#kuibia

 "Yawn, what happened dada Kui? Where are we?" Damu looked around the moving scenery through blurry eyes. The sun was setting, which meant that she had to have been asleep for many hours. I haven't slept so well in a while. 

    "Oh yer affake," Her mouth full of Damu's fur, she set the little cub down to clarify, "I had to move us from where we were for safety. You seemed so tired that I didn't think you would worry too much if I did while you rested."       "Oh. Are we closer?" Damu's ears perked up in excitement, hopeful of how far they had traveled while she was asleep.      "A little bit further and then we will be in the territory." Kuibia looked down at her with a smile. Damu looked around at where they had stopped, but it didn't seem like what she expected. It was no longer the flat shrub decored clay land that they were in when they first met, but rather wet green vegetation and thick trees sunken into pools of water.      "This is Blood Pride territory?" Damu seemed hesitant as she sniffed the thick marsh air. She looked down at one of the nearby pools and saw that there was no red dye in the water.      "Well we have to cross the river at a certain point but it will be safer for use to travel through this marsh area." Kuibia kept smiling but she didn't like how the little cub was so inquisitive. This will also help us avoid the waterfall so by the time I get you to Baba it will be too late for you, you little brat. "It will be fine, we just need to get through this area."      "Okay, I guess. It smells funny though." Damu's young predatory eyes caught the glimpse of a frog on a rotten trunk and started to stalk it, only for it to jump into the green moss filled water, splashing her in the face. “Ew!" She shook wildly trying to get the filthy water off her face. Kuibia even chuckled when a string of loose swamp plant was strung across her snout.      "Well it will help mask our scent." She flicked the plant off of the small cub and started walking, expecting Damu to follow. For her it was easy to jump and walk from giant roots sticking out of the water and patches of earth, but the grunts and scratching noises behind her told her that the little one was nowhere near as experienced.      "Dada Kui-ugh-wait for me." Damu called as she used her claws to climb up the muddy bank, groaning in disgust at her back feet going into the slimy water.      "You are a big girl Damu, you’re going to have to keep up." Kuibia called back, not so soft voiced as the little one had heard her speak before. This brat is really getting on my nerves. She needs to learn how to be tough or she will never make it.      "B-but- Ow!" Damu yelped as a pricker bush thorn went into her front paw pad. The little one started to sniffle and cry as she was used to doing when in pain and expected the older one to do as her mother would and come take the sharp thing out and console her.      "Stop crying it's just a pricker. Pull it out and keep moving." Kuibia had turned around and glared down at the cub, annoyed by her infantile behavior.      "I-it hurts sniffle c-can you help me?" She lifted her paw up to show where the plant was sticking into her paw.      "Tch, it's barely in the skin. Pull it out yourself and let's mo-" She froze as her ears picked up an echoing call of a male lion. It was not even a mile away and the one that replied was even closer. "Kinyesi! Get moving brat, let's go!" Little Damu winced at how Kuibia snapped at her, who seemed to be a totally different lioness.      "B-but-"     "Move!" Kuibia raised a paw and smacked the back of the small cub, with enough force for her to be pushed forward and when she instinctively went to catch herself the stinging sensation of the thorn going deeper into her paw made her cry out in pain. "Shut up and move!" Kuibia swatted Damu's backside, shoving her onward as she listened for more calls of the males nearby.      "Ow! Stop it hurts!" Damu limped forward and tried to keep her injured paw raised, looking back at the seething female she was so foolish to trust.      "I don't have time for this!" Kuibia picked Damu up again, not so gently as before and started in a fast run. Damu hissed as she swung from her scruff in Kuibia's mouth, unable to pull the thorn out of her paw with the bouncing of her bumpy ride.      "Kuibia put me down! I don't like this!" Damu called, wiggling in discomfort and trying to avoid sticks hitting her. Kuibia snarled and jumped into the swamp water and started to swim with the small cub's head just barely above the water. "Ow! My cuts!" Damu cried, the sick feeling of the water flowing across her open wound, the loose edge skin peeling, pulling and brushing against the swamp plants. By the time Kuibia got them to the other side she was weeping and clawing for the ground. She was unceremoniously dropped to the ground and before she could get up a heavy paw pressed against her back, claws gripping at her skin.      "Listen you little excuse of our Baba's blood. If I had my way you would be hyena food. But he wants you so you are going to shut up and we are going to get through this area without bringing attention to ourselves, is that clear?"     "Well well serpent tongue turn to stone sister?" both females looked up and standing before them was Kujitoa, leaning against a tree in boredom from watching the little scenario play out.      "Kuji, back off! I found her first. I will bring her back to Kuua." Kuua?! Did she just say Kuua? I was right! Damu's struggles became more frantic as she was held down, digging into the earth for some kind of leverage to pull herself out from under the weight.      "You found her and you caught her, but you can only try and bring her to him. And what do you think it will prove? You still are what you are Kui," Kujitoa flexed his claws out as he came closer, eyeing his seething sister and waiting for that final small thread of patience to snap, "You aren't Baba's little girl. Your little name should be proof enough, Tupa."     "SHUT UP!! ROAR!" Kuibia swatted Damu to the side as she lunged at the juvenile male, eyes blazing and teeth bared. Damu watched the fight commence but really she couldn't really follow it; it was nothing but tumbling mess of grey and yellow fur, clashing teeth and swiping paws. I have to go. Now's my chance. Damu started to limp back to the water, sliding it and swimming despite the pain, all the while listening to the fight.      "Don't grr call me snarl Tupa!"           "This fight is pointless. Ugh you can't beat me, Tupa."      "Why you little- hiss." Damu was thankful that she had made it to the other side and the older pair were still in combat. She hobbled as fast as she could back the way she and Kuibia had come, knowing they had gone backwards if they were indeed going back to Kuua.  Roar. Roar.      Damu froze for a moment, listening to the loud echo of a lion's call that didn't sound familiar. S-some lions eat cubs! Damu remembered her mother tell her of stranger danger, especially older males, and her movements became more frantic, until the pain in her paw became too much to bear. Looking around she saw a collection of roots raised in shallow water created a small hole she could squeeze through and be safe from any large animals. Squeezing between the thick wood she pressed herself into the deep earth wall on the other side and waited for anyone or anything. Roar. Roar.         It was a different lion's call, a much much closer lion's call. Damu pushed deeper into makeshift den and eyed the outside with hesitation. She could no longer hear the conflict of her half-siblings, so for all she knew it was the victor calling out for reinforcements to catch her. Some sloshing in the water told her she was not alone and all she could do was hold her breath and keep her eyes squeezed shut.  "Oi you in there, what're you doing?"

