Birthplace | Shetani and Wakali

 Shetani grumbled as she prowled the range. She felt like she'd lost her purpose... she didn't know what to do with herself. Hodari was gone... the Babukurs had no leader, Shetani was at a loss. What was she supposed to do now? Obviously someone had to take his place or else the coalition would be disbanded... and she couldn't let that happen. She refused to become a loner again, and she'd fight to the death to become leader herself. With a shake of her head, she looked around and realized she was in Hukumu's range. She narrowed her eyes at the scenery, obviously unhappy that her paws had led her here when she was in such emotional distress. She didn't really wish to run into Wakali right now, with his flirty attitude. She wasn't in the mood to amuse him and become a play-thing.

 Wakali laid with his back pressed up against a log, his head tilted back and his gaze fixated on the clear sky while his white locks obscured most of his view. He let out a long yawn and stretched out his tail before her caught a scent that sent a mischievous grin onto his face.How nice of her to drop in for a visit. The white-haired tom pulled himself up and shook the grit from his pelt before stalking through the tall grasses toward the wandering scent. 
"Hello my heartless beauty. How are you this fine evening hm?" he asked, slipping out of the grass and materializing in front of the Babukur cheetess. His tone was it's usual whenever speaking to Shetani: flirty and teasing.

 Shetani was so lost in her own thoughts that she'd forgotten to be alert for any other cheetahs that might be around. She stepped back a couple paces when a cheetah materialized in front of her. She bared her teeth and her fur bristled, tail lashing from side to side. She was about to spit some ugly words when she realized that it was Wakali. She immediately relaxed her posture and settled for only narrowing her eyes at the tom. 
"Salutations Wakali" she said in a formal tone, dipping her head. No she didn't respect the tom... but she was on his range after all. "How is it you always seem to find me the moment I step onto your range?" she asked with a smirk and chuckle.

 Wakali revelled in the fact that he'd jarred the cheetess from her oh-so-troubled thoughts. He saw her threatening position relax when she looked at him, no doubt expecting someone else. 
"I don't know. In the right place at the right time, yeah. I have splendid luck, wouldn't you say?" he remarked, grinning as he usually did around the she. "So how's old Bird-brain?" He didn't particularly care about Hodari, he knew what he was up to these days. He just wanted to see what Shetani's reaction would be. He was sure it would entertain him for a bit.

 Shetani raised a brow at his words and snorted shaking her head slightly, but she wore a smirk. "Well... your luck seems to be my misfortune" she growled at him, but it was good natured. She didn't think she could ever really truly hate Wakali. He irked her to no end sure, but he was one of the only cheetahs she felt comfortable flirting with and teasing, because she knew it would be reciprocated. She never thought of him as a friend though.
She tensed at his words and narrowed her eyes. Just what exactly did Wakali know? Did he know that Hodari was missing in action? Did he know what had become of him? As much as it should have been kept a secret if he didn't know... Shetani had to know if Wakali knew something. "Are you implying you know something? Because if you do Wakali you best spit it out right now" she said coldly, seriously.

 As soon as she said it, he knew that she knew nothing of what had become of Hodari, so why not have a bit of fun with it. "I can't just go around telling everyone about these things, but I can make a special exception for the special cheetess. I'm doing this for you, so you must do something for me. That's only natural don't you agree hm?" He let what he was offering sink in a moment along with his flirtatious request.

 Shetani was getting angry now, but she tried not to show it. If she wanted Wakali to share his information, she'd have to play his game. She quirked a brow at him, "I should think you would at least tell the members of his coalition free of charge" she let the sarcastic comment slip, before quickly shutting her mouth with an audible snapping sound of her teeth. She rolled her shoulders a moment, trying to shake off the fowl mood and at least appear flirtatious. "And what is it you would have me do, Wakali?" she asked smoothly, her voice turning silky. She was going to get what she wanted, no matter what.

 Wakali's grin only grew when he noticed how she was getting angry with him. He could've broken down in laughter right then, but he barely refrained from doing so. "It'll be your job to do that after I tell you my little 'secret'. And all you have to do, my dear heartless beauty, is spend the afternoon here with me, yeah. Won't that be fun?" he asked, cocking his head slightly with a sly smile. 
He walked forward to sit next to her and flicked his tail at her ear. He was surprised she'd agreed so quickly. He may've had nothing at all to tell her and she'd agreed to do whatever he wanted. I should've said she had to join my coalition. I wonder how long that would've lasted.

 Shetani watched as Wakali's grin grew, only adding to her annoyance. It was even worse, when she knew that the fact his mood was so good was due to her rising anger and impatience. She watched him as he came to sit beside her. She was unaware of the thoughts going through his head, and hadn't even once considered that Wakali was completely playing her, having no information at all. Her ears flicked at his words, and she considered his proposal. It was only an afternoon... she could probably deal with that. She turned her head slightly to look at him, before leaning back slightly when she realized how close they were, almost nose to nose. "I... I accept your conditions Wakali" she mewed, trying to ignore the proximity and nod shudder when his tail touched her. She stretched her paws out, arching back, trying not to seem suspicious as she made a bit of distance between her and the tom. "And just what were your plans then? As I assume I don't get my information until the afternoon is over?" she mewed, looking up at him from her position with her belly on the ground, hind quarters in the air.

