SRP between Imara and Kwasi <3
It wasn’t like she made it a habit of not getting along with people, not any more, at least, but apparently that is what was going on right now. Really, Imara thought the lioness was overreacting, it’s not like she had meant to totally blow the hunt.
It had all begun earlier, while she had been stalking a group of gazelle and planning an attack. The chocolate-colored lioness had called her over, suggesting they hunt together, because gazelle were pretty tricky. Imara usually hunted alone, but found pridelanders liked to do the whole group-thing, and so had agreed. As usual she had been pretty gruff, and could tell the other lioness was somewhat put off by this. But what was she supposed to do, anyways? She was trying!
But Imara wasn’t used to teamwork, and had apparently screwed up. Somehow she had misinterpreted the other lioness’ signals, having never learned them before, and launched forwards at the wrong time. But that was only the start of it! Because Imara had started her dash at the same time as Kwasi’roho, when she was supposed to have waited to reach the gazelle and finish it off.
Since they were both running at the little creaure, they bumped into each other once or twice as it zigzagged about. But focus had prevented them from being too stupid, until…
The gazelle tripped.
It wouldn’t have been a problem, but due to a lack of communication, both of the lioness had dove for the little antelope at the same time. The result? Instead of pouncing their prey, Imara had pounced the other lioness.
Now, neither lionesses were the sort to take crap from anyone. And this chocolate female seemed particularly unhappy. “You brute!” She hissed, as soon as Imara had let her up. “Didn’t your parents ever teach you how to hunt?” Kwasi’roho growled, and Imara’s ears flattened.
Look, it wasn’t like she was unscathed, herself! Both had ended up with a few scratched, due to instinctive claw unsheathing and gripping, and rolling in the dirt. And her hunt had been ruined just as much as this lioness’! “My parents have nothing to do with this!” Imara retorted, almost childishly, as she shook out her fur. “And you are the one who messed up!”
She was hardly helping the situation, but Imara had gotten started and she wasn’t about to stop. “I did not! You have no idea how to pay attention to your fellow hunters!” The chocolate lioness insisted, and Imara felt a little insulted.
“Well, my ‘fellow hunter’ had no business here, anyways!” She snorted, stubbornly. Now the other lioness seemed slightly offended, but she supposed she kind of wanted to offend her at this point.
Kwasi’roho’s ears laid back, and she glanced to the side at the still fleeing form of the gazelle. They ahd almost had it! “If you didn’t want my help, you should have just refused it!” She said, scowling.
“Oh, like one of you pridelanders wouldn’t take offense. That wouldn’t be polite!”
The chocolate female growled loudly at that. “Us pridelanders? What do you mean, us pridelanders? You’re a pridelander too, and it’s not like you’re very polite, anyways!”
Imara didn’t like that thrown in her face right about now, because it just reminded her that she was being a somewhat crummy pridelander. Barely two weeks in the pride, now! It was hardly good to be getting into a spat with a lioness. “Well… You shouldn’t have lunged at the gazelle! I was closer!” She changed the subject, because she couldn’t really get around what the other lioness had just said.
Kwasi gaped at that. “You were not! I was much closer than you were! Besides, you weren’t even supposed to be running a that point!” She said angrily, nitpicking Imara’s hunt once again.
The darker of the two sat down, curling her flame-colored tail around her paws, as if to keep her from smacking the other female. It was a wonder she hadn’t yet! Some time ago, she may have. She couldn’t really think of a reply then, so instead she just clenched her jaw and stared unhappily at the other female.
Kwasi, however, seemed perfectly happy with going on. “Honestly, if you weren’t so incompetent, we’d already have the gazelle!” Then Imara did actually reach out and give the other lioness a whack on the face, because she didn’t like being insulted.
The other lioness blinked slowly after the slap, taking a few steps back then plopping down on her haunches. Her jaw was slacked and open, and she didn’t seem to know what to make of this situation anymore. Imara, however, was firmly sure she had done something incredibly stupid. She looked down at her paw, surprised with herself, and gaped at the other lioness a few moments. “L-look, I’m.. uh, Kwasi, was it? I’m sorry, I didn’t…”
“No, hang on. Just… a bit.”
They sat in silence for a bit longer, Imara was sure this chocolate female would just burst, and freak out, and she would be chased out of the pridelands, because so far she had never seen anyone strike another like that. She could see it now, she’d be treated as insane, and—
“Okay, yeah. That’s fine.” The dark lioness blinked, surprised.
“…What? You mean I’m…?” She frowned, looking at the other female hopefully.
Kwasi still wasn’t looking directly at her. “Forgiven? Oh, yes, um, sure. I suppose I wasn’t on my best behavior myself.” Imara still didn’t feel much better, and wasn’t even sure this wouldn’t have any real consequences later, but she wasn’t really the sort to apologize more.
“Just… don’t do it again, ever.” Kwasi’roho sighed, rolling her shoulders and standing up. This could be dealt with, she thought. It was alright. “Look, let’s get back to hunting.” Now she actually looked the female in the eye, and offered something like a smile. “I do need to bring something home, for the cubs. And now you owe me.”
Well, Imara could at least feel relieved, because it seemed things were turning out better than she had expected. She nodded awkwardly, standing up. Yes, getting this lioness a meal to take back to her cubs was fair enough. “You lead.” She said, and so Kwasi’roho did.
This time, the hunt went much better.
