He backs away from him, visibly overwhelmed by everything "I-I...I don't...I don't even know you...I don't know anyone...I just want to help. I heal...I just want to heal..." He flops on the ground, holding his head in his paws and trembling "I...can't leave. I have to stay and help but...Afyasi help me..."

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Lashpaw gives his King a smirk, "Ill do my best to try and be friendly, who knows, maybe i can get the small one to trust me. He seems like the easier target. Ill let you know if i find out anything important. He nods his head toward Coy Fish and peals off to go to the scouts den.

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Knawbones gives his a soft look, "I know you want to help, youre a healer, i dont think you could kill maliciously if you had to. IM trying to protct you so YOU can help the others in this pride. Despit how we met im not a threat to you, please trust me on that." Knawbones steps away fron the obviously overwealmed lion and toward Harbinger, "tell me what we need to know to survive here. Im good at masks, laways have been, its part of growing up wandering, but i need to know what to prep for." He gets a feeling that this is gonna be a lot worse than he thought.

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Harbinger

He watches the two converse, wondering what they are saying. "Everything Coy does is influenced by violence. His version of teaching has left most of the pride with more scars and fewer cubs than we started out with." He shrugs, after a while of watching such violence, you get accustomed to it, "He used to be..." He swallows, "Used to be better, but, well, the only way to survive is to avoid him completely," Here he looks at Talus meaningfully, "Or be as cruel and vicious as you can. But, don't ever try to be more than our King- more vicious, stronger, smarter, faster. Any of that will get him riled." He hopes he doesn't need to explain what happens if Coy views someone as a potential usurper. He almost looks sad as he gazes at Talus, wishing he could help him escape but also desperate for more pride mates. He was so lonely, with only Coy and Kimba as company. Kimba, well less heartless, was still Coy's advisor. And the primal didn't take that job lightly at all.


Coy Fish

He chuckled as Lashpaw veered towards the scout den, wondering what he would find. He wasn't sure how much he trusted the guard yet, but so far he was proving to be a loyal and useful pride member. Someone Coy could almost see himself relying on. Maybe it was time to think about replacing Kimba. The orange primal had long since had his chance to prove himself, and yet still couldn't stomach the murder of some helpless cubs.

"Pathetic." Coy snarled aloud, spitting at the ground and creating furrows with his claws.

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Talus takes a few breaths, settling himself a bit. At least enough to respond. "I...thank you, for telling us this. I...believe that the Gods would guide me to where I was most needed. It seems I was right...If I can make things a little easier for all of you here, help your hurts and heal your wounds...then I will be glad I am here." He folds his ears back "And...I will learn to settle my stomach. Is there anything else I need to know?" He looks between the two of them.

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Knawbones looks at Tlus with sympathy, 'I dont know how hes going to survive this,' he thinks to himself. Turning back to Harbinger he looks him in the eye, "Youve know us for less than a day, and the fact your willing to help us, even if it jsut means giving us informaition speaks more than words." Knaw sits down, "Ill stay and join the scouts, if Coy will have me, and ill kill if necessary but that doesnt mean i have to like it. I want your word that youll keep Talus safe when you can, Hes the only healer ive met in a long time nad skills like that are sorley needed here."

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Tears welled up in Jack’s eyes and his claws dug into the ground below him.”I don’t want to leave you. I-I wish we could all leave. You, me, Silver, all of the cubs that are in the den. The adolescents could train under me and then we could start a prude. All of us. We could be a family.”He seems so miserable.

“I-I don’t want to lose you…”He says softly.”I can’t lose you. I wouldn’t survive, Moogly. You’re like a mother to me.” He murmurs, what sounds like a promise in his voice.”I love you.”

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Harbinger

He looks a bit sheepish, a visible blush creeping up his face, "I swear I will do my best to keep Talus safe, we do need a healer like never before." He's obviously Don't thank me, and don't compliment me." He gets to his paws, back covered in mud and grim from the swampish surroundings, "I've done terrible things. Enjoyed doing terrible things." He sighs and shakes himself off, the mud flying every which way but most of it remains in his fur, "We should get back, who knows when Coy Fish is going to want to meet with you all again."


Moogly

She whimpered at the sound of Jack crying, wanting to rush to his side and comfort him. Just like she had when he was a cub. "Jack, you'll be okay. I swear to you, everything will work out just fine." She could hear the heartbreak in her own voice and cursed herself for it, but what was she supposed to do? Sit in silence? She knew that with her age and the wounds she had sustained, she was not strong enough to leave and venture somewhere new and try to start a pride, she was not strong enough. She coughed weakly, phlegm building up in her lungs from her living conditions.

