(PRP) The weird kid (Mitra/Malik)

[Painted Moose]

The dusty sky laid no shadows to curl up in today, but those rare few around the lake. Mitra was waiting in one such shadow with her rump poised in the air, dark blue eyes crossed as she stared down her prey. A lone beetle chirped before scurrying from brush to brush, working without knowing of the dangers ahead.

Her maw was slightly opened as she crept forward. Just...a little....closer... "Got'cha!" Mitra jumped, missing the beetle by a mile and landed on the ground with a roll. She sat up, shaking out her mane while the whole world spun around her. "Oh...wow."  

[Feral Mule]

He was the oldest out of the litter born from his mother's tryst. Of course, he didn't know that his mother had an affair. Malik didn't know why he was treated the way he was within his family. He got no sympathy from his father, almost no love from the other females, or so it felt, and he was utterly confused. He didn't know what his mother looked like, he just knew he didn't look like his father or the other females.

"Strange bunch."

"It's a shame."

"I think they shouldn't be here."

"Not his cubs, clearly."

"Mother was a tramp."

Things like that were whispered. Everyone thought that they didn't hear it, but Malik did. Ever bad thing said about him or his family caused his heart to hurt and made him want to run away. Who was his mother? Why did no one talk about her? Or to him and his siblings. Who were his real parents and why was he with a male who didn't even like him? These were the things that made Malik's yellow eyes close and to loose sleep at night thinking.

"Who is my family....?" He whispered as he inched away from his family den. The others were out, including Nessy. Which was unusual for her to be out and not him. He just... didn't feel like going when the did. So, here he was, an hour late, not sure what he was doing or where he was going.  

[Painted Moose]

She wasn't ignorant by any means, so when the gossip hit her ears she knew just what cubs were being bad mouthed. Of course, Mitra made a point not to play with them or even look at them if at all possible. When she was cub she might have attacked a couple, give or take.

So when her beetle waltzed right up to their den she paused. Tariq was a Vizier like her father, but it wasn't him she had a problem with. It was the weird kids who stayed here.

She lowered her ears back, deciding to go up slowly as she spotted the pink cub. What if he touched her? Would she be bad like he was? Still, that was her beetle and she wouldn't let him defile it. "Don't touch it! Thats mine." Though she sounded tough, the little Juv as inching towards him like one did around a giant snake.
 

[Feral Mule]

A beetle crossed his path and Malik thought of it as a good sign; that the day would be a good day! Just as he started chasing it, however, a female voice rang out and stopped him dead in his tracks. His golden eyes turned to a pretty blue Banu who didn't look at all happy to see him. His brows furrowed together and his yellow nose twitched from time to time. He didn't like that look on her face. It's the looks their father gave them. The look that they were lower than dirt; disgusting creatures.

When he saw her and how she acted, his ears lowered and his tail went between his legs before he sighed softly. Looking to the beetle he sighed sadly. "Sorry." Wait. Why was he apologizing? Shouldn't she be apologizing because he was a Pesar? But... he didn't want to bring a fight or an argument. "Uhm..." With an unsure movement, he moved out of her way and frowned softly, his head down, eyes hiding behind his mane.  

[Painted Moose]

Looked like she'd stopped him just in time! A moment to late and he'd have ruined everything. Mitra padded up the little cub warily, her head have turned as if expecting him to do something.

She wasn't disappointed. Though, it wasn't the reaction she'd expected. Why was he hiding from her? She was the one who was risking herself here! Mitra huffed and moved forward to put her paw ontop of the beetle to stop it from leaving as her tail coiled around her legs. "Here, you can have it." With a flip of her paw she passed it over to him, her eyes slightly downcast and to the side.

No one should look like that, even if they were dirty.
 

[Feral Mule]

He didn't hear movement; not for a while and it made Malik think that she'd moved on her way after he left the beetle alone. But then her words caused him to glance up and he blinked. She was really going to share the beetle with him? Most cubs would take their play thing and run away from him.

That bit of gentleness caused his eyes to light up and a small smile to appear on his face. He pulled the beetle to him and put it under his paw, not crushing it. He did want to play with it, but... maybe.. she was nice enough to play with him. "I.. I'm Malik," he said quietly. Yes, he knew full well that she was one of the ones that had chased a few of his siblings around, called then names, but maybe that could change. Maybe, just maybe, Malik would have a friend in this pride. "W-we... could play with it together? Or... go play together?" His voice held a pathetic hopefulness to it.  

[Painted Moose]

She was beginning to think he wasn't coming out of it when she saw his smile. A little one tugged at her face as well, despite her adversion not to give him hope. Her paw scuffed the ground awkwardly. What was she supposed play with now?

"Mitra." She was so surprised to her him speak that it slipped out. Then a little started in her lip. Ewww, he wanted her to play with him? What if someone saw her? Or what if he touched her? "Well....I...err." Mitra bit her lip and looked away. It was hard to think with that pathetic look on his face staring her down. "...maybe for a little while. Just so long as nobody's around." As soon as anyone or anything showed up, she was gone.
 

[Feral Mule]

She didn't want to play. He saw it in her movements, chewing on her lip, looking away. But she agreed. All she felt for him was disgust and pity; like everyone else in this stupid pride. He looked to the side with an angry expression and sighed, muttering a 'nevermind' to her.

