Dio&Anabi

[Bhu]

The mist began to rise in a bright glowing forest. A strange shape emerged, long white hairs circling his head. A blueish grey pelt lay on the form of this male and his eyes held a livly glow. "Anabi...." was all he called, waiting for the lion to form before him.

[02moonpelt02]

A dream, of course, but it was different than the others. Not a nightmare, liek the ones she had gone through since her latest cub's bloodthirst showed clear. It wasn't of twin amber eyes staring at her from a river of blood, it was a kindly figure with a mysterious yet wise era about him. 'So strange,' was the thought that drifted in Anabi's mind as she cocked her head slowly at the figure. And then her name was whispered through the shadows, caressed like a prayer on the breeze. No, this was no nightmare, as far as her mind could process at that moment, and she stepped warily closer to the figure. "Y-yes?" her voice shook but it was soft and gentle, understanding and wondering, like a cub's as it's first words are spoken, and her golden eyes seemed to glow with interest sparking inside of them. No, not a nightmare at all.

[Bhu]

Hearing the soft reply, Dio's orbs gentled further. The voice was like a cubs, even when it rose from someone so much older. He put down a forepaw, moving forward in the baboonish way he often did. HIs species had the ability to walk like man, but he rarely did so, not wanting to hold anything in common with those creatures.

"Anabi, my name is Dio. I am pleased to finally have the privelage to meet you in person." his words were like liquid silk, so smooth and soft. He held no trace of the hostile screech his species was known for; no image of the angry critter throwing stones at passing animals. No, his image and tone was more like that of a gentler creature; a mother elephant, perhaps?

[02moonpelt02]

A gasp of wonder erupted from her maw and se immediately felt star struck by the baboon who had helped her kind, the felines, during the very beginning of the murder apes' coming. But between her wonder and amasement, one question circled inside her head. "Why have you called me?" she asked softly, her eyes shining at the baboon with hope. Maybe he would give her the advice she would need to help her pride through their dark ages ahead with Ezhno as alpha and the most probably suitors for the future, Izaray and Ackecheta. She would die to help her sisters through it all.

[Bhu]

Dio felt wonder for this female above all the others he had chosen. Sure, Bhuvana was young. Sure Alia and Taraji were alone. But this lioness had it the worst. Her mate, her leader, was one of the very ones she had to fight against. And then there was her daughter and the new friend. Dio could only hope that it wouldn't come down to the slaughter of the lioness' family members, but he wasn't so sure the three would change so willingly.

At her question, Dio looked up and met the great felines curious orbs. Something about a cats eyes always caught him off guard, even with him to have seen so many. Such emotion lay hidden there, and such mystery. "I have called you to inform you of your calling." he spoke the words calmly. "You and three others, my dearest Anabi, have been chosen by myself to lead the world to peace." he paused at that, letting the female take that in and question if need be.

[02moonpelt02]

Mistake! He is mistaken, I can not be chosen for this calling! These thoughts erupted through her mind as she heard his wisdom filled voice speak those unforgettable words. Every instinct inside of her told her that she was a mistaken choice, and she completely ignored the small voice that said maybe not.

"But.. But I can't even lead my own Pride to peace, let alone the world! My own blood is as dark-hearted as my mate, how can I be the right choice?" It was stupid really, to speak to Him so disrespectfully, but she was desperate for some kind of logical explanation that he couldn't be right. Nothing she could do would save the world from the blood that flooded and drowned the felines that walked on the surface. Only a lion with a natural-born leadership virtue would be able to do that. She couldn't even keep her daughter in one place without being disobeyed thoroughly.

[Bhu]

Dio wanted to comfort the female and speak the reasons he knew he was correct. But doing so would have been lengthy, and time was not of the esence. Instead he simply smiled a reasurring look, eyes gentling further, if that was at all possible. "Young Anabi, do not doubt yourself. When the time is proper, you will discover you have all that is needed to aid in the saving of the feline world. Not to mention, you won't be alone. The other 3 of the Peace Leaders will aid you. I see the four I have chosen will become closer then family in the near future. You'll be surprised at how quickly all your bonds will grow." Even as he spoke words of comfort, his eyes slowly dulled to sorrow. This lioness will need great willpower in this fight. Her mate's death was a must, and the cubs would have to suffer great pain, and a possible death if they don't see the light. Sometimes sacrafices had to be made for something far grander.

[02moonpelt02]

Shaking her head, more slowly this time, the lioness's thoughts flickered momentarily to her mate, Ezhno, but soon a more important and darker persona came to mind. Her daughter, Izaray. Ezhno's death was an inevitable, but what about her cub? Even though her heart was dark, Anabi couldn't bear to see the little cub put in danger by anyone and anything. Would Izaray have to be fatally injured, and eventually killed, like that of her father? Or would she be spared and be attempted to put right her stature of mind in the good and evil of the world around them? Sudden fear spiked her heart as she thought of seeing her cub dead; cold, broken, and bloody. Shuddering she looked at Dio with pleading eyes.

"Please. I understand now, though I still doubt your choice of me, but I beg of you. Tell me the truth when I ask you what will become of my cub and her friend during and after this great shift in the world's views." Her voice was strong and didn't waver or crack when she spoke of her cub's unseeing future of which included her unknown, and possibly untimely, death.

