"Come on!"
A petite tan lioness lightly growled at the large black male that trailed her, coercing him to continue walking. Though she was small, it was apparent that she was determined to stand just as tall as he was. "If you keep this up, I'm just going to leave you here. Geez, and I thought you were strong enough to never complain."
The male grumbled, obviously looking less than pleased that the female was teasing him. He hated to be teased. "I'm walking, Momo, what else do you want me to do?"
"Walk faster! I'm getting tired myself, but I think we're getting close to somewhere!" she called after him, her tail swishing behind her playfully.
Muttering to himself, the male shook his head. "Going nowhere fast." The pair weren't completely sure where they were, but it was obvious that it was a home to some. There were worn i n marks on the ground, and only an idiot would realize when they crossed into another's lands. Momo had ignored it, but Dath knew better than that. He didn't quite trust the area, and thus felt his protective instincts take over. If only she didn't run ahead blindly, she'd realize what trouble they could be getting themselves in.
Trouble it could certainly be, especially on such a hostile pride's lands. Given the circumstances, some members of the pride could be more hostile than usual, some could be less. They needed members, which led some to believe a kinder tone would be beneficial to their cause. Others saw it the opposite - less members meant less security, and it was better to treat outsiders with a harsh paw.
Luckily enough, the pair had stumbled close to someone who liked to judge her situations as they presented themselves. She knew her blue ghost would be not so far behind and thus she never feared much of anything at all. She saw them approaching, two dots on the horizon at first, as she lay curled calmly atop her rock. She watched them as they came closer and closer, her ears soon pickering up the sounds of bickering, and a slow smile curled across her mug. Not hostile, at least.
"Surely by now you've realized you're trespassing?" she called out calmly, pushing herself up into a sitting position, head rising a fraction as she stared across at them. She spoke only loudly enough for them to hear, but didn't make any motion to get closer.
Dath's ears picked up to voice a split moment sooner, and he glowered, angry at the fact that they had been caught, and at the fact that his mate still didn't seem to care. She was foolish, and he only wished that she would stop running into everything head first.
Momo, on the other hand, perked her head up, looking for the voice that had called out to them. "Oh!" There they were! She lingered near Dath, but didn't seem phased at all with what was going on. "We didn't know!" she said brightly.
"I did," Dath said, pushing Momo gently to the side with his shoulder, facing the stranger. "My mate did not, though. She had a kind heart, but not the brains to match, I'm afraid."
Momo huffed, but she didn't say anything, only glaring at the back of Dath's head like she could harm him just with a look. See if she let him have any fun later!
Ashiki's jaw tightened slightly, probably too minimally to notice, at the bright response from the female. It wasn't exactly in her to be too appreciative of happy, overly pleasant responses. She was more than pleased when the darker male stepped forward, her smirk curling wider at the bickering between them.
"No need for such talk," she said with an amused chuckle, waving her paw about in a dismissive way. Oh, but she did love to see such things. She pushed herself to her feet, giving her body a good stretch as she did so, then turned her bright eyes to look down at them. "I suppose I should at least let you know where you are, for starters." Everyone familiar with the area should know their name, but somehow, she supsected their legacy was fading quickly. "You're in the Awatupa'Viwanja lands, the Outlands."
Momo's ears twitched as the strange words settled into her mind. She wasn't completely certain where this place was...but then, she never really paid attention to the lands around her. They wandered for a time, and keeping track of where they were and where they were going just seemed silly.
Dath, on the other hand, had kept track. And while he knew little of the lands, he didn't know much else than where they were in proximity to other lands. He didn't know a soul that wandered that didn't know at least of the Pridelands. Those had to be nearby if they were in the 'outlands'.
The black lion nodded his head, the striped tan one looking in his drection for clarification. "I do know of, but nothing else." He sighed through his nose, hinting to Momo that she shouldn't speak yet. She didn't notice.
"Ooooh. Well," she turned to the stranger-lioness. "We aplogozie." She bowed. "We don't know where we are, just wandering."
Dath sighed, irritated. "Rogues," he clarified.
