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 Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 6:56 pm
Sukanya had taken up residence in one of the old, gnarly trees that lined the bank of the river bed. The river was drying up quickly, as it usually did since the rains had not visited that area for a fair while now, but it didn't bother her. She was merely resting, and would move on that night. Whilst exhausted, the feline could not seem to sleep, so she lazed in the tree, paw dangling over in a falsely relaxed manner. She was always tense, on guard, whilst awake, so while she appeared relaxed, she had already planned an escape route further up the tree if she was hassled by dangerous folk. As a leopard, she'd be safely out of reach of most creatures...except other leopards, but she was hoping that they would not trouble her.
She had walked all night, and although it was approaching midmorning now, sleep continued to elude her. Her eyes scanned the landscape, watching prey beasts aproach the water -unaware of her perched above them. If she had been hungry, she could have gotten an easy feed simply from falling from the tree branch, but she didn't want to and it seemed cruel to kill without being hungry.
She heaved a sigh.
She couldn't sleep, didn't want to eat, and was too tired to move. Unless she conversed with prey beasts – which she didn't mind doing, but really, they'd be more inclined to run than stay to chat since she was above them and could eat them easily – she was out of options.
Living alone was boring, she decided, and unconsciously scanned the sky for a bird that might signal word from her son.
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Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2011 7:51 am
A beast his size couldn't afford to be generous when it came to his meals. While the more petite lions, lionesses and other predators could elect to be selective over what they wished to eat, he wasn't afforded the same pleasure. As bulky as he was, smaller prey such as fish and rabbits didn't do him any good - if it wasn't the size of a small cheetah then it wouldn't be sufficient to sustain him. Granted if he had a good feed then he could avoid eating again for a few days but in this particular weather that was becoming much more difficult. After all, as the water's fled the province the prey beasts had an inclination to migrate with it - eventually he would have no other choice than to follow them.
Nevertheless, the water hadn't retreated yet and while the sun was becoming much more insistant as the days drew on, it would still be a little while yet before he had to move elsewhere. For the time being the lion was content to remain here, and at this precise moment in time 'here' was comprised of the tall grasses just to the left of the gnarled trees. If he had spotted the leopard he gave no indication of it; now wasn't the time anyway, he had other concerns.
That concern being; food.
His green gaze remained fixed on one of the more exposed of the prey beasts, an antelope to be precise. Separated from the herd by a considerable distance, it would find it difficult to return to them without being cut off. By all measures, Xenon considered this unfortunate soul to be the perfect target and thus he crept forward. Inch by inch, foot by foot, with paws that scarcely made a whisper of a noise. He certainly knew how to hunt but then again, anyone who lived through their own means knew how to do that.
What came next was undeniably fast and brutal, but to the benefit of antelope the effects were almost immediate. The light in its eyes were extinguished before it could cry out anymore than the lion considered necessary. Enough to force the prey beasts to move away from him as opposed to provoking them, after all, the sacrifice of one to save an entire herd was appropriate, wasn't it?
It was.
Satisfied with his meal, he dragged it away from the water's edge and back towards the gnarled trees where no immediate stragglers would bother him. While he could defend himself against a hyena or two, he preferred not to. Suffice to say he preferred to pay homage to the sloth and relax as and when the mood took him, that generally meant that when he was eating he wanted to relax. Failure to do so resulted in indigestion and that put him in the most foul and unpleasant of moods!
He deposited the antelope at his paws, gave himself a shake and flexed his jaw to ease the stiffness. No matter what others said, he couldn't deny that lugging things about was awkward no matter what your size was. However, as he settled in to position below the trees his nostrils did flare and he finally caught scent of the leopard. Immediately his gaze lifted upwards to the branches above his head - the first set were empty, as were the second. Had he not been as experienced as he was he might have assumed that his mind was playing tricks on him, but he wasn't born yesterday.
He looked more closely.
It was then that Xenon caught sight of her, the primarily black leopardess slung languidly on the tree branch nearby. She didn't seem to be an immediate threat but one could never be so sure...
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Posted: Fri May 27, 2011 6:06 pm
Sukanya blamed her exhaustion for the fact she did not notice the male lion until he'd pounced on the unsuspecting prey beast. If it had been her down there, she would have been similarly silenced for good, and that thought set her on edge. She tensed, but kept her pose relaxed, her claws digging into the wood to prepare to launch further up if the male attacked, but he did not seem to notice her.
