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 Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 8:23 pm
GAIRNÉADThe ruby lion was roaming around, looking for something to hunt. He saw a dust cloud in the distance, the kind kicked up by a large herd of animals and licked his lips in anticipation. As long as he could find a young kid, or a particularly feeble elder, he would eat well today. Herds were chancy things for a lion alone however, and Gairnéad didn't want to risk broken bones unless if there was going to be a good payoff. Green eyes narrowed as he noted that the cloud seemed to be moving. That was...unusual, given that there was no strong wind today. Then he felt the telltale vibration and his eyes widened.
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Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 9:50 pm
To a former rogue who had known no other life, being in a pride could be...overwhelming. All the sights and sounds and smells and new things to know and learn...eventually Mziwanda needed some time alone, without trying to keep up with a million different things. It wasn't that she was antisocial, quite the opposite really. The need to not be alone was what had brought her to join a pride in the first place! She just...needed some air.
But a peaceful walk through the grasses was quickly turning into a nightmare, with the lioness swept up into the midst of a stampeding herd. Hooves and horns and panicked, angry beasts were everywhere she looked, while an escape was not. "Help!" she shrieked, fear clutching at her throat and turning her voice shrill. "Somebody, help!"
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Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 9:58 pm
Gairnéad had been gathering himself to bolt away from the stampede as fast as he could when he heard the cry. Unfortunately, he'd been about to leap and as a result fell flat on his face. The ruby lion got to his feet, shaking his head to clear it, and looked and listened for the unknown voice again.
There!
He ran, great bounds that ate up the distance though he could never outpace a cheetah at full sprint. This wasn't about speed though. This was for survival and not just his.
There!
A purple lioness, seemingly frozen with fear as the herd of gazelle ran all around her. It was a miracle that none of them had run over her yet, but it was only a matter of time unless if he did something fast. He watched the herd for a few precious moments, timing his entry as best he could.
Now!
It was a nightmare, simply to reach her. It took longer than he'd ever thought and yet he knew that things were still happening impossibly quickly. The red male barreled into the shrieking lioness, grunting as he dove his head under her foreleg and shouldered her weight in a motion that should never have worked and did. Then he was running again, through the opposite side of the herd.
Out of breath, panting in the dusty air that was somewhat distant from the continuing stampede, Gairnéad collapsed with the lioness on top of him.
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Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2012 1:24 am
Unfortunately for her miraculous savior Mziwanda didn't appear inclined to get up anytime soon, if her wide-eyed shivering was any indication. Fear appeared to have hit the 'off' switch in her brain, while forgetting all about the 'on' switch on its way out. So while she was no longer surrounded by imminent death, she was still decidedly in a state of terror-induced petrification. The downside to this, of course, was that she hadn't yet realized she might be smothering the breath out of her rescuer.
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Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2012 8:48 am
The lion panted under the weight of the lioness he'd rescued, unable to distinguish for many long minutes the difference between his own heartbeat and the thundering of the gazelle behind him. His green eyes had a glazed look to them as he lay there.
After what seemed an eternity, Gairnéad gathered himself and thrust his haunches into the air, wriggling his front out from underneath the stunned purple lioness. He hoped she wasn't dead or anything, but his priorities were to first unsquish himself and then check on her. He tried to be gentle, but she seemed completely unresponsive.
Finally free, the red lion took several deep lungfuls of air. He could feel the adrenaline in his veins subsiding and his heartrate returning to something almost normal. Or was that the stampede ending? The rush of gazelle had thinned to a small stream and would soon stop altogether.
He turned his attention to the damsel in distress and nosed her gently. "Hey. Hey. You can get up now, you're safe."
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Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2012 6:40 pm
Click.
Suddenly, it all hit Mziwanda in a rush. Her first reaction was to go limp with relief. She wasn't dead, she was safe, and by the go--Great Lion she'd been rescued by a handsome lion like a lioness in one of her stories. The events of the past few minutes could almost be a story in and of themselves! With a happy squeak she scrambled to her feet. "My hero!" she proclaimed with complete and utter sincerity, attempting to bestow an enthusiastic headbump on him.
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Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2012 7:24 pm
The moment the lioness leaped to her feet Gairnéad had backed up abruptly, surprised by her sudden movement. Her words didn't help. Hero? Him? He'd just...reacted without thinking first! Something that his mother had despaired of ever getting through to him. So when the purple lioness tried to headbump him, the red lion certainly wasn't standing close enough to be hit.
Green eyes wide, Gairnéad just stared at the lioness he'd rescued who was now grinning at him and looking at him with huge eyes and just generally acting strange. He had no idea what was running through her head or why she was looking at him that way.
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Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 12:12 pm
Stumbling a little at the miss, Mziwanda regained her footing to toss her rescuer a puzzled look. He'd been right here...but now he was over there and looking very odd. Maybe...was he hurt?! No, that wouldn't be good at all, to have her hero hurt and nobody taking care of it!
"Are you okay?" she exclaimed, rushing over. "You didn't get kicked, did you? I'm from a pride nearby, I could have someone look at you. I'm sure they'd be happy to, because you were very brave and saved me!"
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Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 12:29 pm
"Uh, I'm a little bruised, I think, but I'll be fine," Gairnéad answered, green eyes still wide. She was moving really fast for someone who'd just woken up! But at least she seemed very nice, though he wasn't at all sure of this whole "brave" and "saving" business. He'd just helped because it was the right thing to do!
"Um...you're welcome?" That was what you said when someone thanked you, though she hadn't actually thanked him. Just sort of said all these things about him being a hero even though he wasn't.
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Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 5:23 pm
Mziwanda's eyes went wide as she realized she had forgotten to offer her thanks. "Oh, I'm sorry! I entirely forgot to thank you, didn't I? I didn't mean to be rude!" Her tail twitched back and forth as she gnawed on her lower lip with a worried look. "Why don't you come back with me? I could make sure you get something to eat, it's the least I could do after you helped me!" A glance after the retreating herd punctuated this.
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Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 7:29 pm
Go back with her? Get food? That sounded like a decent enough thank you and he was gratifyingly happy to accept the offer.
"That sounds wonderful," Gairnéad replied with a small smile. He still wasn't entirely certain he deserved such preferential treatment, but if the lioness was going to insist he might as well go along with it and get a good meal out of it.
"Thank you very much."
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