Ashiki's jaw tightened lightly again at the response. She feared that response. Their numbers were small, for sure, and they would grow smaller if something soon didn't happen, but it wasn't very comforting to hear from rogues that their reputation didn't even make them well known any longer. She was sure if she mentioned the pridelands, that bubbly little lioness would tell her all about the wretched lions. That thought simply made her narrow her eyes and grind her teeth.
She stepped down from her boulder slowly, tail flickering behind her as she let the thoughts roll over in her head, smirk fallen from her maw and replaced with a more somber look. "Very well," she said finally, liftering her head again to peer at them, "so long as you are in the lands, know that we hold everyone to our rules. Rogues and members alike. Punishment for breaking them is not often light." She put emphasis on the word, just so they would understand. They were often referred to as hostile for a good reason.
Dath didn't like the direction that the lioness' attitude took. What had been wrong? It seemed like the answer he had given was incorrect, but he had no idea what the correct answer would be. He didn't dare say more than he knew, as he didn't want to get caught in a web of lies.
Momo caught the change, too. She started to shy a little, not certain if this was the best idea. "S-sorry," she said, offering a bobbing of her head in a mimic of respect. She shifted close to Dath's side, feeling comfort in the muscles that rippled underneath him. He was upset, and she quickly knew that if she didn't take charge of this, Dath was going to get over the edge and lose control. That was the last thing that needed to happen now.
She let her tail brush against him a bit before taking one step forward of him. "It....it would be a pleasure to know the basic rules before we stumble over ourselves and perhaps break one. We wouldn't wish that when it was my fault we cam eo deeply into lands controled by a pride such as this." She tried to sound in awe, since it was obvious that they had insulted her in some way, even if she went more somber than angry about it.
The sudden change in their demeanor was easy to notice. The male quit talking and handed the reigns back over to the female - not exactly Ashiki's favorite outcome of this situation. At least she wasn't pure sunshine this time, even if she wasn't exactly appreciative of false flattery.
"Very well," she said with a little nod, flickering her tail. "First and foremost, hybrids are strictly forbidden and will be killed upon sight." She threw a glance over at the pair, then shrugged her shoulders lightly. "Not that either of you are hybrids, or would produce such abominations." She sat slowly then, picking up a paw to eye her claws as she spoke, as if inspecting them. "Any marriage, or as you rogues call it, mating, within our lands is binding. There is a heavy penalty if one so much as thinks about breaking it," she glanced up, then, as if to get her point across, "and any couple who has cubs will be forced into a marriage. No ifs ands or butts." With a slight shrug, she placed her paw back upon the ground, "other than that, you know, it's simply the usual. Respect your elders, behave, and so on."
She let her tail flicker behind her as she watched them, brows raised lightly. She still wasn't too sure what their intentions were here yet, but she supposed she'd find out soon enough.
Momo's ears rolled back to lie flat on her skull. She didn't quite agree with the hybrids thing, but she didn't think it was anything to mention. She was full of love and such, but that didn't mean that she expected everyone to be like her. She nodded her understanding.
Dath grunted. This was stupid, but at least it wasn't anything foolish to follow. Instead, he quite agreed with everything. Not that he cared that much.
"Simple enough," he mentioned.
"Ummm," the small lioness mumbled, feeling a little more nervous now, since....well, the other lioness did seem intimidating. "Thank you. We were hoping for a place to rest for a while, since we tire of wandering. Would this...be possible?"
Dath growled, but he didn't voice his opposition. He was worried that his mate was exerting herself too much on these trips, even if she never mentioned it. Foolish girl, never paying attention to anything.
Well, she had to admit that the girl was a little more brave than some rogues who entered their lands. She supposed it might have more to do with the fact of who intercepted them, though. She guessed that if it were Sukari or Moo, they might have changed their mind the instant they stepped foot on Outlands soil.
"Very well," she said, brows raised, smirk curling over her lips once more. Surprises never did stop these days. She pushed herself slowly to her feet and nodded in the direction of the termite mounds, just present on the horizon. "Though I might mention that not all of our pridemembers are quite as hospitable as I am," she said, though she thought that was probably quite the heavy understatement. Not to mention she wasn't the most gracious of hosts herself.
"Alright," Momo nodded slightly, but as she wasn't sure what else to say, she sunk back to stand next to Dath.
