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 Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 8:34 am
 Shibasa hadn't left the watering hole yet. He was still pretty weak, even after eating a few rabbits. At the moment he was cleaning the blood from his muzzle while drinking from the murky water again. His stomach grumbled, but it was just one of those little grumbles, the type that said "I could go on if you let me!" It was nowhere near the fierce, backbone attacking grumbles he had experienced before. He finished and laid down in the less than green grass, licking at his paws to clean them as well. He knew that Ubuge had tricked him by dropping him here, but at least he wasn't in the desert any longer. Not that he knew where he was, actually. He paused, wondering belatedly, if she hadn't dumped him in the middle of a pride, one that would take offense at his being there. It would serve her right if he wound up dead because of her "saving" him. Then she'd not have a slave to boss around.
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 8:45 am
Salihah loved it! She absolutely loved it! The rush of the wind as it blew past her face, the small stings of the swaying grass that she ran through nearly effortlessly. What was there not to love? Away from her pack, Salihah felt that she truly could breathe at long lest! No daddy to impress, no sister to tend to, just Salihah! And what did Salihah feel like doing at this moment? Chase rabbits, of course! Salihah still had never been able to catch one successfully, but she would one day. And that day was soon, she could taste it! She could see that fuzzy little butt running squarely in her vision, so close! So close! But then, it began to grow father from her.. Was she slowing down, or was it going faster? It was hard to judge. But rather spontaneously Salihah took a wishful thinking of a leap, emerging from the grass and pouncing---!!!
Nothing. Ground. Salihah looked up, defeated and perplexed by the nothingness her paws had engulfed. And watched almost broken-heartedly as that fuzzy little butt ran away from her. Farther, and farther.. and then it was gone. But was it running from her, or perhaps, a more impending being? A being that she didn't notice until the rabbit was already gone. Turning her gaze, she caught sight of the brightly colored beast and immediately froze. He looked scary! Blood on his maw and everything! And no daddy to protect her (or no sister to protect!). Instinct kicked in quickly. Tail down, ears down, and Salihah's body pressed to the ground. Maybe he hadn't seen her. She kind of looked like a rock.
Right?
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 8:51 am
It was hard not to notice the little pup after all the racket she and the bunny had made. He was about to say something when he realized how scared she was. Letting out a massive sigh, Shibasa stood and stretched, his hind legs up, his forelegs out in front of him, back arching to work out the kinks. Then he sat down and looked at her, amused.
"You lost the bunny," he told her, oh-so-seriously. His tail twitched behind him as he looked her over. "Which is probably good, cuz I think the bunny was bigger than you."
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 8:57 am
Salihah's ears went even further back as the red beast moved, popped and stretched. But the spoken words were almost too much to bear! You'd think, being as small as she was, that Salihah's fear would be pre-dominant and remain. But something about the words he spoke caused her to jump up onto her paws, ears perking forward challengingly. "I let it get away!" She insisted firmly. "And-And it was not!" Her ears went back shortly after speaking, however. And the pup took one step back.. as a precaution.
Don't tell anyone.. but he was kind of scary.
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 9:03 am
He let out a little laugh, covering it quickly. A secret about Shibasa was that he adored little ones. They were far more honest than adults. He had spent a lot of time playing with his little brothers and sisters before he was kicked out of his father's pride.
"Sorry, sorry," he said. "It was almost as big as you." He laid down, his head still up so he wasn't looming over her quite as much as he had been. "Do you know where we are?" he asked. In other words, he had no clue. But he doubted a little pup like this would be wandering around alone in the middle of lion territory.
That was a good thing.
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 9:10 am
Salihah cocked her head curiously at the question. WHAT? It was an odd question!! In her experience grown-ups always knew where they were, what they were doing and what their ultimate goal was. How was it possible for him to not know where they were? .. oooh! Seeing an opportunity to shine, Salihah's ears perked even more, subsequently followed by a wag of her tail. "You're in Peke Na territory!" She crooned out to him, even puffing out her chest slightly. She loved knowing things. "I've never seen anything like you here though..." the words were a little less ambitious than just a few moments ago. It was clear she feared him on some level..
