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It Had been quite a few moons since they had been lost from their homelands. At once they were fearful of the things that could happen in a scenario such as theirs. But eventually they grew braver, and almost welcomed the idea at being on their own. The only thing Dene knew he really missed was his family. Especially Cas.

But for now his mind was on other things, as it had to be. The crème female with the blood red dorsal stripe looked back at them with interest. Her own hazel eyes glittering as she watched them. She was waiting for him to move, waiting for him to show her that he had understood her latest attack method. She had a decently large pelt of a cheetah, and she was using it as a dummy for him to attack.



He focused his eyes, and glowered. “You can do it.” She supported, intently watching to make sure he followed her footsteps. Samm was next, and he was doing decently at learning them. Together as a team, they were rather clever.



Dene took a running start at the pelt, but once he had gotten halfway there Dearbhail stepped in front of him. He went to put on the breaks and she grinned narrowing her eyes. “Keep comin’ Dene. Don’t give up.” She encouraged. So he narrowed his eyes again and rolled underneath her pushing at her with all his force in her belly as he got underneath her. He managed to knock her down, and he turned to bite at the pelts throat, making sure it was a clean “kill.”

Kadife smiled, she'd been watching the young male since he had ventured away from what appeared to be his sibling and an adoptive mother figure since she was so far off their pelts she couldn't have possibly given birth to them. She'd followed him, at a distance, until he reached the watering hole where she'd set herself up in a nice dark bush, her black pelt blending with the shadows. While a more mottled and greener pelt may have blended in more perfectly, Kadife's fur was sufficient. She waited until his head dipped to drink and purposefully stepped on a twig. This male had clearly had other things on his mind because he hadn't paid any attention to her following him.



"Samm?"



Kadife smiled and stepped from the bush, purring, head held high "Nope, i hope that's not too much of a disappointment" she said, lowering her voice to a husky tone as she sensuously moved in his direction. Her tail twitched ever so slight as she drew close to him, taking in his scent, mmmmm she could have some fun here.

He hadn’t noticed her following, but he was still learning to listen to the sounds behind him. So long as she wasn’t attacking he hardly cared if she followed him. However his patience could only be given for so long before he grew irritated. He wasn’t the calm type like Samm.. He was more unpredictable than his brother. Though the fact that this was a female threw off his guard for the most part. He had yet to run into any ladies that had been bad-hearted, and part of him wondered if it there even were any. But something in this females eyes had him on guard. He couldn’t explain it, but he had a feeling that Dearbhail would have told him to watch this one closely.

When she stepped closer he couldn’t help but smile at her, and chuckle.
“No, no disappointment here. There are worse things, I imagine.” He responded, and he looked her over. She was pretty with her ebony pelt, almost like his. He nodded her a greeting and then did his best to conceal his caution.

“What is it you are doing all the way out here so late?” He asked, deliberately feeling around for whether or not she was there to cause him harm. His muscles remained ready to leap however his face showed him as relaxed, but focused.

Kadife smiled, so .. this male was cautious, she could see the attempt at relaxed and she had to admit that he was rather good at it, if she hadn't had so much practice in tracking the body's natural movements before an attack, she might have been fooled. Well, two could play this game, except she truly WAS relaxed.



"I'm glad" she purred when he answered her, she looked over his coat, her gazed travelling to the strange marking on his right shoulder, she thought she'd caught a glimpse of the same on the other male but she couldn't be sure. She closed her eyes and yawned widely, drawing up close, almost close enough to touch as she circled him. "oh i'm just wandering here and there, looking for entertainment" she said, her voice flirtatious as she moved her eyes up and down his frame as she circled him. Yes, this one was strong, she could see the muscles under his skin, he was young but strong. This would be very entertaining indeed.

“And Im what you ended up with? Sorry lady, Im afraid you have the wrong guy.” He laughed when she said she was looking for entertainment. He was no good at keeping others entertained, unless it was in certain ways.. And even then he preferred to not be the entertainer but the entertained. He watched her circle him, his eyes following her so that she never had a free moment behind him. That would be dangerous, and was Dearbhails first lesson. Turn your back on your opponent and they would kill you. He couldn’t be sure if this was an opponent but he got the same feeling from her that he got from the other predators he had run across. She was pretty, and she had him interested, but the danger inside her had him nervous. Here he was, so far from Samm and Dearhbail with a lioness that had his instincts writhing. They told him to get the hell away from her but as usual Dene was too cocky to heed those worries.

“I’m sure there are far more interesting things to be entertained by.” He nodded, his mane falling into his eyes as he laughed. But a smile appeared on his features as he caught a glimpse in her eyes. He shook his head and then looked back at her eyes.
“And if you are looking for easy prey, I’d walk away.” He warned.

