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 Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 6:00 pm
 Bakar was a killer, he had been raised and trained to his pridal duties since before he could remember. He still believed what he had done had been right even though his pride was gone. His duty as executioner had always been something he accepted despite the isolation it had caused him, the fear that he saw in others eyes. Now he felt more alone then he ever had, at least before he had understood his need to be apart from others, if one of them became a criminal he would be the one to end their life. Killing a friend wasn't something even he had felt prepared for. Now he didn't even have a friend with him as he wandered these unclaimed lands uncertain what lay ahead of him. He sighed as he tore into the leg of his prey and slowly ate, he felt no hunger though, just the ever present drive of survival.
Suddenly he lifted his head and licked his bloody lips, he probably made an intimidating sight as he stood over his kill with a scowl. He saw two lions in the distance, a male and female by the looks of them, a part of him ached to hear a voice, for a moment of company.
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Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 6:01 pm
 They were indeed a male and female, their scents all over one another for that matter, painting a very clear picture (even if that picture was all the wrong colors). Their voices in laughter could probably be made out first before dialogue. They seemed to be playing a fast paced game of tag more for the fact that they kept nudging one another rather than the actual speed of their gait. It was actually Isuzu that spotted the executioner first, skidding to an abrupt stop once they were within slight yelling distance.
Perhaps he'd hear her surprised "Oops!"?  Her companion slowed to a stop after her, looking from her with a fading grin to land upon the other male. His expression shifted from elated to sheepish and yet still amused. Oops indeed, it seemed to say. That black mane dipped as Umande ducked his head. "Looks like we're intruding." He mumbled under his breath to her, earning a laugh before he raised his head once again and called out to be heard this time. "Sorry friend! Are we interrupting anything? Didn't mean to barge in on you."
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Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 6:02 pm
Bakar slowly stepped forward then thought better and paused, he didn't want to frighten them. They sounded so cheerful, so full of life, how he longed to hear the sounds of others, of cubs playing, females laughter, and males training. He quickly shook his head and tried to force a more pleasant expression, but his lips merely smoothed from a frown into a serious line, silliness and laughter weren't his forte.
"Please don't go...you hardly interrupted I was finished...if you would like some? Better it go to both of you then the vultures."
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Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 6:06 pm
Poor guy really did put off a lonely front. Isuzu wondered if Umande's expression reflected her own but she didn't dare break her eyes away from Bakar to check. That transition from scowl to neutral-- when accessorized by the blood staining his chops --was a bit foreboding, even if it wasn't intentional.
Still, she pushed down her uncertainty with a toothy, almost uncertain smile, not afraid so much as unsure what to make of him. Where'd he come from looking as thin as he did? It was like he was barely eating and it wasn't hard to see why.
Her counterpart cleared his throat before speaking up. "Are you sure? No offense, but you... ah..."
Not even Umande was tactless enough to say he looked malnourished. Luckily for them it seemed Isuzu was.
"You look like you need it a lot more than we do."
Yet she showed no hesitation in approaching him.
Umande watched this in a little bit of surprise, but he'd just spent a week with her so it wasn't all THAT shocking. The look he cast Bakar was an uncertain one as well, frowning a little but drawing closer too.
"Hate to be blunt, but what she said. Are you really out here all on your own? Did something happen?"
If only because he seemed only as nourished as a lion unaccustomed to hunting for himself. The kill should have been enough for two or three lions, let alone one. He was offering more than the lion's share of his kill to them even though they were strangers. Why?
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Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 6:07 pm
He snorted at the bluntness of the female, she wasn't afraid to speak her mind that was certain. Still he didn't know what to make of their concern, it was strange to him, he who had never had anyone worry over him. They worried about him coming to end them, but not about his health or mood.
A small growl escaped him as he sank onto his haunches. "I was fit enough to catch the meal, it will hardly kill me not to eat it all."
Still...they weren't wrong, he had been eating much less since he had left his pride, a part of him waiting for these rogue lands to swallow him up. The irony of the executioner waiting for execution.
"Yes...I'm alone. My pride is...gone." It was all he was really willing to share for the moment, he'd offered them the food, they looked nice enough, but he had no desire to cozy up to anyone.
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Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 6:14 pm
Isuzu simply shrugged at the boys reactions, stopping at the kill to seat herself, taking a sniff or two before she helped herself. He'd invited, she had no particular reason to distrust him. Who would go out of their way to kill two strangers(?), and she wasn't alone, besides.
"Sorry to hear that, friend. Mine as well, actually. Second time, honestly. Seems like there's a bit of bad fortune running its course."
Umande shook his head, understanding Bakar's unspoken statement. A subtle shift of topics should do wonders for the group, so he looked to the female beside him and nodded his head her way.
"This is Isuzu. My name is Umande."
Isuzu didn't really NEED introductions made on her behalf but since he had she felt obligated to lift her head and stop eating long enough to acknowledge them. Once she'd swallowed her mouthful and given her muzzle a fast swipe of the tongue she piped up.
