|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2010 1:02 pm
It was early. The first of the sun's rays had not yet kissed the earth. His brothers and sisters and much of the rest of the pride slept still. The moon was missing and Qinsela was relatively certain that it was (or soon would be) the morning. A light mist hung over the savannah like a blanket, and there was dew on the ground. The feel of the moisture under his little paws was cool and refreshing. A strange and heady sense of freedom, accompanied by the loneliness of isolation, crept into his blood. No one else was awake. There were no minders to watch him, and no children to play with. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. Qin was torn between seeking some independence by wandering off to explore on his own, and waking up one of his siblings to come along. The latter idea made him feel like a coward, and the young cub dismissed it with a determined nod of his little head. It would be okay to adventure on his own, so long as he didn't drift too far from his sleeping brothers and sisters. Mind thoroughly made up, heart soaring with the prospect of fun and the utter lack of supervision, Qin darted off into the morning with his head held high and a smug expression on his face. He felt naughty, and he liked it.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2010 10:15 pm
At least her own appearance wasn't on her mind at the moment - she just wanted a little peace and quiet for herself.
She had managed to get away in the early hours of the morning, before the moon went down, to spend a little time staring at the stars. Now that they were disappearing and the time when the pride would waken was fast approaching, Lamia felt a deep sense of disappointment and sorrow overwhelming her. That and a surge of sleepiness - cubs weren't made to stay up all night.
Rather than leave her spot and head back home to catch a couple of hours of sleep before their minder roused them, however, Lamia simply decided to curl up on the rock she had found as a perch. She just knew she wouldn't fall asleep here, even if her eyes were beginning to drift shut ever.. so.. slowly.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 6:52 am
The air was fresh with the breath of a new day. It felt light and wonderful against his fur. Or maybe it was just the anticipation of adventure that had found itself a home in his flesh. Qin had listened very little when the minders had retold stories about the war that had recently ravaged his homelands, and didn't know very much about his heritage. Aside from feeling slightly sorry he hadn't been born early enough to take part in the splendour of that battle, he didn't spare much concern for anything other than having a good time and eating when he was hungry.
He was beautiful. He was full. He was brave. For Qin, life was good.
There was a visible spring in his step as he strolled this way and that. Every once in awhile he'd trip over his own paws and get a face full of dirt. Qin would always get back up again with his ears pressed back and a sheepish expression on his face as he looked about for anyone that might have caught his mistake. Then, smirking like the devil, he would remember that there was no one around to see him fall and start all over again.
The fourth time he stumbled it was beside a rock with a little lioness snoozing on top of it. Qin, wondering why she hadn't slept with the other cubs and the minders, was shocked to find somebody else out here so early and, craning to get a closer look, tumbled head-first into the side of the miniature boulder. His head cracked ominously and, for a moment, Qin only saw stars.
It wasn't long before the world came back into focus, and there was a prominent scowl on the little boy's face as he propped himself up against the boulder with his front paws. He leered at the sleeping girl through narrowed eyes. His head throbbed dully, and he wasn't pleased. Blaming her for his misfortune and, feeling even more naughty, Qin placed his mouth beside her ear, took a deep breath and bellowed as loud as he could;
"WAKE UP!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 9:01 am
Lamia woke with a start. Her eyes flew open as some loud noise echoed through her skull and her balance atop the small boulder wavered in that sudden instant until she finally toppled and fell completely over the edge. She landed with a thud and a groan, and not just because she had fallen into the ground roughly. No, her head was singing with the sound of his scream and her nerves were on edge from being shaken awake so roughly.
"What was that for!" She leaped to her feet with a scream in return, her brows drawing down and her mouth set into a scowl. It did nothing to make her face appear more gentle, but quite the opposite. With the aid of her permanent second mouth, she could look something fierce. At that moment she was simply bewildered and upset by the cub, otherwise she wouldn't have reacted in such a way.
She drew herself up, her frown set and eyes watching him as if she fully expected an answer. She was holding him accountable for his actions and was watching him with that same expectant, accusing stare that her minder often used on her and her siblings.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 2:19 pm
There was nothing quite like the raw satisfaction of success. Qin was still very young, but he had learned that much in his short life. It felt good to watch as the little lioness was jolted out of her sleep by the sound of his voice and pitched over the side of the boulder. His self-serving smirk was taunting as he considered her fallen form with his nose in the air, but it was quickly transformed into a fearful grimace as she turned on him.
Hers was a face unlike any he had ever seen.
It sent chills down his spine and, all at once, Qin felt quite certain the reason she'd chosen to sleep so far away from everyone else was that she'd been hiding. He would have, if he looked like that.
