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 Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2007 7:57 pm
A lioness in red paced down an old game trail. Behind her, the Pridelands she'd left behind. Before her, the desert that was her destination. Well... eventually.
Actually, right now, Baala was behind her, sleeping in a sheltered little spot they'd found. Before her was really a small watering hole, much like the others they'd passed in their travels, and she was on her way for a drink of water while her companion was safely tucked away.
While cream-tipped paws patted gently into the dirt, her mind wandered. Baala... the sweet little thing. Despite her recent trauma, she was still warm and caring, willing to follow the jaded princess to the ends of the Earth, if Kiuma chose to go there. But... how long would that last? Even now, she suspected that Baala's 'healthy glow' was due less to excercise and good eating than to a side-effect of her beating. The younger lioness hadn't told her what all happened... had avoided the subject like the plague.
What would Baala do when she realized she was carrying cubs? Would this fledgling love die before it even stretched its wings? Kiuma sighed as a scowl settled onto her face, an expression she fought to keep from Baala. So lost was she in her thoughts that she paid little attention to her surroundings, trudging onward.
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Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2007 8:14 pm
There was more than just a watering hole before her - there was a watering hole complete with a handsome male taking a bath! At least, he thought he was handsome, and most females would agree. He'd left a trail of of pleased lionesses and broken hearts - and cubs! - behind him over the years, and had no intentions of ever taking up another way of life. This one worked just fine for him, thank you!
Al-Hattal was in the habit of keeping himself clean and well-groomed, since there was never any telling when you'd run into a lovely lady. Today was bath day, and he shook water from his heavy mane once he'd lifted his head from the pool.
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Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2007 8:27 pm
Idly annoyed at the itch in her cheeks, Kiuma let her head hang low as she paced, sleek muscle rolling under her fur. At least it was a good itch... her new scars were healing.
Tossing her head to settle her bone necklace round her neck, she stepped free of the tall grass at last to behold the watering hole she'd been searching for, only to find... a male, in it already. Instantly, her scowl deepened and she came to a halt, jerking her head up to glare at the black figure that so offended her gaze. Males... untrustworthy, lying scoundrels, the lot of them. And now... there was one in her watering hole! (well, not hers, but still...)
She supressed a growl as she changed course to settle in the grass by the shore, stretching out her muscled form to wait for him to finish and be gone. She didn't like being away from Baala... But forced to be patient for a time, she settled for appearing to nap while studying the male from the corners of her ruby eyes.
Well... at least it was a nice day. The sun was warm on her fur, and the grass made a nice 'couch' to rest on. She anticipated the water that would soon soothe her dry throat, but there was time enough for that later.
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Posted: Sat Dec 08, 2007 11:02 am
For once, he didn't take immediate notice when a lioness came close. He was turned the other way, and focused on getting clean. He was done soon enough, though, and trudged out of the water. After a good shake and a moment for his mane to settle back into proper order, he finally turned around to discover the most pleasant of surprises - a pretty lioness, having a nap on the opposite shore! He was, of course, immediately interested, but waking a lady from her slumber was no way to make a first impression, and so he settled where he stood.
Looking like a stalker-creep was no way to make a first impression either, and so he lay down his head and let his eyes slide half-closed. He'd just wait for her to wake up! It was sure to work, as long as he didn't actually fall asleep.
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Posted: Sat Dec 08, 2007 4:01 pm
The 'pretty lioness' was far from actualy asleep... She watched him under her eyelids as he settled, dropping his head to his paws. Drat... so, he wasn't going to move off as she'd hoped. Well, that certainly wasn't going to stop her from getting the drink she wanted! Kiuma was no meerkat, to hide from what she found unpleasant.
Only when he seemed truly settled did she lift her head, bright red eyes opening to look over the black male before she rose to her paws. With smooth, hunt-trained steps, she padded down to the water and crouched, lowering her head to lap up the water she'd come for. She chose now to ignore him, concentrating instead on her task, a flick of her own black-tipped tail dismissing him from her mind.
And as he faded, her old worry rose up again. What was she going to do with Baala? Shifting her weight from paw to paw, she let the work of her muscles help to dispell some of her tension.
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Posted: Sat Dec 08, 2007 4:16 pm
Eyes closed so that he appeared to be asleep, he relied on sound. Though his ears were kept carefully relaxed, he didn't hear the huntress move...but he heard her lap at the water. Slowly, so that it didn't seem feigned - which it was - Al-Hattal stirred. Forelegs stretched lazily, and black eyes blinked open. Then, in mid-yawn, he finally 'noticed' her.
Quite the actor, he managed to look surprised, cutting off his yawn. It was rude, after all! With a polite dip of his head, he offered, "Hello, Ma'am."
