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 Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2011 10:25 pm
 The great lion had begun to turn his gaze away, which always turned Mvushi's stomach sour. His already sour stomach, that was. Most of the pride did not bother with him, he had a tendency to grumble and mutter under his breath, even after showing the right respect towards the higher-ups faces. It wasn't as though they ordered him about often. In fact, most of the pride did not order slaves around. They asked, and he always had the right to refuse... but that felt awkward. As he 'needed protecting'. Pah! He'd been born middle class... and if his life had not been stollen from him with the foolish mistake of believing in love...
The older lion sighed and moved toward a spot of shade, mostly away from the majority of the pride. If he could not be found then he could not be asked to do whatever needed being done. Sound logic, some of his favorite logic. Sometimes he wondered if it was better or worse that the whisperings had finally died down about his decent into slavedom. It relieved him that he no longer had to hear the others speak of the lioness he'd fallen for, the station he'd given up... the pity of having her disappear... bah. But it also made him feel a little lonely, no one speaking of it. Because he was too prideful to speak normally to those he used to be on equal levels with. Because he had it in his head he was less. Maybe not less, but certainly a fool. A fool that no one breathed even a word about any longer, a nobody.
But... wasn't that what he'd wanted, for now? To be forgotten until he could find the perfect candidate... so far nothing had worked. Most knew to steer clear if he was trying to romance them, simply because he was so grumpy and bitter it never made sense. But to be stuck a slave forever, when he'd been born as something more? His gaze flickered up to the sky and he scowled. Night would come eventually, it always did. He wondered how long it would be until the great lion once again let his gaze fall on Mvushi?
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Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2011 10:43 pm
The small, grey, juvenile lioness was bent down, her nose to the and was moving in a rather zig zag fashion. Her mother had told her that one day, when she was grown, her job would be to hunt the food for the pride. She knew that at least one of her sisters was practicing, perhaps the other too. But Imani hadn't really bothered, well, not until now. She'd realised she needed work when she'd been chasing a butterfly and could not catch it at all, and had been very clumsy in her attempt. Not wanting to disappoint her mother or her sisters, Imani had decided that perhaps she'd try to get better at the hunting thing before it came time to actually hunt.
And that was what she was doing now, nose down, trying to track a mouse. She'd picked up the smell just outside her den and had been tracking it ever since, well, at least she thought she was tracking it. The mouse had caught on to what she was doing and had disappeared long before she'd gotten to this point. But, the purple eyed cub thought she still had the trail, and was making her way, in a round about fashion, to Mvushi. Not looking up, Imani didn't realise there was someone in her way until she'd plowed right into him, knocking herself over and tangling up in her own paws.
"Oh! Oh oh oh!!! I'm sorry." The little lioness said apologetically, rubbing the spot on her head where she'd both bumped into the large lion, and knocked it on the ground.
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Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2011 2:46 pm
Mvushi had been idly cleaning a paw and letting his mind clear. He'd been at that for a little bit when movement caught the corner of his eye and he audibly groaned. He looked up slowly, pink gaze narrowing on what had caused the movement. Ah good, just a cub. Or... no! Why was the cub headed his way? He grumbled, thinking maybe he should stand and slink off. Just in case... maybe her mother had told the little thing to come ask one of the slaves for a favor or something. Just what he needed. But as he watched a little longer he watched how she weaved back and forth with her nose to the ground. He snorted, chuckling slightly. A taste for the hunt, was it? Tracking something only she could see, probably.
He shook his head and went back to cleaning his paw, thinking she wouldn't be a problem after all. That was, until he felt her bump right into him. He grunted and his eyes narrowed again as he turned to look at her, apologies already flying from her maw. He sighed. Just what he needed. "Oi, oi, where are your parents kid?" He mumbled, hoping she didn't get any ideas in her head to demand stories or tell him she'd been sent to be watched or... bah, he didn't want to do any of that. Couldn't he just relax? "They know you off hunting by yourself?" He added, one brow raised as he held back the urge to chuckle. Hunting. Right, she was a long way from hunting.
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Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2011 4:59 pm
Imani could feel the heat rising in her face. How embarrassing! She wasn't going to make a good huntress, she could tell. But what would mother think? Imani knew she was already disappointed in her and her sisters for not being born of a higher class, and not being able to hunt would certainly add another layer of disappointment. Practicing was the only way she knew to get better. There was going to be a lot of practice, the young cub realised.
"Sorry..." her voice trailed off, her purple eyes looking to the dirt floor with shame. At least I haven't knocked into the queen, she reasoned to herself. I think my whole family would have died from embarrassment.
"Just parent." She corrected softly, her shyness doubling thanks to the bumping-into-the-lion incident. She still didn't look him in the eye.
"She... she doesn't know I'm here." She admitted. Then her face rose and her eyes opened wide with fright. "Please, you can't tell her I've been out alone, please mister! Please!" She said, pleading with him not to tell on her.
