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 Posted: Thu Nov 11, 2010 10:31 am
 It had been a while since meeting the interesting black lion, and Räven hadn't seen anyone so ... intriguing since then. There was freedom in loneliness, but the fox-pelted lioness's bright and cunning mind could not be satisfied for long without something to do.
Right now, she lay in hiding, observing another dark lion from afar. He was younger than her, but old enough. She had been hanging around the same area for a few days now, and hadn't seen anyone. This lion must be a stranger. A wanderer. Someone far from home ...
Vulnerable? Or interesting, like the brutish black lion with the gold markings?
There was only one way to find out.
Standing up, Räven sauntered boldly towards the darker male. Her heart beat quickly, ready for fight or flight if he should be fiercer than he looked. She smiled, showing all of her pearly teeth. "Hello, stranger," she called, her low voice purring.
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Posted: Thu Nov 11, 2010 12:31 pm
The last lioness he'd encountered had, very bluntly, asked him a very rude question: "You're a special kind of stupid, aren't you?"
Sagua didn't appreciate her unkind words, but he'd never been one to start a ruction. As distraught and offended - and so very confused - as he was, he'd only smiled and told her he didn't think he was stupid at all.
By time he'd encountered that lioness, and certainly by time he encountered this one, Sagua had come to understand people on the outside could be hostile toward complete strangers for silly reasons or no reasons whatsoever. That's what he thought; however, he really hadn't the faintest idea of just how ugly the world could get. What he did know he found bothersome, but he outright refused to sink down into the depths of cruelty and despair.
They could be mean if they wanted. Not him, though! Besides, he had other things to worry about: his name.
"Hello, stranger!"
Sagua turned to her and smiled like an old friend at another. "Hello," he chimed in softly.
A cute little voice for a cute little lion. Who didn't see it coming?
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Posted: Thu Nov 11, 2010 12:56 pm
The strange lion was smiling at her, positively beaming. Räven considered it as she walked towards him, her nerves calming somewhat. There wasn't much that interested her, really. He seemed too ... friendly. Too open. There was no ferocity or seductiveness or anger in that smile, nothing exciting.
Räv would have to reevaluate her tactics.
Meanwhile, she could always have some fun with this lion. Maybe he wasn't as innocent and boring as he seemed. Reaching him, the lioness stopped and stood before him. She rearranged her expression into what she hoped was a look of exquisite sultriness.
"You look handsome," she said softly, smirking.
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Posted: Thu Nov 11, 2010 1:07 pm
Sagua was not at all threatened by her approach. No one had ever hit him before. He couldn't fathom why someone would. In his world, things had a reason. Everything. If someone was mean, it was for a reason. Without a doubt if someone were to lash out at him, they'd have a reason. This stranger had no quarry with him, and thus he had no reason to hesitate around her.
She was a very pretty lioness up close. Like his mother or sis-
"You look handsome"
-ter. Er.
Errrr.
For a few seconds, Sagua didn't notice his jaw was left unhinged. The dumbfounded expression painted across his face, and the artist responsible was none another than the individual he was talking to.
He'd been told the rogues were a bit, um...
Oh, goodness, what was the polite word?
They were... eager.
Yes. Eager.
"Thank you," he breathed quietly. With his smile back in place he told her, "I'm not that kind, miss. But you're very pretty."
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Posted: Thu Nov 11, 2010 1:18 pm
The lioness was deeply amused by the stranger's expression. He looked totally flabbergasted. Had no female ever flirted with him before? The male didn't look that young. Why, he was surely old enough to sire his own cubs if he wished. Räv idly wondered where he had been raised, to be so sheltered. Some terribly dull place, no doubt.
The lion recovered himself well enough, smiling back at her. Räv's seductive smile deepened. "Thank you," she said smoothly. Of course she was pretty. Räv was nothing if not confident in that fact.
Räv began to circle the dark lion, her bright eyes assessing him closely. Her expression was more predatory than seductive now. She laughed softly. "Of course you are that kind. You are male, aren't you?"
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Posted: Thu Nov 11, 2010 1:26 pm
There was a saying that really suited this situation. What was it?
Oh, right.
'I want my mommy.'
Discomfort was not received well by this youngster who had such little exposure to it. Since he was a newborn until the day he'd left, he had dashed between his mother's front paws (or behind her when he got too large for that) anytime the world was scary and difficult to handle. Not that it was hard to overwhelm him.
That little sin of temptation crept into his emotional radar, but he outright refused to even acknowledge it was there.
"I am, yes. But we're not all like that. Are those the only kind of males you've met?"
That would just be tragic. Downright tragic.
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Posted: Thu Nov 11, 2010 2:46 pm
It was difficult to tell whether she had succeeded in further unnerving the young black lion, but Räv thought that she had. And was he tempted? As one well accustomed to temptation, Räv thought that he was.
How very sweet. It would be tempting to teach this one about life and the glories that could be had, seizing it in your teeth and claws. She had taught many young lions about it, and then she had fled on her laughing way, leaving them in her wake. But it might take too long. She wasn't sure whether she had the attention span to stick around.
"I have met many," Räv purred, her eyes flashing wickedly. "They are all the same in the end." She moved closer to him, wondering how he would react.
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Posted: Thu Nov 11, 2010 3:42 pm
Rav wouldn't have to wonder long.
When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Sagua put that saying to shame when - in an decidedly not 'tough' manner - he got up and moved. Avoiding people was no more polite than he was tough, but he managed to make it look as if it were so; the way he shuffled back could have easily been a preparation to bow in the presence of royalty versus escaping the clutches of a seductive lioness.
At a respectable distance, he sat, gaze ascended skyward.
Respect...
