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 Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2011 10:51 pm
 Hatari had started stretching out in his sleep instead of staying in a tightly curled ball, but when he awoke he felt confused and vulnerable. He’d stopped forcing himself to travel as far each day, but only because he had no destination. And he’d stopped worrying about capture, though only because he was starting to think starvation was the alternative. In short, Hatari found freedom was a burden, and it was he didn’t like. He had no intention of returning to his old mistress that had given him the ugly, stiff scars criss-crossing his face, but as he slogged his way to the crest of a slope to look for landmarks, he did so without any appreciation for his newfound ‘freedom.’
At the crest of the shallow slope, he made a rather gaunt outline against the savannah. He was a large lion, his mane thick and heavy, but there was sagging to his shoulders and tail that dispelled any aura of greatness about him. He was disheveled as well, his fur unkempt and his mane a tangled mat about his head as he if just couldn’t get up the will to care for his appearance.
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Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2011 10:12 am
 Shukriyya stumbled. Again. She muttered curses outloud. This wasn't how it was suppose to be! Her eyes had failed her some time ago. She thought it had been several days, but she couldn't be sure. Her belly was starting to make its demands known and she was thirsty.
Cautiously she felt forward with a paw. Once she had run free across the lands; now she crept along because if she didn't a trip face first down was only a couple of strides away. That had been her first and hardest lesson so far.
The lioness lost herself in thought of those first days after the accident. She'd searched so hard for her family. 'Riyya found herself angry at them for just leaving her like that. Without knowing where they went, she had set off in a random direction. Hunting was near impossible for her too. She couldn't see any prey let alone give chase to it. As despair settled in once more she plopped her butt down and hung her head.
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Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2011 2:21 pm
Hatari’s shift suddenly shifted as he made out a large cat – definite a lion – in the distance. He glanced over his shoulder, picking the best path to flee on in case this was some aggressive scout or other hostile party. When he looked back though, the lioness had slogged to a stop and flopped her rear in the dirt. He watched her in silence for a minute more, his ears flicking at the gentle wind that was trying to tug at his matted, uncooperative mane.
Eventually, exhausted by his own indecision, Hatari started on a slow, curving path toward the lioness. He kept his ears folded and head hung to show his harmlessness, and he walked slowly, expecting she would at some point notice the approaching movement and look up. His steps were even slower as he came near her, and at last, some distance away, he purposefully kicked a small rock, expecting she might look up and notice him before he came too close.
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Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2011 3:04 pm
She was miserable. Why did this have to happen to her? She, Shukriyya, was suppose to have become the clan's best huntress and warrior. Everyone would have loved her, and she could have had any boy of her choice. It just wasn't fair! So lost in thought, she failed to notice the approaching lion until he kicked the small rock.
"Who's there?! Is somebody out there?" Her head jerked up and swung back and forth several times. Each time going by Hatari without seeing him. She trembled a little. Anything could be sneeking up on her right now. 'Riyya wanted desperately to run, but knew she'd fall before too far. It would be best to sit it out. Her ears twitched trying to catch another sound.
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Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 10:41 am
The reaction was so strong that Hatari flinched back and went rigid with surprise. He hadn’t gotten a good look at her eyes before, but now he saw there was something strange about them – and the way she stared right past him, glancing around with such fear meant only one thing. He shuddered at the blind creature and found himself wanting to simply slink away from her eerie stare, but he overcame that notion quickly. “Yes, it’s alright. I’m – I don’t want anything,” he answered, hoping to calm her. His voice was deep, but softly delivered.
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Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2011 1:57 pm
Shukriyya twitched her ears as her head orientated on the general location where the voice had come from. It was alright? How could anything be alright? She was blind!
"Who are you? If you don't want anything, then why did you come over here?" She thought, possibly, if whoever meant to kill her they wouldn't let her know they were there until they attacked. Her tail twitched slightly as her stomach grumbled audibly. 'Riyya pretended to ignore it.
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Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2011 4:00 pm
“My name is Hatari,” he answered, ears flattened and head ducked in a show of submission she couldn’t see. “I came over to see if these were some pridelands and if I could hunt on them…” He trailed off at the last word to the sound of her snarling stomach. He hesitated, eyeing her speculatively. “Do you have some pride here?”
