Maan it was hot. Really hot. Mikaile lay strewn out by a small watering hole, trying to take in every ounch of shade available from the dried out tree. It wasn't much and it wasn't really helping, but...yeah, he didn't have much of a choice. He was glad, though, that he wasn't black like this twin; that dark coat must have been driving Runaih crazy, where ever he was right now. He'd be back later, Mikaile was sure, but for now he was going to relax.

He stretched out his paws a little and shifted to turn his belly to the side. They had eaten that morning, he and his twin. A nice, fat water buck. Of course he had eaten the most, being so much bigger than Runaih. Maybe that was why he felt so lazy right now. Maybe that was how Runaih was always moving, no matter what. Eh, who cared? His ears twitched and he yawned. It didn't much matter anyway.


Keena padded across the grass, the earth feeling dry and hot beneath her paws. There was a watering hole around here somewhere, whether it was experience or instinct that told her such she couldn’t really say. She might have come this way before, she traveled often after all. But she’d seen so many places…they started to blur together a little. Sometimes things felt familiar, and sometimes she knew where things were. The only explanation was that she’d been here before, possibly when she was small, and simply forgotten about it.

Ah, and there it was!

Golden eyes bright, the pale furred lioness made her way comfortably to the small watering hole. She didn’t take much caution, too used to making new ‘friends’ with strangers, after all, no one would ever intent another harm, not without good reason. Accidents happened, but she was always happy to forgive them.


Great. Mikaile's ears moved at the sound of someone's approach. Company. He couldn't say it was something he wanted. He was no good at sharing voluntarily. So he rolled over a little bit without opening his eyes and called out, "Hey, find your own spot hu? I'm napping here." Well, sort of anyway.

He felt a tickle in his nose, probably from a bit of grass nearby, and was unable to hold back a sneeze. In the recoil he opened his eyes a bit, squinting in the sunlight, and spotted exactly who his visitor was...a female. He smiled then, his maw showing bright teeth in the process, "Well now, why didn't you say you were a dame, hu?" This company was definitely more desirable.

“Hmm?” Keena blinked, having not quite noticed the other lion on her way through. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” the lioness said quietly, her ears laying sheepishly back against her skull. “Bless you,” she added when he sneezed, blinking and wrinkling her nose as though it itched too in response. “I’ll be quiet,” she assured him softly, though his next comment confused her.

‘Dame’? What was that again? Didn’t it mean ‘girl’? She was pretty sure at least. Well, if he wasn’t upset with her…that was a good thing.

"Quiet, noisey, it doesn't quite matter," Mikaile replied simply. When it came to females he didn't much care about what they were like. He wasn't terribly picky, at least not with personality or looks. Behavior...well, that was a bit different. Not every female agreed with what he seemed to have in mind.

"But, I would like you to come sit over here," he told her. He sat up a bit, making his size and muscles more prominant and noticeable. Some females liked that. His first impression was she was shy. He could deal with that, he just needed to get her closer..and make sure she didn't run off too soon.

“…but you just said…” Keena blinked again, utterly confused. Had he changed his mind so quickly? First he was annoyed because he was sleeping when she came to get a drink, and now he didn’t care if she wanted to be noisy or not. He even wanted her to come and sit with him? She was a bit lost, admittedly, but, well, he was allowed to change his mind if he wanted to.

Still frowning faintly, a puzzled expression on her features, she padded over to sit a little ways away from him, her head canted quizzically to one side. “I only came to get a drink,” she told him, trying to explain, “I didn’t mean to bother you.”

"Ain't no bother at all, babe," Mikaile said genuinely. At least she wasn't yet. "So relax, take a drink, and stay a while."

He leaned a bit closer to her, just enough to get a real good wiff of her. She smelled pretty nice. Females usually did, though each was different...and each was alluring in their own way. And she was alluring...though he didn't mind taking it a bit slow today. It was his fullness. It made him lazy and calmed him a bit.

"So you here JUST for water?"


He really had changed his mind, hadn’t he. How odd…but at least he didn’t seem to mind her now. She’d have hated to really bother or upset someone. It was rude of her to just walk in like that, but she honestly just hadn’t seen him there at all. Keena just looked at him, puzzled, as he leaned towards her but didn’t move herself. Some people confused her. It was starting to seem like this male might be one of them.

“Yes, just for some water,” she replied, one ear flicking as something tickled the tip. “I was out for a while longer than I meant to, so I’m on my way back to my family, I’m sure Dysi needs to go home soon…” Not that most people would consider an adopted lion cub, a rather feminine male leopard, and four hares a ‘family’. But it was Keena’s take on the matter that mattered right now.

"Home? How dull." Mikaile had extreme family loyalties, but they weren't exactly the things he'd always phraise aloud. Out in the desert you couldn't survive without your family. So he had been raised to trust his family above all people...and he did. If he had to choose, yes, he'd choose his brother over a pretty female. He wouldn't say it aloud, however.

"Stay, we can have a good time, you and me," Mikaile said. He didn't care if she had a mate. Mates were overrated and in his mind it didn't stop her from doing anything with him. He leaned forward and tugged softly, but deliberately, on her ear. "Come on."

Dull? How was ‘home’ dull? She had no desire for a stationary territory herself, but the saying went ‘home is where the heart is’. And her heart was with her odd little family, wherever they might be at the moment. She had a desire to travel, to move, as though she looked for something. But she didn’t really need anything… she wasn’t sure why she had to wander. Her paws just wanted to.