 Wakali raised a brow at her question and how she moved away. "You're being awful shy all of the sudden Tani. Is there something wrong? Don't want to be near me eh?" He had been a little worried about her when she moved away but then he went back to his usual flirting tone when he saw what she was doing, planning to make her as uncomfortable as he could. "Being a little naughty are we?" he said quietly as he moved toward her and brushed his tail along her body.

 Shetani immediately straightened herself up at Wakali's words and the way his tail dragged across her form. She shuddered involuntarily. Maybe this afternoon thing wasn't such a good idea after all. She didn't like the vibe she was picking up from the Hukumu coalition leader. He seemed to assume she was offering a lot more than she was actually willing to put out. She had no intention of being romantically involved with him, but she was suddenly worried that her resolve wasn't as rock hard as she thought it was. Eyes narrowing at the tom, she snorted at him, trying to seem unimpressed with his behaviour. "I think you're imagining things Wakali. Now come, show me what it is you have planned for this afternoon" she mewed, striding away, being sure to flick him on the nose with her tail as she walked in front of him, slowly, waiting for him to catch up. It couldn't hurt to flirt back right?

 "Not at all," he smirked, amused that he'd managed to shaken her. He took pleasure in making her question herself and he was quite aware when he managed to get her to. "There isn't much planned for the afternoon actually, but I'm sure we can think of something yeah." He thought for a moment. What was something he'd known about for a while that they could do? Suddenly an idea popped into his head. "I know what we could do yeah," he chirped, eyeing her as she walked off and trailing behind her. "There's a place just beyond the Hunter's Hole that I always visit. Tell no one about it yeah. It's a special place to me," he murmured, suddenly serious around the cheetess for once.

 Shetani sighed as he began to pad after her. "Nothing planned Wakali? You couldn't have thought of that beforehand? Now I'm stuck thinking of things to do with you" she mewed, displeased with the situation even more now. She looked back at him, not liking where his gaze fell. "You think you could walk beside me Wakali? I don't like those wandering eyes of yours" she smirked, gesturing with her tail. Her ears flicked and the smirk fell from her face as his tone turned serious. This wasn't the Wakali she knew and... tolerated. She raised a brow at him, but nodded her head. "Beyond the Hunter's Hole? You're not thinking of pushing me to my death are you?" she retorted sarcastically, not liking the loss of their joking air. She felt uncomfortable around the serious Wakali, he suddenly seemed a lot more... dangerous.

 Picking up on how he had made her uncomfortable, Wakali put on his usual smirk, mostly aimed at her earlier comment. Wandering eyes indeed. He picked up his pace to walk beside her. "Honestly one can dream can't they?" he remarked with an air of comedy, imagining Shetani 'falling' into the Hunter's Hole. It wasn't as fun a thought as he'd wished it would be, but he quickly got over it. "No, we aren't going to the Hunter's Hole, it's just past there. The coalitions don't usually go there, but I like to because-because of that reason," he stuttered, tripping over himself for a moment. "I'll race you to the Hole, my heartless beauty," he chirruped, taking off with a flick of his tail to her nose.

 Shetani rolled her eyes and smirked at Wakali. She kept her real fear hidden deep inside her however. She had no doubt in her mind that if Wakali didn't have so much fun teasing her that she would find herself at the bottom of that hole. She smirked a little as Wakali failed to come up with a reason. Now her curiosity was rising to new levels, and she was really interested to see why he was so uptight about this place he was taking her. She crinkled her nose as Wakali brushed his tail across her nose, causing her to sneeze. Her ears perked and she laughed out loud at his words. "Challenge accepted Wakali! Don't think I'll go easy on you!" she laughed as she too sped up. She smirked to herself as she began to catch up to the playful tom. With a last burst of speed, she caught up to him and leapt. She planted her paws on his back and shoulders, before playing leap frog and launching herself off of him and giving herself a lead. "Too slow there Wakali!" she laughed, racing ahead. She wasn't looking where she was going, this could end up very poorly.

 Paws skimming over the ground as if he were flying, the breeze pushing the hair out of his eyes so he could see clearly, he really felt free. In an instant he felt paws on his back kick him downward and suddenly he was eating dirt, Shetani laughing at him as she raced away. He hopped up and spat the grit from his mouth, coughing to rid himself of it. Once he'd given up on getting the dirt off him, he launched after Shetani, who was now far enough ahead that he could barely see her on the horizon. Putting more energy to his paws, he pushed ahead as fast as he possibly could. It wasn't just to catch up to her and win his race, but also because the Hunter's Hole was nearing. If he didn't hurry she may very well run right into it. "Shetani!"

