PREDATORS
by Chimera Bloom
Part 18
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"You're serious aren't you? You want us to believe that you killed Elila." Anzari said with utter disbelief filling her voice. She knew that Licara was desperate to reclaim her reputation but even the very idea was far too ridiculous to even entertain.
"I'm not kidding around. Elila is dead. Her very life was drained away by my venom." Licara said feeling rather proud of herself.
She looked around at the stillness of her Alpha's quarters. Anzari was silent as she mulled over the information she had been given. Even her wives were quiet as they sat patiently on the floor. It was quite apparent that they were going to wait for some indication from their spouse before passing their usual caddy judgment.
And Licara desperately wished that she had proof to give them. After all, her original intention was to bring some piece of the heron back as a trophy. She could present Anzari with the gift of Elila's dead form and then the entire tribe could celebrate her victory.
But it was far too late for thoughts like that. Licara doubted that the shark had left anything of the heron. There certainly wouldn't be enough left over to constitute any type of substantial evidence.
"Where's your proof?" Anzari asked letting her eyes flicker back and forth across Licara's features.
She normally considered herself an excellent judge of people. But she was having a hard time reading this particular cobra. Licara had always been so sneaky and devious. She really never knew what to expect from her.
"I couldn't take any. Elila died in the arms of her tribe mates. They could only watch as she turned steel blue. They did nothing as the very air was strangled from her lungs." Licara said trying her best to explain the situation without having to mention the shark.
"Convenient." Anzari muttered stepping over the bodies of her wives to return to her favorite lounging chair.
"Tomorrow the entire Gallion Village will know of Elila's death. And then it won't be long…Thash will have to come." Licara said knowing that her Alpha could never deny how very much she wanted to get the jungle cat Alpha alone and helpless in their very own nest.
In matters of death and birth, the jungle cats were relentless in their pursuit of tradition. And for the tribal Alpha's daughter to die so far away from her home village would mean only one thing; the entire tribe would come to the Gallion. Licara had succeeded in doing what no other cobra had ever accomplished. Thash of the Fasara would finally have to leave the jungle cat village. And that little feat alone was worth her weight in plutonium credit.
"Fine, Licara I'll give you the benefit of the doubt…for now anyways. Let's say that you're telling the truth. Elila is dead. You won't mind if I get some proof of my own, will you?" Anzari asked daring the snake before her to deny her statement.
She waited for several long minutes as uncertainty crossed Licara's features. It was quite clear that the young cobra had no idea what she was referring to. And that was just fine with her. She would prefer to leave Licara in the dark, at least for now.
"No, of course not. I'm telling you the truth. I am." Licara said firmly trying to stand up for herself.
Anzari only smirked as she demurely pressed a hidden button on her chair. And almost instantly her guard walked through the door. She had her eyes wide and weapon drawn. It was quite clear that she expected to be breaking up sort of heated fight.
"You can stand down. I only need you to get Akina and Azalea for me. Tell them to hurry. I have an assignment for them." Anzari said dismissing her guard with a quick nod of the head.
Instantly, the guard sheathed her bronze knife and quickly left the room. Licara couldn't help but shake her head at the sight. She understood that the knife was the weapon of choice of their ancestors. But such a primitive weapon made no sense. Not in today's world of air riffles and viral tamers anyways.
"Licara I should tell you that if you're telling me truth, I'll reward you beyond your wildest dreams." Anzari quickly said crossing the room to stand in front of her cobra warrior. She circled the hybrid from behind leaning close to whisper in her ear. There were even certain things that she didn't want her wives to know.
"I know what you want. I've always known. You think that I don't know about you but I do. You think that you're so very clever. But I know everything Licara. I know all about your little night games." Anzari whispered letting her tongue grace the warrior's ear.
Licara shuddered at the contact. Her first instinct was to scream and run in panic. Anzari couldn't possibly know what she had done. No one was supposed to know. She had been so careful.
But here was her tribal Alpha saying all the right things to leave her sufficiently paranoid. And if Licara didn't know better she would think Anzari was enjoying the vulgar contact between them. Warriors didn't touch each other like this. Licara knew that she should challenge the woman right where she stood. And yet for some reason, the words seemed to die, strangled away in the back of her throat.
