|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 11:43 am
Sauda had continued with the lions. She certainly didn't want to stay in a place where she couldn't get to water. Besides, she wasn't very attached to that place anyway.
She managed to keep with them, but out of their way, curious as to where they would go. If danger were to arise, she'd at least have time to decide if she needed to run or not. She noticed the grass, but had stayed beside them and fought the grass rather than join them. She doubted they would let her in the line anyway. Finally she noticed their pause and could hear the sounds coming from up front in the line. "Well that's just great." She grumbled.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 11:53 am
Nyesui followed the group and breathed a small sigh of relief when she noticed that her sister had found her. She was unable to get up by her as they formed a single file line but she was glad that Hadharani was close by. She had already said goodbye to one member of her family, she didn't want to say goodbye to another. As they approached the grass, she heard the noises and crouched down; great, more monkeys.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 12:02 pm
[OOC: That was some good sneaking!]
"Sorry, Hadharani," Matifa whispered. The lioness got back on her feet and crept forwards, fanning out in the grass along with the other females. They parted, and circled along the edge of the grass, keeping the sound in hearing distance.
Ulaka herself had crouched down until her belly just brushed against the earth. Deftly, she slid forwards. Just her ears poked over the top of the grass and her eyes examined the scene before them.
There, drenched and coated in thick, black pond scum, was one beast of a rogue male. Blood dripped down his right shoulder and his teeth were latched into the throat of a crocodile who had clearly picked the wrong opponent.
The creature writhed and fought, its bag legs scrambling for purchase and its body twisting in defeat. It's jaws snapped uselessly at the air before the rogue male dropped it and hurriedly back-pedaled a few feet. The crocodile, whose throat must have been severed, made a wheezing, angry sound of retort and began to weave back and forth on its front legs. But the weaving was slowing, and the crocodile did not look like it had long to live.
If that was not sight enough, along the bank, two other crocodiles lay stretched out. One, rolled over onto its back, was missing its eyes. The other was so motionless, it could have been nothing other than dead.
"Did you kill all of those?" Matifa's aghast voice broke the silence. The male lion's head jerked towards her.
Whoops. Looks like she'd blown their cover.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 12:18 pm
Hadharani snuck on with the group being very careful not to make a sound. Then as she came up on the water with the rest of the group she watched in awe of the big male as he took down the crocodile easily. She was utterly in shock as she spotted the other dead croc's too. Had he taken out all those croc's? Matifa's voice broke the silence and Hadharani flinched as the male looked over at her. Oh she was in trouble now.
Hadharani had no idea she was looking at her beloved brother. He was so covered in pond scum he was unrecognizable. She was cautious because she had no idea who he was. She hunkered down trying to blend with the mud since her fur was such a close resemblance to it. Matifa had been seen but she wasn't sure if she had been seen yet so perhaps that could be an advantage if they needed it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 12:21 pm
Hari stared, transfixed, at the scene before her. The unbelievable power of this rogue was enough to astound Hari, but the sight of the crocodile with it's eyes torn out left her wondering what kind of brute this lion must be. She wouldn't have believed this possible if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, and as she crouched hidden among the long grass, she was so very thankful that the lion didn't know they were there.
"Did you kill all of those?"
Hari's eyes widened in horror and her jaws gaped as she recognized Matifa's stunned voice. The rogue male's head whipped around to face in the direction her voice had come from. For a moment, fear gripped Hari, but she forced it back. Narrowing her eyes and laying her ears against her head in determined defiance, she rose to her paws and took a few steps forward. She was now at the edge of the long grass, so the rogue could see her clearly while she still remained in what little cover the stems provided. She hoped that if she let her presence be known, the rogue would think that the whole pride was hidden in the grass and think better of attacking anyone.
"Well? Did you really kill all of those crocodile by yourself? And why would you rip the eyes out, especially of only one of them?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 12:41 pm
Su's eyes lit with interest a seeing the large male lion. He lacked the red pelt but if he had fought off crocodiles and come out the victor then he certainly had some aptitude for fighting. Such a thing was an attractive quality in a male. Her tail twisted and only the snake bumping against her foreleg distracted her.
