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 Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2010 6:55 pm
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"You know, Nadra, that really is disgusting." Elea laid with her back against a large rock, taking shelter from the sun for a little while. The lioness eyed her bonded, expression twisted with an even mixture of amusement and disgust.
"You should try it," the bird retorted, snapping her beak in Elea's direction before returning to her meal. A small rodent was the perfect snack for the vulture, dead only for a day. Nadra considered it a treat, but for someone like Elea, it was more revolting than appetizing. The lioness preferred fresh kills, probably because there was no lack in a feeling of achievement when Elea managed to help make the kill. Elea could scavenge if she wanted to, but she preferred to hunt.
Nadra preferred any fine morsel that came her way.
"I'll pass - you know I can get you a fresher kill to share." That, though, wasn't a guarantee, even if Elea made it sound as if it was. "My leg isn't hurting today, anyways," the lioness shrugged, gaze casting briefly down to her useless leg before returning to the vulture.
"I think that your leg pain is all in your head. It doesn't exist when you want to hunt, but 'lo and behold if there is something you do not want to do..."
"Hah! I get it, I get it," she shook her head, a smile flashing across her face briefly. "Just don't tell anyone else." She'd let Nadra have this victory.
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Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2010 7:56 pm
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He stood tall, proud, a twitch of his tail, mane ruffling in the breeze. Or rather, that's what he would have done were he not crouched down, belly nearly touching the ground as he crept forward, stalking his prey. Closer, closer--
"I would appreciated it if you would quit doing that!"
Feathers ruffled, the crowned eagle turn, his gaze snapping to the dark lion who had suddenly frozen mid-step. Hmph!
"Awww, how'd you know I was there?"
"Simple, if I haven't heard you within five minutes I know you're about to pounce my tail."
"Oh don't be such a spoiled sport, Daga."
The bird snorted (or at least as much as a bird can snort), wings spreading to lift himself from the ground, then bringing himself to settle on his bonded's shoulder.
"My tail has taken more than enough pouncing from you, thank you very much."
Ufunuo only laughed, he supposed Daga did have a point, he'd lost track long ago of just how many times he had pounced the unsuspecting eagle. So he'd leave his tail alone, for today at least.
How much time had passed since the pair of them had met? Sometimes it seemed like only yesterday and sometimes it seemed an eternity ago. What was life like before that fateful day? So much had changed, Ufunuo had grown from a child to a strong adult, learning all he could, practicing every day to become the skilled hunter he was. Or rather, the skilled hunters -they- were, it was together that their true strength showed. |
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Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2010 8:20 pm
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"Are you done with that?" It had only been a few moments of silence, but Elea was suspecting heavily that Nadra was picking at her scavenged meal instead of eating it whole only because Elea did not seem to enjoy it. At this rate Elea would probably try and get her bonded a meal that wasn't QUITE as distasteful as the one Nadra had right now.
"Almost, did you happen to want any?" Nadra replied with a particular gleam in her eye that definitely hinted at how much she was teasing her lioness partner.
"No," Elea spoke flatly. With a roll of her eyes, the lioness sat up and then proceeded to climb on top of the large rock. There wasn't much to hunt in the area, and since she wasn't particularly hungry there wouldn't be much harm done if a wandering antelope happened to see her. Elea just wanted to get a good view of the area (and not of Nadra's snack - it was making her stomach churn).
There wasn't much in the area right now, except...
"Is that Ufunuo?" she asked her bonded casually. There was really no mistaking the younger, dark lion. "I can remember when he was a cub..." Elea grimaced just for a moment, "And saying that made me seem old."
Nadra laughed, picked up her rodent meal, and downed it in a single gulp. "I have not spoken with Daga before." It was Nadra's way of blatantly hinting that they should go socialize, and Elea was hardly one to argue with her bonded.
She carefully climbed down from the rock, and made her way slowly over to the younger lion and his bonded bird. Elea could almost make it seem like she wasn't carrying the dead weight of a useless leg, and even though she couldn't quite accomplish that, it didn't seem to bother her any. "Trying your hand at stalking?" Elea sat down a few feet away from Ufunuo, Nadra landing beside her from having glided over.
