[PRP] The Eagle and the Deer.

[Aris Was Here]

It was mid-day, and Moki Galu'nadi, youngest child of Us'kali, was lying peacefully beside the trunk of a large tree and watching the world go by, as he sood still as stone, the only movement from the wind that flowed gently through his coat and caused the hairs of his growing mane to dance about.

Moki had always been a quiet child, but now he was entering that awkward phase of adolescence where, still unsure of the world around him, he found himself filled with questions and yearnings he didn't know how to satisfy. Still, he was relatively content for a young lion his age, when others might be looking for potential mates or succumbing to wanderlust. Moki had no desire for either of those things; after all, strange lionesses and strange places both made him nervous.

Despite being on the verge of adulthood, Moki had retained the timidness of his earlier days. Even with Binti has his caretaker, somehow the boy managed to remain remarkably shy. It was easier for him to follow when others may lead, to listen when others may speak; he found it comforting to let the others make the decisions when it came so naturally to them. He was often at his very happiest when surrounded by those he loved, chasing behind them as they went on their own adventures or listening to their stories after and feeling as if he'd been right there himself.

And yet now that his siblings were growing up around him, he still felt like a cub inside. Moki let out a sigh, his violet eyes fixated on the horizon of his homeland. He wondered the reason why he hadn't matured as quickly as they did.. Or perhaps in simply asking himself this question, he was more mature than he realized. In any case, he was nearing the end of his childhood.. Perhaps it was best to hold onto it for as long as he could.  

[Vashtya]

As the sun reached its zenith, harsh rays beating down on Woha'li Galu'nadi's dark pelt, she looked up, expression almost wistful as she watched a hawk circle above for a few moments before moving on. Like her brother, Us'kali's daughter was growing up. However, unlike Moki, she revelled in the new freedoms her larger frame allowed her. She had no urge to leave the pride, or to explore beyond its borders--but like their surrogate mother, Woha'li was always the first one to explore something new, or to test the limits. She was only just beginning to temper that fearlessness with wisdom, as she found her limits through trial and error.

However, like Us'kali, who she only knew from what Ama, and Binti told her, Woha'li had a stillness within her, a quiet sense of nobility that meant that she didn't feel a need to provoke others to prove her mettle.

Looking around, she spotted Moki, who had his back to her. Grinning, she stalked closer, dark paws nearly noiseless in the dry grass. When she got almost right next to him, she flopped on top of him (or at least tried to 8D), completely comfortable with invading his space.

"Lazing away the day, brother?" she asked, her own violet gaze twinkling.  

[Aris Was Here]

The tan male let out a rather unmasculine yowl as he became target to his elder sister's attack, his face smothered in black fur. "Hey!" Moki squeaked as he squirmed awkwardly from underneath the weight of his sister. His frame was somewhat smaller than hers despite the difference in gender, thanks to being the runt of the litter. After he managed to pull himself out from under the tackle, he skittered a few feet away and groomed his fur back into place.

"Hey, Woha'li," he greeted her with a hesitant chuckle. "Just doing some thinking.. Perhaps a little too much." Moki smiled cheerfully at his sister. She was in every way his opposite. Strong, independent, adventurous.. Even their coats were in stark contrast. The pair were like night and day. In fact, practically the only thing they shared was their mother's eyes.

Yet despite their differences, Moki especially admired Woha'li of all of his siblings. Her confidence, her curiosity; from the stories told to him by their elder brother, he imagined she was most like their mother.

As Moki thought on it, he realized perhaps the reason for his personality was the strong females in his life. The strength of his sister and his surrogate mother gave him the freedom to be soft and meek. That thought comforted him. "What are you doing, sister?"  

[Vashtya]

Rolling onto her back, paws up in the air, Woha'li laughed, wriggling contentedly. "What were you thinking about?" Curious, she looked up at him from her odd vantage point. She found it difficult to comprehend Moki's more passive take on life, however, by the same token, he was one of her favorite siblings to pass time with--he was a grounding influence.

"And me? Well, I stalked a rabbit for awhile, but it's getting too hot--assuming that Binti doesn't organize a hunt this evening, I'll probably see if I can't run down something when it starts to cool..." Still laying on her back, she reached out a paw towards Moki, scooting a bit closer as she tried to bat playfully at her younger brother.  

