Oww. Just fricking oww. Lying sprawled upon the shore of the Waterfall Cliff pool, gingerly licking her torn up hindlegs, is Vikali. She wouldn't mind quite so much if she had gotten the injuries in some heroic manner, like saving a cub, or fending off against a dozen hyenas. The manner in which she got the wounds just adds embarrassment to the whole ordeal. And while they're still in the poor state they are in, she's not much in the mood for trapsing around the valley to try and find her mate. Mthama is also lying by the waterfall pool, but she is asleep. The heavily pregnant lioness has little desire to move, and isn't certain she'd make it far anyway. Snoring softly, it shows the lioness is at least resting for the moment, but her shifting and the movement of her belly suggest she won't be so comfy for long. Not that she'll really need to. Kiini's patrol time is over, and so he is just returning from the far reaches of the land. The dark maned lion pauses on the far side of the pool to get a drink. His eyes scan the other side, and spot a few of the females on the far side. Naturally, the first one he's going to head to is Vikali, and he holds back from a chuff since Mthama seems to be sleeping. Oww. Oww oww. The only thing that keeps Vikali from swearing her head off is the fact that there might well be cubs lurking about nearby, and that she'd get a right telling off from their mothers, if they went back to them repeating the words that Auntie Vik were saying around them. Wincing as she goes over her right hindpaw, she glances up at the sight of movement in the corner of her eye to spot the very lion she has been looking for. The sound of Kiini drinking rouses Mthama. Her eyes open, and she groans a little. Maybe not such a happy camper. To Kiini and Vikali, she chuffs lightly, but decides to remain where she is. The chuff serves as a distraction, to which Kiini offers a quick smile and a, "Hey Mthama," before peering at his annoyed looking mate for some answers. "Everything alright, Vik?" "No, not really..." the lioness replies, sounding a little perturbed, to the extent of not responding to Mthama's greeting. Vikali gives a light sigh, then informs the lion, "Kiini, we need to talk." "Hi..." she mutters, and her paws shift as if she's about to stand. With a low grunt of effort, she manages to sit up, though her abdomen feels severely weighted down. Kiini can't help but smile at the effort the other lioness is showing in sitting up. "Doesn't look like it'll be too long now, Mthama. Then you'll be chasing cubs instead of laying around." He'd ramble on, but his mate's determination strikes him by surprise. "We do?" About what he's not sure, but the "Okay, whenever you'd like," follows. Vikali drags herself into the most refined position she can manage, without her hindlegs causing her too much pain, then says, "Kiini... since the... incident with the hyena, where we lost..." She trails off here, her head tilting down slightly, before she continues, "Since then, I've been feeling less attracted to you. Romantically. And... if it weren't problematic enough, I've heard rumours of you trying to get back together with Mwaliko. I... you're lovely, but... well, I'm not sure things are working out between us." Well, that's a fine how-do-you-do. Kiini blinks and stares at the lioness in disbelief before shaking his head. "Wait a second, we're mates, we made the pledge to each other... Romantically?" Kiini's words are all over the place. "Mwaliko doesn't love me like you do, or did, or whatever... She's told me that." The lion starts to grow flustered. "Vik, Mwaliko and I have cubs together, of course I'm going to talk to her, we're parents." The lion presses on some, "What is this all really about?" "It's just as I said," Vikali replies, tears starting to well up in her eyes, still avoiding looking at the lion, "I've been feeling less attracted, less in love with you since... since the incident with the hyena. I talked to Mzohari about it last night, and he said that such an incident either brings couples closer together, or breaks them apart... and I really don't know what to do or think anymore. You're really nice, but I don't feel as in love with, or as attracted to you as I used to." "He said WHAT??!!" Kiini thunders, before lifting his head up and letting out a bellowing roar to fill the lands. He didn't actually /mean/ to be so loud, but its the reaction that can hardly be helped. A few deep breaths, and Kiini tries to pull himself together. "Vik, this is crazy. I love you. I love more and more every day. I mean, you're the reason I stay here in these lands. For you, and for the girls..." Vikali instinctively shrinks back as her mate starts shouting, then lowers herself down as Kiini lets out his thundering roar. "Mzo was only trying to help," she replies in a softer voice, before adding defensively, "And it's not like it's my choice, Kiini! You're really nice, and really sweet... but I just can't help it if I'm not feeling... how I used to, towards you. I really want to! I want to feel like that special lioness again, to be madly in love with you, and I know you do your best to show me that you do... but I just can't feel it anymore." Mthama, who had seemingly dozed off again, growls and jerks awake at Kiini's voice. With visible effort, she lifts her hind end to stand, and her tail lashes. Perhaps from stress, the lioness starts