[SRP] Playtime? (Eldahildr, Vilhelmas & Linzie)

[ChaosTheories]

It was still early enough in the morning to take advantage of the coolness lingering from the previous night, so Linzie was already wide awake and ready to go. She wasn't the type who liked to sit around idly when she could be doing something else, after all! She had never quite grew out of her cub-like curiousity and playfulness, so she was prone to getting bored. Travelling the roguelands was her greatest source of entertainment, since very little stayed the same day after day, unless you were clueless enough to wander into the desert or something. Linzie had done that, once. She didn't feel like reliving the experience.

Linzie walked quickly, rocks and long grass posing no threat to her. She was used to the deceptively flat terrain and the imperfections it contained, so she made her away through brush and around outcroppings of rock without much trouble. Eventually, she stopped at a scraggly old tree. It's leaves and branches were so crooked and dry, it didn't offer much shade. But that wasn't why Linzie was interested in it. Once of the branches hung just low enough that maybe, maybe if she tried hard enough, she could catch it in her claws...

The lioness reached up and tried to snatch it out of the air, giggling all of the while. Maybe it wasn't the most interesting game, but everything could be a game with the right mindset!  

[ChaosTheories]

Vilhelmas and Eldahildr were seeking out the perfect candidate to be their new thrall. Well, technically it would be Eldahildr's new thrall, but Vilhelmas was free as far as she was concerned. She always told him he'd been a terrible thrall and after they had fought about Eldahildr's reaving, she had decided to bring him on her outings. He would have to be a pack thrall in order to go, but he didn't mind much. He got to spend time outside of the pride with Eldahildr, after all. His anger at her, although still there, was slowly fading.

"Why are we awake so early?" Eldahildr complained, feeling the strain of long travel days and early mornings. Their current captain was tough and demanding, which meant they got a lot done, but not much rest. Eldahildr enjoyed reaving, but she also enjoyed resting. She was struggling with which was better at the moment.

"This is our only chance to look around for ourselves, remember?" Vilhelmas replied, suppressing a yawn himself. "We don't have to, you know."

"No, no..." Eldahildr said, sensing a hint of displeasure in Vilhelmas' voice. "Let's keep going."  

[ChaosTheories]

Linzie heard the other lions speaking from some distance. Silly lions, talking so loudly where anyone could hear! Linzie paid them little mind, her game of make believe more interesting than the strangers for the moment. She imagined the branch was the great limb of a giraffe that she had to pull down in order to trip up the giraffe and make a kill. She stood on her back paws and reached up with her front, her claws just out of reach from the tantalizing toy.

"I can almost reach, it's so close..." She muttered to herself, voice slightly strained from her efforts. She used her free front paw to support herself against the trunk. Did it just crack? Nah, she was hearing things.  

[ChaosTheories]

Eldahildr suddenly stopped in her tracks and ducked down among the uneven ground. The long, golden grass and the natural cracking of the earth made a good hiding spot, even for her dark coat. Vilhelmas joined her, settling beside her a little more closely than just a thrall or a friend would have. Eldahildr, however, didn't really notice.

"I hear someone. Look over this dirt and see," Eldahildr said, prodding Vilhelmas forward with her paw. His golden mane would blend in better than her dark head.

Vilhelmas sighed, but he wanted to see and did what she asked anyway. He blinked as he saw an unusual orange lioness who seemed to be grabbing at a tree branch. Why? Was there something caught on the branch that was valuable that he could not see from there? This lioness seemed determined...

"Yeah, it's a lioness. She's alone."

"Oh, great!" Eldahildr said, a little too loudly. "Let's try to surround her. You go left, I'll go right."

Vilhelmas nodded and did what she asked, with a glance to see which way she was going. She hadn't seen the lioness but she was doing well to get into position.  

[ChaosTheories]

Linzie realized she couldn't see the pair of lions. She assumed that they went home, and just continued to stretch forward for the branch. She felt something give under her other paw, but she ignored it. Just a little farther, a tiny bit farther...

Suddenly, the trunk cracked under her weight and fell, taking the lioness with her. She squealed and hit the ground, the broken trunk under her, with a gasp. Well, that didn't quite work the way she had planned! She couldn't help but laugh at herself, though. Silly Linzie, toppling head over tail.  

[ChaosTheories]

Eldahildr had almost rounded the orange lioness when she suddenly squealed and fell out of sight. She stopped, dust rising from her paws, and popped her head out from the tall grass. Where had she gone? The tree had been on a little hill, so she must have fallen down the other side. She grumbled and slunk down again, hoping that she hadn't been seen.

Vilhelmas watched Linzie fall on the opposite side of the hill. He stared as she hit, wondering if she had impaled herself on the tree somehow, but she seemed to be... laughing? Well, that was okay, then. It would do them no good to catch an injured thrall. Or a dead one. He resumed his careful sneaking, wondering if she had seen him.  

[ChaosTheories]

Linzie was untangling herself from the ground when she spotted the dark pelted lioness poking her head out from the grass. Weird... had she been sneaking up on her? Oh, maybe she wanted to play too! But where was her friend?

The orange lioness got to her paws and looked around, her blue eyes curious. Oh, her friend was closer, on the same side of the hill as she was. But he was trying to hide. That was weird, too. It wasn't a fair game if they were going to sneak up on her... Unless they wanted to be mean. Some lions could be mean, and she didn't fully understand why. If that was the case, she would have to be careful.

But instead of running away, Linzie sat on the remains of the tree and waited. If they were going to play, she'd let them get close, but if not...  

[ChaosTheories]

Eldahildr managed to approach the orange lioness without her running away, or even moving much. Wait, was she sitting there, waiting for them? She would be the easiest thrall capture in the pride, unless she was planning a trap... But it would be two against one. This was getting more confusing by the second so Eldahildr decided just to... walk up to her and see what she was doing.

"Lioness, what are your intentions?" She snarled at her, long canine teeth bared.

Vilhelmas had chosen to hold back, since the stranger obviously had noticed them. But Eldahildr had taken a more bold approach and was now speaking to the other lioness. He shrugged and moved to provide backup for her, in case things went badly. Linzie didn't seem like much of a fighter, but rogues could be unpredictable.  

[ChaosTheories]

Linzie waited and watched the other lioness approach and speak to her. Oh no, she wasn't the friendly kind! She would have to get out of there quickly.

"Intentions? I don't have any intentions," she squeaked nervously. She glanced around and noticed that Vilhelmas was starting to cut off her only escape. "I was uh, just talking to this tree! It told me I have to go home now. Bye!"

Suddenly, she darted away for Eldahildr and tried to dash between her and the quickly closing opening between her and Vilhelmas. She liked to run, but not for her life! And she kind of hurt from falling on the tree. It was time to disappear.  

[ChaosTheories]

Eldahildr was confused. Who talks to trees? Why was she talking to a tree? Or was she just making up a story? By the time Eldahildr focused again, Linzie had already begun her escape.

"Vilhelmas, grab her!" She yelled. The thrall sprung into action and sped up to cut Linzie off, but to no avail. Linzie past so close to him that he could feel the air stir, but he missed her. If only he had reacted just a split second sooner...

"Elda, should we give chase?" He said, stopping to pant briefly. He felt guilty that he had missed and prepared for the lioness to yell at him.

But instead, she shook her head. "No, I don't think she would have made a good thrall anyway. She talks to trees, can you believe it?"

Vilhelmas shrugged. He didn't know the way of rogues, other than they could be both very tough or very lost. The orange lioness hadn't seemed like either of those things.

"Well... that was a waste of time. C'mon, Vil. Let's go find the captain... I suspect he won't be happy we were gone so long."