Waasi was feeling much better than he had in quite some time. For starters, he hadn't seen hide nor hair of a female hyena in weeks. He had just taken down a decent meal for himself for the first time in three days and was still feasting on the remains, gorging himself to his content. To top it all off, it had rained the previous night and there was a little pool of water not far from the tree he had selected to lay and feast under. All in all, it was a nice set up. He didn't plan on moving for a few days to use up the luck he had stumbled across. What were the odds of all of this falling into his lap? He had certainly pleased one of the gods for one reason or another. Blue eyes surveyed the savannah as he chewed on a thigh bone, feeling rather benevolent for once in his life. The ex captain of the guards and former slave hadn't had an easy life, but right now made the past seem worth it.
Not far from the tree Waasi had picked as his home for the next few days, Rieseln was taking a little dust bath. She shook herself clean after getting nice and dirty, the dust helping to relieve the itchy back she had. Once she groomed herself to back to her pristine white, she started to walk. The smell of blood was in the air and she was curious as to where it was coming from. It didn't take her long to spot the white hyena and his kill, and she paused for a moment. Hyenas could be incredibly vicious where food was concerned, but this guy seemed to be on his own. While they were strong, it was only in numbers that they could take on a lion. Besides, Ries wasn't going to take his food. Unless he offered her some.
Padding a bit closer, she cleared her throat to alert the male to her presence. Male hyenas were typically smaller than females, but since she was so tiny herself, the male really wasn't all that small to her. "Hello!" she said cheerfully, waving a paw. She kept her distance, not wanting to impose on his territory more than she had.
Waasi was so involved with his meal that he didn't notice the lioness approaching until she cleared her throat. He lifted his head sharply an bared his teeth, but when he saw the source of the voice he calmed down. It was a female, yes, but it was a lion. Lions were okay. Lions hadn't ruined his life. That, and he always felt a little kinship with other pale coated creatures. It took a special breed to stand out like a sore thumb on the plains and make it to adulthood, after all.
"Hello," he returned, putting his paw over the bone for a moment. "Great day, isn't it?"
"Mm! That rain was lovely," Ries agreed. "I'm Rieseln," she added, flicking her tail back and forth.
"Waasi," the hyena returned, tilting his head just a bit, his ear flicking a fly away. He observed the female before nodding to the remains of the kill. "Help yourself, Rieseln. There's more there than I can eat. Would rather have you partake than some other filthy creature," he said, picturing female hyenas crowding around for a feast. Puh...this young lioness could certainly use a good meal.
Rieseln's ears perked up at the offer, honestly surprised at the offer. Lone creatures who made a kill were generally very protective of their prize. To see one sharing...well. She wasn't going to look a gifthorse in the mouth, and without much hesitation she moved forward to settle down in front of the feast. "Thanks!" she said with a grin before tucking in. "It's great to meet you, Waasi. I don't see many hyenas out on their own," she added, munching happily on a bone. "And you took down a zebra! I guess you're pretty skilled, huh?"
The praise made Waasi smirk just a bit and he rolled his shoulders. "You could say that," he said, stretching his toes out before starting to gnaw on the bone again. "But you must be, too. Out on your own, in the shape that you're in." He flicked his little tail back and forth in delight, glad for the praise and the company. This was so much better than being a slave, or being in a pack. He liked not having to answer to anyone.
Ries swallowed a large chunk of meat and paused to clean herself up before speaking. "I'm actually in a pride...but it's so boring," she said with a groan. "I want to be out here, meeting new people and seeing new things! So I think I'm going to leave. I just want to ask my dad...he used to be a rouge so I doubt he'll care," she added, flicking her ear to shoo away a fly. "But I think I could survive without help. He taught me how to hunt," she added with a proud grin.
Waasi gave a little hum in amusement as the lioness spoke. He could see her doing just fine out here. She was friendly and small and, while he wasn't an expert on what made a feline attractive, she certainly wasn't ugly. She could easily sweet talk her way out of sticky situations if she ever ran in to any. "Well, all the best to you," he said as he stood, taking a moment to stretch. "I need to go walk off this food...but feel free to keep eating and stick around if you'd like. I'll return in a bit."
With that he trotted off, heading in the direction of the little pool of water to grab a drink before moving towards the sun.
"All right. Thank you!" Ries called out after Waasi as he left and dug in to the food before her. She gave the thought of leaving the pride serious consideration as she ate. It must be so nice to be free..ever since she found out she was a seer the pride members had been hounding her for information on races. She wanted to get away from all that and have an adventure! Maybe this would be the time.
FIN
WC 1060