to pant lightly, and glares at them. "Can you two take your bickering someplace I don't have to hear it?" she snarls. It's the hormones talking... probably. The roar catches another's attetnion... Onaedo is quickly making his way into the falls. He was coming here to get a drink but the roar made him move quicker. "What's going on?" os questioned while he catches sight of the ones here and glances towards his brother, blinking as he sees Vikali cowering back from him. He's rather confused, to say the least... "I don't believe what I'm hearing," Kiini replies, shaking his head. "Mzohari, trying to help? By feeding you all sorts of doubts and what not? What happened to just talking to your mate about it?" His voice starts to calm down now, aided by Mthama's outburst. Finally, he holds up a paw and takes a deep breath, "Look, Vik, I'm sorry, but you don't just spring something like that on someone..." There's so many emotions built up in him at the moment that he doesn't know what to think. "Vik, somewhere in there is the lioness I fell in love with, I know she's still there. Just... Please try to find her." As he turns around, he's greeted by Oneado rushing in. His younger brother gets a, "Never mind," from him before Kiini looks to push past him. "How am I supposed to talk to you about it if you say I'm not supposed to talk to you about it, and then you just walk away?" she calls after Kiini, sounding annoyed as she gingerly rises up to all fours, then starts limping after him. "Mzo was the one who said I should talk to you, and all he did was confirm that what I was feeling is normal! Now come back here and discuss this with me like a grown up!" Mthama is still snarling. "Kiini, get back here and talk to your mate, for Aiheu's sake, or I will make you." Mthama's claws unsheathe and dig into the earth. Hormone levels are rising to a dangerous level, and she looks seriously ticked. Not just at Kiini, but he's the focus of her anger at the moment. Onaedo lifts his head, gaze drifting towards Mthama with a curiously glance before he looks back to Kiini and Vikali. His maw twitching while he just stands his ground. "No... I want to know what happened... I'm tired of you just saying never mind and walking off to moan and groan about something /later/..." There is a pause. "And our father doesn't fede anyone anything. You /need/ to get over how you feel about Mzohari or perhaps you should just leave if you can't get over the fact that he's the king and has a say in matters that deal with the pride." A faint smirk is seen as he hears Vikali. "He has no idea on what it's like to be a /grown up/." Not one, not two, but three sharp voices all come at Kiini at once. It's certainly enough to get him to turn back around. The dark maned lion looks from one to the next to the next. He can feel himself boiling over, and it takes everything in him not to rip Oneado's head off. A few more deep breaths follow, and of all things, it's Vikali's limp that works to settle him down some. "Alright..." His voice trails off some now, casting a look back towards Oneado and Mthama. "I'm more than willing to talk about this. Alone with Vik, if you wouldn't mind?" Mthama seems to calm some, but is still irritated. "Fine..." she says, and her tail lashes. "But you'd better be nice to Vikali." she growls, and she slides to lie back down. She's too stressed, and she's starting to become very uncomfortable. Onaedo smirks faintly while eyeing his brother, his gaze narrowed while his tail lashes a few times behind him. It would be an amusing sight of Kiini attempted to rip his head off... And he really does wonder which brother might win that fight. "Then talk to her... An /grow/ up when doing it..." He said with a thin tone while he moves past Kiini and towards the water's edge to get a drink of water. Kiini opens his mouth to say something to Mthama, but between her own and Oneado's reply, nothing comes out. Nothing he can say would help around either. "Come on, Vik," he remarks more softly now, motioning with a paw towards the savannah. ***** Kiini nods his head to Vikali. "Of course I care about Mwaliko. I always have. You know that." There's a pause here, "But you also know that you have a very special place in my heart she could never get into, even if she tried." There's a pause. "Vikali, the truth is that I've wanted to make up with her, at least get us on a comfortable speaking level again, for the sake of our son and daughters. She doesn't love me like you do. I doubt she ever would. Is this what's bothering you?" "I... no, it isn't," Vikali replies, still limping somewhat, due to the injuries to her hindlegs. "I mean, it is a small part of it... but the root of the matter is that, as much as I want to, I just... I just don't feel in love with you, anymore. I really care for you... but I just don't..." Her voice trails off, unable to deliver the rest of her sentence. Kiini stops and nuzzles the lioness and stares into her eyes. "Love me?" he asks quietly, finishing the sentence to what he guesses it was going to be. "You are that special lioness to me, Vik. You always have been. I know I'm not perfect, but I've tried so hard to always be there for you." "I know," the lioness replies softly, gazing back up into the lion's eyes as she says tearfully, "You've been the perfect mate. And that's why this hurts... I'm so sorry, Kiini, but I don't love you anymore."