Zaphod:
Zaphod had been adjusting to life in the desert slowly. He still spent a lot of his time in the shade. Whatever source he could find. A rock, tall grass, or along the side of a dune. His paws started to thicken up towards the heat of the sands, and his eyes started to squint instinctively towards the glare of the mid-day sun off the sand.
He woke himself up early, and as always, reported to the front of the cave to await his mistress. Coat groomed as best he could manage and posture corrected so he looked as strong as she expected him to be.
Kenna:
Kenna on the other hand was more than use to the climate; in fact, she was having a lovely day so far. She'd groomed herself down to perfection and had even managed to win the battle of wills agains Azula that morning - she'd managed to paint a mole on her other side.... even if it'd be gone in 0.2 seconds after leaving, the female firekin felt uttterly acomplised.
Thus was why for once, Kenna stepped out of the den with a soft smile upon her maw. It was mildly out of character, and actualy made her look sweet. Quite the feat. Spotting her slave (whom was more her 'b***h' and 'punching bag' in a way than her actual 'slave'), she padded over to him, "I expect you got a good rest?" after all, a servant whom wasn't rested, was no good at all.
Zaphod:
"My respute was decent enough." He answered plainly, eyeing her for the strange expression she carried this morning. At times he felt himself growing attatched to her, other times he felt himself watching her every move, far too suspicious of the princess to turn his back to her.
Per usal, however, he answered her question with one of his own, "And you?"
Kenna:
"Well enough," it was an answer to both his statement and his question, as she sat beside him with a firm nod; oh, she was in a good mood today. Her slave was rested, he was groomed, SHE was groomed, Azula was simetric, even if for just a while and there was no sight of the bane of her OCD - Sinbad. Life was good today. Unlike most of her litter (Azula aside), Kenna was actualy rather pleasent to her slave. She did not harm him, and only when he really mucked up did she growl or glare - a healthy slave was an effective slave, after all. All in all, Zap was actualy in better hands than he would have been in any of her sibbling's ones.
"Shall we hunt then, today?" even if all they could hunt were rats, mice and maybe a rabbit, due to their size, it was still practice.
Zaphod:
Zaphod nodded and turned himself to groom at Kenna's back. It was the single hardest place to reach aside from one's face and he was expected to make sure that she was far better groomed than the rest of her littermates, afterall she was his responsability.
Once he was certain he had managed to get her fur laid down evenly and cleaned off of the dust from her cave he rose to his paws and glanced out towards the long grass. "I scented a hare this morning. If we're lucky she has pups in her den."
Kenna:
As the male reached back to groom her, Kenna placed herself in further favorable position for him to do so; while he was expected to groom her, she was expected to make the task at least somewhat easier on him. What good would it do to make it hard? All it'd acomplish is for him to do a lesser task, which would mean she'd have to hiss at him over it, and tell truth, for once, the princess wasn't remotedly in the mood today.
"We shall hunt them down then, and make Mother and Father proud," she rose when he'd finished and licked her paw, grooming her face a couple of strokes before nodding towards him. Rather than allow him to do the hunting, Kenna was rather used to actualy hunting WITH him. She despised the way some firekin waved their slaves and made them hunt. It made the firekin weak. Weak.... weak mongrels, she thought with a snort, "Show me the way."
Zaphod:
"This way." He turned and started walking himself towards the grass, his posture hunched over a bit more as he went, paws lifting up higher to make his steps a bit more silent. He knew better than to scare off the prey before they had a chance to it.
He led her to a small stone stretching over a thin patch of dry grass and long-dead brush. It was enough of a vantage point for them to see down into the grass. Sure enough, there were rabbit trails leading through it.
Kenna:
"Very well," she padded after him, just a pace behind him, allowing him to lead the way. Even the way she padded seemed to exude haughtyness. As far as she was concerned, she was better than the rest of the fireking, family excluded. The rest were not even worth her time; how the might had fallen, she thought to herself with a sneer.
As soon as they reached the grass, her claws unsheated and she took adopted a similar pose; hunting was above ranks. Slaves and masters were expected to do so the same way in order to be efficient. Settling herself near Zap, she crouched into the grass. She spoke not but she turned her head towards him. The messague aimed at him was clear though silent; Is the mother inside the den?
Zaphod:
Zaphod narrowed his eyes and slowed his breathing. He didn't even have to look to know the question. He gave a simple and slow nod of his head and pressed forward. Hares always had another exit. He could flush them out towards the front towards the waiting Kenna. It was routene enough.
