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Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 6:35 pm
Domeka's stomach was growling yet again, it often did when she was away from the pack for too long. She figured she ought to learn how to hunt for herself sometime, but it just seemed like so much effort when she could simply get someone else to do it for her. Instead she resumed chewing on her old splintered bone. The marrow was long gone but it was a sort of comfort for her, she'd been carrying it around since she was barely more than a pup after all. She thought for a moment about what she'd do if anyone were to try and steal it, but then it wasn't exactly prime pickings.
Still, the pack had taught her to beware of the rogues, particularly the males who didn't seem to know their place. Growling a little to herself she tucked the bone further under her chest, curling herself around it in the dirt.
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 6:45 pm
Pack? What was that? Zerachiel didn't ever have a pack. As far as he was concerned he had no family. His mother had given him to his father a long time ago and his father made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with the pups. He hadn't seen his siblings in years and yet he couldn't find a single care to give. Hunting by himself was something he was used to. He'd honed his skills for it since hyenas didn't usually hunt by themselves.
Living in a pack really didn't appeal to the teal collared male. His ears flicked this way and that as he moved through the grass as silent as he could. His stomach was growling, but not loudly. It was snack time, if anything. A rabbit would suffice if he could find one.
Putting his nose to the dirt he sniffed around, trying to pick up a scent. Finally, he came across one he didn't recognize. A smirk played across the male's lips as he followed it further away from his den. It was only a few moments later when he came across the owner of the scent. A female curled up in the dirt looking miserable. Rolling his eyes, he hesitated if he should go to her or not. He had never talked to a female before. He usually avoided them at all costs.
What to do?
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 6:58 pm
A male. Domeka's ears went back and his lips curled up over her teeth as she twitched her eyes around looking for the source. What did a rogue male look like anyway? Scruffy, she supposed, and bigger than those born into the pack. Well no that couldn't be right she decided as her eyes settled on the collared male. He looked just like all the others she'd seen before, if a little stronger. She curled herself tighter around her bone, puffing her coat up as best she could.
She'd always been the runt in the family, compared to many of the other females of the pack she was a weakling but he didn't really need to know that. "This spot's mine," she snarled, "I'm going hunting, don't want you scaring everything off." Well, if there was anything to scare off, she'd never gotten the hang of assessing an area.
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 7:08 pm
She seemed scared. Good. Any pack born female that came into the rogue lands without protection should be scared of rogue males. They were stronger, possibly faster than those born into packs. They were less sheltered her and more feral. It wasn't true he was born and raised in the rogue lands. At one point he belonged to a pack, but he left quickly when he realized he wouldn't do well there. He just didn't have it in him to listen to someone else's orders while the one doing the orders was doing nothing to help the pack.
This female seemed like she was protecting something. It piqued his interested. Moving closer to her despite her snarling, Zer just made himself seem bigger. "Hunting in my area? I'd like to see you try, female. You're tiny. You couldn't hunt anything to save you life, could you?" He asked, his tone a little rough, teasing her. He wanted to see if he could talk her into hunting for him.
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 7:15 pm
"This won't be your area for long," she said between gritted teeth, feeling her heart rate begin to rise. Many things told her to run, but she remembered Manyara's painful instruction that a Nguvu female should not ever lose ground to a male. "My sisters will be coming, we're expanding, you'll have to find somewhere else to piddle around." It was a lie, but even just saying it made her more confident.
Raising her hackles she stood, dropping the discolored bone between her paws. Even upright he dwarfed her, perhaps she'd need to reconsider her strategy if this went any further. It wasn't likely anyone would come looking for her if she didn't return. Maybe she could appeal to his other emotions, since fear seemed pointless.
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 7:39 pm
Wont' be his area for long? Now she was just spouting nonsense. Rolling his eyes, the male just snorted and listened to her. Sisters? Oh joy. Just what he needed. Stupid girls coming over to try to take his land. Snorting, he didn't buy her bluff at all. She was a terrible liar. Her body language gave it away.
Circling her, Zer inspected the tiny female and then rolled his eyes. "Cut the crap, female. I'm not here to start trouble. Calm yourself down before things escalate." He rolled his eyes a bit more and sighed. "I'm hunting rabbits. That disgusting bone you dropped makes me think you can't find anything in my lands. That's because there's nothing here right now. You usually have to go east towards the river. Either come with me or go away."
With that, he started walking towards the way he had spoken of.
