|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 8:25 pm
Usufii swayed his head cheerily as he padded back towards where he had left his companion, fat young dead warthog in his jaws. He had been traveling with Baala for a couple of days now, he hoped she was more at ease with him... He'd been a perfect little gentleman to this lady, his mother would've commended him for his behavior.
He started out in the early morning as he had the past couple of days- trying to get her to be more comfortable with him... Part of this phase of his plan included catching snacks at random intervals of the day, hence the dead pig he had stolen away from the world. Silly little thing had it coming, really- it was wandering away from its hole and away from its parents. He'd made a quick, quiet kill. Little tricks that his mother, Noyana had taught him- he was glad she was so eager to turn him into a good hunter.
He got close to where he had left her and set the meal down gently to the ground. "Hey, Nuksani! I brought a munchy, if you want it," he called as the sun rose slowly behind him.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 8:33 pm
She was able to sleep now with peace, because her first few days with Usufii had admittedly made her anxious. Sure, there were more meals, but she didn't trust him to be like how he was behaving. After so long, though... there was no denying that Baala was letting her guard down. The black lioness lay underneath the shade of a baobab tree, which of course didn't provide the best of shade, but it was something. Her eyes were closed with perfect relaxation, head resting on slender front legs. The only motion she made was the occasional flick of her tail, the little crinkle of her nose, and a twitch of her ear.
Baala roused lazily at the sound of Usufii's voice, even the smell of his breath, which was distant enough to still leave her in relative comfort. The lioness yawned, pearly white teeth showing that still accented her youth. She had been a young mother, and was still by far a young lioness now. "Mmmm? Munchy?" She questioned incredulously, but she supposed he was talking about the little morning meal in his mouth. "Oh, sure." Of course, she wasn't going to even say the word 'munchy' again. It was cubbish, to a degree, and she liked to think those days were behind her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 8:43 pm
"Yup, a little munchy. It's not like a full meal, but it's enough to tide you over to the next hunt. Have you ever had warthog?" He asked suddenly. "It's really good, one of my favorites," he added with great enthusiasm. He gave it an additional nudge to push it closer to her.
"Well, San, same way today?" He asked. "It'd probably be good to try to get an early start, it feels like today'll be hot... Travel early and later today, grab a bite in the middle when all the preybeasts are feeling tired..." he said aloud, more to himself than to her. Usufii found that thinking things through in his head made him repeat himself, from his own point of view. He sat back on his haunches casually, eyes to the sky in thought for a few moments. "Does that sound good?" He asked after a short period while she ate.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 8:48 pm
She eyed the warthog for a few moments, and then proceeded to make a snack out of the baby. When she was younger, warthog babies had been a treat of the season, and helped tide her over for tougher times. She'd eaten plenty of them before, but the good taste never went away. "Ah, yes, I have, a few times," she replied after swallowing down a small piece of meat.
"Yes, the same way, from what I remember of it. We shouldn't be too far from the Kunanda pride by now." Which meant that Usufii had, at best, only a few more days to spend with Baala. Baala personally wouldn't miss the yellow lion all that much. He was just helping her out, and it wasn't like they had moved past anything other than being loose friends at this point. He was good, solid company, and managed to make her smile from time to time, and even kept her stomach from growling with hunger for too long. It was a nice arrangement, but she wouldn't need him once she reached her destination.
"It sounds good to me, and anyways, I hate traveling at the peak of the day. It does get unbearably hot at those hours."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 9:00 pm
Usufii could still taste the young warthog... But he had to pull himself from those thoughts. In these few days, he took his duties very seriously, and was unusually reliable. When there was something he wanted, Usufii would do anything, it seemed.
"That's good!" he said to the mention of how close they were to their destination. That's terrible! Usufii's thoughts screamed, the only outer sign of panic was a light tail-and-ear twitch- simultaneous. Not much more time and she doesn't really seem like she'd want me quite yet... gods this is hard. Why couldn't I have run into some pretty floozy instead? He wiped these thoughts from his head, though... He had to come up with some other way to get what he wanted- but he couldn't come up with much of anything- Usufii had no experience with women. He decided to stay on his current track, and should he fail with "Nuksani," call it a lesson to be learned.