The blue cub moved through the grass slowly, pausing now and then. Eventually he reached the back of the burrow and took a long sniff. They were in there alright. A mother hare and three newborns.
He lifted his head to give a short nod before he began digging furiously at the back of the den, growling and making all sorts of noise. It just might be enough.
Kenna:
Allowing the other cub to leave her side, the young firekin remain hidding in the grass; the only tell tale signal that she was in tension, the twitching of her muscles under her pelt, somewhere near her hind less. A flick of Zap's ear indicated the fact there were kits inside the burrow, even before he looked at her, and she moved her head almost barely before crawling nearer. Just near enough she'd manage a pounce, but far enough her scent would not give her away.
Now, it was time to see if the mother would fall for it; she waited with narrowed red eyes as Zap made a comotion around the den's back entrance.
Zaphod:
Zaphod continued scratching and eventually biting at the dirt until he could see inside. The mother was standing over the litter, wide-eyed with her ears pressed back. He gave a snarl and swiped a paw in towards her. The hare snapped her head to one side and bit down onto his paw, earning a loud yelp from the cub. However, that seemed to be enough and the hare turned to bolt from the den. Damnable vermen!
Kenna:
The yelp was a tell tale of the fact the hare had attacked; and softly, Kenna could not refrain the snarl that bubled inside her chest. How DARE it touch her slave!
Instead of allowing the fury to take over, the firekin princess pressed it back, burrying it for a moment or two as she waited for the hare to emerge. Which it did, eventualy; it'd abandoned it's young, no doubt figuring that if she survived, she'd see the light of another day and be able to create another litter - if she died, they all died. Her children were a sacrifice she was willing to make. Of course, what the hare did not know, was that the alrge red cub was waiting on the other side of the den. As soon as it bolted, Kenna jumped, landing upon the animal.
Granted the plan had been to let it escape and grab the kits only, but now that it'd hurt Zap, the need to make the animal suffer was large.
She rolled with the hare, bitting at it clawing at her eyes, and then eventualy hooking her maw around the creatures maw, wishing to suffocate it, her claws digging into it's pelt. Perhaps she was strong enough to supress it.
Zaphod:
Zaphod soon emerged from the grass as well, his maw wrinkled in an outraged snarl at having been bitten by a hare. one of his toes was bleeding a bit from the bite, which only infuriated him more.
He lunged out and clamped his jaws around one of the hare's legs, restraining it enough for Kenna to finish her work on the little b*****d.
Kenna:
The animal stiffened and died eventualy, the death long and painful; suffocation was one of the worst ways to go, but Kenna thought the vermin deserved it for marring her slave. HER slave; it had dared to touch him! There was no doubt the possesive tone of her thoughts would eventualy lead to trouble if another lion ever lay a paw on Zap, but for now, it didn't matter.
Releasing the aninal, and fury calmed, the princess turned to gaze at the wound, "Hmmm.... it's not deep," she gave it a lick to clean it and take a better look; he'd live, "Grab the kits. It'd be a waste to leave them behind. They can serve to feed a cub. We'll find some plant to use on your wound on the way back," this said she grabbed the mother and began to drag it back. She'd show Father. She'd show them all.
Zaphod:
Zaphod nodded and bent his head to lick at the bite on his paw once more. It wasn't deep but it was still something that was painfully annoying. Without a further word, the young male returned to the den to scoop out the kits one by one, still squirming and crying out for their now dead mother. He steeled his mind against it, carrying the little newborns one by one back to their cave. This was life. Firekin or not- any lion would have done the same thing. Food was food, without it they grew weak. Kenna wouldn't have weakness.
Upon his third return, however, the cub froze and dropped the still squeeling kit. His head flipped back, eyes widened and rolled back as his body twitched a bit. He made sounds as if he was shivering, starring up at the sky for a few moments.
"Th-they're marching. Two flames... old and new. The exile returns... two armies...."
Eventually he slumped forward once more, panting and looking down at his paws. All the sudden he didn't feel so good.
Kenna:
Any predator would have done so; it was a greater foul against nature to waste food than to kill. Firekin, and any other lion would kill to eat; they would not waste food, nor would Kenna ever take more than she needed to grow strong and healthy. The ways of life, regardless of pride or customs were firmly imprinted within her mind. Food was food. Life was life. THe hare and the kits had to die for her to survive another day. It was the law.
She watched as the blue cub picked up the kits and brought them towards her however, before fetching the thrid, something strange happened. Kenna knew better than to think it was a joke on Zap's part. After all, her slave was well taught, and despite how young they were, both she and him were serious; downright morbid at times. Instead of commenting, the firekin princess princess arched a brow and listened to the words. They made no sense to her...
