Things had spun a little beyond what was comfortable for the fox coated lioness. At first, the fawning attention of the slightly younger male had been flattering and nice with the little gifts he would bring. He was fun, for a time. Then the predominantly white and blue male started coming by every day, wanting to stay longer. Iseq’s interest completely disappeared when he started with the ‘I love you’ talk and the ‘I want to have a family with you’, the ‘Let’s grow old together’ talk. There was no way on this earth was she in anyway of the mind to settle down at this point in time. His clinginess started out as annoying before it became worrisome. The desperation in the male started rearing its ugly head when she started to try to push him away. Some, it seemed, didn’t know when to get a hint.
She had tried using subtlety, to no avail, and had escalated to outright telling him that his affection wasn’t needed and his presence was no longer wanted. Oh, how the male begged and pleaded. Trying to bargain a way to stay with her. It disgusted her more than anything. How could one so young be so set on settling down with someone else for the rest of their time on earth? Iseq even went so far as to threaten the smitten fool with violence, threatening to tear out his tongue and scratch out his eyes if he lingered much longer. His cries and vehement protestations simply gained in volume and intensity, as if he might drown out her resistance with his words. This only proved to aggravate her further. The lioness had turned to leave and the boy, that’s what he was to her now, a boy, desperately trying to hold on to some infatuation or favorite plaything for, and he lashed out, trying to stop her from leaving the clearing in which this confrontation had started taking place. The tips of his claws just managed to catch the back of her leg just under her hip. Her short, soft, sharp hiss caused the boy to gasp and back up a step or two.
Iseq remained with her back to the pestering child, a hint of a snarl trying to pull at her muzzle. She took a deep breath and relaxed her face, but the anger was building up in her chest lent her gray eyes a cold, steely cast. She never did have the eyes for fiery rage. When she spoke, her tone was low and dangerous, the natural huskiness of her voice lending well to the implication of a barely subdued growl. The male made the move to apologize, but the lioness cut him off. She had been trying to get rid of the boy for several weeks now with no success. He had gotten to the point of remaining in the woods, her woods, in lieu of returning to wherever he was staying on his own.
“I don’t want to hear it. I’ve said this once and said it a thousand times over…I do not nor will I ever have the desire to bear your cubs, to be your one and only mate.” A hint of contempt sneaking into at the end of her statement. “I’ve tried asking and I’ve tried demanding that you leave…me...be. But no, you remain and cry out with such wretched and pitiful sound and fury as if a toy were taken from a spoiled child…Well, boy, if you are still interested in games, I submit that if you can find and catch me within these woods, you shall keep me, but I get a five minute head start. Sound fair?” In truth, she had no interest in fairness with the rotten boy. Even with the stinging of her right hind leg at the swipe to her hip, she knew in her very marrow that there was no way that she would be leaving with him. Iseq would rid herself of him one way or another.
In eager agreement, the male nodded and sat down in the center of the clearing, offering up a starry eyed promise of his finding her shortly. A sneer pulled at her lips as she turned and disappeared into the woods, actually avoiding any proper paths, major or not, through the green. Things were already in Iseq’s favor. This was her home. Her scent, even if faint, was essentially everywhere. The sun was setting, setting the sky ablaze in reds and oranges while causing the shadows to darken and lengthen from their roots. It was truly her time of day. Brushing under branches and against stones, shrubs, and tree trunks, the lioness moved swiftly through the growth, leaving a trail for the persistent, pestering male to follow. Once satisfied that there was a decent enough trail for her would-be Romeo to follow, Iseq leaped up onto a boulder, then a nearby larger one, and then up into a tree. The stinging of her hip not even registering in her mind, the lioness jumped from branch to branch, making her way over to a collection of large stones seemingly jutting up out of the ground. It was there that she found her perch along a rocky ledge. Crouching low enough to press her body against the sun warmed stone, she grew still in the growing shadows, lying in wait.
A short while later, along came the male who so fervently sought her affections. He drew closer to her stony tower, head low, searching for where her scent trail led. His growing proximity brought her slowly to her feet, though she kept herself low. Creeping along the ledge, her shoulders rolling as she stalked the intruder into her life and into her home, Iseq’s body remained fluid save for the subtlest twitching of her tail tip. Below, he called her name, for surely she had to be near. Her scent trail had faded into the general smell of the forest and the increasing darkness would make seeing her difficult. Glancing down at her paws, she casually kicked a small, smooth stone off of the edge, sending it clattering noisily down next to the male below. He gasped and looked up wide eyed.
It was then that the smoke and ember female struck. Diving down all teeth and claws, her jaws had closed around his neck before he managed another syllable. He struggled beneath her. Her will kept her grip strong and though there was some difficulty in getting the proper leverage, once found Iseq gave her head a swift twist. The snap that followed the action was what she was listening for. She kept her teeth clamped tight until she felt the body below hers sag lifelessly to the ground. His blood was still hot and had a metallic tang on her tongue. She spat it out onto his corpse, leaving a dark stain against his fair coat. No longer would she need to worry over him. With a snort, she grabbed the scruff between his shoulders at the base of his neck and dragged him over towards the river that wove its way through the territory here and there. He wasn’t a problem anymore. He would be dinner for the crocodiles that dwelled in the murky waters down the way. With one final shove, the pest disappeared beneath the water and she was done. Taking a leisurely drink to cleanse his taste from her mouth, Iseq turned from the water and headed back into the heart of her woods alone.
Some persistence could have its rewards, but too much might just get you killed…
[Word count: 1,289]
