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 Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 4:52 pm
Up ahead was a restless herd of zebra. Their white stripes shone brightly in the starlight, but rippled together as the herd stirred. It was as if they sensed that they were being stalked, but could not discern from where, or by whom. Her heartrate increased, savoring the challenge of correctly picking out one beast to focus her attack on. Closer she prowled, just another rippling shadow in the grass. Soon now... there was that one with a slight limp. She crept to position herself so that the weak side was away from her, making it more likely it would stumble moving away from her first appearance.
Head low, hindquarters bunched, she braced her hind paws into the soft dirt. Insects sang, leaves rustled, and hooves stomped. Just a few more moments... patience...
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Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 5:07 pm
The dark red lion had no idea what he was doing out at this time of night. Shumusi knew that he should have been sleeping and resting before he headed for the desert. There was a lot of preparation he needed to do before he left yet he was still wandering around the rogue lands. The information that he had collected in these past few days had been very helpful and he was almost ready to be on his way.
Basically, he was wandering aimlessly through the tall Savannah grasses not really caring what was going on around him. Pretty much oblivious to everything and focused on his own thoughts, Shumusi didn't even notice the leopardess hunting in the distance. Raising his head abruptly as he heard the herd of zebra in the distance, Shumusi had no intentions of hunting and he didn't really care about scaring them away or not. Shumusi kept walking right past the zebras which made the entire herd gallop away. He didn't even really think about anybody potentially hunting them in the distance and his head was too enveloped in his own thoughts to care.
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Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 5:17 pm
As one the heads of every zebra turned alertly, announcing the approach of someone else. The loud and unmasked approach. She was able to see it was a male lion, just ambling along. He clearly was aware of the herd, his head following their movements as they began to bunch together tighter, which of course put her target prey towards the middle. But what was... augh, what was he doing?!
She watched in frustration as the entire herd bolted away, much too fast for her to hope of catching up to them anytime soon. She sat bolt upright out of the grasses nearly at his feet as he continued his aimless amble.
"Hey!" she blurted in an angry shout. "What's wrong with you? That was my dinner you just blundered into chasing away!" Her pale eyes were narrowed angrily, her neck fur fluffed and a soft, irate growl rumbling in her throat. "It's a big savannah, can't you go wander somewhere else and let a hunter do her job?" Such senseless blind behavior! Why, even when she wasn't hunting, she strove to stay aware and never interfere with the tasks of others!
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Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 5:25 pm
Shumusi watched as the zebras ran away and he was just continuing on his way. It kind of reminded him when he met this lion earlier today who had asked him if he had seen any herds of zebra. That was an interesting meeting... The poor lion was caught in some sort of squabble and of course a lioness was involved. Females were much more trouble than they were worth and Shumusi hoped that he would never have to deal with that.
Interrupted from his thoughts, Shumusi heard a sharp, angry voice in the distance. Was she talking to him? Raising a brow, he stared skeptically at the leopardess wondering why she was angry at him. "Oh sorry. I didn't mean to scare away your dinner." At first, he really felt bad because he knew that he would be angry if a feline had scared away his dinner. Pausing, he looked her over wondering but then something didn't make sense to him. "You were hunting... zebra?" For some reason, he didn't think that most females could hunt large prey especially alone. Most of the times, he saw them in groups hunting together which was pathetic in his eyes. Females weren't needed for hunting in his eyes.
Shumusi had a relatively poor image of females due to the fact that he had never really had a strong female influence in his life. Also, it didn't help that they were dramatic creatures by nature which made him want to avoid them like the plague. Maybe it was just the females that he knew...
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Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 8:04 pm
She frowned deeply, whiskers spreading wide in indignation. "Yes, zebra! You know, those animals you just scared away!" She tossed her wide muzzle in the direction the animals had fled in. "I know you aren't blind," she growled. "Perhaps it is not a matter of the eyes, but a matter of the mind." She canted her ears in thought. "Perhaps you are feeble-minded, hmm?" Her eyes narrowed intently, and she leaned forward, staring into his eyes. How could one tell if another was dim-witted, aside from their actions?
