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 Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2014 11:29 am
Dragging the body back was also decently easy, to her relief. The gerenuk was fully grown in height, but had yet to flesh itself out in the muscle of a mature adult. She dragged it beneath her, between her legs, and did her best not to trip too often over the training gangly limbs. She hadn't gone too far afield to hunt, and was glad of it now. There'd be enough food, she suspected, to at least do for now. And if she could haul it back, well. It would probably fit down the mouth of the den her new...friend? Project? No, friend sounded better, though she was certain he wouldn't agree on such a kind term for her. No matter.
The corpse hit the dirt with the thump as she dropped it at the mouth of a den dug out under the roots of several thick and thorny bushes. She hadn't dug it, and she didn't imagine its resident had either, but it was sheltered, and from the sounds inside, still occupied. Good. She'd worried vaguely that he might try to leave before she got back. "Hello again in there," She called out, all quietness and gentle pleasure at finding him still where she'd left him. "I brought you something to eat." She shoved the gerenuk forward, nosing at it until it began to slide partly into the den. Then she stepped back, curling up a few yards from the den's mouth, a bit tired but pleased as punch with herself.
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Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2014 12:51 pm
A low growl emitted from the den, echoing through the small enclosure, making it all the more menacing. It was not the noise of someone who was pleased to be disturbed, that was for sure. There was a good deal of shifting inside the darkened ditch, with a very pained grunt as the large creature inside struggled to his feet. His front two legs could still support his weight, if only barely, while his back left leg was badly wounded and the fourth was almost completely immobile. He all but dragged himself out to the mouth of the den, limping considerably. In the light, the extent of his wounds were only slightly more clear. Gashes and bite marks under his thick black and gray fur, playing over his back, shoulder and chest. His legs were the most visibly wounded, with enough fur having been ripped clean to show the deep red of his exposed and torn flesh. The wounds were not entirely fresh, but nor were they really healing. Likely because he was not the kind to take care of himself properly, even when he needed to. He snarled at the female who had brought him a meal, regarding it with a scrunched nose. "I am not hungry," he hissed at her, his voice low and threatening, however weak from his days lying in that hole. He wasn't even sure how long he had been there, but he knew it was too soon for him to like being disturbed. And this female was definitely disturbing him. Since she had managed to find him, he had been nothing but annoyed with her. If he were capable of it, he would have attacked her. but it seemed he couldn't so much as slash out a claw without his strength failing him. His words had been a lie- he was hungry. His body had thinned since his encounter with his son those few weeks ago, and he was pretty sure he hadn't had anything to eat since then. but he would sooner starve than let himself become so pathetic that he needed someone else to get his meals for him. And not just someone else- but some pathetic little pink female. "Leave me be."
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Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2014 1:21 pm
The female's ears folded back and down subconsciously at the ominous rumble that rolled from the den like thunder, but her wary expression snapped back to one of concern not for herself at the noise of pain. By all rights, any time in the past she would have run screaming from the dark form that crept from the pit...but not now. He was hurt, and hurting, and as much as he seemed the type not to like to think it of himself, somewhat helpless. And she was alone and directionless. Memories of a kind mother caring for every bruise or scrape she'd obtained in childhood softened her heart to his plight, made her determined to help when she'd found he was alone.
He had, in a word, been unhappy with her decision.
And now with the meal she'd brought as well. She met his eyes, glaring over the fallen animal, then let them drift down to the ground. "Still, it is a gift." His rejection deflated her just slightly, but she reminded herself that surely he must be in great pain. The wounds she'd managed to sneak glances at had terrified her, and she couldn't imagine the agony he'd gone through between getting them and how they seemed to refuse to heal. A shiver trickled down her spine to curl the tip of her tail. She knew none of his story, but could hardly think what anyone would do to warrant such abuse.
"If you prefer something else, I can try. I didn't see much besides that but..." Her offer was genuine and she peeked back up at his scowling face, trying to steel herself. He clearly was uninterested in her assistance, but just leaving him, she felt, would be akin to leaving him to die. Maybe not. Maybe he would recover and be fine and have his pride intact. But it would break her heart to be so cold. Even if he didn't want her attention, he had it. He'd just have to deal with that. She could be stubborn. Probably. But more, she could be patient. And she bit back the urge to offer to help him to lay back down, getting the feeling he might not take to kindly to it.