 Shetani continued laughing to herself at her brilliant plan. She was far ahead of Wakali now and there would be no way that he would catch up to her. Now was not a time to be cocky however, so she kept up her fast pace. She turned her head to look behind her and saw Wakali trying to recover from face planting into the ground. She laughed as he began to run after her again. Her ears perked as he called out her name. She stuck her tongue out at him as she continued to race forward. "What's the matter Wakali? Don't want to lose to me? You better speed up then!" she laughed. She turned her head to look forward, and just in time too. The Hunter's Hole was dead ahead. With a screech of surprise, Shetani dug her claws into the earth in an attempt to stop her momentum. She found herself falling over the side, reaching up just in time to hook her claws into the edge of the hole. She was hanging there by the strength of her front legs, and she was grateful for once of her large paws. Her back legs scrabbled against the dirt, trying to push herself back up. "This would happen to me!" she screeched, covering up her fear and desperation with anger. She couldn't fall.

 Fear made him faster as he saw Shetani disappear over the edge. Don't be dead. Don't be dead. Don't be dead. Who will I tease all the time if she's dead!? He felt panic on the edge of his mind, threatening to take over. As he neared the hole, he knew he needed to slow down so he dug his claws into the ground and skid to a halt a pawstep away from the edge, stones flinging off into the dark abyss below. Quick as lightning he reached over and grabbed hold her Shetani's scruff, surprised by how much strain she was putting on his neck. He dug his claws into the dirt and began to slowly back up, keeping a firm hold on the cheetess. As soon as she was safely out of the hole he let her go and backed up a bit. "You should really stop sneaking all that extra antelope, Shetani. You nearly broke my neck yeah," he smirked, walking around the hole by a wide margin. He may be a good jumper, but he didn't want to find out how good he was. "Come along now, we're getting close."

 The strain in Shetani's upper body was starting to become too much to bare. She clenched her teeth as she continued to try in vain to pull herself up. Wakali had been pretty far away last time she checked, and she could only hope that he'd even stop to pull her up. She suddenly felt teeth grasp at her neck, and she breathed an audible sigh of relief, allowing herself to go slack for a minute, before realizing she needed to pull herself up as well. She was a bulky cheetah, especially by female standards. When she was finally out of the perilous situation, she collapsed to the ground with a huff. She looked over at Wakali and found she didn't even have the will to glare at his comment about her weight. She watched as he walked away, and she smiled to herself. He actually cared enough to help her, rather than let her fall to her death. However, there was still the possibility that he just wanted something from her. With a sigh, she shakily got to her paws and made her way around the hole to catch up with Wakali. If it had been anyone else, she would have leaned on them for support. Her legs were shaking badly and she didn't know if she could stay upright for long. She caught up to him and nodded her head, "Ok... lead the way" she murmured. She'd have to thank him for saving her... but how? When?

 Wakali glanced back at her as she shakily stood up and trotted over to him. He would've asked if she needed help, but she seemed like if he even attempted to it would hurt her pride. With a little breath of relief that danger had passed he padded on. It wasn't long before he could see the yawning mouth of the cave he visited so often and spent so much of his cubhood near. Without hesitation he entered the cave, it felt so normal to him that he didn't even stop to consider how Shetani would feel about walking straight into a big black hole with no knowledge of what lay inside it's mysterious depths. "This cave is called the Cat's Eye," he said, filling the silent gap and hoping to reassure her there was nothing inside the cave but him and some stones. A shining, glistening light ahead gave Wakali more energy to press onward. He had an almost cub-like demeanor about him as he bounced along.

 Shetani's ear flicked when Wakali let out a breath she hadn't realized he was holding. Was he worried about the Hunter's Hole as well? It would make sense, she was sure not even Wakali could escape its bottomless depths. She slowed her step as they came up to a cave. Wakali entered it without any problem, but Shetani hesitated at the entrance. She wasn't one for aimlessly wandering into dark places. She could be killed in there and no one would ever come looking for her body. The thought made her take a subconscious step back, away from the entrance to the cave. Her ears perked forward as Wakali tried to reassure her, before taking off with a newfound energy in his step. Gulping, the cheetess hesitantly started forward after him, not sure what to expect. Why would he bring her someplace like this?

 Soon the light was apparent, reflecting off shiny stones. He looked back at Shetani with shining eyes that mimicked the stones. "Well hurry up yeah. There's nothing in here but me. You trust me don't you?" he asked, forgetting his usual flirting in the moment of sharing something he treasured with someone else. Well, it wasn't an actual treasure to him. It was just a better part of his cubhood memories. This was where his sister had given him his quartz crystal necklace. The same necklace that held his sister's fangs close to him. Soon he forgot Shetani was even there as he thought about what he could've done to keep his sister from abandoning him. "That's something I can't forgive..." he whispered to himself as he spotted a stone similar to his necklace. He shook his head to clear it and reminded himself that he brought someone with him this time. "Isn't this place wonderful yeah? It's secluded and quiet. A good place to just sit and think wouldn't you say?" he smirked, gaining his old air back.