[Aris Was Here]

Moki grinned and eyed the ebony paw extending towards him, then reached his forepaws up to catch his sister's blow. At her question, he offered a shrug and twitched his nose. "Nothing. It's just.." Moki paused with an uncertain frown. He couldn't find the words to explain to her without feeling silly. "Do you think I'm the same as I used to be..?" The awkwardness of his question was followed by a laugh. "It's nothing!"

His gentle smile returned, and he nodded to her. "It is hot," he replied, panting slightly as if to make his point. "A family hunt would be fun!"

The young male was perhaps far from the best hunter; always second-guessing right before the pounce and allowing his prey to escape. For what it was worth, he stalked and pounced his little heart out, he just hadn't mastered the art of timing yet. However, Moki always enjoyed things a little more when the family was involved. He found more confidence with the others near.. Even if that meant that he might receive the occasional good-natured teasing of his technique.  

[Vashtya]

Woha'li's expression sobered, at least somewhat, and she looked up at Moki, still upside-down, as she thought about it, ignoring his awkward laugh, and attempt at glossing over it. "I think we're all changing--after all, we're learning new things, and that shifts how we look at things, hmm?" As she said it, she reached over with her other forepaw, tapping Moki lightly on the nose.

Flopping over onto her side, she huffed, sending a cloud of dust swirling in front of her nose. "It's been awhile since we all brought down something big, hasn't it?" this said almost wistfully, as she too, thought to past hunts that they'd done as a family. "If nothing else, maybe you can help me flush out something a little more substantial than a rabbit...unless perhaps you'd like to get some practice on something a little slower moving?" This said with a lazy, good-natured grin.  

[Aris Was Here]

A reflective sigh escaped Moki's throat, his cream-tipped ears twitching against the touch of the wind. Once again, his dear sister was demonstrating a wisdom beyond her years. Silently, the young male hoped that Woha'li would always be there to offer him such advice. Before Moki could become too distracted by this new thought, he felt her touch against his nose and laughed once more, this time in a light-hearted tone of play, and he let go of her paw to venture a few soft swipes at her.

Moki opened his mouth and began to speak when he caught the sound of his sister's jest and paused for a moment, his mouth closing and lower lip venturing forward to pout. He tried to come up with a witty reply, but the only voice in his mind was in agreement with her! His grin returned, with a hint of embarrassment. "I'm not sure there's something out there slow enough for me!"

Then he nodded and licked his lips in anticipation. With the help of his siblings and mother, they could probably, possibly, maybe, catch something big enough to feed the whole pride! He was sure it was possible. After all, his siblings were so skilled! However, Moki began to wonder if that was such a good idea. Large animals scared him, after all. What if they wanted to go after an elephant? Or a buffalo? Moki shuddered as he imagined charging up to such a beast, the look on his face easily betraying his thoughts as he squeaked a reply. "..But not too big!"  

[Vashtya]

Chuckling, Woha'li endured the soft blows with good humor, remaining on her side for a few moments before sitting up. "You'll figure it out soon, I'm sure." The mere thought of a fresh kill was enough to make her salivate. However, it was still too hot out--if there was a chase of any decent length, the likelihood of someone overheating was high.

"As big as we can find!" she teased, expression downright mischievious. "Maybe we'll run across a bull elephant--just think of how long -that- would feed everyone for!  

[Aris Was Here]

Moki's ears flattened as he imagined the elephant, with those monstrous feet like giant tree trunks that could easily flatten even a full grown lion, and the tusks that could spear through him as easily as though his flesh was nothing more than a dry leaf. In his naivete, he actually believed his sister had such ambitions. After all, she was always thinking of dangerous things to do.. Adventures she called 'exciting' that simply made his stomach turn. It took him a moment longer, but once he caught her tone, his expression turned to an uneasy grin. "Well, they are slow walkers!"

Though the heat required their plans wait for another day, the youngest Galu'nadi was in no rush; he was as content talking about doing something as actually doing it! In fact, perhaps more so; as after all, actions could lead to dangers, but talking was a perfectly safe activity. Some might call Moki's way boring, but those were probably the ones getting themselves speared on elephant tusked, he imagined.