It had taken an astonishingly ridiculous amount of planning and scheming, but Artyki had finally managed a small success in her little 'revenge' plot against the blithe idiot female. Yes, she'd managed to get her alone for the first time and without that doting swamp-stained fool of a mate playing bodyguard or protectorate or general PAIN IN THE a** HEART HEART MORON.
She'd managed it, of course, with an invitation to go "sunset watching" (or something like it), an activity which, for some odd reason, her victim was completely thrilled to entertain.
Really, what was so great about a sunset, anyway? It wasn't really anything special or worth looking forward to in her book; after all, they happened every damn night without fail. Just because she didn't care enough to watch one meant little since there'd be another the night after, and so on, and soforth, into a great big spiraling infinity of DO NOT CARE.
... But anyway, that was the excuse for her little invite, as so it was that the two lady lions (of varying intellects, she boasted) set out, lazily strolling through the open-yet-still-vaguely-muddy savannah grass beneath a blazing redgold sky.
"Ah, what a striking color," chirped the one called 'Ira'Quinh' in a blithe sing-song tone, tail flicking with excitement. "Red is so passionate and vivacious, don't you think? Reminds me--"
"Of freshly spilled blood," Tyki just couldn't help herself there. It was too ironic of a comment... and yet, as expected, her soon-to-be victim completely missed the implication.
"Really? I always imagined blood to be a little darker. Muddy, almost... Kind of thick, too, like a dark tree sap..."
"Is that so? I beg to differ." She was almost tempted to let loose with a sadistic smile and a comment of let me show you the difference, but alas, no, that might have been too obvious even for the wretched little fool, so it was time to just lean over and sink her jaws in while those odd-eyes wandered aimle--
"Aha! A perfect spot!" Fjkflahgak;sfa;;asdflakl s**t, WHY HAD HER PREY JUST TAKEN OFF AT A DEAD RUN?! "Hurry, hurry! We've no time to lose lest the sky change on us!"
... Tyki let loose a snarl at the sight of her bouncing off like that, ears flicking back and muttering a select few curses before, heaving a sigh, she, too, took off at a most unfortunate run. Alright, so her cunning plan was to be a little delayed... that was alright! She'd just maul the idiot once they got to this perfect spot and be on her merry way! Simple as that!
And so, they ran. And ran and ran and ran some more until the darker lion was starting to wheeze while her counterpart remained inexplicably energized, so much so, in fact, that she sang a song of incoherent babbling as they scaled the strange structure of her choice-- some odd, jagged sandy dune thing-- and planted themselves as its precipice.
"Mmm, I vaguely remember a spot like this before, once," the idiotic female went on babbling, head craned skyward and so innocently exposing her vulnerability without a care in the world. "Nice and warm, this mound of somesuch..."
"Yes, very." That was true enough, and Tyki found no harm in agreeing. She'd just force a smile, wait until she was certain her 'victim' had zoned out completely, a-- CRUNCH fjfklasd;afdakglakgalfs!!!!
Okay, of all the things she had been expecting right then, having her seat CAVE OUT FROM UNDERNEATH HER had definitely not been on the list-- and worse, upon swallowing her shriek of surprise and attempting to reorient moments later, the lioness realized that something was burning in her fur-- something ...
Termites. God dammit.
She shrieked and howled and threw herself off the mass in a blind flurry of itchy bitey fury, all but flying into the muddy grass to roll and thrash and dislodge the terrible little creatures as the other lioness, whose seat was still intact and holding her comfortably, just watched with a kind of innocent fascination.
"Ah, I remember now! Yaxha and I were stargazing one night and sat atop another bug mound, just like this! Poor fellow wasn't very well liked by the minute creatures either, sent him into a strange flurry of commotion, just like that!"
".................." The thoroughly disgruntled (and not MUDDY) latter gave her this look right then, halfway between rage and disbelief, and just... gaped.
Surely, this had to be a joke, right? NO ONE could be that incredibly dense and blithe and still be ALIVE, could they?
But of course Eshe just hopped daintily over the gaping angry PIT of enraged termites to slide her way down the mound's hillside, tail still waving and without a scratch on her. "Well, no matter then; I suppose we can find somewhere else t--"
"NO!"
A blink. Perplexity. "... Hmm? But--"
"This spot is fine," Tyki said quickly, having absolutely NO desire to let the idiot take her on ANY MORE wild goose chases and just... sit up, attempting to scrape as much mud (and termite-y goodness) off her fur as possible to retain SOME minimal dignity. "We'll... watch this sunset of yours right here, alright? This will do us nicely enough."
"Hmm, hmm... well, I think you're right! Excellent suggestion, a-- ... ah, dear, I don't think I caught your name?"
"... Tyki," the lioness mumbled flatly, sighing. "Just... Tyki." Then, a moment of deliberation. Best to feign courteousness until she found a more appropriate mauling opportunity later that night. "And you are?"
"Looking for my name, actually."
"....................." BuhWHATnow? O... kay. That was a new one to her, and-- "Didn't that male call you something else rather particular?"
"Huh? Oh, yes..."
"And it was?"
"... Ira'Quinh?"
"Well, isn't that your name then?" Seemed like common sense to her, but the look on Eshe's face read as completely AMAZED after a moment, eyes growing childishly wide before tilting her head to one side, blinking, tilting it to the other... and then, for some odd reason, chuckling out loud.
"I suppose it would be, wouldn't it?" Well OBVIOUSLY! "... Oooh, I'll have to take him back with me so I've a name to present... I hope he doesn't mind the change of scenery..."
Yeeeah, that was about the time Tyki just shrugged and let the girl mumble happily to herself, resolving to ignore any more shenanigans until her opportunity arose.
(... And when she returned the next morning with a black eye and a limp from the countless other disaster that befell her in the fail, she'd just hiss as Dude to shut his damn trap and sleep the day away.)