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 9:19 am
"I see," he said, thinking quickly. "Wild dog territory, right? So she at least left me somewhere I could handle." His estimation of Ubuge went up a hair higher. Not enough to have him become her loyal servant, but it wasn't nearly as close to hatred as it had been.
"Would you like to hear a story?" he asked the little pup. "Of a lioness so big that she blocks out the sun?" He was using a soft voice, one meant to keep her from running away screaming. He had been lonely for far too long.
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 9:24 am
Salihah cocked her head immediately and frowned as the lion mumbled to himself about a female. Her ears swiveled the slightest bit and positioned themselves in a manner that suggested she wished to ask for elaboration. But that would insinuate she didn't know anything. Which was ridiculous-- she knew EVERYTHING. Therefore instead found herself in silence, watching the male's gaze turn back to her as he asked a surprising question.
"A story?" She repeated questioningly. But her ears shifted back the slightest bit in interest, and her eyes grew somewhat wide in wonder. "So big she blocked the sun?" She inquired disbelievingly, slowly, slowly, planting her rump down onto the ground.
".. tell me."
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 9:43 am
"One day I was chasing a rabbit, just like you were earlier," he told her. "It led me into the desert, with nothing alive except for a vulture that called down to me, trying to get me to die." He lowered his voice to set the tension. He hadn't told a good story since he was an adol, and it was time to see if he had lost his skills.
"I yelled back, daring him to come down and face me like a man, but he just laughed at me as I walked on and on. The sun was so hot that it burnt the ground I was walking on. Yet I kept going, hoping to find water, or food. Until I couldn't go on any longer."
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 9:48 am
Salihah's eyes instantly grew wide as the lion began to recount his tale. A tale based on he himself! The vulture sounded terrifying-- why did they want him to die? He didn't look like he was ready to die.. he didn't look like the things that were brought back to the pack. So why? Why would the vulture do that?
Salihah's ears pushed back slightly as he progressed. Seeming to be experiencing the recount of his story in a vivid manner that only younglings could. "What happened?? Did you find water??" She inquired quickly-- totally disregarding the watering hole right beside them..
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 9:55 am
"No," he said. "I laid there under the sun, waiting to die so the vulture could eat me. But then she came. She was gigantic, far bigger than any lion or lioness I had ever seen. She blocked out the sun." He leaned forward. "And she showed me a vision, a beautiful vision of a watering hole surrounded by prey. The water was so clear and brilliant that it blinded me to look at it."
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 10:01 am
Salihah swallowed as if there were a frog trying to escape her throat! Her posture faultered and slumped slightly, it were almost as if she could feel the burning sun herself! But as he reflected on the vision, the beautiful vision, Salihah's head cocked slightly. Before realization seemed to hit! Her head turned to look to the watering hole, her tail wagging with glee as she stood all together as if she couldn't contain herself! "It was here, right? Am I right??"
Of course she was right. (:
She was Salihah.
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 10:10 am
He laughed. "You're jumping ahead of the story, little one," he teased her. "You see, in order for her to take me to the watering hole I had to give her something extremely precious to me. A part of my very soul," he told her.
"She raked a claw down my spine. It sent a chill down my back while burning at the same time. Then she brought me here. But the water wasn't as clear and the animals not as tame as she had told me."
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 1:51 pm
Salihah's gaze gradually became more and more horrified with the turn of the story. "She lied?" She whispered questioningly, ears going back quietly. Why would she like like that? ".. was she a bad person?" She found herself asking, glancing around the area quietly. She hadn't thought it was so bad. But after the picture he'd painted so well in the story it suddenly didn't seem so grand... she supposed there was nothing wrong with it, really. But still.. maybe if the rabbits were a little bigger she'd be able to catch them easier...
(as if she'd ever caught one to begin with!)
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 2:08 pm
"She lied," he agreed, standing. "Which is why, little one, you need to be very careful when you chase rabbits. You might meet the wrong sort of lion." He headed for the water, taking a drink again, the story clearly finished.
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