If he was, that presented a problem. It meant he should not be out here alone, and would need to be escorted back to his caretakers. This was not a task Awani desired at all, but she'd do what would have to be done. Of course, if he wasn't slow mentally, he'd find this highly insulting. For the time being, however, she opted on the side of the safety of a weak-minded feline, rather than worrying about what he thought of her. She might not relish dealing with such a lion, but it would be highly dishonorable to leave him as he was. "Come, tell me your name," she said coaxingly, as to a small cub.
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Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2010 10:44 pm
Staring at her blankly, Shumusi was trying to process the fact that she truly was angry at him. He knew that he had scared away her dinner but he wasn't sure why she was still upset considering he can't make the zebra come back. "Really now? Yelling at me isn't going to make them come back." Shrugging slight, the rogue lion was pretty laid back and carefree so he didn't like the fact that she was attempting to instigate something.
"Females tend to have a more difficult time taking down big prey. I'm a little surprised to know that you seem to think that you can take one down on your own." In general, Shumusi kept his feelings about females to himself but she wasn't exactly trying to be nice to him anyway.
Being treated like a cub was not something Shumusi took kindly to, the rogue lion reminded himself to remain relaxed in case he needed to physically subdue her. He would never actually hurt a female, that would be unfair. Not wanting to share his name, Shumusi ignored her statement. "I have been nothing but civil towards you, I can attempt to help you find some other prey but besides that, I owe you nothing."
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Posted: Fri Nov 05, 2010 3:50 pm
Why the... the hubris! The leopardess, already so compact and densely muscled, seemed to swell with rage. Who was this fool to determine what she could and could not take down? "And who are you to make such an assumption?" she demanded irately, not dialing down her temper whatsoever. Yes, she was slightly smaller than him, but it would have been a toss up as to which was better muscled. She stalked up closer to him, pulling her lips back in a snarl.
"Should I prove myself to you right here and now?" Her tail lashed behind her and she began circling him, eyeing him critically and strategically. "Since I clearly can't prove to you I can hunt whatever I choose. You'd just accuse me of making false claims." She snorted derisively. "I could suggest you tag along like a cub to watch me hunt, but somehow I doubt your ego could travel comfortably with us." Her tone was scathing and her opinion of him was clear. He was an utter buffoon. "So what do you say? Shall we spar?" She stopped back in front of him, her stance aggressive and her muscles coiled. This girl was no pushover, not by a long shot.
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Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 10:41 am
Shumusi frowned at her but he really was working on controlling his temper which seemed to be flaring inside of him. He did not want to lash out on this leopardess because that means that she would win. He was much too prideful for that even though he knew there probably was no talking to her on this subject.
"Spar?" Shumusi's head flipped through possibilities and the scenarios that could happen and he immediately ruled the idea. "No thank you. I will leave you be. Good luck in finding your prey again." This leopardess was starting to get on his nerves and he was going to get out of here before he hurt her.
He was going to add something else to his comment but he decided against it. There was no way he was going to spar with a female. It was so unfair anyway so he wasn't going to push it by proving he was right. He was very sure in himself.
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Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 10:57 am
Leave her be?? Good luck indeed! After bumbling along, chasing away her prey, and insulting her, he was just gonna walk away and act like he wasn't a participant in this discussion? "I think not," she snarled vehemently, then hauled off and swung at him with one broad paw. She sheathed her claws, but slapped him smartly across the face, catching the side of his muzzle and some of the bridge of his nose. She remained crouched defensively, and the fur along her spine rose up to bristle in mute witness to her fury.
