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 Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 7:46 am
It had been another long, rather fruitless day. Unable to make a kill the night before, Ciyari had resorted to her old fallback of scavenging whatever she could from whoever she could. Near morning, she'd managed to chase some buzzards off of a impala kill, only to find that it had been more or less picked clean: the scraps weren't even worth the effort it had taken to chase the brutes away, and she'd panted and gasped for a good half hour before her heartbeat had returned to normal. Eventually, she'd sniffed over the bones, and left.
The lioness was beginning to show her age - old - and her status in life - a rogue, and a malnourished one at that. Each of her ribs showed in her rib cage, her gray fur whitening at the tips. But she had to keep moving, or face the real risk of slow starvation. Perhaps this evening she'd come across something. The old gray lioness padded along, ears curling back against her head, as she sought some hint of food along the horizon.
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Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 9:06 am
Roz looked around the rogue lands in wonder as he went. It was all so new, and yet it was not so different than he expected. He had steeled himself for a horrible existence outside the pride lands. Instead he was finding it not so bad really. Hunting for himself and not having his friends or family to talk to were the two biggest adjustments for him.
His yellow pelt with it's darker markings was a blessing when it was not always easy to find shade out here. It also made hunting a bit easier as he blended in better with the long dry grasses that were in most places. Hunting was never easy, but he thanked all that was good and kind for having paid attention to his mother's lessons instead of scoffing it as females' work.
Speaking of hunting, his stomach rumbled and he padded his way back to the kill he had made that morning. The water buffalo had nearly been dead already, so in a way he was just doing it a mercy, but at the same time, it counted as a kill to him. Meat tasted the same regardless of how one obtained it really. As he took a bite his ears perked up at a sound. Someone was approaching.
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Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 9:35 am
It was only after another hour that she scented blood on the wind. Ciyari's stomach rumbled, her mouth starting to salivate as she breathed in the welcome stench. Where there was blood, there was either a wounded or dead animal - exactly what she needed!
Life having made he wary, however, she didn't immediately rush in towards the tantalizing aroma, but instead prowled carefully through the grasses, body tense as she stalked her unknown prey.
When she was thirty yards away, her head shot up in alarm, fur a-bristle as she first scented, then spotted, the male rogue. The kill had mostly blotted his scent out, at first - it was only dimly, with dismay, that she recognized it. Mentally cursing, she dropped down again in the grasses, but he had already glanced in her direction. Stupid, stupid, stupid Ciyari, she berated herself, cringing. He was a healthy specimen, easily twice her weight, and she had no way of knowing if he would be hostile towards her. Many lions were, as a rule. A few had deigned to share their kills. If he was a pridal, though, taking that kill back to his family, she might easily be chased off.
The scent of blood was driving her crazy, though. She had to chance it. Slinking in low, submissively, she warily circled to one side of him, keeping a very close eye on him as she went.
"Greetings."
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Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 12:31 pm
Roz kept his ears up and watched around him as he took another bite or two. He was only an adol, but if he was careful, he would be able to handle anything that came his way. Or so he told himself when he was unsure. This was definitely one of those times he was unsure. Who knew what was approaching? He certainly did not, but he could hear it.
When he finally caught a glimpse of the female, it was just as she came close to him. With as low as she was slinking it was no wonder he had not seen her. He was expecting something bigger. She looked so tiny, all fur and bones. Her age showed and it made Roz quite grateful that he was part of a pride. He would hate to ever see his parents like she was. He stepped back from his meal and let her pass him to it.
"Greetings, ma'am." Was that even a proper address here? He was pretty sure banu was not, but what was, well, he was not exactly sure. He probably should have asked his father before he left on his quest. He would have to learn as he went, he supposed. "You look like you could use this meal more than I. Please eat. There is much more than one lion could finish anyway."
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Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 1:44 pm
Her body tensed ever so slightly as he greeted her in return - a kindly greeting, but one she was initially wary of nevertheless. The offer made her creep closer, in case this was some kind of cruel jest, but the youth looked earnest enough, and had actually taken a step back to let her get at the meat. In the end, though, it was her stomach that decided her: it rumbled loudly, making her wince, and she slunk towards the downed prey, ears flat.