"But Licara you should know if you're lying to me I'll punish you in the worst possible way." Anzari threatened moving away to step over her wives.
"I'll tell everyone your dirty little secret." The Alpha threatened to the uproarious laughter of her women.
Licara couldn't wait until everyone knew that Elila was dead. She couldn't wait to have this all behind her. And she couldn't wait for the day when she would be tribal Alpha.
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Zelsi wandered out in the darkened recess of the Gallion Village. Her every instinct was to get back to the Lodge as quickly as possible. After all, the news of Elila's untimely passing wasn't information that she was meant to keep for herself.
But she couldn't just charge back home, as much as she would like to. There was someone she had to see first. There was someone who would find this information practically divine. And besides, getting home without a transport was going to be a trick in itself.
So carefully, Zelsi walked over to the old sewer grate knowing that she had to be careful. No one could see her do this. She was about to go to a place that no hybrid could ever know of.
After she keyed in the code she looked round once more to make sure that no one would see her. But it was the middle of the night after all and her departure wasn't a visible one. With one last strangled breath she prepared for the next phase.
No matter how many times she made this trip the method never ceased to frighten her. Carefully, she waited for the floor to drop out and before she knew what had happened she was tumbling head first to the underworld below. This was her place. This was where she belonged. This was the long forgotten land of the ancient sinners. But to Zelsi, it was the place she preferred to call home.
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They had settled into the long hall of the banquet. Every person there was agitated and filled with tension. But at least the fight had been avoided. Still, Elila couldn't help but feel conspicuous and terribly unwanted.
The Midali banquet hall was set up very similar to that of the Fasara. There were long tables set up in every direction imaginable. The only difference between the two seemed to be the deep-water basin that filled the center of every table in the room.
It was filled with swimming fish of all shapes and sizes. Elila couldn't help but find the presentation stunning to say the least. But it was also a bit worrisome. She sincerely hoped that this was not how the sharks intended to garner their meals.
There was an elaborate fountain set in the center of the room that contained beautiful coral material of all shapes and sizes. As they had walked in the room Elila had been hurriedly rushed past the splashing fountain. She found herself desperate to get another look. Because to her, it looked like the very bottom of it was made from all the coins of old. It looked like the ancient money of Earth, and the heron was more then casually curious.
The entire hall had a beautiful and much expected water theme. There were even small rifts of water running down the sides of all surroundings walls. It was quite an exquisite display. A dark flickering blue light illuminated the walls and Elila couldn't help but find the whole thing just a bit romantic.
There were white flowers stretched out on the tables for as far as they eye could see. Carefully, the heron picked one up that was closest to her chair. She was a bit surprised and disappointed to find the small petals were completely scentless. But Elila knew that it was because of the shark's enhanced sense of smell. A strong floral aroma would probably play havoc with their senses.
The room was filled with strange sub harmonic sounds. She could only guess that she was listening to the sounds of whales or dolphins. Once she had heard that in the ancient days, sharks used the noise of other marine life to find their way. But that was a long time ago. That was before the Midali took their first steps on land.
Despite her rather strange circumstances, Elila found herself enjoying the hall's environment. The air was humid and rich. It reminded her of a casino or gaming hall in the swamp. And the lights were wonderfully dim and gentle. For once, the heron didn't feel blinded by the bright lights of her jungle cat brethren.
But the room's splendor was truly what took Elila's breath away. There were intricate coral designs laid into the very surface of every table present. Even the chairs they sat on were constructed of only the finest old Earth materials. If the heron wasn't mistaken, she was sitting on pure silver.
And Elila couldn't help but blush at the very thought. After all, she was from the swamp. And the heron knew that something as rare and hard to come by as silver would earn anyone a prized piece of credit.
The heron looked at those seated around her. She noticed that it was no accident that she had been carefully sandwiched between Carielle and Zeranna. The two warriors across from her were unfamiliar. But at the moment they seemed quite unconcerned with her.
