Ekundayo - T ` P o i
Hakuna'jina - T ` P o i
Nyota'angavu - Kitsune Mistress Nyoko
Once again, Ekundayo had found herself sneaking off from her family. The bigger she got, the more the need to wander called her. She'd explored often during the day, and now, she was returning home...a little late. The sun was almost finished setting, and Mama Phye'li was bound to be worried about her. And she hated worrying her mama. So, the little brown and black cub trotted through the unfamiliar lands they'd rested near, her red eyes reflecting what little light was left. If she'd been any other cub, she was certain the lack of light would have gotten her lost. But Ekun had a near-infallable sense of direction.
Hakuna stretched lazily, resting outside the den she'd claimed in their new lands. She grinned. Finally, a place surrounded by others of her kind, with a whole tribe of demons that were of HER blood. Of course...only one had the true eyes, in her opinion. She sighed. The others would have to strive harder for their blood to give them all that came with it. But her little Nyota...he was perfect. Her ears twitched as an unfamiliar scent reached her nose. An intruder. She growled and searched for the source of the scent.
Nyota hadn't wandered far from his mother, as he was currently reveling in the attention given on his first scars. That was when he scented an intruder, and eagerly ran towards the scent. No one would intrude on their lands while he was around!
Hakuna quickly followed Nyota, though not too close. If the intruder wasn't too large, she would give her son a chance to take them on. Of course...if they were too large for the cub, the large lioness would take care of things personally.
Ekun had just jumped over a tock when a noise caught her ears. She blinked and looked towards the source, wondering who else could be around. Unless...she squeaked when she realized hyenas could be about. Last she knew, hyenas liked to EAT cubs like her! And when she saw too pairs of glowing, evil-looking eyes, she panicked and took off to the nearest scrawny tree, still convinced the eyes belonged to hyenas. And hyenas couldn't climb.
Even though the small cub had run, even though Nyota was much younger than her, he knew that he could take her. A grin split across his muzzle and he gave chase, galloping across the Savannah and following her. She wouldn't get away from him!
Ekun bolted up the tree, claws digging into the dry wood as she looked down to the grasses. Her ears were flat against her head, and she wished she was bigger. Her mama could easily take a hyena! She thought...Red eyes blinked as the cub noticed it wasn't a hyena down there. Just a dark cub. Who seemed a little off.
Hakuna chuckled. The intruder was a cub. A dark little thing, but obviously afraid. Nyota could more than handle her. Easily. She chuckled. The little one would learn it was a bad idea to cross into their lands.
Nyota was annoyed at having to climb, but he didn't mind. He leapt upwards, claws digging into the bark as he rather quickly skiterred to where the cub was. It wasn't at all hard. He smirked, creeping forward menacingly.
Ekun squeaked and turned as the other cub started up the tree. When he reached her level, she growled, hackles rising. "Go away. I was TRYING to go home." Her tail thrashed back and forth, and her eyes narrowed. She REALLY did not like this cub...something about him was WRONG.
"You shouldn't have come anywhere near our lands!" Nyota hissed, smirking and pulling back self-righteously. He couldn't help the rush of power he felt, about to take down his first lion cub. And there would be many more lions after this one... "This is where demons live, after all..."
Demons? She needed to get away, get back to Mama Phye'li and her siblings so they could RUN. She didn't really know what demons were...but she had a feeling they were something bad. VERY bad. She backed up on her branch a little more. "I didn't know this place belonged to anyone...I'm sorry. I'll leave, and never come back!"
Hakuna chuckled. Nyota was doing quite well, especially considering the other cub was older. But she didn't have demon blood. Therefore, Nyota was sure to win. Hakuna smirked. Perfect.
"Oh, but we can't just let you leave. You aren't of demon blood. Our goal is to rid the world of lions like you. This is a perfect chance to rid the world of one more lion who isn't fit to live on this earth," Nyota said, smirking and scurrying forward, slashing his claws at Ekun'dayo. This cub was his now.
Ekun yowled in pain as the other cub's claws caught her muzzle. This was a different pain from running into a thorn bush. Thorns pricked...this was sharp and throbbed at the same time. She lost her grip on the branch and found herself falling to the earth below. Thankfully, it was only far enough to hurt, and not break anything. She couldn't help but groan in pain as she tried to make the world stop hurting...stop the black dots that invaded her vision.
Nyota smirked and leapt down from the branch, crouching into his landing and oomphing as he felt the force in his limbs. But it didn't take him long to recover, at which point he was upon Ekun again, one paw against her chest. "You shouldn't have wandered so far from home."