Kadife smiled widely "Do i really?" she purred, letting her tail brush along his foreleg softly. She didn't like the laughter but that was fine, she would work with that. "Now that's more like it" she purred when he mentioned more interesting things. Her eyes flashed in anticipation but then they darkened for just a moment before she smiled and laughed softly, sitting down and brushing her paw along the leg her tail previously had "Prey my dear? i only see two lonely lions in the gathering dark" she purred, letting the smile creep into her eyes just a little. She was going to enjoy this when it was all over... and in between we well.

“I’ve seen enough bad guys in my time, to know that look in your eye is far from feminine.” He looked at her with a serious gaze on his face. He was rarely serious, but when he was his eyes turned hard and he couldn’t be moved. He gave her that look now. She kept touching him, working her way closer, and as much as the male in him wanted to react to the attention, the logic in him knew this was far too easy. He had yet to meet a lioness who would just approach and ask for physical affections. He didn’t move back when she touched him, and instead held his ground. If she sensed weakness, and she really was as dark as he was thinking, she would move in then for the kill. H e wouldn’t give her that chance.

“And whose to say Im lonely anyway?” he asked raising an eyebrow. “Maybe I have a hot little honey waiting for me back at the den.” He responded, puffing his chest out slightly in pride. He didn’t have anyone, not really, but lonely wasn’t the first adjective on his mind when he thought of himself.

Kadife frowned and stood, this young upstart had just pushed a major button with her, she fancied herself able to seduce any male she came across (and some females too) She rumbled in her throat and glared, "so you think i'm bad do you?" she said, her voice now dripping with malice "Let me show you how bad i can be" she snarled, launching herself at him suddenly, claws raking, teeth bared, straight for his leg, she was looking to maim, to prevent swift escape.

When her eyes changed, he saw something flash behind them and in a moment he knew she was going to strike. Her voice dripped with venom and finally her teeth were exposed. She lunged at him, claws exposed and ready to tear into his skin. With a growl he leapt out of the way, barely missing the quick and deadly paws. He was glad he had trusted his instinct..Even if it had caused this attack.
“Gee thanks Dearbhail, always like pissing off females while alone in the savannah.” He muttered to himself, but still kept a watch on those paws. He knew she was looking to kill him just from the ferocity of which she attacked. With a roar, he crouched down into a defensive stance, and then lunged at the female himself. He was ready to meet fang with fang, claw to claw. He had a feeling that this was going to hurt.

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Dearbhail had heard the roar, and her fur stood on end. She lifted her head from her sleeping position, and glanced around her. Samm was there, sleeping, and Dene, well he was gone. She stood up quickly, her eyes in a panicked state. That had been a noise that had meant business, and she was sure that Dene was in trouble. She rushed to Samm’s side, pushing him with her paw. “Samm, Come on lets go.” She urged, and then took off after the sound. Samm would follow, but she needed to make sure Dene was okay.

Kadife roared in frustration when her first attack missed but, despite being bigger than the young male, she twisted quickly, lunging again at his legs but at the last second swiping a paw upwards towards his chest and face. "You're going to HURT for that little cub" she spat taunting him into a foolish move, or so she hoped at least.

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Samm had been asleep, he'd been exhausted by the training earlier in the day and was glad Dearbhail hadn't made him stand watch. He grunted and startled awake at her paw, having been trained into reaction so fast it had become instinct. "Dearbhail? ... what's....Where's Dene?" the last, mentioning his brother, had his young voice turn deep in a growl as he rushed out of the den beside Dearbhail, he didn't know what was going on so was forced to wait for her and follow. Not always Samm's best tactics when it came to Dene being in trouble.

“Dene’s in trouble. I can feel it.” She responded, her breath heavy from the running she was doing. She was still a little ways off and they needed to be there already. She pushed herself as fast as her legs would let her. Her muscles evident under her pelt. She was good at feeling things. She was no seer, thank god, and she had no true powers.. But she had this sort of..feeling when something wasn’t right. She imagined she wasn’t the only one.
“We have to get there NOW, Samm..” She said, if only to let him know of the severity of their situation.

Her last paw had caught Dene in the chest, cutting him bad enough to make him hiss in pain. He jumped backwards, his eyes angry. “That’s what you got? Some petty swipes of your paw? C’mon lady at least make this entertaining.” He responded, but truth was he was taunting. He was hurt, and he felt the burning sensation spreading from his chest to his shoulders. He smelled blood, and realized it was t he coppery smell of his own crimson.
He rushed her, shouldering her in hopes his weight would throw her off balance. Once he had shoved her with his shoulder, his paw came down aiming for her face or throat. Anything that could cause her pain enough to let up.