And besides, Elila wasn't really interested in them. Her attention was drawn the few careful inches to the head of the table. Pedryn was so calmly sitting there presiding over the banquet. And the heron couldn't help but think that in a million years she had never expected to be taking part in a sacred Midali tradition.
Carefully, Elila listened as conversations began to spring up all around her. Carielle was busy discussing battle techniques with the two warriors seated across the table. Even Zeranna was exchanging a few pleasant words of small talk.
But at the moment, Elila didn't really mind being ignored. It gave her a chance to focus on all that had happened. But even though things were relatively calm, she couldn't help but cast Pedryn the occasional careful glance.
The heron wasn't sure what would have happened to her if a fight had broken out. And she wasn't sure what Pedryn would have done either. And thinking about it only further caused the heron to squirm in frightened anticipation.
For a few long moments, the heron let her mind wander to the rather unpleasant scenario of having to watch a physical brawl. As her mind flashed over the images of a bloodthirsty Pedryn, she found herself shocked by the voices now surrounding her. She quickened from her daydream long enough to recognize the sounds coming from across the table. There were two warriors speaking rather heatedly with Zeranna. Their voices were familiar enough from the fight before. They were the ones who had caused the incident. And Elila couldn't help but look them over with a growing fear.
But for the time being, Zeranna seemed to have the situation well in hand. In fact, they seemed to have little interest in her at the moment. And Elila couldn't be more relieved. She just wanted things to remain calm and even keeled.
Besides, there was something else that the heron desperately needed to know. Elila wanted to know how she ended up with the Midali. She wanted to know how Carielle had come to find her. But more then anything, she wanted to know the truth.
Slowly, she turned to Carielle who had already caught her gaze with a wince of recognition. Instantly Elila could see how uncomfortable the shark was. Carielle didn't want to tell her what happened. Whatever had taken place was apparently so shocking that even the shark couldn't bare to discuss it. But Elila had to know. And she hoped that despite everything else, Carielle would at least be honest with her.
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She carefully watched the heron that happened to only be inches from her body. It was maddening to have Elila so close. And truthfully, she wanted to have the girl even closer.
But Carielle had been right. Such a strange act of proximity would have not only have been dangerous but would have looked odd to the rest of the tribe. It was much better this way. It was necessary to keep Elila at bay, for now anyways.
But Pedryn couldn't help but stare at her and wonder what thoughts were going through the heron's mind. She knew that Elila had to be angry with all that had happened to her. Being hunted was never some thing easily tolerated. Not that Pedryn could really sympathize when it came to that. After all, she was an apex predator.
Yet she knew it had to be more then simply the cobra that was bothering Elila. The girl was confused and virtually abandoned in a tribe of bloodthirsty sharks. And though Zeranna had dutifully and swiftly gotten the heron away from the near imploding fight, she knew that it had still upset Elila. Pedryn knew there was good reason for Elila to be alarmed. If the others ever got Elila alone and secluded from the rest of the tribe, Pedryn couldn't even bare to think of the consequences.
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The girl didn't know what was going on. She didn't know about the dissenters. And Elila certainly didn't know that it was her own alpha that was the continual cause of such disharmony.
But Pedryn had promised not tell. The fate of the tribe depended on it. Yet, Pedryn hated the fact that it meant lying to Elila and keeping her in the dark on all matters of importance. She wanted to tell the heron the truth about everything. And desperately, she found herself needing to tell Elila what really happened that night on the water.
Yet, Elila wasn't Pedryn only cause for immediate concern. The others were keeping a rather close eye on the girl. Even though Thash was their real target, she didn't want Elila to get hurt in the interim. Sometimes the best way to hurt someone was to take it out on their innocent and quite oblivious child.
Pedryn didn't want to think that way. These were her tribe mates after all, despite any disagreements that they might have. But when it came to Elila, the shark knew that she would much prefer to error on the side of caution. The heron had already been through far too much. And Pedryn was firmly determined not to let anything else happen to her.
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"So, let me get this straight. They just threw me at you?" Elila asked shocked by the words that Carielle was sharing.
