searching in the dark [Pic!]

[Zen]

It was the dead of night when he went looking for her. A white ghost in the darkness, he crouched through musty alleyways and kept himself hidden in their shadows in an attempt to avoid the many Iris patrols stationed on the outskirts of the pride’s district.

Panja was on a mission, and his goal just happened to be the Iris Pride leader herself. It certainly looked suspicious enough with him creeping around like this, and though his intentions were noble he didn’t need Florence’s army to suspect him of attempting to assassinate their queen. He only wanted to speak with her. After a few words, he would quietly be on his way again.

But he was a lone cat, a trespasser, and he was well aware of the consequences should he be caught trying to sneak on to Florence’s land without permission. The stories he had heard of her cruelty…the terrible, brutal savagery she had inflicted on the Tempest warden and his pack…

The massive lion shivered, a tremor that shook his entire body. Yet he wanted to see this woman for himself. He wanted to judge her with his own eyes and see if she was really the savage they all claimed her to be. He had to know.

More determined than ever, Panja took off with a leap and began scaling the rooftops, his paws thundering on the shingles. By now he had probably alerted every cat within the vicinity to his presence, but that thought didn’t stop him. He ran on, hurdling across the gaps between buildings and keeping his mind focused on one thing and one thing only: Find Florence.

Finally he flew down, landing effortlessly in the middle of a deserted intersection. At least he assumed it was empty. His lips drew back in a silent snarl as a group of about four or five cats of varying sizes and breeds materialized out of the darkness. He was surrounded.

Rather than try to run or fight his way through the crowd, the lion simply held his head up high and declared, “My name is Panja. I’ve come to gain an audience with your leader.”

There was no point in angering the pride. He was a smart feline and knew the best hope for getting what he wanted was to be civil.

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[atrb=background,http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/---Kirstie---/florencetop3.png] The night was almost deadly silent as Florence weaved her way through the alleyways. She looked up at the peaks of the buildings, wondering whether she should venture up there. Now that it was summer, it was a perfect place to go. The sky would be clear, the air would be still and the view would be beautiful. Florence began her ascent from the alleyway to the roof, gradually climbing the steps, jumping onto balconies and eventually, eventually getting to her destined and most favourite place. Whenever a cat wanted to seek their leader, they would always go to the rooftops first. Florence would often be seen here, sitting along the edges of the roofs and watching the world go by. It was a magnificent sight, when seeing the large lioness bound from roof to roof with ease, muscles flexing and glinting in the sunlight. During sunset and sunrise, the burnt orange sky would reflect against her brown fur, silhouetting her body against the sun. During the night, she'd be a mysterious figure. You'd barely see her approach, unless the moon was full and bright. Today was not that case. Once Florence pulled herself up onto the moderately low roof, she looked across at the city. The guards were patrolling, she could smell them from here. Here they could keep an eye on the alleyways, and the close enough hospital to make sure there were no trespassers. Her legs began to move, walking along to the edge, and jumping without warning onto the next roof. Her paws landed heavily on the next roof. Since the flood, nothing had been the same, apart from the rooftops. The water hadn't reached this part, and the rock, stone and slate were still as strong as ever. They would never crumble under her weight, like a lot things. Florence began to increase her pace, zig-zagging along the different roofs. Each path was different, especially where the alleyways were. The roofs were closer together with the network of alleyways in-between, which just made things event easier. She could see for a long time, especially with her night-vision. Dogs couldn't see in the dark. They were inferior. She stopped, suddenly. A roar could be heard in the distance, and roar that shook her bones. A roar louder than hers, a roar louder than any animal she had heard before. There was only one animal that could roar that loud. A lion. Immediately, Florence jumped to action and bounded in the direction of the noise. It sounded as though the guards had found him, but she heard him loud and clear now. He requested to see Florence. The large cat came into view, and her eyes widened at the sheer size. The large mane he sported made him look even larger. Florence hated cats that were larger than her. The guards parted at her arrival, looking at her with frightened eyes, before letting her stop in front of the newcomer. Eyes pierced, she tilted her head in a silent question. What was he doing here? Florence was immediately speaking, "I believe you called?" She asked idly, waiting for an expectant answer. ___________; the count; 522 the song; butterfly wings - owl city the characters; florrie, panja the summary; florrie runs to panja and is like "what you doin' in my crib?" the other;

