The morning dawned warm and clear, slightly humid from last night's rainstorm. Unzu was still basking in the glow of catching that Oryx, and Rujul's company. It had been a few days now, but she seemed to be hanging around an awful lot. Unzu had managed to get his portion of the Oryx home, explaining his absence to Akinyi while carefully remembering to omit the whole bit about the purple lioness. However, it seemed whenever he went out, she was there.
The dark lion woke early nonetheless, and though he'd planned to spend the day with his mate he went out into the swamp, stretching and rolling his shoulders, only to find Rujul staring at him from across the clearing. He started, blinking at her. She'd never come so close to home before. Unzu felt his hackles raise. Even if she was one of his 'interests' right now, he had to protect his number one interest-- and she was named Akinyi. He knew Rujul to be jealous, and he didn't want any trouble between she and Akinyi.
To his relief she didn't come any closer, so he crossed the clearing to meet her, following her under the shade of some trees and glancing over his shoulder furtively until the thicket where they'd spent the night passed out of sight. He shouldered up to Rujul, and they stopped, sitting down. The lioness sat taller at the shoulder than he did, and he was still a bit fascinated with the size difference. Where such a large lioness had come from, he had no idea.
"What brings you here today?" he asked, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice, flicking his tail to rest it over hers companionably.
Rujul's golden regard turned to focus first on him, then in the direction of the thicket where pregnant Akinyi slept.
"Your mate is here, is she not?" Rujul asked, her voice surprisingly soft, a change from her usual firm tones. Unzu blinked.
"Why does that matter?" he returned a little defensively, his tail flicking away, eyeing Rujul. She laughed a little and he bristled at being laughed at, but she shook her head.
"I'm not laughing at you. It's fine. I didn't mean to disturb you. I was just passing through when I smelled your scent," she answered, rising to her feet again, putting his fears to rest. "Don't worry so much. I wouldn't hurt her."
Unzu wasn't so sure, but he didn't reply, shaking out his mane and watching her as she went to lay out on her side, stretching and resting.
"You look well," he ventured into the silence. "The Oryx was a good meal, huh?"
She smirked at his preening, allowing it. "It was indeed. A worthy gift from a worthy male," she said, turning her head to groom her shoulder fastidiously.
The dark lion looked satisfied with this response, and went to lay next to her, though it lacked the intimacy of when he rested with Akinyi. She brought him some measure of peace; this gypsy of a lioness only sparked him up and then tired him out. He knew he was being used, but not to what degree.
What a foolish male, she thought, ignoring his lime green regard on her. She could own him completely, but he was so stupid that he'd gotten caught up with that other lioness. That hoe stole him before she'd even had a chance. Still, Rujul bore no ill feeling towards Akinyi, because as insufferable as this male could be, she was glad that someone else had to put up with his nonsense. Dear Akinyi might have fallen into her situation without meaning to.
If there was one thing Rujul didn't need, it was a lion overseeing her every move. She'd lived long enough without, remembered enough of her life before that time under males that she didn't care to relive that time again. But she could be the matron of her own small clan out here in the grasslands. And should her children scatter to the winds, then by all means, for then they would be taking a cue from their dear mother.
That is, if she had cubs. Unzu had yet to prove himself upon her. Surely he had upon Akinyi, if his tender attention and fierce protectiveness meant anything at all, but Rujul felt no certainty of her own condition. She'd encountered that lioness that had interrupted their hunt nearly half a week ago again, and Iana had not been terribly friendly to her. It was almost as if she were jealous herself.
Foolish girl. She could find her half-sister right now and confront her about Unzu, then punish the wretch as he surely deserved. Yet she did not. There was just something about him, for all of his womanizing ways, and his terrible temperament, that was almost endearing. Well, endearing was not really the word. But it was a quality that did not make her immediately want to kill him, and for Rujul, that was saying something.
They spent a few hours together, and then Rujul rose to her feet, deciding it was time to go. She'd spent enough time dawdling around with him; if it didn't take, she'd try again later. "Go back to your mate," she told him, turning away.
"Rujul, wait," Unzu rose to his feet. Rujul did not like to take orders from a male, but she paused because it pleased her to, and she gave Unzu a look over her shoulder.
"Will I see you again?" he asked, his voice inflectionless, giving her no indication as to what he desired, but she saw straight through him yet again. He was such a simple male, after all, and even if he tried he could be no more subtle than a purple lion in the grasslands.
"Perhaps," she replied noncommittally, turning away from him. Unzu knew he had to go back to Akinyi soon, but he stood watching one moment more. And with a smirk, and a flick of her tail, Rujul disappeared into the tall grass.
