Welcome to Gaia! ::

She came upon them at the tail of her companion, rushing in to rub at Roka's side while looking particularly feral in the natural light of the sky. She bore a piercing set of golden eyes, ones that would switch from the male to his tiny company and back again; longingly. A thought entered her head, and then in that short time it spun off into a series of provoking possibilities.

While she had seen much better before him, the bulk of a male lion was never one she could turn away. Warmth was in that mane of his, the sort she so desperately wished to curl into. She could practically feel it from her short distance away. And the weight of him, pressed at her side in a dark den was an image she could not quite shake. It had been so long for Rhoma. She had spent many nights alone, desperate to share in the company of another. Roka had done what she could, even if the brown lioness was unaware of it, but it wasn't enough. She needed a males touch.

"I am Rhoma." So enthralled with the idea, she nearly forgot their original purpose. Quickly following this, she dipped her head low.

Being a watchful individual, Rhoma shifted her attention to the pale creature at his side, wondering if something was truly off about her or if she was simply being jealous in assuming.

She trusted Bandele with her life. There was more to be said of how completely at ease Pulan felt with him, but for starters...for now...there was trust.

This guarantee of food, from a source she had never heard of, (and she was certain, despite his reassurance, that he had no idea who was coming to aid them either) seemed as promising as it did suspicious, and yet she did not question him. Her only growing concern was for the Bandele himself, his safety. He was all she had in the world to look after, to care for...to love. Even when most of the time it was he who supported her.

Like now, in this moment, when uncertainty became real.

Roka. Rhoma. The smell of these strange females overwhelmed her, their footsteps steadily approaching. She could feel the hairs on her neck rise, that same worry overcoming her--again, solely for Bandele. The time to hunt was now, and Pulan could not release her hold on doubt and concern. She couldn't shake it. And yet, "Hello." She spoke out, bowing her head in welcome. In her mind, it was not the lions she feared, but the unpredictability of their prey.

So stupid was she to assume that.

At least for today, for now, it seemed logical enough. "Thank you both for coming. Not many would have trusted the call for aid so willingly." It had become a force of habit for the lioness to fake her sight. Promptly, the lioness tilted her head just enough away from the stream and then continued. "My name is Pulan." A moment where she would hesitate, wonder if it was alright to introdce him herself, before she would go on. "And this is Bandele."

Perhaps he would appreciate the fact that so many words spoken, left so few to be said on his part. She smiled, both to him and to the girls, but did not move her head one way or the other.

I DIG IT.

Copying yo quote style. BI Aww yeah.

While there was a very blatant disdain for contact on Roka’s end, Rhoma had no intentions of letting up until the two would part ways. Every chance she would get, she would seize. It was second nature for the feline, to be so oblivious of boundaries and personal space...

"No fun to be had way back there, Roka." She returned, heavily lidded eyes meeting with her traveling companion. A smile so seemingly sanguine flashed for the brown lioness before her reddish head would snap to address the couple once more.

That is, not before catching that same look on Roka's face that she carried on her own. Curiousity. Question. As if that confirmed her suspicions alone, Rhoma purred aloud and then adjusted herself, momentarily, a bit closer to Roka's side. “Ah yes, the hunt.” Loose limbs would then break away to draw her forward a few paces, where she would pause only to tilt a newly formed look of contemplation to the skies. “Are you two ready? We should start out, then. While it is still clear.” She dropped her gaze to Pulan as subtly as one could, waiting for recognition. For anything. Drilling her golden stare into the pale blues of the other. “I can already feel success so close at hand! We four should be able to take down plenty for a feast!”

Looking over her shoulder enthusiastically one moment, then pausing only to keep her maw from curling into yet another confident grin the next, Rhoma set her sights on Bandele when the question was posed.

“It is going to be the four of us out there, right?”

She gave Roka’s complaint and Rhoma’s reply very little in the way of acknowledgement. As one comment led to another, so did her attention to keep up with the topics.

At the mentioning of another’s lead, the pale lioness pressed firmly into Bandele’s side. Then, when a hint of suspicion lingered in the very breath Rhoma spoke, her weight settled even more so. Even in his company, Pulan could not shake the fear of exposing her handicap. It had always gotten her into trouble before Bandele, and with him it burdened her still; how she longed to see his face, to embrace the world around her, and to be able to do what it was they had all gathered for.

Rhoma’s question would not go unanswered, but in that moment…Pulan was not the one to fill the silence.

Just as it was the nail in the coffin for Roka, so did Rhoma feel that her question had been answered. "Hum." She whispered, lingering moments after the brown lioness had moved on.

"What a pity."

Bandele's lack of acknowledgment to Rhoma's insinuative activity did not seem to deter her from advancing...Not completely. Yet, as it was the red female gave Pulan a long and knowing look before turning her back to the both of them.

"Come then, Bandele. We should be able to manage without her." A few paces away, Rhoma would mutter again, "Hopefolly." before disappear after Roka.

Creeping up behind Roka, the lioness purred aloud. "Don't fret, I'm here now." before casually finding a spot beside her. Pulan and Bandele's arrival, however delayed it was, did not seem to shake Rhoma from her readied concentration. She too seemed a bit distressed by the growing gap between them and the zebra herd.

Ahh, how their wafting scent made her stomach gurgle and her mouth salivate...

Shifting beneath the weight of her prowl, just enough to peek over a shoulder, Rhoma muttered. "We'll make do." In response to Pulan's sweet words of encouragement. Then she hastily readjusted herself, blackened lips curling into a grin. To the lioness at her side, she spoke solely, "Damsel in distress...who would have thought it actually worked for some lions." The rise in her tone hinted to a thought formulating deep within--but her movement out of hiding and onto the plains open field gave no room for question.

Not that Roka would bother to ask any.

"Good luck to all of you. Be safe and...I'm sorry I cannot join you." Pulan said once certain that Roka and Rhoma were close enough to hear. The clearing of her throat and a dropped tone was meant only for Bandele's ears then, as she leaned toward him and whispered, "Be careful, please." Her breath caught as soon as the rustle of footsteps could be heard, signaling that the hunt had begun. "Go quickly."

As for Pulan, she would flatten herself out in the thick brush of hiding and hum something soft and melodic. Waiting.

There wasn't much to be said after that. Pulan bobbed her head slowly, crouched low, and watched as the trio moved forward.

Like the others, her stomach argued with the wait...

Sorry for the delay AND CRAPPY POST. ;; School has started again ugh ugh ugh