She was new to the lands, having once been in a pride that was mostly family..She was not used to being out alone in the wide outdoors. Not that she minded it, it was nice to be alone. But she could honestly say it was one of the scariest things she had ever done.. Stepping out of the pridelands to find refuge elsewhere. She had no future in a pride full of family.. And future was something Demi truly wanted. She yawned, her tongue curling out of her maw.
Darkness had fallen quickly over the land, and she had begun to wonder if she should stop for the night. Of course, stopping meant possible danger and shed prefer to not be stuck in the darkness aloneso far from anyone else. She hadnt seen another lion since she had left the pride..
Night was the best time of the day, Malenga had alwats known it. It was better for everything. Better for walking around. Better for keeping unseen. Better for keeping cool in the darkness. Most of all, it was better for hunting. And how he loved to hunt! It was the only real thrill in his life. The larger the animal, the more fun the kill. Particularly when it's an animal that could fight back. Much like a lion.
Or like the animal he could see in the distance. Smiling faintly, he moved himself forward, not bothering to keep himself concealed. The best part about hunting other meat eaters was the fact that they never knew it was coming, even if you came right up to them. "Hello there," he hummed lowly, "are you lost, my little dove?"
She had not been expecting a voice, in fact, far from it. She had believed herself to be far from the society of anyone. SHe had tried to keep it that way. Of course, that was until night had fallen. She knew the danger of others in the dark.. and this was no exception. She gulped a little, her ruby eyes gleaming as she looked for any sign of movement in the darkness. The moon did a poor job keeping everything lit up, and she whined a little, though her face took on a strong look.
"Im not lost..Im never lost.." She said, though it was far from sounding confident. She wasnt a scaredy lion, not by any means. But this was almost a ghostly voice, though it was a strong, almost handsome one. Her black pelt did a good job of hiding her normally..How had this one spotted her?
"What of you? Are you stalking in the darkness?"
The male smiled.
"Got it in one, love," He replied, moving towards her slowly. He could see the darkness of her fur probably kept her well concealed from the eyes of many. Not from him, however. The male was much too used to looking through the night for anything to get by him. Or so he told himself anyway. He liked to assume he was better at seeing at night than he was during the day. Shouldn't good hunters have great eyes? Once he finished looking her over, he sat himself down, grinning.
"I was going to kill you," he hummed lightly, "but suppose you're a bit too pretty to eat, aren't you? Wouldn't want to go wasting a pretty face needlessly. You got a name? Or are you so busy not being lost that you've forgotten what it is?" He would have introduced himself first, but weren't the ladies supposed to go before the guys? or maybe that was just when entering dens.
He needed a refresher course on manners.
She paused when he showed himself, and took a relieved sigh as he sat. At least sitting, he wasnt going to kill her yet. She would have time to think of a plan should he decide to change that. She looked him over, and he was indeed handsome. His voice was different than others she had heard before, and she found herself strangely intrigued.
"My name is Demi'Hara.. You can call me Demi though.." She said, hoping that maybe a little friendly tone would change his mind completely about eating her.
Though she couldnt help but blush when he said she was too pretty to eat. She hadnt been complimented much in her pride, as they were all family of course. But still, she had to wonder if this was a compliment, or if she was actually being played with like a cat and mouse.
"Whats yours?" She asked, ignoring the lost comment. She wasnt sure where she was..But she had no real destination anyway...Right?
"I can call you whatever I want, love," Malenga corrected her sharply, grinning at the idea, "but I guess Demi is as good as any other name I might have come up with for you." He did love his nicknames for others- it made it more fun when he killed them. Anyway, calling someone by their real name meant gaining some kind of connection with them. Very rarely did he actually engage in the action.
Maybe he would give her a bit of a chance.
"I'm called Malenga," the male replied absently, raising a paw to look over his claws. They were as sharp and ready for slashing as ever- as if he was that surprised about it. "You can call me whatever you want, though. I ain't really one for nicknames, but I don't mind if someone as pretty as you wants to pick one out for me."
