Nerit wandered the early morning sun beating on her and feeling unbearable hot, it seemed to be uncharacteristically warm this night on the savanna. She was out looking got a kill to have for Shira, she enjoyed the females company and at the same time loathed it. With Riko she had felt a connection to the outside world, one that was strong and that showed her what being a 'normal' lion was like. She felt guilty inwardly and wanted to punish herself for forgetting her faith, her religion.

She walked through the stifling heat pressing her paws into a hole here a hole there trying to find a hare that might be lurking beneath. She did not fear snakes, although she should they could be lurking anywhere; she'd never come across a snake. She pressed her paw into a hole that was quite deeper than she thought it was.


Nafsi slept soundly in a burrow she had been working on, often she would freak out with bugs and run off back to her tree stump, but Wana had encouraged her to travel so they were wandering, she would sleep in a hole and he would sleep near by out of sight incase anyone tried to eat her. Her dream was fantastic, dreaming of a bugless world without any creepy crawlies she hopped through it, and then promptly was bit on the rump by a bug..wait a minute.

Nafsi's eyes flew open and she squealed, "Wana! Help!" She thought she'd been stung but when she spun around colored tootsies were all she could see, "Who's there?! Who has me!"


The chocolate colored female did not answer merely extended her claws into the poor hare's backside and dragged her out of the burrow. As it squealed she winced inwardly feeling sorry for it, but it was the only hare she had found and it had to be Shira's breakfast, she wanted to make good with this lion, she would not go as far as saying she was her master, but she was as close to an owner Nerit ever had. She was generally used for labor here and there and hunting, no one laid claim on her and Nerit wondered inwardly if this was due to what happened between her an Unyezi.

"Sorry, little one, you're breakfast." She held the squirming red hare out at arms length and admired it's teal fur.

"I--I'll call my hyena! WAANAA!" She squealed loudly trying to sqiurm from the lioness' grasps, "I'm too young to die, and you...you monster let me done! I'll call him! WAANNA!" Where was Wana at anyways, she was too frightened to take her eyes off of the chocolate pelted lion to notice that Wana was no where to be found. She looked at the creature anxiously, "look at how skinny I am!" She was right, Nafsi had lost a bit of wait because of the traveling, before she was quite plump and tall, now skinny and lanky. She reached forward and with her large teeth bit into Nerit's paw.


Howling in anger and frustration Nerit tossed the damned hare back into her hole and placed her paw in her mouth, pulling it out she noted that it was not bleeding, the vermin had not bitten that hard, "Look, I don't take you for breakfast I'll be in trouble, my lion will not be kind with me." She looked over the hare and realized that she was indeed small and may be taken as an insult for bring such a small creature as an offering for breakfast.

"Where is your silly hyena anyways, do you really have one or are you yanking my fur?" She had never seen a hyena, there were many things it seeme dshe had never seen in her short lifetime. Her emerald eyes watched the hare wondering what to do, "Will you help me find something acceptable for her breakfast?" She offered an alternative to killing the hare. "I'm only doing this because you look diseased."

"I would make a fanta-" she caught herself before she said she would make a good meal, "Yes, I am infested with...creepy crawlies." She figured that there could be others out there that shared her fear of the small bug like things that haunted her dreams at night. "I can look for you, last night we saw a zebra, it was a bit worse for ware, but it was a fresh kill?" she offered and stood up her back hurting from the fall, she would need a nice soft hyena to bury herself into when this was all over, forget some dingy hole in the ground.

"My Hyena's name is Wana, and he's around..somewhere...follow me I'll show you the zebra, if no one has taken it you can have it," She started to hop off in the direction Nerit was heading.


Nerit flashed her fangs at the hare and started to follow her thinking it funny that the hare almost incriminated herself to be eaten. The hare was quick and Nerit had to jog to keep up with it, "I'm Nerit, I don't want to know your name in case I have to eat you. If this is a trap, I'll eat you." She watched as a speck of white and black came into view, along with something that was large and a foresty green, "Is this your hyena? I said if this is a trap..."