He dragged the beast he'd taken down - an impressive feat, as Sukanya would have struggled to move it at all without eating down some of the meat first and even then, she'd be too full and tired to move it afterwards, so it likely would have been left where it fell, until another scavenger came to find it.
Her body only grew more tense as she realised the male was dragging his kill towards her hiding spot - though he had still not looked towards her. That didn't mean he wasn't aware of her, but it did mean that he didn't want her to know he was aware of her yet.
She shifted, and made sure her body was poise to leap.
He settled and looked like he was preparing to eat, but he paused, raising his gaze towards the trees.
Sukanya said nothing as he glanced up, and finally locked gazes with her. She kept her eyes fixed on him, wary and ready to run, but she said nothing.
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Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 3:06 pm
A staring contest ensued for a short while as the lion assessed the female before him. Whoever she was, she hadn't taken any immediate steps to present herself in any particular light. She made no attempts at conversation, she refrained from runnning and she also elected not to attack. By all standards, she remained a neutral entity and an enigma that the lion couldn't read - that being said, he'd never really been one for body language beyond the field of battle anyway.
...It was part of the reason he was now without a pride.
He pressed his lips together, continuing to regard the female for a little while longer before casting his gaze to the side. He'd never really been one for enlightening conversation, or more accurately, he'd never excelled at starting a conversation. Consequently, this entire encounter was set to grow steadily more awkward as the minutes passed unless the male found some inspiration. Fortunately he did, and, it happened to come in the form of common courtesy and manners. A surprise to him, he had assumed he had lost them years ago.
"If you are hungry, you are welcome to join me," he spoke up in a low and hoarse voice. It was evident that he rarely exercised his vocal chords, but he wasn't a lone in that respect, there were a number of creatures who had a preference for this stance. "Better a meal eaten by those capable of felling it as opposed to the scavengers that snap at their heels."
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Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2011 5:49 am
Sukanya should have felt awkward about the silence, but she was somewhat pleased when he did not rush into conversation. There was little point in saying something when you had nothing to say. While he didn't speak, he didn't move to threaten, or to flee. He seemed almost unconcerned by her presence, but she still stayed tense.
The sound of his voice was a surprise, but it was his words that surprised her more. She tilted her head, peering down at him with thoughtful eyes, before risking a slight smile at the odd lion below.
"Thank you for your kind offer," she said, her voice quiet, as if she were afraid to draw more attention to herself by speaking loudly. "But I am not hungry today." An odd statement, perhaps, but it was true.
She could have fallen silent, and said no more, simply waiting for him to leave, but she decided she'd be social. If she was going to be awake, she might as well be awake and speak with someone. "And shouldn't a meal too large for it's victor be eaten by those who are incapable of felling it - instead of merely someone who is capable, but too lazy to take down their own food?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2011 1:06 pm
She made a somewhat valid point even if he wasn't necessarily inclined to agree with it. He supposed he could appreciate that some might consider scavengers and the lazy to be in the same category as one another, but he was fairly certain that this wasn't quite what he had meant. He paused briefly, pawing at some of the flayed skin on his prey and then shook his head, lifting his gaze to meet Sukanya's again - her spontaneous decision to be sociable had been greeted with acceptance as opposed to hostility. Then again, there were probably few in the world who refused decent conversation.
"It would depend in the context," he said at last, motioning again to his prey. "You could, without a doubt, fell this prey and would most likely do so if you were particularly hungry," he continued. "This would imply that you are not lazy, instead, you are merely subject to the offer of another individual. Just because you have been offered something rather than hunting it yourself, does not make you lazy," he clarified. He paused momentarily at this point, looked down at his prey and took a few bites, chewing as quietly as he could to avoid being too rude.
"However, the lazy and the scavengers are different in terms of how they operate. They do not ask, they simply take, and they provide no recognition to those who put the effort in. Additionally..." he trailed off for a few moments and released a sigh. "They are inclined to try and chase off the individual who made the initial kill - they are thieves and are inconsiderate." He once again fell silent and took another bite, casting his gaze back towards the herd beasts.
"If a scavenger cannot fell something so large, then they should catch meals that are more befitting of their stature. As they say, you should not bite off more than you can chew, no?"
