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Atreyu was furious, and he wasn’t sure why. On second examination, he supposed, he was furious because he was embarrassed. And he was embarrassed because he was jealous. And he was jealous because Marzi had spent all day hankering on about this ‘lovely leopard chap’ who’d whispered sweet nothings into her ear. Why it bothered him, he wasn’t sure. Well- no, that wasn’t true either. He knew why it bothered him, but for the moment, the taboo nature of it kept him from admitting it.
The solution for this problem was one as old as time. Or at least as old as testosterone. The only way to fix his problem was going to have to be beating the snot out of this little Casanova. With Marzi safely disposed somewhere- [possibly with Markal, the peculiar hyena child they’d found only a few days back]; Atreyu went out for vengeance.
Jaden himself, a bit elsewhere, found himself no less disposed dealing with the whining of Kissimmee. He’d long since blocked out the nonsense she was saying, but even selective hearing wasn’t fixing the shrill sound of the cheetah’s continuous prattling on about how ‘utterly rotten’ her nephew had been as of late, not keeping touch.
“I can hardly imagine why,” Jaden remarked flatly, his ears pressed against his head.
“He’s just like his father, unfortunately.” She continued. “Left his mate with a whole litterful. If it wasn’t for my Bram taking over, I doubt any of the lot would have survived. Poor Bram, his brother broke his poor heart.” She lamented.
“How’d he die?” Jaden monotonously questioned.
“Oh, he died in the war, you know.” Kissimmiee sighed, sniffing a bit. The manner of which she executed it seemed even more insincere then it sounded.
“The war?” Jaden asked. Now that was something interesting. As far as he remembered, the cheetah lot fought less then most. In fact, even his own uncle, Barebones the III- or so he was called for his often starving demeanor, had been able to fight off cheetahs. And old Barebones routinely lost kills to rats, among other things.
“Ah, yes.” Kissimmee continued. “It was a dreadful thing. In the east. Or something like that.”
“I can’t say I’ve ever heard of cheetah’s…going to war?” Jaden offered, his tail shifting.
“Only when necessary.” She totted, and shifted her tail. “Anyways, that’s how it went. Now Balamb is off with some ridiculously droll group, and doesn’t care any bit about his auntsie. How is that for gratitude? I say.”
It was about at this point that Jaden began to tune out again. Had he been paying more attention- he might have heard Kissimmiee mention the sound of something rushing at them. And if he’d been paying attention, he probably wouldn’t have taken quite the nasty right hook from Atreyu, who sprung from the bushes in a flurry of testosterone.
The red leopard saw stars briefly as his head snapped back. The lion hadn’t been meaning to terribly injure the fellow- so it was not as lethal as it could have been. But it was good enough to fling the rather decent sized leopard right on his back, and into a bush before he was even able to fathom what was going on.
The cheetah gave a sharp shrike, and took a few careful bounces backwards. “A highwayman!” She yelped. “What nerve!”
Atreyu, struck by the shrill voice of the female beside him, tried to wave his paw and dissuade her. “Oh! No no, I’m not trying to hurt you- this is between me and the-“
By then, Jaden had recovered, and threw all his three hundred-plus pounds of leopard into the lion’s side. Atreyu didn’t fall over, but it did succeed in knocking the wind out of him. Struggling for breath, Jaden gave a good sharp swipe on top of the head. “Uff! Uff!” Jaden wheezed. “What kind of nonsense was that? Who the hell are you?
Atreyu gasped for air. “You-! You’re nothing but trouble! She’s mine!”
“I am not yours!” Kissimmiee shrilly yelped, her bright pink eyes flashing. “How dare such a slimy, bush jumpy…red….thing, try to own me!”
“Hey, you can have her!” Jaden balked, rubbing his cheek from where the lion had cuffed him. It was already starting to bruise.
“Not her!” Atreyu wheezed, but it didn’t stop Kissimiee from wailing.
“He wishes to make off with me! Defend me, brute!” The cheetah wailed, pointing her paw in his direction.
“Hey, hey-“ Jaden panned. “I’m no fighter-“
But, by then Atreyu had recovered, and thoughts of Marzi spending the afternoon snuggling with this rug of a leopard drove him back into another temper tantrum. He pounced on Jaden’s back- sinking both of them to the floor of the forest when Jaden refused to keep standing.
Kissimiee watched the two males scuffle for a few more moments. It was a terribly one sided fight…although, with a sniff, the cheetah noted that niehter of the males were all that good at fighting to begin with. Her escort was all but flailing underneath the bulk of the larger lion- and the lion, unable to figure out if he should jump out of the way, continued to flail his paws around, randomly hoping to hit his adversary on the head. Which he did- because Jaden didn’t seem all that aware he could avoid them!
“Boys, stop it!” Kissimmiee groaned. “This isn’t any proper way to duel for a lady. You’re just embarrassing.”
“I don’t even know who I’m fighting for,” Jaden half whined, pressing his face to the dirt.
“You don’t even remember her?” Atreyu half howled.
“There’s so many!” He reminded, flailing.
The lion pulled himself away from the leopard, snarling. “How dare…how dare you! You don’t even-“ Now, he was half weeping. “She was mine-“
Struck by the sight of the poor lion weeping, the cheetah scurried over to him, and started to pat his head. “There there…” She hushed. “Jaden! You were far too rough on him.”