"Perhapsss it isss bessst we do not linger." Kaharabu responded warily. A lion that could do that might only mean more trouble for them.
Perhaps the snake had a point.
Meanwhile, Ainra was shaking her head in dismay. "This is wrong." She murmered. "Crocodiles aren't prey. They deserve better than this."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 12:44 pm
Nyesui stayed as quiet as she could to continue sneaking by. When the others stopped near the water, she looked around to see what everyone seemed to be staring at. When her eyes caught sight of the male, she crouched further into the mud to do her best to blend in. The sight of the crocs that surrounded him scared her slightly. If she recognized him as her lost brother, she didn't show any signs. He looked slightly familiar but it was hard to tell under all of the mud and blood that coated his pelt.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 1:02 pm
Sanele was finding the grass unusually bothersome too. Her itches had itches. She ended up in the back of the line for no other reason than she had to keep stopping to scratch her paw behind her ear. What? You would be slow with it, too, if you had to keep so quiet.
She didn't dare fall too far behind, though, always close enough to one of them that she could reach out and nudge them if need be. Hopefully, no one was giving her weird looks...
The mammoth of a male they came across certainly did well to distract them if so. Sanele stared at him, mouth agape, and then her shoulders sunk when she heard it --
Did you kill all of those?
So much for that...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 1:13 pm
Scooting forward with some of the rest of the group to look through the clearing, Sauda saw what everyone else did. Or at least, as it was through a hyena's eyes.
Oh great another lion. Well at least he did some good and killed those crocs. She thought. She was about to start back when she heard one of the lionesses talking. Really? REALLY? They just thought about not blowing their cover, and then this one just goes and does it?! She could help but let out a bout of laughter at it. She'd run away if she had too, but this was just too funny!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 1:53 pm
As the group moved out, Ora squashed her lingering resentment for the baboons, resorting instead of mentally cursing them for this forced retreat. In any other situation, and perhaps in her adolescence, she might have charged ahead and tried to take them down herself, but (relative) maturity and the many days of travel had drained some of that irrationality from the lioness.
For now, it seemed, leaving was the best recourse.
She fell in line behind Hari, more to keep the two siblings close to each other than anything else, but Ora couldn't complain about having a little company, or at least someone to focus on in through the tedium of walking hour after hour across the plains.
"You be careful now, little one," she told Kayin, who looked as though he was just dying to go pelting through the tall grasses. He wouldn't know to feel fear until he had gotten himself completely and utterly lost, and then what would they do? Better yet, how would Ora explain that one to Dina? Kayin was a responsibility that the lioness hadn't exactly expected or invited, but he was one all the same, especially now that he was dancing about right underneath her.
-
"I'm not little!" Kayin declared, as he always did whenever Ora called him that. He certainly wasn't for his age, and they were both well aware that Kayin would likely be larger as a juvenile than Ora had been as an adolescent, but she called him that both out of affection and irony. It had never sat well with the cub.
He was all set to launch into a tirade about his obviously superior size when Ora hushed him hastily and he found his mouth blocked by her paw as she flattened him against the back of her foreleg. The urgency that went ripping through the crowd struck his interest immediately, and Kayin craned his neck out from behind Ora for a desperate glimpse of what was happening.
He heard Ora say something about some holy crap and saw his friend's ears p***k in interest and mild horror (if it was, in fact, horror, however, it was of the admiring sort).
But the sea of legs around him made it difficult to see. Kayin tutted impatiently. "What's happening?" He demanded, venturing out from behind Ora's legs. "What are those? How'd he do that? Are they real?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 2:24 pm
Thulisile had lingered behind with a small group of young Abazingeli, too focused on their conversation to actually pay attention to their surroundings. It was only when the others started talking about water that she’d realized that there were cries of pain and surprise mixed in with the expected relief and joy of finding a water source. She roared angrily when she heard her sister Ora scream and ran to the front to see what was happening. Baboons, that was what. Stupid, sneaky creatures… they could hit a cub!
“Why are we leaving?!” she'd asked in a frustrated tone, burning as the annoying beasts’ unmistakable laughter pierced her ears. She wanted to teach the baboons a lesson and show them what she’d been practicing at the Firekin outpost but nooooo… they were letting those things keep the water. If it was up to her, they would push the cubs back and fight the stupid monkeys.