That word he'd never given much thought. Or any other words, for that matter. They meant things, but had he ever really stopped to truly absorb those meanings? He must have looked so aloof, like a prime example of playing hard-to-get with the typical gender roles in reverse.
"You know, I'm pretty hungry. What about you?"
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Posted: Thu Nov 11, 2010 4:25 pm
The younger lion was maintaining his composure well, but he wasn't reacting. She had thought she caught a spark in his eyes earlier, but whatever it was, it had gone now. Instead of doing something, he was just sitting there staring at the sky like an empty-headed fool.
The red female was not pleased. It appeared he was deliberately snubbing her. And then asking her about food? Whatever game this dull little male was playing, she was swiftly growing frustrated with it. Time to turn the game exciting.
"Yes," Räv said simply. Her toothy smile turned into a snarl, and she sprang towards him, sharp claws outstretched to slash at him. There was no way the simple-minded, inexperienced young fool could ignore this. She would have something out of him one way or another. Fear? Rage? Lust? Hate? Some emotion, any emotion would be better than the bland pleasantries which so bored her. Whether he fled or fought, it would be something to laugh over.
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Posted: Thu Nov 11, 2010 5:14 pm
There were lions with nerves crafted of solid steel. Those that could take her attack, simply step aside again and let that be that did exist out there.
Out there, but not here. Sagua wasn't one of them.
He threw his weight in the other direction, rolling out from under her line of fire. The dynamics of the situation still hadn't changed. She could take satisfaction in knowing she'd made things 'interesting' and certainly made him feel.
Of all the emotions that shone through his eyes, hurt was the most obvious.
"Why would you do that?!" Sagua hadn't meant to sound so desperately distraught. Or, you know, ask a really stupid question he'd probably never get an answer to.
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Posted: Thu Nov 11, 2010 6:51 pm
Even as she was flying towards him Räv could tell that he wasn't going to fight her. Her power lay in her speed and agility. If she'd wanted to, she could surely have lunged after him, but she pulled herself up short. The lion hadn't even tried to fight!
He hadn't fled, either. She gazed at him curiously. Had she actually hurt his feelings?
"I wanted to make you do something. Feel something," she said, her low voice harsh. She began to pace around him again, her sharp claws flexing and tearing at the ground in her agitation. It would dull them, perhaps, but she could always sharpen them later. "You have no lust for life or death," Räv said, shaking her head slightly. Even she couldn't tell whether she felt pity or distaste.
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Posted: Thu Nov 11, 2010 7:25 pm
Feel something? That... Ridiculous. She was completely ridiculous.
Sagua drew in a deep breath and released it. Sighing, maybe, or just breathing. Who knew. He was frustrated and his face didn't hide it as well as his voice. "You're wrong about that. I love this life."
And he certainly felt things. A deep sense of loss was the most profound. He was torn between the homesickness and the desire to do his pride proud. Just cherry-picking a name and waltzing back was unacceptable.
"Listen... You don't have to do this kind of thing to get someone to pay attention to you. We can don't have to fight like that. Why don't you tell me your name? Mine is Sagua for right now."
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Posted: Fri Nov 12, 2010 10:37 am
This Sagua looked frustrated, which was how Räv felt. She eyed him scornfully. Oh, there were some who claimed to love life, but she didn't believe this Sagua among them. He was so terribly dull and pleasant.
And she was not just trying to get his attention. Räv always got attention when she desired it. She had been trying to wake this young lion up from his apparent stupor. Evidently, she wasn't having much success.
How terribly tiresome. Her interest in him was waning more and more with each passing second.
But even a boring lion was more interesting than nothing at all, so she supposed she could toy with him for a while yet before moving on. "I am Räven, Sagua-for-now," she said coolly. "You are far from your home." Räven was no reader of minds, but this was a fish out of water if she'd ever seen one.
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Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 4:13 pm
Sagua was not so idealistic he could wave away common sense in favor of kindness. For that reason he kept on his toes, figuratively, ready to move again should she decide to lash out. It was a matter of opinion if he was intelligent or doltish; he was smart enough to know he should leave, but stupid enough to stay. And he didn't know why. He supposed he felt bad for her, assumed her to be someone that the cruelties of this away-from-home world had struck down again and again. Left behind this lioness who tried... things like that with him. A stranger.
"It feels far, sometimes," he confessed, his tone so bittersweet the air almost tasted of it. "What about you?"
He was interested, so very interested, in what story she'd give him - or if she'd give him one at all. His face told of his every emotion without reserve, and Sagua didn't seem to mind wearing his heart on his sleeve.
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Posted: Wed Nov 17, 2010 4:08 pm
Räven nodded idly, not very interested in this lion's homesickness. It was all so plain to see. She didn't need him to confirm it to know that he was lost and confused. The lioness fought hard to keep a sneer from her face. Such lions as this one did not belong out in the wild lands. They belonged somewhere placid, dull, civilized ... and out of her fur.
The lioness didn't know why this stranger was so interested in hearing her speak, after she'd failed to seduce and enrage him. He just wanted to sit around and have a chat? Whatever for? They would likely never meet again. It sounded incredibly pointless.
Still, Räven would not turn tail and run just yet. It had been a while since she'd been in a situation that called for her smooth tongue instead of her lithe body and sharp claws. Talking to this Sagua would be a little practice, perhaps, for a lioness whose social skills had grown rusty. Like every weapon, they needed sharpening. Even so, she could not hold back a small sigh before she replied.
"I have no permanent home, for now," She said, in a tone utterly absent bitterness or regret. "My home is where I make it." Räven didn't know what else this lion wanted out of her. She hadn't made small talk in quite some time. "Have you a mate?" She asked. "Is that why you were uninterested in me?" The lioness's lips twitched in a smile. She didn't care one way or the other, but the question was sure to make this young lion feel awkward.
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