[PRP] Hopeless Case (Qiya/Jomijoke)

[Meepfur]

The swamp was...not really what she'd expected. She had always thought Ukowo - no, he was Ume'itikadi now - had been exaggerating when he talked about his home, but it was every bit as wet and humid as he'd described. He'd missed this? The bugs and the frogs and the absolutely inescapable mud? She'd asked him exactly that when she'd arrived a few weeks ago, and he'd laughed. Laughed through tears of joy at seeing her again. They had met while he was on his pilgrimage, and she a proud member of the Refilwe'Oluchi, and grown close. Grown to love each other; however, neither had been willing to abandon their homes, whether out of pride or love of an ideal or some combination thereof.

Months passed, and the unthinkable happened: the Refilwe'Oluchi were no more, scattered to the four winds. Her mother and adoptive sister had gone on, and she had almost followed them, but instead she chose to swallow her pride and follow her heart. To come here, looking for some boy she'd met when they were barely more than children, and hope that she had haunted him the way he had haunted her.

She had. And for that reason, Mahakma - no, Qiya (seriously, this name thing was sort of ridiculous) - was willing to tolerate wading through murky water on a daily basis and never being truly clean again.

Oh, the sacrifices one would make for love.  

[Neon Fly]

The new ones were always easy to spot, it seemed to take everyone who came to these lands a few months to grow accustomed to the terrain. Well, most everyone. Jomijoke--the reptilian creature that she was, had been living out of murky waterholes like the one she moved through with a serpentine motion since she was small. She seemed to be a special case though.

Everyone else she had met thus far had a certain way about them. They carried their legs in an awkwardly high stepping motion in an effort to pull themselves free of the sucking earth that threatened to devour the length of their legs. They tried desperately to keep their pelts from being overcome by the mud that was everywhere and nearly inescapable.

Of course, why they tried to avoid it baffled Jomi, her once pristine coat seemed to be a permanent shade of brown now but she hardly thought about it at all. A stark contrast to the dark pelted female she was following now, watching with dry sense of amusement.

Fupa wasn't far behind. Unlike some snakes, he never ventured far from his companion these days. It was far easier to find food with four sets of eyes instead of two. Far easier to simply steal anything his lioness caught too. It was strange that two such unusual creatures as themselves should find one another in this swamp, but they had agreed at the time that it was likely destined and neither was so bull-headed as to defy fate. Blinking beady red eyes at the dark figure they happened to be stalking his sinewy body twisted around the branch above the pair of lionesses, arching a brow as best he could. He really didn't know why Jomijoke wasted her time stalking the new members of the pride. However, if he said as much and revealed them he was likely to hear about it later, so for now the serpent remained silent.
 

[Meepfur]

Qiya was new, but she hadn't been born yesterday. She knew, almost immediately, that someone was following her, had that sense of being watched. Initially, she dismissed it as simple unfamiliarity with her surroundings, but after a few minutes had passed and it didn't dissipate, she was convinced that she was being stalked. Why, she hadn't the faintest idea, but she was determined to find out.

Refusing to dignify it by stopping and actively looking for her pursuer, she marched onward and dryly asked the air, "See something you like?"  

[Neon Fly]

Well, apparently this one was more capable thank the slinky lioness had given her credit for, though the greeting made Jomijoke's nose crinkle with distaste. Blending into the various shades of brown that surrounded them and the mud that caked her fur, masking the scent of the huntress, she may as well have been a disembodied voice. Her own tone less than enthralled with such a suggestion, but then the crocodile-esque female had never been particularly easy to socialize with given her penchant for looking down her nose at others she deemed foolish or ignorant. I don't think you're my type, princess...

A hiss of amusement fell from the canopy above as Fupa drooped from his perch, falling from above like a giant strand of spider silk to loosely drape his coils around Jomi's neck. Now she'd be impossible to miss, though despite her short, solid frame she would be no less imposing with the albino Rock Python draped around her. Forked tongue flicking at the dark female, taking notice that she was quite the opposite of his own companion with vivid feathery markings draped over her flank. Anything else was a bit hard to decipher given that they were looking at the stranger's tail end.. so how Jomijoke could tell with such certainty that this lioness wasn't her type was beyond him.
 

[Meepfur]

Now that her stalker had revealed herself, Qiya finally paused, then turned to face the voice. Before, she hadn't been sure where the other was, and hadn't wanted to look foolish trying to figure it out. The other lioness was...very dirty. Which was fine; if someone else wanted to be dirty, that was their business, but she didn't want to be covered in mud. It just felt weird!

And there was a snake, too. Hm. "You sure? You're the one following me, after all."  

[Neon Fly]

Don't flatter yourself. This is my home and you look as much like a stranger as any I've ever seen. It's my prerogative to make sure you're here legitimately considering I've never seen you before... Jomijoke hadn't seen a lot of her fellow pride members before given her solitary life style, but this lioness didn't need to know that. She shot Fupa a hard look when he opened his mouth to be certain he didn't feel the need to address that very same idea either.