It seemed comical and tragic all at once. How could her tribe mates simply abandon her? But Carielle didn't have an answer for that one. All she could do was recount the telling of events. And that alone, was enough to upset Elila.
"Do you have any idea who they were?" Elila asked wondering what tribe mates had left her to the mercy of what they perceived to be a bloodthirsty shark.
"No, the one was a warrior. I've fought her before. I don't know her name though. She's older. And the other was a girl about your age. I've never met her before." Carielle answered taking long sip of her seawater spritzer.
"You've fought the warrior? Here at the Gallion?" Elila asked causally. She had already begun to make a mental list of every warrior on the Gallion team.
"No, it was during the war." Carielle answered stiffly.
It was weird. For a while there she had forgotten that there had been a war. But no one at the table had. And they all stared her with silent recrimination in their eyes making Elila feel like the smallest person on the entire planet.
She hadn't meant to offend them or bring up a sore subject. And it was clear that neither Carielle nor Zeranna was going to intervene. They had both lost many people to the fighting.
But so had Elila. Yet at the moment, the heron knew that she was a visual reminder of everything terrible that had happened to them. She was the daughter of their greatest enemy. And as the palpable silence stretched on for long solid minutes, the heron was beginning to wonder if she was about to be punished for the many sins of her alpha.
"It's all right Elila. No one blames you for the war. Our wounds are still fresh. But, it's not you." One of the sharks said from across the table.
Elila was terribly relieved that someone had finally broken the silence. She was a bit surprised to see that it was one of the warriors from the eariler altercation. But the heron was grateful, regardless of who came to her verbal rescue.
The heron glanced around the table a bit surprised to see that Pedryn also looked relieved. It was clear that the Alpha shark didn't know what to say to break the tension.
But Elila could only smile at the thought. Pedryn was certainly far from a diplomat. She was warrior, a fighter, and maybe even in some distant cases a champion.
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Narlene woke up flat on her back and suffering from a terrible headache. Looking around the room she could see all the familiar surrounding of the god-awful room that she had rented from the Claw. But most disturbing was the fact that her nameless warrior was crouched on the floor rummaging through her belongings.
She was disoriented as she sat up. But it was clear that her low-class ratty version of Kellis finally saw that she was awake. Yet her alert state wasn't enough to deter the warrior from searching.
And just when Narlene was about to spout off an angry spat for the presumptuous invasion of her personal property, the warrior got up and quickly crossed the room. Quietly, she opened the door and handed a waiting employee a thick wad of credits. Narlene wanted to open her mouth to protest, but nothing came out.
Her tongue felt heavy and limp. Her throat was scratchy and dry. Even her body ached in all the wrong places.
Looking down, she was relieved to see that at least the procedure had been carried out. The golden claws were firmly in place. She wanted to see them. She wanted to extend them to their full beautiful weapon length.
But she knew that wouldn't happen for another several hours. Her body needed time to heal. But she also needed time alone with this warrior, even if she was a thief.
"Here, drink this." The warrior said placing a tray on the stained nightstand.
Narlene looked over seeing a tall glass of bubbling liquid. She found herself quite desperate to speak. But again, nothing came out. Her voice was clearly gone. And her throat was only capable of making these sad pathetic wheezing type noises.
Reaching out for the glass she found that her hands wouldn't move. It had to be the procedure. The wounds still needed time to heal.
But for whatever reason, the warrior seemed to take pity on her. Carefully, she brought the bubbling glass to Narlene's lips. And instantly, the young jungle cat downed the fluid in one long gulp.
Narlene didn't think that she had ever tasted something so delicious. It was warm and tangy. And the very second that it hit her tongue she felt her body bounce in pure pleasure.
Narlene really had no idea what it was that she had just drank. And truthfully, she didn't care. All Narlene could be concerned with was getting what she needed from the warrior. And right now, she needed the warrior to take her.
She needed it fast, without preamble or preparation. And she needed it hard, without gentleness or any type of tender touch. But most important, she just plain needed to be thoroughly sexed in every single conceivable way.
