[PRP] Hassan's Anger (Adhiva x Irit)

[Dame NightFury]

The hunting had been unsuccessful this morning, so unsuccessful that Irit could find no traces of prey or food of any sort for her daughters or herself. But she didn't want the food. She needed it, she just didn't want it. So instead of wasting her energy looking for scared, hidden or already hunted by the pride fod, she set out to check the traps she'd set up around the her den and the girls. Not too close, but not far enough away either, but Irit didn't know that. She only knew she had to protect her daughters, Hussan's daughters, because without them she would be nothing.

She was sinking into nothing as it was.

Hussan, ever on the edge of her vision and consciousness, didn't seem to be frustrated or depressed today. Maybe because it was only the two of them? Maybe because now she didn't have to ignore him, and he wasn't insisting on her joining him because there was no way in the immediate area. Irit didn't know and in fact she didn't care. If Hussan was happy, Irit was happy. If Hussan was upset, Irit was upset - just not always in the same way or at the same thing. In fact, Hussan was normally upset with her and Irit was normally upset with exterior problems like that stupid pride that hunted all the good prey and left her daughters and herself to strave, fending for themselves.

The first trap Irit came across was un-sprung and needed no tending. Onto the next one.  

[Buffy_the_Bloody]

Dame NightFury

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He had no idea what this thing was, but he didn't really care. He liked it. It had caught the creature for him. Making it easy to give it that killing blow. He needed more of those around there. This had made the chase all worth it. He was short of breath, having ran after the smallish gazelle into the trap. A wooden spike skewered through it's neck was surely what had killed it.

The lion had gingerly removed the gazelle, pulling on it's leg till he nearly severed it, but the neck came free of the pole first. He felt his luck was changing, and he knew that Adhira would be jealous of his find. He wasn't going to share with her either. No siree. This was his.

The first bite was like heaven, as he tore through the abdomen of the creature. He wasn't sure why the gazelle had been alone, but he assumed that blasted pride that was close to them had something to do with it. Anytime something went wrong, he assumed it was because of them. He hated them. They would pay, of that he was sure..  

[Dame NightFury]

When Irit got to the next trap, she saw that one of her fellows eating a prey beast that was obviously killed by her trap. Irit felt too much of too many things at the site. A big part of it was annoyance. Here she was, setting up traps to help her hunt for her daughters and to keep the pride from getting to close to the area, and he stumbles across an easy meal, not thinking who put it there or all the work that went into setting it up.

Another part was obviously anger. Not the dark oppressive, obsessive rage that she felt toward that pride, but anger none-the-less. That was a meal that would have fed the girls for days. And it would have allowed Irit a moment's rest. A moment to stop and grieve Hussasn instead of always guiltily grieving on the side, having to look at him as he paced next to her or ahead of her.

Irit sighed. But she wouldn't begrudge the other lion the meal either. With so little around because of the pride, it would be cruel. And Irit didn't want to be cruel to an ally. To the damned pride, yes. That's why many of the traps had gone up in the first place, but not to the other rogues. She cautiously entered the trap's area. She still needed to put it back together. Not that prey would fall into it again for some time. The smell of blood and death would keep them wary and away.

"Hello again. Could you move your meal to the side so I can set the trap up again."  

[Buffy_the_Bloody]

Dame NightFury

He had been enjoying his meal so thoroughly, that he had barely noticed the lioness that approached. Though once he did, he recognized her immediately. He thought about offering a bit of the meal, but he had never been the type to share. Instead he growled a little, guarding it to assure her there was no way she'd be able to steal it. If that was in fact what she was thinking to herself.

He pulled another scrap of flesh into his maw, and chewed slowly while his eyes were directed at her. He was careful, and wasn't about to remove his eyes when that could mean she could jump in and lay claim to the small gazelle.

Then she spoke, and he swallowed. With an interested gaze, he perked a bit.
"So you made this, then? Very clever. I had chased this meal of mine straight into it, and I'll admit, I was growing tired of the chase." He said, his tone deep as always.

"You are very clever." He said, his eyes looking at the trap again.  

[Dame NightFury]

Irit was glad she had approached the lion carefully. She didn't want to get into a fight she knew she couldn't win both because he was much bigger than herself and because he was an ally. An ally meant a sort of friend. At least for now. He stopped being threatening when he realized she wanted at the trap.