And now they had to be quiet. As if they were hiding from something. Thuli was not enjoying this one bit.
“What are you standing around for? What’s going on?” Thuli pushed forward and joined her sister’s side, eyes fixed on Kayin. “Oh, he’s here again. Is he your boyfriend now?” she was still grinning when her eyes finally saw what everyone else was looking at. “Woah.” She froze but the grin didn’t disappear. “Did he kill it? Did he?”
----------------------
Baie watched wide-eyed as the crocodile struggled against the beast of a lion in front of them. They had seen enough until now what with a hyena and some rogues joining the travelling band and the rock-throwing baboons from before. It had been a wise decision to leave before any of the cubs were injured but her pride was definitely bruised. She felt strong and running away from a bunch of monkeys after all the fighting training they’d been doing was not an easy thing to swallow.
As their presence was given away, Baie’s ears lowered and she took a few steps forward. Her body language was deceptively submissive, simply meant to stop any potential aggression from escalating into a full-blown conflict. At the first sign of danger, Baie was ready to be first one to fight.
“We have cubs with us.” She said quietly but firmly. If that wasn’t enough to appease the male, than she didn’t know what was. Getting on the wrong side of a lion who had just killed three crocodiles before the Abaholi arrived did not seem to be particularly wise so she hoped that that the whole eye-ripping thing was not a sign of insanity.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 2:36 pm
((Edit: I have no female members.. :3? ))
Nguvu flung the crocodile aside. The image of its great jaws snapping towards him still burned in his mind.
"No, No, I did not." He opted for honesty. He found the most humble and truthful of creatures to retain the most strength. "This particular one..." He nodded to the body he had just released, "Decided I'd make a good lunch, and I wasn't going down without a fight." He flexed the muscles of his front legs. It was obvious he was a very strong creature indeed, and it was something he responded to with pride. Being cast out meant he had to be strong, and he was grateful.
He recognized the cubs around, after being told by one or two concerned, and bowed his head graciously. "I did not intend to cause shock, apologies." It certainly seemed like a better idea than being eaten, though.
Suddenly, his eyes widened as he recognized two faces within the group, although he doubted they would recognize his, covered in all this filth.
Shaking his head he looked to his sisters. "Hadharani... Nyesui?" His face widened in joy. It would appear the Ithambo'hlabathi had found their way into his path! What were the odds?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 2:40 pm
Wodi was not easily impressed, but she was sure impressed now. If that male had killed those crocodiles on his own, that would be pretty damn remarkable. Badass, even. She could appreciate that. Of course, it was also stupidly dangerous, which was significantly less awe-inspiring. With their cover already blown, she didn't have any problem adding her own dry commentary. "Impressive. Stupid as hell, though."
...but he hadn't actually killed all of them, it turned out. Oh. That was actually sort of disappointing. What was intriguing, though, was that he seemed to recognize a couple of the lionesses. Hmm.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 3:02 pm
"He could be lying," Ulaka murmured to the few ears around her.
He didn't sound like a liar, but good ones never did! "And either way, he's a rogue male. We'd best keep our distance." Ulaka's ears flattened and she slunk to a spot further towards the water, but still behind Baie.
Matifa, clearly shock-struck, made her way out of the grass and out into the open. She did not have cubs and was not watching any, and so felt less fear in approaching the male. She wasn't going to get too close, though!
"One crocodile by yourself is still impressive!" Her eyes flicked to the still, reptilian body. What had caused it to attack him? She didn't know crocodiles to be typically outwardly agressive, but then she tended to leave them alone.
Ulaka, meanwhile, was creeping towards the water. "We should get a drink while he's distracted. We may not get another shot." She never took her eyes off the pond-scum covered.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 3:25 pm
Hadharani listened to the male talk and explain what had happened between him and the croc. She hadn't been very close to Ulaya who was sneaking around and trying to get a drink so she didn't hear anything Ulaya said about the male lying.
When he said her and her sisters name Hadharani's eyes widened and she slowly stood up so she could walk out and join Matifa in the open with the male. "Do we know you?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