"Alright then. As soon as you're done, we'll start making tracks again." He said with a genuine smile and a nod. It wouldn't be a lie to say that he inwardly found this whole ordeal very challenging, but it wouldn't be a lie to say he was enjoying the trip, either. Usufii had seen even more of the roguelands- very few termite mounds and lots of grass. Things were different here- there weren't lions everywhere you went. It affirmed in his head that he'd made the right decision in leaving the pride.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 9:23 pm
It didn't take her long to finish the small snack the warthog baby provided, and when she was done she left barely anything for the vultures to pick at. She assumed Usufii would have caught another for himself and ate it before coming back. Really, she had no problem taking a meal when it was offered to her. You learned to eat what you could get when you spent your whole life living alone in the rogue lands. This was really quite the opportunity for Baala, though she wondered (was rather suspicious, really) why Usufii was coming along with her on this trip. Perhaps he wanted time away from his brother, though she thought he'd be able to manage that without the company of another lion.
Well, so long as nothing ill came from it, she was fine. "I'm ready now, if you want to get going." The black lioness stood, her coat, though dirty, shined with good health. Really, she was doing better these days now that she had someone to rely on a little. There was strength and vigor to her now, and with that brought better moods. Who couldn't be in a good mood when their stomach was full, and the company wasn't so bad?
Turning her back to Usufii, she began to head on the way, knowing her new companion would follow her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 9:36 pm
Usufii himself had noticed a difference in her health in just a few days. That brought him some variety of good-samaritan pleasure- not usually felt by the lion.
Usufii felt like telling her that no, he didn't really want to get going, but didn't give a hint of it- he had to keep up this mask if he wanted a chance. He couldn't just come across suddenly that he was only after her for her body.
Usu kept up, keeping at about her shoulder so that she was in definite lead- he had no idea where to go, but he was along for the ride. Help with food. Keep away hyenas and stuff. Keep an occasional watch- something he was accustomed to when he was in the Outlands for a bit.
"So, what're you going to do once you get there?" he asked, starting up some small talk. "If you don't mind my asking, anyway," he added, knowing that sometimes people wanted to keep their secrets.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 9:49 pm
She was surprised by how comfortable she was getting around the lion, to let him walk just at her side without a flick of her ear or a cautious glance to her side. His presence was growing on her, at least enough that they seemed to be on reasonable ground with one another. So, she led the way, only having a vague memory of where she was going. Baala had stumbled upon the Kunanda'Nakhun by accident last time, and so hadn't been keeping track of her way. She was sure she could recall it, and was sure there was some sort of guiding beacon that would lead her to her daughters.
Baala was drawn from her thoughts by Usufii's voice, yet again, and curiously she tilted her head to him, blue eyes taking in his expression. "Well, I think I'm going to live there with my daughters. I guess I'll see what happens when I get there. I'm not even sure they'll remember me." Well, she was sure that it wouldn't matter if they could or could not. She would just be happy to see them again, to know how they were doing, and if the pridal life really wasn't for her, she could always leave again. But... she felt like now was the time for her to settle down, move away from the rogue life and to the comforts of a life in a pride.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 10:01 pm
Usufii had to be careful here- he knew that was a trap just waiting to be tripped. If he showed too much interest in her daughters, he might run into the protective-mother thing- that would make for a bad day. And, in all reality, he didn't really care about cubs or daughters, he was here for the female beside him.
"I never would've guessed that you had daughters, if you didn't mention them." he said, figuring that would pass along a nice, subtle "You look young" or something like that. "But it's good that you'll be able to meet them again, then," he said. All the more reason to not get involved long-term... Usufii had a clear, free life ahead of him not to be muddled up with cubs. Not for a long while, anyway.