 As Shetani made her way farther into the cave, the more she began to relax. It wasn't as dark in here as she had previously though, and it soon became apparent why. The various stones on the walls and floors began to sparkle, and Shetani's emerald eyes lit up in fascination. Never in her life had she seen anything so... positively beautiful. She sped up slightly when Wakali snapped at her, but hardly paid attention to the rest of his words, far too fascinated by the stones that surrounded her. She didn't hear his muttered words as she padded carefully around, admiring the stones from every angle she could. Her smile was bright and real, none of the sarcasm she usually had around Wakali was present. She was truly happy at this moment... she felt like Maradi again. She tilted her head back from admiring a particularly shiny stone that caught her attention, it reminded her of the colour of her eyes. She smiled brightly and warmly at Wakali, seemingly forgetting who she was in the company of. "I must agree! This place is quite amazing. I should say anyone would find themselves at rest here, easily calmed by the tranquility of the glow of the gems and the calm of the quiet atmosphere" she purred, quietly padding around the cave again, brushing by Wakali now and again, but not even noticing.

 "Simply beautiful," he whispered, not only talking about the cave around him. He felt a smile form on his maw when Shetani smiled at him. Not her regular run-of-the-mill smile, this one seemed genuine. It was nicer. Wakali blinked, realizing he liked a genuine smile better than her teasing one. "You should smile like that more yeah. It's really pretty," he said, expecting a flirting tone that never came. It seemed like this place took away their everyday facades and showed who they really were. 
Wakali continued deeper with Shetani, fur tingling every time she brushed against him though he barely noticed as his senses always seemed to dull inside this tranquil place.

 "It really is Wakali" she murmured happily, continuing her little parade around the cave. She paused mid-step when he commented about her smile. For the first time in years, Shetani found herself blushing and feeling embarrassed. She nodded her head slightly and continued on her way. She didn't know what it was, but there was something different in the air as the two continued on. It was peaceful and soothing, rather than fiery and full of sarcasm. It was a nice change. While she could have fun teasing Wakali, she liked to know that she could have moments like this as well.
She purred as they continued on, not fully aware of how close she was walking to the tom by her side until their tails touched. Blinking from the unexpected contact, Shetani took a small step away from Wakali and pretended to be interested in the stones once more, in case he looked her way thinking it wasn't an accident.

 Feeling the soft touch of Shetani's tail on his, Wakali looked toward her, just as she inched away to look at some more of the rocks that were carved into the cave. He could tell she wasn't really interested in the rocks at the moment. He knew because a blush tinted her cheeks, right below those bright emerald eyes that seemed to peer into the core of everything. She was chilling at times, but right now her eyes weren't piercing, they were curious and playful, trying not to be caught and failing. He just smiled, holding back a small twinge of laughter. Wouldn't that just ruin the moment. He brushed his tail against her's and quickly pulled it away playfully, looking away like he hadn't done a thing. It was kind of like a game.

 The more they continued on, the less Shetani found herself feeling awkward around Wakali, and began to actually take interest in the precious stones that littered the walls again. She felt a sense of apprehension rising, would there be a cavern with a plethora of jewels? She hoped so... she'd love to be able to just sit down and be surrounded by sparkling rocks and colourful lights. She looked at Wakali when his tail brushed hers, seemingly on purpose, contrasting to when she'd accidentally done it. With a playful smile, she stepped back towards him and playfully nudged his shoulder. "Feeling a little friendly over there Wakali?" she teased. It wasn't a mean petty tease like the two usually shared, but more of a playful and kind one.

 Nudging her back a little harder, Wakali laughed good-naturedly. "I'd say the same about you yeah," the white-haired tom replied, getting a spark of his energy back. "Let's race again. Try not to fall into any holes this time," he churred, rocketing past Shetani with rekindled happiness. Yeah, happy. He was happier than he'd been in a while. Especially here, where memories bombarded him even in spite of coming with someone else for company. The cave turned into a large tunnel at some point, spiraling downward. However, the farther in they travelled the more fantastic the view. He turned a corner sharply, out of view from Shetani and climbed up onto a boulder and hid himself there. He would surprise her when she rounded the corner.

 Shetani was thrown slightly off-balance from the unexpected shove and found herself stumbling a step, but laughed good naturedly when she noticed Wakali was just being playful. She shook her head and growled teasingly at him when he spoke of her almost falling to her death in the Hunter's Hole. Low blow Wakali she thought to herself, preparing to spring forward and race him anyway. She was taken aback by his sudden leap forward, and it took her a moment to recover before she could actually start running after him. She quickly lost him, but was fine with this fact. She was enjoying the view around her. She raced around a corner, but stopped in her tracks when Wakali was nowhere to be seen. "Wakali?" she called into the tunnel. With a sigh, she began walking forward at a slower pace. "Where has that silly tom got to now" she asked herself shaking her head, a smile still present on her maw.

