The black-coated female snarled at Ragnvard, low and dangerous, the fur along her spine lifting in a threat display. The Captain bared his fangs in response, a clearly annoyed expression writ large upon his features. "I said no!" He growled in a quietly furious voice. "There is no way I'm going to wait around just for you to satisfy your curiosity!" He snapped, careful to keep his voice low enough that the other reavers gathered nearby couldn't hear their argument. "She will only slow us up!"
Kizuka bared her fangs with a savage hiss. "So don't wait!" Her tail flicked rapidly back and forth, claws unsheathing to dig into the ground. "I'm claiming her! I don't need your interference."
"She will only slow us down!" He snarled back, fangs bared as he went to lash at her. But Kizuka bristled, not at all cowed and evidently more than willing to back up her desire with her claws. Ragnvard was more than conscious of the collected reavers lingering nearby, many looking on with amused expressions. Several however were already getting tired of waiting. This delay so early in their Viking was not welcomed by any of them, which was why Ragnvard had first refused Kizuka's request to go fetch the lone rogue she had spotted earlier. But now their argument over the female was delaying them even further, making Ragnvard's temper short. They still had a week's worth of travail to go before they reached the area he had in mind for this raid and they were only three days away from the pride, barely started.
Growling low in his throat he snapped sharply at her, enough to drive her back a step. He couldn't let her challenge his authority, no matter how impatient his reavers got. But equally he had no desire to discipline the whole band when they inevitably got out of control through boredom. That was the price he paid for taking on so many lions whose tempers ran to violence more often than not.
"Fine!" He hissed, turning away from her in evident disgust. "But you go alone, and if she can't keep up with us, I'm leaving her behind." With the last growled over his shoulder, Ragnvard stalked off to the head of his warband, barking a command for them to quit staring and get their sorry asses moving.
Kizuka hissed in displeasure and impotent rage, watching as the Captain strode off, his band of smirking or frowning reavers following. With a lash of her tail she swallowed her rebuttal and turned, splitting away from the group at an angle and making a beeline for where she had last seen the lone rogue.
Out in the plains, completely unaware of the near-havoc she had almost caused among a bunch of strangers, Kiso was gnawing on an old bone she had stashed away a week ago. Hunting had been difficult of late, with the herd she had been stalking having moved off in search of new grazing into a land controlled by a trio of violent males. So Kiso had to make herself content with going after what was left, mainly smaller prey, while she figured out what to do next. She would soon have hunted this area down to the small rats and grubbing vole things, so she obviously couldn’t stay. But where was she to go? Lifting her head she gazed around, suddenly certain that she could feel eyes on her.
After a moment of searching she picked out the dark shape of a lioness moving towards her from over the brow of a small rise. The female was moving at a steady, purposeful trot, directly towards her. Ears pricking forwards she slowly stood, unwilling to greet a stranger while laying down and puzzled as to why anyone would be coming to see her. This was her kill, or what was left of it anyway, and a few dry bones were nothing to fight over. Maybe the stranger was lost and needed direction? But… she looked perfectly capable to Kiso, tall and lean her dark coat was healthy looking and even from here she could see the muscles on the female. She would not be anyone Kiso would like to fight. Kiso herself was a decent huntress, but she always ran away from other lions if they got aggressive, since she was pretty lousy as a fighter.
Patiently she waited, though stood ready to run away if the other lioness sped up or looked like she was going to attack Kiso. Yet instead she simply continued to come on, trotting with that even, ground eating stride, all poise and confidence. Kiso felt a momentary desire to be more like her, proud and confident, rather than meek and nervous as she actually was. Huffing out a breath she plastered a smile onto her maw as the stranger drew closer, a smile that gradually faded at the serious and intent look on the other lioness’ face.
“Oh, am I intruding? I’m sorry, I didn’t realise anyone else lived here.. Um, I’ll just go if you like? But the hunting is very bad. Not that you couldn’t hunt here but the herds…” Her almost frantic babbling which was getting faster and faster under the dark female’s intense scrutiny, was suddenly cut off by the impassive shake of the stranger’s head. Those pale eyes fixed on her own with an unnerving expression.. intense and foreboding.
“You will come with me.” The dark female demanded, her gaze narrowing as if in expectation of something, an argument maybe, or a refusal. But Kiso could only stare mutely at her for a moment, her own nearly white eyes widening in disbelief, and then astonishment. What? Go with her? “… I… hu?” She could only gape at the stranger, her brain unable to process such a strange and left-field request. What was going on? Dumbly she watched as the dark lioness moved round behind her, uncomprehending until suddenly fangs grazed her rump in a command that was unmistakable. “Ow!” She yelped, skittering forwards for a couple of paces, still unbelieving, still confused. What was happening? Had she fallen asleep and this was some kind of bizarre dream? But the gleam of those fangs bared again for another n** convinced her that even if this was a dream, she didn’t want to try her luck in refusing this weird female.
“Woah, o-ok… I’ll come!” She stammered hurriedly as the stranger took a rather menacing step towards her, clearly intending to drive her along with fangs and claws if needed. Skittering backwards for a few paces, not wanting those teeth in her rump again, she stared at the stranger with wide, confused eyes. The dark female however, simply kept walking, pushing her backwards. Giving in, Kiso turned round, quickening her steps to stay ahead of the dark lady’s own pace. She wanted to ask what was going on, but the warning look in those pale eyes, eyes almost as white as her own, forbade any questions. Turning her gaze forwards at last Kiso sighed, trotting slowly along in front of the stranger, uncertain what was happening but hardly about to try and argue with this dark coated lioness with the dangerous fangs.
Kizuka had been expecting more of a fight, or at least some kind of tussle before the rogue was captured, but it seemed this one was more timid than she had thought. The rogue retreating from her glare alone and not even really voicing any complaint, until she was jogging slowly along in front of Kizuka, head low and ears back but perfectly obedient already. She hadn’t even drawn any blood with her bite, barely grazing the female’s pale behind with her fangs before the rogue was submitting. Allowing herself a wry grin she rather suspected even Ragnvard had never captured a thrall quite so easily. And considering he owned one and had some kind of arrangement with another that was less ‘master and slave’ and more ‘freeborn to freeborn’, she doubted the second one even counted. Glancing ahead she eyed the pale pink and grey lioness jogging along in front of her. For a first thrall she should be useful enough, apparently easily controlled and unlikely to cause any trouble for Kizuka. Good enough.
It wasn’t long before they had caught back up with the raiding band, Kizuka herding her new thrall along until she was in the middle of the pack, surrounded on all sides by large, imposing males. It had the unexpected but pleasing effect of making the female shrink back away from them, her side pressing into Kizuka’s as she kept her thrall beside her. Clearly this one already accepted her as the protector and master. Which will mean there will be less reinforcement needed when it came time to train her, as she will already see Kizuka as her safe place in the pride.
Up ahead Ragnvard had kept an eye on the ‘capture’ and subsequent re-joining of Kizuka and her prize. Nose wrinkling he scowled in annoyance. Not that he wanted the thrall to himself, since he still expected it to fall out of line and perish on their trek, but just the whole entire mess of it all. They were now almost an hour behind where they should have been. With a snort of irritation he upped the pace, until they were moving in a rapid jog. If the thrall could keep up, then she may, just may be worth feeding until they got back home. Only time would tell.
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