Politics were not something she understood; she was still too young, however, she made note of the words and would tell her father, later what she'd heard. Something told her it was of importance.
Releasing the hare from the death grip of her maw, the young red female marched towards where Zap lay, lowering her head to sniff at his head, "I did not know you could do that," he needed a grooming, but she figured she did too. They'd take care of that at the den. For now... she was going to keep this little secret to herself. It would not do for others to know what her slave and toy was capable of, "Pick up the cubs; I'll carry the large one."
Zaphod:
Zaphod nodded slowly and moved a paw over his head, rubbing at one of his temples roughly. He'd only done it once before, and he'd been alone. It wasn't something he could explain. Even his own words confused him, it was always somewhat of a riddle what he saw. There were faces, locations, events but they were only crisp during the 'sight'. Afterwards it was like trying to remember a dream in the early moments of waking.
Swearing under his breath at the throbbing in his head, he dipped down and picked up the kit to follow after Kenna.
Kenna:
She was not about to reveal Zap's condition; not only would it mean that perhaps, he'd be taken from her (and it was safe to say she was extremely possesive of that what was hers), but he'd end up worse for wears. She didn't particularly care what happened to him, except... she did. In a way. It was a hard emotion to explain, and the princess did not dwell on it. All what she knew was that talking of such incidents would eventualy lead to both drama and trouble, and though she had a taste for trouble, it was when she was causing it, not when others were causing it for her.
Dragging the large hare with difficulty, she paused only momentarily to look up with glimering red eyes, "You shall not tell others of this.... incident. You shall avoid talk of any other related incidents, to anyone but myself, unless you wish to attract trouble to yourself, which I know you to be smart enough not to."
Zaphod:
Zaphod lowered his head to drop the kit down among the others, both his ears had lowered to press against his skull. The light off the sand alone was murder. It normally took a while to get over the headache that the visions brought. "As you wish..." He said simply, dipping his head slightly.
An ear rolled around as another pair of voices chimed in. It wasn't unexpected.
Sinbad:
"I don't know where she went!" Sinbad growled, throwing a paw out in an attempt to slap Mwali's heavy paw from his tail. "I was just chaising down breakfast! See!" He opened his mouth and stuck his tongue out, exposing the remains of a few crickets and grasshoppers stuck between his back teeth.
Mwali:
"You are in charge of them....", Mwali growled sharply and dragged the cub in closer.
Mwali:
Mwali paused in his scolding and slowly glanced over as Kenna approached. Sinbad offered his sister a sheepish grin from his belly, all four paws had sprawled out to hang onto the sand just to make his 'punishment' a bit more difficult. "Ah.... I see." He looked down at the hare and smiled a bit, "Quite the huntress. A full grown hare." He jerked on Sinbad's tail and lifted him up off the ground to dangle above the rabbit. "Do you see? Why is it you bring only insects back when your other siblings can manage this? Even the slave has returned with a kill...."
Sinbad:
Kenna:
Sinbad fidgeted nerviously and looked down over the hare. Well the thing was almost as big as they were! That's why! But he'd never tell that to their father. "Uh.... I've been feeling a little sick lately. My nose is all stuffed up, I can't smell like--"
Mwali:
"Excuses." Mwali growled and dropped the cub off to one side. "Very good work, Kenna. You may enjoy the spoils of your hunt....Sinbad." He sent a sharp glare over a shoulder, "I'm going out to hunt for your mother. You keep an eye on the others. If one of them so much as sets a paw out of the boundries it'll be your hide."
Sinbad:
"I can do it!" He sat himself up and tossed his head back, "No one disobeys me! They'll be have."
Sinbad:
Mwali snorted and got to his feet, offering Kenna a somewhat effectionate lick to the top of her head. "Behave yourself. I shouldn't be long..."
Sinbad:
Zaphod dipped his head and remained silent until the red giant had faded off into the distance. He slowly dropped his mouthful down on the ground and glanced over towards his 'mistress' for dismissal, if it was granted.
Kenna:
: "Thank you, father," she nodded her head, only arching a brow as Sinbad was dangled over her kill; oh for the love of the great goddess! When was he going to learn! Getting through the boy's thick skull was almost as imposible as clawing through a turtle's shell! And it gave her a headache, to boot, whenever she so much as tried to get him to understand what it is he needed to do to stand out.
