[PRP] Meet My-The Huntress (Jabari, Iaeratu, Kafele)FIN

[Ice Queen]

She was starting to get under his skin, that huntress, Iaeratu, Jabari thought darkly. He looked around, wondering if he should tell Kay that he was stealing his job again, then idly headed to the stones, leaving the message, then walking off to find the heir. He could go for a run--a serious run, not just a light jog around the territory that he took when patrolling alone.

The only excuse he had for running full out was if he was babysitting the heir. The heir liked to run, so he would run. Otherwise he was expected to move slowly, stealthily. Ligi-like.

Wait... maybe instead he would introduce the nice guy heir to the nice girl huntress and they'd have nice guy babies and Jabari would get over this--this irritation!  

[Mogami]

Kafele was at the base of the Weeping Lion waiting for Kayin to join him. He knew he was being watched from above but he had decided to be a good boy and wait until he had a proper escort before disappearing today. He really liked his moments with Kay when he could release the tension that constantly built up when he was trapped in confined quarters of the Jaw.

“Jabari?” Kafele’s tone showed a hint of surprise as he watched the white lion move closer. He wasn’t expecting Kayin’s brother today but then again, he hadn’t been expecting him the last time either. He it was somewhat disappointing that Kay might not be coming but Jabari had beaten him in the last race… a rematch sounded almost too good. He had to remind himself not to look too pleased with that idea. “Is Kay busy today?”  

[Velveteen Angel]

Iaeratu stretched, her claws digging into the dirt as she tried to warm up her muscles. She hadn't gone hunting yet, and she didn't want to charge off without properly waking herself up, else she'd end up with a sprained paw and be of no help to anyone. She didn't want to make herself useless, and let down everyone who relied on her. For the first time in a while, she didn't have a goal in mind for today, hunting wise, but she was still going to catch a gazelle or two, just to make sure there was plenty of food for people.

She set off at a light jog, to help keep her awake and keep her active, so her muscles wouldn't get lazy before she hunted.

 

[Ice Queen]

"I stole his job," Jabari said honestly. "I wanted to get out of the hole--er, the Jaw, and go for a run again. Unless you're afraid of being beaten?" His nose sniffed the air, wondering if she was near. He would see her during the run, he was sure. Then he could stop, saying he had stepped on a rock or something, and introduce the two--

"I'm always willing to lose on purpose, if you're scared," he teased the larger male. There. It was the faintest hint, but he was positive it was his--the huntress. They would go that direction.  

[Mogami]

Kafele’s eyes widened at all-too-familiar challenge. It was the type of thing he got from his brother Azu but it had been a long time – a very long time! – since he heard something like that from someone outside of his family. While the aura around his friendship with Kayin was one of friendly competition, Kafele felt a much fiercer desire to win when he was with Jabari. There was a good chance he'd lose again... but it was always good to practice when the motivation was at its highest.

“Ooh…? That’s not nice.” Kafele’s grin, however, clearly showed his true feelings on the matter. “You should apologize later… I don’t want him to think that you’re trying to steal his friend from him.” He laughed, the idea too ridiculous to even consider.

He hoped Kay wouldn’t be upset that he was so easily accepting this sudden change but the need to get out of the Jaw was a little too familiar to the young adult. He really couldn’t blame Jabari for trying to spend as little time as possible in there.

“A rematch sounds perfect. Will you give the go this time?”  

[Velveteen Angel]

Feeling more awake and more prepared, Iaeratu began to fasten her pace a little, moving towards the pridal hunting grounds with a familiar ease. Hunting was second nature to her now, so she was careful to make very little sound as she moved, even though she was still far away from the hunting grounds. She did not think to scent the air to see who was around, sure that whoever needed her assistance would know where to find her during her hunt, and not expecting anyone else to seek her out.

The female had a small smile playing on her mouth now, already coming up with strategies for her hunt. She took her job seriously, plus, it was fun to come up with plans for her hunts, even if they ended up being useless when everything changed due to the animal's own decisions.

 

[Ice Queen]

Yep, he had her. "Three. Two.. One... GO!" Jabari said, bursting into a run as soon as he had said it, his body low to the ground, his stride eating the distance--

Then as soon as he saw her in the distance he tripped, skidding on one shoulder and grunting in pain. The funny thing was, he hadn't done it on purpose. He got to his feet, cursing and looking around, his eyes catching on a root that had grown above the ground.  

[Mogami]

Kafele started at the same time as his guard, a fierce expression suddenly adorning his features. He almost didn’t stop but he quickly noticed that Jabari had stopped running and he turned to meet the white lion. Kafele hoped he wasn’t hurt but in truth it was very hard not to laugh after everything they’d said just a moment before. He had to control this strange cough before he finally was able to address the other lion.

“Are… are you alright?” his tone was serious but Kafele was having a lot of trouble hiding a little amused smirk. He hadn’t noticed the lioness yet.  

[Velveteen Angel]

Iaeratu had heard the thud of Jabari hitting the ground, and paused in her strides, turning to face where the noise had come from. She couldn't help but let the smile grace her face when she spotted the male Ligi rising to his feat. She resisted the urge to giggle, and shook her head.

Although the other male had not spotted her, she had spotted him. Her eyes were wide. He looked...familiar...somehow. She peered at him, a curious expression on her face. She crept a little closer, distracted and no longer amused at Jabari's fall by trying to get a closer look at the male with the Ligi.

 

[Ice Queen]

A string of creative curses tinted the air for a moment before Jabari got himself back under control. "I think I sprained something," he muttered, taking a second to glower at the root. "And go ahead and laugh," he added to Kafele. "I probably deserve it for not watching where I was stepping."

