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 Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 3:14 pm
So far they had established that this wasn't something special to them, there would be no guilt to brush off when they took it, then. The blue one seemed nervous but open while the dark one seemed downright determined not to let it go easily.
"Oh yes," she agreed when Knurren explained their motivation, "It is exactly what I was thinking we needed."
With that, Sufuria finally moved out from her spot slightly behind her mate and 'bravely' stepped closer to get a better look at the strange object- even with Defodio in the way.
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 3:25 pm
Defodio didn't seem to trust the lions. Well, that might not be a bad idea, but it certainly wouldn't get the object traded away. Uligo made a face, he hated making hard decisions! At least the lions, big as they were, seemed fairly friendly.
"Well, we'd be happy to trade it to you!" the blue ratel offered with a grin.
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 3:29 pm
Defodio hesitantly made an effort not to look so defensive and suspicious as Knurren explained and Sufuria tried to come closer to get a better look at it. Seemed innocent enough, he guessed.
"What do you have to offer?" he asked, eying Knurren but ultimately stepping out of the way so Sufuria could see it.
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 3:31 pm
Ah, now they were to the meat of the issue. Oh well, it had to come sooner or later. Knurren made a show of examining the object, then looked from himself and Sufuria to the ratels and back again before smiling at the little mammals. And this time, there was an edge to his grin.
"Ah, now, I thought perhaps we could trade your toy for your lives," he informed the pair.
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 3:42 pm
Sufuria was pleased when the darker brother stepped out of her way, putting herself directly beside it and looking it over before standing close by it, watching Knurren inspect it and turn to make their offer. Her sweet smile didn't change when he explained they could let them take it or die.
Defodio made a face, like he didn't quite understand what he was hearing, when Knurren turned and explained their offer. The odd expression on the large creature made him step back and, despite the threat, he glanced to his brother.
What now?
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 3:47 pm
Uligo was...confused. How could they trade their lives for the object? He looked up at the red lion and offered, hesitantly "But we have our lives and this thing. How can one be traded for the other when you have neither?"
Okay, maybe the ratel, as he spoke, was getting the idea, deep down inside. But he really, really wanted that to be wrong.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Knurren smiled, showing long white incisors. "It's really quite obvious," he dropped the accent and explained quietly, calmly and, if you weren't looking at his face, friendly. "Two lions can easily kill two ratels with hardly any effort. If you wish to retain your lives, you will give us the item."
Oh, this was so fun. The lion glanced at Sufuria, eyes sparkling happily.
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 3:58 pm
Sufuria couldn't contain a quiet laugh as Uligo reasoned that you can't trade a life you don't possess, amused that the threat seemed to go over his head- though the look on his face suggested he wasn't really believing it. Not by the end of his question.
She glanced back at Knurren, beaming, but looked to the ratels to see if they would accept the offer.
Defodio huffed suddenly, apparently not realizing he'd been holding his breath while Uligo and Knurren discussed the terms of the deal the lions were proposing. He glared up at the lions but gave no verbal indication that he was accepting the offer.
Great. All the time and energy trying to strike a fair deal and now they were being robbed. Just great.
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 4:51 pm
The blue ratel swallowed. Hard. He looked up at the two lions who suddenly didn't seem nearly so nice anymore. Though they still looked happy. Oh, he felt ill.
And, of course now they were being robbed. Boy, those lions were big. And fierce looking. And they wanted the big, heavy metal whatever-it-was. The thing that no one he or his brother had spoken to had wanted. The choice here was easy.
"Defodio!" he yelled at his brother as he turned tail and ran into the undergrowth. They'd meet up at the burrow, far and out of sight of these two, where they'd be safe.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oh, how he loved the look on Sufuria's face. It was even more exhilerating than the dawning fear on the ratels. Knurren's smile widened as the blue one ran away with just a shout to the other.
He couldn't resist. The big lion leaned down towards the black ratel and spoke.
"Boo."
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 8:12 pm
Defodio was frozen in place even as Uligo shouted and ran for it. Deep within him he was trying to growl, but he knew better. They wouldn't be easy to kill, ratels were tough when they weren't just running away-- but these lions were older and stronger than any Defodio would choose to face. As Knurren drew closer to him he resisted lifted a paw, as if ready to slash out at his nose, but that's when he really registered that the lion had scars all over his face and only one good eye.
The 'boo' send a quick shudder through him and, finally, Defodio ran for it. He disappeared into the foliage in a completely different direction than Uligo had gone.
The lioness watched, quietly wondering if this was going to get interesting, wishing she could see into the mind of the little black badger as he stood his ground. It was easy to see in his gaze that he was thrown off by Knurren's eyes. When he ran off, Sufuria chuckled and moved back over to her mate, brushing against him affectionately.
"He almost looked like he was ready to take you on," she observed, amused.
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 8:16 pm
Nuzzling his mate back, Knurren chuckled. "You may be right. But a small fellow like that would have to get lucky in order to make an impression." Like the blow that had taken his eye, years ago. But oh, how he enjoyed watching the little ratels flee as they realized they had lost any opportunity of trade.
Speaking of...the lion rested a paw on the metal ball, rolling it around and feeling its weight.
"I doubt they had any clue as to what this might be," he concluded, shaking his head.
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 8:23 pm
She smiled, only nodding to show her agreement when he predicted that ratel probably couldn't have done much harm. He had some fight in him but he didn't look like he really would have known what to do facing a clearly experienced fighter like Knurren. With that out of the way, she turned her attention to the metal ball.
"But now they'll never forget it," she remarked, grinning.
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 8:30 pm
The red lion laughed outright at that statement. "No, I doubt they will!" Knurren agreed. Curling his paw underneath the object, Knurren hefted its weight. Too heavy to even think about carrying it that way, he'd have to push the thing along. Oh well, it wasn't as if he was worried about being attacked. Not here.
"Shall we take our prize home now?" he asked with a wink.
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 8:37 pm
Her face softened at his laughter, she did like to hear him laugh. Smiling, she looked back and forth between Knurren and their prize as he continued to test its dimensions and mobility. Such a strange prize, but the oddity of it was as much attraction as any other quality it might have possessed.
"I think so," she said, nudging him and waiting for him to lead the way.
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