"Thank you." Her social skills were rusty, and the words came out gruff, but they were well-meant. Keeping a sharp eye on him, she began to wolf down what she could, not being particular in what she was eating. So long as she could scarf it down, she did. All the while, she watched him, muscles tense. After the initial edge of her hunger was taken off, she slowed a little, and regarded him again, with a slightly more curious eye.
"Who are you?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 6:23 am
Roz waited for her to eat and sat on his haunches to clean off his face while she did so. He guessed he ought to make himself presentable to the female that had come to visit. She was definitely not banu material, but that did not matter when it came to putting one's best paw forward. He actually entertained the though of offering her a banu position just so she would be cared for, but he could not see her taking it.
Roz really could not see any female in their right mind going to his pride for such a reason. Being forced to go to the pride was one thing, loving the male that was to be their pad was another, but just to go so you did not starve? If a female had any pride in herself, it was not going to happen. He nearly missed what she said when she spoke all because he was lost in his own mental ramblings.
Thankfully, Roz was brought to by her addressing him. It took him an extra moment to process the first part but he was with it by the time she spoke the second time. "You are welcome, ma'am." He gave her a smile, a playful twinkle always in his eyes. "I am Rozmačkaný son of Nav'hian. If I may ask, with whom do I have the pleasure of speaking and sharing a meal?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 6:31 am
Ciyari blinked as she licked her chops, trying to get her mind around the strange name, deciding that he must not be from around here originally. A male who'd been kicked out of his pride - or one that wanted to roam? It was hard to tell. He certainly looked well-fed and strong enough. It hardly mattered; he'd done her a kindness, and she didn't really care where he was from.
She debated lying about her name, but what was the point? She'd long grown weary of such things, and it wasn't likely that this lion knew any of the creatures that haunted her past, in any case.
"Ciyari," she finally said, feeling stilted in comparison with his impeccable manners, her ears twisting uneasily back and forth, her tail-tuft displaying her discomfort. "Just a rogue." Part of her, the part that seemed like a ghost from the past, knew that she was supposed to offer conversation at this point, but it had been so long since she'd done so that she was at a complete loss of where to begin. There was a strange pause, as she struggled to put together some semblance of coherency, before she inquired: "You're ... new to this area?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 7:04 am
"It is a pleasure to meet you Ciyari. You can call me Roz. I know my name is a bit of a mouthful." Roz grinned playfully and hoped he could put her at ease some. She really did not seem at all comfortable around him. He hoped it was not just him though. He listened to everything she had to say nodded to her inquiry. "Yes, I am new to this area. I am traveling on my quest to prove myself an adult."
He wondered how much detail he should go into on that one. Roz was not sure, so he figured best only answer what he was asked. There was so much he did not know about this place, so many things he wish he had asked his father before venturing out. Now he was faced with a female that seemed suspicious of everything and he was not sure what he should do or say to put her at ease.
Suri was suspicious of nearly everything, but she was part of his pride. There were certain things he knew he should and should not do when speaking with her, so it gave him a place to start. This was a blank slate to work with. It was rather daunting for the young male. "I do apologize for my lack of manners. I am not used to being outside my pride yet."
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Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 7:20 am
Relief flitted across the female's face. 'Roz' was certainly easier to say. Although she was still quite clearly tense, skittish as a zebra, her ears very slowly started to come up as he began to speak, his posture and words entirely non-threatening. There was even the tiniest hints of curiosity about her.
A quest to prove himself as an adult? Was that a normal pridal thing? Mystified, she had no idea, and the confusion and mistrust showed on her face. "How do you prove that, Roz? By surviving out here for awhile, on your own?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 7:47 am
"It is not exactly the act of surviving out here that is the important part." Roz hoped very much he did not make the female more skittish with his next words, but he refused to lie. "To prove I am an adult and worthy of my place in the pride, I must bring home a female to be my banu." He thought too late that perhaps he should use a different word for the title. Best to correct that quickly.
"Umm, mate I guess would be the best word for a banu at least to me." He was not sure that sounded like he wished. He was sure it could have sounded worse, though. At least his correction made it sound better in a way. He really wondered if this was why most pads did not care and just grabbed a female to force back home with them instead of being nice? No, Roz could not imagine their reasons being so simple.