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Posted: Sat Dec 08, 2007 4:40 pm
A flick of soft, round ears caught the voice when it floated to her and Kiuma's head rose quickly, drops of water sparkling as they fell from her chin. Red eyes narrowed as she flicked her eyes over to the speaker, the black lion who had seemed to be napping. His awakening act was lost on her, which was probably good... she wouldn't have given it the true appreciation that it deserved. Poor jaded princess...
"Hello." She murmured back, a flick of her tail given. She didn't have time for this... not when she still hadn't found an idea. She couldn't help noticing, though, that he was the blackest lion she had ever seen... not a hint of any other color on him. It was almost eery... Even Baala wasn't totally black, with her eye-catching yellow backstripe.
"Excuse me for intruding. I hope I havn't invaded your territory."
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Posted: Sat Dec 08, 2007 5:26 pm
"Territory? Oh no, not at all!" Al-Hattal assured her, giving his forelegs another stretch before sitting up. "I'm just a rogue." He was actually honest when it came to some things - it made the lies all the more convincing. "Though I hope I haven't impinged?"
She hadn't sounded sarcastic, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
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Posted: Sat Dec 08, 2007 5:44 pm
Kiuma lifted one brow at the mention of being a rogue. She could remember a time when she'd hated rogues, considering them the scum of the world. Now? Her dislike had shifted to males in general. Rogues weren't all bad, really. Baala was a rogue after all.
"Don't be silly." She said as she turned, glancing back the way she had come. "Do I look like I live here? I come from a place far better than here." She smiled, though it wasn't exactly a kind smile. "I'm only passing through, and stopped for a drink."
She eyed him as he stretched, wondering briefly what brought him here, and if it was anything like what had brought her.
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Posted: Sat Dec 08, 2007 5:50 pm
Well, that hadn't worked very well, had it? Evidently she was a proud one, and a testy one too. He found himself reminded a little of Alcyone, the cheetah who thoguht herself a princess...but not quite so naive, if that smile was any indication. "My apologies then, Lady - I meant no offense."
"If I might ask, where are you from?" It was asked with an idle curiosity, for the sake of conversation, not nosiness.
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Posted: Sat Dec 08, 2007 6:08 pm
Lifting her head with a sudden burst of homeland-pride, Kiuma smiled again. "The Pridelands. It was my parent's pride, and my sister rules there now." She might not spend much time there, but she still considered it her home, of sorts. And she would always take pride in the fact that she was born and raised there. It was a fine place, the finest of any she had seen, in her opinion.
"And you? Where are rogues born?" Okay, so maybe she should have left by now, but it was hard to break the old habit, feeling it leak out in the form of a condescending tone. She did so like to torture prey animals... and non-prey, to an extent. She just hadn't done it in a while, and she wondered briefly what Baala would think of that side of her.
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Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2007 3:45 pm
That smile looked a great deal more genuine than the last. It begged the question: if the Pridelands made her happy, then why was she out here? And if her parents had ruled, and her sister did now, she was surely some kind of nobility. Why would she leave that kind of life? Knowing better than to ask, he filed those thoughts away as little clues to this lioness' nature.
"Everywhere," he answered, "But this one? From a desert far to the north." Al-Hattal thought very little about his past, as the eighth son of the leader of a desert tribe. Being so far removed from the succession, he hadn't lost much of anything in leaving.
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Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2007 6:30 pm
That last bit perked her ears and she flexed her claws, feeling the ground against them. "Ah, the Desert... my current destination, actually. And I assume, from your words, that you aren't part of the great pride there... and not with that coat either, when most of them are red."
She'd always admired that pride, even as a young cub. She was excited to really find the pride she'd only heard stories of... But that time wasn't now, and she had a male before her now that she had to deal with before she could return to Baala.
"What's your name, stranger? And where are you going?"
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Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2007 9:05 pm
"The Firekin? Oh no - I'm from much farther north than that." He chuckled a bit, shaking his head. "As you noticed, I could never hope to pass for one them...fine by me, really, I prefer to be on my own anyway." She was on her way, though? Very interesting...she could pass.
"Al-Hattal," the male answered. "And I'm not going anywhere, not really. I just wander."
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Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2007 9:32 pm
Kiuma tilted her head as she thought about that. She'd never heard of lions living farther north than the Firekin... For that matter, she'd never heard of any making a home in that brutal place besides that pride...
"Mmm... of course." She murmured, non-committal. No, that gleaming black would stand out in a place where the sun beat down like a falling rock. Even the two Firekin she'd seen, while being dark, had still been red...
Bright red eyes flickered over him as a thought occured to her, stemming from the similarity between Al-Hattal and Baala. The pair of lionesses could never hope to have cubs by the other... nature didn't work that way. The closest they could get would be a male that looked close enough, and the cubs raised to think of the other female as surrogate 'father'.
If she'd been looking for such a male... this one would have suited her just fine... And Baala was having cubs, even if she didn't know it...
Kiuma's smile changed now as she brought her full attention to Al-Hattal, perking rounded ears.
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