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[Zen]

A single voice answered his roar. Without having to wait longer than a few seconds, Panja found himself staring into the face of the evil queen herself. The vicious looking guards parted easily for her, reduced to pathetic, shaking kittens at the mere sight of their leader. The white lion’s lips twitched in an almost invisible smirk that vanished the second Florence stepped in front of him.

He didn’t have to squint or come closer to get a good enough look at her. His blue eyes gleamed in the murky darkness, their night vision allowing him to see every same detail he would have noticed if they had been standing in broad daylight.

She was unquestionably beautiful, but it was also clear there was nothing delicate or weak about her looks. She radiated strength. He didn’t need to watch her in action to know she was capable of great power, and possibly great brutality as well. Panja kept these thoughts to himself as he bowed his head respectfully, his mane falling over his face.

“Indeed I have, although it wasn’t my intention to cause such noise. I hope I haven’t interrupted you tonight, my lady…?”

His paws shuffled somewhat anxiously, wondering if he was being too formal with his words. He was a stranger, not even a part of the pride yet, and maybe it wasn’t in his best interest to act so official. Sometimes he was too polite for his own good. But if Florence was as violent and temperamental as they all claimed, he definitely didn’t want to have her become impatient with him. So he cleared his throat and continued on to what she really wanted to hear. “I wish to speak with you, if I may.”

Lifting his head up, he glanced around at the guards who continued to stare at him suspiciously. “Possibly in private,” he added. Panja was not a cat to become nervous in front of crowds, but he did feel it would be easier to sort through his thoughts and questions if they could be alone. But even if Florence refused that request, he was still determined to get at least a few answers from her tonight.

[♥Picasso]

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[atrb=background,http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/---Kirstie---/florencetop3.png] Despite the darkness, Florence saw the odd colour of the lion. She hadn't noticed it at first due to her being so far away, and she'd barely passed an eye over the lion, yet as she inspected further, she realised that he was far paler than her. Too pale to be a lion, surely? His fur wasn't an average brown like Florence's, but was white. What was this, a joke? Florence had never come across a white lion before, and couldn't quite believe her eyes. It was almost magnificent, and would surely stand out in the city. He could camouflage in the snow, as well, which was almost an insane though. Lions couldn't camouflage in the snow! Snow leopards could, but lion? No. Yet as she tried to get her head around it, the large male began to speak, and her eyes pierced upwards, almost boring a hole into his head. Florence idly wondered what he wanted. To join the Pride? Having a male lion could highly benefit them. "Of course you interrupted me, fool." She began with a roll of the eyes, "But get on with what you want from my Pride." Florence had actually been thinking lately on how to keep all her members together, to keep her Pride strong and reliable, and many thoughts had passed through her head before she'd decided on one that kept on coming back. Males, Florence decided, were easy to keep in the Pride, because they were the ones whom often thought about sex and females and other such nonsense. To keep them dedicated to her, she has decided to keep them charmed. To flirt with them, to flutter to pretty little eyelashes at them so they swoon and bow down at her feet. Florence hadn't thought of settling down with a male, yet as she thought about it, having every male committed to her was ingenious. Looking back at the guards, whom were almost frozen with fright. Two lions in their presence probably would scare an average cat. A deep, low growl came from her chest, "Well go on!" She snarled, "He said private! Get away from here!" At that command, the cats fled, bouncing from roof to roof until they were no longer seen in the distance. Florence huffed. Stupid creatures. They were incapable of understanding the word 'private'. She turned back to the huge lion, and she wondered whether she'd be able to flirt her way into keeping him. Florence knew little of flirting or her womanly whiles, so Florence wondered whether she'd just end up looking ridiculous. Bumping his shoulder with hers, she began walking, jumping from one roof to the other with ease as she looked back to see if Panja was following her. "What do you need to know?" She asked curiously. ___________; the count; 464 the song; none ;o the characters; panja, florrie the summary; florrie sends guards away, florrie wonders whether she should flirt, florrie starts walking. the other;