 As the lightly colored cheetess walked around the corner, shaking her head despite the bright smile that lit her face, Wakali stayed hidden in the shadows waiting for the perfect moment. As she stepped past his perch in search of him he slid down quiet as his paws would allow in the echoey cavern and copied her movements, always just out of her view. "How did you manage to get in front of me eh?" he chirped, his voice almost thundering around the tunnel. He sounded powerful in here. As if he didn't sound powerful above ground. He stole a glance around the cave, stalagtites dripping with water in drip-drop harmony, stones littering the ground as common as the birds, and his eyes landing on Shetani, his... Whatever she was to him. Friend. He didn't like idea of being friend-zoned by Shetani, even if they were only just really getting to know each other. Maybe it was just simpler to call her his heartless beauty. Even if he was seeing maybe she wasn't all that heartless as he had thought.

 Shetani continued down the tunnel a little ways, still not seeing Wakali. Had he continued to run even when he noticed she wasn't behind him. The thought was a bit saddening and the oddest bit irritating. She had thought with the current air between them, he would've waited for her or something. With these thoughts in mind, she was suddenly caught off guard when Wakali's voice boomed all around her. She jumped slightly and whipped around to find Wakali trailing behind her... watching her. She couldn't place what he was thinking... usually her forte was decoding hidden thoughts. She narrowed her eyes slightly and laughed teasingly. "I'm just magic Wakali, didn't you know?" she teased, waiting for him and falling into step beside him. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye and tilted her head slightly. Something was on his mind, that much she could tell. "Prey for your thoughts?" she asked, curious to know what went on in his mind.

 As Wakali fell in step beside Shetani he stole another glance at her. She knew he flirted with her a lot, that was kind of their thing, but before now he never really thought about their relationship as anything more than mild attraction. He didn't really want her to know that he may've thought more of her than she thought of him. "I..." the sentence was lost on his tongue before he could even form it. He let out a frustrated sigh, for once he didn't know what to say. It took a moment before he could form his thoughts into a proper response. "Tani, would you tell me about yourself? Anything at all yeah. I'm curious about you."
There was time to spare before the afternoon was up, so he figured it wouldn't hurt to sit and talk for a while before he had to break the news to her that old Bird-brain had gone for a dirt nap. Why not learn a little bit about the cheetess who always seemed to find herself in his range while he was around.

 Shetani's ear twitched as Wakali began to speak, but quickly dropped what he was saying. Her curiosity was officially off the charts. She'd never known this witty tom beside her to be tongue-tied. She quirked a brow at him, encouraging the dusty tom to finish what he had started. She stumbled a step and stopped in her tracks briefly when he finally got the words out. She gave him a suspicious look and began to walk beside him again. "Are you feeling alright there Wakali?" she chuckled, trying to mask the embarrassment she felt. No one had really ever taken an interest in he personal life before, besides Hodari. She looked forward again, contemplating what to say. "Well... I suppose you must have realized by now, but I'm incredibly clumsy" she laughed, shaking her head slightly. "I'm cocky and extremely jealous over the most trivial of details..." she continued. She sounded so shallow talking about things like this. "I have two twin brothers that I haven't seen since I was less than a cycle old... I have a sister, who I personally chased off Black Babukur range..." she revealed in a quieter voice. "My name wasn't always Binti wa Shetani..." she concluded with a small nod of her head. She didn't know if this was what Wakali had wanted to learn, but she wasn't quite sure what to tell him.

 Wakali felt himself relaxing as Shetani began explaining herself. No kidding, he thought as she called herself clumsy, but he figured if he let the comment out while she was being open with him he'd get a good swat to the nose. He dismissed the thought as she continued about her jealousy and cockiness, things he considered not so different from himself. However, his amused silence changed as she started talking about family. He didn't want to show her pity, since that isn't what he'd want from her had their roles been switched. He wanted someone to understand. Maybe Shetani was no different? "What was your name?" he asked, purely out of curiosity. "And why did you change it?"

 Shetani waited for Wakali to answer, and she found herself lost in thought. What was it about this one afternoon with him that was getting her to open up? Any other day she would have refused, but she didn't feel so distant from him anymore... like there was more of a connection. She was pulled from her thoughts by his question. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye and hummed to herself slightly, before looking straight ahead again. "My name used to be Macho ya Zamaradi... Eyes of Emerald" she mewed quietly as they walked. She chuckled slightly at the second part of his question. "I changed it because I wasn't the same cheetah I was when I was younger and still had my family. I was different, I was ruthless and uncaring. I was cold and power hungry... so when I joined Black Babukurs and Hodari asked for my name... well I told him it was Binti wa Shetani. I thought it was a good time to reinvent myself, so I did just that" she concluded with a shrug. She turned her head to face him, "I think its your turn now, Wakali. Tell me something interesting" she invited with a teasing smile.