He was caught off guard by her appearance and it was a moment or two before he could collect enough sense to respond to her anger. Narrowing his eyes, Qin stood his ground by mimicking her posture and expression.
Ignoring her furious question, he shot one of his own at her. There was venom on his tongue.
"What happened to your face?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 2:59 pm
She got that reaction a lot. That disgusted grimace, that look of horror - it was always the same. At least if she had been with her sister she could have taken some strength in knowing she wasn't the only one that looked this way. Even her father had to sport this face every day.
At first, she had thought to frown and back away. Her ears drooped slightly and her stance had begun to look like that of someone more timid. Then he grew a spine in the span of a few seconds and had the nerve to yell something like that at her. Sure, she got that fearful grimace a lot, but rarely did anyone actually go so far as to actually insult her.
In an instant she knew exactly what she wanted to say. She often dreamed about why her family would be cursed with such faces and she had a whole stash of ideas tucked away in her head. Some of them were silly, others were fanciful, and some were just downright morbid. She liked to believe there was a reason though and right now her daydreaming gave her a good comeback for his snarky question.
"I was cursed by the spirits," she said with a sneer, resuming her rigid stance and even taking a step towards him, "for eating other cubs!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 3:51 pm
Lamia had meant to intimidate him, and it had worked. The explanation she offered for the curious presence of the teeth on her face was morbid, and it terrified him. Superstitious and innocently gullible, like children often are, Qin was inclined to believe her, but he wasn't about to let her know that she'd scared him.
His dignity was at stake here, and that was far more important than some silly girl's hurt feelings.
"You're a flithy liar!" He accused, though he had no reason to assume she was dishonesty. "You didn't eat any cubs! They would have- would have kicked you out!"
It occurred to him, then, that this may have been the real reason she was out here all alone. His face fell, and Qin suddenly regretted his decision to adventure without supervision.
He was stubborn and refused to back down. Instead of turning his fear inwards, he forced it outwards and aimed it at her; "That's why you're out here by yourself, isn't it? Because nobody wants you!"
Never mind that he didn't have any company, either.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 4:04 pm
"I am not!" she yelled right back at him, in a less than dignified and very cub-like answer to his accusation. For a moment she thought about sticking out her tongue at him just to get her point across but she resisted. Instead she just frowned and lifted her chin up a little, trying her best to look resistant to his accusations.
Of course, then he started to throw out even more hurtful words. At first she thought about bickering back at him, but then his last words hit home and all she could do was blubber as a torrent of tears came streaming from her blood-colored eyes. She tried to keep her chin up, defiantly staring him down even when her tears made it hard to see, but it became too much. She flopped down onto the ground and brought the back of one paw to scrub viciously at one offending leaky eye.
"You're a stupid.. stupidhead!" She shouted, staring up at him from where she was sitting on the ground. She had just wanted to watch the stars, what was so wrong with that? If the spirits were going to send brats like this to insult her then she had certainly learned her lesson - she would stay with her siblings and she wouldn't look at the stars ever again.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 5:22 pm
Qin had never been so insulted in his life. Quite literally. With the exception of his brothers and sisters, no one had ever dared speak to him like this. Of course, these sorts of things were always different with family. Blood ties made it easier to hold grudges, but also simpler to forgive and forget.
Logic insisted that this was all his fault. This little lioness would not have been so rude to him if he had not been so nasty, but Qin was self-righteous and, indeed, a stupidhead. He wasn't about to justify her actions by demeaning his own.
She started to cry, and Qin's horror intensified tenfold. He watched the tears as they pooled in her eyes, and felt very suddenly like he'd been punched in the gut.
"What're you crying for?" He hissed in panic, angry with her for being so sensitive. If he'd been older and a little wiser, he might have known how to comfort her better, but he didn't know. He didn't have a clue, and it frightened him.
Everything about this little girl felt wrong to him. Instead of patting her on the shoulder or walking away, Qin opted to hush her up so that everyone else might remain ignorant of this little escapade.
"Come on, quit being such a baby," he murmured selfishly, and glanced around to make sure that no one was watching, "I wasn't even that mean."
She was the cub-eater!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 9:29 pm
Try as she might, the poor little cub could just not get the tears to stop flowing. Her sobs faded to quiet sniffles but with her attention less on her own misfortune it was more on the brat that had started all of this. Even with the tears still slicking down a path from her eyes she managed to scowl at him. It wasn't a very dignified or effective one, but it was still a scowl.
"You're such a.. stupid boy!" she choked out around a sob as it bubbled up and betrayed her at the last possible moment. Part of her felt like this was her fault. Was she being punished for sneaking out? For telling lies? She would go to the big scary warleader right then and tell him what she'd done if it would make this stupid jerk leave her alone.