"Oooo, look at that!" Usufii said suddenly, taking a few quicker steps forward and tilting his head quickly towards a small, tiny twister blowing dust in a circle. "Have you seen those? We've had lots of them back at my old pride, they're fun to get in the middle of," he said, spewing his opinion on them as he did with a lot of things. This would doubtlessly get off of the topic of daughters, and thus take away the danger of making himself seem creepier than he was.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 10:24 pm
She didn't know how much to take a compliment, let alone a subtle one. She'd been alone long enough that sometimes she wasn't the most apt conversationalist. One would think that over time someone would have a lot to say if they'd been alone, but Baala didn't, or at least didn't deem it important enough to fit into every day conversation. "Ah, well, I had them when I was young, they'd be about your age by now, if not older." She glanced over her shoulder at him, picturing her daughters at that age. Nuksani, her oldest, would be just smaller, her coat a much more brilliant yellow. It made her pine for her daughters even more. It'd been too long since she had last seen them. "I will certainly enjoy the chance to get to see them again. I left them there when they were cubs."
She paused when Usufii took quicker steps forward, her gaze turning to the little swirling cloud of dust. Maybe she was odd, but she had never been accustomed to fun. She'd entertained herself as a cub, but as soon as she was old enough, she was preoccupied with other things, like trying to take care of herself when her mother passed away. "I've seen a few of them, not very often though.... I've never been in the middle of one before." Of course, she didn't see the point in it completely.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 10:32 pm
"Never? Oh come on, you've gotta try it. Quick, before it dies off. It lifts all of your fur, it's really cool," He said, taking a few quick steps towards it before turning around to see if she was coming. Regardless, he wasn't about to let the simple pleasure get away without him having just one jump through it- he ran at the little twister as quickly as he could and leaped right through it.
"Besides, it'll cool you off," Usufii said when he turned around again to see if his darker travel partner was gonna do the same. "I jumped through it so I wouldn't kill it, you should just stand in the middle." He said.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 10:39 pm
She gave him a flat look that clearly said 'No way am I going to be skipping through a bunch of sand and grit'. Baala would happily let him have his fun, but she would stay put. "I think I'll pass..." she said dryly, content to watch him as he jumped through the swirl of dirt. She wondered what it would do to his coat, and yes, she bet she could see the specks of sand on it from where she was sitting.
She remained that way for a few seconds, seeming like for the life of her she wouldn't give in and do it. But, with a sigh, she stood up, approaching the swirl of dust casually, as if she didn't mind in the least if it died down before she got to it. But, the dust swirl held, and giving Usufii another flat look she stepped into it, letting the wind ruffle her fur, thinking that the dust would clog up her ears and nostrils and... there, she was done with it. Baala stepped out before giving herself ample opportunity to enjoy it, but such was life. She did give it a try, at least.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 10:47 pm
Usufii made his best mock-grumpy face. "Oh, such a waste of time," he said, arching his mouth into an over-exaggerated frown, lightly making fun of the situation. He couldn't help but chuckle a little bit before returning to his original character. "Well, whatever, I guess I should be happy I got you to go in. Honestly, though, you got nothing? No fun, nothing?" He was a bit puzzled. Only a bit.
She'd said life in the roguelands was difficult. Maybe there was his proof. Ah well. He started padding back the direction they were originally headed. "Well, if it provided you no entertainment, my apologies. I'll keep my mouth shut in case of future whirlwinds."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 7:26 pm
"You're the one who insisted on it," she replied casually, pinning the blame solely on him. She was only going along with what he seemed to want her to do, and if it wasn't fun for her, it just wasn't. She wasn't going to dwell on it, really, already beginning to head on her way towards the Kunanda'Nakhun without another blink. "No, not the least bit of fun, and I've got dirt in my ears to make it even less pleasant." She shook her body, working the little specks of dirt off of her black coat.
"It's just not something I'm interested in, or never had the time to be interested in." She replied, already seeming disinterested in the current topic. Whirlwinds were something a cub would be more intrigued by, and she figured Usufii was young enough that he could be captured by awe at the sight of it. But for her? No, it inspired nothing in her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 8:45 pm
"I see," he said, dropping the topic. Continuing on something she was disinterested in didn't help his situation. He made a quick mental note to himself to start being more picky about the girls he'd try for- go for the easy ones from now on. His thoughts caused a few moments of silence to pass...
Awkward.
"Well, I think we should be able to make good time today, unless there's something in the way? Like mountains?" he asked, though it certainly didn't seem to be the case... "I don't really know the way, you know..." Usu said with a quick tilt of the head.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
