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 Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2012 6:57 pm
As she barreled up, the buck fled for a short distance, darting around a dense clump of foliage. Still at top speed, she charged after him, only to find that he had turned to face her. His eyes rolled, showing whites, and his nostrils snorted wetly, blown wide and red in his fury, his head dipping as he lunged directly at her while she was still charging forward.
With a startled yowl, she backpedaled, ducking from those heavy, curled horns and plunging hooves. She scrambled first to the side, then turned tail and clawed the turf desperately to gain ground. The edges of the herd had already swirled away from them, giving her plenty of room to high-tail it from the enraged buck, literally leaving a trail of dust behind herself. Ugh, would she ever be able to manage this?! When finally safely out of range, the buck having turned to rejoin the herd, she flopped into the deep grass and panted wearily.
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Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2012 7:06 pm
 The black lioness had been spying on the herd on the off chance there would be a stray she could take down. It wasn't likely, given the size of any wildebeest, but there was always that small chance. That's how Inatarni saw the stranger lioness' failed attempt. Did she know nothing? Going straight after the herd stallion? He was the biggest, strongest and least likely to just lie down and die. Shaking her head, the black lioness headed for the other female. "You seem to know how to move your body, but the mentality of hunting needs work," she told the stranger, amusement suffusing her voice.
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Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2012 7:11 pm
Her first reaction was startlement. Her head came up sharply, eyes wide, and muscles tensed to leap away. But the words sank in, and she came to the realization... with a groan, she hid her face behind a paw. "Ooooh no," she murmured. "You saw that, didn't you?" How mortifying! Not only had she failed in her attempt, but she clearly had been having a little trouble hunting overall of late. She was a bit on the lean side, her coat a little scruffy, though her paws were in excellent condition, and her eyes were bright, at least after she removed her paw from her face.
"I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but there must be something." She gritted her teeth with an animated expression of woe on her face. "This always worked at home! Well... probably not with the main buck. That was my fault entirely." She hung her head sheepishly, then met the other female's eyes. "I also chased off your chosen prey, didn't I? Oh, I'm so sorry." With a grunt, she hauled herself onto her paws. "Maybe... maybe if we both hunted, we'd succeed?"
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Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2012 7:19 pm
Inatarni had no idea how old or young the other lioness was, but she was clearly unused to being on her own. So, young to being a rogue. At least, that was the black lioness' guess. Being a mother who had made sure to raise her own brood with an eye toward survival, Inatarni simply couldn't allow this stranger to go on her way so inadequately prepared.
"It's true that two hunters are more likely to succeed than one alone, but somehow, I don't think that's where you need practice," she told the stranger with a smile.
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Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2012 7:29 pm
Taanisi looked quite confused. "B-but... that's what I'm good at." Hunting with others was a fact of life, wasn't it? She had somehow assumed that whenever she found her intended, he'd not be alone, but for the first time, she stopped to consider the possibility that he'd be a wandering rogue, and there would just be the two of them. He would defend them, and she would feed them. She turned astonished and worried eyes on the older female. "But what will I do if he's alone?" In her jumble of thoughts, she'd spoken without explanation, but clearly was rattled by the realization that she might need to hunt alone for most of her life.
However, so convinced was she of the message from the gods, she had no qualms about making such sacrifices for her yet unmet mate. Showing her mettle, she straightened her shoulders, firmed her jaw, and gazed at the stranger. "You sound like you know what I need to learn. Can you teach me?" A part of her inside quailed, worrying that she was too small, or perhaps too stupid, to learn. But if there was a way, she'd do it. For his sake.
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Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2012 7:35 pm
Half of what the stranger said didn't make any real sense to Inatarni, so she decided not to comment on it. It sounded like there was someone, a male, that she was...looking for? The black lioness couldn't tell, and it probably wasn't important anyway.
"I'd be happy to," Inatarni confirmed for the other lioness. "My name's Inatarni, what about you?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2012 8:03 pm
Oh dear, her pride manners forgotten already! Her ears folded contritely, and her tail curled around to tuck between her paws self-consciously. "My name is Taanisi, pleased to meet you Inatami." There, polite society duty done. It wasn't as if she found it troublesome or irritating. She just was so muddled up about this promise of a mate far from home... it had her head swimming! She felt as like to float among the clouds as traipse through the flowers with the gazelles! It was a truly baffling and delightful feeling, knowing someone out there she hadn't met would, and perhaps already did, love her! A queer flutter in her chest and a lump in her throat proved she herself was already infatuated with this nameless, mysterious lover.
"Oh Inatami, please tell me, have you ever loved someone?" The question was asked with such genuine drama and sincerity, her eyes practically shone with it. "I don't know what it is like to be loved... well, not like that anyway," she averted her face with girlish modesty before returning her eyes to the older lioness'. "But oh, I've been promised a love, and I just don't quite know what to do with myself!" Her previously tucked tail suddenly fluttered up and about like a frantic butterfly, so flustered was the young female.
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Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2012 8:08 pm
The black lioness nodded with a smile as Taanisi introduced herself. An unusual name in these parts, but not at all a bad one. Rather nice, actually. She liked the sounds it made. But then the navy lioness unleashed a flood of curiosity upon her and Ina's red eyes widened in shock.
"Ah...well...slow down!" Spina encouraged the other lioness with a comforting smile. "It seems we'll have a lot more to go over than just your hunting!" Where had all of this come from, all these questions about love? It wasn't that she was unfamiliar with such things; she was a mother after all. This was just totally unexpected, particularly given that they had only just met.
"Personally, I love my mate, Antallian, more than anything in the world...excepting, of course, the children we've raised together," the older lioness added with a motherly grin. She decided that it would be best not to ask about how Taanisi had been "promised" a love. Perhaps later after they'd gotten to know each other a bit more.
"We can discuss all of this in as much detail as you'd like, but maybe we should focus on the hunt for now, since the opportunity is passing us by as we speak?" There was always time later. Things always went better on full bellies.
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Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2012 8:33 pm
Oops, she'd done it again! Her brain was so befuddled that she ended up rambling, and now had been gently scolded by this kindly stranger. "Yes ma'am," she answered meekly, tamping down her youthful excitement and passion. "I'll do my best to concentrate." Though it was said with all honesty, it also was said with a bit of wistfulness. It was so much more fun to float along with the clouds and forget all about the necessary things.
But to put lie to that concept, her stomach rumbled complainingly, reminding her that it was ready to be filled. Not to mention, she reminded herself, that this wasn't just for her own belly, but for the male in her future as well! So with a determined but subdued expression, she rose to her paws, ready to follow the older lioness in the lesson of hunting alone. Much as she wanted to think dreamily on love and the nuances she had yet to discover, now was not the time. It was time to get down to business!
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Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2012 8:38 pm
Inatarni hid a smile with the ease of long practice as she watched Taanisi bring herself reluctantly back to earth, particularly with the rumbling of her stomach. Ah yes, it was an expression she was rather more familiar with than the other lioness might suspect. Even her mate was prone to it at certain times...
"That's all I ask of you," she replied aloud before switching into tutor mode.
"Now then! The first thing to know about hunting, particularly on your own, is that you should not try to bring down anything larger than you without help. All too often the prey may kick out and injure you. Next, you have to select the right target..."
The lecture could, and would, go on for quite some time as they snuck towards the herd. At least the final stalk would silence the black lioness for fear of alerting the prey.
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