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The rains were returning to the savannah and the herds were moving to the north, where the rainwater dumped by seasonal storms would flood the grasslands and make large swamps where food was plentiful. Unzu had been roaming the land for days, an opportunistic hunter since he was by himself, and had spent nearly a full season on his own by now. He wasn't a kindly or charitable sort, and the fertile lands were making him think about other forms of fertility. Man, all he needed was a nice kill and a sweetheart to cuddle up to on these short, warm nights and he'd be set for at least a while.

The dark grey lion didn't immediately cut the image of a beautiful, sleek young adult. He was still in good condition, just a little lean. The endless walking wasn't exactly helping him put on weight. Nonetheless, he roamed the Rogue Lands, and was up for pretty much anything.

Akinyi was not the only one who had spotted the gazelle. Unzu, however, was downwind of the target and Akinyi, and spotted the lioness in the grass, bunched to spring on the gazelle. He crept up behind her, trying not to startle her or the gazelle. It was no hard feelings, but the dark-pelted lion served his belly before he served any other part of his body, and that gazelle looked too good to not give it a try. And if he couldn't outright steal the mark, he could perhaps share the kill if he helped her take it down.

The lion lowered himself down as well, moving into a flooded gully and wading through the shoulder-deep water to circle around, waiting for Akinyi to flush the gazelle straight towards the stand of trees he went to crouch in. He considered signalling to Akinyi somehow, but there was still the possibility of taking it altogether, and Unzu was about to take that chance, smirking to himself.

Unzu tensed, his own lime green regard focused as he watched both Akinyi and the gazelle, moving together slowly, one aware, the other ignorant, one hunter, the other hunted. And both of them his prize, as far as he was concerned, the God of this situation, upon whom noone could toe-step. His power was a passive one, involuntary and overpowering all at once, and that was the innate and perfect knowledge of the fact that the situation occurring was entirely in his control. He was going to steal that gazelle or steal half that gazelle and an entire lioness heart and possibly womb. A complete win-win situation.

His muscles stood out roped under his flesh, keeping light on his feet, ready to spring, his tail ramrod straight, held in prime position to balance him when he maneuvered into position. The imperative biological need to eat guided him with rapid and multi-contextual precision, his unconscious urge weilding his consciousness like a knife into the world. A knife which did not care if the lioness ate or starved.

Unzu watched her spring, admired her as she sprinted after the gazelle, spotted only at the last moment and flawless in her approach. A few more meters and Akinyi would have the gazelle's throat between her teeth. If Unzu weren't there to block it. He sprang from his hiding place as the gazelle came within range, his heavy head aimed towards the poor thing's throat, ready to steal the kill like any novice at a multiplayer online game.

Unzu caught the gazelle by the throat, its bleat breaking off as he closed the windpipe and brought it down flawlessly, holding it down as it flailed, teeth fixed on it, his eyes turning from the sure meal to smugly look at Akinyi, expecting the lioness to be standing stock-still, shocked and appalled at his behavior and his eyes widened, snapping open as he saw that she was still coming for him. He tried to backpedal, dragging the gazelle with him, and dislodged his jaw just as the gazelle went still, just in time for her to ram into him, letting out a roar and bunching his muscles, catching the ground with his feet and rear claws and stopping her acceleration, swiping with a paw to get her off of him, throwing his weight into it. Damn! He didn't expect such a fiery one.

Yeah man, that's right! Unzu had been a small cub in a tough world and he knew how to handle himself. He shifted his weight, letting out a grunt as he felt her teeth sink into the back of his neck, though thankfully his thick mane mitigated some of that crushing force, thankful that his spine wasn't broken. He did almost go down as she shoved off of him, ducking under his paw, his shoulder bleeding from her claws. He glanced at the wound for a moment and eyed her, putting on a smirk as he confirmed it was only a flesh wound.

"Stole? You hadn't killed it yet, it was still free game, my love," he rolled his good shoulder, his face taking on a slightly condescending expression. "You young lionesses think you own the savannah, but you've all got to learn that in spite of your great beauty, sometimes life's not fair," Unzu shook his head slowly, looking smug as he walked back over to the gazelle, tail swinging, to rest a paw on the fallen animal's shoulder.

"Now, if you'd like to discuss this, I think I've got about one hundred to one hundred and fifty pounds on you, so..." he twiddled his claws as if he were counting up the odds of her winning, and smirked, shaking his heead.

Goodness, but she was a fiesty one. Unzu hated nothing more than fiesty lionesses. Keep them docile, keep them submissive, and no more trouble out of them. The way she paced amused him, as he hunkered down behind the kill, ready to tear into all of that delicious meat, seeing her give up. There was not a warm place in his heart for her. She was just a stupid lioness that might potentially let him bone her, and at this point she didn't even look liable to do that. Unzu's mojo was getting sick of all of this logic, and promptly punched Unzu's stomach in the mouth.

His stomach told him perhaps it wasn't that hungry.

"Oh dear, now I wouldn't want that at all," Unzu shook his head, pausing right before he bit into the gazelle. "And you know, madame, this kill was brought down by the both of us. I didn't say you couldn't have any, just that you're no more entilted to all of it than I am," he smirked at her, moving aside a bit so that there was more room at the kill.

He didn't mention that he fully intended on keeping his favorite part, the heart, all to himself.

Unzu liked the lioness less and less. She wasn't cute at all. So entitled. He ate as well, and it felt like he was fighting for every scrap that came anywhere close to her. Still, he fought grimly for the chest area, excising the heart carefully. He growled as she shouldered him out of the way, taking a bite before he could grab her ear, letting go as she pulled away, furious. The heart was always his! No one else could have it!

He glared daggers after her, glad to see her go. The feeling of a full belly had quieted stomach and awakened mojo, but he'd be damned if he wanted to get a lil' somethin' somethin' from her. No sense of boundaries at all. He didn't even watch her go. When next he looked up, she was gone, and a feeling of relief passed through him as he turned from the spent kill, leaving it to the vultures and hyenas, and loped off into the bush.