She squeaked when he tugged on her ear. A good time? What, did he want to play? She’d played with her kittens the other week, and she’d met a lioness whom she’d had a great deal of fun with. It was nice to act like a cub sometimes…

“Well, what did you want to play?” the lioness asked, carefully not tugging her ear against his teeth. It seemed like he felt like roughhousing, if his grip on her ear was anything to go by.

"Oh I don't want to play," Mikaile laughed, releasing her ear. It didn't give them any distance, however, as he drew closer. He was far from abashed, as he moved to drape a paw over her shoulder and lean against her, breathing against the back of her neck. "Games are for kids. There are far better things for us to do."

If she had been more aware she would have known exactly what he was talking about, plus the deliberate touching added in. She had seemed willing so far, he assumed her coy, and kept on plowing forward. It was all he ever did. He didn't have self control, or often common sense, so if the poor girl wasn't getting it he wasn't noticing.

Keena shook her head as her ear was released, flicking it briefly before turning to look in utter confusion at the strange male. He didn’t want to play? Then what did he mean by having some fun? Or, ‘a good time’ as he put it. “But games are fun even when you’re bigger,” she protested, twisting further to try to keep eye contact while she spoke. His breath felt funny against the back of her neck, tickling the fur and hot on her skin.

“I don’t understand. I’m not much of a singer or a storyteller, I just travel a lot. I wouldn’t mind keeping you company a while if you wanted someone to talk to?” she tried, not sure what it was he wanted at all. He was being awfully draping-on for someone who didn’t want to roughhouse…

"If it's not a game, or a story, or a song, what else could it be?" Mikaile prodded her. He was initialy amused by her instance of doing something else. Hey, shy girls were cute, as long as they didn't hold out on him too long. Then they were just annoying and frustrating instead which...he didn't have much patience for.

"Come on, babe," He rolled his eyes and leaned closer. He wasn't going to let her avoid the topic, if that was what she was trying to do. If he was wasting his time he wanted to know now, not later. He wasn't one for wasting energy. "Sex. Nothing better or more entertaining than that." His eldest brother would have given him a wallop. Good thing he hadn't seen him in a few years.

Not a game, story, or song…hmm… Keena frowned, trying to puzzle it out. Did he…want to go hunting? Or fishing in the watering hole? Make something? She could almost kind of sort-of make a flower crown, but she didn’t see the kind of flowers she was used to using around here. So… maybe hunting then? Maybe? Except he didn’t need to be all leaning-on her for that, they’d do better if they split up a bit…

…sex? That was…wait…that was…uh…

“Why would we do that?” the lioness asked him blankly. It sounded like a strange thing to want to do. She’d heard it was only for mates, or at least, she thought she’d heard that somewhere. He certainly wasn’t her mate. She didn’t even know his name. She’d only just met him, and only by accident, and while accidental meetings could be great fun…she was pretty sure now that she was going to disappoint him somehow. She felt kind of bad about that…

"What do you mean, why?" He huffed, letting the breath hit her neck again. There was a hint of exasperation in his voice. The rewards of patience often eluded him and now it was waring off. If they weren't going to do anything he was off. He liked women, but only for one reason. If she wasn't going to go through with it well...then she had no use, at least not to him.

"Because it's wonderfully fun and the best thing any two lions can do. Come on, babe, it'll make you feel good." One last haul, one last try. He made a move to n** at the back of her neck, perhaps a tad harder than usual. Didn't she want to do anything? Didn't she feel anything? How terribly boring.

Both ears laid flat against her skull as he huffed at her. She was so utterly lost right now, and he seemed to be upset which only served to get her upset too. He was ever so insistent, but she just didn’t think she was quite comfortable with the way this meeting was going. Which was odd, because she’d been mostly okay even when meeting with the lion who’d just killed another. He’d had a reason, he was only defending territory. But, this stranger, he made her uneasy in a way she really wasn’t familiar with.

“I’m sorry, I don’t- Hey, don’t bite me!” Keena yelped, feeling the teeth in her skin from his n**. She rose to her feet, intending to back a few steps away. She’d been in a fight before, sort of, and had no desire to be bitten or clawed again, for whatever reason. “I said I was sorry.”

"Apologies don't make anyone feel good," He snapped at her. Ughh, what a waste. His nose wrinkled and tail trashed in open irritation. That was a rejection if he ever saw one. It irked him, to get put off by this bimbo. Didn't she realize she'd be lucky, doing it with him? She might not meet a more attractive lion for a very long time. Psh. Whatever.

"Fine. Sucks for you, anyway. You're not even that pretty. Clean yourself up why don't you," He snorted and got onto his paws in one big movement. Standing like that certainly increased his heigh. With sharp, harsh movements he started to lope off. On his way he bumped into her deliberately and moved past. He didn't need a little b***h like her. He'd find someone else...or at least someone to beat around a little. Females weren't made for that...it was no fun. Not that he could say this had been either.

Keena ducked her head unhappily, her ears still pinned to her skull. She hadn’t meant to upset him! She’d only come by to try getting a drink of water, it was so hot and she’d been so thirsty. She didn’t mean to wake him, or ruffle his fur like she seemed to have.

The lioness stumbled slightly when he bumped into her, she’d never been very big herself and while she wasn't a weakling she wasn’t that sturdy either. She watched him go, wondering how she could have done something so wrong without knowing what it was. Maybe she should ask Dysi or Kisun about it? But, no, she didn’t want to bother them… they had enough to deal with after all.

Meekly, she padded down to the water to lap up a mouthful or two, before heading off herself, careful to choose a different direction than the one the stranger had taken.