Hadaya was going to enjoy these one on one sessions he had designed for his kids. Instead of dealing with all six of them at the same time, he would try and give them each some undivided attention on their own, while the others stayed in the den or explored the pridal lands. Dura was a bit older than the others, and with Oya to help him they could probably keep Fitina, at least, from escaping and causing chaos.
The yellowish brown lion was taking the male twin of the dynamic duo out for a bit of bonding today. Leta and Fitina were generally inseparable, but there was no way he was going to bring both of them out together. He could just see them running off within moments, and him never finding them until they wanted to be found.
But for now, however, Leta was calm and happy, padding along and looking excited. Hadaya had promised to show him some hunting skills today, though, the older lion couldn’t help but wonder if he was promising something he couldn’t really deliver on.
Azmodaeus had her eyes set on a herd of antelope this day, having tracked them through sunset and sunrise. The rogue female was rather hungry now and had finally picked the perfect ambush spot - the wind was in her favour, the light just right so that she blended into the grasses, and the prey had no idea she was still there. They'd spooked earlier but they'd settled down once they thought they'd lost her.
The sound of approaching visitors made her wince and she silently prayed they wouldn't startle the herd into running again. They drew nearer still and she groaned quietly, forced into the hunt before she lost her meal entirely.
Surging out of hiding, she charged the short distance to a young antelope. It stood for a moment, eyes wide and uncomprehending before it turned to dash away. As a short distance sprinter, Az was not bad but her fastest strikes were always right from the go. The chase was short and the youngling fell roughly, bleating and kicking, hooves flashing.
Panting, she pinned the kill, thanking whatever gods happened to be watching her - her meal had nearly gotten away.
“Alright, Leta, do you smell that? We’re getting close, so you should be quiet now, so we don’t scare them,” Hadaya said, trying to play the teacher.
“You should be quiet, too,” the young cub returned, chipper.
“Well. Yes. Uh. You’re right. Okay,” he sighed. He looked up when he saw someone else was hunting here, and he frowned. There were two things wrong here. One, he had come into someone elses hunting territory and probably ruined whatever plan they had going, and two there was no way he’d be able to use these prey beasts for his lessons now. He watched them run, then spotted the lioness, tilting his head. She seemed a bit more adept at this than he was. “See that, Leta? That’s. Uh. That’s how you do it.”
Not exactly the lesson he had planned, but waste not, right?
He then noticed that his cub wasn’t listening. In fact, he wasn’t even there. Looking around wildly, Hadaya spotted the giraffe spotted cub trotting toward the lioness. With a cry the older lion bounced after him, but the cub was already to the stranger.
“Hi!” Leta greeted exuberantly, “that was really cool!”
Bloodied about the mouth and chest, Az jumped and spun, ears back against her head as someone suddenly spoke to her. She knew they were around... but wasn't it common courtesy not to just waltz up to another's meal?
Huffing, she lashed her tail and stood up properly, relaxing once she realized it was a young male and not some interloper fixing to steal her kill. "Er.. thanks? It's just hunting." She peered at him, and then to Hadaya when he came bounding up, eyeing the larger male with some suspicion.
Hadaya offered an apologetic grin.
“Sorry, he’s. Uh. He’s never been hunting before. He’s a bit excited…” he cleared his throat. Looking down at his son, the older lion sighed. He wasn’t much for randomly intruding on people and their dinners, and he would have to teach Leta a bit more about manners to keep it from happening again. There was just so much to teach, Hadaya was having a hard time staying on top of it all.
“Yeah! I haven’t seen. Daddy brings food home! Is that how he catches things? I want to do that! Can I do that?” He looked at both of them for answers, and Hadaya tilted his head.
“Maybe… when you’re bigger…” he looked up at the unfamiliar lioness, “I’m sorry we interrupted your meal. I’m Hadaya, and this is Leta. In case you… uh… wanted to know the names of the people keeping you from eating.”
"Never been hunting?" She arched a brow and tilted her head, "This is your first time looking for prey?" That amused her. Nodding, the female glacned to his father, "Probably. It's how most lions catch things... hide, wait, charge, kill." She shrugged.