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Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 8:32 pm
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"Get off, Daga, you're heavy."
"And give you the chance to--hey, I'll have you know I am in -perfect- physical shape."
"Yeah, perfect shape for a bubble butt."
"What did you call me?"
"I said--oww! What was that for?"
Ufunuo winced at the talons that had suddenly pinched down on his shoulder, returning the gesture with a buck that forced Daga to flee his perch only to settled on a rock in front of the young lion. Oh, seemed they weren't alone.
"We have company."
"Huh?"
Ufunuo looked up, his gaze settling on the lioness, ears twitching as she spoke. Wow, she was pretty, a lot more pretty than he remembered, or maybe he just hadn't noticed before.
"Hi. No, we were just playing around."
Ufunuo had taken the few steps between them, happily greeting the lioness with a smile. Daga shook his head, facewing, that had sounded so childish.
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Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 10:41 pm
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She could hardly deny it, he was still the same as he had been when he was a cub - the difference was that he had gotten bigger. The corner of her lip twitched upwards with amusement. When she was young, Nadra had hardly tolerated such games. They were bonded, the best of friends, but Nadra had never been so playful, and Elea had learned from a young age that there were better playmates than Nadra, but no better companion. Nadra never lied to her, Nadra was always there to comfort her. Nadra just wasn't around whenever Elea had felt playful.
It was a little refreshing to see that sort of play between Ufunuo and Daga. Elea had always been a little too serious since she hit adulthood. "I can see," she replied, her voice lifting with amusement. Beside her, Nadra preened, clearly leaving her bonded to her own devices. The vulture trusted Elea wouldn't be a total drag in the conversation. "I was going to say you weren't doing so well of a job, if you were," Elea teased ever-so-slightly.
The lioness sat, subconsciously keeping the weight off of her bad leg. It wouldn't hurt to sit and chat for a little while. "Nadra hardly let me get away with trying to play those games with her - I was warded off by a rather sharp beak."
She felt her bonded smack her side with a large wing, 'scolding' her silently for casting the vulture in a 'bad' light. Elea, in turn, sent Nadra a brief, but wicked little grin.
That was for picking at that long-deceased rodent earlier.
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 11:24 am
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"I'm actually pretty good at stalking, Hifadhi taught me."
He looked a bit proud at that, his head held a little higher as he settled to sit on his haunches. He really was a good hunter. It was something he had practiced every day since he was a cub, eagerly taking in all that Hifadhi had taught him, determined to master each lesson before searching out the old lion again. He had learned well, everyday growing stronger, his skills sharper. Now he may have even been able to sneak up on Hifadhi himself without being caught. Together with Daga, Ufunuo could do anything; a team, they were inseparable.
"Really?"
Ufunuo tilted his head curiously at Elea's statement. He and Daga had always had a special bond, he couldn't have imagined his life, or Daga's, any other way (though Daga certainly would have wished he'd imagine it with less tail pouncing). He supposed he had never thought that others might not be the same.
"You can play with us if you want."
It was at this comment that Daga had rolled his eyes at his enthusiastic bonded, giving a loud snap of his beak to get the lion's attention.
"What? What?"
Daga stared at Ufunuo who only looked at him in confusion, he didn't get it, what did Daga want? Sigh, Ufunuo, a ladies man you are not. |
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 11:55 am
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Elea was becoming more and more amused by the other lion, a semi-permanent smile etching its way onto her face at the younger lion's antics. "If Hifadhi taught you, then you must be good." She wouldn't argue with that, though Elea would prefer to see how good of a hunter he actually was before making a judgment. He seemed eager, definitely more carefree than Elea was. When Elea hunt, she hunted to better herself, and that attitude carried on out of the hunt. Elea was serious enough that some would consider her a bore.
"Really," she assured with a small chuckle. "There were other cubs I could play games with, but not Nadra." Soon enough Elea had grown out of playing games, and just because she didn't play games with Nadra, it didn't mean her bond with her bird was any less strong. Nadra more than made up for it by being supportive every day, whenever Elea needed her.
Elea blinked in what could almost be dumbfounded surprised as Ufunuo said she could play with them, if she liked. She hadn't played in such a long while, and her first reaction was to arch a brow high upon her forehead at him. "Uh..."