He shifted his paws nervously, half expecting the female to run away or attack. He did not like the idea of either one. It was little comfort that she was in no shape to really fight him. That just made him all the more worried of her reaction and really for her well-being.
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Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 8:22 am
Her light green eyes went wide at that, and she tensed even more, muscles tight as a spring, as she stepped back and away, keeping the carcass between him and her. Suspicion and panic flared in her eyes, although perhaps not as much as he would expect - she was, after all, fairly old, and hardly a prize for a young male, even she recognized that. Still, that didn't mean he wouldn't try.
Trembling, she replied, ears flat against her skull, stilling the growl that threatened to rise in her throat. The meal wasn't forgotten, but she'd eaten enough to keep her on her paws another day or two - if she had to, at this point, she'd bolt.
"And just where do you intend to find this female?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 8:41 am
Roz winced at her reaction. Yup, it definitely did not go over well. He was going to have to watch how he worded that in the figure, he suspected. For now, he had to try to calm a lioness back down so she did not do something that might harm either herself or him. The first one worried Roz a bit more than the second. He figured he was young enough to heal from whatever she did to him.
The question was fair, he supposed. If someone told him they were on a quest to bring back a male, he suspected most of his pride would have had that kind of reaction. He was not so sure about his own reaction. He might be cautious yes, but he doubted he would get offended right away. It did usually take a lot to offend or scare him.
Roz thought about his answer before issuing it. This was one thing he did not want to misstate. "I do not know where I will find a female to call my own, or even how long it will take me to do this task. The female that returns to my pride with me is to be mine, and I wish to find a female that will like the life I offer her or at the very least like me." Okay so he was a little bit sappy. Eh, none of the pads were around to grumble about it.
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Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 9:58 am
That sounded a little better, although the suspicion did not abate in the female's expression. The growl faded. Her claws flexed nervously against the earth.
Problem was, she really didn't want to leave this kill unless she absolutely had to. What Ciyari really wanted to do was gorge herself silly, then curl up in the sun somewhere and sleep off the rest of the day, but that certainly wasn't going to happen if she was near a pridal male who apparently had to bring back a female for some silly pridal coming-of-age ritual.
It sounded as if this Roz wasn't meaning her, specifically ... and it sounded as if he was being more than reasonable about the entire thing. Surely there were females out there who would consent to be in a pride, with the protection they had to offer.
"I ... see. How long have you been searching?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 11:08 am
Roz chuckled self-consciously at the question of how long he was searching. It was slightly embarrassing to admit that he had only been out of the pride a few days. Well, she did ask, so he guessed he would have to answer. "I have not been searching long. I only started my search a few days ago. My brothers and I all left together, but I split off on my own to continue. This really is not a journey for a group... not if one wishes a willing female, such as I do."
Roz tucked his tail around his paws and tried not to seem quite as embarrassed as he felt. He managed to look a bit less so after taking a deep breath, but still he was sure he looked more than a little uncomfortable. "You think I am going to harm you, do you not?" Might as well clear the air since they were both uncomfortable already.
"I really am not going to do so. I know others of my pride have taken unwilling females back, but I am not like that... I also, please do not take offense, do not think you would be the best choice save for offering protection of a pride. Our banus do most of the hunting and raising of cubs, and you seem like you could use someone to help you." He fully expected this to blow up in his muzzle.
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Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 12:44 pm
Oh, great. So there were other males out there looking for a female, ones much less willing for that female to have a choice in the matter. Ciyari's tail swished in agitation as she eyed the youth, ears flattening at his question.
"Maybe. I don't know you. I don't trust males, or pridals ... or anyone out here. It's how you stay alive, as a rogue. You've not been out here long enough to understand it." It sounded as if this Roz had grown up in his pride; in that safety and security of family and friends. A tiny part of her was insanely jealous at the fact - and bitter. "There aren't all good rogues, out here, or good pridals."
At his last words, her eyes widened, and for a moment, it seemed as if the male might have to deal with a slap in the muzzle. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, however, she cringed and ducked her body submissively, as if he could somehow be reading her own mind. You did not attack something that could very well attack back.
"I'm fine," she said instead, waspishly, backing away, ears flat again. "I don't need help."
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