Shambe grumbled, dragging his paws along the dirt. It wasn't fair, why wouldn't he have just stayed for a bit longer? The sun was beating down on him, and he didn't much care for the way the dust had anchored itself in his fur. For the first time in a long while he felt disadvantaged, he hadn't even been able to talk himself into a jackal's den for a noonday nap. His paws still hurt from their sharp little teeth, chasing him out. His usually demeanor was skewed, overshadowed by his intense hatred of feeling this way. Where normally a snide grin lit up his face there was now only a scowl. He sighed, dropping to his belly in the dirt, which way was the water? At least then he could rinse off. Was it north? No, he always thought north, he wasn't even sure which way that really was.
Vigo was feeling quite comfortable and satisfied. He had recently fed, slept the morning away beside a cool trickle of water, and had drank his fill before continuing his travels with no particular direction in mind. The foliage here was sparser, and showed more yellow than green. For this reason, he nearly stumbled upon the lean shape sprawled in his pathway. Giving a startled rumble, he hopped sideways, avoiding putting a paw on a tail. "Whoa there, where did you come from?" Despite it being rhetorical, the question was startled out of him. Who expected to trip upon a cheetah during a mid-day stroll?
Shambe grunted, a growl growing out of his throat at what he perceived as an intentional blow. "Should ask you the same thing," he snapped, "Got the whole savannah to walk and you manage to find me." Despite his general distrust for lions, he was not usually this unpleasant. Realizing that this other seemed healthier than he was, he pulled himself to a sit and offered slight nod, "My apologies, discomfort clouds my mind." Where had he come from? He couldn't quite remember, everything had begun to meld. He remembered there being a few hyenas, but who could really tell. "Where have you come from?" he asked with a grin, flipping the question around.
The darker feline watched as a series of expressions followed one another quickly across the cheetah's mobile face. Grouchiness, apologetic, and companionable all within the space of five or six quick breaths. He gazed thoughtfully at the fast talker. He didn't trust such quick-moving emotions as this one exhibited. "You look like it's been a space since you last refreshed yourself," he hedged, unwilling to reveal too much about himself and his choices. Another thought occurred to him then. Perhaps there was a reason for his strange behavior. "You aren't sick, are you?" His eyes narrowed in suspicion as he measured the smaller cat's movements, word choice, expressions... anything visible became evidence. After all, sickness could be spread. He had no desire whatsoever to be infected by some mind-warping disease.
Shambe seemed to think about whether or not this would elicit sympathy, but the lion's eyes didn't seem to say so. "No, no, not sick. Just tired is all," his mind spun, "I've been... Off looking for my sister, you haven't seen her have you?" He lifted a paw, "She's about this tall, ran off with a leopard last new moon she did." His eyes turned sad, as if the story were true. In reality he had no sister, no family at all, but he felt this male might be sympathetic to the plight of a misguided female. "I've been so worried I haven't really stopped to care for myself much."
Vigo still watched him intently. The story had merit, but... well, something seemed off. He couldn't quite put his paw on it, but his heart was not one to turn down another creature in need. He softened his expression slightly, though he remained guarded. "I am sorry to hear that, but don't you think your sister has the right to happiness?" No chauvinist was he. If she truly had run off, what had caused it? And why would this cheetah want to drag her back? Entirely too cognitive for his own good, Vigo mentally ran over the possibilities of the situation. Unconsciously he still avoided answering the direct question asked by the strange cheetah. So far he had a slight reason to distrust, with an equally small reason to trust. For the time being, though, he sat his rump down and cleaned one paw, still keeping his eyes on the mournful face of the cheetah.
Shambe blinked, not expecting this type of response. "Well I suppose..." he began, bringing a paw to his chest, "But really, that leopard has taken advantage of her good nature. He seemed like as not send her home alone with mixed cubs." There was a bit of distaste in his voice that he was not able to restrain, despite knowing himself that none of this was true. Granted, he was likely to do the same to females himself, but at least they'd be pure. "She'll thank me, I'm sure." He nodded gracefully, the feather tucked behind his ear catching the breeze and fluttering as if it too agreed.
Vigo eyed him askance, catching the nuance of tone. So, he was one of those, hmm? Well, that was none of his business. "Well, if you think so," he rumbled softly. "Good luck with that." To him, the ability to dislike cubs for their parentage was more distasteful than the idea of cubs with mixed heritage. What did it matter, so long as the cubs were healthy and happy? He wasn't so sure he was ready to be a father himself, but he knew very well he'd never despise cubs for not being fully lion. He gave a soft noise of disapproval and rose to his paws, clearly prepared to move on. "I'm sorry, but I have seen no cheetah but yourself for several weeks now, and the last one was all alone, streaking across the horizon as you fast types seem to enjoy doing." He gave a faint wave of a paw, gesturing to emphasize that he was not at all the fleet nor the flighty sort, and also clearly relegating this stranger to being such.