  ��n�?�

Translations: Damu: Blood Kuibia: Stealth Kujitoa: Devoted/ Loyal Kuua: Kill tundu kike: Impudent Female Kinyesi: Shit 

Kuibia is a bit older in this picture. Love it so much. Belka- 1100 

"Wow....and ouch." Damu groaned as she looked down at her reflection. The chunk of ear that was missing didn't seem to affect her hearing and it was no longer bleeding, but it still throbbed. That pain though wasn't anywhere near as pain coming from her back leg, which was torn up to the point that she flexed her leg she could see the muscle flex. Shuddering at the grotesque face that she could see the inner workings of her leg, Damu sat up and tested putting weight on her leg. There was a pit of pain, but not enough that she couldn't put a little weight on it. However with each step she would take made more blood seep down her leg. Thankfully the water was still crystal clear so she had seen when a crocodile was attracted to the smell of her blood in the and she could leave the edge and walk in the bush until she thought she was far enough away from the predator that she could go back to walking along the water.

What am I doing here? I have never been to Babu's home, I've only ever met him once! What if he doesn't recognize me? What if I can't recognize him?

All these thoughts traumatized Damu as she traveled, unknowing of how far she would have to go before she reached safety. The grumbling of her stomach however pulled her out of her thoughts and she realized how hungry she was since the whole thing. She also knew though that the sun was going to set for another day and she needed to find a place to hide; her mother wasn't there to protect her.

   "Mama..." Damu started to tear up at the thought of her mother, under that pile of dogs, her hissing and yowls of pain as she ran away. But that male, Kuua, he said he was going to bring her back to her mother, but could she trust him?

   "Yip Yip! Yip!" She perked up her ears at the interesting sounds of a small animal yipping, so she crept down quietly like when she watched her mother and aunts track and she followed the noise. Peaking up from an old log she noticed a small meerkat standing on a rock a feet away. It didn't seem to notice her as it continued with its constant pattern of scurrying, sniffing the air and then flinching away. Damu made to jump over the log, but her current bum leg messed it up for her. When her foot banged against the log it sent a ripple of shock through her leg, and with there no longer being enough fat and tissue around the muscle to absorb the impact, she could do no more than yelp in pain, giving away her position and starting a hurricane of meerkats diving into their tunnels and the scout scurrying away.

   "Awww" she groaned in both pain and disappointment. She would have to go to bed hungry; if she slept at all that night. Looking around she saw a Marula tree that didn't seem to have anyone living in it. Climbing proved to be just as difficult as hunting and she wasn't afraid to cry as she pulled herself up onto the closest branch. Sticking to where the branch was thickest, she looked to the setting sun and lowered her head onto her paws.