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Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2014 2:24 pm
"I don't want something else," the lion snarled viciously, snapping in his aggravation. but he didn't mind losing his cool- it wasn't like he was trying to be nice to her anyway. He wanted her to leave, as having her around only proved how far he had fallen. There had been a time where he had been a feared, proud lion. One that very few sought to stand against. One that few COULD stand against, even if they were dumb enough to try. And then he had managed to get beaten by his stupid son. A stain on the rogue lands who never should have existed in the first place. One fight and everything had changed. His son had made sure he wouldn't be able to be the lion he had once been. The killer he had enjoyed being. Even if he did survive long enough to see his wounds heal, he was sure his legs would never be the same. One might be at least moderately useful, but the other, the one he had to drag around, would never be the same. It would ensure he wouldn't be able to duck and dodge the way he had once been able to. He wouldn't consider that he had been getting old, and it was a good way to take himself out of the game without seeing his skills weaken over time just because of his age. No. In his mind, he would have been a great and powerful warrior until the end. No one would have been able to match him, had it not been for his son. Now even weak looking females thought that they could hang around and annoy him. "Why are you here?" he demanded, "why are you bothering me? Do you think I'll feel indebted to you or something? Pay you back? I will not- I am not that kind of lion." He continued to watch her, his sharp green eyes not leaving her frame for so much as a second.
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Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2014 3:12 pm
She quickly ducked her head, looking down down down at the dirt as he snapped at her. It stung a little, his tone, pained or no. She meekly inspected the underside of one curled-in paw as he continued flinging his questions at her - she would let him finish before she spoke up. She supposed she could understand his ire. He was hurting, and...embarrassed? Furious was more like it, but still she felt compassion twist about in her belly as she peeked up at him and gave the mildest of shrugs.
"I don't expect that, no. I don't need to be paid back," A glance away, then back at him, "If I had wanted the gerenuk, I would have kept it," She finished simply and earnestly. He didn't have anything she wanted, though she didn't mention it. Directions home might have been of use, but she'd never seen him before, and since she'd become lost as the pride left to find a new home, she doubted anyone at all would know where it was aside from those who'd gone along from the old location. What else could he offer her? She could hunt for herself, well enough at least. As things were, she could protect herself better than he could as well, though she didn't think it in such terms. Maybe he had some hidden treasure in his cave, but what use did she have for anything like that? Unless it could banish visions, she'd be just as fine without it.
What she wanted, what she was here for, was simply to help. It wasn't right to leave someone needing help, even if they stubbornly, foolishly didn't want to accept it.
"I apologize if I'm a bother," She eventually added, only just above a whisper. "I just...didn't want to leave you hurting without even something to eat. It felt like I'd be doing something wrong, just doing nothing." It was silly, but the thought of the stranger suffering alone in the dark of his den, hungry, alone, it made a sharp pain start somewhere in the depths of her chest. A bleeding heart indeed, she couldn't dream of inflicting that on someone, even if they were a bit rude.
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Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2014 3:44 pm
"I do not need your pity!" Angusho snarled, his rage reaching its peak when she said that leaving him alone would have been wrong. He was embarrassed, humiliated even, and as a result was taking her help completely the wrong way. In his mind, she was insulting him just commenting like he might have been weak enough to need her help. So he couldn't contain himself any longer, and he made to spring at her, forgetting that it was no longer possible for him to do so. Launching off his back legs sent a terrible pain shooting through his body, blinding him and blurring his other senses to the point where he might have even blacked out for a second or two. With a roar, he slammed into the ground, kicking up dust as his thin frame heavily bounced off the dirt. He groaned, feeling dizzy and disoriented. Everything was spinning. Had he even managed to land anywhere near her? It seemed like he had not gotten far with his jump, though he would have wanted to. A low growl escaped him once more, this time with a defeated kind of air. "Damnit," he cursed lowly. This was pathetic. he couldn't manage to do anything anymore, he supposed. Even scare off some nosy little lioness who otherwise would have been a meal for him. There's no way she would have survived nearly as long if he had been back to normal. His eyes shifted down his body, observing his back legs. Blood was starting to trickle off the limbs, tough he didn't know which wound had re-opened. It wasn't the first time he'd done that, either.