"And I think your father's right... you're a bit too small for hunting antelope yet. Their hooves and horns can gore you, see?" She turned slightly to show a minor scratch across her should from the flailing hooves.
She seemed to settle, a genuinely pleasant lioness, if unused to company, "It's fine. Call me Azmodaeus, or Az for short."
Hadaya grimaced, thinking ‘gored’ might have been an intense word for a cub so young. But then he remembered which cub he had brought with him. Leta was all grins, looking absolutely fascinated, more so now that he knew it was dangerous. Leta was a special kid, that was for sure. He often brought things back to the den when he and Fitina went exploring. Things like long dead carcasses, or live bugs and lizards. Things Hadaya was not a fan of.
Now, the father supposed, he’d try and drag back old kills that were far too big for him.
“I think I could do it!” Leta said enthusiastically, “I’m not even a hunter for the pride, but I’m going to be better than daddy anyway! He’s not very good. I heard him say so. I bet you’re better than him!”
Hadaya blushed under his fur, ears flattening against his head. He looked at Az in embarrassment, “he. Uh. He’s just kidding. I mean, not about you. I’m sure you’re great! And probably better than me. Uh. But. Hm.”
"Look, kid," She came around the other side of the carcass and hooked a paw around his bottom, nudging him towards the antelope's head. "Stand beside a horn. See how long it is? It's longer then you. Cub-on-a-spit is not good for parents. And these hooves? They could flay your fur off. Try and catch one of these and I'll bet a week's worth of kills you'll die. So don't. Got it?"
She sighed, and chuckled, "You do your best and your best works so long as there's food, right? I haven't eaten in three days... if you bring meals home on a daily basis, then you're better then I." Az smiled at Hadaya, shrugging a little.
Hadaya nodded. He smiled a bit at Leta’s face. It was a mix between utter horror and morbid fascination as he looked at the horn, moving to try and measure how big it was to his body, as told. He was thinking about something quite hard, shuddering but excited. He looked back up at the lioness, mouth slightly open.
“You’re right! But one day! I’ll stick to lizards now… they don’t have sharp bits.”
“Huh. I think I need your secrets,” Hadaya said, looking down at Leta. He had never seen the boy so easily placated before. But then, Hadaya was not the kind of guy who was blunt or direct, scary or even potent. He just… tried his best to make sure no one was crying or upset, “I thought he would get scared or something. But he looks fine. Maybe that’s just me. Hm. Do you have any cubs?”
"Lizards and hares for now, yes. Try those. They're fast and tricky - good for reflexes." She winked at him, grinning.
Az blinked then and glanced back at Hadaya, "Secrets? There's no secrets, that's what would happen if he tried an antelope at this age..." The female shook her head, "No, I don't. Doesn't mean I want to see the little ones stomped all over though. Especially one with fire like he does."
‘Fire, yeah,” Hadaya laughed.
It was strange to see how different he was to most of his cubs. Leta and Fitina, particularly, were fearless and reckless, constantly seeking danger. They were good kids, sure, but nothing like him. He was timid, after all, and completely awkward. Their boldness must have been from their mother, though he didn’t really know her.
“Well, you’re good with them, anyway. I mean. At least good with Leta, there. He’s being… disconcertingly good. Anyway, I’m sorry we interrupted your meal. Especially if you haven’t eaten in three days! And now we’re still keeping you from it. Leta, get down from that antelope, come on. She wants to eat that.”
Leta, who was standing on the skull of the dead animal, was trying to get a better look at the horns. He looked back in surprise, bouncing down and grinning innocently up at Az.
Az eyed the youngster, "You know, one might think you're challenging me for that meal right there, Leta." She grinned and lunged forward, batting him off the head playfully. "Nah, I don't think I am. He's just interested. It'll wear off, probably. It always did when I was younger."
Tsking, she nudged the cub away again, "Your dad's right. I want my lunch. Scoot or I'll eat you too." Grring, the female winked as she turned to Hadaya, "Thanks. I'll be in the area a little longer, I'm just wandering and dinner and show's not something to complain about. Pleasure to meet you."
