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 Posted: Wed Nov 10, 2010 9:49 pm
Anju's head hung low as she returned at the end of the day... empty handed. The huntress who had become dependent on her friend Kafei to help her catch prey didn't show up. Instead of going out and trying to find something on her own, she waited the entire day in hopes he would appear and surprise her with a catch to bring back. That didn't happen. She had tried to hunt on her own, and even when she was putting effort into it she rarely came out victorious. Not the most graceful of lions, she struggled to stay quiet enough to sneak up on prey, much less chase it down. While Anju hadn't been worried about neglecting her duties in the past, several other lionesses warned her about coming back empty handed too many times. They were never too specific about what would happen, but the lioness started to become concern that she would find out on her own and she really had no excuse. As the female approached the heart of the pride, she tried her best to blend in and hope she wouldn't be noticed.
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Posted: Wed Nov 10, 2010 10:27 pm
Stepping within the shadow of the Weeping Lion, the lioness named Ibis took a cautionary look around as she walked. Pft, even within the borders of her pride land, and she still felt no security. And who could, unless you were considered a Ligi or royalty? Snuffing through her nose and keeping her agitations to herself, Ibis twisted her tail tiredly as she noticed other lionesses in the distance. Counting heads and noting pelt colors, she was happy to realize that many of them were of Atmaja. And there seemed to be no quarrels or immediate concerns among the group, leaving the huntress happy to turn and excuse herself without comment.
That is, until she noticed a lone lioness coming from the outskirts. With her tail tuft a blaze of blue, it was quite easy to discover just who she was. Anju. Giving a deep sigh of exasperation, Ibis simply stood her ground with shoulders firm and edged, her eyes staring directly and expectantly to the lone girl.
Obviously, Ibis wouldn't be able to retire for relaxation just yet.
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Posted: Thu Nov 11, 2010 9:18 pm
Getting closer to the safety of her den, Anjus eyes darted around then quickly returned to staring at the ground in front of her. Even though she was trying not to look at anyone directly, it was hard not to notice some of the other hunter and huntresses proudly carrying their catches. Decent prey was becoming harder to come by, but it seemed as though everyone else managed to find something that was not only acceptable, but actually looked like it would make a delicious meal.
In a moment of weakness the huntress lifted her head all the way up and found her glance met with a pair of familiar emerald eyes. It was none other than the head huntress of the Atmaja house. The females look was distinct; her coat different shades of grey, and her eyes further accented by elaborate jewelry.
Anju stopped in her tracks when she realized the other females eye were fixed upon her. The huntress felt more like prey, crouching and folding her ears tightly against her head as though getting smaller would somehow get her out of the situation. Half of Anju wanted to run or put her head back down, but the other half knew she had to acknowledge the higher ranked females presence.
"Good evening Head Huntress." Anju tried to stand tall and with confidence as she approached her, but she spoke with a slight waver in her voice.
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Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 9:07 pm
Ah, well her sixth sense of observation was truly gifted. It hadn't taken her but a few seconds to realize the depth of Ibis' gaze in her direction. Or perhaps the Head Huntress was poised in such a way that it felt like an ominous Ligi looming nearby instead. Who knew, as that was not the main concern at the moment. With a twist of her tail, Ibis stood her ground patiently as Anju obligingly drew nearer.
"And a blessed evening to you as well, Anju. I'm always proud to see the hunt party return safely." If anyone could call returning here a safer move. At the rate things were dissolving in these lands, it would almost be a better gamble to live life as a rogue elsewhere. Almost.
Tilting her head slightly, with pendants sliding hanging in the motion, the lioness lifted a slim brow at the other lioness. "However, I find myself....disappointed. You're no longer a kitten, Anju. But I will not deny the fact that times are hard now; food grows scarce from these tough lands." Heh, you didn't have to be a lion to feel the oppression suffocating these lands. Even the dumbest of birds would rather reside in better lands. Although....there was that one persistent avian she'd notice every now and then flying about. Hm.
"So is my emotion justified, or is there something that needs to be brought to my attention?"
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Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 7:56 pm
"Yes it looks like everyone got home safely." There was a distant look in her eyes as she spoke those words. The young lioness knew very well that was not always the case. The pain of her recent loss was still very real, but Anju tried her best not to let it show when she was out and about.
Every once in awhile, like when she saw a familiar scene like the hunting party returning home, it was hard to keep her emotions in check. Her cousin and herself would eagerly await the return of their parents every evening when they where cub and it became something of a ritual for the two. Things had so rapidly changed in her life, that she hadn't the time to sink everything in yet. As usual she shook those feelings off for another time and brought her attention back onto the lioness where it belonged.
Anju's lowered her head as her superior talked.
"I know I'm not anymore... and I'm very sorry about coming back in empty handed Head Huntress." She responded back rather timidly, then paused as if she was hesitant to go on. "I couldn't find anything again today. I promise to work harder tomorrow."
Oh boy, Anju not only hated lieing, she also was terrible at it. She could just feel those jade eyes looking right through her and somehow being able to read minds and find out she hadn't made any effort to hunt by herself at all. "I Should have listend to Junko and Perun!" She thought to herself, wreaked with guilt about not even attempting to find prey.