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[Zen]

It was astounding how much control Florence held over the other felines. Panja watched them, utterly amazed, as they scattered like roaches at her command. Would he himself eventually become like that, another blind follower of the lioness willing to obey her every order? No…no, that wouldn’t happen. He had too much self-respect to let that happen. However much he wanted to be of use to her, he would never fall under her spell and become corrupted like those cats.

Immediately after that thought left his mind, Florence gave his heavy shoulder a nudge and strode ahead, looking back at him with curiosity glimmering in her eyes. Panja stared back, at a loss as to what this meant. Was she trying to confuse him? Annoy him? Tease him? Was this how she began the process of manipulating new pride members? It seemed he was already on his way to becoming another ragdoll for her to do whatever she wished with…

Still, he kept up with her fast pace and began clambering back up the rooftops, wondering where she would eventually lead him. A gentle hum sounded in the back of his throat as he considered where to begin. “I suppose I’ll start with the question I’m the most curious about, though I hope you won’t find it offensive. I would like to know if the rumors are true.”

His burning eyes hesitantly sought hers as they leaped almost in unison across another building. “By that I mean the alleged tortures you inflicted upon the Tempest warden. Tell me, are you really the wicked, immoral ruler that the city seems to claim you are?”

Panja was asking for it. He half-expected her next move to be slashing him across the face for daring to say such things. But the male wasn’t looking to anger or upset her, he merely wanted the truth. If Florence gave him that, whatever the answer ended up being, he could at least leave the pridelands satisfied even with a bloodied face.

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[atrb=background,http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/---Kirstie---/florencetop3.png] As Florence saw that the lion was following her, she increased her speed, jumping across the roofs, taking him nowhere in particular. Any cat she passed, she'd snarl ruthlessly, causing them to cower and move out of her way. However, it was fairly bare up here, in the dead of the night. The cats were usually more active at dawn and dusk, yet Florence was awake. She often snoozed in the middle of the day, especially in summer. The sun would often get high in the sky, bearing down on here and scorching her skin. It'd often be too hot to stay awake, so she'd curl up in the shade and fall asleep. Florence had been built for the heat of Africa, yet she'd now come accustomed to the cooler climate of Hexasol. Florence had never actually been to Africa, and had never felt the heat of it, yet she had experienced hotter placed than the measly Hexasol, that was actually surprisingly colder than most places. It snowed nearly every year here. "There are many rumours of me. Most are true." Florence said before Panja actually asked her the question he wanted to ask. It was true, Florence had heard her reputation around, and everyone seemed to pinpoint it just right. She was a ruthless, cold-blooded murderer who enjoyed torturing and capturing dogs for little reason behind it. Nobody knew just how many scum she'd captured and kept inside the small rooms in Huntington Hospital, but they could guess. Some whispered dozens, whilst others whispered hundreds. Well, hundreds was a bit much, and Florence found that rather amusing. Why would Florence keep hundreds of dogs in her hospital? It'd reek of dog, and Florence definitely didn't want that. Her face contorted at the thought of the smell of dog. Then Panja asked her the question, and she immediately stopped, whirling around to face him. There was a stubborn anger in her eyes, yet she didn't lash out like he'd expected. Instead she stood her ground and kept defensive. Those words had pinpointed her nearly exactly, and she wondered whether Panja wanted her to be that rumoured, ruthless, evil cat, or whether he was hoping she was just a pussy cat, and the rumours were a lie. She opened her mouth and spoke: "I wouldn't describe myself as immoral. I am the leader of the Iris Pride. All the leaders play dirty, with no exception. We are in the middle of a war, and we must do what it takes to win it." Her eyes narrowed even further as she waited for a response, positive or negative, "Why do you ask? Planning to kill the corrupt leader? Hope to take my place?" Florence knew Panja wouldn't get away with it. There were too many cats lurking about. Some were probably even eavesdropping on their conversation. ___________; the count; 474 the song; postcards from italy - beirut the characters; florrie, panja the summary; florrie is all like "what you talkin' 'bout?" the other;

