Raimo had never been great at making a good impression. He'd always been too reserved for his own good, preferring to stick back and observe what was going on to formulate a plan, since he had never proved to be as strong or charismatic as his siblings.
But gosh dang it, what had he done to deserve this?
The gold and white lioness currently looming over him, sword clutched in her maw, was named Kaia. They'd both managed to get caught in an alligator attack, and Raimo had taken it upon himself to help her back to his camp and patch her up. After all, she'd helped him escape getting any serious injuries, so the least he could do would be to help take care of her and let her stay the night before he kept moving, especially since he was going to patch his own wounds. Now though, she had woken him up and was ready to kill him.
This was his punishment for showing compassion.
"Hey now," he sputtered, shifting beneath her, "let's talk about this."
"Okay," Kaia growled, "start talking."
"You...you wanna tell me why you're standing over me with a sword first?" Kaia just continued to scowl at him. "Okay, okay. I'll talk first. Got it. I'm a hired killer? A bounty hunter. I get paid to kill by those who can't bring themselves to get their paws dirty."
Kaia didn't move, just giving him a simple, "I'm aware," in response.
Raimo's mind was running a mile a minute. She was now seeming like a bounty hunter herself, but how did she know he was a bounty hunter? His camp didn't suggest that occupation, did it?
"I was hired to kill a prince of a nearby kingdom. That's what I was on the way to do, before I met you."
"Prince Rain on the Wind."
That caught Raimo's attention once again. "How do you know that?"
She glared at him. "Are you in any position to answer questions right now?"
"Sorry," he hastily apologized before continuing. "I was hired by the chief of the nearby pride, the Gravediggers. Chief Nightfall. He-"
"Say that again?"
Raimo paused, caught off guard by Kaia's sudden intensity. "Chief Nightfall?"
"Chief Nightfall hired you to murder his own daughter's fiancee? The male Starcry was pledged to be one of the mates of?"
"I don't know. I don't ask for many details!" Seizing the opportunity to flip the tables, Raimo twisted underneath his captor and shoved, in the process managing to switch their positions so that he was looming over her, snatching her sword from her mouth. "Now it's your turn. Tell me everything."
She had the brute strength to shift the situation again though. So, cautiously, Raimo took a step back, allowing Kaia to get back to her feet. Was it dumb? Maybe. If it was, it was even dumber that Raimo would drop her sword and push it over to her. But Raimo knew he needed Kaia to trust him if he wanted to make it out of this encounter alive, and if that meant potentially giving her an advantage, so be it. Even if he maybe should have at least thought over the decision a bit longer, to make sure he knew all the pros and cons.
Kaia looked suspiciously between him and the sword. "I too was hired by Chief Nightfall. Hired to kill you to stop an assassination plot that you were apparently hired to enact. Why would that be?" Her tail swung back and forth in agitation, ears pinned back against her head.
All sorts of thoughts were bouncing around in Raimo's mind, but one thing was clear. "We've been played. I was told that the prince was corrupt, and that it was the only way to save the pride, an ally of the Gravediggers, from falling to ruin once he took over. You were told there was an assassination plot, one that you were tasked with interrupting. I see two potential reasons for someone doing that."
"Which are?"
"Well, it is possible that Nightfall hoped you would find me after the deed was done. If so, by killing me, you would be tying up any loose ends by eliminating one of the only lions to know Nightfall planned it, while also potentially placing Nightfall in a position to push for Starcry to take his spot as heir." Raimo began to pace, thinking. "But that's so risky, and doesn't really work if she isn't pregnant. Besides, I don't know how the line of succession works in either pride."
Kaia pawed at the ground. "What's the other option?"
Raimo continued pacing around the camp clearing. "Well, if you killed me before I managed to reach Prince Rain of the Wind, it would still keep Nightfall's hiring of me a secret. However, he could then reveal he sent you to save the prince's life, promoting him in the eyes of the prince and his father. That might put Starcry in the running to be his queen instead of just another mate, which would give him and the Gravediggers an in, potentially allowing them to one day merge the two prides together."
Kaia let out a low whistle, eyes shut. "What a scheme."
"If that's all true, then that means the prince is likely not corrupt. And whether or not Starcry knows of the plot, Nightfall at least should be handled."
"Yes." Kaia grabbed her sword before looking at him. "Let's get going."
"Let's? As in, together?"
"That is what the word means."
Raimo sounded more excited than he meant to as he said, "You believe me?"
"I would hope so, since I'm agreeing to travel with you."
"I'm not complaining...but...why?"
Kaia gave him a sly grin. "Cause I was watching you for a while before the alligator fight, and you very obviously need a charismatic companion."
Raimo pouted, but couldn't deny it. "Rude."
But the way she giggled as he gathered his stuff was music to his ears.