Ever wary of Jomijoke's glares and the meaning that usually lay beneath them, mostly violent he'd noticed, Fupa closed his mouth with a popping snap of jaws. Of course, he wasn't so well trained as not to speak at all. Purposely defying the crocodilian feline with a wry sort of expression or as much of one as he could manage. Fupa hasn't either.. is she lost?

He ducked the sharper look his voice earned him this time, head turned in such a manner as to pretend he was unaware of the piercing stare digging into his scaled hide. Fupa wasn't, but she'd give up on him as a hopeless case before too long and divert her attention elsewhere before too long.

With a sigh of defeat the muddy lioness gave up the battle as he'd expected. Attention returning to the unfamiliar lioness she'd honestly stumbled upon by sheer coincidence. Anyway, I'm Jomijoke.. and this is Fupa.

She nodded her head in a indicating gestures to the serpent that weaved in midair before continuing casually. Now you know who we are, so just who are you?
 

[Meepfur]

"Seriously?" Qiya raised a brow incredulously. That was zebrashit. She knew good and well that this pride was less than strict about its 'visiting' policy, at least at this point in time, and they didn't have scouts, so how could it be Jomijoke's 'prerogative' to make sure she was here 'legitimately'? "You have Firekin here. How do I look any more like a stranger?"

"Of course I'm here legitimately. I even have my shiny new name. Atqiya'atma, formerly Mahakma. Happy?" For her part, Qiya was grumpy as hell.  

[Neon Fly]

Seriously. Jomijoke repeated flatly. Unruffled by the disbelief that the poised lioness expressed, emphasized by the bold, peacock like markings around her eyes. She wouldn't be so easily flustered by the dark stranger, though neither did the new comer seem particularly intimidated by her, or Fupa for that matter. Strange considering most nearly s**t themselves when confronted with the impressive constrictor. Maybe she was Swamp material after all. Head canting to one side at a term she didn't recognize. Firekin? What the hell was a Firekin? Given how she stressed the word it seemed like something Jomi should have been privy to. I didn't say you looked more like a stranger than anyone else here. What I said was you look as much like a stranger as I've ever seen.

Jomi means she's never seen you before. Fupa clarified quickly, despite the fact that he'd hardly been invited into the conversation. Sometimes he injected himself simply to be heard. He wasn't just an accessory, though for the most part the lioness tended to treat him that way when they were around others. It was different when they were alone and hunting or following the next big lead they'd stumbled across in the search for the albino crocodile. Why he wasn't sure, maybe someday he'd question it. For now he was content to be an imposition, sneezing in amusement at the grumpy lioness.

Exactly, no need to go getting your tail in a knot, Atqiya'atama. Stressing the female's new name purposefully.
 

[Meepfur]

Fupa may have been a big snake, but he was still just a snake. Even if he hadn't clearly been with Jomijoke, Qiya would not have found him especially scary. She would've been startled to trip over him, sure, but she didn't see any reason to be afraid of a constrictor. Maybe if she were asleep or defenseless or something, but otherwise, she would have liked her chances.

The darker lioness rolled her eyes at the other's repetition of what she'd said. By questioning whether she was here 'legitimately,' Jomijoke had just as good as said she suspected she didn't belong.

"Quite talking in circles and go play with your snake. I've got things to do. Don't let me catch you following me again." Thoroughly fed up, she flicked her tail dismissively and stormed off - moving much less carefully than she had been. She was too aggravated to care about getting a little dirtier right now.  

[Neon Fly]

You wouldn't have caught me the first time if not for Fupa. Muttering under her breath as she watched the rotten tempered lioness saunter away Jomi had to forcefully stop herself from throwing mud at her butt. She was liable to start a war that way, not that the solitary swamp monster cared much about that, but having to listen to her turn around and b***h some more would have been insufferable. Honestly, what sort a thorny stick had gotten up her butt anyway?

Of course it was like Jomijoke to prod the hippo and then wonder why the hell it went charging after her in a huff. Just part of her charm, perhaps. Tongue clucking as she rolled her eyes and turned to disappear back into the muddy water she had come from with Fupa along for the ride. Kinda ungrateful wasn't she? You think she'd be happy someone was keeping an eye out for strangers in the pride.. the way this place runs just about anyone could storm in and try to take it over, sheesh.

Looking around at the dwelling that was home to them and the rest of the Swamp lions along with others who took up residence within the less than welcoming real estate, one would have thought they lived on an oasis by the way Fupa's companion thought about it. It amused him that Jomi thought the humid and murky landscape as a haven. She was definitely a strange one as the idea that most lions wouldn't have found such terrain a very ideal place to live never seemed to cross her mind. Her exasperation over Atqiya was only to be expected and it only amused him more, though he knew better than to try to try and point out Jomi's tactlessness. There wasn't much point, they would have only argued about it and accomplished nothing in the end. Instead the serpent simply bobbed his head in agreement with a wry chuckle. The nerve...

[ FIN ]