"And I'm not a b-baby," she sniffled as she spoke, bringing a paw up to wipe at her now soaking fur. Then that same paw was pointed directly at him as her eyes narrowed and her mouth formed into a deeper frown. "You're just a bully that likes picking on girls. I'm going to tell my Minder on you!" Her threat seemed very serious and very real, and the idea comforted her as she said it. She could tell her minder and get him in trouble, and then he would be the one crying.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 9:50 pm
Oh, she wouldn't dare. Would she? His face fell when she threatened to tell on him and, frantic now that her sobs had continued in such a painful manner, Qin took a couple of threatening steps closer to her shaking frame. They were very close to the same size, but he couldn't help but feel bigger than she was because he wasn't crying like a stupid baby.
"Shut up," he demanded and stomped on the ground in front of her. Aside from a bit of sport wrestling with his brother and sisters, Qin had never actually struck another lion and certainly not with the intention of harming them. Plus, it wouldn't make him feel very good to hit a sobbing little girl, and he didn't need to feel any worse.
He hadn't meant to make her cry! If he got in trouble for this, he'd never forgive her.
"Shut up," he crept close and half-hissed, half-pleaded and into her ear. "Why do you gotta be such a tattle-tale? Nobody likes a tattle-tale."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 10:08 pm
When he stomped his foot on the ground in front of her, Lamia jumped slightly. She tried her best to look brave, but that was hard when she still couldn't get her eyes to stop watering. Stupid eyes! As he crept closer she could feel her nerves tightening, like she was a wind up doll ready to spring lose at any moment. When he hissed at her, so close to her ear, she leaped up in terror of him pouncing on her.
At the last second she tried to make it look as if she'd done it on purpose - she scrambled to get her feet under her and raise her chin like she'd seen other lionesses do when they wanted to look important. "You shut up," she said defiantly in what her cub's mind proposed was probably the best come back of the century.
She was quickly going from upset to angry and this time she stomped her foot. "Nobody likes me anyway remember?" She was proud of herself for not bursting out into tears again as she said it, or even sniffling. She turned away with a small 'hmph' and started to head back to her family's den. "You deserve it, you big jerk!"
She actually didn't know if she was going to tell on him or not, but she mostly just wanted to get away from him at this point.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 10:44 pm
Finally she had stopped crying. Qin exhaled with relief when the pathetic, quivering mess of a girl found her spine and stood up for himself. It was harder to feel guilty when tears weren't streaming down her cheeks.
The speed at which her mood swung unsettled him, and Qin's head reeled with her change in attitude. He felt better about himself now that she wasn't blubbering like an idiot, but now he was terrified that she'd somehow found the balls to tell on him.
"Wait!" He called after her, running to keep up, "You aren't going to tell on me are you?"
She was stupid if she did. He didn't know why, but he knew it was true.
"Don't tell on me." Qin was trying to be intimidating again. He raced so that he was in front of her, and held out a paw to stop her from going any further.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2010 9:22 am
Lamia's sudden surge of confidence wavered as he sped up and jumped in front of her. She only had a spine because she was riding on the anger spawned from the situation, but that didn't mean she had an endless supply of courage.
"Or what?" she countered with a snap, in what she hoped passed as a suitable cover for her slight falter. She did stop though, narrowing her eyes at him and scrunching her face up - on anyone else it would have looked angry, but she still looked mostly wicked with with the second mouth. "You gonna yell at me again?"
She huffed and shook her head before she walked past him (making sure she made a wide circle so he couldn't touch her - she really didn't want him to pounce on her anything) and started back towards her den. "It's late and I'm sleepy. I don't have time for stupidheads." With her back to him she could sound brave, even her bright eyes shone with worry that he might pounce on her when she wasn't looking. Why was he such a bully?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 17, 2010 7:03 pm
Qin watched the little lioness stalk off in a huff with a mixture of trepidation and guilt. He hadn't meant to make the stupid, silly girl cry. She was the one who'd claimed to be the cub-eater. For the most part, he'd been certain that she was lying, but there was a little niggling feeling of cubbish naivety that made him believe her. Just a little. Although he would never admit it, she had frightened him.
Which, when he thought about it now, seemed silly. The little lady with the teeth on her face may have looked fierce and intimidating at first, but in the end she'd been just like every other cub he knew. And he was going to pay for it.
The young lion wouldn't know for sure until the day was over, but he had a feeling that two-faced (pun totally intended!) female would get him in trouble for this. It wasn't fair. All he'd done was look out for himself, but she'd just had to go and get her feelings hurt.
What a pathetic little cry-baby.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