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“Moogly… you don’t have to lie. Everything is horrible. Everything will stay horrible…”He sighs and then rubs his face in his fur to rid himself of tears.”I love you, Moogly. I should get going though. Never know when Coy may show up. I will find a way to save us all. Goodbye for now.”He then gets up and wanders slowly away.

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"I'll be fine...don't take chances on my behalf. Either of you..." He shakes mud and plants out of his own fur. Both of these lions had done things he would never do. But they have shown him kindness. There's good left in them, he knows it...

"But thank you." He nods, having settled down considerably "You're right, we should head back. I'd rather not get him angry at me..."

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Lashpaw had checked the Scout den and found the three lions who were ment to be inside missing. He smiled viciously to himself, 'Oh Coy is going to LOVE this, his scout and the newcomers, all three missing. When i tell him its going to be such a scene.' He shakes his mane and kneeds the ground in excitement, and then settles himself down at the mouth of the den to wait for the wayward pride member to come back. He snags a huntress on her way back to her den. "Hey, deliver a message to the King for me. Tell him our scout is out of his den." He smiles viciously at her, "and so are the newbies." She nods her head rapidly and leaves as quick as she can. He smiles, 'OH i cant wait."

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Knawbones nods, "We should be getting back, no use upsetting the boss on our first day here." He nudges Talus with his shoulder with a small smile, "and we wont take to many risks, just enough to keep him off your back if we can." Then Knaw bumps his shoulder against Harbingers, "Come on, show us the way back so we can actually get some rest."

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Moogly

She bites her paw to keep from sobbing. The cubs are all asleep, most of them coughing away and a few have nearly stopped breathing all together. She watches Jack leave, wishing she was both brave and strong enough to comfort him outside. Instead, she sinks back into the muddied and filth caked den to tend to the cubs, praying they survive at least one more day. Maybe tomorrow someone will adopt and save them. Please.


Harbinger

As they reenter the territory and near the den, Harbinger suddenly stops dead in his tracks, he seems to even be shaking slightly. "Oh gods...no..." He mutters, licking his lips nervously he attempts to make himself look calm and collected. "Herbs, we were just gathering herbs. Just herbs, nothing else." He mutters under his breath, his paw once more coming up to nick another mark upon his snout. The gentle shivering is still present, but you would have to be nearly right next to him to truly see it.

"Lashpaw!" He calls out, voice shaking. The one saving grace for Harbinger, his voice is always shaking. It's a miracle, Coy often jokes, when it doesn't crack or stutter. Harbinger has learned to grit his fangs and bear it whenever Coy decides to poke fun at him.


Coy Fish

He was just laying down for a well deserved nap, slightly upset that Lashpaw hadn't come back with any news yet, when a lioness entered his den. He rose to his paws with a roar, dashing forward until he stood above her. She cowered beneath him, slow-blinking in an attempt to appease the king and exposing her throat and belly.

"Lashpaw-" She stammered through her chattering teeth, "Lashpaw s-sent me, he, he said the scout, the scout is-" Coy slapped her across the face, leaving four bleeding gashes. She gasped and skittered backwards, wincing at her own actions. Coy suddenly looked apologetic.

"My dear," He cooed, closing in again, "You know how angry stuttering makes me." She nodded rapidly, flinching as Coy came to lick her wounds. He only smiled at the reaction, "I didn't mean to lash out, you know I wouldn't have had to if you had just spoken properly. Now, try again." He purred, rubbing against her and grooming the maned lioness.

"Lashpaw," She started with her voice still wavering, "He sent me. Told me to let you know that," She swallowed, trying not to stutter, "Harbinger, and the newcomers, all three are gone." Coy smiled and rubbed his cheek against hers.

"See? That wasn't so hard, now was it?" Coy hummed, "As a reward, why don't you go feast on some black stallion meat?" Her eyes lit up, all offense forgiven at the knowledge that she would get to eat a whole stallion on her own.

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Talus keeps his head down, going along with Harbinger's lead and trying to ignore his own racing heart. Something around here smells of sickness, but he cannot focus on that right now. He cannot help anyone if he gets his throat torn out or some other horrible thing.

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Lashpaw looks at Harbinger and the newcomers as they approach the den and smiles savagly as the Smilus calles out a greting. "Hey there Cub," he says snapping the b at the end of cub, "Where were you? Coy wanted us to givre the new gys a tour." He stands and shakes his mane out and stretches, scraping his claws agains the ground nad leaving furrows behind. Lashpaw looks at the newcomers, "How was the tour? Assuming thats where you were?"

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