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Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2011 12:59 pm
Shukriyya grouched at him. "Do you think if I had a pride that I'd be sitting here with my stomach growling? No! They upped and left me!" The last part came out in a wail. How could her family just abandon her like that? The up coming star huntress.
The lioness gave a sigh and hung her head. "Hi Hatari. I'm Shukriyya. Don't care if you hunt here or not. I'm just passing through."
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Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 6:29 am
Hatari’s ears flattened once again, but she couldn’t see him of course. He wasn’t sure what to think of that. He felt as if he wouldn’t be able to communicate with her fully, as if there was a screen between them and they had to guess at one another. At least she couldn’t see what a dismal state he was in right now. “I’m sorry they left you. Um, I’d help you if I could, but I probably won’t catch anything today.” He had, after all, the hunting skills most rabbits did.
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Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 2:48 pm
Her head swung around again and her tail twitched. "You? Sorry? Ha, what could you care?" 'Riyya wondered why a stranger would come up to her and apologize. Maybe he wanted something. Then he mentioned hunting and she knew.
She snorted,"Why wouldn't you catch anything? Are you really that bad?" She said rather insentively. "Well don't look at me to catch you anything." This was turning out great, she huffed to herself. A great hunter like her, unable to hunt because she couldn't see, and this idiot wont catch anything because who knew why.
Shukriyya stood up and tapped her paw forward to feel the ground. Sitting here talking to this male was getting her no where and only frusterating her. He could see! Why didn't he hunt?
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Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2011 2:04 pm
Hatari didn’t think she really wanted an answer to the first question. He wasn’t personally sorry for her anyway, just sympathetic since they were in something of a similar position.
He answered her second question without offence though. “I am. I was forbidden to hunt,” he said simply.
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Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2011 12:26 pm
'Riyya felt her jaw drop. What was this lion telling her? She couldn't comprehend anyone telling her she couldn't hunt. For a moment she didn't move.
"Are you kidding me? How can anyone tell you not to hunt? Everyone who can does." But what if he's telling the truth, she thought to herself. It boggled her mind for a moment. To never have hunt...... She'd been looking forward to her first hunt her whole life. 'Riyya didn't count all the practice hunts she did on rabbits.
"Well if you can't hunt you're in worse straights than I am." There was a bit of hauty tone to her voice.
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Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2011 10:09 am
”I am worse off now, but in my old pride slaves were forbidden to hunt. You do not teach servants to kill, though I used to carry dead prey to the cubs and elderly. That was as close as I ever came to hunting. I’ve been trying to learn since I ran away, but it’s been difficult.” He frowned as he admitted his status and watched her more closely. It was strange to look another lion in the eyes this frequently, and stranger still not to be seen doing it, but he wanted to see her reactions. He felt some sort of guilt for running away still (not that he would ever dare return).
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Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2011 1:42 pm
The lioness sputtered to herself in-coherently for a couple of moments. Almost as if she couldn't comprehend such a life.
After that, she appeared to pull herself together. In her mind, thoughts were whirling around. She new how to hunt, but couldn't. He didn't know a lick of hunting, but he could see.
Her ears twitched and she stared blankly slightly to the right of him. "Say what. I know hunting. I was going to be the best of all my pride." Her chest puffed out slightly.
"I'm hungry, so I'll give you some lessons; as long as you steer me away from obsticals. You'll learn from me, then when you make a kill you share it with me." She gave it more as an order in her arrogant way, than as an offer. 'Riyya didn't consider that he could very well just leave her there.
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Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 3:15 pm
Hatari started to glance to the right before catching himself. He knew she couldn’t see, but it seemed instinctive to follow her gaze. He smiled though, in faint appreciation of her boast. He knew skilled hunters to be revered from the small pride he’d come from. Even if she couldn’t see and would likely never be able to hunt again, she had least had been skilled and that deserved a sort of respect.
Her offer was another thing though, and his ears pricked. He wasn’t sure such a teaching was really okay, but she seemed too sure of herself for him to defer. “I guess we can do that. I could try anyway," he answered submissively.
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