Dath on the other hand, sent a small glare at the lioness. The warning was fair in warrent, but he certainly would defend the two of them if it was needed. Oddly enough that they were so hostile, but then he himself hadn't known what they had walked into. Perhaps it was merely to weed out the week ones. His tail twitched at this thought, but he kept it to himself. They would linger, and he would be able to discover if he was right, or wrong.
"We'll take care of ourselves," he said. "You've warned us of your highest rules, and also of what he have to expect." He figured this had to be a test of some kind, and he wasn't about to lose. Even if it meant putting them in risk of harm. "You'll find out that we are more than we seem to be, if you keep your eyes on us." Momo wasn't a formidable lioness, but she was an excellent hunter. He didn't think he would need to prove himself, confident as he was. He arched his head in a defiant pose, waiting to see what she would reply with.
She watched the reactions between them, her face calm, not truly expressing any sort of emotion other than the clear calculation. She was judging them, that was certain, but only because she was unsure if they would be of use yet. If they were just going to rest and leave, well, what use did the pride have for them? However, if they stayed, that was two more members, and perhaps cubs in the near future. That she could most certainly use.
"It was just a warning," she said with a smirk, watching the dark lion for a few moments more, "some of my pride members take offense easily, and are quite outspoken." She threw a glance over at the lioness, then glanced back up towards the male. She didn't particularly think the female would take kindly to having someone like Niruzu mouth off at her, and she really didn't feel like having to intervene on the mouthy male's behalf again. Easier if everyone just knew the deal beforehand.
"Before we go, would you mind terribly giving me your names?"
Momo's tail twitched. It seemed like she...needed to know how to wrap her own emotions better. While she wasn't exactly angry, she had grown quite apprehensive, and her mind drew a blank on what to do. It was an odd sensation, and one she didn't want to repeat. Since Dath seemed more in control of everything than her, she let him speak for the two of them. The lioness seemed to respect him more than her....something that bothered her, but not enough to mention it now, or later.
Dath nodded. "Dath, and this is Momo," he said, nodding his head towards his mate. "Perhaps we should know of your name, in case problems arise in the near future about us trespassing." It made sense to him; it was obvious who she was, with the way she said 'my pride members'. She was a leader, if not the leader. Interesting if she was the leader, as he wasn't use to females purely leading; she must have to strength to do it if so.
She nodded at the names, filing them away for knowledge later. Not that it would particularly matter if anyone else saw them entering the mounds with her, her word was essentially the last. As long as she trusted them enough, that was all it took. She didn't think they'd truly be a problem, and closer to the mounds, she had multiple lions to contain them if she truly needed it. Especially with Sukari's cubs there - she was likely to be extremely suspicious of any rogues. Well, Ashiki hoped that little situation wouldn't be too much of a problem.
"A pleasure," she purred out, lashing her tail behind her as she turned to look towards the termite mounds once more. Maybe Chrno had done her a favor and gone ahead of them to alert the lions at home, though she doubted it. He seemed to be overly protective. "My name is Ashiki," she said with a nod, "Queen of the Outlands." If they hadn't realized she had some form of power here by now, they were imbeciles in her opinion. She'd dropped enough hints.
"Shall we?" She turned and nodded towards the termite mounds again, then began to walk in that direction.
Dath let the name stick to his own memory, knowing that it would be important to remember. He was sure that he wouldn't forget, though. He always enjoyed a little harassing, and it seemed like as long as he offered his respect to her, everything would be all right. His lips curled into a toothy grin, feeling for once that Momo had finally lead them somewhere that wasn't pointless. It looked like life would be a little more interesting now than aimless wandering.
Momo watched Dath followed after this Ashiki for a moment, mildly concerned. What did she get them into? She felt like she had literally thrown herself into a fire, and she wasn't sure where the burn marks were. Well...there was nothing to do now. Dath looked quite content, and Momo would follow him. Even if it meant her death, she would follow him. She would never be able to help it.
With a small sigh, she shook her head as she trailed behind, quickly increasing her pace so she would stand shoulder to shoulder with Dath. She would face this as a challenge. She just hoped that she would emerge victorious.
