Mjyd was having a decidedly unfortunate time hunting in the pride's lands. The Ukuucha were a thorough pride, and of course she had yet to venture outside their borders, but prey seemed scarce. Unenjoyably scarce. And here she'd gone and bragged to Atash that she would bring him back the best slab of meat he'd had in days, of course. Just great. For not the first time she rolled her eyes and scowled at herself (since no one was around to see her make such an ugly expression) for agreeing to this. Once upon a time she, when faced with an undoable challenge, would have simply fled. Now she'd finally decided to hitch her wagon to someone else's, and her big mouth had gotten her into a fix. Well, she'd find SOMETHING. Even if it meant she had to skirt disaster by lurking just inside the pride borders, waiting for something to come by.
Libra had long been aware of the pride where males hoarded females like treasures. She wasn't sure how she felt about their strange behavior--she had always been partial to a one-to-one ration of mates--but they had given her little trouble to date. Usually she didn't dare come so near their borders any way. She had too much important work to do to be caught and married off at the same time to some male who already had three wives. No thank you. She'd only come this close because a lone antelope had passed by, apparently seeking more tender greenstuffs than was available with the main of its herd. Her stomach rumbled, and with a low growl, she leapt.
Mjyd was not deaf to the low growl, or the sudden bleat of alarm and crashing of limbs and brush. Someone had just caught something, and damnit! It could have been hers! She bared her teeth and swore under her breath, waiting for the scuffling to die down before she dared peek through the brush. Her anger, white hot as it was, dispersed upon seeing it wasn't a female from the pride, or even a male. It was a stranger. And pinned below her was a yearling buck antelope, twitching as its lifeblood oozed out from a torn neck. Well. This she could potentially work with. With a moment to collect herself, she put on the most pathetically disappointed face she could muster, and stepped through the brush. "O-oh. You got it...that's...that's wonderful." Her voice sounded anything but glad.
Libra was pleased with the kill. It had been swift, and minimized the poor beast's pain. Blood stained her blue maw purple, but as she bent to take the first bite, a voice reached her ears. She sat up rigid, then relaxed. It was a female...from the pride? She had stunning fur, but seemed...well, unhappy would be gently putting it. She looked sullen, beaten, and fearful all together. "Well, yes...were you stalking it too?" The thought of sharing crossed her mind. After all, she couldn't eat the whole thing even if she wanted to. "If I'd known you were there we could have worked together. Couldn't we have?" Maybe the pride females would get in trouble for working with outsiders. Hmm.
"O-oh, no, that's alright. I mean. I would have liked to get it...I told my Pad I would...and he doesn't like it when I fail...but...you got it." Mjyd was careful to keep her eyes either on the ground, or the dead antelope, and only once glanced up at the other female. Ugh. She hated playing the beaten women, but she could tell it was working. She just had to be careful now not to break the illusion... "You should eat it, and then leave. If the males see you...you won't be able to leave." She widened her eyes for effect, as if recalling her own 'brutal capture'. Her tongue flicked over her lips. "I-I'll just get the next one...Hopefully he won't be too mad with me."
The female's story frankly distressed Libra. She had always cut wide around this pride, so she had no idea that Mjyd was lying through her teeth, playing her up just to get her kill. But she felt terrible, suddenly, for stealing this poor female's chance at avoiding what she assumed would be a beating of some kind. Her mouth seemed dry, and the smell of the delicious meat was rank in her nostrils. "No. You take it. I don't want you to get in trouble. I can always go after the herd and get another. You...you can't." She nosed the limp, still-warm body towards Mjyd, managing a reassuring smile. "Then he'll be pleased, right? And you won't get in trouble."
Wonderful! This had gone so perfectly, it was all Mjyd could do not to laugh out loud at the rogue's ease to fool. Instead she feigned surprise and then forced a tear and a grateful smile. "Really? Oh thank you kind stranger!" Would she buy that? Eh, probably. "I can't thank you enough. He'll be so pleased, and it's big enough that we can all have some of it...." She trained a hungry stare on the body, then shook it away, as if she would be scolded for it. "Thank you, thank you," Now moving quickly, for she was genuinely concerned the female might change her mind, and ready to be done with this stupid facade of pitifulness, she grabbed the beast by the neck and with one last glance dragged it back home through the line of brush. Once out of sight, she threw her head back, jerking the body with her silent laugh. Her posture grew confident, and her stride almost seductive. Ahhh, it was good to be her!
Libra watched the female go with mixed emotions, then turned and dashed right away from the border of the Ukuucha. Of course, maybe the bright female had only a very bad male looking after her, but how could she know? She had no idea she'd been fooled, but her impression from Mjyd had been strong enough that she promised herself never to return to the area near them again. She passed right by the herd in her haste, and didn't stop her loping run until the border of the Ukuchaa was beyond her sight.
