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((Any lionesses for the hunt? n_n))

Walii stretched, her claws flexing as she emerged from her den. Not too hot yet... an excellent time for the hunt. They needed food, as always. The Firekin prided themselves on survival in a land that hated outsiders, but sometimes the land seemed to hate their food sources too...

She let out a roar, calling the others to her. It was time to hunt.

Kwenzi fluttered her wings, hopping from branch to branch of the twisted and gnarled dead tree. She stabbed at the bark, bits flying off, but soon stopped - there were no insects holed up in this dead wood. She trilled a song, the sound carrying across the dry air, and then she took off, flapping lazily, spiralling away and looking for shelter.


(( Kwenzi is a glossy starling =))

[; ; Where did my little rp buds go?]

Taka flinched as the lion appeared over the sand dune, getting a feeling of great dislike. she saw him looking directly at where the cubs were hiding. Gritting his teeth she remained as calm as she could, trying to ignore the instinct to grab the cubs and fox and run until she couldn't anymore. Was that possible? Maybe. Teule cocked his head at the approaching lion, giving a grin to see a new lion, and male, too! Eagerly, he pressed forwards only to be shoved back into the den before he even took his first step.

"Stay."

(arafel twas jsut waiting for daimyn to post! *snug* o_O)

The fox put her paw on the dense cub, helping taka shove him into the hole as she curled up ontop of the three and closing her eyes waiting for whatever was to come.

Wokovu gave a small squeak as more were shoved into the small cramped hole. He squirmed a bit trying to get more comfortable than he was. He closed his eyes to keep from getting sand in them, and silently prayed that they would all be ok. Though he'd never admit it he was a bit scared.. but, they'd be ok right? With his mom and taka there.. they'd be just fine.. right? his thoughts ran around in his young brain, causing his breathing to get a bit heavier.

The desert sun glared down upon the golden dunes- saves of sand that were every changing and flowing in the passing winds. The sun was both a blessing and a curse, for when it set the land became bitterly cold and almost made one long for the cruel heat it brought about during the mid-day. However, during the mid-day hours one would again wish for the bitter cold the sun’s absence brought towards the darkest hours of the night. The only pleasant hours of the day were normally when the sun rose and fell. At those short times of the day the land was neither cold nor hot enough to drive a creature insane. Very few forms of life were able to tolerate such conditions, nearly all of them small or reptilian. Lizards would scramble to the shade of their dens during the hottest hours and hunt in the morning and before sunset, returning to their caves to keep warm from the desert chill. Hares with their large ears would cool themselves by simply standing in place and catching the wind. They were normally active in the dark hours, feeding off whatever shrubs they could find. The desert foxes shared the hare’s massive ears for cooling but had one thing to their disadvantage making them more scarce in these regions- they were unable to get their water from plants as they were carnivores. Lions were at the top of this little food chain. Being in the desert meant one took what they could without a second thought. Hares, lizards, foxes, even large bugs were on the menu for a lion. The hunts were always long and often unsuccessful- so many of the desert-dwelling lions were thin. Perhaps the royalty were the only ones among the pride that looked even half as well fed as a lion should be. Mwali wasn’t one to defy the norm.

He lay quite contently close to the den on his back, enjoying the patchy shade provided from a desert weed that had long died and dried up. It wasn’t exactly full shade nor enough to keep one particularly cool, but it was all he could find in a short distance. The prince didn’t see any reason for traveling too far from the cave quite yet. The day was coming to an end soon enough but it still wasn’t cool enough for anyone such as himself to explore. Perhaps when it cooled he’d venture out. He wasn’t fond of his lifestyle at all. As a cub he had been spoiled, given anything and everything he had wanted. As a teen he had picked on the other lions in sparring and had chased many prey creatures but didn’t bother in killing them. As an adult he simply laid around and occupied space. He wasn’t an important member in the pride at all. The lionesses were all much better at hunting then he and his services were never called upon for that. His father paid little to no attention to him throughout his lifetime so he had no attachment to him. His brother- though they had been playmates in their younger years- had a mate of his own and cubs. He would become king and his children after him. There was really no need for Mwali to be there.

Before- it hadn’t bothered him at all, but his snotty attitude in younger years had gotten him a negative opinion among the pride. The lazy image he carried came more from his lack of usefulness around the pride. If he wasn’t asked to do something, he wouldn’t. His days were often occupied by lounging, sleeping, and eating whenever a kill came about. Now and then he’d venture to the small stream for a drink and often times he’d take a day to nap at the water’s edge. Every day he’d sit facing the desert and wondering why he was staying where he was, why he let himself become useless and weak… why he allowed himself to only be good for sitting and looking pretty while the rest of the pride went out and made use of themselves. It annoyed him and often times he’d carry an expression that showed as much. His ears laid back against his mane, his head lowered below his great shoulders and his back hunched so he was curled into himself almost.

Useless… lazy….. Bored. He mocked himself silently.Some gift to the desert you are....

Perhaps he was more sickened with himself then his situation... that he just sat around dwelling on how he was living instead of doing something about it.

Kwazi tilted on silent brown wings. It had been a bad few days for the fish eagle; A sudden, violent windstorm had blown him headlong into the middle of a dry, arid desert, populated only by scrubby bushes, scarce ground-dwellers, and not a lot of water. Which of course meant no fish. Earlier that day he had considered fighting a huge gathering of vultures over the remains of a cat's kill; but he was weak, and they had easily driven the proud eagle off with racous laughter and vicious snapping of beaks. He was thirsty, and hungry, and even at this height he could not tell whether he was heading further into the desert or back towards the land of waterfalls he had left what seemed an age ago.

(( -rushes in- Sorry guys, I went on a rafting trip XO.))

Jasi could hear something going on outside the den, and she wiggled herself out to the top. Without meaning to, she fell out of the den, landing a couple of feet infront of Taka. She shook her head for a minute, trying to shake off the extra sand. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him, the male lion. Everything in her small body froze, as she turned her head and stared at him. She let out a small yelp, but still couldnt force herself to move back into the den, which seemed miles away to her. She looked back at the lion, and without thinking she asked, "What do you want?"