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[Zen]

Panja’s claws found their way into the slate shingles of the roof just in time to stop himself when she did. He could see he had struck a nerve and braced for the inevitable attack. But Florence could apparently keep her temper in check, which was not only a relief for Panja but also a confirmation on one rumor being false. One.

“Easy,” he said calmly, raising a paw to let her know he hadn’t meant to upset her. But it did leave him a bit perplexed and he tried to wrap his mind around what this meant. So she admitted that most of the gossip surrounding her reputation was most likely true, yet she became defensive when faced with the reality of it. Such a complex feline, and in spite of (or maybe because of) that, Panja was still drawn in. Again he ventured on to thin ice with his next words.

“Many would consider the torture of a canine who has committed no crime as well as the slaughter of his packmates to be immoral in and of itself. But you believe war makes anything justifiable?” His eyes narrowed to see the expression on her face. She was simply fascinating to him, and he longed to know more. But certain barriers stood in the way that prevented him from learning everything he wanted to about her. Quickly, before she could become irritated, he said, “Please understand, I’m certainly not looking to anger you. If you’d like to know my opinion on the matter, I think the stupid mutt had it coming.”

The sudden amusement in his eyes faded as she began to question his motives. Panja sighed. “I’m just an old lion who’s too curious for his own good. That’s all.” It probably served him right. He was acting suspicious and it was actually rather surprising she hadn’t chased him off yet. If he wanted this to go well, he was going to have to start playing his cards better.

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[atrb=background,http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/---Kirstie---/florencetop3.png] Florence was actually wondering why this lion was interrogating her like this. She needn't answer if she didn't want to, yet she was anyway. Perhaps if she gave the right answers, the lion, Panja, would choose to join, and that would be extremely beneficial for the Pride. His scent didn't smell of Lexis or Tempest, so it seemed that he wasn't from one of them, then again it would be impossible to be part of the Tempest if you were a cat. Her eyes travelled across Panja's shoulder to look in the direction of east, where the sun would be rising in just a few hours. The horizon remained a dark, navy blue, indicating that it wouldn't be daytime for at least another few hours. Without humans, the animals told the time by the position of the sun in the sky. Cats and dogs didn't need to know the concept of time, unlike humans that always had deadlines they needed to make which Florence found rather pointless. Rolling her eyes, she looked back at the large lion and listened to his reply. "We're fighting against dogs," Florence began, eyes piercing through him, "Should I want to win, we have to do everything that it takes to win the war, and the death and torture is just one of those ways." She heaved out a sigh and began to walk again, not going as quick as before as she leaped from the current roof to another one. "Their crime was being a dog and being part of the Tempest Pack. Those dogs want to rule the city when I know for sure that they'd do a terrible job at it." She craned her neck around to look at Panja, as he spoke again mentioning that the mutt had it coming to him. A smirk played on her lips, and she nodded slowly, before continuing to walk, and beckoning him to follow. Florence liked to keep moving, and not staying still. She had to exercise her muscles and burn off the energy. "Curiosity is such a time waster. What I'm interested in is whether you'll be joining this Pride." The question was genuine, "You could make a good warrior, or a guard." Looking over his white fur, Florence resisted the urge to ask why he actually has snow white fur, and whether he was a completely different breed. Instead she remained silent and continued to walk into the night. ___________; the count; 406 the song; none ;o the characters; florrie, panja the summary; florrie says she wants to kill all ze dogs and she wants to know whether panja is going to join or not. the other; Lol, my posts are getting shorter D:

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[Zen]

“Ah,” Panja purred, almost smiling. “But without curiosity, there is no new knowledge.” Florence, perhaps, was a lioness who preferred to rely on brawn instead of brain. This wasn’t to say she was unintelligent, because he could see a great deal of intellect beneath her headstrong personality, but Panja knew it was important for a leader to use their head just as much as their muscles. He himself always relied on both, and neither had failed him yet.

