The sun had been up for hours, something Luka didn't particularly appreciate. The dark lion preferred the night, but some hyenas had been pestering him for some time now. What he could see of them in the daylight, it was a small group with one large female, one particularly large male, and two other males. Their whooping and cackling always filled the night, causing him to find somewhere to hide and wait until they left.. Which they usually did around dawn. So he'd taken to staying up in trees and just... Sleeping the night away. It had thrown his entire sleep-cycle way, way off, and Luka was NOT happy. His ears were folded back as he walked through the grass, glaring at nothing and everything at the same time, bags under his eyes. Somewhere... He could hear and smell them, stalking and waiting. What they were waiting for, he was't sure. He didn't want to find out, and would prefer to find the company of his nephews, wherever in the blazes they were. Their mother had left the pride shortly before he'd been banished... And been pregnant when they found each other again. Whoever their father was, Luka didn't particularly give a damn. He preferred to believe he'd left a good impression on the twins to help them be as cold and calculating as he was.
A rustle in the grass ahead of him made the lion's already narrow eyes to squint further. "You better not be another damn hyena!"
The lion that stepped out looked, admittedly, rather pitiful. He was an adult, yes, but he was still a young adult. And he didn't look like life had treated him well. In fact, Akbar felt like life HADN'T treated him well. He'd had no luck on his Banu hunt, and had opted to return home and admit defeat and take a Banu born into the Ukuucha as his one and only Banu, as he didn't WANT to have to spread his love around to more than one lioness... And the pride had broken apart and many lions were gone, as well as what few non-lions had been in the pride. Akbar had found no signs of his family, and in his distress become horribly lost when he ran to find them. Now he had no idea where he was, what prides he was near, or who in the world this lion was. "Please don't hurt me... I'm just lost.. And... And my pride is gone... And..." He trembled, sitting down and forming something of a heap of lion.
The striped lion gave the gray one a flat look, then walked over, shoving the younger lion. "Well, don't just SIT there! There's hyenas around! You wanna get EATEN?" The look of horror on the younger lion's face was very satisfying. His skinny state was not. "Come on, walk with me." He didn't give the other lion an option, simply walking away. In the distance he heard the hyenas, and after a moment, the other lion caught up to him. They remained in silence for most of the morning, before the bone-eaters finally went quiet. Luka looked back for any signs, then turned to the other lion, shoving him against a tree with one paw pinning his shoulder and the other at his throat. "Okay, kid, talk! Who are you, and what pride are you from?" His claws pricked through both the mane and fur of the other lion, green eyes narrow.
Panic welled up in Akbar as he struggled against the stronger lion's paws and claws. "Akbar! I'm Akbar! I'm from the Ukuucha'wafalme! I went on my Banu hunt and returned to find nobody there! Please, I just want to find my family!" He tried to not stare the other lion in the eye, before he glanced and saw the fact that while the other lion had certainly saved him from getting eaten by hyenas... There was danger in the bright green eyes. After a moment, the pressure on his throat and shoulder eased and he slumped down on the ground, breathing heavily and looking up. "Please... I just... I need help, and... And I barely survived my FIRST forray out in the Roguelands alone, and.. I just... I want... I want my family... My home..."
Luka scowled at the other lion. "Akbar... Your pride and your home are no more. They have fallen apart, disbanded. Your family is probably scattered to other places, and your chances of finding them are slim. Come, you are a rogue now. You clearly need lessons on survival out here, you had BETTER be grateful that I'm willing to SHOW you." Once again he gave no options and walked away. The gray lion was faster to follow than before.
Akbar spent several weeks with the other lion, during which time he learned one very important skill - How to hunt. As the lion filled in, he began to feel like, despite his gruff exterior, Luka was a good lion. Savannah and sparse forest soon began to turn into scrubland, before it turned to a hard, rocky desert. Akbar, in his wandering, had never seen a place like this, and climbed his way up onto a rock. As he stood, inhaling early morning air, he smiled at the dawn. "This feels like a good day, Luka!"
The dark lion was scowling as he watched the other lion. "Then it's a good day for you to go away, kid." He began to walk away, only to hear the familiar scramble of paws. "That means SCRAM. There's a pride near here, go join it!" He didn't know what pride, but he could smell it. Just being NEAR it irritated him, only acting as a sore reminder. There were no cheetahs present, at least, and with Akbar filling in, the hyenas had finally left him alone, at least. But with this lion hanging around, he'd NEVER find the twins!
His ears folded back as he stopped, frowning. "But... But I thought we were friends..." When Luka only kept walking, Akbar hurried after him. "You SAVED me, you HELPED me! And.. And I made those hyenas go away just by being around! And..." He didn't get more out, as pain exploded across his temple. Falling on the hard rock, Akbar squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them, only to find the blue-striped lion looming over him.
His lips curled back in a snarl as he planted a paw on the gray lion's face, claws extended. "I do NOT need friends! I helped you to save MY skin from those damn hyenas!" He gave a snarl, raking his claws, before turning and stalking away. The shuffle of paws as Akbar pushed himself up, though, made Luka turn, ears back. "STAY DOWN, BRAT."
Trembling, the younger lion only stood up fully. "But... I thought..." He took a tentative step forward, then stopped, noting the anger in the other lion's eyes. He was crossing a line he didn't know existed, and backing up may not help. Or would it? He began to back up, only for the other lion to advance... And then sprint. His head was still swimming from the blow as he tried to run, only for new pain to explode on his side.
There was no mercy for somebody clearly too stupid and trustworthy to save his own skin. When Luka finally walked away, he left a broken and bloody lion. One skill he'd clearly not taught Akbar was how to fight, and if he'd learned any fighting skills in his precious Ukuucha... They weren't good enough against the deep blue lion.
Through the pain, one gold eye slid open, as the young adult watched the other leave. When he was finally out of sight, despite everything aching, he forced himself up and began to walk. There was a pride near by... Surely it wasn't TOO far... He'd reach it, and beg them to let him recover there... And then he'd go after Luka... Or... No, he'd pray some god exacted revenge on him. Just... Not right now, he had to focus on reaching civilized lions.