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Listening, he was not so sure what the difference was between a whisper and a low voice. There was an answer to that, though, a nod was silent. Following the steering, he moved where he was directed eager for more learning. Eyes fell to his tuftless tail before looking to where he was directed. Looking around, brown orbs observed where he was placed to try and understand what made this place different.

Watching the rat, which to hid thought was bigger then any he had ever seen before in his whole life! Expecting Thili to go after it and kill the thing, obviously he was wrong. Looking up a moment, he was back to eying the thing that turned into Motsu, whom he was currently 'feuding' with. Turning it into a game, the little cubs crouched down, wiggling his butt before leaping off with play strengthened back legs. Good pounce, usally got his siblings when he had the higher ground, now he was sort, but had the tail in range.

Bitting on to the pink tail before the rat could get away, he jumped when it screamed and turned on him. Tussling, the cub was close to having something not covered in fur scratched and faced getting bitten. He tired to keep the match like he would with his siblings, hitting the rat with more force. No claws were used, but his hits were enough disoriented the rat as he continued to work at getting to the throat not yet willing to let go of the tail.

This was much tougher then fighting with one of his siblings and he had long stopped the playful growling determined to try not to get hurt and to get the rat.

The moment the attack was over with and Thili had come to his rescue, ego deflated Sewelo muttered something about the rat 'not being Motsu'. Shaking his head, he resisted the urge to whine, maybe he might try that on his mother but here he wanted the chance to hunt again and crying like a baby didn't sound smart.

He was lucky his fur protected him a deal even if some of the scratches still hurt. "No, I am alright, sorry." the comment was soft spoken and his ears were low, he had failed. To him, it seemed he should have been able to take down the rat all on his own. Surely it wouldn't have been asked of him if Thili didn't think he could do it. Instead of living up to the perceived expectation, he failed. Silver lining, his tail was no longer on his mind.

Glancing at the big rat, he couldn't understand why it was so hard to handle, all his experiences were with his siblings and they were that hard, even two of them.

The cub looked up hopefully, that he hadn't completely failed. Though, when it was mentioned that it was okay to use his claws, he opened his mouth to protest. Momma had told him not to when he was playing with his siblings, so to him it was bad. Struggling a bit, with the truth he knew, and the new one, there was a compromise met. He didn't want to hurt his siblings, even if some times they made him mad, so Momma meant not to use them when he didn't need to.

Feeling easier about the whole thing, his tail stopped thrashing and he looked down to his paws. Pulling out the black claws, he flexed them with a sense of unfamiliarity. First, his used them to bite into the cool earth below him, bringing up the heavy soil scent that was as soothing as the ocean herself. After the bit of practice on the ground, the feeling of dirt around his claws different but neat, the real practice began.

First, he touched the rat's belly with his paw, no claws. Comfortable with that, he brought them out and tried to scratch it. Only the merit of his claws being sharp caused any change between with and without the claws out. Tilting his head to the side, he put more force in and dragged his claws own this tile cutting a full half inch into the rat's belly. This was the first time he had spilled blood, the first time he had deliberately hurt another living thing.

Mother once said things must die for others to live, the saying carried the strange act into a circle where he was comfortable with it.

All he saw was a bleeding and suffering rat, the bigger picture unknown to him. Trying not to think too much about what he had just done, he was quick and eager to hear what Thili had to say. Troubled spirits were bolstered by the praise, and he felt better about the whole thing. Weighing his options, the cub wanted to go home, but was determined to be strong.

It may not be failure to give up, but he pushed on and said, "I'll continue, to get better." The next hunting trip he wanted to be able to do more then get scratched and bitten. Besides, the rat was in pain and since he was part of the reason why the pain started, it was only fitting he end it.

He felt guilty that the rat had to suffer because of him. If he was able to kill it from the start, then none of this needed to happen. Hunting was vital and if his mother did it, and Thili did it, then it was a right thing to do. Blood everywhere and the saddening screams of the dying rat filled the jungle that just didn't look as innocent as he had seen it on his way in.

Knowing what he had to do, he rushed the rat, flipping it in a manner that was quite rough, for the sake of knocking it over. With his siblings, running into them roughly could knock the over giving him the advantage, now he used it to knock the rat over. Bitting down on the neck, he didn't get the right grip first and narrowly avoided getting his eye scratched by the weak claws of the creature still trying to fight even with the odd so far against him. Letting go and trying again, this time this teeth came to meet and the blood really rolled out staining his white fur red, a paler shade then his mother's. Now starving the rat of air, he waited with a strong grip for it to stop moving and just give in. Not exactly sure what to completely look for, after the rat died, he still held on, breathing through his own nose and trying not to get too much of the coppery, warm blood in his mouth then he could handle.

Pulled from his death grip, he let go of the rat after the nudge. Under the praise, the blood spattered cub beamed and purred. It meant a lot to him to have the praise and he soaked it all in. Yes, he did do a good job, Thili said so! The hunting trip was, traumatic at times, but he had done a good job so it was all right in the end. Even the rat was no longer suffering so all was well.

He did make a little face at the idea of a bath even if he knew it was coming the whole time. Looking to the rat though, he felt it would be worth it to show is momma and siblings what he could do. "Okay." he declared before picking the rat up by the tail again to take it with them, no telling what might come along and take it before they got back to it.

Sewelo dropped the rat close to the water and followed what Thilivhali did, drinking the water. It was cool and refreshing, feel being better in his mouth and down his throat then the blood had. Even expecting it, the cub protested slightly wiggling a little before completely giving in to the bath, one of these days he would figure out how to escape those.

As a lion, even a special one that he was apparently, he had to look after everything else. Thinking of how the rat was, there was no trouble adding the truth not to kill unless he had to. Taking it in, he listened to the sounds of the jungle and the gentleness of the creek. It was more ripple sounding then the crashing ocean he was so used to as a cub.

He muttered an understanding, breaking promises was wrong, but baths weren't fun either! What made it all the easier was the fact it was much shorter then baths he normally got form his mother. Upon release, he lept away from the lion and reached a paw up to 'fix' his 'mane', a little vanity point of the other wise careless to mess lion cub. "Not bad at all, Momma's are much longer." Shaking himself out once more, undoing any fixing he might have done before.

Proud he managed to make his kill, and feeling responsible for it, even more so after the lesson taught this night, he told the dark male, "I'll carry it." Walking back over to the rat, he picked the dead mammal up by its body and held it tight in his mouth. Head held up he started forward, stopping to look back unwilling to go far from the older male.