But as she had said, he knew she wouldn’t be interested in hearing his opinion on that. The white feline grew pensive, his strong legs continuing to carry him fluidly across the roof as he weighed his options. “I’ve been interested in joining your pride for several years, but I held myself back until now because I believed I wasn’t worthy of you.” He eyed her intently, wondering how she would react to this little confession. Then he continued, “But if you don’t mind, I’d still like a few more questions answered before I make my final decision.”

Truthfully, he mind was already made up. He was ready to serve the Iris Pride and lend his strength and wisdom to their cause in whatever ways he could. Yet he was worried that if he pledged himself to Florence too quickly, he wouldn’t get another opportunity like this to receive the answers he desperately longed for. She would give him a rank and a task then send him on his way, eager to get back to whatever she had been doing before he showed up. Panja only asked for a little more of her patience.

He shook his head to rid the fur that fell into his eyes as they walked. His mane, beautiful as it was, was also a hindrance at times. “Now I know how you feel about my curiosity, so please bear with me here a moment longer. I’d like you tell me in your own words what happened that night at the hospital. You know how rumors can distort the truth.” That was the only way Panja knew anything of the kidnapping and eventual rescue of the Tempest leader, by eavesdropping on city gossip. “And please don’t spare any details. I’m mostly concerned about how you managed to capture Gravity with his pack so unaware.”

He was getting suspicious again. But Florence should have been able to tell he wasn’t any threat – his fur didn’t smell of Lexis, so he wasn’t a spy, and an assassination attempt would be suicide with the countless guards hidden in the shadows around them. Maybe being curious was suspicious enough for her, so he decided to add, “I need to know for next time. So we don’t make the same mistake twice and we can ensure no one will be there to rescue that dog again.”

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[atrb=background,http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/---Kirstie---/florencetop3.png] Florence probably did use her strength and muscle more than her wit. She used her spies as her brains, essentially. Such as the capture of Gravity, without Gypsy there would never have been the capture. Without the best spy in her Pride, they would still be back to square one, and the Warden would be the same as before. Florence was terrible at thinking up decent plans, as she thought more with her muscle than with her brain. There were the rare occasions where she did manage to devise a plan, but she usually relied on someone else. Her brain often just spun around on the same thoughts: torture, fighting, murder, death. Very few other things actually captured her attention. It was obvious that Florence had gone mad with power for the past two years, and most members were aware of this, but too afraid to do anything about it. She didn't care, as long as they bowed down to her and did everything that she asked them to do. Florence's eyes widened when he mentioned he didn't think he was worthy of her. "Why would you think that?" She inquired softly, genuinely intrigued. The Iris Pride was often stereotyped with mad, cold blooded murderers, that wanted nothing more than to kill everything in their path. No, that was not what this Pride was about. Most stereotyped it on Florence, when really that was wrong. There were plenty of sane members, many of them turning insane after witnessing the power that Florence could do. Right before her, this sane lion, wanted to join her Pride. Shrugging, Florence looked up at the starry night sky with a small smile, "Continue with your questions then." She said as she padded over to the edge of a roof and literally just flopped down at the edge, her front two paws dangling over as she stared up at the sky. The moon shone brightly down on them, with the glistening ocean that could be seen in the distance. Florence really did love the rooftops. "What do you want to know? How I captured the Warden in the first place?" After a pause, Florence took a deep breath, "One of my spies befriended one of those stupid dogs in the Tempest Pack. He said he had important information for Gravity, and they should meet in the school with them. Little did they know that this would be a trap. Instead of them meeting my spy, they met me armed with three other cats." A smirk played on her lips as she remembered the day well. That day had been a good one, certainly, and the next day had been even better, when she'd tortured Gravity for hours on end. It was a feat that Florence was personally proud off. Looking out into the distance, she then turned her head to look at the lion curiously. She was wondering why he was so curious about all this, but it was true that the rumours were being warped along the way. "The problem was I let the other dog live. I should've killed her, but I wanted the pack to know my strength. I wanted them to know that I had Gravity at my mercy. The dog went back and told the pack, and as far as I'm aware, they planned to start a war." A low rumble of a growl appeared from her throat as she realised her mistake, but could do nothing about it, "Whilst they planned to attack the Pridelands, I was busy torturing Gravity. I wounded him, I messed with his mind, I even brought in two of his members and forced him to choose one of them to murder." A witch-like cackle emerged from her mouth at the thought. She remembered the horror in Gravity's eyes as clear as day. "He began to beg, saying he'd do anything but that, but eventually he chose one. I tortured him to death. It was glorious." Florence shivered with satisfaction, before her face went gloomy. "Then the dogs came in, set the whole hospital alight, and managed to overpower me and my cats. There should've been more cats guarding Gravity's cell." She snarled in anger, fur bristling, before she looked away. "Satisfied?" ___________; the count; 705 the song; yellow - coldplay the characters; florrie, panja the summary; florrie tells panja how she captured and tortured gravity, and how he managed to escape. the other;