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 7:57 am
Well, she certainly wasn't going to cause him any problems. Quiet, apologetic, shy. Bah, no fun at all. He sighed and let his gaze wander from her, not really having the heart to pick on her any longer. Besides, if someone cause him heckling a little cub while he was fully grown and knew better... well he was sure it wouldn't be good. He glanced to her curiously when she corrected him. Just parent and not parents? Oh, well this was interesting. He wondered which it was that looked after her, a mother or a father?
Finally the little cub looked at him, afraid of being told on and begging him not to tell her. Ah, the girl had a mother then. Mvushi snorted, raising a paw and prodding her very lightly, almost playfully. "Oi, oi do you take me fer some sort of tattle tale then?" He asked, smirking. He could honestly care less, he wasn't going to be telling on anyone unless it was something serious that deserved telling. "As long as yer not outside of pride boundaries I could care less. Not my job to keep track of o'er lions kids, now is it?" He asked gruffly. Well, technically it wasn't unless someone asked him to do it. "So, how long have you been hunting then?" He didn't mean for the day really, he wanted to know if this was one of her first times 'hunting' or not because... well she seemed to have a lot of work to do.
Crap, why was he speaking to her though? Arg, at least if he was feeling a tiny bit under-socialized he could have spoken to an adult! Or was the cub better? Hmm... well, he would find out he guessed. She didn't seem to realize he was a slave either, which was good.
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Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 5:42 am
N.. no.." she stuttered, not quite sure what to make of his accusation.She certainly didn't want to make any adults upset and get in trouble. Then her mother would find out and that surely wouldn't be good. Then she'd probably ask what she was doing and then she'd have to tell her about how she wasn't very good at hunting and so she had to practice otherwise she was going to let everyone down!!! For a young cub, the girl certainly did feel a lot of pressure.
"Oh," she said as she realised he was joking. Imani was like that, she often took what people said as true, not looking beneath for any hidden meaning or taking note of the tone of voice or their expression that they made when they delivered it.
"I've been hunting... since tonight." She winced. Tonight was the first time she'd actually tried. It wasn't going well so far. Purple eyes looked away. She had hoped to to run into anyone on her first time practicing. But she'd bumped into this male. Embarrassing!
"Do you hunt?" She asked. She didn't yet know, or took much notice of who belonged to what class in the pride. That would come later. For now, she was just enjoying the freedom of being a cub.
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 9:05 pm
He snorted and watched as she reacted to his words, saw as the sudden realization that he was just teasing a little came to her features. Well, at least she wasn't that dense. When she claimed she'd only begun to hunt this very night he started to laugh. It was full and from his belly, he found the notion so amusing. He supposed you had to start some time... but where was her mother? An older sibling? A hunter to show her the ropes! "Jus' t'nigh'?" He shook his head, still chuckling.
"Well yeh got yerself a long way teh go then, don't ya?" He smirked slightly, tail giving a lazy flick. At least it wasn't midday, when the sun was high and trying to bake them all alive.
Her question seemed to sour his mirth just slightly, as he rolled his eyes a bit after she spoke. He cleared his throat, shoulders raising slightly. "Sum'times." He stated gruffly. She wouldn't realized that should have been taken as, 'when someone asks'. Though he wasn't a hunter at heart, no. Once upon a time he loved to guard the members of this pride, to protect them. "S'not one of my favorite things teh do." He took a deep breath and exhaled, gaze floating past the cub and back toward the pride, seeing if anyone was going to be showing up suddenly in search for the little girl. "I'd much ra'er be 'ere loungin."
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Posted: Thu Oct 06, 2011 1:59 am
At his first remark the lioness' expression sunk. "I knew I should have started practicing sooner." Her mind drifted off to times when she was younger, remembering her sisters creeping out to practice, she didn't bother then, but now she wished more than ever she had tagged along. Imani sighed. Had she left it too late?
"So you do hunt?" Her ears perked. Perhaps she could teach him. It would be good to have a teacher, and she certainly didn't want to go to her mother to ask for help. The pleading had already begun in her purple eyes, looking up to him with hope.
"Even if it's not your favorite, you can still teach me, right?" Reasoned Imani. And who knew, perhaps helping her practice would make him like it more. Though she could see his point about the lounging, but unfortunately, she had to practice, and there was no room for lazing in practice.
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 4:56 am
Gah, what was that sort of look for? Mvushi's gaze narrowed and his tail flicked in an annoyed sort of manner, but he was secretly a bit taken in by the begging cub. Still, he really didn't want to get up from the great spot he'd found! He wanted to lounge all day and keep away from the higher-ups who'd have him doing stupid chores left and right.
She did throw out a good point, but that was not make Mvushi suddenly rise and clear his throat gruffly. No, it just so happened that Mvushi spotted another adult sort of headed in their direction, which meant he was going to ask for a 'favor'. "Oi, fine, fine." He gruffly agreed, nudging her with a paw and then moving in the opposite direction of the lion who'd been approaching. Teaching the cub to hunt was probably easier than whatever it was that guy had in store.
"Le's jus' move this way fer a bi' an' then we can see if there be anythin' to 'unt even." He glanced back, not sounding enthusiastic about what they were doing.
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