Jaden rubbed his bruised face. “I’m the one who can barely see straight!”
But as it were, consoling the big baby of a lion was going to take more then a few pats.
The solution for this problem was one as old as time. Or at least as old as testosterone. The only way to fix his problem was going to have to be beating the snot out of this little Casanova. With Marzi safely disposed somewhere- [possibly with Markal, the peculiar hyena child they’d found only a few days back]; Atreyu went out for vengeance.
Jaden himself, a bit elsewhere, found himself no less disposed dealing with the whining of Kissimmee. He’d long since blocked out the nonsense she was saying, but even selective hearing wasn’t fixing the shrill sound of the cheetah’s continuous prattling on about how ‘utterly rotten’ her nephew had been as of late, not keeping touch.
“I can hardly imagine why,” Jaden remarked flatly, his ears pressed against his head.
“He’s just like his father, unfortunately.” She continued. “Left his mate with a whole litterful. If it wasn’t for my Bram taking over, I doubt any of the lot would have survived. Poor Bram, his brother broke his poor heart.” She lamented.
“How’d he die?” Jaden monotonously questioned.
“Oh, he died in the war, you know.” Kissimmiee sighed, sniffing a bit. The manner of which she executed it seemed even more insincere then it sounded.
“The war?” Jaden asked. Now that was something interesting. As far as he remembered, the cheetah lot fought less then most. In fact, even his own uncle, Barebones the III- or so he was called for his often starving demeanor, had been able to fight off cheetahs. And old Barebones routinely lost kills to rats, among other things.
“Ah, yes.” Kissimmee continued. “It was a dreadful thing. In the east. Or something like that.”
“I can’t say I’ve ever heard of cheetah’s…going to war?” Jaden offered, his tail shifting.
“Only when necessary.” She totted, and shifted her tail. “Anyways, that’s how it went. Now Balamb is off with some ridiculously droll group, and doesn’t care any bit about his auntsie. How is that for gratitude? I say.”
It was about at this point that Jaden began to tune out again. Had he been paying more attention- he might have heard Kissimmiee mention the sound of something rushing at them. And if he’d been paying attention, he probably wouldn’t have taken quite the nasty right hook from Atreyu, who sprung from the bushes in a flurry of testosterone.
The red leopard saw stars briefly as his head snapped back. The lion hadn’t been meaning to terribly injure the fellow- so it was not as lethal as it could have been. But it was good enough to fling the rather decent sized leopard right on his back, and into a bush before he was even able to fathom what was going on.
The cheetah gave a sharp shrike, and took a few careful bounces backwards. “A highwayman!” She yelped. “What nerve!”
Atreyu, struck by the shrill voice of the female beside him, tried to wave his paw and dissuade her. “Oh! No no, I’m not trying to hurt you- this is between me and the-“
By then, Jaden had recovered, and threw all his three hundred-plus pounds of leopard into the lion’s side. Atreyu didn’t fall over, but it did succeed in knocking the wind out of him. Struggling for breath, Jaden gave a good sharp swipe on top of the head. “Uff! Uff!” Jaden wheezed. “What kind of nonsense was that? Who the hell are you?
Atreyu gasped for air. “You-! You’re nothing but trouble! She’s mine!”
“I am not yours!” Kissimmiee shrilly yelped, her bright pink eyes flashing. “How dare such a slimy, bush jumpy…red….thing, try to own me!”
“Hey, you can have her!” Jaden balked, rubbing his cheek from where the lion had cuffed him. It was already starting to bruise.
“Not her!” Atreyu wheezed, but it didn’t stop Kissimiee from wailing.
“He wishes to make off with me! Defend me, brute!” The cheetah wailed, pointing her paw in his direction.
“Hey, hey-“ Jaden panned. “I’m no fighter-“
But, by then Atreyu had recovered, and thoughts of Marzi spending the afternoon snuggling with this rug of a leopard drove him back into another temper tantrum. He pounced on Jaden’s back- sinking both of them to the floor of the forest when Jaden refused to keep standing.
Kissimiee watched the two males scuffle for a few more moments. It was a terribly one sided fight…although, with a sniff, the cheetah noted that niehter of the males were all that good at fighting to begin with. Her escort was all but flailing underneath the bulk of the larger lion- and the lion, unable to figure out if he should jump out of the way, continued to flail his paws around, randomly hoping to hit his adversary on the head. Which he did- because Jaden didn’t seem all that aware he could avoid them!
“Boys, stop it!” Kissimmiee groaned. “This isn’t any proper way to duel for a lady. You’re just embarrassing.”
“I don’t even know who I’m fighting for,” Jaden half whined, pressing his face to the dirt.
“You don’t even remember her?” Atreyu half howled.
“There’s so many!” He reminded, flailing.
The lion pulled himself away from the leopard, snarling. “How dare…how dare you! You don’t even-“ Now, he was half weeping. “She was mine-“
Struck by the sight of the poor lion weeping, the cheetah scurried over to him, and started to pat his head. “There there…” She hushed. “Jaden! You were far too rough on him.”
Jaden rubbed his bruised face. “I’m the one who can barely see straight!”
But as it were, consoling the big baby of a lion was going to take more then a few pats.