Unwanted, But Familiar
He had been following the lion for a while--ever since the incident with the fat goddess, actually. The vulture had become fascinated with the red lion with bat wings. It hadn’t been easy, though. The lions had disappeared in front of his very eyes, leaving him to travel all over the world, searching for him again.
He would die soon. At least, that’s what the vulture’s instincts were telling him. Anyone that so willingly got involved with a female like that was bound to get himself killed off! And when he did, Nobo thought with relish, then he would be all his! Each luscious bite of him!
The vulture flapped his wings loudly, landing on a barren tree under which the lion was passing. Yes, that was him. He had finally found him! The one he had searched for for so long! “Hey!” he called down to the lion. “I’ve been looking for you!”
The familiar annoying voice made Shibasa pull to a stop, looking up at the tree above him for a long moment. He had been searching for Keena, since the lioness had gotten herself lost (probably) once again. The sight of the vulture, though, made him scowl. “What in the hell are you doing here?” he demanded.
“I just told you! I been looking for you!” the vulture said, dropping off of the branch to land on one closer to the ground. “You’re not an easy meal to find, you know.” His head bobbed a few times as he looked the lion over. “You’re looking a lot tastier, too. Didn’t expect that.”
“Listen up, you macabre b*****d,” Shibasa started out.
“Ooooh, ‘macabre’!” the vulture repeated. “I like that one! But the name’s Nobo.”
“As if I cared,” Shibasa muttered. “Why are you following me? I’m not going to die any time soon!”
“You sure about that?” Nobo asked. “Anyone that jumps into an obvious trap like that one lady’s seems likely to die at any moment. Of stupidity, that is.”
“Shuddup,” Shibasa muttered.
“Let me guess, you’re looking for a way out now, aren’t you?” the vulture asked in amusement. “You got what you wanted so now you’re trying to get out of paying for it. Too bad you’re such an idiot that it won’t work!”
“Hey!” the lion snapped. “What right do you have to say that sort of thing?”
“I think I’m going to stick with you,” Nobo said with a thoughtful tilt of his head. “Even if you don’t die over soon, you smell enough like blood to be a good source of food.”
“Like hell I’ll let you do that!” Shibasa roared.
The birds in the trees around them took off with the sound, but Nobo merely snorted. “You’re always hungry, aren’t you? Always thirsty. Don’t bother to hide it.”
“Shut it.”
“Yeah, you’ll be a good way to get free food.” He jumped just a little as the lion lifted a hand, digging claws into the base of the tree he was perched on. “Oh, oh, now you’re killing plants, too!” he cawed with laughter.
”Go away, you b*****d!” Shibasa snarled, trying to climb up the tree.
Nobo burst into laughter at the sight, almost falling off of his branch as he did so. The sight of the large, full grown lion trying to climb the tree and failing so desperately was the funniest thing he’d ever seen in his life. There was no way he was leaving now! Even if that fat goddess showed up again, he wasn’t about to lose track of this one!
Not when they were colored so much alike.
Not when they were so much alike.
