[SRP] Narrow Avoidance (Tolu/Wodi)

[Meepfur]

((Also a backlog. 8D))

The Burkuteshti had taken the prized Baj-Jer only two weeks ago, but there was little rest for the victors - at least, for those of them who hadn't been badly injured. Their victory had come at a high price: the lives of over a third of the pride, and countless injuries on top of that. It was likely that, by the time all was said and done, their losses would be almost half their number. Those with the most serious, crippling injuries, would leave the pride to die or find a new life.

Tolu bint Saye had lost friends, comrades...lions and lionesses she had grown up with, had fought side by side with her entire life, and to lose so many at once was a shock she hadn't expected. It was far from the first time she'd seen death or experienced the loss of someone dear to her, but all at once? All at once, it was overwhelming.

But there was no time for her to stop and mourn, for although she sported new cars, she had not been injured enough to merit anything amounting a recovery period. Tolu, still able-bodied if not fully present mentally, had been sent to help patrol the southeastern border by the Helak.

The gray-eyed lioness paced along the southern side of the river, squinting against the midday sun as she scanned her surroundings.  

[Meepfur]

Ever since the Mizuka'Nyevu had disbanded, Wodi had been adrift in the world, wandering with little purpose. What now? Where should she go, if anywhere? What did she want out of her life as it was now? She had never been entirely content before, always restless and not quite sure why, but loyalty to her family had kept her with them regardless. Now, released from such invisible bonds, a different discontent dogged her. She was lonely now, unused to being on her own after a life spent in the close community of a pride, and as part of a large family.

She wasn't the most social of lionesses, didn't need constant company, but days and weeks of being alone was different from wandering away for a day or two. It was beginning to wear on her, as was the necessity of being constantly on alert for danger. A small lioness, travelling alone, was a tempting target. She scavenged more than she hunted, and when she did hunt, often ended up having to defend her kill - and more often than not, lost it to those with greater numbers on their side.

The white and black lioness was lean to say the least, and always searching for her next meal.  

[Meepfur]

There.

Something was moving to the south, something white.

While the south side of the Helak was not technically pridal territory, this set off alarms in her head. The new Hatun of the Qyrhyeshti was white, an incredibly out-of-place and distinctive color among the lions of the Namib. And it was not unheard of for attacks to be launched from outside either pride's territories. But surely...surely they wouldn't attempt to attack so soon after their own losses, and they wouldn't send their young Bey's mate.

Tolu altered her course, stalking closer to the figure, and as she drew a little closer, realized that the lioness was spotted with black. She was not the Qyrhyeshti's ghostly warrior.

Reasonably confident that this was no enemy, she called, "Hey! Who goes?"  

[Meepfur]

A voice from her left startled her, and the painted lioness spooked visibly. She jumped slightly, then whipped her head around to see who called to her. It took a moment to pick out the sandy-colored lioness from her surroundings - probably why she hadn't noticed her sooner. Still, Wodi chided herself for not paying enough attention. Lapses like that could get her killed.

She stood her ground, but did not take an aggressive posture. She had not been threatened yet, and would do well not to provoke an unnecessary fight.
"Wodi," she answered warily. "Am I trespassing? I will leave immediately, if I am."

She didn't like retreating, but she really liked surviving.  

[Meepfur]

Yes, this stranger was certainly a foreigner. She didn't have the look of the Namib - she was even smaller than the desert lions, she was too pale, and she had only a first name that didn't sound right. There was a vague possibility she could be Borclu, but that would make no sense. The Qyrhy wouldn't send one alone towards enemy territory, and if she had come on her own hoping to perform a brave act and earn her freedom, she would have attacked by now.

Tolu came to a halt a comfortable distance away. "Not yet, but cross the river and you will be."  

[Meepfur]

"Is that so? I will keep it in mind." Wodi scrutinized their surroundings, looking for some sign of others who might be accompanying the evidently pridal lioness, but saw none. There was only the two of them. "On whose land would I be trespassing?"  

[Meepfur]

"The land of the Burkuteshti," Tolu answered, twitching the tip of her tufted tail. "You may stop to drink if you wish, but do not cross. If you were on the other bank, I would be attacking you, not speaking to you. We do not take kindly to strangers on our lands."

Only if they were in need of assistance would they be spared - and not only spared, but aided. Since this lioness was clearly in good health, albeit somewhat underfed, Tolu didn't even bother to mention the 'loophole.'  

[Meepfur]

"If you were attacking me, you would be losing," Wodi said in a half-growl, offended by the mere notion of being attacked. Her own tail lashed, and she leveled a cold stare at the stranger who'd not yet bothered to introduce herself. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate the warning, such as it was, but the undercurrent of threat set her on edge.  

[Meepfur]

Tolu raised a skeptical brow, regarding the not-quite-trespasser with obvious amusement. "Is that so?" she echoed the other's earlier question with a low chuckle. "If you believe that, you are mistaken."

"But you are also ignorant, and I have more important things to do, so I will spare you learning the hard way."

She turned to leave, saying dismissively, "Do not cross the river unless you insist on being taught a lesson."  

[Meepfur]

A snarl rose in Wodi's throat at the other's presumptuous assertions, and even began to crouch in preparation to attack her for the slight, but before she could follow through, the lioness was loping away. Though she considered pursuing, those few extra seconds of thought gave sense just enough time to prevail.

She watched her cross the river, then stalked away with a low growl. "Another time."