"Nice to meet you."
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Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 6:27 pm
Hmm so his wasn't the only pride that had been through tough times, well not that surprising. Bakar hardly thought he was the only lion in the world to have problems.
"I'm sorry to hear...where are you taking your mate now?" He asked and then nodded at the female dipping his head in a bow.
"Bakar'Odol, pleasure to meet you both."
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Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 6:40 pm
Umande couldn't speak for Isuzu, but he for one was surprised by the question. He couldn't quite stop himself from glancing at her questioningly. It just so happened that Isuzu was too busy trying not to laugh, though, lifting a clean paw to wave dismissively.
"Oh no, no, no. We're not mates. We're just friends."
That eye roll of Umande's? She was completely ignoring it. There wasn't to be any confusion here.
"I'm not going anywhere particular. I was born and raised in the rogue lands. Thinking about checking out this Unity Walker place Umande here keeps talking about, though. It sounds interesting."
Umande seated himself next to the kill as well at last, nodding in agreement.
"I'm looking for one of my older sisters, I haven't seen her since I was a cub. I have it on a fairly, questionably, somewhat reliable source that she might be east of here."
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Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 7:00 pm
"You aren't mates? Forgive me the assumption." He nodded at their plans to split up and wondered why it was they were traveling together at all. Hmm interesting pair, but again they still seemed nice enough, and they hadn't tried to steal his kill or anything foolish.
"I wish you luck in reuniting with your family..." He nodded at Umande.
"And you plan to travel alone Isuzu?"
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Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 7:00 pm
"Not conventional mates, anyway." She snuck the male she'd arrived with an impish look, attention shifted quickly back to Bakar, though. "He's helping me out with... a certain request."
That should explain it all if Bakar caught her drift well enough. She didn't seem concerned about traveling alone while potentially pregnant either.
"That was the plan till now anyway. Umande here needs to hurry along or he might lose his sister's trail, but I'm not keen on backtracking since I met him coming from that direction."
"Thanks, I'll probably need it." He replied with a crooked smile, then nodded to Isuzu's words. He didn't agree with her logic but she insisted that if her mother could do it so could she. At least he knew where to find her if he wanted to look in... still. "I'm a bit new age, I guess. I'd rather she had someone with her, but she's already kicked my hide to prove her point--"
"Twice." She interjected helpfully.
"... Twice... yes." Unimpressed look.
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Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 7:21 pm
Bakar didn't seem to catch on to what she was saying at first and then his eyes widened a bit before he lifted a brow at the male. Really? It seemed...odd...not completely strange or wrong, he himself just couldn't do such a thing. Did the male not worry what would become of his fatherless cubs? Wasn't the female concerned about traveling alone in such a delicate state? Who would hunt for her when she had filled out enough that her speed and agility were nullified?
"Mmm...you might think me rude, but getting yourself into a delicate condition and wandering these lands alone seems like an incredibly...foolish thing to do." He refrained from calling it stupid lest the lady take more offense.
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Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 7:22 pm
Umande simply returned the look with one quirked eyebrow and his mouth set in a line, a slight frown, as if to say: "You see what I'm dealing with?" without ever actually SAYING it. Naturally he worried, but that was why he'd pointed out the Unity Walkers. At least they were relatively close.
This might just work out for the better, though. He was without a pride, seemed lonely for company, didn't seem untrustworthy... Yeah, this could work.
Meanwhile, if Isuzu took offense she didn't show it, shaking her head a bit. "Hey, don't misunderstand. If he didn't already have plans I wouldn't mind him tagging along, but the way I figure it he's got business to see to, and if my mother could do it then so can I."
It was maybe a little bit of her pride talking, but she seemed convinced, though the gears were turning in Umande's head unbeknownst to her.
"Bakar, I don't suppose you'd be willing to take her in my place?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 7:39 pm
"Take her? To her new pride? Well...she will be in need...at least for someone to help her hunt if she is so confident in her ability to protect herself." He glanced at the female again and frowned.
"Would you be opposed to my company?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 7:41 pm
The female shook her head quietly.
"I won't mind the company at all. It'll be a welcome change of pace from traveling alone." And she knew Umande about as well as their casual acquaintence would comfortably allow, so changing travel partners would be a good idea. "Do you mind if we wait till morning, though? We've been traveling for a while as it is, I wouldn't mind a night's rest and a fresh start." She offered a friendly, lopsided grin.
"It's just as well, we were going to split up tomorrow anyway. We can just set out when we wake, then."
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 8:36 pm
"Of course a good meal and a good nights rest will probably work wonder for us all." He nodded and moved to settle down near the food determined to keep away any would be scavengers at least for the night. If the female was indeed ready to part from the male then perhaps she already believed she was in a delicate condition. He hadn't had a purpose since his pride disbanded, but with this lady to escort he felt some sense of self worth return.
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