Taa was a bit far from home, on a scouting mission. It was kind of scary, actually. She had never traveled alone before, but her new clan thought she was big and fierce and she wasn't about to tell them no. The blue hyena trotted along, trying to look as tough as possible. It wasn't that she was AFRAID to travel alone, not exactly ... but there could be all kinds of monsters out here! You just never knew.
She didn't have a responsibility to confront strangers like she did when guarding the borders, but she kept a wary eye out anyways. There was no telling what these shifty rogues might be up to.
He was irritable. Not for any real reason other than the fact that UGH he was just in a bad mood. He kicked at a stone, and growled when it went too far for him to follow after it. He cast his eyes down at his paws, and wiggled his toes in the grass. It we weird beign on grass. Normally he was on the beaches sand but now, he was a real Crew Member. A true Missioneer!
He hadnt really been paying attention but one didnt need to pay that much attention to a bright blue hyena strutting about. He narrowed his eyes and cocked his head, blue orbs watching.
Taa spotted the lion just about the same time as he spotted her. Boy, was he big! She narrowed her eyes back at him, her heart thudding. Was she going to have to fight this big bully of a lion? Taa had never had much to do with lions before joining her new pack. They had a pet lion that was okay, although she was dumb as a rock. This guy was no tame pet lioness! "What do you want?" Taa demanded, giving the lion the hard eyeball.
His pirate gear decked him out, proving him to be a member of the crew. He was proud of each piece of loot, but his favorite was the turtle shell at his shoulder. Sometimes it reminded him of a roman lion. He stood taller, stepping closer to the hyena but not too close. They could be vicious, he had remembered mother telling him that. So he was cautious and stopped a few feet in front of her.
"What do you mean what do I want? I was here first." He said, eyes narrowing as he stared at her. She was much smaller, but he was no adult himself. The adolescent was still growing into the black mane that clung about his neck and forehead.
Taa was big and strong for a hyena, but she wasn't really particularly aggressive. Still, she wasn't a wimp! She wasn't about to run away from some lion! Taa returned the lion's stare without flinching, wondering what to say in response. Okay, so he HAD been there first, but Taa was on an important mission while he was just lazing about doing whatever it was lions did, which was most likely something unpleasant. He was in her way. "You look like a suspicious character with that stuff all over you," Taa said finally. "You look like you're up to no good."
"How can you tell that from looking at my stuff?" He asked, looking down at himself and deciding this hyena was just absolutely batty. He arched an eyebrow when he looked back up at her and sort of stared for a moment again.
"After all, my momma says its Hyenas that are up to no good. So maybe its you.."
He responded. He was a momma's boy, though eh tried hard to hide it in the pride. Though now, out in the open, he didnt feel the need really.
"Im a pirate. Im supposed to be a .. really bad egg!" He had heard Pirato say that before.. and being on Pirato's crew, he was aspiring to be as great as he was.
Taa wasn't surprised that the lion denied being up to no good when he clearly was. That was exactly what she would expect someone who was up to no good to say! She was a bit offended that he implied that it was, in fact, HER, that was up to no good. Quite bit offended! Taa frowned at the lion, annoyed. "I'm up to plenty of good," Taa grumbled. "Not that I would expect you to know about it, you being a bad egg and all!" She favored him with another frown. She was now utterly convinced that this lion was not a nice guy. "What's a pirate?" Taa asked abruptly, her curiousity briefly overcoming her natural dislike of bad people.
"Do you even know what a pirate is?" He asked, drawing out the word is as he stepped closer. It was true he was trying to intimidate her.. But he wasn't going to hurt her, and he didn't snarl or lift a claw to imply it was a possiblity.
"And stop yellin' at me. I get yer point." He grumbled like she had and shook his head. Were all hyenas like this? Because if so, he was glad that he only knew one in the Pridelands.
"Im on the Captains crew. You best be careful." He said, narrowing his eyes again much like a youngster would. He was actnig more like an overgrown cub and he frowned at the thought.
"No, I don't know what a pirate is. That's why I asked," Taa snapped, giving the lion a stern look. She did not back away as he sidled towards her. The lion was awfully big, but he wasn't an adult yet. If she nipped him he would probably go running home to his mama. Probably. Hopefully. "I don't know what a captain is, either," Taa said disdainfully. "We don't have captains. We have a queen, and SHE sent me out here to scout, so YOU had best be careful!" She puffed her chest up a bit, feeling proud all over again that she had been entrusted with this important mission.
Now they were both acting like overgrown cubs.
"My Captain could beat up your queen with one glance I bet! I bet shes as chicken as you," He said, his tongue sticking out after he had said that. His tail flicked annoyedly around him and he looked at her like one might look a childhood frenemy.