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Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 8:53 pm
Ibis nodded, taking in the others hushed reply. Even in this moment of confronting her, it was easy to tell that Anju was distracted. And despite her best efforts to keep well informed on the pride members, the Head Huntress could not decipher what could be the core to Anju's troubles. There were simply too many faces and scenarios to consider, and a great majority of them kept too hidden for Ibis to even be aware of.
The sun glinting in her emerald eyes, Ibis turned once more to focus on the red female. As much as she could accept the apology, the Head Huntress still felt a frown on her muzzle. "Sorry won't keep the tummies full in the pride. Perhaps you can discover this yourself for a day? Stay in the borders and wait?" The dark lioness paced forward, if not for being so lean she may have been mistaken for a panther. Stopping but two feet from the other, she blinked kindly but sternly as she continued speaking.
"Honestly Anju, what am I to do with you? Gods forbid you ever have to face another predator, let alone having such trouble with prey animals." Her heavy tail flicked in the dust as she sighed, debating if a punishment was in order...or if the act would be too costly on the benefit of the hunting party.
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Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 11:08 am
Anjus eyes grew wide as Ibis contemplated. Would she really make her stay out by the boarder all night? Those other lionesses hadn't been lying after all about the punishments of not bringing back enough food.
"I promise it won't ever happen again!" She bowed her head so far down her nose was almost to the ground.
"Really, I've been working on my chase. Today I was just having trouble finding anything." Wasn't entirely a lie, but not the truth either. Thanks to her mother, Anju knew a few prime hunting spots in the pride lands. Where she had little trouble locating pray, the huntress had absolutely no ability to chase and kill, much less how to pick out what she had the best chance of catching.
But Kafei while terrible at finding anything, seemed to be good at actually catching things. As long as he would help her, she wouldn't have to face this sort of situation again.
But what if he stopped? Did he just mean he would help her only once?
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Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2011 6:48 pm
Ibis closed her eyes to the quick response of words, simply hanging her head in thought over the matter. She didn't enjoy bringing down such harsh punishments or come across as heartless. But her mind was on the totality of the pride, and all their hunger weighed in on the success of the hunters. With her title in place as well, the dark lioness had to set the example.
Lighting her eyes back on the other huntress, Ibis flexed her tail before settling it near her back ankles. "Anju, I beg of you, please do try harder. Food is no laughing matter in these land. Besides, I'd rather you not be the silly joke during the hunt that distracts the group." And it was a disappointing theory, considering Anju had one of the best noses in the group for hunting down prey. But her endurance and agility, or lack thereof, were somewhat startling.
Blinking suddenly, Ibis canted her head to the side. "Tell me, you have no....hesitation of killing prey. Do you?" Random, but a plausible idea. There were always those few individuals that were simply squeamish about the kills necessary for survival.
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Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 7:05 pm
With her head still lowered, Anju backed up so she could see Ibis and pitifully beg for mercy at the same time.
"I understand head huntress, I don't want to let anyone down anymore." Anju had been purposely avoiding hunting with the group as of late. It was fine when Junko was with her, but she really didn't know anyone else and her lack of experience was rather evident next to the other Atmaja hunters. It was just easier for her to hunt away from them.
"Killing prey?" Anju thought about it for a moment before answering. It was never something that had even crossed her mind before.
"I don't like seeing things dieing, but pretty much my whole family was made up of hunters and huntresses so it's nothing I'm not use to. I do have a friend that made me promise not to hurt birds, but otherwise no." She knew very well the chances of her landing an avian during a hunt was slim to none, but it was worth noting anyways.
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Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2011 10:04 am
The dark-coated lioness looked down at the other vibrant female, her expression mute in the face of the situation. "If anything, I am glad to hear of determination in your voice. Words, however, can only carry one so far." Making to stand, Ibis padded across the dry earth towards the other, her necklace clinking soundly with each step. As she walked passed the other lioness, she flicked out her tail to easily swap against the others flank. "Come, Anju. I wish to stretch as we speak."
As the duo moved casually across the pride's territory, Ibis made it a point to choose paths that were less frequented by other pride members. She was in no mood to be bothered by sudden company.
Pinning one ear back, she listened in on Anju's stance of predator and prey. At least there was no issues there to concern over now. Chuckling lightly, Ibis shook her head an inch. "Ah yes, I do believe I've seen that companion bird of yours. Lively little thing, isn't it?" Hopping up on the crest of a hill, the Head Huntress turned somber and quiet once more as she gazed at the lands before her. No surprise to find them empty, save for a few safari rodents scampering here and there in the distance.
"Now then, as we were. I have a task for you, Anju."
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Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2011 8:57 pm
"Yes Head Huntress."
She obediently followed Ibis through areas she only remembered visiting maybe once or twice when she was younger. Then again the lionesses sense of direction was terrible, so it was possible she had been here more times than she thought. It was a bit unnerving to be alone with a lioness with such a strong presence, but her nerves were eased if only a little by the small conversation about Cucco. "She is, so much so that I tend to loose track of her whereabouts. Cu tells me she goes out into the rogue lands a lot, but I have no idea what she does out there though."
Anju crawled up the hill much less gracefully than her companion, and looked around, a bit unsure of what she was suppose to be seeing. "A task?" She asked curiously.
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