'Well, that was intelligent, Elea, good job,' she thought.
"I am no good with playing games, really."
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 10:14 pm
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"You don't have to be good at it."
Ufunuo gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. So far as he was concerned there was really no such thing as good or bad when it came to games. As long as it was fun that was all that mattered. Not that the young heir wasn't serious when he needed to be, or was never angry, he was just, well, there was nothing that could keep him down.
"Ahem."
Daga cleared his throat, resisting the urge to thwap Ufunuo upside the head right then. A half sheepish, half apologetic grin at the ladies, Daga landed on Ufunuo's shoulder to hiss in his ear, giving him -that- look.
"Why don't you ask her if she'd like to go for a walk."
"Huh, you think she'd like that?"
Jeez, what was with Daga today? |
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 10:58 pm
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She really had little to no idea how to respond to the younger lion. Games? The only game she had been interested in for a long while had been hunting, and that wasn't so much of a game as it was a needed activity. "I haven't..." Well, her mind drew a blank with that one. She was running out of excuses. Elea could come out and say that she wasn't so comfortable playing games, not when she hadn't played one in so long, but her intention wasn't to be rude to Ufunuo. Conversation was nice enough, pleasant and entertaining enough for her. Why did he want to play a game?
Again, her brow began to arch high up on her forehead at the interaction between bonded bird and lion. She did them the courtesy of not trying to listen in, but she couldn't help but shoot Nadra a curious look. What was up with the pair? It almost seemed like Daga was trying to instruct, or direct Ufunuo down the proper path... But then again, she had no idea why Daga would instruct Ufunuo, or where he'd instruct him to.
'They certainly are an odd pair', the look she gave Nadra seemed to say. The look she got in return was of complete and total agreement. It couldn't be helped, and Nadra still thought that it would be good for Elea to socialize. She didn't see the harm in this, and so she gave Elea an encouraging look.
"...Excuse me?"
Right, she had no idea what she was doing. She had no clue how to interact with Ufunuo.
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Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2010 11:20 am
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Odd? You have no idea, ladies. You should have heard the last song the pair of them belted out while dancing through the heart of the pride. Oh, you probably did hear it, as did every other non-def creature in the valley, none of them will ever be the same again.
Ufunuo was giving Daga a very quizzical look, trying to figure out just what was up with his bonded today, what was he even talking about? OH! He got it! Certain he had figured it out, he lowered his voice to a whisper.
"Don't worry Daga, there's nothing to be jealous of."
What?!
Daga looked absolutely scandalized. He most certainly was -not- jealous. Well okay, maybe a little, but that was beside the point. But he was given no chance to retort as Ufunuo only smiled at him before turning his attention back to Elea, whom he'd just been reminded they were neglecting.
"Sorry about that, Daga's a little weird sometimes. What kind of things do you like to do?"
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Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 1:14 pm
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In the end, Elea couldn't help but mouth to her bonded, 'This was your smart idea.' Nadra, in retaliation, ruffled her feathers with a distinctive huff at Elea. No matter if the pair of Ufunuo and Daga were... odd, Elea needed to make more friends outside of Nadra. Elea needed to socialize more, and Elea needed to remember how to have fun. Nadra was getting the distinct impression that Elea had lost all grasps of 'play' after the earthquake. The only time Elea relaxed was when she was alone with Nadra, and so the vulture was looking to expand her bonded's horizons. Would Elea necessarily like it? Probably not. Would Nadra push her in that direction anyways? Why, yes, yes she would.
With a roll of her eyes, Elea's attention moved back to Ufunuo, who seemed to have just managed to pull himself out of some hushed conversation with Daga. "I hunt," which seemed a little ridiculous, given the current state of her leg. Realizing that hunting could not make up the entirety of one's life, Elea elaborated further. "I like to talk with the other pride members, but I also enjoy the time I get to myself, of course with Nadra's company. I used to enjoy swimming from time to time, but I'm no longer quite as good as I had once been at it."
She'd probably give Nadra a heart attack if she tried to take up swimming again. "What kind of things do you enjoy doing?" she asked in return, an easy-going smile appearing upon her face.