"No, no, I swear, I thought he was watching over me as I slept, I did not know he was out here, please..." Nafsi's eyes grew big and she looked as if she would burst into tears, "Wana must have gotten hungry and wanted to eat the zebra..that's all!" She squealed in distress, "WANA!!"

The olive green hyena perked up looking towards what he expected would be his bonded, Nafsi running towards him but all he saw was a large lioness and what looked like a red streak on the Savanna. His first instinct was to run, but then the instinct to protect his charge kicked in and he ran towards her teeth bared growling, "Who are you? What are you doing to my hare?" He barked angrily scared for his little companion.

"Nafsi, are you hurt?"

Nafsi moved as fast as she could away from the threatening lioness her eyes bulging in their sockets as she passed Wana and stopped a short distance to look back. For the first time in the hare's life she was not worried about bugs or creepy crawlies, even was not worried about birds. She was concerned for her own safety and especially the safety of her best friend. "Wanaaa, be safe! Come back!" She shouted her voice a high pitched squeal.

Nerit wanted to laugh out loud this was too funny, the hare really did have a hyena, and it was coming towards her, instincts told her to run, but also told her she had more muscle on this creature. Standing her ground the lioness growled back, "She was helping me, I was not hurting her, if anything your damned hare hurt me!" She flexed her claws, never actually being in a physical confrontation she was not sure exactly what she was doing.

Wana ever the coward and realizing that for now his companion was safe stopped feet from the muscular lioness's resting spot and looked at her, he could imagine Nafsi attacking something much larger because she bossed him around so. Glancing back at his charge he turned to the lion.
"You're a..lion?" He guessed, he had never seen such a thing in his entire life.

Nafsi shook in her fur as she started to slowly slink away from the scene, she would find Wana later and explain.

"Yes, I am a lion, and to answer your question, I am Nerit. Your hare tricked me into coming out here so that you would attack me." She left out the part about how she was going to eat the hare, that would not have been a smart thing to tell a concerned hyena. "you are a hyena then? I've never seen one of you before, I'd assume you've never seen a lion?" She questioned. She wondered if she would be able to take the zebra carcass still, she made it a note that if they were civil to one another to ask or muscle it away from the green creature.

"A hyena, and I would think Nafsi could do something like this..she doesn't like small things but will badger larger ones. I am sorry for the misunderstanding," he wasn't sure what to say or do, being nice seemed like his best bet. Yellow orbs stared at this new creature, a lion, eh? He cackled slightly an impulsive laugh and turned to see where his charge went.

"I think she was frightened of you." he said not implying anything by the statement. He wondered if all lions had such bland coats, his was at least a very rich green, hers was an ugly brown. "I am obviously Wana, would you like to share in my meal?"


She looked at him in disbelief, it was such a coincidence that they both had never seen each other's species she wanted to laugh allowed as he had but her nerves got the best of her. Slowly she allowed her claws to retract, "I don't think it is such a good idea for us to be near one another, your hare wanted us to fight and I think that would make tension." She answered not wanting to turn her back to him or even look away from the yellow eyes. Her heart was racing she had almost gotten into a tussle with a very large hyena.

"Would you mind if I took a leg though, for a friend?"

"After what my hare put you through! I would be honored if you took the entire thing, and I think you are right, new friend. It would not be wise to stay long." He could feel the adrenaline and tension in the air like electricity crackling, "I hope that she did not hurt you too badly, she's sweet really." he answered her and looked back too see if his charge had returned. Wana did not want to turn his back either so he merely side stepped out of the way for the lioness to go to the carcass. "I'll be leaving you, I suppose.." this was awkward and he was unsure as to what to say, the coward in him told him to run, but the protector wanted him to fight. He was full though, most of the zebra was gone. "I'll go find her now then." he said uneasily and started to side step and move backwards diagonally.

"Your loss," she grunted to him her friendliness failing, she had acquired a meal for not only herself but a hearty meal to take back to her traveling companion. She stepped forward slowly and waited until he was far enough away before she went to the zebra. It was intact for the most part and could easily be dragged back to the place they made 'camp.' She roughly grabbed its back legs together and started to drag keeping an eye on the hyena as he slunk away and making sure he did not move towards her. With a muffled mouth she spoke, "Danks."