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 7:58 pm
Huh? Her ears drooped down and for a second Domeka thought she might do well to sprint the other direction, but her stomach was rumbling awfully loud. What was the worst that could happen after all? "Shows what you know," she snipped as she scooped up her bone and trotted after him, "This bone's old, I haven't even hunted anything here." She paused, "And it's not disgusting, it's mine." He didn't know good things when he saw them, it seemed. Not surprising, Manyara always told her males were stupid. Maybe he'd be useful though, two hunters was always better than one especially when one didn't really count.
"What's near the river?" she piped up as she sped to catch up with him, "Fish?" Well, they'd be in the river she supposed, not up on the banks. Unless they were special fish. Her stomach snarled a response to the idea. Well, whatever it was it would be tasty.
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 8:05 pm
She asked that question and males were dumb? He rolled his eyes at that and sighed heavily. "Yes. Fish on the banks. Right. No," he scoffed and looked over at her. Tiny and dumb. It was kind of cute in a stupid way. He half wanted to keep picking on her to see her get frustrated again.
"No. Rabbits, birds, antelope, gazelle... zebra. It's a river. Things come there to drink. It's pretty limitless, you just have to be patient. You could fish though, to shut your loud stomach up. It sounds like you haven't eaten in a while. You, runt, would scare off anything with that growling stomach, even the fish." He snorted and kept walking. His tail flicked this way and that as he walked.
"Who are you, anyway?"
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 8:11 pm
"Domeka," she told him, unsure of whether or not to be offended by his explanation. On the one hand, it sounded mean, but really she knew so little about hunting she should probably listen to him. Manyara didn't have to know, she'd get a beating if it got out she was taking a male's advice. "I'm a priestess in the Nguvu'Utwala," she added proudly. It was one of the things she really was good at, making others feel better about themselves. She didn't really know why.
After a moment a thought came to her, "And who are you? I should have asked that first." She mentally slapped herself a bit, trying not to fall behind. Her legs had always been a little shorter than average and it made it hard to keep the same wide quiet steps. She lumbered, but she could keep it up for much longer than most could run.
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 8:17 pm
"Titles and where you come from mean nothing out here, Domeka," he said simply. He didn't know what she was talking about right then. Pack names meant diddly squat to a rogue male. He had no interest in finding out, so he would add, "Don't bother explaining, either. I don't really care." He slowed down to let her catch up. He didn't know why he did, actually, but there it was.
"Zerachiel." He stated his name simply enough. He had nothing else to add to it, so he just walked with her to the river and stopped when the grass was well over up to his shoulders.
"We should wait here until something comes up to the river and we know we can take it down. Or you can go fish first and I can wait." He looked to the small female and arched a brow, waiting her answer.
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 8:28 pm
"I can fish," she said proudly, "So my stomach will hush." Well, except that she didn't really know how to fish, or swim for that matter. Trying to maintain some degree of decorum she trotted down to the bank and stared into the water. She could see fish, but she wasn't quite sure where exactly they were. She didn't want to strike and be wrong after all.
Getting an idea she reared her head back and threw her bone down hard into the water. It caused a big splash but the weight wasn't there anymore and instead of hitting anything like she'd thought it would the bone simply bobbed back up to the surface. The fish had scattered, but she had managed to stun one small one. That was pretty good for a first try.
Feeling proud of herself she pulled her bone back to the shore and then scooped up the fish. It was only a little more than a mouthful but she thought she ought to offer him some anyway. With her face dripping wet she smiled and dropped the fish back by the grasses, "See?"
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 8:35 pm
He would hang back and watch what she did. Clearly, by the way she was just staring for a bit, she didn't even know how to fish. What the hell did they teach females in that pack? How to sit there and look pretty? It seemed all she was good at.
Rolling his eyes at what she did, he had to bark out a laugh and shook his head. "Oh, look at the baby fish." He then moved into the water confidently and stood still. "Now stay on the banks and be quiet. Eat that fish or something while I get you something bigger." Licking his muzzle, he waited there for a bit and stayed as still as he could.
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Posted: Sun May 06, 2012 5:43 pm
Baby fish? She pouted, knitting her brow. It wasn't a baby, just perhaps a little on the small side. Though if he was going to get another for her it might be best to just keep her mouth shut about it. With a little shrug she picked up her fish and began to pick it clean, crunching the bones down as she fell onto her haunches. "It tastes like a normal fish," she added quietly, her eyes locked on him. He wasn't doing anything though, was that really how you fished? It looked boring. With a little sigh she began to scratch at a spot behind her ear, thumping the ground with each stroke. "Is it always like that?" she asked, "Or are they hiding?"
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