She didn't know if she wanted to reveal enough about herself and her daughters to explain the trap, but it seemed rather rude not to say something. "Thank you. It makes hunting for me easier sometimes. And they can be a good defense against scouts from the pride."

Blushing, Irit moved to the trap and took stock of the damage the small gazelle had made of the spikes and ground cover. She cleared her throat before she replied again, much softer, almost a whisper. "Thank you." Hussan had been the only one to ever see her as clever. Though even he had thought the ideas she had had about the traps as silly. Irit had only resorted to them because she wasn't a good huntress, and the girls needed to eat.

As her thoughts wound their way back to Hussan, Irit glanced at his ghost in the corner of her eye. He was glaring at them, lips snarling. He hadn't been an angry lion in live, but he had been - possessive, not controlling or prone to jealous rages, but possessive. That was one of the reason they had moved out here. He had never trusted other lions if they came into the area. Lioness and other felines or predators were fine by his book, but never lions. It seemed that trait had amplified in death.

Figuring she better fix the trap and go check on the next one quickly, she threw a small smile at the feeding lion and started to carpet the hole in the ground with twigs, sticks and foilage from the area. "Prey won't stumble into the area unwittingly now for a few weeks, but if you want to run them towards it, that won't be a problem. Just please make sure the recover the hole like it was before with sticks, twigs, bushes, leaves and other foliage. While prey won't stumble across it because of the smell, the pride might send in scouts or guards or hunts."  

[Buffy_the_Bloody]

Dame NightFury

Adhiva liked clever females. Mainly because he needed someone who could match his own intelligence. He thought himself incredibly smart, and even he would have never thought about making traps to help with hunting or spies.

"They were useful to me." He replied. Thinking again how happy he had been that after a bit of chasing the creature, it had impaled itself. "But if that trap was yours, part of this is too. Would you like to share?" He asked, smiling at her. Adhiva normally didn't think of females, he normally didn't think of anything. But this one in front of him was pretty.. and smart.

When she allowed him use of the traps, he grinned a little and nodded. Yes that was a perfect idea. Think of all the prey he could catch that way! Adhiva didn't usually go hungry, even with the prey scarce in the area. He was just a good hunter, which was uncommon for someone his size.

"I promise." He responded. "Now come share this with me, and tell me your name." He was rather dominant, and his commands weren't meant to be offensive. But he wanted her to do what he was telling her, and he didn't really have a plan for if she declined.  

[Dame NightFury]

Buffy_the_Bloody

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Another quick glance at Hussan and Irit's flaming blush deepened in concern. Granted the lion before her couldn't see Hussan and his anger, but instead of being comforting, Hussan's anger and frustration brought more concern. It was all too easy for her to drift off when Hussan was not feeling any kind of intense emotion. His ghost was so vivid to her, it was still hard for her to accept and remember his death. To hold it in her mind so she herself wouldn't forget and join him before the girls were read.

"I am glad that it was useful," -qnother glance at the ghost of her former mate- "but you ran the prey down, and that's what's important. It's your kill." Irit backed away slightly, trying to appease Hussan in some way, even though she knew she needed to eat, needed the fuel to bring back some meat for the girls, but it just felt ... Almost dangerous with Hussan so angery, snarling silently since neither she nor the lion could hope to hear the snarls of the dead.

Irit gives the lion a small, shy, but wary smile. "I have to hunt down my own prey for my daughters. But thank you very much." Irit didn't know what she was going to do if the lion insisted again. She was naturally inclined to allow strong males to be dominant. Hussan was as was her father once upon a time when she was still under his rule and care. It wasn't in Irit to fight for dominance, especially when her nature was to bring peace and warmth and fun into the family pride. A nature that was at the moment repressed and depressed and oppressed with hatred, rage, grief, worry, and tons of other negative emotions.

And, as with Hussan and her father, it was the smaller, insignificant commands that Irit obeyed instantly. Allowing answers to demanded questions or unasked requests to slip out, and Irit did it without thinking. That's probably why Hussan bounded at her, scaring her, making her back away a few steps from the lion, closer to the trap - not that Irit noticed. Hussan demanded her attention, her presence, her everything, right that instant, and he didn't like her focus split more than the two ways she had divide it already - his ghost and their cubs. "Irit. My name is Irit."