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 Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2013 12:43 pm
There was a lot of bellyaching over the new ways. The new leader, the new queen, the new queen that replaced the new queen, and most of all- the most recent operation of cubsnatching. There were some points from both sides, and Tulio wasn't the type to ignore the aspects of all angles. For one- there were several that were perfectly comfortable in their old ways. Insanity was their security blanket and ignorance was bliss. They missed the days when the dangers of the world had been but a dream and conflict was a foreign word to them. However, it had gotten dull quickly. There was never any gain, never any loss. No thrill of all that came with living. Just a dream-like existence where every day drifted through the same way as it always had. Soon the days meshed together and time seemed to stand still.
Now the colors had more life, danger had sharpened the edge of reality and caused a young lion's heart to pound. There was a certain thrill to all of it. Miguel, his best friend, had a thirst for adventure. He loved the risk, loved the roll of the dice, he loved the very real threat of danger and glory. That was all well and good, but Tulio had found his enjoyment in something else.
Things that sparkled. Things that shone. The thrill of a heist, the wit it required to overcome an enemy's mind. That was his paradise and his insanity. He loved his new role and devoured every minute of training that he was given. At all times he was testing his skill against his fellows- though of course he was careful to return anything he snatched. A few tricks and pranks here and there never hurt anyone and so long as nothing was gone from a brother or sister of the pride, Shandor wouldn't nail his pelt to the wall.
Early morning was the best time to look for treasure. Any lion worth his pelt knew that much. The tide rolled back and left behind the treasure of the sea. Sometimes there would be shining stones, whole shells, and on very rare occasion- something would catch the sun. That's what he lived for, what he thirsted for. The lion lifted another shell fragment between his claws, sneered, and tossed it aside. So far, this hadn't been a good morning. Word Count: 398
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Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2013 3:16 pm
 She might have gotten into some trouble with some hyenas not too far from here. She might have stolen their crown from the king of the pack. Might have. They certainly seemed to think so. They'd chased her down for the better part of a day and she stilled had the thing that was crudely covered in gems in her mouth. She had to get somewhere to remove those shiny stones so she could drop the crown and lose her trail. By the time she got to, what she deemed, a good spot, Chel was exhausted. She was panting and dropped the crown to the round, listening to the rattle of crude thing. She had ducked behind a pride line. That was obvious from the smell of things. Her tail flicked this way and that, a bit worried. She wouldn't be able to last here. Not for long. Panting a bit, she looked back to the crown after making sure that the guards weren't here, that the hyenas hadn't crossed over the line. They were known to be stupid like that. So, the brown lioness settled down on her haunches to start the long process of pulling gems out with her teeth and claws. Her mind was racing. She would have to come up with some excuse as to why she's her. More than likely she was going to pull the flirty card and just con her way out of it. That's how she'd gotten this crown. She'd conned her way into their pack by saying she would be useful to them. She said that having a lioness in their pride would intimidate the other packs. Of course, Chel was right. The guards went around telling their other rival packs that they had a lion or two amongst them. The other packs curled between their legs and that's when she took it. She took the crown and ran like hell. It didn't take them too long to figure out that she had it. They were on her scent within a couple of hours of her leaving. The laughing, barking and what not was a dead give away. Now, however, her mind was focusing on the gems here in the crown. They were large, small, and hers, now.
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Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2013 7:55 pm
It wasn't too soon from the time he started down the beach, that something caught his eye. At first, it was a fateful ray of sunlight catching something as it was twisted this way and that. In Chel's struggles, she was unknowingly flashing a bright glint of gold with every angled pass of the sun against its polished surface. Any thief worth his mane knew that color, that gleam, that beautiful shine even from a distance.
Curious, but not enough to avoid caution, Tulio walked forward, his head tilted forward and slightly to one side as he raised an ear to listen. He saw the figure of a female, clear in the thinner, more delicate frame and the lack of a full mane, fussing over the gold. Her ears were decorated with the precious metal as well and while they weren't precious, she did carry two well crafted bracelets as well.
...a rich female. Just sitting on the border.