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[Zen]

Panja was silent as she recounted the tale, only nodding his head once or twice when she said something he found particularly fascinating. It was a lengthy story, but Florence told it with such zest that it was impossible to lose interest. She seemed to become angry with the ending and the dogs’ victory, which was fully understandable, but Panja only shook his head, his eyes turning somewhat softer.

“It wasn’t a complete loss. Gravity has been wrecked because of you, physically, mentally and emotionally. The pack will be thrown into turmoil while he recovers, if he ever fully does. You destroyed him, Florence.” Realizing he had accidentally used her name, the lion shifted uncomfortably. He had no right to address her like that. Would she notice, or even care?

However, there were so many flaws in her strategies that it was almost painful for Panja. Certain things he could excuse, like not posting enough guards in the hospital, but letting Gravity’s accomplice escape to warn her pack and not having a second army of cats stationed on Tempest land to stop them was baffling. Florence was too concerned with showing off her strength, and she became too focused on spilling blood. Panja was still impressed with her, at the way she could command something as large as the Iris Pride with such fierce control, but it was also now clear to him she would need someone to help her better plan any future assaults on the Tempest Pack.

And he might just be the man for that job. Finally he would be able to put his sharp mind to use. She seemed to realize the mistakes she had made, which was something of a relief, since he wasn’t sure how she’d respond if he criticized her, which he didn't want to do anyway.

“One last question before I give you my answer: are you concerned about the Lexis Tribe’s newest leader? They say this fellow is one of the strongest in Hexasol. He might present an ever bigger threat than the whole of Tempest combined.”

Panja hadn’t yet gotten to lay eyes on this other male lion, whose name escaped him at the moment. If Florence wanted complete dominion over the city, she would have to dispose of him as well.