"Did your mother not teach you better? You ruin someone's hunt, imply they couldn't have caught it anyway, deny a spar honorably challenged, and then expect to walk away in a huff?" She growled, whiskers spread wide and ears pinned. "The world doesn't work that way, pretty boy. Either fight me, or go catch me my meal." There, the gauntlet was thrown. She had had enough of this breezy, uncaring fool. "If you are so cowardly that you won't even spar me, then you will prove your dominance," she sneered the word, "by catching prey for me." She smirked then, tail lashing. "Unless of course, you are the one who cannot take down my prey, in which case you would benefit from the spar." She spat in a hiss. "I personally don't care which you choose, but choose you will." Her eyes glittered dangerously, making it clear that if he chose neither, he'd fight whether he liked it or not, or else suffer the injuries from being a sparring dummy.
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Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 10:41 pm
Staring at her, Shumusi was not pleased at this experience and this leopard was starting to get on his nerves. He saw her paw coming but didn't dodge fast enough so he felt a sharp, stinging pain on his cheek. Now this was really unpleasant. Thankfully for her, his mother had taught him better than to strike a female.
He tried brushing off all of her harsh words but he found himself ashamed of the fact that he had denied a spar with her. Regardless of whether he thought if he could beat her or not, he should have acquiesced her request. Sighing audibly, Shumusi wasn't sure if he really wanted to spar her at this point or not. She had already struck him once and was rearing and ready to fight as opposed to his current relaxed mood. "Fine. I will go catch you your prey. Zebra is what you wanted right?"
Even though he was less than interested in wasting his energy to catch a zebra, he just wanted this leopard off of his back. Though, he was much too prideful to just run away at this point so he was going to bring her back a zebra dammit.
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Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2011 7:31 am
She sat back in satisfaction, though it was touched with disappointment. For an overly-superior lion, he was rather cowardly. All talk, very little action. She'd met others of his kind, but rarely butted heads with them as she had this time. "Why yes, zebra sounds delicious," she purred, slicking her ears back sweetly, eyes sparking dangerously still. "How thoughtful of you to offer." She was getting her way, but she was still feeling terribly spiteful towards the arrogant male.
It was the principle of the thing that mattered, of course. She undoubtedly could have caught up to the zebras herself and proceeded to successfully hunt one for herself. But right now her meal was the lesser of her concerns. Right this moment, she wanted to teach the lumbering up-start a lesson. Assume nothing, or pay the penalty for your foolishness. Let him waste his time and energy on a hunt she could have otherwise finished off already. With another growling purr, she sprawled herself right where she sat. "I'll wait for you right here," she told him emphatically. "Wouldn't want you to get lost, after all." She bared her fangs in a feral grin and primly crossed her paws. This was surprisingly enjoyable in its odd, bitter way.
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Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2011 12:24 pm
He was much too tired to contest and Shumusi could see the zebra herd in the distance. His hunting skills were fine so it shouldn't take too long. He felt that all he owed her was a meal and that was what he was going to give her. He wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of thinking that she had manipulated him in some way. Stalking off, Shumusi had learned to compensate for his bright, unnaturally colored coat and soon he disappeared into the brush.
From a spectator's point of view, he was barely visible and the zebras weren't aware of his presence, yet. Soon, the lion was right next to the herd and picking out which would be the best target. It only took him a few seconds to decide and it was just a matter of time until they felt his presence. Like clockwork, the herd sensed him and began running. They moved together as one but he had seen a female limping off to the side. She would make an easy meal and Shumusi made short work of the task. Damn. Now he had to drag this thing back to where the leopardess was. That would be more of a pain than actually catching the zebra considering it was a grown adult.
It took him a few minutes but he finally made it back to Awani. "Here you go. Enjoy." Brushing her off, Shumusi had hardly taken any of her words into consideration and it was time that he left. "All I owe you was a meal and that's what I have repaid. Good bye." He wasn't interested in sitting around and watching her enjoy the meal he just caught her. In his head, he gave an exasperated sigh, females.
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