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Shaenebel banged on the door as hard as her fist would allow. She felt the bones ache beneath her skin. She had been at this too long.
"Where are they?" Rilari squealed growing more concerned by the moment.
They had been pounding on Melaryn's door for what seemed like eternity. They all knew that something terrible was going in Narlene's locked room. They all had their own suspicions. And they were all assuming the absolute worst.
They had come to find Melaryn. They knew that she was the only other warrior actually in the Lodge at the moment. But as the minutes ticked by they were growing more then worried.
And Yamina, who had been trying desperately for what seemed like hours to help the trapped person, was just about ready to give up. She slumped on the ground next to the other two jungle cats. She was beginning to find the entire situation hopeless.
But then the door opened. And instantly, Yamina regretted her rather unfortunate position on the floor. Because from where she sat, the young cat could practically see right up the loose-fitting sheet of Melaryn. And the entire sight was like candy for her eyes.
Melaryn was standing there in nothing but a long purple sheet. Her hair was mussed and hanging loosely around her shoulders. And the bedding was doing very little to hide her ample breasts, firm muscles, her long creamy legs. And despite the severity of the situation, Yamina felt herself momentarily shocked by arousal.
Experiencing desire wasn't something that she was accustomed to, not since that night on the water. Even before the attack she had always been considered somewhat shy. But there was just something about Melaryn that always got her body heat rising.
And her attraction to the very married warrior was something that she didn't care to ever discuss, not even with Elila. It was something that she didn't even care to really spend that much time thinking about. After all, her attraction to Melaryn could never go anywhere.
It was really only a source of embarrassment for her. Whenever the warrior was around she would feel the uncontrollable need to giggle or toss her hair. She had a hard time making eye contact with the tall towering blonde. But the absolute worse was every time that she would try to speak. Her tongue would get tied and her voice would rise to a sheer high screech. Everyone in the entire room would know just how she felt about the warrior.
"I don't understand. What do you mean you're hearing noises?" Yamina looked up to hear the angry voice of Melaryn call down to her.
She looked down at the floor feeling small and unprepared. She couldn't seem to bare the gaze of the warrior's soft yellow eyes. It was like Melaryn could see into her mind. It was almost like the warrior knew all her secret thoughts and dreams.
"I…I…I..." Yamina began unable to clearly think.
It wasn't just the warrior's nude proximity that was disturbing her, it was everything. Her exhaustion was catching up with her body. And her anxiety was playing tricks with her mind. Even the presence of the two girls at her side was distorting her perception.
And when she got confused and frustrated, that's when it happened. She would loose the ability to speak clearly. Stuttering had always been a problem for her. There didn't seem to be anything she could do for it. It only seemed to grow worse at times, especially when she was around Melaryn.
"Look, I don't know what's going on. It sounds like someone is hurt. The noise is like these real loud guttural moans." Shaenebel chimed in with an annoyed sigh. After all, it was quite clear that Yamina wasn't going to be any help.
"We just need you to come check out. Narlene could be hurt in there." Rilari added obviously concerned for her best friend.
"All right…I'll be right back." Melaryn said quietly shutting the door between them.
That left Yamina all alone with the other two. And she suddenly felt dizzy and disoriented. It was almost like she couldn't clearly see all the things surrounding her.
"Hey freak, will you get off the floor?" Shaenebel snarled finding Yamina's company wholly unpleasant.
But Yamina couldn't move. She knew that after everything she had tried to do tonight, it was all finally too much. She was having a panic attack. And no matter how much she wanted it to stop, she couldn't get her lungs to even reach for air.
She could feel someone shaking her. But she couldn't seem to make out their face. Briefly she wondered if it was Elila. When she got like this it seemed that her friend was always the one to find her.
Slowly, Yamina tried open her mouth to speak. She needed to Elila that she had to get help. She could feel her heart hammering in her chest. She could feel her body literally screaming for breath. This time, her symptoms were severe. And when she got like this Yamina knew that only large amounts of medication could ever bring her back from the darkness filling her eyes.
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"What the hell happened to her?" Shaenebel scoffed as she followed Melaryn into the nearest stair well.
