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 Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 3:52 pm
 The bird was dead. It had never even heard him coming - something that gave the ex-assassin an odd sort of pleasure. Guttaral laughter emanated deep from within, which twisted the smirk on his face as he tore his claws through the avian's wings.
Yes, it was only a morsal, but it would do. Besides that, he hadn't come across anything bigger in the last few days now and the hunger was beginning to become a distraction.
Yes. Hala had been on the hunt now for almost two years. But this was no mere hunt of prey. This was a hunt for traitorous siblings, those who were supposed to stand by him no matter what. There was a restlessness in him that needed to be settled and it would not until his brother lay dying and bleeding beneath his rejoicing claws. Yet...his path had been long and winding. He had circled many times over and still seen or heard no sign of him.
His patience was wearing thin and he was growing angry and bitter and...desperate.
Slowly he lowered his maw and lifted the bird, intending to carry it off to the den he had claimed - temporarily - as his own.
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Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 4:17 pm
Ili'ella padded along the landscape easily, her eyes taking in her surroundings. She wasn't searching for anything, she never really was, she was just wandering for wandering's sake.
She had camped by a river the night before and had taken down an unaware antelope, but it had been stolen by a crocodile that she hadn't realised was lurking in the lake. She hadn't been foolish enough to try and take back her kill from such a cruel beast and had left it be with her food.
Now she was hungry, but not enough to seek out prey just yet. Humming to herself as she walked, she scanned the horizon as far as she could see. When something moved in the corner of her eye, she paused and glanced towards it. It was...a male? A dark one, at that. He had a bird.
Peering at him, she moved towards him. Perhaps he'd share?
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Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 4:31 pm
His head swung around so sharply that he might have broken his neck. Someone was coming? But who? He growled automatically, his jaws clenching around the food he had caught. Food that he would eat himself. If anyone even tried taking it from him there would be big trouble.
The female wasn't hard to spot. In fact, his eyes fell to her instantly, her shape blindingly bright in the sunshine. He squinted a little - a motion that enhanced the snarl already scrawling his features - and took a step forwards, strengthening his posture.
He was a lean lion, with strong young muscles. And yet, his middle seemed a little thinner than it should have been. Hunting alone was difficult to say the least.
He growled again - louder this time - unable to speak around the bird in his mouth. If she knew what was best for her, she'd turn and leave.
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Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 4:40 pm
Ili'ella perked up when she noticed the male had noticed her. She wasn't silly, she could see the distrustful look on his face and the growl that seemed to vibrate the air. In her mind, the distrust and dislike could not have been directed at her. Why would he be angry at her? She hadn't done anything.
His posture was strong, and he looked like he should be someone to fear, but she was sure that he wouldn't attack her. Ili'ella would not be strong in a fight. She was lean and swift moving, having to be when she was hunting, but she was not strong. In fact, she rarely attacked big game, so she rarely used her muscles except while she was walking.
She continued to move towards him, her eyes friendly and bright. "Hello there," she called out when she was within speaking range to him. She wondered why he hadn't greeted her when he spotted her, but perhaps the bird was the problem.
"Why don't you drop the bird?" She asked, not intending to sound mean but if he dropped it, then he could speak to her. That was worth putting down a kill, surely.
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Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 4:49 pm
His growl increased steadily in volume as she grew closer and closer, his body tense. So tense that it looked like he was preparing to defend himself from her - a silly notion, perhaps, but something that hda grown increasingly with him. He didn't trust others in general, but when he had food, his tolerance was nothing more than zero!
So, when she asked that he drop the bird, he curled back his lips to deepen the snarl on his face.
What was she looking like that for? Why were her eyes sparkling? Why was she being so friendly? Was she trying to figure out a way to steal his kill? Or...?
Eventually he realised that if he didn't say something, she was never going to go away. His pride, of course, would not let him run away. So, he dropped the bird and - in the next second - had a paw set on its limp body, guarding it from any likely thieves who might have tried to take advantage of the situation.
"Do you not understand a growl when you hear it, woman?" He snarled. "Go away."
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Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 8:37 pm
Ili'ella blinked at the snarl which appeared around the bird he held in his mouth. His growl grew even louder and she barely resisted the urge to step back. He looked aggressive, but it was impossible that he was angry at her. She wasn't cruel and she wasn't threatening.
Her spirit lightened when he did actually drop the bird and she perked up, glad he listened to her. Glancing down at it, she watched him place a heavy paw onto it. Why had he done that? She frowned at it in confusion. She didn't want his bird, if he wasn't willing to share.
"My name is Ili'ella," she said, latching onto the word 'woman', figuring that it was only fair to mention her name so he could speak to her properly. " I didn't mean to startle you, but I just saw you and wanted to say hello." She paused, adding, "Hello" brightly.
"Are you alone?"
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Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2009 2:44 pm
Hala couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. Never, in all his days of travelling, had he come across such a nut case as this one. Did she not realise he was threatening her? Did she not understand the words: go away? Did she seek some sort of pain or death? Well, if so he would gladly give that to her. He was a crafter of death, after all.
"I didn't ask for your name." He snapped back, his claws piercing into the limp carcass of the bird beneath his paw. If he wasn't careful there wouldn't be anything left to eat!