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[atrb=background,http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/---Kirstie---/florencetop3.png] Florence definitely realised her weaknesses. She had been a fool not to get more guards. The cats she'd stationed outside the hospital, and along the rooftops, had been useless. They hadn't sounded the alarm, probably shocked by the explosion. They had gone to inspect the explosion, leaving the doors wide open for the dogs to run free in the hospital and get Gravity back. By the time they reached the floor he was on, it was Florence against many. She still had the battle wounds, fresh and open against her flank. Many of the scars she got that day would never leave her. They would remind her of the failure that day. Heaving out a sigh, Florence rested her head on her paws and looked out at the bleary darkness. There was little light, especially with the humans gone. Electricity had continued for a little while, until gradually all the lights flickered off, plunging the city into darkness. At her name being mentioned, she lifted her head and looked at Panja in surprise. Florence had never actually given express orders for her name not to be spoken, yet most assumed it was an unwritten rule and were often too scared to call her 'Florence' so it was obvious she was surprised that Panja had spoken with such familiarity. It was almost nice to know that she was still considered a lion, with a personality and a name, despite her being seen as a cold blooded murderer. Florence said nothing about it, and looked away again, almost deciding that she was coming to like this stranger. He was certainly nicer and more open than others that would just quiver and cower, letting her do was she likes. They were pathetic, worthless cats. It was once in a blue moon that she found a character like this, and she wasn't going to let him slip through her claws. "True, I broke him. He won't be the same leader again. Once recovered, he's going to be a very different wolf that everyone remembers." A small smirk appeared along her face as she remembered just how broken he had been. She couldn't wait to see what she had moulded him into. Only time would tell, but in the next few months she would see. How would the rest of the Pack react to this? It was going to be an exciting year, Florence was sure. Then Panja began to ask Florence about the new leader of the Lexis Tribe. Rumours had been flickering along the city for weeks now, speculating who would be the new leader, until it was eventually finalised. Had it been any other time, when Florence wasn't torturing Gravity, Florence would've found it the perfect opportunity to attack their Tribe, yet she'd been too busy. She opened her mouth with a reply. "I have some tricks up my sleeve for him, just you wait. I am already planning to corrupt him, just as I corrupted Gravity, but in a very different way." A small smirk appeared on her lips, "He is my breed. That means I can have a lot more fun with him than I did with Gravity." She threw back her head and laughed, "I'll have to be careful, but he isn't as ruthless as I. We'll have to see." Looking at Panja seriously, she nudged him, "And you can be by my side, guiding me through the ruling of the city. What do you think, Panja?" ___________; the count; 576 the song; hotel song - regina spektor the characters; florrie, panja the summary; florrie tells florrie what she thinks of Streiter, and asks whether he wants to join her pride. the other;

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[Zen]

The white lion nodded and let out a little sound of amusement. “I see you’re already ahead of my thinking. I should have known better.” Leave it to Florence have planned out an entire scheme for knocking Streiter off his throne. The fact that the Lexis leader was an enormous male nearly twice her size clearly meant nothing to her if she seemed this confident.

But what in the world was she planning? Gravity was a canine, a weakling with no adequate defense against the claws and fangs of a lioness. The only reason the Iris Pride had lost that battle was due to the wolf’s large pack and some unfortunate planning. Alone, Florence could have done away with him in seconds flat had she not decided to break her enemy first.

Streiter would be impossible to kill one on one, for obvious reasons. And the Lexis Tribe, though mainly filled with pathetic, peace-loving dogs and cats who wouldn’t last two seconds out on the battlefield, was not without its warriors. Streiter could easily amass an army to defend himself against a pride invasion.

Panja could see the craftiness gleaming in Florence’s eyes. No, she had this all figured out. For once, he was left clueless.

“You’ll have to tell me more of this plan later. I must say, I’m intrigued.” His head turned to look out in the direction of Lexis’ territory, still veiled in murky darkness. “Perhaps we were better off with that Badeya dog,” he mused. “She, at least, would have been easy to kill. This other lion concerns me.”

Then his curious eyes traveled back to hers. “But killing isn’t what you have in mind, is it?” Oh, he wished he could read her mind right now.

His tail flicked inquisitively as she prodded his shoulder, and then suddenly his muzzle pulled back in a brilliant smile. Very few things could make him smile like that.

“I would like that very much, Florence.” Panja was so pleased he forgot his rule not to call her by name. Then again, she hadn’t seemed to mind the first time, so he brushed it off as something not to worry himself with. “I swear on my life I will not ever disappoint you. You will always be able to rely on me to defend and aid this pride.”

So it was settled. Panja had pledged himself to the evil queen, and he couldn’t have been happier.