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Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2014 4:08 pm
She'd deeply hoped he would understand that she meant him no harm, no disrespect, but, no! She knew he was injured, couldn't hurt her unless he caught her first, and he was too far away to do that with his legs so damaged, but still she found herself on her feet, cowering with her tail twisted under her and her ears flat back against her skull. He might even had been pleased to see that he still was at least able to frighten her, if he'd not come crashing to the ground so spectacularly. He bounced to a stop still barely halfway to her, and she stared, still shaken.
It was his defeated curse that snapped her out of it. She was still terribly distressed, but the sight of him, twisted and bleeding? No. No. She'd have to be bold sooner or later. It would mean getting in range of his claws but even knowing he'd meant to hurt her, that didn't mean she had to do the same and let him suffer.
She slunk up behind him as he scanned his wounds - she could see from here he'd ripped what little flesh had begun to regrow over the weakened limbs. If she'd had any of a healer's sense of things she'd probably think he'd retorn muscle that either hadn't healed or hadn't done it right. A jump like that...it'd been foolish, and he knew it. She didn't need to berate him over it. Instead she gingerly ducked her head as she stepped into range, into his line of sight after she'd circled around nearer to his wounded legs. Then, before he could try to haul himself up and away, she lowered herself to gently pin the limb weeping blood, careful to mind if any of her movements seemed to hurt him further.
"Please hold still," She murmured before bending to the jagged, ugly wound. He could hate her later if he wanted - she sensed he probably would - but for now he was in no position to be pushing her away. "You've torn them open again. They were starting to heal, I think...but they don't look clean." The gentle drag of sandpaper tongue over the raw flesh. Was it called pity when you didn't want to see someone in pain? When you wanted to try to do something good for no reason other than it being the right thing? She didn't think so.
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Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2014 7:10 pm
Angusho watched her as she moved towards him, but he was feeling too weak to really do anything to stop her approach. He let out another growl in warning, watching her carefully. It seemed like she wanted to clean his wounds for him, licking at the bleeding area to try and disinfect it. More helping. Was she stupid? Could she not comprehend from his last attempt to attack her that he didn't want her near? No, she wasn't an idiot. He could tell from the look in her eyes- she was someone who knew what she was doing. Someone who had made a conscious choice to continue trying to help him even though he hadn't wanted it, and would have killed her if the strength had been in him. Other lions might have thought that was commendable, but not Angusho. He thought it was infuriating. With all the strength that remained in his weakened, dying body, he kicked at her with the better of his back legs, catching just off from her neck and into her shoulder blade with his thick back claws. While it attack was close, and gave little room for escape, he had no real power to his name at that point in time, making the attack very weak. Still, it would have cut into her, though perhaps not as deeply as it might have if he had been a little bit stronger. In that regard, she was pretty lucky. A groan escaped him again, his foot falling back to the ground. It was like he had run a marathon in that one move, the large male panting heavily against the floor. Well, he supposed if the attack had pissed her off, it was a good time as any to die. If she took her revenge, at least he would die in something of a battle, rather than pathetically on his own from his wounds. Though his vision was getting hazy, he continued to watch the young lioness, waiting to see if she would finish him off or not.
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Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2014 8:00 pm
Focused on cleaning his wounds, Chekelea never saw the kick coming. One moment she was bent over his limb, delicately working dirt and grit from the edges of the gash, and then he'd tugged his leg away (had she hurt him?) and-! Weak as he was it was like being hit in the shoulder by something that was part zebra hoof, part molten fire. So unprepared, the kick in all its weakness was enough to jolt her to the side over his flank, though not fully off of him. Only the fastest of recoveries let her catch herself on a shaking paw so that she didn't come down hard atop his. She cried out, surprise and pain mingling in a rather pitiful noise, and she blinked back stinging tears for a long moment.
And then the tense line of her body sagged as if a deep breath had rushed through her. She turned to regard him, expression curiously sad at the sight and feel of his sides heaving for breath. Her pale eyes flicked down to her shoulder, eying the bright red stripes he'd carved into the plum fur there. A droplet of blood wove a track through her fur down to disappear where it meshed with his pelt beneath her. It still burned, and would probably fester if she left it untended.
She took another shaky breath and fought a grimace as she shifted around, and then bent to resume cleaning the male's wounds.
She worked gently but quicker, now, occasionally pausing to catch her eyes on his. Each time an expression of mingled sadness and the smallest spark of fear was plain before she resumed her work. By the third glance his way the fear had faded though, and the same patient look she'd worn before he'd attacked her came swimming back into place.
