The lioness licked at the roof of her mouth, unpleased by the awful stickiness that had plagued her. It had been enough to wake her from an already difficult nap and enough to get her to begrudgingly get up from her spot and seek out the water hole. The air tasted strange. It was cleaner.... but there was a briskness to it. New scents, scents that weren't normally experienced in such a climate. Smells like... mud. Smells like green plant life. Smells like...wet, dirty fur.
She crinkled her nose and snorted, shaking her head at the offensive stench. What on earth could be making such a smell? Had someone left a kill out in the rain? It certainly smelled like it.
As she crested the small hill and began down towards the watering hole, the source of her offense made itself known. A pale lion, dirty and now very wet, stood in the shallows and drank himself full. Another lioness stood nearby, smiling. SMILING.
Gawdat paused, her mouth falling open as she watched the lion trudge himself from the water, leaving a wake of swirling muddy water behind him. She snapped her mouth shut, squared off her shoulders, and started down towards the watering hole.
"Nor does he keep well a clean source of water." The lioness cut into the conversation, sharp and frustrated. "Look at the mess you've made! How long till it settles? Or shall I walk around it, soiling my own paws where the mud bank falls into the water? Inconsiderate. Even for a Nergui."