Odijo had awaited until Bari had left her den. In his maw, a bunch of purple flowers he had picked for her dangled loosely. He wanted to surprise her, but it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if she saw him giving them to her. He watched he leave a few minutes after he got there, placing the flowers right on the front step of her den. He would wait here until she returned; he wanted to see the reaction on her face when she came saw the bright flora right in her den.
However, his stomach growled after waiting for a few minutes. Living in the swamps, hunting seemed slightly difficult. He was more use to the rogue lands, in which he knew most spots where you can see a herd of antelope or zebra roaming. Here, you had to keep an extra eye on everything. The slightest movement in the trees could mean that your meal was just minutes away. Even the sounds of hooves hitting muck could trigger a hunt.
That is why when Odijo left Bari’s den, he headed South. He would keep an eye on the surrounding area, all in all while listening to sound of anything that could be food. When he heard and saw nothing, he tried a different route.
Upon heading towards slightly East, he spotted what looked to be an overhaul of underbrush. Curiosity stroke the best of him, and he had to peel back as much of the bush as he could to see what was back there. To his surprise, a worn out path was there, but it seemed to not have been in use for what seemed like forever. He wanted to take a step forward, but he knew if he did that, he might not be back in time to see Bari’s reaction.
Placing the whereabouts in his mind, Odijo continued to head towards the East, looking back every now and then at the spot until it was eventually out of sight. What could be behind there, he wondered as he spotted a slight movement in the swamplands.
One thing good about the swamps, was the muck could capture one’s next meal. In the mud was a rabbit, or hare by the size of it, struggling to breath. She seemed trapped, her body halfway under the brown liquid. Odijo frowned, however he knew this was the circle of life. One had to die for another to survive, and soon he would pass on too, while his body would be given as fertilizer for the ground his prey munched on.
"Shh." Odijo crooned, stalking up to the struggling hare. He wanted to prey to be soothed before it's inevitable death. Cornflower blue orbs gazed into frightened eyes. It too, knew its fate that was about to happen. It took one last struggle in the muck before relenting to the fact death was upon it.
It was an easy kill. Odijo just took a swipe and the rabbit ceased to breathe. He pulled the little hare from the muck, licking it’s fur to rid the taste of dirt. There was nothing like dirt in a meal, but something that couldn’t be helped.
"I don't believe I have seen one calm a prey before it's death." A voice said from behind him. A younger male, still growing his mane, had watched the entire scene unfold.
Odijo shrugged his shoulders. "I give what I expect to receive." If he was caught in a fight, and on the losing end, he would rather die at peace. "Who knows if the hare will return one day and think of its past memories."
Majivu shrugged slightly. "Maybe." The gray lion stood for a moment in silence. "They are good words to live by. I am Majivu."
"Odijo."
Majivu nodded. "Is that your given name?" He knew the lion was not from around here. He had joined rather recently by the looks of it.
"It is." Bari had told him about the swamplands and where he would get a new name one day. He was curious to that day. "And Majivu is yours?"
The lion nodded. "Yes. My pilgrimage is in a few moons. I will know after what my true calling is." Majivu had vivid dreams of his upcoming pilgrimage. He wondered if those thoughts would be true once he set sail. "I should let you get back to your meal." Majivu state, flexing his paws in the mud. "Odijo, until we meet again. You will need to let me know what your true name is then."
Odijo bowed his head in a nod. "And you as well, Majivu. Goodbye." He called out at the retreating lion.
He ate in silence, only having his ears perk up when the sounds of wind rustled against the tree heads above. When his meal was over, he licked his lips, leaving whatever was left for vultures and any of predator that licked to scavenge. Seeing that this was the swamps, it was only likely some kind of avian would find his kill.
He headed back for Bari’s den in a rush, nearing the hidden path. He stopped once more, looking at it before thinking. He’d show Bari this in a couple of days, he didn’t want to be to obvious that there was a path here, and it just might’ve done that if he was back there day after day. Giving one last nod, he headed back towards the female’s den, stepping more quietly as he neared. If she was back, he didn’t want to give off his location to her.
When arriving, a frown had been placed on his maw. The flowers were gone! Where…where did they go? She couldn’t have been back already, he hadn’t been gone /that/ long… Oh shoot! He stepped out from behind the bush, looking at the ground. Sure enough, the flowers weren’t, but there was evidence that something was there. He noticed the purple flower petals heading away from the den, in the direction of the little pool. He couldn’t help but smirk. He knew that’s where she would have taken them.
He headed that way, wanting to surprise the female in more ways then one.
(WC 1036)
