Adanna had been wandering again. Unknowingly she had wandered off of pride lands and into the rogue lands. As she wandered she caught wind of a lone waterbuck. She let her nose lead her to the one. She crouched and waited, for what she didn’t know, but she just wanted to get the right angle.
Bekile tilted her head as she reguarded the waterbuck. True she was rather stocky for a lioness but she was very short legged. Her ears twitched in irritation as she decided it wasn't worth the trouble of chasing down the buck. A wicked smirk crossed her muzzle as she stood up from the thick grass easily in sight of the buck.
Something unseen caused the waterbuck to sprint out of range for Adanna, and left her mealess. With an angry growl and stood up and saw what had started the buck. It was another lioness. “Do you do that to everyone?” She asked haughtily. Adanna had forgotten how soft she was on her feet.
Bekile blinked startled as the appearance of the other lioness her ears laying flat back as she rumbled low in her chest. "You assume I knew you where there. "
“The buck would have been mine, you could have gone the other way you came. But besides you scaring off my dinner, what are you doing? Are you that inexperienced that you don’t know how to hunt, or be courteous to other hunters? It’s rude to scare away the game.” She was frustrated now, a rare, but dangerous, occurrence.
Violet eyes narrowed as she flexed her claws slowly against the ground. " Apparently your mother never taught you manners cub. So let me explain again since it is clear that you must be hard of hearing aswell. I did not see nor smell you. I had no knowledge that you were there."
With a leap, she was out of the bushes that concealed her. “Can you see me now? Your senses are the ones that are hard. I can see, smell and hear you perfectly fine.” She smirked as she mentally kicked herself. She did not need a fight, if she got hurt she would never forgive herself.
Bekile took one step forward from the tall grasses so the other could see her more clearly. She was short legged but her body was thick and stocky, with a heavy pelt of dark blue fur. "You see me now because I let you see me now." Her voice was low as she struggled with her temper. "I have been here for hours cub. Patrolling the edges of my prides lands."
“Well your hours are wasted. If that is your edge than the animal was in no mans land. You should try hunting on your own lands. They tend to be better pickings there.”
Boy that lioness was a mouthy one. Bekile snorted faintly rolling her eyes. But then there was no reasoning with a crazy one
“Fine. Let’s set this aside. I’m Adanna, and you are? Let’s not be hostile with one another. For all we know we could have an alliance between our prides.” She smiled and retracted her claws. She wouldn’t let her guard down, but she could do more damage with her teeth.
Bekile nodded slowly as she sat back down, " I am Thembekile." She would be damned if she was going to let this rude female call her Bekile. She did try to relax her body though
“Well, Thembekile…that’s a mouthful. Got anything shorter? Maybe Them? Or How about Kile?” So being friendly wouldn’t work, that was a shame. Adanna was unsure what caused her to get angry, hopefully it had passed.
She immedatly snarled "Do not call me KILE!" Shuddering faintly she looked away then with a soft sigh. "Forgive me..someone that...well there are bad memories set with that name."
Frightened with the other’s sudden outrage, Ada jumped back. “I am sorry. I understand. I too have bad memories with certain things. What do you do besides hunt?”
Bekile sighed softly and smiled, " I truly am sorry. Please call me Bekile. Mostly I patrol and hunt, when I am not swimming in the swamps."
“Swim? You can swim in swamps?” Ada didn’t like the swamps. She had encountered one on her escape from home, it was messy and smelly. She tried to stay away from any land that got too soggy.
Bekile did chuckle then as she relaxed more. "We live in the swamps." True she knew it wasn't many peoples idea of a home but to her it was heaven.
“That is certainly different.” She sat down and smiled. “Mine has a lake. I don’t swim in it, I am unsure at how deep it is. But I do just stand at the edge and admire the beauty. Is the swamp like that for you?”
"It is haven ya know? I know I am safe there." It was a dangerous land but once you knew the terrain there was virtually no way to be taken by surprise.'
“You must know it like the back of your paw. I almost got stuck in a swamp. It was horrible, and I couldn’t get the smell of the swamp water out of my fur for weeks. But since you live by it, you must be used to it.”
Bekile chuckled softly as she nodded, " It took a little gettng use to, but now I wouldn't want to live anywhere else."
Ada laughed too. “I know what you mean. I love my home now. It is so much easier to think of it as home instead of my birthplace. Were you born into your pride?” Maybe connecting over hard pasts was the way to not being hostile to others.
"No, My brother and I came here awhile back."
“I just recently joined mine too, Do you think that females can be great leaders despite their size and strength? I’ve always thought so, but so many males seem to be in charge.” She was generally curious, how had Bekile grown up?”
"I really don't know. " She paused to think of the question.
Ada got up suddenly, her sense of duty got the better of her courtesy. “I apologize for my having to leave, but I really must get back to my pride. Maybe you can find me? I’ll see you around Bekile.” With that she left to go back home.