[♥Picasso]

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[atrb=background,http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/---Kirstie---/florencetop3.png] Florence nodded proudly. She'd been planning ever since the news had come out that Streiter was a lion. It was an ingenious idea, if she said so herself, however she was unsure whether it would work. Florence saw the curiosity swimming in Panja's eyes, but she kept her lips firmly pressed together. No, she musn't spill to anyone. Although Florence was sure that Panja would most likely not speak of it to anyone, she wanted to make sure. She had only met this cat today, and he could easily still be a very clever and very discreet spy. Florence had learned early on to be suspicious of everyone, just in case, even if her gut feeling told her otherwise. Flicking her tail, she just continued to smile knowingly, purposely keeping the truth away from the other lion. She looked towards the Lexis Territory just as Panja did, narrowing her eyes and wondering what they could be doing currently. She hoped they would fall, it would be far easier then, with only one Pack to worry about. "True," Florence hummed thoughtfully as she thought back to Badeya, whom she hadn't known for all that long, "Badeya was a dog I could break with just one of my claws. She would've been cowering and begging for mercy once I was done with her." Florence scoffed and shook her head, "No, this Streiter cat is a lot more of a threat, but just you wait, Panja. Just you wait." She chuckled, glad that her and Panja were on the same wavelength. He was a good talker, and they were surprisingly having a good conversation. Florence had very little, as most of the cats would develop some kind of stutter, or speech impediment, causing them to just stare at her with wide, confused eyes as though she wasn't even speaking English. Florence often wondered whether half of her Pride had some kind of mental deficiency. "And no," Florence added as an afterthought, "Killing is most definitely not what I had in mind. In fact... quite the opposite." With a wink, she changed the topic. As Panja swore his loyalty to the Pride, Florence bowed her head and nodded. It was always very nice to get another member on her side. It made her feel even more powerful than she already was. Nodding, she smiled, "Welcome to the Iris Pride, Panja." She replied as she began to get to her feet, nudging Panja again to indicate that he should start walking. Florence couldn't stay still for too long. "What rank do you wish? You could be a magnificent warrior, or a perfect hunter? The choice is yours, lion." Florence asked softly as she leaped from one roof to the other with ease that she'd perfected over the past two years. ___________; the count; 463 the song; the final countdown - europe the characters; florrie, panja the summary; florrie hints a bit more to her plans with streiter, and also welcomes him to the Pride and asks what rank does he want. the other;

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[Zen]

The choice was his? That came as a bit of a shock for Panja. He expected Florence would have wanted to test him first before deciding what would be the most suitable rank for him. By allowing him to choose she was basically letting him determine for himself how much power he held within the pride. She wouldn’t have permitted such a thing if she didn’t trust him.

Panja thought it over as they began walking again, turning to look at her with a soft sigh. “Oh, not me, I’m far from perfect when it comes to hunting. You see, my coat is the problem. To put it bluntly, it’s a dead giveaway, especially with how colorless this city is.” That was certainly true…the humans had bred him in captivity for his white pelt, an attractive display item, not as a wild hunter the way nature intended. In Hexasol’s grey and brown streets he stuck out like a sore thumb, and in the green pastures of the countryside it was even more conspicuous.

“Though I suppose in the winter I could be of use,” he added thoughtfully. “For now, I would be more than pleased as warrior.”

But the more he considered that, the less appealing it seemed. His past experience with the other Iris soldiers hadn’t been very positive, whether it was seeing them on the streets or his encounter when he had first stepped on to the pride’s territory this very night. They seemed, to him, a bunch of brainless fools who were blind to anything except for their leader’s commands. He didn’t like that. Florence was to be given utmost respect, of course, but it was always necessary for one to think for himself, no matter what.

So he would be stuck living amongst those morons, at least until he moved up the pride’s hierarchy and was able to spend time with the more respected warriors. And there was no telling how long that might take. “On second thought, perhaps I’d be more suitable as a guard. Would I still have the opportunity to speak with you often?”

He glanced at her, a little afraid of what that answer would be. Guards spent the majority of their duty on the pridelands, and he was sure Florence would be busy elsewhere most of the time, trying to gain new information on her enemies. Panja wanted to assist the rest of the pride, but his primary concern, his entire reason for joining, was to advise the lioness.

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