"...I'm sorry if I was too rough," Was all she murmured. It had to be plain by now - not only would she not avenge herself upon him, but she wasn't even angry. He'd hurt her, yes, but he was hurting more. "Let me finish this, and then I'll find water before doing the rest. Please."
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Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2014 8:28 pm
He knew he had hurt her. Weak as he was, he had been a warrior all his life. There was power in him, even if, by his standards, it was next to nothing. Compared to other lions in the same situation, he would have come across as much more powerful. So he knew, in all his pathetic-ness, he must have caused her some kind of harm. Even with his failing vision, he could see the blood running from the side of her shoulder, where his foot had made contact. So, then, why was she still cleaning his injuries? Still trying to help him? She even apologized for being too rough, a comment that made the large male grunt. "Rough?" he grumbled, his voice too weak now to hold the menace it once had. It only sounded frail. Tired. "don't be stupid. You couldn't possibly be too rough on someone like me." He would never admit to her causing him pain just from trying to clean his wounds. It stung sometimes, sure, but it was nothing he couldn't ignore. She wanted to continue to help him, even after everything. She was more or less begging him. In that regard, it seemed less like he was being pitied. She was getting permission from him, after all. "Do as you will," he mumbled, defeated, "I can hardly stop you now. But do you know what you're helping?" If she knew all the lions he had killed, and all te fun he'd had doing it, he wondered if she would be so inclined to help him out. He wasn't just the kind of warrior who fought for glory or honor, or to protect something precious of him. No, he fought because it was fun. It was in his blood. And he was good at it.
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Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2014 8:56 pm
She hummed mildly at his words. At last he seemed complacent, to her relief. It showed plainly how (perhaps foolishly) innocent and trusting she was that once he gave leave to do as she would, her frequent glances stopped and she devoted her full attention to peeling away the last of the grit worked into the flesh of the open wound. By the time she paused to answer him her maw was tinged a darker red - cleaning had reopened a few smaller wounds, but for the better. Many had tried to heal closed over small rocks or bits of dirt. "I'm helping a lion. Someone who's injured, and hurting, though he tries not to show it." Her words rang true, but were picked carefully to try to avoid damaging what pride he had left.
She had no idea of the monster he had been, still wanted to be. The things he'd done were the stuff of the dark tales her mother had told her as a cub to keep her from wandering too far from the den. For the moment, it didn't matter. For the moment he wasn't that fiend, even if he wanted to be. Right now he was simply someone she could save.
And if she'd simply abandoned him because he was rude, because he was proud and unwilling to ask for the help he needed? Well, wouldn't that make her a kind of monster too?
Once she finished cleaning the wounds that had torn open when he lunged at her she rose, wincing as the dried scabs on her shoulder tugged and pulled, but made no mention of it. On silent feet she slipped away into the brush. The sounds of shifting brush and crackling twigs marked her location clearly enough as she gathered a few things before setting off at a brisk jog towards where she'd remembered seeing a small stream. A bit of deft craftsmanship born of necessity saw her returning perhaps a few minutes later than would be expected, carefully clutching a chipped bit of curved bone - the scapula of some large ungulate - that was still dripping. She painstakingly lowered herself onto her knees before him, setting down the makeshift dish before the water inside could slosh out. It would hardly quench him, but it was a start. She could always refill it. Without pause she moved back around near his legs, settling to begin working at a new patch of the many bites and cuts.
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Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2014 9:31 pm
She was stubborn, but foolish. He imagined she probably thought she was a very good lion for helping out someone like him. A weak, pathetic animal who had been wounded somehow. But if she knew why, and how, she probably would have been halfway across the rogue lands already. He grunted at her comment, something he found himself doing quite a bit. Probably because he didn't agree with almost everything she had to say. "This is nothing," he lied bitterly, "and I am much more than a lion." he closed her eyes while she worked, though he told himself he wasn't going to fall to sleep. He had already allowed himself to show weakness in front of her that no one else had ever seen before. To let her see him sleeping? That would have been even more insulting. He just kept his thoughts swirling to keep himself awake, thinking about all the ways she had insulted him with her help so the anger would prevent his fatigue from getting the better of him. It seemed to be working. His eyes opened again when he heard her move, shifting away from him and vanishing into some nearby bushes. He knew she had said she would get water, but he was still surprised when she returned with some- he had been thinking that she would use the opportunity to escape, now that she knew what he was capable of. But no. That stubbornness came back into play, and she returned with a vessel of water. While he would have refused it, he couldn't deny how parched he was feeling. Before he could even force himself to knock the bone away, he was already licking at the water weakly, almost unconsciously. Slowly, he turned his eyes back towards her, watching her get back to work. "Your name," he said gruffly, his voice a bit stronger even from so little water, "tell it to me."