The black spots were almost gone now, and they disappeared completely as she felt the other's paw on her chest. The strange rush of strength she'd felt start to creep into her in the tree suddenly hit her full force. She would make him pay...and then she would RUN. Run far, and fast, and hard. She growled. "And you shouldn't pick fights with cubs bigger than you!" She swiped a brown paw at the dark cub, her eyes almost all pupil ringed by red in her strangely hyper-alert state.
Nyota hissed and jumped back as she swung a paw, smirking at Ekun'dayo. "It doesn't matter if you're bigger. You aren't a demon. And as long as you aren't three times my size, I can take you down without a problem," he said self-importantly leaping forward and swiping his claws at her chest.
Ekun rolled and let the other hit dirt. No words anymore...just a way to make the other stop long enough for her to run. She watched the other, and decided to return the swipe at her face. After all, he looked like he'd already gotten hurt there...what was a few more claw marks? She let loose a cub's version of a roar as she struck out.
A little one that fought back so fiercely. If she weren't so...NORMAL, she might have been tempted to take the cub back for the pride. But, she was a normal little thing, and so Hakuna just watched.
He roared his own cub-roar as she caught his cheek, and while her claws were dug into his cheek, he smirked and swept his claws across her shoulder, intent on leaving another mark as payment for this one... Even if she did manage to escape him and his mother, she would remember them.
Ekun whimpered as she drew her paw and claws back. For every swipe she made, he returned with a stronger one...She jumped back a little, and was surprised by the dust that met her feet. Dust? She remembered dust got in her eyes once...An idea struck her as quickly as the demon cub. Ekun waited for the other to come near, then swiped a paw through the dust in front of her, towards his eyes. If she could get it in his eyes, she could run!
Little did Ekun know that Nyota was familiar with that trick. His eyes shut before the dirt came up him, and once again he relied on his nose and ears to guide him. It was easy to swipe at her again, his claws aiming for her throat. He hoped he'd pierce her neck...
Lucky for Ekun, she'd already stumbled back. Eyes wide at the swipe, she took advantage of his closed eyes. That strange strength still flowed in her, and she knew she needed it for this. She growled and leaned down a bit, then jumped...Her target his back, rather than his head or beyond him, her claws out.
Nyota heard her just in time and dodged, opening his eyes now that he was out of the dust cloud and smirking at the other cub. She really should have realized she was no match for him. Though he had to admit, her adrenaline made her a decent fighter. Too bad she wasn't a demon... But then again, if a demon mated with her, she might be able to produce some decent demon spawn...
Ekun growled that she had missed...but now, she knew it was time to run. She took off, making sure to head a little bit askew of her family in case he followed too close. But she had leg length on him, and when it came to running, that did matter a LOT. She didn't bother looking back, instead letting her ears do the work of keeping track of whether he followed. Her ears were back, so she didn't worry too much about the wind rushing past her interferring.
RUNNING?! Hakuna growled. Foolish little cub. So cowardly, despite her performance. If she wasn't Nyota's to take down, she would retrieve the little brat herself. She paced where she was, eyes narrowed.
Nyota quickly took up chase, hoping to catch up to the cub. She had longer legs, but he thought he was just a bit faster than her. Hopefully, he could make up the extra ground she covered in each sprint with his own speed... To let his prey get away in front of his mother would be humiliating.
Almost...almost...THERE! She spotted the small watering hole on her way in, and she ran to it now. There were guaranteed to be other creatures there...ones bigger than she and the other cub. And there were. Mostly herd animals, with what seemed to be a sleeping family of wild dogs. She dashed past them, scaring a group of antelope and hiding near a rather large gnu. The gnu looked at her blearily, then tolerated the shaking lion cub. She obviously didn't want to try anything.
Nyota stopped as soon as he came within sight of the watering hole and growled. Stupid cub. Had to go where he knew he wasn't allowed without his mother. She was very lucky. This was the one rule he didn't challenge. He paused for a long moment, grooming his wound carefully before trotting back over to his mother, scowling darkly.
"She went to the watering hole."
Hakuna frowned. Well that was a disappointment. She nuzzled her son. "If you ever see her again, you will win." She smirked. "And now she knows why wandering in the dark is dangerous." The crimson lioness picked her son up, deciding part of his punishment for not catching her before the watering hole was not allowing him to walk back on his own. Hakuna trotted back towards the rest of the family.
Ekun thanked the gnu for not stomping on her, then made her way back towards her mama and siblings, shaking, tired, hungry again, and wanting to be around Mama Phye'li more than ever. She was unaware of the glittering brown eyes that watched her, and the take off of the strange little bird towards the demons she'd just run from.
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