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 6:48 pm
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"I like hunting too."
There was a broad grin on his maw at those words. He really did like hunting, he and Daga were a great team! (though it might have been said hunting and pouncing Daga, his father, his sister, Hifadhi, etc was much more fun). And he would keep practicing, and be a great hunter, the best hunter he could ever be. Because that was what good princes did, they took care of their pride.
For the question, well Ufunuo was having a bit of a hard time with that. There were so many fun things he enjoyed doing, he was finding it hard to put it into words. Like playing games (oh, hide and seek and tag were fun), and stalking and pouncing (Daga fell victim to this far too often for his liking), and making up songs with Daga that was always fun! He did a lot of things with Daga, had they ever been apart since they day they'd met?
"Really? Why?"
His head tilted curiously. He'd never been much on swimming himself (bleh, water), but he didn't understand why there was harm in enjoying it, even with a lame leg. |
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Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 9:23 am
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Elea smiled, an amused gleam touching the edges of her eyes before fading away. He was young, but it was almost charming with how eager and earnest he was during their conversation. Elea was mostly glad to keep attention off of her leg, and just as pleased that Ufunuo didn't seem to even notice it. "It's a little more difficult to these days. I do enjoy mucking around in the shallows, but I don't dare go past where my paws can't touch. Crocodiles would probably enjoy trying to make a nice meal out of me as well." She was opening up, slowly but surely. It was hard to keep herself closed off from him.
Elea was, for the most part, a serious lioness. The only time she wasn't when she was alone with Nadra. The vulture always had a way of bringing out the side of her that Elea would rather cast to the side most of the time. At that thought, she glanced down to the vulture beside her, who was meticulously picking the dirt off of her wings. Ah, she had no idea where she'd be today without Nadra's guiding wing. They were partners, and oftentimes Nadra knew what was best for Elea more than Elea herself.
"I used to be pretty good at hunting, though I think you'd have been too young to remember. Ah, I wonder if you were even born." She crinkled her nose at the thought. Elea had been an adolescent when the earthquake hit, and back then she had been one of the best hunters, destined for greater things. The effects of the earthquake had set her back, but she felt as if she was beginning to get the hang of things once again.
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Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 4:04 pm
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"I could chase off the crocodiles for you."
He said it so naturally, without hesitation, as if it really were that simple, maybe it was. Of course even as an adult, Ufunuo would have been no match for a crocodile, nor would he have been foolish enough to think otherwise. One might wonder why he had said it then (Daga certainly was). Maybe it was because it had seemed like the right thing to say.
"Who says you're not still good at hunting?"
In truth Ufunuo really had not noticed her leg, or if he had he hadn't thought much about it. Ufunuo remembered the day of the earthquake and all that had happened all too well. It was that day that had changed his life, and the pride, forever, it had had a heavy effect on them all.
And yet, perhaps with a certain wisdom beyond his years, Ufunuo had found happiness. He still missed his mother and his grandfather, he always would, he could never forget them, yet he was certain that they would want him (would want the entire pride) to live on, to be happy, to be everything that they knew he could be. Maybe it was childish optimism, but Ufunuo truly believe that there was nothing that could not be overcome. |
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Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 5:59 pm
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She might have blushed just a little bit underneath her fur - Ufunuo had said it almost casually, but with that same earnestness that she characterized him by. It was, well, a little embarrassing. He didn't seem to notice anything, though to her misfortune Nadra was chuckling behind her wing. It had sounded a bit different to a girl's ears than how a boy would interpret it. "I don't think you're on par with a crocodile," she concluded, amusement lining the arch of her brows, and the corners of her lips.
"I do," Elea informed him with a casual shrug of her shoulder. "I was good enough at hunting to know that I'm not as good as I used to be. I'm a huntress, and I'm able to tell whether I'm good or not." Of course, Elea refused to give up on it. Even if she was worse than the other lionesses, she continued to try. The young lioness wasn't being down on herself, rather giving the even younger lion a more factual answer.
"Of course, being bad at it hasn't stopped me yet. I just play to my specialties, which is letting the other lions herd the prey in my direction so I don't have to run and get it. I still have my uses." She was a little proud of what she had accomplished so far.
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