"No one understands... I don't understand. ...Why does everyone think we're some kind of... sick litter or something? Why... does daddy hate us? We get nothing but looked down upon, talked about, yelled at and treated like... like... I don't even know what. ....Clearly we're not wanted." He wasn't speaking to her but just speaking. "I don't know my mother... I know we should have gone with her. She didn't love us.... But if she doesn't, who will?" The anger had melted away to sadness once again and he laid down and curled up, hiding himself from the blue Banu. Really, he shouldn't be speaking like this around her, but what else could he do? Nothing was going to get better in the pride, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to be here. He had no friends, his siblings were miserable. Being the eldest boy in the litter, Malik thought he had to do something to cheer them up. But he couldn't even make a friend because the cubs here were warned away from them.  

[Painted Moose]

Mitra's ears perked up when he denied her and she was just about to call out his ungrateful butt when he ripped loose. She didn't leave, or make a move to interrupt him; rather she sat and listened. It was the first time she had heard any kind of retort from the dirty cubs. Because of the family she'd been born into and the social network she had, Mitra never felt the way he did. Sometimes she was angry when her father scolded her, but he never yelled. To be so unloved was a crime.

"Hey, don't...." What was she supposed to say? It wasn't like she wanted him, but someone had to step up. "Look your mom was a bad lady, right? She was dirty, so your dirty, but you don't have to act like it." Mitra took a deep breath and cautiously poked him with the tip of her paw. "If you give in, they win. Just don't do what your mom did and you'll be fine."

When he'd curled up, the beetle had taken this as an oppurtunity for escape. She ran to cut it off and picked it up in her maw. At that moment she thought of leaving him, but with a look over her shoulder she knew better. Mitra padded up to the pink pesar and dropped the beetle. "Do you want to play or what?"
 

[Feral Mule]

"But how was she bad? What did she do?" He looked at the blue Banu again and then blinked when she came back with the beetle. She.. really wanted to play? "Mit...ra, right? I'm..." He'd said his name already. God, Malik, get a grip. He shook his head a bit and then looked to the beetle, taking it from her without touching her and he put it under his paw again, thinking. "How... can we both play with it?"

Maybe playing would get his mind off the negative. Maybe he could get a friend and show his siblings that they could have friends too. She did have a point: Give in and they win. Hopefully no one left the pride because of how dirty the were. That would be just... dumb. He had to fight to stay in this pride. He.... didn't know if he liked it here or not, but if not a friend, than an ally would make it more bearable for him. "Maybe.. we can toss it to each other? Or... something..." he let his voice trail, not exactly sure what to do. It was clear she still thought him dirty and gross, but she was trying. So Malik resolved that he would, too.  

[Painted Moose]

Even though she heard his question, Mitra didn't offer up an answer because she didn't know herself. She just knew that his momma was dirty and did bad things. The severity waried from banu to banu, but she got the over all gist of it. "We could play keep away. I play that with my siblings alot. You have to run and hide, but if I catch you and steal the beetle you have to come after me."

Of course, if the beetle was crushed or damaged the icky juices would be in her mouth. This way was alot trickier than when they played with stones. Playing with the weird kid didn't help matters. Her cousin would be more gracious about this kind of thing, probably even give him the fur off her back, but Mitra was of a different sort.

Still, his question bugged her; what had his mother done?
 

[Feral Mule]

When he got no response, he wasn't expecting one, honestly, he sighed a bit and shook his head. It seemed she didn't know, but judged him and his siblings anyway. Really, if it was their mother's fault, why treat the cubs like they'd done the wrong thing? His tail flicked in annoyance at that, but he wouldn't let it ruin his playing.

When she explained, he laughed and nodded a bit, watching the blue one. If he was any other Pad, he would want her to be in his harem, but he wasn't sure he'd even have one. When his coming of age came, he wasn't sure if he was going to return! Just the way he was being treated now was making him lean towards no, but maybe it'd be better when he got older.

"OK. So, you want me to chase you first, or do you want to chase me? I'm... I'm fine either way," Malik said that last bit almost shyly. Why? Because it was his first time playing with anyone outside of the 'weird cubs'.  

[Painted Moose]

When he laughed, her smile came a little easier and she stood up taller. If he wasn't a weird kid he probably wouldn't have been a half-bad friend. She watched the pink Pesar as she came around him in a crescent.

In a flash she'd snatched the beetle with her paw. "Since I've got it, why don't you chase me?" Mitra cocked her head up and grinned. It was a baited trap, since no one had caught her to date, but the chances of her touching him were too high the other way around.

The juv bent down to scoop the wriggling insect in her mouth before looping around, looking over her shoulder.  

[Feral Mule]

He couldn't believe it when she snatched the beetle away. So, he blinked and looked to his now empty paws for a minute, then back at her, then his paws and a grin appeared on his face. So he'd have to chase her? That hardly seemed fair! He was a fast runner, in his own opinion. He could beat out his siblings pretty quick, but not all of them liked to race.

So, he got into position, waiting for her to take off. His rear was up, front half down and his tail wriggled wildly behind him. The look on Malik's face was priceless. It was sheer joy and determination. If he wasn't a weird kid, would playing with her be an every day thing? Would he have someone he could call a friend? Maybe. Malik could ask once the game drew to a close. And with every fiber of his being he hoped it wasn't anytime soon.  

[Painted Moose]

She couldn't help the laugh that crinkled her eyes and curled her claws. Mitra bounced on her paws as she watched the cub ready himself, her own rump higher than her head. Just by looking at him she knew that she was doing the right thing, even if it might come back to bite her. What would it hurt? Exspecially if no one saw them.

Her paws spun out as she took off. Mitra was careful of her prize, pressing the beetle down with her tongue as she rounded around some stones. She didn't even realize when she started to become careless. Her body was visibly relaxed, even if she was running away from the pink Pesar, dodging in and out of the terrain with a hushed giggle.