Dinner had been swiftly caught, and Bega could tell that his easy take down on the young gembok had impressed the lady cheetah that he had decided to make his 'prey' for the evening. She was young...barely an adult, perhaps, and terribly alluring to him. Something about how slim she was, how easy he could overpower her... He valued strength, especially in himself. It fed his ego to feel so dominant. He'd determined not to simply have her though. He would make her want him too. For a night at least. Hopefully this night. He wasn't very patient.
He triumphantly dragged the gemsbok back to the blue cheetah, who had watched from a small hillock over grown with tall grass. Bega felt like a king in this land. No more hares and runty klipspringers for him. Why had he ever left these temperate climes? He dropped the body before the female, and then, after giving her a pointed look, dug in. He had not only killed it, but he was the male. He might not rule a pride, and thus not merit the first share, but he felt that for the moment he ruled this small area of the rogue lands. He certainly ruled the little female, even if she didn't know it yet. By the end of the night she surely would.
He gorged for a while on the meat, occasionally glancing up to watch her watch him eat. She said nothing--after all, he'd offered to catch the meat, and done it, and he was the male. A moment longer and he backed off the kill though, gesturing with a paw for her to take a share. She hadn't seemed put off by his selfish feasting, and now he returned to his faux-chivalry. He'd purposefully eaten around several more tender morsels, and she seemed to notice, by how she dug in, then cast a smile his way. Yes. This would be so, so easy.
"It's delicious," She mumbled, and he was amused to see her maw speckled with blood. It stained her blue fur purple. How quaint.
"Good. I wanted it to be, especially since it's not every day I get to hunt for such a darling little cheetah. And perhaps, win her time, since I already have her name."
She peered up at him in askance, perhaps unsure what he meant. He felt he was being painfully obvious, but she seemed oblivious. A purr rushed through his body, and his fur seemed to tingle. So innocent and small. The desire to take her now surged through him, but he restrained himself. Soon... For now he simply nodded for her to continue her munching, and reclined nearby in the grass. One paw crossed over the other, and he studied her lither frame while her back was turned.
For her part, Theluli wasn't entirely oblivious to the looks the lion was giving her, nor to the tone of his voice, and the meaning of his words. She was innocent, truly, but instinct was powerful in all the species of Africa, and though he was not a male of her own kind, he was a male. And that alone had helped her to accept his unusual actions, and accept them as something between flattering and unnerving. Still, a free meal was easily accepted, and she had to remind herself that this lion had...so far, at least, been different.
As she finished her meal, abandoning the carcass to the ever-lurking predators, he beckoned to her. "Come, my wisp of a beauty. Sit with me and tell me how you came to be in this part of Africa." He patted the grass beside him, and sprawled over on his side, stretching out to show off his size. She seemed hesitant, but Bega was pleased to see that it took only one raised brow to send her scurrying to join him. Always good to keep your provider, your protector (if only from himself), your king well pleased. She sat beside him, and with a paw he...not gently, but not harshly, either, cuffed her, knocking her to her side beside him in the grass. One of his paws hooked around her midsection and he tugged her tight against him. A tiny growl escaped her, but she lay still, and he felt pleased.
Perhaps he would keep her after this night. The thought hadn't occurred to him before, but she was so small, so permissive, so...somehow feminine in his mind (as he himself was dominating and robust, and that equated to masculinity.) She'd definitely caught his fancy, or at least stirred up his hormones. He decided not to decide what to do until the morning. Then, once he'd had his fun, he'd be able to think more clearly. It was shockingly hard to, when he had a female so close. He did not remove his paw from across her--she did not struggle.
Still, she had felt fear when he'd knocked her down. Was that it then? He would kill her now, for a laugh? But no, he'd not. He simply lay beside her, and somehow she got the idea into her head that he must be very lonely. Cheetahs never minded being alone, but lions by nature were social. He seemed well groomed and well fed, but he was still alone. Perhaps he was pining for his family, or friends, or a lost love. Now that was a terribly romantic thought, and she settled on being glad to be able to help him. And it felt good to lie against him. She'd never lay with a male, not in any fashion. It was like holding hands or hugging for the first time. It felt nice, though she was uncertain about the other things it was making her feel. Mostly good though. She snuggled into his belly fur, and let herself sigh into relaxation.
Taking her relaxation for submission, Bega tightened his grip on her, and curved his neck down to bury his nose in the back of her neck. He inhaled deeply, drinking her foreign, strange scent. How easy it would be to snap her like a twig. He held her all the more gently, but still kept his paw firm over her.
"So...Theluli...I am Mlipuko'Bega. I hail from far away, and I have come long and far without such enjoyable company as yours... Do tell me...how you came to be so...alone." He purred the last word, and she shivered with delight before beginning her life's story.
(Words: 1093)