 It was a moment before she answered, soft humming emitting from her as she thought. And when she did answer, he started wondering what she had been like as Zamaradi. Personally, he liked Shetani the way she was, regardless. At her voice, his mind darted out of the mysterious waters of Shetani's murky past. "Well, it certainly won't be as interesting as the tale of Zamaradi hm," he said returning her smile with a small laugh. "It may not occur to anyone else, but-" he glanced around as if to make sure nobody was listening when there obviously wouldn't be anyone,"-I'm a bit on the conceited side. I've made hobbies of climbing and napping, and I quite like being by the water. I loathe rodents yeah. And- and I'm afraid of drowning-suffocation to be more precise." Once he had started talking he said it quite fast, especially the last bit about his personal petty fear, unsure if he should've shared that bit of information about himself. "I suppose I should also give you a little insight about where I come from since you gave me that courtesy hm," he said inclining his head slightly, watching her reactions closely. "You see, I was never wanted by my parents. I was raised by my older sister. She hadn't exactly wanted me around and neither did my littermates, yeah. My sister named me after that way she treated me and eventually abandoned me as well," he rambled, eyes growing misty as he reminisced about his older family. 

"But," he chirped, snapping from his thoughts quite suddenly," That is rather old news. What's new these days is what our little deal is about." He didn't quite want to end their enchanting evening, but they had been in the cave for quite some time and he was sure the sun had long since set even though he couldn't see it. He was sure his disappointment was clear in the etched crease of his brow and the way he clenched his jaw worriedly. After all, she'd only come here with him to get news about Hodari and after getting that bit of information he wasn't sure she would stick around to finish their chat, as she'd surely be upset about his parting. But whatever Wakali may be, and he was a lot of things, he did keep his word about such things.

 Shetani laughed slightly when Wakali talked about himself being conceited. She became more serious as he spoke of his fear. She was surprised, she didn't see Wakali as the type to be afraid of anything... especially suffocating. It was... interesting to learn about. Somewhere in the back of her mind she cataloged that information. She wondered if it was such a good idea for him to share that information... they were still supposed to be enemies after all... wasn't he afraid she would use that against him? No matter, he was saying important things right now of his own free will, she should be listening. Tuning back in, she caught the bit about his family, and her ears drooped and a frown creased her face. She watched the emotions play around in his eyes as he seemed to think about them some more.

Shetani was jolted out of her own musings when Wakali spoke again, and her ears perked in anticipation. She narrowed her eyes a brief moment when Wakali quickly changed topics, but she was also interested to hear what he had to say. They'd wandered deep into the cave and had been there for some time... perhaps their afternoon was over? It was a shame... though she was forced into it at first, she wouldn't deny that she was having a pleasant time with Wakali. Shetani nodded her head slightly, and stopped in her tracks. "That's true. Perhaps you can tell me about what's happened while we walk back to the entrance... we've wandered kind of deep into these caves and our coalitions will start to miss us before long" she said in good nature, tapping him on the shoulder with her tail before turning around and walking the way they'd come from, knowing Wakali could catch up on his own.

 "I can't give a lot of details, since I don't know exactly what happened. I wasn't there. I just happened to turn up afterwards. You know how my timing is," he said, lightly as he trotted after her, watching her tail bob and wave in front of him and having the urge to pounce on it like a cub. In fact, it turned out to be too hard to resist as in the next few seconds he had it pinned to the cave floor beneath his paws before taking off back where they came passing the large boulder he'd hid upon and rounding the corner at top speed with grit and pebbles thrown against the cave wall by his thundering paws. He was sure Shetani would be right behind him and half-expected to feel her paws tug on the tip of his wildly waving tail as it helped steer his paws. If their evening was going to end as soon as he told her what occurred to Hodari, then he was going make the most of it and be as cub-like as he wanted. As it turns out, he never got to play like this as a cub so playing with Shetani was the best feeling in the world, like he had someone who actually cared about him. The cave entrance... I'll tell her there. He told himself this several times, knowing he was only stalling the inevitable. He was almost certain she would hate him for saying Hodari was probably never coming back.

 Shetani perked her ears to listen to Wakali's story when he started to speak. She wondered why he was not walking beside her. After a few more moments of this, she was about to turn around and ask him about it, when suddenly she felt a weight on her tail. With a yowl of surprise, she was jerked back slightly as a force pinned her tail to the ground. She jerked her head around just in time to see Wakali take his paw off her tail and dash past her. She snickered, and quickly decided to pursue him. "Not so fast Wakali!" she called after him, urging her paws to go faster so she would be able to catch up with him. Their conversation and the topic at hand briefly left Shetani's mind, and all she could think of was catching up to Wakali and getting 'revenge'. Leaping over him as she had done earlier that day would not be the smartest of plans, as face planting into a cave floor wasn't exactly a good thing. She could seriously injure him, and then it wouldn't be fun anymore. Finally catching up to the joker of a tom, she leaned forward and just barely nipped then end of his tail softly. She then pushed herself faster to run beside him. She teasingly stuck her tongue out at him before running even quicker to pass him. If it was a race he wanted, Shetani was determined to win.