"Panic attack…she'll be fine. Neisha will look after her." Melaryn mumbled wishing that she hadn't had to force the fragile young cat upon her wife.
But Neisha didn't even seem to mind. Her wife's abundance for care and concern never ceased to amaze her. This was supposed to be their special trip together. It was one of the few times that they were both away from the children.
And as Melaryn charged down the stairs with Rilari and Shaenebel struggling to follow, she couldn't help but be annoyed. She had every reason to believe that nothing was going on behind Narlene's door. She suspected that these two young cats had simply misheard a romantic rendezvous.
"Where is it?" Melaryn asked stopping her tracks when she walked out into the unfamiliar hall.
This was the area of the Lodge that stored only the most eligible young female cats. And being as such, it was a floor that Melaryn had absolutely no reason to ever visit. After all, she couldn't imagine that her wife would be very pleased if she chose to spend her time with the nubile innocents.
"It's here." Rilari said standing next to Narlene's door.
Melaryn opened her mouth to begin the lecture that she had been saving. She wanted to scream at them for interrupting a romantic and private encounter with her wife. She wanted to tell them that they were starting rumors and wasting her valuable time.
But she couldn't say any of those things. Because standing inches from the thick wooden door she could hear the sounds of someone whimpering. And yet, it was more then a frightened or scared voice. Melaryn had been in far too many battles not to be able to recognize the sounds of someone dying.
"Stand back!" Melaryn snapped watching as both young cats hurriedly got out of the way.
Taking a few long strides she ran at the door kicking it right off its hinges. It landed in an angry loud thud allowing all three of them to hurriedly scamper inside. Melaryn saw her first as she came charging through the threshold.
There on the floor, lying in a pool of vomit, blood, and drool was the tribe's golden warrior. And as Melaryn took in her quaking, sullen, and sickly form she knew that they were going to have to act fast if they were going to save her life. Because from the looks of it, Kellis didn't even have the strength to survive the night.
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She rested against the warrior letting her body absorb the strength and heat. They were comfortable enough, lying together on the thick carpets of the banquet hall. Although, Halauris knew that she would give anything to be at the Lodge.
She wanted to feel safe. She wanted to be with her own kind. But more then that, she wanted the burden of Elila lifted from her mind.
But the girl had the sinking suspicion that no matter how many years passed, she would never ever be able to forget the shade of the heron's blue skin. And the image of the shark rising up from the distance was something that would always haunt her dreams. And yet, she knew that it was her guilt that would surely be the heaviest burden of all.
Their kind strictly followed the code of honor. And tonight, she knew that they had violated it in the worst possible way. They had left Elila behind to die. They sacrificed her so that they might live. And Halauris was beginning to wonder if they would pay a high price for their misdeed.
Every warrior in the tribe took a sacred oath of honor. And tonight, Lineva had violated it. When they became a champion of the Fasara tribe, they were expected to die for the Alpha. But it wasn't just Thash they were to protect. Every single member of Thash's family was a part of that oath as well. They were the tribe's royalty. And they were expected to be protected above all else.
Even though Elila might have looked different on the outside, she was still a part of them. Lineva had taken an oath to protect her. And according to tribal customs, Lineva's very life was now in the temperamental hands of Thash.
Halauris was beginning to wonder if Lineva's days were numbered. Thash was well known for being strict and unforgiving. Elila was the only living heir to the throne. Without her, Thash's entire legacy was now a matter of question.
If the blinding misery of losing an only daughter wasn't painful enough, Halauris suspected that the thought of losing the throne might just push the Alpha right over the edge. And what better target for her anger and misery then the warrior who failed to protect her child? Halauris knew that the situation was wrought for massive upheaval and tribal change.
But she also knew that unfortunately, she would be caught in the very center of it all. She had been with Lineva as the warrior abandoned the heron. She hadn't gone back for Elila. She had only run, like a terrified coward.
Of course legally, there could be no terminal punishment for her crime. Women just weren't held responsible for these types of things. But Halauris knew that there were other ways her tribe mates might see fit to dole out her penalty.