[Bhu]

The baboon walked in the awkward way of primates to lay a gentle paw on the shoulder blade of the lion. It was strange, such an act. All of his kind would flee from this very creature, and here he stood, the God of her. But still, his posture was not tense in uncomfort from the lions presence, but it was not tense in supeority either.

The topic she brought forward was one he had hoped to avoid for the time being, though he had known it would be mentioned this dream. His hand remained on the shoulder of the lioness, but his eyes dropped to the ground. "Their fate is unclear." he admited anxiously. "I think by now you realize what is to become of Ezhno, but that same fate is not a must for the cubs." he looked back up to meet her gaze. "Neither you or I can choose their path. No one besides they can do such a thing. I do promise that one of the goals placed apon my Peace Leaders will be to try and help cubs who have grown in the darkness to finally see the light." his eyes fell back to the ground in sorrow. "I am unable to see specific faces in my visions, but I know most cubs we try to aid in seeing the light, will never join our side. Because of this, they will grow up in a cruel fashion, since I forbid the murder of cubs. If that such fate is to be the one for Izaray and Ackacheta, I fear the two will one day form their own pride, continue Ezhno's way." he tensed as he said that. He was not allowed to share information such as the emotions of others. The cubs themselves were not even aware of that prick growing in their stomach; the prick of love. And now he had released the information to Anabi. He looked up quickly to meet her gaze, a pleading look in his vision. "Do not tell them the future they hold, Anabi; their future as mates I mean. Doing such a thing could change so many things, which could be good for us, but it also could be devastatingly bad."

[02moonpelt02]

An icy chill had crept over her body when she had brought up Izaray and Ackecheta in general, so when Dio put his warm hand on her shoulder blade the place he touched seemed to heat up and chase away the cold that had overwhelmed her veins. Meeting his warm gaze, she blinked in gratitude of his understanding. But his spoken words did not bring her comfort, only shock and disappointment. She had seen their freindship growing with her own eyes, the bond between the two cubs becoming stronger, but she had never imagined that Izaray and Ackecheta would eventually admit that their bond had become special and the sparks of love in their eyes would even be acknowledged as time passed.

Although she took comfort in knowing that Dio forbode the murder of cubs, but the more the wise baboon told her, the more that comfort became insignificant in her mind. It seemed that her daughter would never overcome her dark heart with the small bit of kindness she had earned form her mother. "I promise that I will not tell. Izaray would formally shun me from her life if I even thought of telling her, and, though I know she hates me, I never want that to happen. I care for her too much for my own good," she finished ruefully, smiling bitterly at her foolishness.

[Bhu]

"Ah, child," the primates voice became gentle and more like his actual age. Though he looked fairly young, due to his dying as a teenager, he was in fact centuries old. This lioness, although physically older, was in truth, many years below his age. "Do not think yourself foolish for that love. No matter what a cub does, a true Peace Leader will never show distaste for their children. Even those who are not Peace Leaders, for the most part, continue to love their children far longer then their child loves them. I would say it's instinct, but that is simply what the Murder Apes explain it as. In truth, it is merely proof that we all have a soul." his words brought a compassionate smile forward, though the faint prick of sorrow still gathered in his orbs. "My own mother never gave up on me, even when I was banished from my tribe. I was seen as a danger because of my interaction with big cats. But the mother-child bond can not be broken by simple laws. She is the only one to never give up on me, just as you will be the only to never give up on Izaray. Ezhno, of course, will continue his reassuring love for her, but it is not the same. If she were to change to begin to follow you, his love would cease to exist. Your love for her, however, will continue to grow, even as she continues farther and farther down the darker path." his smile became smaller and smaller with each word.

[02moonpelt02]

Understanding slowly seeped through her as each word deeply imprinted itself into her mind, permanently sinking into her subconscious as she found reason to her odd and bitterly painful devotion to her youngest cub. But she did not want to dwell on Izaray any longer, she would just have to accept that her daughter was a lost cause in the hope for peace, and she would indefinately continue the dark ways of her father, with Ackecheta by her side the entire way. Besides, when Ezhno's death was brought to reality, she would want revenge adn would most likely convince the white male cub to aid her in it. Anabi would be like a piece of annoying prey to the prey.

"Thank you, Dio, I can not expess my gratefullness to you in any way but to do as you have chosen me to be destined, and bring peace to the world of my fellow felines and myself." She paused and blinked slowly, as though in great thought. "But how will I find the others? I have no idea how I would even begin, to look!" Exhasperation made her shoulders slump at teh task ahead. She would have a long juorney to come, both physically and mentally.

[Bhu]

Dio smiled at the females gratitude, honored at the words. At her final statement, however, his smile turned gentle. "I have thought of you in each of the dreams." he said simply before pulling up an image of himself and a leopard. A flick of his wrist and the fazy image said "At Moonhigh tomorrow evening, I would like all four of you to gather on the northern border of Akando Pride. I make it there because it will be difficult for Anabi to sneak away, and Ezhno would be quite suspicious if he scent leads off his lands alone."

[02moonpelt02]

Relieved, Anabi exhaled a loud gust of air from her mouth and smiled gratefully and gently at Dio. "Thank you, again, Dio. You have thought of everything to make this easier on me." She bowed her head, in the deepest manner of respect she could muster, and returned back to her height as she looked into the old baboon's eyes. "I can only hope you are right about me, though," she continued, her voice uncertain and sad as she stared at him with the same emotions swirling inside her golden eyes.