 Wakali yipped as he felt Shetani take a bite at his tail. Before he could even slow to turn and look she had shot off past him, rocketing toward the now visible light of the cave entrance. Pushing himself faster until he was barely skimming the floor with his paws as he ran next to Shetani. His breath coming out in great gasps and his legs arguing with every movement, he ducked his head down and pushed forward with everything he had. He was nowhere near as fast as the messengers from the tribes, but neither was Shetani. They were bulkier, built more for brawls than for races. Two peas in a pod. Eventually, they both shot out of the cave into the blinding darkness of night. They'd spent quite a bit of time down there. It wasn't all that surprising for him. He always lost track of time when he came here. With his sides heaving and his dry tongue lolling out of his mouth, he collapsed onto the ground and rolled onto his back. His breath finally coming back to him and he laid gazing up at the night sky he finally spoke. "He's not coming back you know."

 Shetani laughed as Wakali's yip echoed through the cave, but it came out in a breathless whisper and was quickly lost. Shetani felt alive. She saw Wakali gaining on her from the corner of her eye, matching her pace. She couldn't go any faster, her muscles were built for fighting, not fleeing. The end was coming quickly, she was slowing. She couldn't keep this up. She had to beat him though. The two cheetahs burst out into the fresh air at nearly the same time. Shetani felt her legs buckle and she was sent sprawling along the ground. She was lying on her side, and heard Wakali flop down next to her. She focused on breathing for a moment, before opening her eyes to look at the tom beside her. She tasted bile and her vision was swimming a bit. She felt sick, but so alive. Soon, that feeling just became sick as she heard his words. She tried to get up, but quickly fell over again, too exhausted to make a scene. She looked away for a moment and all that could be heard in the silence of the night was the heavy breathing of the two coalition cheetahs. Shetani swallowed and sighed. "Yeah... I um... I didn't think so..." she let out a bitter laugh, tears forming in her eyes. "What um... what happened?" she asked, still not looking at Wakali. If he was telling her, she didn't think he had done it. After this day they had spent together... she didn't think he could have. Tears were threatening to spill, but she was trying to be strong.

 A few moments passed, both cheetah breathless after their race, the victor unclear. Not that either of them cared at the moment. Their thoughts were on more...morbid matters. Wakali felt his heart wrench at her weak laugh and the tears threatening to spill from her emerald eyes and slowly turned over onto his stomach. "I can only assume it was the work of Man. They're the only ones I can think of that could leave such an acrid stench of smoke in the air," he said sullenly. He didn't like seeing Shetani so distraught. "There was too much blood for him to have survived and it definitely was him. His scent was all over the place... Will you be alright hm?" he sighed, suddenly finding the ground between his paws very interesting.

 Shetani swallowed an ever growing lump in her throat. The information was difficult to stomach. She'd had the sneaking suspicion that Hodari wasn't coming back, but she hadn't wanted to think it was because he was deceased. Shetani flicked her ears as Wakali explained what he'd seen. With another sigh, she adjusted herself so she was on her stomach as well. Chin on her paws, she looked over at Wakali, the first of many tears were shed, but the rest could wait until later... Wakali probably did not want to deal with this. In times like this... she lamented not having any friends really. That's why she'd cared so much for Hodari... he'd been there for her. Her ears pinned back at the thought, more tears welling up as she looked straight forward. She'd never really felt so alone. "I... I'll be fine. He was the only one I could count on in the coalition really. My only source of emotional support at least..." she mewed quietly. She looked at Wakali from the corner of her eye, "He made me a promise I wouldn't have to be alone anymore because I'd have him... but now he's gone..." she trailed off, momentarily forgetting who she was in the presence of. She snorted slightly to herself, "I guess that sounds kind of stupid and weak huh?" she said, not wanting to really hear Wakali's answer... she didn't want to be inevitably be put down.

 Wakali's first initial thought of the moment was 'Oh. Oh man, she's crying. I made her cry. I shouldn't've said that. I should NOT have said that.' The fact that he had been the one to make tears stream down her face made him want to kick himself for being insensitive. She wouldn't even look at him! "I-" Wakali stopped himself as she started to talk and he listened closely, hanging on to each word. He didn't think he could really understand what Shetani was feeling right now, but the least he could do was lend an ear...or a shoulder if the tears continued to threaten to spill. He kept his full attention on her as she talked about the promise Hodari had made to her and how she put herself out so readily. It almost made him angry that she'd call herself weak for having emotions. He didn't break eye contact as he thought about everything. His whole life had been bent on revenge on his sister and when he had finally gotten it he'd felt empty inside like he'd lost his purpose in life and there was nothing left for him. In a way, he had lived for his sister so when she was removed he'd been left alone. Perhaps that was a little bit of how Shetani must be feeling? "Shetani... I can't fix the promise Hodari made to you. But I can say this... You aren't weak. And you aren't stupid. And for as long as I'm able, you'll have me here to support you instead," Wakali said, placing a paw over hers. "You don't have to be alone ya know..."