"Well I was alone." He growled, flattening his ears and drawing his head forward a little. "I see. Well, you've said your hello now, so how about getting lost now, okay?" His tail swished back and forth as he spoke. "I don't have the want or the time to speak with you."
Boy...he was in a really bad mood...
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Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2009 6:33 pm
Ili'ella was a little insulted when he snapped at her, but didn't take it personally. She had interrupted his meal. Anyone would be grumpy. "You're crushing your food," she pointed out, ignoring the way he snapped at her. Tilting her head to the side as she stared at the bird being squished beneath the heavy paw. It'd be no good to anyone if he kept doing that.
She perked up. "Well now you're not alone anymore!" A horrible though, being alone. Ili'ella loved people, she couldn't bare to think of being completely alone.
At his last comment, she looked crushed. He didn't want to talk to her? He didn't have the time? Should she leave? She glanced at the floor, a tight feeling in her chest.
"I..." she said, before cutting herself off. She couldn't accept defeat. Taking a deep, steadying breath, she looked up.
"That's okay! You don't have to talk to me. I'll just talk to you, okay?" That solved it then! He could be doing other things and she would just talk to him. He wouldn't have to say a thing.
Perfect, right?
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Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2009 12:25 pm
He glanced down at the feathered, scruffy kill he'd pinned beneath a paw. Yes...it was looking rather mangled now and that was her fault. This had been his meal. His! And now she had ruined everything!
"What do I have to do to get it through your thick skull?!" He growled, stepping forwards now. "If 'get lost' doesn't do it. If snarls don't do it. Will teeth and claws be enough to scare you away, woman?"
He lowered his head a little, drew both ears forward and, growling, lifted a paw to flex his claws. "Because don't doubt it. I'll use them if you force me to."
What did a guy have to do to get some peace and quiet around here?!?!
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Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2009 10:58 pm
She fell back a step when he growled, stepping forward. His growl pierced her mind and she realised he was really angry. Had she been the cause of it? What a horrible thought. She withheld a childish mewl when he threatened her with claws and teeth. He was larger than she was, and well equip to fighting.
She would have to get him to calm down, else she would be in serious trouble. Sucking in a deep breath, she moved back the one step she had retreated. "I'm sorry, sir! I didn't mean to bother you so. Can I hunt you better prey in repayment?" Her eyes widened slightly after she'd said it. Would he take it as she meant it, a repayment of a debt or would he take it as an insult, that he couldn't hunt for himself? Oh, she was worried now.
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Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2009 11:29 am
Repayment? What? Did she really think he needed her to go and hunt for him? Did she think he looked incapable of taking care of himself? As far as he was concerned, this female was completely and utterly out of her mind.
He'd knock some sense into her, then.
"My patience." He growled. "Is gone."
He lurched forwards, raising a forepaw, intending to strike her. Maybe that would shut her up. Shut up her infernal nattering that was really driving him MAD!
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Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2009 8:58 pm
Scrambling backwards, Ili'ella desperately wanted to escape. Why was he being so mean? What had she done? She let out a terrified yowl when he moved towards her. She tried to move back but didn't move quick enough and his paw collided with her.
Ili'ella was not a strong creature, she was built for long distance walking and the occasional sprint. She had little muscles, so when his paw struck her, she went down like a tree in a storm. Hitting the ground, she tried to strike back, her paw lashing out towards him, unsure of whether it would actually hit anything.
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Posted: Sun Dec 20, 2009 9:16 am
She went down easier than he had expected. But did he feel guilt? No. Was he concerned about her? No. Was he going to help her up again? No way! As far as he was concerned she had brought this about herself. He was not in the wrong here. She had forced his paw and this was what she got for being the irritating creature that she was.
Perhaps, in a way, striking at her like that would help others in the future. Perhaps he would be the last lion ever irritated by her infernal nattering. Yes. He'd done a good thing today.
He leapt backwards as she retaliated, only just missing being struck and growled.
"It'll be best for you if you just stay there, woman."
And he backed up, pausing only to pick up the mangled bird that would later become his dinner. He supposed he ought to take advantage of this situation and get out before she got any other ideas.
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Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 2:21 am
She had missed, she realised, with a dawning horror and she was defenseless on the ground in front of him. If he had wanted to, he could have lashed out and killed her easily. He was larger than her, and much stronger. When he spoke, or rather growled, she hid a whimper.
She lowered her head, closing her eyes tight and trying to make herself look as small as possible. What had she truely done? How could she make it better? She had to make it better.
Sucking in a deep breath, she stumbled to her feet, keeping her head low and pose submissive. She peered up at him with terrified eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm sorry."
It was the only thing she could think to say. She didn't know what she was apologizing for but she had to try.
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Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2010 1:27 pm
He smiled, glad of her submission. Yes. Perhaps now she would not be so keen to shoot her mouth off at any given moment. Next time she'd learn to be more wary.
"You should thank me." He replied coldly. "I just taught you a valuable lesson, Woman. Perhaps next time you will not so foolishly interrupt a male's day with your pointless chatter."
He growled around the bird in his mouth.
"I kindly spared your life. Next time you might not be so lucky." And with that said and done, Hala turned on his heels and trotted off, leaving only a few of the bird's tatty feathers in his wake, twirling sadly on a fading breeze.
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