She gulped as he snapped his remark back at her, though she felt it wasnt really as much of a mean remark as a matter of fact thing. He wanted her to know he had the power over her. As an adolescent, she was quite aware he had power over her. He was bigger, even though she was a bigger lioness he was still double her size. She watched him examine his claws, and she kept her eyes on them as well.
Looking away she tried to pretend they didnt phase her. He could very well call her whatever he wanted, she realized. Because what would she do to actually stop him?
"Malenga." She repeated, as if rolling it off her tongue to remember what he had said. She didnt want to forget his name, though if she died today, she wouldnt have a need forit anyway.
"Pleasure to..meet you Malenga. I think. Though I think youre name is what I shall call you. Im.. not very good with nicknames. Though you seem rather sharp in my opinion."
She realized she was rambling, but keeping him talking kept her from being eaten, or so she saw it.
"So you..eat lions?"
He liked hearing his own name- it was a good name, really. One of those names that held in it a lot of power and meaning. Was it just him, or did it scream evil? Malenga. Something about the 'mal' in that was certainly on the negative side of things. Ah, but no one really called him by his name too much. Most of the lions he met never learned it, or died before they could really use it. It was a miracle he managed to get his name out into the world with the way he just offed everyone he met.
Now he needed to let her live. She was pretty and she knew his name. Maybe she could run off and tell other lions about him. but what would she say? Some lion said he wanted to eat me, but didn't?
Not that threatening.
"Sharp? Heh, never been called sharp before, love. If you think you can butter me up, you're mistaken. I'm not one to let pretty words get the better of me, you know." He was pleased, however, even if he couldn't let it factor into whether or not he let her live.
"I do. Along with whatever else, if I can't find a lion when I'm hungry. Haven't you ever wanted more of a challenge in your hunting?"
She let her tail flick behind her, the red and white stripes within it catching the moonlight more than the black of her pelt. She knew she wasnt ugly, and she hoped her feminine whiles would save her from such a fate. She was more intrigued than scared, though she knew that could change in a heartbeat depending on the moves he made. He was dangerous, and she knew it. It was best never to forget someone that is as dangerous as he seemed to be. If he could kill her, then he was a force to be reckoned with.
"A challenge? I suppose I have, though Im afraid I dont know if the lion could kill me before I killed it." She answered honestly. She was so used to hunting regular prey with her mother, she was completely unaware that others hunted other predators for food.
"And Im far from buttering you up, though it would be nice if it were possible. The name sounds..Dangerous." She wondered if she should continue to let him think he was dangerous.. Maybe he would think her weak and kill her. Though she liked to think she wasnt as weak as she was making herself sound. She had lived on her own as a youngster for awhile, and had survived. She had been chased by numerous large animals, hyenas included..But she had never killed them, she had escaped htem. She offered him a smile, looking into his murderous eyes.
"To be honest, Ive never really known others who eat lions. Kill for war or fun maybe, but I never knew anyone actually liked the taste."
She replied, and was somehow curious as if it was as really good as he made it seem.
“That's the fun of it!" Malenga chuckled, "sometimes you just need more of a bloody kick! Hunting animals you know you can kill is no fun anymore. Anyway, Lion meat is much more appealing than any other kind of meat. Tastes way better." The blood was good too- though she probably didn't care much about blood. Most animals were more interested in the meat. They completely skipped the best part of the meal! They all had to deal with blood when they killed, so why not stop and enjoy it?
He certainly did.
He shook his mane about thoughtfully, enjoying the memories of his past kills. True, not every attempt had gone off without a hitch, but he'd always managed to get away without sustaining any serious injury. There was no reason not to enjoy life to the fullest.
"I'm dangerous," he replied, "not just the name, love. Guess my mother must have known what she was dealing with long before I could even talk." Sometimes parents had that kind of understanding of their young. Good thing she hadn't eaten him.
"it's a good taste! Maybe I'll take you hunting with me some time," Malenga replied, "if you're real nice, that is. Can't do you any favors without getting something in return, and if I'm letting you live then you already owe me something, now don't you? I don't think you'd want to work up too much of a debt with me."
She wondered what his mother had thought of him when he had been born. What would she do if she ever birthed something that was dangerous, so evil minded. Of course she wasnt sure if he was considered evil, or if there was another word for it completely. He just liked the thrill, she didnt think that was too evil.. Though it could certainly be considered as such to the untrained eye.