Oh, he stood out well enough, just not in the right way. Then again, out of the litter, it was safe to say that Kenna was only really attatched to Azula and Sinbad. Not like she'd mention this outloud, alas, and granted, she'd help any of them in a time of trouble. Blood was thicker than water after all, but still.
Even though her Father had set the task upon Sinbad's shoulder, Kenna rolled her eyes and made note to spend the morning watching out after the rest, figuring the scruffy male would inevitably get distracted with something or other, "I will, Father," and with that, she allowed herself to gaze up at him calmly, a small purr at the lick; it was a great reward for her.
As soon as Mwali was gone, she turned towards Zap, padding over to him, sniffing at the slave's fur, "Hmmm... I don't believe you've got a fever," pausing a moment she pressed her forehead to his and wrinkled her nose, "No, it's just wearyness," lfting her head up, she looked at the small babies they'd brought along before nodding, "You may retire now; take the kits with you. Feed on them when you're feeling better, and check back with me when the .... aftermath of the hunting trip has faded," then she sat down with her own kill and ripped into it without another word.
Zaphod:
Zaphod nodded apprecitively, "Thank you... and I will." He never really spoke much. There wasn't a whole lot that needed to be said anyway. He had a meal and some rest ahead of him to attend to and the family matters of his mistress were hardly any of his concern.
Without a glance to either of them, Zaphod collected his kill once more and walked himself back to his thicket to rest.
Sinbad:
Sinbad had his shoulders hunched up and was flicking his tail from side to side sharply, glaring at Zaphod as he walked himself off. How come he brought back food!? Grasshoppers should count. He caught tons of them.
Rather than explain the situation, Sinbad simply looked away and distracted himself by picking some of his 'breakfast' out from between his teeth. Certainly not the most charming of the litter by any means...
Kenna:
Oh for the love of...
Letting out a sigh, Kenna ripped a large chunk of food and tossed it directly at Sinbad, aiming to hit him square in the face, "Straighten up, add more grace to your pose and stop picking your teeth," a pause, "And for the love of GOD, stop bringing insects back! Try to catch something that has a brain bigger than a spec of dust, Sinbad. Next time we go hunt, you're coming with us," even if this would inevitably... doom the hunt. It'd be worth it in the long run.
"I'll stay with you," it was an indirect mention that she'd keep guard with him; even though some of their sibblings mocked Sinbad, none of them (as far as she knew) dared mock Kenna. Not only was she the first born, but she'd shown more than once her worth in a rough and tumble battle.
Sinbad:
Sinbad looked over just in time to catch the bloody chunk of meet slapping his face. He sat motionless and let the meat slide from his face down onto the ground. Once they were visable again, his mismatched eyes had narrowed. He took a moment to lick his maw off and wipe the rest of his face on his shoulder. "I don't need your help. I'm strong enough just fine! I just...." He looked to either side of him. "...I just like how bugs taste. Yeah." No, not really. The chunk on the ground was far more appitizing than any mouthful of crickets, but his pride was one thing that he had inherrited from his parents.
"Just watch. When my mane starts coming in, I'll be the strongest. I'll even beat up Afzal. That'll show him..." He slumped again and starred at the meat, struggling between a growling gut and his inflated ego. No one else was watching right?
Kenna:
"I never said you're not strong, Sinbad," the words were growled softly as she looked at him, "You'd probably be able to take me out on a fight; I'd bet my life on that, but only if you focus! Your problem is you have the attention span of an insect. If you'd focus, you'd outdo the rest of the litter. Some of our sibblings have a stick too far up their arses to give a damn, while the rest don't even care.... and the remaining ones actualy WANT you to succeed."
She let out a sigh and left her kill to drop by his side, "Afzal has a stick too far up his tail to even know what's good for him - has he been picking you again?" a pause, her eyes narrowing, "Or were you doing the picking on this time?" she turned her head, force grooming her sibbling behind his ear, "I demand you eat that food and grow strong. Now. Don't you want Father to be proud of you?"
Sinbad:
"...Afzal caught me talking to myself again." He admitted, slumping further into his shoulders. Kenna and perhaps Azula where the only ones he'd openly admit to much of his strange behavior to. Afzal was another guy. As much as Sinbad respected the...well more morbid of the males in the litter, he was still someone that posed as a challange. The famales were their own 'class' in his mind. He had to be the best son! Had to.
"Pa is proud of me right? That's why he's like that. That's what I think anyway." He picked up the chunk she'd thrown at him originally and pretty much wolfed it down. "Ma says that we're gonna save the old ways. I bet that's why. We're gonna get trained hard later too."
