V for Victory

All truth be told, Varian was still abuzz with pride in himself and the rest of their team for the job well done. Granted there had been hiccups here and there, but overall the mission was a complete success. They probably wouldn't have secured the wagon as easily if he hadn't stuck it into place initially, he'd told himself, and now? Well, he was proudly sitting in the driver's spot and guiding the wagon back to where they belonged. Varian's excitement over that, though he'd done his best to mask it when Zira initially gave him the role, was what was keeping him focused. Well, that and the fact that he knew what could happen if he fell asleep. He didn't want the wagon to crash or anything on the way to the Black Keep. So, he'd kept himself awake.

Now and again as they traversed their way back home, he'd look at his companions and just kind of think of what hard work they had put in to helping make this possible. Zira, Shenzi, and Sabor had done the brunt of the work. That was evidenced by the blood that had dried on Zira's head and other such things. His pride for the rest of the team bubbled anew within his lithe form. As a smile tugged on his lips again, though, he caught sight of what was ahead. Finally, they were back.

Zira's roar sounded, and Varian tugged on the reins to get the horses to stop. All the while, he offered little 'whoa's and 'easy now's. The horses did stop at last, though, and Varian gave his head a light shake as he blinked sleepiness from his eyes. He could stay up a bit longer, he told himself. Who cared that it was dawn? Now was the time to celebrate a job well done! He adjusted his sitting position once more and, with one hand still on the horses' reins, he stretched his free arm for a moment. He also realized, though, that they hadn't been greeted by many but the guards yet. That was understandable, though. Maleficent herself probably wasn't going to be the first among those who'd greet them anyway.

Who was there, though, was a guard dog. Varian didn't know much about Georgette other than the fact that she was on their side and probably would have won the award for least likely to look like a guard dog. He knew next to nothing about breeding, but at a glance she stood out. Those thoughts, though, were kept close to his chest. All he really needed to take in was Georgette's congratulations. Again, pride filled Varian's being.

"Thank you," Varian said. He'd taken hold of the reins properly again as he spoke. Finally, he wasn't looked upon as some kid. He'd helped make this possible. "As you can see, those Enchanted Suns are going to be hurting for a while. We got some pretty good stuff back here if I do say so myself." A little smug? Perhaps, but Varian felt it was a deserved train of thought.

Emerald eyes keenly watched the procession as it filed into the keep's courtyard. His mother's triumphant roars had given away their arrival before Kovu had even had a chance to lay eyes on them, rousing the castle from its slumber and creating quite the stir throughout its halls. It was the buzz of excitement that had drawn the cub quickly down to meet the returned party. Second, of course, to welcoming his victorious mother home.

A number of Thorns had begun to congregate outside the keep, among them the castle guards and a monstrously large bear. Kovu slipped amongst the guards' feet, passing by one of their canine charges as he made his way towards the battle-weary group. His mother seemed pleased. Tremendously so, in fact, though not entirely unscathed if the blood smeared across her brow was anything to go by. 

Kovu couldn't help but feel a slight wash of relief at his mother's mirth. It was always better when Zira was in a good mood. For as much as she doted on him, even her golden child wasn't immune to her rage should it unveil itself. Though satisfied as she was, Kovu knew she'd be all the more happier once her praises were sung.

"Welcome back mother," he begun as he padded up to meet Zira and her ragtag crew. His gaze wandered to the wagon, the spoils of their first battle. Kovu gave her an approving grin. "They never stood a chance against you."

At a glance, Kovu didn't think it seemed like a particularly exciting prize, but he knew its contents would be of great import to their army. Although he suspected his mother may have been just as eager to deprive their enemies of anything that belonged to them, regardless of whether it was useful to their cause or not. Not that it mattered much anyway. A victory was a victory whatever the spoils, and Kovu hoped this would be the start of many.

“Nice things?”

