[PRP]Interspecies Relations (Ciaran, Baridi)

[LexThetaSigma]

The dark haired lion was laying out in the sun near the watering hole. The sun was blazing down and heating up the landscape. He had been out hunting for a bit but the heat was drying his mouth out quickly. He panted lightly and went over to take another long drink from the cool pool. He didn't know how other lions could handle the brutal heat.  

[Talencia]

Baridi was beginning to think that perhaps the heat of Kaskazi was the best time to meet folks! She had been seeking a cool, shady spot near the water again, as her last spot had been taken over by a large and rowdy family of wild dogs, from puppies to oldsters. The hyena did not begrudge them the lovely spot beneath the drooping willows. The shallow water was indeed a wonderful place to take young ones to cool down. Not to mention the babes tended to take full advantage of the ample amountof mud there.

This pool was further from the river. It was one of those odd places where the water bubbled up slowly through silty soil and filled a cup in the land before trickling out of it to join its larger river brother. There was no mud, as the soil was so sandy, but that sometimes had its advantages. She bounded into the shade and swiftly flopped herself down, only then realizing that it was occupied by someone else. Ah, but she recognized this individual. It was yet another of her clan, though she couldn't off-hand remember his name. She wasn't certain if the male lion would remember her name or not, and figured to take the easy way out by not bringing it up at all. "Chillin out too, hmm?" she greeted him with a lazy smile, tongue lolling. "I don't think we Mrao are cut out for this heat."  

[LexThetaSigma]

Ciaran sighed with relief and shook out his mane slightly before going back underneath the shade. Under the shade he spotted a slightly familiar face. It was one of the hyenas of his clan. She must be feeling the strains from the heat as well.

"Yeah," he replied, "that's probably why we're Mrao instead of Kaskazi," he grinned at her slightly, "I don't understand how they do it."  

[Talencia]

She laughed agreement with him, raising her eyes to the trees that sheltered them. These were not the fickle trees who shuddered in the cold. Baridi tended to think of those as Vuli trees, flaring into color for a short time and then scattering when the freezes came. Granted, not all Vuli were so displeased by the snow and cold of winter, but some were. No, these were not Vuli trees. These were Mrao trees, the tall, noble evergreens. Slender needles for leaves meant the trees were also quite more hardy in the summer than she herself was.

However, as she envisioned the trees as they would look with their beautiful coverings of snow and ice, her eyes focused on the large cones that dangled from the branches overhead. Though she generally wasn't one of the more imaginative of the clan, being only a normal Celebrant rather than an Entertainer, she suddenly got a grand idea for a project. "Say," she drawled slowly, still gazing upwards, her tail beginning to swish. "If you aren't too hot, dude, you could help me out with something."  

[LexThetaSigma]

He grinned when she laughed at his comment. They may be of the same pride but thankfully the clans didn't have to have the same preference for the seasons. He was, however, thankful for the work the other clan did during the hot months to try to make it an enjoyable time.

He looked at the female as he laid down and rolled onto his back. "What did you have in mind?"  

[Talencia]

She dropped her gaze to him in time to watch him roll over. Momentarily she was distracted by the sudden realization that he had a black pelt. She had just been talking to Aine about having a black hide during the summer, and how unbearable it must be. She was just opening her mouth to ask him about it when his question snapped her back to the present. Oh yes, her idea!

"I think I would like to collect these pinceones," she announced with gusto, moreso than she'd felt since the brunt of the heat had hit. Perhaps she sensed the coming cool-down, that autumn approached. "I think we could use them as a project for young ones to do during one of our festivals." She rose to her paws and batted a couple pinecones together ruminatively. "Then they could be used as decorations through the rest of the season, or at least until the first thaw." Her jaws parted in a canine smile. She liked this idea of hers!  

[LexThetaSigma]

He could feel some of the heat slowly leaving his body, whether it was from the cool water he had drunk or from the cover of the tree. He looked up to search for the pine cones she had mentioned.

She was right, though, the cones would be great to use as a project for the young ones in the pride. He looked over the tree and looked back at the cones trying to figure out how to easily get them off of the tree.

"It's a great idea, I think me might be able to get a few of them down," It would be a lot of work and would have him sweltering in his pelt, but he was near the pool and it would be good work for the eventual celebrations.  

[Talencia]

She beamed at him appreciatively, but suddenly realized he was thinking of getting the ones still attached down. Oh my! Imagine the work that'd take, and in a black hide no less! "No no, don't go to that much effort!" She let loose a yipping bark of a laugh in the odd manner of hyenas. "I mean the ones down here!" She pointed with a paw to the two she'd already rolled together. "See? They are hiding under the fallen needles." She rooted around in the sand and needles beneath the trees until she'd uncovered three more. "Much less work, and much better results," she stated calmly.

Granted, she wasn't one who was inclined to much work, especially in the sun. But under the trees it was fragrant, for heated pine needles and sap were a heady scent. It also was much cooler here than she'd expected, and a breeze had come up since she'd arrived. "What do you say? Let's pile up a bunch of them, then take a dip in the pool and wait until sundown to move them." The only way she could think to move them was just a few at a time, which would be long, hot work if it was daytime. She'd store them in her den until the snows came. Then, she could implement Plan Pinecone!  

[LexThetaSigma]

His gold eyes found the small pile of cones she had gathered up and looked around to see a few laying around them. He found one laying near him and started to paw it towards her pile.

"Yeah, that's probably a better idea," he responded as he hunted down the next couple of cones. With the shade and the breeze slowly cooling him down, this way could also be almost fun. Once he got one over to her pile, he continued to diligently work to find as many to bring over to her as he could.  

[Talencia]

She didn't bother to pile any atop the others, but merely rolled them to create a widening pool of round, prickly pinecones. A few were unopened, their armored shells shut tight. Others were so wide open, they were broken and tattered. It didn't matter what they looked like, though, they'd work for her project. "What I want to do," she chattered on as they continued gathering, "is to wrap a bit of something around each, dip them in the water that isn't frozen just yet, then hang them from the trees."

She flashed him another canine grin. "The dripping water will eventually freeze, leaving tiny icicles festooning each and every one of them." She beamed happily, imagining the trees' lower branched glittering brightly with cones frozen in shells of ice, sharp pendants pointing downwards. "It will be gorgeous!" she declared enthusiastically.

However, her energy ran out in a sudden whoosh, and she sprawled beside her 'puddle' of pinecones. The refreshing thoughts of winter were replaced with the sweltering reality of late summer. Ugh. "I think it's time for that dip," she announced, promtply running over and plunging in with all four paws waving madly, sending the water splooshing in all directions. Ahhhh, cool!  

[LexThetaSigma]

By the time all of the cones were gathered, Ciaran was burning up again despite the shade and breeze. He was panting lightly as he listened to her explain her project to him. It sounded like it would look great when it was completed and the young ones would have fun dipping them in the water.

Though he could see the looks on the mothers' faces already when at least one cub fully submerged themselves in the water. Speaking of, he watched as the hyena dove into the pool. He gave a small grin before following her, relishing as the cool water came over his body.