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Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2014 10:19 pm
The sound of slurping made the female relax noticeably. He'd lost blood, and not eaten, and she knew he'd needed it even if he'd not said. She'd considered what to do if he'd refused it as well, but hadn't come up with anything that wasn't either dangerous for her or him or the both of them, or potentially humiliating for him. All the better that he'd taken the water without much fuss.
"Chekelea," She offered without hesitation as she paused to work a bit of matted fur loose over one of the wounds. In a distracted sort of way she remembered that she was meant to be out hunting for a new name. The probability that she'd never see her pride again made it a bit of a moot point. She'd always been Chekelea, after all, no reason to change now.
She kept to her work diligently a while after that, her only words were whispered apologies for when she knew she might cause him pain by tugging free a knot of fur or when she realized she'd softened and reopened a closed scab here or there. In little time at all, thanks probably to his exhausted stillness, she'd worked her way through all the wounds of his hind left leg, and up towards his back. She shivered despite the warmth of their forms huddled close together at the sight. It was...better, his back, than his leg, but not by much. Something or someone had seemingly done their very best not only to beat him, but to damage him irrevocably. It made her painfully sad, and she felt herself find her paws. "Please, just a moment," She begged of him before retreating across the small 'porch' of the den to where the antelope still lay. She needed a momentary distraction from his wounds - the sight of them alone, so numerous and angry between tufts of his thick fur made her nearly want to weep. She didn't think he would care to have salt get in his injuries. It was a well timed break too. Much longer unopened and the poor body would begin to bloat. With practiced but delicate bites she opened the animal to spare it from spoiling, and tore free a few choicer bits and pieces. The tasty if small fatty lump of muscle just above the rump, and the liver, that would do for now. He'd lost enough blood, and if she could get him to eat...
She gingerly placed the meat near his head, as she'd done with the water before. "I'd like to do the other leg too, but I need you to roll over for that." It would probably hurt, and so she made no mention of doing that right away. Instead she again took the bone in her teeth and wandered back through the brush to get more water.
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Posted: Wed Jan 29, 2014 11:59 am
Angusho frowned. That didn't sound like the name of a warrior. Of course, that was pretty expected- she wasn't a warrior by any measure. She seemed more of the weeping heart type. Pathetic, and not someone he really wanted to spend time with. Too bad he didn't have a choice in the matter. He was in for the long haul, whether he liked it or not. He'd already tried force, and that hadn't gotten her to leave. Neither had growling and being an a*****e. Those were the only tricks he knew of. He could ask her, he supposed, but he didn't ask anyone of anything. So that plan was out the window almost immediately. Oh well, at least she brought him food and water. Like a servant, really. It didn't sting his pride as much if he thought about it that way. All the same, he didn't eat the food right away, his illusion not quite strong enough to cloud over the fact that he was being helped by some whimpy little lioness. And he thought she was the pathetic one. He watched her come and go a couple of times, frowning. She wanted to clean his other wounds, too? They did need the cleaning, but he wondered if it would really be alright- it would be listening to her if he turned over. Growling, irritated beyond comparison, he watched her leave again, this time to get more water. Reluctantly, and only because he wanted to, he slowly shifted his weight from one side of his body to the other, groaning as he moved. It hurt, boy did it hurt, but he still had enough energy to manage it without feeling completely exhausted. Maybe it was from the water, or it was just his unrelenting anger fueling his body. Whatever it was, he was feeling just a little bit better than when he had tried to attack her. Now that he was on his other side, he waited for her to return, though he still held the thought of it being better that she didn't come back at all. He wasn't going to start wanting her around just because she had helped him feel a little bit better- that would be too much for his pride to take. Still, he wondered if she would come back with more water- he was still feeling thirsty. More so than he was feeling hungry, at least.
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Posted: Wed Jan 29, 2014 12:59 pm
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