   "Goodnight Mama." Damu whispered, hoping the wind would carry her prayer to her mother, either where she was alive or to her soul resting on a star.

   "I have no plans to be your meal." Kujitoa didn't even bother to look at the crocodile that was eyeing him in the shallows of the river. He had been walking for a while and didn't seem to find any real clues, except for a few drops of blood that helped him reassure himself that he was still on the brats trail. However her blood loss was lessening and if he didn't find a true trail to follow he would have to think of a new plan. Lapping at the cool water looking eye to eye with the croc who was still coasting towards him. But Kujitoa didn't bother to growl or back away, but rather sat down and watched the croc come closer. "I wouldn't suppose you have eaten recently?"    

   "What's it to ya?" the large beast replied, eyeing the young lion and wondering who was going to be faster.

   "Depends on what your diet consists of? Would little brat cubs be on the menu?" The crocodile didn't want to admit it but this lion’s monotone body language was not seemed admirable, but also intimidating. "I can taste a bit of her blood on the water. It is faint but it is there."

   "Yeah she was limping along," the beast admitted, "but she saw me just like you saw me, though I am impressed you are seeing me now in the dark."

   "So she lives." It was more a statement rather than a question, "And which direction did she go?" Again it sounded less like a question and more like a demand. The river monster hissed a bit in the water at the youths disrespect and decided to strike. Lunging himself out of the water he went for the young lion's forearm but his jaw closed on nothing and before he could retract himself into the water he felt sharp claws under his jaw. When he was back in the water he expected a snarling, hackle raised lion but instead there stood a composed young lion, licking some blood off of his claws, eyeing him with glowing red eyes. It was clear that this wasn't worth going at him again and floated his way down the river, hoping to find some silted water.

   "My my, you certainly have a way about you, Kuji." A cocky tone behind him made his hackles raise a bit and him huff in irritation.

   "Kui." That was the only acknowledgement he gave as he continued his way down river, his ears flattening as he walked when he heard the splash of the other adolescent jumping off the boulder that was behind him. "What do you want Kuibia ."

   "Well I am curious what makes this little Damu so special that dear Baba would want her so badly. After all she is a female. And we know how he feels about female cubs of his." Kuibia hissed out the last bit.

   "You would know best, Kui." Kujitoa smirked as he looked back at the now fuming lioness. Kuibia was about the same age as Kujitoa, but being a lioness made her body look more fully grown than him. She blew a small poof of air up at her overgrown fur that hung over her forehead in irritation.

   "Anyway, I figured the more people looking the better, so-" She seemed to flip a switch to cheerful, running up and jumping up in front of him and facing them snout to snout, "Find anything interesting?"

   "So I can do all the work and you take the glory. Pfft yeah that's a laugh." Kujitoa shoved past his sister and kept on his way, "Go back Kui, Kuua won't be happy that you've gone. Go back to the hunting party where you belong." Kuibia  watched as he kept walking down the river, a clear pout on her face.

Who died and made you my boss? Kuibia hated how her brother seemed to have an air of superiority about him. Then again with Kuua's teachings there is not telling how low he saw his sister. How low they all saw all females.Except this Damu. Kuibia growled and clawed the earth at just the thought that her Baba would actually show concern, would actually care more about this young cub than her. I'll find you Damu! Then we'll see... Baba will favor me even more than you Kujitoa. Smiling in manic glee, Kuibia returned to the thick grass along the border; keeping her distance from her brother but close enough to track him.

Yawn

"What a night." Damu groaned as she shimmied her way down the tree. All night there haunting noises that kept her ears constantly moving. Unable to sleep she did the only thing that soothed her; she groomed, imagining that it was her mother's tongue affectionately cleaning her. Her leg had finally stopped bleeding but it still stung to the touch. She made her way to the water, every once in a while listening and chasing a mouse or lizard to get a quick snack to calm her churning stomach. As she bent her head down to drink, she noticed a slight red tinge in the ground.

   "Clay," She whispered in shock, her eyes lighting up as she smiled, "I'm close! I'm almost there!" Damu looked back down the other way of the river, to where maybe with some hope her mother was still waiting for help. "Don't worry Mama..."

   Kujitoa tore into the flesh of the Bushpig, not bothering to wait for it to end its twitching and wheezing as blood drained from its ripped throat. He looked to the rising sun with a bored expression, knowing that somewhere in that direction was his primary target. She was keeping quite an impressive pace for being injured, but to him the ending was inevitable. Brat...

“Enjoy your meal brother," Kuibia chuckled as she kept going at a brisk pace through the grass, enjoying the sweet advantage she had over her brother who was far behind her, "because unlike you..."