 The two lay in silence for a moment. Shetani had long forgotten that she was no longer obligated to be in Wakali's company. She didn't hate being around him... it was a breath of fresh air from the usual personalities of the Babukurs. She flinched slighty when Wakali placed his paw atop hers. She turned her head to fully look at him. She smiled at him for a moment, thankful for his company during these hard times. Sometimes she wishes she could do it over... have met him first instead of Hodari. She sighed, and before she could regret her decision, she shifted over slightly and lay her head against Wakali's shoulder. "I will be alone now though... I can't count on anyone in the Babukurs like I could Hodari... it will feel so wrong being there with him gone." she sighed.

 Even as Shetani started at his touch, Wakali didn't draw away. He could feel a warm gratitude in her gaze as she smiled at him and before he knew it she had laid her head upon his shoulder and he could sense her voice catching as she spoke. "Then leave the Babukurs," he blurted out before he could stop himself. "If you feel alone there, leave," he elaborated, covering up his rather rude remark. He knew what it was like to feel alone. He'd been alone from the beginning and he couldn't let Shetani suffer the same way. "Just remember," he started with a remnant of his usual smirk on his maw. "Should you ever decide to leave the Babukurs, you're always welcome with the Hukumu, yeah."

 Shetani was surprised when Wakali did not push her away, but she accepted his comfort in her current time of need. It'd probably come back to bite her in the end... but for now she didn't want to think about that. Her ears perked and her head snapped up at his words. She searched his eyes, looking for a hidden meaning in them or a coming joke. She did not find one. She swallowed a growing lump in her throat. Could she do that? Could she leave the coalition she'd known so long... and join with this tom? She thought it over longer than she should have, before slowly shaking her head. "Oh Wakali... the offer is kind, but I couldn't. The Coalitions would end up at war, you know that. Plus... I have a duty to Hodari..." she trailed off, sudden realization hitting her. "Kifo!" she exclaimed, looking at the tom beside her before leaping to her paws. "That wretched cheetah will try to take over the coalition! I have to try and stand up to her, to stop her! She would not do the Babukurs justice... she'll destroy everything he worked for..." she trailed off, a new fire igniting within her. "I'm sorry Wakali, but for now, I'll have to decline. I must fight for my coalition... for my family" she stated firmly.

 Being completely honest with himself, he hadn't really expected Shetani to jump at his offer. Why would she? This was the first time they'd ever held a competent conversation with each other. On a regular day, he was just that tom that constantly teased her. Still, the offer would stand. Wakali jumped when Shetani suddenly leaped to her paws, cursing Kifo. He couldn't blame her, from what he'd seen of Kifo, she'd probably cause a war between the coalitions. That wasn't something Wakali was all that fond of. "I understand yeah. Coalitions are formed out of necessity to survive, but at some point we come to find they're like a replacement for the family that was lost. In my opinion, it's the family you chose that's worth fighting for. Just remember my offer will stand for as long as I'm the leader of the Hukumu coalition," he said with a light chuckle. 
"And for the record," he added with a sly grin," I totally won that race."

 Shetani looked down at Wakali, feeling surprise at his words. She hadn't known he felt that way... about anyone for that matter. She was even more surprised at his next words. Her ears perked and her eyes widened, new emotions swirling in her heart. This was... surprisingly kind of him. She hadn't expected him to be so keen on offering her a place if things went poorly with the Babukurs. She kept a mental note of that promise, and decided should she ever need to take him up on it... she definitely would. But for now, she wanted to fight for the Coalition she held dear. "Thank you, Wakali. I'll remember that, so you better stick to your word should the time ever come." she mewed with a small laugh.
She rolled er eyes at his joke. This was the Wakali she knew and enjoyed to tease. "Hey, if it helps you sleep at night, I'll let you believe that lie" she said with a wink. As she turned to leave, she dragged her tail over his nose, remembering the ticklish spot he had there. As she began walking away, she stopped after a few strides and turned her head to look back at the tom, a smile on her face, "Who knows... maybe next time we meet I'll be a Leader of my own coalition," she mewed with a laugh, before gathering her strength and leaping away, dashing as quickly as she could back towards Black Babukur range to undoubtedly challenge Kifo for position as Leader of the Coalition. Just wait you wretch, I'm coming for you, she promised in her mind, pushing ever faster to reach her goal.