"Are you threatening a pirate? Pirates steal, pillage, loot, and do really bad things. That wouldn't be wise, you..you..hyena." He said.
Taa's mouth dropped open when the lion insulted her queen. How dare he! He was just a lion! Her hackles rose, her fur puffing up like an angry cat's. "My queen could beat up your captain and you both with a flick of her ears!" She quivered indignantly when he talked about stealing and looting things, completely outraged. He was proud of being a bad person, proud of it! "You shouldn't talk like that about stealing and things! That's terrible!" Taa sputtered. "Anyways, I bet you couldn't steal anything. You're just a big pup!" She reached out a paw to poke at his chest for emphasis.
When she poked him, he looked at her paw, and followed it until she put it back against the earth. With a glare, he took his paw, and pushed her too, which was a little stronger than her poke..but only enough to maybe cause her to step back.
"I steal everything! See all this?" He asked, showing her his fancy loot that he had stolen.
"I stole all of it! And the turtle? I killed it to wear it." He said, grinning as if he was crazy. He was certainly proud of being bad, and it was all because his momma was.
"A flick of the ears? Bah! What is she? Magic?" He asked, and snorted at the ridiculousness.
Taa was sure getting cranky. She gave the lion a death stare when it pushed her. She didn't actualy want to get in a fight with this guy, but he was making her so mad! Maybe she should n** him and damn the consequences. She shook her head when he showed her his loot, disgusted. "You shouldn't be proud of stealing things! That's what jerks do." She narrowed her eyes when he scoffed at the queen, deciding to ignore that comment for now. "How would you feel if I stole something of yours? What if I stole your turtle shell?"
It was perhaps completely unwise, but Taa couldn't resist. She lunged for the turtle shell suddenly, trying to snatch it.
When she lunged at his shell, he growled and lept out of the way. That wasnt good! He knew he might hurt her if he tried, and he certainly didn't want to be hurt. He had other things to go against!
"Hey! You're lucky I dont try to tear out your throat for that!" He said, his voice probably a bit higher pitched than he would have wanted it.
"I know Pirates who kill for less.. If I were you Id get!" He said, stepping towards her again but this time only one quick pounce in front of her and then he was bach where he had been. He only wanted to startle her!
She jumped away herself when he pounced at her. She certainly didn't want to be ripped up by some punk lion. But she didn't run. Taa glared at the nasty lion from a safe distance. "You didn't like that, did you?" Taa growled, making her voice as rough and fierce as possible in the hope that he didn't notice she was slightly out of breath. Her heart had definitely started hammering when he jumped at her like that.
The situation seemed to be getting a bit out of hand, but Taa wasn't going to go scampering off from this jerk. She certainly wasn't going to lose her dignity to this mean lion. "Maybe I will go on my way," Taa said darkly. "I don't much like talking to nasty lions that only like stealing things and tearing out perfectly nice people's throats. How horrible." She sniffed. No wonder her clan hated lions.
"If I saw a perfectly nice people, I would have not been so mean." He responded with a glare. He wasnt exactly fond of being called bad when he hadn't been, and how judgemental had she been! He knew that from now on he would never talk to another hyena.. at least not rogue ones. The one in the pride made awesome drinks from fruits, and he would have to talk to her..
"Ill leave if you leave." He said, glaring again as he really didnt want to be here anymore. He didnt like it here around her! And he knew eventually he might have to get aggressive and thats the last thing he wanted.
Taa was hopping mad, but it really was time to end this confrontation. She wasn't out here to get into fights with lions, even though this lion sorely deserved some kind of a**-kicking. She could only hope that the next person he tried to steal from kicked his scrawny butt up and down the savannah.
She wanted to shout that she was a very nice hyena and he was a big jerk, but that would just start the argument over again. "Fine," Taa snapped. "We'll both leave. Just you better not go near my clan with your thieving ways." She slowly began to move again, keeping him fixed with a suspicious glare.
"Fine." He snapped back, as if they were a couple and he was tired of arguing. He glared, but circled around her so that he didnt come close to her and that it didnt seem like he was running from her. Once he got around, he smiled to himself.
"Dont let me catch you around here again!" He growled, but he had taken off long before he could hear her response. He wanted to get back home before something else like this could happen again
Around here again? As though he owned the place! "You go on and get out of here, thieving lion!" Taa shouted at his retreating back. Okay, he probably couldn't hear her, but that didn't matter. At least she had gotten the last word in. Fuming, the blue hyena turned and kept stomping in the direction she had been going before she met that lout.
Whatever pirates were, Taa wasn't sure, but they were obviously total jerks.