(AIM log between Keantha and myself.)
Eshe looked up at the large trees with despair. She was lost; utterly and completely lost. The trees only solidified that notion. The lioness padded around it, her pristine paws becoming dirtier by the second.
Sounds filtered in half-way through her partially deaf ears, causing her to toddle like a drunkard. Eshe didn't like this. She missed her mother and her siblings. The young lioness bit her bottom lip as her ears flipped back, little tears building up in her eyes. Why had she ever left? Because of her mother? That was so stupid! The lioness could have handled herself, and now she was probably sick with worry of her handicapped baby.
A squawk made her jump up and land with a splash! in a mud puddle. Instantly the tears started rolling.
God how he missed the cool,soothing mud of the swamps. Tana growled with irrtation as he tried to swat away the stining flies. At home, one could roll and coat themselves in the cool mud then there would be no bitting insects just thick mud. He heaved another sigh when his ears suddenly perked hearing something that sounded like it was crying.
Years of helping his mother care for his siblings had left him with the driving need to protect and comfort, and without another thought that perhaps it was dangerous, Tana immedatly set off to find whoever it was in distress.
"Stupid, God forsaken tree!" Eshe raised up and decided to aim her rage at the tree. She kicked it and squalled again, hopping back to nurse her injured hindpaw. The way she was carrying on, and with her limited hearing, she wouldn't be able to hear an elephant if it crashed through the trees beside her.
She couldn't help it. Eshe had trouble processing intense emotions. Even with tears running down her face, she was attacking the tree with all she had. All she wanted was for someone, or something, to tell her she'd done the right thing.
"Miss?" Tana blinked a few times staring at the lioness. He had never seen someone so brightly colored before...nor someone quiet so..intense. He cocked his head to the side as he slowly approuched her, "Miss are you alright?"
His first thought had been to run when he saw her attacking a tree, but her tears stopped him. There was no way he could leave a female so upset.
"What?" Eshe whipped her head around, foreclaws buried into the tree. "How...How long have you been there?" She pulled back and wiped her nose on the back of her paw with a sniffle. What if he'd seen the whole thing? She must have looked the fool.
Then again, what if he was a gift from the tree? If he was, she was going to appologize and find some sap to fix what she'd messed up.
He smiled at her gently, "I heard you cry out and wanted to see if you were alright." She was lovely that was for sure, but highly upset about something. He never could handle the idea of a female in pain. "Are you hurt?"
Eshe cocked her head to the side and leaned in, her mouth halfway open as she did her best to listen. Then she shook her head. "Just...stupid. I'm just really stupid." She ran a paw over her face and mane with a exhale.
Out of the corner of her eye, she looked at him, really looked at him. How weird, for a lion to be that dark. Her entire family was brighter colors, so to see someone like this was an interesting change. "I left home and now I'm lost."
He chuckled softly, " I doubt you are stupid, but I do understand the concept of being lost. I too am traveling away from my home into new lands. Perhaps we can help each other." He moved a but closer though still out of range should she turn deadly. She would then be able to see how much smaller he was. He was nearly a foot shorter than she was, though rather thick and well muscled.
"Really?" She perked up, and turned to look at him. Truthfully, she'd only heard bits and pieces, but for now he thought she was normal, so she let it go. "I would love to. Thank you so much." Eshe sniffled and smiled, her red rimmed eyes sparkling with something other than tears.
She just had shifted into a more comfortable position when she noticed something odd about the male. "You...Are you an adult?" Eshe quirked her lip up, moving her paw to see where his head would be on her.
He grunted faintly but nodded, "Yes I am fully grown." Gods how he got tired of that question, but still it never hurt to be poliet. "My family tends to run on the small side, though I am the smallest of my siblings." He srhugged faintly, making the muscles under his coat ripple.
"Oh, sorry," she said sheepishly. At least he had a good physique, and wasn't some little shrimpy thing. Though, there was one thing that was bugging her and she had to address now. "Your gonna have to speak up; I can't hear you very well."
"Ah not a problem." He smiled making sure he spoke just a little bit louder as he moved to join her. "My step-father is blind in one eye, so I know it can be kinda rough out here. " Some people would see his size as a handicap too, but Tana general ignored people like that in favor of those that saw past it. "I am Tana by the way."
She didn't want to tell him that it still sounded like he was whispering, but at least she could hear whole sentences now. That was a plus. "Really? That would suck, but I guess he's used to it." As for herself, she was pretty tall, despite her mother's blood, so not only was she leaning down to hear him, but to see him as well.
"I'm Eshe. Can we hunt for something? I'm kind of hungry."
He chuckled "It would be my pleasure Eshe. I take it you havn't had much luck either with the local food?" He glanced about noticing the antelope herd in the distance and shuddered. The last time he had tried it had been a complet failure, luck he had happened on a stream with fish in it. However, this time he wasn't alone so maybe he could take one down...
"It's not anything I would want to eat, if thats what you mean." She grinned and looked over at the antelope with a low whistle. "Now thats what I could go for." The experienced huntress flexed her claws in the dirt. Most of her prey escaped her grasp because she got confused in social circles, but antelope was soooooo good....
"I am not much on speed," He chuckled mocking himself gently, " But if you think you could herd one towards me, I couldn't definatly take it down." He figured with her long, slender build she would be fast, where as he could wrestle down just about anything due to his heavy set body.
She nodded, stretching out her hind legs with a pop. "Got it." Eshe lopped forward, her steps uneven and wobbly, but silent as she came to a crouch. Her pale green eyes found the one she wanted; a doe, who was lagging behind. Perfect.
Eshe kept her eye on it as she circle around. One...two...three...Go! She sprang out and ran for the antelope with speed that showed off her mother's inherited agility. The prey beast bolted, swerving before she ran to that side and guided it straight for Tana.
Tana's eyes widened he watched her run. She was fast....VERY fast, and beauty in motion he had to admit. It took a second for him to realized the doe was heading right for him, not snapping from watching her run till the doe was upon him. His dusky tan coat blended in so well with the grass that the doe was unaware of the danger into the heavy body slammed into her from below.
Tana lunged upwards, wrapping his front legs around the doe, letting his weight knock it on it's side, even as his powerful jaw clamped around the does muzzle cutting off her air.
Eshe pulled up to a stop so roughly that she flopped onto her bottom. As she heaved, trying to get the air back into her lungs she watched the male work. He was a wonder. For a moment she couldn't breath as she watched him. Never before had she seen something so powerful knock out an antelope before.
She was just happy she wasn't on the receiving end of that bite.
Shaking it off, Eshe lopped over to him and held up a paw, "Up high!"
He blinked at her when she held up her paw but slapped it with a chuckle moving back so she could eat first. "Ladies first." He smiled panting faintly as he moved back into the shade to let her eat her fill. He would finish off the meal when she was done.
She rolled her shoulders, feeling pretty pumped about today. Even though ther eyes still stung, she was happy. Eshe watched Tana and shrugged before moving onto the kill.
If things kept up like this, she might have to start worshipping trees.
(WC - 1576)