Then he looked at Iaeratu, and suddenly he didn't want to introduce the two of them. Weird. "Oh... you probably want to laugh even more than he does," he said to her. "Kafele, this is Huntress Iaeratu. Iaeratu, this is Lord Kafele."  

[Mogami]

Kafele suddenly realized they had company and he felt immediately sorry for Jabari. He’d tripped right in front of a girl he knew… ouch. Maybe she was even the reason he’d tripped. Now that would be funny! Not that Kafele believed there to be anything between the two Tama lions when the hunters held such a special kind of hatred towards Ligi.

“Not laughing, not laughing…” he shook his head, the tiny smirk still in place as if it had been permanently carved into his face. He tried to compose himself, though his dealings with strangers were always a gamble. After all, how did one say “I know my grandfather is murderous lunatic but I’m okay, really!” or “Yes, I have Ligi friends and look like Sahen but trust me!”in a way that would make people believe him? Yeah, at least Jabari had introduced him as “Lord Kafele” so perhaps the huntress wouldn’t realize he was one of the Shatkona’s heirs too quickly.

“A pleasure.” He said with a tentative smile before turning to Jabari. “A sprain is bad. You should lie down for a bit, maybe we should get you to a softer place.” It was so amusing to be taking care of Jabari when they were so competitive together. He wondered if it would hurt his pride – Kafele knew if their roles were reverse, he would most likely refuse any help from the white lion. He stood on Jabari’s right side and leaned against him as if to support him. “Miss, would you mind standing on the other side of Jabari so we can help him reach that patch of grass?”

Most hunters probably wouldn’t like that request (most wouldn’t even consider it a request when it was a Lord asking if the red lion was trying to sound as friendly as possible) but Kafele figured it was okay since they obviously knew each other.  

[Velveteen Angel]

Iaeratu winced a little when Jabari admitted that he had actually sprained something. Sure, it was amusing, but she didn't actually want anyone hurt. He might try to get her to hunt for him again, or make her his 'favourite' again. "Why would I laugh at you, Ligi Jabari?" She asked smoothly, but there was a slight smirk that bordered on a smile on her face. Ha! She wanted to crow, but he was hurt and she had to be nice.

Her eyes went wide when Jabari introduced her to Lord Kafele. Lord? Why were they always Lords? She wondered with an inward groan. At least he was not another Ligi. Though, something about him was still nigglingly familiar. When the male glanced at her, with a soft smile, her eyes widened. "Oh! Your eyes are so similar to someone I know," she blurted out, perhaps rudely but the similarity was quite remarkable, and the mane was the same too. Distracted by those similarities, she did not immediately place his similarities to Sahen, else she would have been less then pleased to meet him, She looked a little embarrassed at her comment, but bowed her head to him anyway. "And uh, nice to meet you."

She moved over to Jabari's side and pulled a slight face when the Lord commanded her to help. She'd have to help him? Ugh. Well, he wasn't such a jerk, she supposed, and moved over to support him on the other side as well. "Try not to fall over and crush me, Ligi Jabari," she said sweetly, "or I'll have to send a special hare to your den." It was more of a joke, then a threat, but it still warned him not to try anything with her.

 

[Ice Queen]

"With extra seasoning," Jabari drawled, only to wince as he put too much weight on his paw. "I'm fine," he lied with a hiss, trying not to use either of their support. "I'm tougher than you think." Which was probably the truth, because walking on it like this was starting to make it feel better. "I want to keep walking, actually," he said, his tone showing the lessening pain.

He took a few more steps, then lifted the paw, shaking it curiously. "Huh, false alarm."  

[Mogami]

“That’s funny, no one in my family has these eyes.” He replied with a thoughtful expression. He’d even asked his aunt about it. “I never met my father but I was told he didn’t have them either.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about so I’ll just assume it’s a private joke.” He said in a very amused tone as if he were intruding on a couple’s privacy and went on to look at Jabari’s paw with keen interest, changing his speech to mimic that of an older lion. “A miraculous recovery! Most likely due to the feminine presence amongst us as males often refuse to show weakness in the presence of the fairer sex. We shall walk then.”

This was probably the most fun Kafele had had in weeks and he couldn't wait to tell Kay about it. Honestly, he could swear there was something going on between those two! He coughed. Alright, time to stop acting like an idiot.

“On a more serious note, how’s the hunt fairing on the Tama side? I spoke with the Head Huntress of the Atmaja House recently.” He wasn’t smiling anymore.  

[Velveteen Angel]

"Oh," she said to Kafele, a confused expression on her face. "Must be mistaken then," she remarked, though those eyes were still so similar to the male she had met before. The one who had helped her hunt and had asked for nothing in return, not even part of the kill. How odd.

She resisted the urge to snort at Jabari's Miraculous recovery, though pleased that she didn't have to hold him up anymore. "As long as the 'recovery' is not sheer stubbornness. A ligi with a broken paw...is not very useful, I'm sure," she said, though she had a feeling that he had just over reacted to the pain. She looked amused at Kafele's comment, though took offense to the 'fairer sex' comment. She could hold her own just as well as a male could! As shown by her hunting skills. She huffed a little, but was surprised when Kafele continued to speak, asking about...the hunting?

"It fairs...well," Iaeratu said cautiously, suspicious of his interest. "Some days worse then others." There were days when food was hard to find, even for seasoned hunters. Her interested piqued, she took a closer note of the male's coat. Her eyes went wide, and she fell back a step, almost unconsciously. "You are...an heir?"