Shambe frowned, getting to his own feet. "Well then, have you seen any lakes about?" he asked, his voice taking on a slight pleading tone. It was clear he intended to follow the lion, having nothing better to do with his time at present. "I should like to find somewhere to rest and wash off. We could catch some fish even," he offered, "Us fast types are good at grabbing the ones you all scare away." He was feeling a bit desperate now, his usual ploys were ineffective, normally by this point he would have been offered some small token of help at least
Vigo paused, glancing over his shoulder in surprise as the cheetah moved to follow him. Where was he going? The following words revealed the thought of travelling together, which truly gave the lion pause. Though usually not against company, he felt no desire to spend much time around this unpredicatble and mercurial cheetah. His reply was blunt and truthful. "I never know when I'll come across another place to drink, much less one large enough to fish in." His tone was gruff, but not without sympathy. "It had no fish, but there was water less than a half day's walk that way." He tossed his head back the way he'd come. "There is shade and foliage, so there is sure to be hunting available at sunset." He was not cruel by any means, only off-put by the strange ways of this creature. Odd or not, the cheetah had as much right to live and thrive as anyone else. "I had an easy time hunting before I reached the waterhole, so look beyond there if you find nothing to interest you while you drink."
Shambe glanced back to where the lion was showing him, feeling a bit skeptical about it. This lion didn't seem much the helpful type. A hunger pain gripped his stomach and he turned sour, moving to stand in front of him, "How do I know you're telling me the truth? Maybe you'd like to keep all the fish to yourself." He wasn't sure what he was trying to accomplish with this, though perhaps he'd elicit the truth. Pausing to think might have shown him he was being irrational, but he didn't take kindly to the idea that a lion might pull one over on him.
Vigo gazed down at the smaller feline with surprise. Was he trying to intimidate him? An attempt at threat? The idea was laughable. A good swipe from Vigo's paw was likely to snap one of those delicate legs the cheetah strutted on. But as his words sank in, Vigo's brows lowered into a frown. "And why would I do that? You yourself just pointed out I'd scare the fish if I tried to catch any." The very idea of trying to catch fish caused him to cough a laugh, whiskers spreading in mirth. "I'd be eating mud, not fish." The humor found in the image did not dispel his displeasure at the accusations hurled at him, however. "Seems to me that perhaps keeping the fish to yourself is something you are highly familiar with. I wonder why?" His tone was mocking, his suspicions clear and apparently confirmed. "I told you truth, both about what lies behind me and what I know of what is ahead." He laced a growl into his voice. "But if you think to force me to your will, I think perhaps you must indeed be sick." Just to prove his point, he peeled back his lips, revealing teeth significantly larger than the cheetah's.
Shambe stood his ground but his posture shifted to one distinctly unsteady. He knew his own strength would not compare to this lion, but he also knew the lions speed would not compare to his, should the need arise. His voice dropped low, as if he wished not to be overheard, "You sound as if you've already eaten the mud." He was beginning to realize that he had created some trouble for himself, but he wasn't really the type to back down. He'd been in worse, but he couldn't shake the feeling that this was nearing something much more serious. "Not many tell the truth nowadays, you might understand my suspicions."
Still Vigo frowned. "I might, yes, had I given you reason to be so." Hot breath issued from his nostrils and into the cheetah's face, still so very close to his own. "But I have not." This was spoken from between teeth very nearly gritted. Vigo was tiring of this game, for game it seemed. He wasn't sure what this schemer wanted from him. He'd already given him clear directions to both water and prey, had made it clear he couldn't help with directions to his sister. What else was there that propriety demanded? Nothing that he could see. Retaining the blunt approach, he lifted his chin slightly, eyes pinned on his adversary. "What. Do. You. Want." Each word was bitten off, separated from the next by a sharp silence that emphasized his lack of patience for mincing words any further. If the cheetah didn't get to the point, or if he wanted something Vigo was unwilling to give, he'd soon find himself in Vigo's dust, at the very least.
Shambe flipped his ears back, feeling suddenly like standing his ground was no longer a good idea. "I eh..." he paused, "Nothing, I want nothing." He began to back away. This wasn't a fight he could well win, and he wasn't a fan of those. "It was nice meeting you, I should be going I think." He had begun to shake, realizing the other was not going to back down. He didn't quite want to turn his back yet, it seemed ill advised still so he waited for some sign.
The frown he wore did not let up. Vigo found this cheetah baffling, bizarre, and more irritating than a fly in the ears. He growled a warning, still sensing dishonesty and self-centeredness in the cheetah's actions. "Good. I have wished you luck, given you directions to food and water, and had no info of your sister. I should hope there was nothing else you'd be trying to force out of a creature easily twice your size and weight." He gave the smaller feline a hard stare. "You very nearly was a bigger fool than you could afford to be." He took two steps towards the cheetah, then nimbly side stepped around him. Several steps beyond, he paused, turning to look back over his shoulder. "One last favor I'll give you, stranger," he rumbled. "Choose your targets carefully. Choose those you confront even more carefully." He turned to continue on his way, tail lashing. "And never irritate a lion that could eat you for breakfast." Unhurriedly he went on his way, padding steadily towards no destination whatsoever. He was unconcerned as to whether the cheetah would choose to attack from behind. Fool he might be, but he also clearly was a coward. Secure in his safety, Vigo attempted to turn his grouchy thoughts to more pleasant topics. Like females!
Shambe watched him leave with wide eyes, his tail still tucked down between his legs. He'd never met a lion like that one, they'd all be rather simple before. This was a new turn of events, and suddenly he felt much less confident in his lifestyle. He'd have to watch for signs of this in the future, it did not bode well for him. He turned to go the other direction, glancing back a last time to watch the lion in awe. Not well at all.