Throughout her entire life she had enjoyed a rather dubious position in the popular sect of the tribe. Her nights were anything but free. She was invited to every single event in the tribe. And the probability of a sought after marriage contract was all but set in stone. Up until this night, her future had been one of promise and fortune.
But all that could change if Thash decided she too was to blame. Though not exactly legal, the tribal Alpha could easily remove her family's holdings and wealth. Her alpha and her sibling could both be dishonored before the tribe. And her mother would be left with nothing.
And the more Halauris thought of it, the more she was convinced that Thash would lash out in anger towards her as well. Halauris imagined that if Elila had been her daughter, sister, or mother, she would react in much the same way. After all, how could one blame a grieving parent for needing to hold someone accountable?
But as she gazed at the sleeping warrior at her side, Halauris knew she had another option. If she turned on Lineva, the tribe might go easy on her. They might even feel sympathy for her.
It was widely known that Lineva was something of a social recluse. Halauris doubted that she had a single friend on the entire tribal council. It certainly wouldn't be difficult to spread a few lies about the warrior.
Nearly all of the warriors shared a special camaraderie and a deep bond born of hardship and war. But as far as Halauris could tell, Lineva was on the outside of all that. She didn't seem to have a friend anywhere.
It would be so easy to tell them all what they wanted to hear. She could tell Thash that she begged and pleaded with the warrior to go back for Elila. She could even tell the Alpha that Elila's death was unnecessary. Simply put, she could tell Thash that it was all Lineva's fault.
But as she looked at the concern and worry stretching across Lineva's sleeping face, the girl didn't think she had it in her to do such cruel things. It was her fear making her think in such despicable ways. She wasn't a liar. And she didn't stab her friends in the back.
Halauris stiffened at the thought as it came crashing into her mind. Somewhere during their rather chaotic and terrifying evening she had begun to think of Lineva as her friend. This warrior, that up until a few hours ago was a complete stranger, had suddenly come to mean something to her.
A bit frightened by the thought of an ill-fated blossoming friendship, Halauris settled back down onto her side. She wanted to put distance between herself and the warrior. She wanted to clear her mind and focus on somehow surviving this impossible situation.
But she couldn't seem to get her body to cooperate. Instead of a cool solitary space of comfortable floor, she felt herself inching closer to the warrior's sleeping form. It wasn't until she had her head gently resting against Lineva's shoulder that she even felt safe enough to close her eyes. And that's when Halauris realized it just might be something more then friendship that caused her body to seek the warrior's.
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Licara sat and eagerly awaited the news of Elila's death. She didn't even mind that the Alpha had virtually left her under guarded lock. Things like that couldn't matter to her anymore. After all, she was about to have her future handed to her on a silver platter.
She could wait for the inevitable good fortune that was bound to walk through the door at any moment. Nothing could possibly disrupt her good mood. For the first time in what seemed like eternity, she was going to have her reputation returned. Anzari would be forced to return her land and her holdings. And the Alpha would be hard pressed to find a reason not to return her previous position in the tribe.
At one time, she had been a premier sentry. She had fully enjoyed the riches and all the pleasures of one most honored and revered. But that was before she lost the battle.
Licara didn't see how the entire tribe could blame her alone for losing the basin. There had been tens of hundreds of warriors out there fighting for their tribal home. But she alone had been punished for their failure.
To this day Licara couldn't understand how they had been so easily outmaneuvered. It was like the enemy had known every single move they were going to make. Their defeat had been fast, furious and brutal. And when it was all over, the dholes had taken the Greenery Basin for their own.
After that, the tribe had been divided and relocated. The cobras really had no home to call their own. Many of the tribe had followed Anzari here, to make a temporary home in the Gallion Village.
But Licara wasn't ready to accept defeat so easily. Killing Elila had only been the first step on her road to victory. Once the death of the heron was announced, she would again be a respected member of her tribe.
Others would listen to her. She could get them to understand. But more importantly, she could get them to follow. And when she had the support of every single cobra that she could find, Licara would lead them all back to the basin. And then, they would all stand together and retake what had been lost so very long ago.
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CONTINUED...