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Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 3:46 am
Sukanya wasn't much of a conversationalist. At least, she wasn't really one to ponder deeper meanings. She had plenty of girlish discussions with her best friend over the years, but they had mostly focused on which boys were cutest and such things. They had discussed other issues too, but it was rare that they did, so Sukanya found herself enjoying the slightly obscure but interesting conversation she had with the rogue below her.
She didn't come down from her tree though.
“So you don't protest the actual act of scavenging, just when it results in stealing?” She asked, before posing a situation to him, to clarify her question. “So if a scavenger came across a kill of yours, left by you as you were too full to eat it, you wouldn't mind if they ate from it, but if they came across you still eating your prey, and tried to take it, you would take offense, like most would.”
Sukanya had never given scavengers much thought. She rarely took down large beasts, only killing what she knew she could eat, instead of wasting a life.
“I think scavengers should scavenge. They are important too,” She remarked, voicing her opinion quietly as she blinked down at him. “There are plenty of beings capable of taking down large pray that do so and then barely eat it, or can not eat it. That is a waste. A scavenger will take the meat and make use of it – yes, he might not have felled it himself, but he is preventing a life, a perfectly good life, from going to waste.”
She tilted her head, and glanced up at the herd of beasts. “Should they steal? Certainly not, but they still have their place in the grand scheme of things.”
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Posted: Mon Dec 05, 2011 7:47 am
It was a valid point and it certainly gave him pause for thought as she clarified her own position and in a manner of speaking, reiterated his own. Did he have issues with scavengers? No, as a matter of principle he didn't have an issue with the act of scavenging as it was the first lessons in hunting that any child was instructed in. Scent gathering was important and if they weren't accustomed to it, then they would starve. However, when a scavenger took liberties then he certainly had issues, one of which she had touched on... he hated thieves.
"Scavenging is a vital lesson for children when they begin to hunt, it is the only way they can learn to track scents," he agreed at last and pursed his lips. "However when scavengers take liberties against another, whether it be theft or violence to take a kill for their own, then I have objections," he confirmed and lifted his gaze to fix it on the leopard. Suffice to say that her perch was looking rather comfortable, even if he could never quite reach the height that she was at... well, that and the branches would snap under his weight anyway.
"However I will concede that they also play a vital role in keeping the place clean..." he added after a few moments and chuckled. "Though I would have something to say to the gluttons as well," he pointed out and shook his head. "If you do not have the appetite for something so large, then fell something more suitable, you know?" he continued and sucked in a breath. "Why steal the life of another for no reason other than a light snack, when you can find something more appropriate - while it might benefit the scavengers, it doesn't say much for the hunter either..."
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Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2011 6:48 pm
Sukanya shifted, lazing a little more comfortably on the branch, lowering her guard a little bit more. He did not seem interested in harm, and his comments on not killing for no reason left her feeling a little more relaxed. At least he was not like some crazed lions; killing for the sheer ‘joy’ they associated with it.
“It is nice to find another creature who is not wasteful,” she mused mostly to herself, but it was loud enough for him to hear it. ”I do not meet many who share the same views, though I am sure the creatures like the vultures are happy with the gluttons who kill for no reason at all.”
She was a little bit surprised to find a lion who was content to talk with her over such things. Not that she disliked lions, her son was a half lion after all, but she rarely found them good conversation partners. They tended to be more…brutish in general than leopards, who she found it easier to converse with. This one was not though, thankfully.
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Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 12:24 pm
"Ah vultures," Xenon murmured and regarded his own meal critically for a few moments, his lips pursing into a thin line. "If there is any creature capable of making my stomach turn, it would be them," he mused and shook his head, temporarily dispelling what ever visual imagery had flickered into his head. He wasn't often repulsed but there were certain animals that managed to encourage the negative reaction that often came with such regard.
For a while he held his silence, conducting himself in a manner befitting of a hungry lion as he ate some of his fill. It was only when his stomach had stopped growling quite so visually that he returned to the conversation, his composure restored. "Suffice to say that there are some creatures in this world that have a unique and rather morbid take on well..." he pondered his own words for a few moments and then shook his head.
"Everything," he concluded with a wry smile. "Even our own brethren," he added and then raised a brow. "That being said, I would agree with you, it is refreshing to meet another of the same mind set. Do you possess it for any particular reason or just a matter of principle?"
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