It had been several sunrises since he had seen the dark-coated female with the knowing yellow eyes. Well, he had seen her at a distance, leading him to suspect she was following him, but she never came close so he didn’t concern himself too much about her. He had achieved a couple of successful hunts and had taken great pleasure in chasing off a bunch of befanged hyenas, those scavenging mongrels. Damn critters were getting bold again, maybe it was time to go teach them a lesson? Huffing a sigh he wondered if he would get away with it even as he ignored the pain that stabbed him in the chest when he thought of a certain instance many seasons ago.
He would never forgive them.
Turning his thoughts away from that old pain he padded towards one of the scraggly bush-trees that dotted the prideland, hoping to get some rest in its shade. Once under the broad spread of its thorny branches he flopped to his belly, stretching out on the slightly cooler earth. Closing his eyes he let the dappled shade lull him into a doze, fully content to nap the heat of the day away.
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Sauda hadn’t been following him, not exactly. She would admit she had been watching him… a lot. But what else would a good huntress do? Yet for once she hadn’t been keeping track of him, having been out hunting earlier and enjoying a good long sleep after her meal, she was just now returning to the heart of the pridelands. Arriving from the opposite direction she didn’t realise the tree was already occupied until she stepped into its shade, and almost on top of the very male that had been in her thoughts so much lately.
Jumping to the side to avoid stepping on him she chuckled warmly, tail curling high over her back. “Well, hello there.” She purred, feeling a grin curl across her muzzle as he startled, lifting his great shaggy manned head to peer up at her.
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Scowling as he tried to make out the shape that hovered above him, back-lit by the bright sun behind, he realised he recognised her scent, as well as the shape of her silhouette. “You.” Frowning harder he pushed himself up to sit on his haunches, getting a better look at her now the sun’s glare was no longer blinding him.
Her grin just got wider at the cold one-word reply she received. It would take a lot more than his usual defences to scare her off if that was indeed what he was hoping for.
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“Yes, me. We finally meet. Did you enjoy my swim?” Her laugh was deep and rich, yellow eyes sparkling with amusement and something darker at his expression, the shock quickly covered over with his typical cool indifference.
This was going to be fun.
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Her words shocked him if only for their boldness. She was unlike any other lioness he had ever met. Brash and apparently out to get a reaction from him any way she could, even if it was a negative one.
Scowling harder he couldn’t help but look her up and down pointedly. If she wanted to be so blatant, he was more than capable of matching her.
“Why would you think I noticed?” He asked, keeping his voice flat and emotionless. Of course, who wouldn’t have noticed? She was an excellent representation of a lioness, at her prime, powerful and fearless. In fact, she was exactly what he would have picked for a mate, if he was inclined to such things. But he had long ago decided the family life was not for him, not after….. what had happened back then.
Her grin didn’t diminish in the slightest, she just gave him a look as if she knew he was bluffing. Why wouldn’t she back off? He was in no mood for this….
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Chuckling softly she moved closer, purposely invading his space, getting right up in his face and meeting those eerily pale blue eyes, like a cloudless sky, beautiful but cold. She could see the effort he was putting into to hold onto his detached, chilly demeanour. What, she wondered, had happened to him to force him to be this defensive? Was he afraid of getting hurt? Afraid of letting someone in? Had he been hurt before? Mentally, physically or emotionally? He was an enigma and it fascinated her. But she was not so heartless as to want to truly upset him. No, she only wanted to push him far enough to break that impenetrable shell of his, not to break him. It was going to be a delicate balance, but she was certain it was achievable.
Ignoring his reply and his obvious desire for her to go away and leave him in peace, she settled on her haunches, almost nose-to-nose with him, in order to remain in the shade of the branches spreading high above them. Their own little world, for now.
“So, what did you want to do?” She asked, her expression pure innocence, apart from the amusement sparkling in her half-lidded eyes.
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Shock once more flickered oh so briefly across his expression before the familiar scowl settled in, even deeper now. “Do? I was sleeping, if it was not obvious to you.” He replied grumpily. “And I would like to go back to it if it’s all the same to you.” He added, teeth grit as he shifted away from her, placing himself against the tree’s rough bark and slumping back to the ground, showing her just how rude he could be in an effort to get her to give up and leave him in peace.
Of course, it didn’t work.
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With a grin she flopped down gracefully beside him, pale yellow eyes watching him constantly as she chuckled. “Very well then. I had thought we would do something more interesting, but a nap is fine with me.” Settling her head across her paws she lazily flicked her tail, swotting away the ever present annoyance of flies as she settled in to doze, fully aware that with her there, he would not be resting easy any time soon. But she was determined he would get used to her presence sooner or later, so why not start right now?
He’d learn… eventually.
