimed as sending the other into the falling water. The moment that Sawa cleared the bushes, Jasiri could see murderous intent in her eyes. The signs of attack, easy enough to read, nevertheless baffled the princess. But those eyes blazed with such fury that the dark-furred lioness sensed her peril at once, and leapt aside, paws landing firmly on the trail. Though her back remained to the river, she had restored a few yards of space between herself and the sheer drop-off, and she wheeled to face Sawa in alarm, ears pressed back and eyes wide. "Sawa?!" she shouted in disbelief, beginning to talk even as she crouched to defend herself, muscles bunching. "What are you /doing/?" she calls above the roar of the waterfall, lips curling away from her muzzle as she bears her teeth in warning. Miss. Nothing but air meets the paws of the attacker. A miss. Outrage. Anger! Jasiri blocked the first attack. Fire pumps in Sawa's veins. Her eyes blaze, now bloodshot. The time has now picked up. Time is racing! The water flys behind Jasiri. It races at a speed unnatural. Her breath burns in her mouth. She must... she must purge this feeling! She must escape her own hell of fire. And Jasiri. Jasiri is the key. Jasisi's blood is the water in which to cool herself. Oh how she needs it. Now. Now redoubling her efforts, she glares down at her prey. Now Sawa is in front of Jasiri in the ascending cliff carved by the falls. Sawa takes Jasiri's moment of bafflement to strike again. This time she runs. Using her body as a weight she claws down towards the other. The aim still is to push her over the edge of the trail, or down its steep incline. Either will work. Jasiri howls out in pain as Sawa's formidable claws rake across her shoulder, leaving deep gashes. Swiftly, the girl dodges again, and now she begins to fight back, realizing that some madness has apparently come over her pridemate. With a loud, indignant growl, she crouches and leaps back at Sawa, her muscular form bearing down on the smaller lioness, claws and teeth extended as she aims to sink whatever she can into her attacker's flesh. Blood begins to stain her dark coat even darker, as the streaks of black trickle down her leg. Such a feeling of satisfaction Sawa savors. The feeling of her drawn-out claws dragging into flesh. Separating the skin and releasing the river of blood. Letting it escape to the surface. Yet soon Jasiri moves aside, separating claws from wound. Anger swells inside of Sawa. How dare she! Emotion like bottled up carbonation rises, pulls its way into her throat, and at its urging a growl rips its way from her. A growl... but yet more of a shriek. A battle cry. The cry of a wounded hunter. Wounds of the mental, not of the physical. Madness overtakes Sawa. Madness that blocks each and every pain and nerve ending in her. She lets Jasiri attack her, she lets Jasiri inflict wounds, because she isn't aware of them when they happen. Tear marks rip on her shoulders, belly, and across her face, tearing an ear in the process. But this isn't all for naught. When Jasiri comes, Sawa is ready again to strike. Soft, tender flesh of the other. The throat. The throat comes to her. Almost as if being summoned. With Jasiri so very close, Sawa lunged inward. Sharp murderous teeth poised to tear at the flesh of the neck.. Jasiri manages to inflict many surface wounds upon the aggressor, hoping to drive her back. She leaves scratches and bite-marks all across Sawa's flesh, from her shoulders, to her flanks, to her rump. However, as her only real intent is to defend herself, she doesn't dare injure her pridemate too deeply, and stays away from the vital areas like her neck and her belly. She hopes that if she leaves enough small marks on the raging lioness, she'll back off. Little does Jasiri know the extent of Sawa's insanity, and the fact that the crazed one hardly even feels the minor wounds. Managing to drape herself halfway across Sawa's back, claws dug into her opponent's shoulders and teeth sunk into shoulder, an unfortunate misstep in the slippery mud sends Jasiri's paws flying out from under her. Suddenly, she's practically on her back beneath Sawa's belly, and her claws rake harshly down Sawa's flank as gravity takes over. Her posistion on the ground gives Sawa a clear shot at her throat, and Jasiri roars out in pain and terror as the smaller lioness' jaws close around her neck. Now! Now! Now is the time! Now is the moment! The many moons. Many many moons of... of... of loneliness. Of isolation. Of darkness. Of alienation. Of agony! Agony of her mind and body! Take it. Take it now. Blood. Sweet sweet blood. Its warmth is so cooling. So refreshing. So satisfying. So welcome. End it. End it all. End all the nights and days and time in-between. End the mocking of the shadows and the dying of her eyes. End every moment second instance of it all. Back. It will all be back. All. It will be better than this. Better than this all. Better than the two of them. Better then the sun and the moon and the pulsing of the falls. Of the trickling of the waters into the emptiness of her body. Back to two little cubs in the Valley of Mist. Back to two little cubs in the soothing warmth. Back to it all. Bite now. Just bite. Bite and pull and tug and tear. How the blood tastes. A cup that fills her mouth. And under it something hard. Hard because it holds air.. Break it. Sever it and it's all back. Close tight, yes, and pull. There you go. It's broken now. It's in two pieces. It's filling with blood. Done. It's all done. It's all back. "S-sawa!" screams Jasiri, as she struggles beneath the murderous grip of her pridemate. "Come to your sens--" but the pressure on her throat becomes too great, and the burly lioness finds that she can no longer breathe, let alone speak. Eyes bulging, the princess manages to pull her hindpaws up under Sawa's belly and shove as hard as she possibly can, as her forepaws come up and claws rake at her attacker's face and head, in a last desperate attempt to fight back the killer and free her neck. But already the lack of oxygen is causing Jasiri's world to go spotted, as the light flickers before her eyes, and hot, sticky blood gushes down her chest. At the very moment Sawa's teeth release the broken windpipe she catches Jasiri's last efforts at life. Draining now is all the poison from Sawa's veins. Draining now is her anger, insanity, strength, and protection. Her cuts are welting up with pain. And a lone forepaw hits her hard on the side. Hard enough to knock Sawa out of balance. The blood stained paws slip as the princess's once had in the muddy slope of water and blood. She loses her footing and falls backwards, down the side of the falls. She trashes about with her paws in an effort to break the fall, and they work slightly well. Yet a small rounded rock juts out from the dirt just enough to catch the impact of her unprotected head. Blackness and weariness collide, and Sawa falls into the sleep of a peaceful black world. Her body slides to a stop into a bed of flora. She sleeps now better than she has in months. Even now that she's beaten her attacker away, hope fades quickly for Jasiri. The jugular is torn. Her lifeblood swiftly drains from her veins, pooling in a thick puddle around the dying lioness. She lies there, twitching as she struggles to take in breath. But death comes swiftly, and soon those blurry spots blot out her vision, and she can see only darkness. Sprawled on the edge of the riverbank, Jasiri loses her life, and the last sound she hears is the powerful crashing of the waterfall. The End See Chapter 1 | Chapter 2