Most hyenas would see a roaring lioness and keep their mouths shut. Especially if they knew which lioness it was. But Janja’s mouth had only ever been good for two things—laughing and chowing. Mostly on his own foot.

So instead of using his scavenger’s craftiness to compliment the returning troupe, instead of sucking up to the stronger baddies, and instead of minding his own business in the comfort of shadows...Shenzi’s son trotted right past Kovu and started sniffing his way around the wooden contraption. “Any of those nice things good for dinner?”

It stank worse than Cheezi and Chungu after the rainy season. Or maybe that was just the human squatting on top. Weird animals, these humans. Barely had enough meat on them to chase, and always took too much time getting ready to eat and not enough actually eating.

Janja’s scruffy eyebrows arched at Varian. He shot the kid one of his best creepy leers. Might be funny to see if he freaked out. After all, something had to be entertainin’ around here when they got all choosy about who could attack the Enchanted Suns and who couldn’t. Apparently they’d sorted Janja into the wrong category. Didn’t they know there was nothing a hyena did better than making goody-goodies panic and run?

Well, this was escalating quickly.

With the returning party came a flurry of activity surging around the poodle. Lions, hyenas, a young boy, a bear that could surely gulp her up with ease... it was quite the display. And the strange looks she was receiving were not going unnoticed. The hairs on the back of her neck raised, starting to feel more out of her element within the commotion. As far as she was concerned, though, they could be fairweather all they liked. She had protection if she needed it; the guards were watching.

Cheers of the Thorns's success were, admittedly, pretty gratifying to hear. From the way they made it sound, the Suns really got it handed to them. Though she would rather drop dead before set foot on the battlefield, it was much more fun to celebrate from the sidelines. Victory was sweetest when claimed for oneself -- in this case, the unified "one" being their army. And though it would in theory be nice to claim that victory for herself alone, the visible wounds returning members were sporting made it less than appealing.

Her tune changed on a dime when the words 'nice things' were bounced around, expression shifting from something more disengaged to clear excitement. "Nice things?" she repeated, eyes sparkling with delight. So she was right! Her thoughts were suddenly ablaze with the images of diamonds, jewels, fine jewelry -- all of the things that could improve their status, or at least add a bit of color to the Keep. Maybe this fighting stuff wasn't so overrated, after all.

Breaking from her position, she padded closer to the wagon, sniffing cautiously. Much like the small hyena, the poodle wrinkled her nose, trying to identify the scent. Cloth was not unfamiliar to her, but also not very distinctive. If there was food in there, it certainly didn't smell fresh. She put her paws up on one of the slats, trying to get a better look.

And then, she spied the chest. Wood, adorned with a small padlock -- the size was meager, but if it was secured, that was surely where the real treasure must have been. Her grin stretched a mile wide, whether she realized it or not. If only she could see what was in there...

She turned to look up at the boy, who the hyena also appeared to be targeting. Though he was intending to freak Varian out, Georgette herself couldn't help but recoil. What a creepy puppy. She shook her head, silently hoping it wouldn't be of any notice. The noise around her alone was indicative of preoccupation on all sides. She gently raised a paw, and tapped Varian's leg with it.

"Excuse me?" Her affect was syrup-sweet, attempting to gain his favor. Sure, this collection of soldiers around her were the worst of the worst, but in this aftershock of chaos, a little politeness to get some answers couldn't hurt. "If you wouldn't mind terribly, could you tell me what's in that chest?"

Slobber dangled haphazardly from the beast's reverberating coal-colored lips as the roar died down. Mor'du swallowed the echos back within his chest while two beady flecks of obsidian took in the growing ruckus. He didn't have names for any of them save for Zira - a title that barely itched the surface of his putrid mind. Everyone else could of been cattle branded with the Cursed Thorns symbol as far as he was concerned; a faceless herd yet still off-limits.

