((1,505, according to word.))
The young lion picked his way smugly through the grasslands. He had left Lycaena resting near the wallow, and had decided to see if he couldn't scare up a good meal. Everything was falling in to place, and he was already on the way home with an unsuspecting banu. Part of the olive colored male felt a bit guilty about tricking her, but she was a fool for following him so swiftly. It was her own fault for believing that adventure didn't come with a price.
Still. He would make sure that she was taken care of. Whether or not the pale female realized it, she would be considered his mate, and he would treat her as thus. He would show her the world, show her the beauty of the land outside of her pride, and then one day they would cross the borders of his home. He would be a true Pad, the best pad ever thank you very much, and he would be reunited with his mother and Suha.
Today would be a good day. Shoot, since convincing Lycaena to return home with him, everyday was a good day.
Not far from where the dark, olive furred male walked was another. The pale female was drifting through the dawn, her thoughts heavy. She had been feeling different lately. For some reason she had been hungrier, and seemed to have been gaining a bit of weight, which startled her. Yes, she had been lucky as of late, stumbling across abandoned kills or using her charms to convince males to feed her, but . . . it was different.
Perhaps her luck truly had begun to turn. Would today be any different?
The pale furred female gave a small stretch, her blue eyes suddenly becoming more alert as instinct told her to be cautious. A change in the wind meant she caught scent of another, a male. The land was quiet, and while there were a few trails of where gazelle and zebra had recently roamed, for the most part the landscape was barren. But where . . .
Ah ha. There.
Blue eyes found a pair of magenta orbs studying her. The dark shadows of the dawn meant his dark coat seemed to disappear amidst the grasses. But the way he stiffened and suddenly sat up meant he was giving up, he had been caught. A male. . . hmm. She was growing luckier by the minute.
Rahim himself couldn't help it. Though he was on the hunt, and his thoughts had been lingering on both Lycaena and Suha, he had suddenly caught sight of a pale lioness. She was. . . she was beautiful. She wore black stockings, and had the faintest touch of orange upon her features. Her coat was snow white, like Ly, but a pair of sapphire eyes had caught his own.
If ever there was a beauty to be captured, she was it.
Rahim was oblivious to the history of this female, that she had met his own father weeks prior, but where she had come from didn't matter. Yes, he had technically captured Lycaena, but part of the olive hued male wondered if he couldn't press his own luck. A new friend to be made? Perhaps, perhaps.
Giving a small flick of his tail, the young one smiled and gave a sideways smirk. "Hello there." Calm, cool, composed. That would get her attention, at least he hoped. She was a beauty, and he hoped that maybe there was no mate in the picture. Part of him would be surprised if there wasn't - she was far too beautiful to be single for long.
Jinaki, on the other hand, had no intention of being caught. While she was promiscuous, it was only out of need, and a desire to survive. She couldn't hunt herself, so she needed others to provide for her. Unfortunately, many males weren't interested in a needy sort of female, and so she was cursed to consistently resort to using the only thing she had to get what she needed - beauty.
It was one thing the gods had blessed with her! Absolute and utter beauty. She wasn't a conceited or arrogant sort, but she would admit that her pale coat and delicate markings were a sight to see. She had always been considered beautiful since her release from the two-legged sorts, but it had also been her bane. No claws. An inability to hunt. It made life difficult, but there was nothing she could do about it.
"Salutations," she greeted, dipping her head properly. "I'm afraid I'm not exactly the sort of prey you may have been looking for." She laughed, her blue eyes glowing with good humor.
Rahim himself couldn't help but smirk at her words. She seemed an amicable sort, that was good. He enjoyed the more outgoing sorts of personalities and had always been intrigued by what thoughts a female had. He liked to know what they thought, what they mulled about, and enjoyed listening to them speak. While most banu in the Ukuucha'wafalme were more reserve, the olive lion preferred those with a little sass and intelligence.
"You caught me," he rumbled, giving his black mane a small shake. "I'm hunting, but apparently it's not going well. There looks to be a good prey trail here, so I'm thinking of following it. You wouldn't care to join me, would you?" He technically was hunting for Lycaena too, but a little diversion wouldn't hurt.
She was sleeping, after all. Two eyes were better than none and she did have a pretty gaze.
Oh dear. He was requesting her aid, and that wasn't something she could give. While, she could help, and he could possibly grab on to a gazelle, she had no claws to grip. Unless he managed to hold on and get something big down, all she was good was snapping a neck or suffocating the throat. But how to dismiss him? If she tagged along, it was possible that she could get a free meal.
She'd have to change her guise. He seemed to appreciate her beauty, so she would test this. Curling her tail around her paws, the female gave a small laugh and looked away. "I must admit, while I would appreciate lingering in your company, I have a battle injury. I can walk well enough, but running causes a sharp and deep pain in my shoulder. I haven't eaten in weeks, but don't want to strain the ache." She shrugged her shoulders and gave a small sigh, curious to know if her lie would work. It wasn't a complete fib though. She DID have aches and pains and didn't want to risk injury or humiliation by proving her claws useless.
"I'm certain a strong male like you won't have trouble stirring up some prey." A stroke to his ego and she would be curious to see how things turned out.
Rahim couldn't help but feel a bit of disappointment. He wasn't exactly a charitable fellow, but his ears did p***k at the sound of her plea. She hadn't eaten in weeks, it wasn't a complete lie. She did look a bit haggard and worn, and he could even see some of her ribs against her pale fur now that she had moved closer.
Still, Rahim didn't want to do all the work but her ego stroking had helped. He was confident he could stir up some sort of creature all on his own. And he didn't want to look weak either. If she was truly wounded, if she was truly hungry, there had to be enough meat to share between three. But he also didn't have Ly's companionship. She was asleep, and if he left the kill in this strangers company, would she run off with it? Then again, if they both ate, he could mention his charity to his banu and see how she felt about such things.
Hmm. "Your're right. I can and often do catch my own prey. I will have no trouble this day if you wish to accompany me. Watch my prowess and skill. I have a banu waiting to eat and shall return with the kill for her. But if I'm lucky, and if you help scout, perhaps you can be a distraction." Two lions were still better than none.
"The name's Rahim. And we should head out now while there's still cover of dawn. If, that is, you're up to the challenge."
Jinaki considered his words before giving a bow her own. "Challenge accepted. It's a pleasure to do business with you, sir Rahim." She rolled the r as she spoke, giving a smile in return. He was a striking creature and she would be glad to assist. A free meal without too much bargaining? Even a few mouthfuls of meat would be better than none at all. "Lead the way, my good sir. Show me this skill of yours, and we'll see if we can't scare up some breakfast."