Samm nodded, in reality the only thing Dearbhail had needed to say was those first words, his paws speedily pounding had already sped up. Now that he was wide awake his skin prickled uncomfortably in his chest, making his breath catch for a second. He didn't let it slow him down though, he was already almost as tall as Dearbhail whereas Dene was definitely putting on more muscle than Samm. "Dene ... if you're dead i'm going to kill you" he muttered as he ran.

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Kadife Laughed as she felt claws rake soft skin, he'd moved fast enough that they weren't mortally deep but the wounds would bleed a lot. She danced around him a little, taking the time to lick her bloodied claws "So fresh" she laughed but she'd misread his moves and hadn't been able to move fast enough when he charged her, she fell and rolled, his claws catching her along her back rather than anywhere he'd aimed for, she gasped in pain as she felt the claws slice her. She turned and hissed at Dene, if those claws had been used by a full grown adult male, she would have been in a very difficult position, so close to the spine they had been. "Oh you're going to PAY you snot nosed little bag of filth" she snarled, launching herself at him, using her pain to fuel her claws as she swung them wildly, slashing at any part of Dene she could get to.

Finally the two had come to his aid. They had finally made it and seeing the female Dene was up against had Dearbhail take a sharp intake of breath. She had wounded him, and she could smell his blood from here. But where she had wounded him, Dearbhail could make out the wounds deep into the lioness’ back. So he was giving and receiving, and that was a sign he was fighting back and fighting well. But she wasn’t sure without help he could bring down the beast before him. So with a roar, Dearbhail was at Dene’s side. She went at the female, one good leap putting her into a mess of tangled bodies. Dene pulled away, his body aching but still he didn’t want to give up. He stood beside Dearbhail, waiting for the other to either give up or continue fighting. He had never been so happy to see Samm, and he offered a small smile followed by a nod. Kadife’s claws managed to catch him once more across the leg and he roared in pain.

This time, he really did back away but he stayed on guard, ready to help Dear fight. She was a good friend, a good protector, but he knew one day she wouldn’t be there to protect them. Samm and Dene needed to be ready to take on these challengers on their own. But he knew that at adulthood would put them at an advantage. Samm the tall, quick one..Dene the muscled, brave one. They were quite the team

Kadfie snarled, this had turned bad.... very bad.... Instead of one almost grown lion, she faced two angry adolescents and a fully grown lioness, had she not been wounded across her back like she was, she might have taken the fight on but she wasn't stupid. She raked at the three while backing up getting into a position to flee. She swore as the brown male caught her cheek with a wild rake, damn he was a swift one.



Samm had arrived with Dearbhail and when the lioness leaped between Dene and the black lioness he leapt at his brother's attacker, catching her with his claws, he didn't turn to check on Dene. He was still kicking and fighting when they'd jumped in so he'd be alright for the time being. Samm was furious, he was a non-stop flurry of paws and teeth until the female fled, he'd chased her for a minute before running back to his brother. "Dene...Dene... you're hurt?!" he panted, worried at the amount of blood his brother was losing from his wounds, the one on his chest being the one that concerned Samm the most.

His body hurt. And boy did he mean –hurt.- The fight with the Yellow Eyed Demon hadn’t even turned out to be as painful. But his attacks had been a flurry of hits from all three of the team, and not just suffered by Dene himself. He growled as he watched the female run away, and he watched Samm chase after her. He had a bit of worry there for a moment, before he was angry. What the hell had she started that for if she was willing to be chased off? He took a step, winced in pain, and then continued the cycle. He walked until he was side by side with Dear. With a look at her, he could see her worry but he shrugged her off. He didn’t need help, and he needed to learn to defend and care for himself.
“I could have taken super b***h on my own.” He said, his eyes serious. Then Samm came rushing towards him, and he found himself preparing for the tall gangly lion to run into him. Though he stopped before he had managed such a task. Dene let out a breath of relief and then looked down at his chest. He was losing a good bit of blood, but not enough for it to be a mortal wound. He felt a bit lightheaded, but that was about as bad as it was.



“I’m fine, Samm.” He responded. Never one to give away just how much pain he was in, or how upset he truly was. He didn’t like sharing that mushy stuff. He was a big kid, and he could deal with these things himself. Even if they hurt a lot.



“What are you guys doing out here, anyway?” He asked, obviously confused at what had brought in the calvary

Samm resisted the urge to cuff his brother for being such a braindead idiot for running out on them and getting hurt. "I'm sure .. that's why you're badly hurt" he replied sarcastically when his ears caught his 'older' brother telling Dearbhail he could have taken the female. "Dene, you should sit down and let us take care of that" he said sternly, his tone brooking no argument though he knew Dene probably would anyway. "Dearbhail knew something was wrong... then my fur prickled" he explained simply.