A grunt spit forth from the titan's depths as trunk-like limbs carried him forward once more. His grotesque physique shuffled lazily through whatever crowd had formed with little to no mind for any that stood in his path. If beings remained stalwart then they would be trampled or shoved aside until Mor'du's broad, deformed face was mere feet from the caravan. He gave the structure an unimpressed sniff - unable to understand why they had gone through the trouble of acquiring it in the first place. Especially if only to let those who guarded it go.

Another rush of expelled air flared the Demon Bear's nostrils as disinterest took him. His hell-born gaze instead graced the two spotted hyenas for a moment. One of which was a male giving the driver just past his own head a nasty look. This sparked a rather unwelcome memory of another scavenger dog that had earned the behemoth's ire not too long ago. Though the vast majority of their banner could of easily distinguished this younger hyena from the other, Mor'du was not in a clear enough mindset to fall into that category. This earned Janja a show of glistening, yellowed teeth as the monster peeled back his misaligned lips in a sneer.

Thankfully there was a lot going on in this moment. Enough to keep the beast's attention mobile. A better target for his wanton anger was merely a few feet away regardless; things that did not hold the Cursed Thorns name and thus should be open season.

Past the young human boy stood two finely kept steeds of rival loyalty. They had been a bit skittish upon arrival, but the boy seemed to have calmed them down nicely even with Mor'du in such close proximity. They seemed a bit nervous when he rose to his full, towering stature - looking down upon them with who-knows-what dancing in his hateful gaze, yet still the two didn't try and bolt. That was probably a good idea. Running would of triggered the titan's predator instinct to strike, and he probably wasn't the only one. Not that it guaranteed their survival by any means.

"Usefulness worn." Came two gargled words directed at no one in particular. It could be mistaken as a target-less snarl from the way it erupted up his gullet, but that wasn't all. Soon following after was the growled inquiry, "So now they are ours to feast on?"

All the while Mor'du kept his feral attention locked onto the beasts of burden for any sign of a twitch in recognition or panic. He had no idea what exactly their origins were or whether they could understand him or not. It was probably best for everyone if they didn't. Even so, if they attempted escape or if his question lingered unanswered too long, he might take it upon himself to permanently snuff-out the closest horse to him.

At Zira's invitation, Kovu made a start for the wagon of goods -- only to be abruptly cut off by a young hyena making a beeline for his mother's spoils. Kovu scoffed under his breath, taking a moment to shoot an irritated glare Janja's way, before continuing on his path.

It seemed he wasn't alone in his investigation. Several other Thorns had congregated around the stolen goods, poking and prodding and sniffing around for all manner of 'nice things' that Zira had promised them. Some sought food, others riches. As for Kovu, well, Kovu wasn't entirely sure what he hoped was in the wagon. Having grown up in lands depraved of any form of sustenance, it was almost instinctual to hope for food supplies. Fresh meat especially. Food meant life, even now, as any supplies they had would only continue to deplete as their army grew. But food was also boring. And he had no need for shiny trinkets or baubles or gold. Kovu never really understood why humans placed so much value in their sparkly objects, though he must admit they were pretty to look at. 

It wasn't until the guard dog made her comment to the driver that his attention was drawn to the locked chest nestled within the loot. The thing itself wasn't all too interesting, the exterior quite plain and worn, but the mystery as to its contents was far more fascinating than anything else he had spied so far. 

Noting Scar's arrival on the scene, Kovu tore himself from the intrigues of the wagon and padded dutifully back to his mother's side. As much as he would've liked to continue his little exploration, simply being in Scar's presence often required Kovu's own princely duties to come into effect, and the cub wasn't sure how well the king would approve of his heir nosing around in the back of a wagon along with all the other soldiers. Instead he stood quietly by while Scar showered his triumphant subjects in praise, before barking further instruction for the unloading of their new supplies.

"I'd like to go with them. I could... oversee the unloading and make sure everything's accounted for." He also really wanted to know what was in that chest. And while he was at it, perhaps Scar would be impressed by his enthusiasm to take on some responsibilities within the army.