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 Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 6:33 pm
"Damn it..." Ziarre'ari growled softly, watching the young gazelle buck she was stalking spook at some slight noise and dart towards a larger group grazing nearby. Sure enough, that group was unnerved as well...the lioness flattened her ears. In no time the prey near this watering hole would be unsettled, and she'd have to wait hours for them to calm down enough for her to go back to the hunt. Turning, she skulked through the grasses until she was far enough away to safely travel in a more normal fashion. With a disgruntled grunt, she flopped down underneath a tree after glancing up to check that there weren't any leopards reclining within the branches.
...Not that it'd matter, of course. She just didn't feel like beating the crap out of some fool leopard who decided to drop down onto her right now.
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Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 6:46 pm
There were no leopards in the branches, but there was another lioness on the prowl. She had caught scent of the herd on the wind and it had made her stomach growl... How long had it been since her last hunt with her sisters? Bah. She didn't need them to catch a meal.
Nose wrinkling she padded through the brush, keeping her body low and her movements slow. It wouldn't do to startle them now... Not when she was so very, very close...
When she saw one leap towards the group she'd been watching she paused, bringing herself lower to the ground. "Damnit..."
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Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 7:07 pm
Tawny coat nearly blending into the grasses, Ziarre's own nose twitched as the wind shifted and brought the smell of another lion to her. So...maybe that was why that buck had spooked. While she was of half a mind to give whoever it was a piece of her mind for such an action, if she held her temper back she'd possibly get a meal today after all. Hunting the larger game, even something as small as a half-grown buck, was always easier in numbers.
Rising, she deliberately stood so that she rose above the grasses.
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Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 7:28 pm
Her tail swished behind her as movement caught her attention once more. No, not a gazelle this time... But another lion. Another hunter. She would have growled had she not known that doing so would only bring trouble. Any sound could make the herd bolt. She was too hungry for that and in no mood whatsoever to be trampled.
She was willing to bet that it was the other lioness who'd startled the stray... Idiot.
She rose, making herself visible, golden eyes narrowing slightly as she eyed the other female, waiting to see who would move first.
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Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 7:42 pm
Well...so a cooperative effort might not be an option. Judging from the glare she was receiving, Ziarre figured that the other lioness wasn't any more happy about the buck being spooked. Well, that was just tough...if they'd both been stalking the same animal, they'd have run into each other eventually. Trying to catch the other female's gaze, she used a paw to gesture first at the herd, then at the other lioness, then at herself. After that, she paused. How was she going to make it clear that she was interested in working together? Raising her paw, she extended first one claw and shook her head, then two and looked at the lioness questioningly. And the whole time, she hoped the game was too busy being wary of everything else to notice them.
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Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 8:06 pm
Her brow lofted slightly as she eyed the other lioness and her gestures. They were easily understood, of course... Especially for one who had trained long and hard to communicate with others on the hunt without speaking. They could growl at each other all they wanted but it wouldn't lead to either of them being fed. Working together, on the other hand, just might.
She nodded once before returning her gaze to the prey, stalking slowly towards the small herd. If she could separate one from the group... And chase it towards the other lioness...
Aha! A straggler.
Grinning she picked up her pace, growling as she neared the heard, watching them scatter. It didn't take much to pick which one she was going to chase. It was heading right for the other female.
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Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 8:15 pm
It was well that their quarry was heading right for her, for Ziarre was more a fighter than a true hunter. Crouching low with bunched muscles, she stilled herself until the gazelle was nearly past her before flinging herself at it. Sinking her claws in deep, she growled as she sought a hold with her jaws, seeking to either suffocate it or drag it down slow enough for the other to tackle the beast as well.
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Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 8:20 pm
She galloped after their prey, using its stumble caused by the other feline to finish taking it down, throwing the weight of her body against its, holding the creature down until the other female was able to take its last breath. Smirking she glanced up. "Well, that was easier than I thought it would be... And who do I have to thank for the assistance?"
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Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 8:36 pm
Blood staining the pale fur of her muzzle and paws, Ziarre's muzzle twisted in a wry grin. "Easier than doing it alone, anyways. My name's Ziarre'ari, and...what might yours be?" Aware of the body cooling at their feet, she didn't worry overly much about it. She was hungry, yes, but it would keep for a bit. As long as a pride didn't show up or, worse, a pack of hyenas or wild dogs, they could handle nosy would-be thieves.
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Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 9:08 pm
"Mwindaji." She nodded, glancing up from their prey to the female in front of her. "Much easier than doing it alone. I have always hunted with my sisters, but traveling alone does not often lend that same ease... The thrill of the hunt is just as great though." She nodded slowly. "As long as nothing spooks the herd."
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Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 9:15 pm
Ziarre shrugged. "It's damn frustrating, but it happens. I wouldn't want to be them, having to dodge us lions and...lesser predators." The last two words left her mouth with an air of distaste. In the tawny lioness' eyes, if you weren't a lion, you just weren't quite worthy of the same treatment as lions. Fellow felines were to be preferred to the others, but...they still weren't lions. "Been a while since the last good hunt for me. You?"
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Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 9:28 pm
"Longer than I would care to admit." She leaned down, tearing at the gazelle's hide with her teeth until she'd exposed some of the soft, tender flesh beneath it. Pulling back she ran her tongue over her lips, golden eyes lifting to the other lioness. "They were made to be eaten. They reproduce so that we may continue ruling our lands with the strength we receive from consuming their flesh. On top of that... They're rather tasty." She managed a smirk as she leaned down, tearing off a piece of meat.
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Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 9:53 pm
"Very true. Can you imagine having to eat grass?" Ziarre made a face. "Not that it's not bad for the occasional dose of cleanliness, but it tastes bad enough that it's a miracle that their meat tastes as good as it does." Shaking her head, she was quiet for a moment as she hastily ate a bite to get the imagined taste out of her mouth. "Strange. I hadn't thought about that for a while."
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Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 10:15 pm
"I prefer imagining the taste of fresh meat and cool water." She nodded slowly, tearing off another bite as she sent a brief thought to her homelands before turning her gaze to the other female once more. "Where are you headed, Ziarre'ari? Is this land your home?"
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Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 10:24 pm
"Agreed." At the other lioness' question, Ziarre laughed slightly. "Home? I suppose this is it, if you count being a rogue. My mother was a rogue, I assume my father was a rogue, and I haven't found a pride that suits me yet. Most would...disapprove...of my actions towards non-lions." Her grin was almost a baring of teeth. "Or lions that go soft towards them...one had the gall to interfere with chasing a cheetah off of a fine kill."
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