"She must have." She responded, agreeing with him. Though she knew the name wasnt just filler. He was indeed dangerous, and she had known from the first words he had spoken to her.
Taking her hunting for lions? Though the thought of it sounded appealing, she wondered what it was a lioness like her could do for someone like him. He didnt seem the type to want to hear her stories in return, not that she felt they were that interesting anyway.
"No, I dont like being in debt with anyone, though the fact that im alive is certainly testament that I seem to be in debt to you already. Im unsure what I could do to have you see me as nice. Because I have a feeling its not my temperment youre referring to."
She replied, she was much smarter than that. She knew that she might have to offer something more..carnal. Though she wondered if he was the type to demand something like that..With another look at him, she knew he could be.
Malenga watched her, smilling thoughtfully. What should he do to make the playing field even again? Letting her live was quite a big thing to offer her, and deserved something equally big in payment. But what could she possibly offer him aside from her life? There was... one thing.
Ah, he wasn't in the mood for that. Tonight he wanted to hunt. That kind of fun he could get anywhere, at any time, though finding a willing partner was certainly a rare happening. Taking advantage of it was probably the smartest thing to do, anyone would have gone for it.
Malenga didn't play to the crowd very often.
"I guess you'll just have to come with me," he replied, "I'm looking for someone. A lady friend of mine. I think you ought to come with me while I think about how you can make things up to me. Ain't against the rules for someone who gets spared to follow around the one who spared them, right? You don't have to be my slave, but I might get mad if you don't do what I want when it's important..."
He watched her, tense in case she tried to make a run for. Nothing wrong with a little company on the road, right?
Nothing terrified her more than the thought of traveling with someone who had threatened to eat her only minutes earlier. She supposed it was for the best, being she would be with someone who had declined eating her, and now would be her company. Maybe he would be good to scare off other dangers, if only she could get over the fact that he was dangerous in himself. She supposed she couldnt say no, there was no way she could. She would be killed for sure, and that was not something she was looking forward to.
"Sure.. I can go with you." She replied, nodding a little and gulping. Though she supposed him having a lady friend was a good thing. Maybe it would keep him from wanting something that had been on her mind. Though.. he was handsome, and she could see herself being willing, she knew that he could also hurt her a great deal.
Something that didnt really..scare her away.
"I've got no where to be.. and I am alone anyway. Why not. Is it far?" She asked, though she knew whether it was or not, she was now in debt to him. She would do whatever he asked, and she supposed that did make her a sort of slave..But at least he had said that wasnt exactly what he was bringing her along for.
That's a perfect answer," Malenga hummed, "I think it's in your best interest to be very agreeable with me." or he'd kill her. The logic was simple enough, wasn't it? Of course, he'd have to be a bit more careful too. If he wasn't, she could get the jump on him at some point and run away or attack him while his guard was down. Still, he wasn't too worried. After all: she was just a female. there wasn't a female out there he couldn't handle.
Or so he thought.
"I don't know," he replied casually, looking around the area, "I can't smell her scent in these parts, so I imagine it's prtty far. I don't know where she is exactly, but I plan on finding her at some point. You know, cause we're meant for one another and all." It was a strange relationship he shared with his female.
"You don't need to know where we're going, anyway," he said gruffly, "just that you ought to stay with me until we get there. If you help me find her, I might let you off the hook. That'll make us even, you know."
So her new mission was to help him find this female.. She was indebted to him until he did. It scared her to think that way, because what if they never found the female he desired? Of course, if they were meant for each other she knew someday, he would find her.. If you were made for someone, it wasnt easy to go missing forever.
"I'll help you Malenga." She replied with a solemn nod. She was a respectable girl, and so she knew that running away would be useless. He would likely never have to worry about that from her, because she didnt want to spend her life looking over her shoulder. She would help him, as she had given him her word..
"I promise." Hopefully that meant something, but who knew when it came to this male. She didnt like being indebted to anyone, but she supposed this was a life lesson that she needed to learn. Not everyone out there was kind..and some were downright mean.