Tulio paused and took a cautious look about him. If he was a smart thief or infiltrator, he would use just that kind of bait to lure an idiot away from the pride. But the female didn't seem... all that bothered with observing her surroundings. Her attention was on the crown and biting something- BITING!?
He rushed forward, caution gone for the moment. "Don't do that you'll scratch-" he froze, stopping some few feet from the female, his mouth still wide open.
"...hi. You must be new here."Word count: 247
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Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2013 8:01 pm
She was trying to be aware, but her main focus was on getting the gems out without breaking them. Scratches were fine. She could polish them with a special technique she learned. They'd be good as new. Sighing, the female twisted her head this way and that as she wiggled one free in time to hear a voice. Her ears lowered and she was on guard.
The gem dropped from her mouth and under a paw as tried to effectively hide the crown behind her. Dark brown eyes looked the obviously male lion from head to toe and she had to say. He was fairly easy on the eyes.
He seemed to have changed his tune, as well.
"I am new yes. That is. I arrived here just a few moments ago after meeting with a guard. She said it was alright that I rested here." She hoped it was a smooth enough lie. The gods knew that Chel didn't even know if there was a guard rank, but most prides seemed to have it, so she'd found out. It was a fairly safe bet, if nothing else.
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Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2013 11:56 am
Tulio smirked and offered a slanted look to the female. They didn't have guards, they had patrons, and if she had come across one of them, it was very unlikely that she was allowed just to rest. Crossing the border was not an affair to be taken lightly by insiders or outsiders. Those leaving left with only their gypsy name on their lips and a specific goal in mind. Those that left were the stealthy, the cunning, the silent, and the skilled. No one would know their origins and none would follow.
Those coming in were either oblivious or desperate. This girl didn't seem oblivious, she was obviously clever enough to try a somewhat convincing lie for one that didn't know the area. So that left the later- she was desperate.
And she was lucky.
A patron would have detained her, questioned how she had come about, and in extreme cases- captured her as a prince who now knew too much. But he wasn't a patron. He was an opportunistic thief. "So who's following you?" He asked simply.
It wasn't hard to see the female was tired. Her paws were dusty, she was out of breath, she was moving quickly, and prior to his interruption, she had been throwing nervous looks back over a shoulder. Word count: 215
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Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2013 12:18 pm
Who was following her? Well, he bought the lie. Though, something about the way he was eyeing her made her guard go up even more. Clearing her throat a little more, Chel gave a practiced, relaxed roll of her shoulders. "No one, now. No one important, anyway."
She was purring her words now, hoping to throw him off with her flirty side. She moved a little closer to him, tail flicking behind her as she did. "So, who're you? Why are you out here by yourself?" The borders of a pride was a bit of a hazard for anyone by themselves. Even if that one was a male. It was known that males fared better against an enemy, even if he was alone. She shook her head, which made her earrings catch the light again. She was used to it, so it wasn't so distracting for her.
"Say... Can you help a girl out? I don't want to go back out there right now.. You know.. I was being chased and all. How about I stay close to you?"
Watch him ask for something in return.
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Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2013 12:37 pm
No one important was still someone. Someone with eyes, ears, and a brain. Someone that could find the territory and report on it. Someone was still someone. He glanced past her, his eyes scanning the horizon line. Perhaps it would be smart to tell Riddle-Mouth about it and see about getting some extra eyes on the borders. Just in case no one important showed up.
Tuli glanced down to the female and offered a detached shrug of his shoulders. It was hard, very hard, not to fall for the female's charms. She was a pretty thing with a good figure... a very good figure, a smart pair of eyes, and a voice that was pleasing on the ears. However, it was very easy to fall for such charms and get stupid. He had a practiced, trained mask over his emotions and displayed only an easy slant of his eyes and an amused quirk of his lips.
"They call me Hazard here." He raised a brow. "And if you're being chased, you're going to have to stay with me whether you want to or not. Just until we can make sure that what's out there, doesn't get in here, and what is in here isn't a threat from out there."Word Count: 209
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Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2013 5:46 pm
Hazard. Right. Maybe a walking Hazard, but he honestly didn't look too threatening. Letting her tail flick at the rest of his words, Chel nodded and glanced back at where she'd left the crown. She needed to get the gems off soon. "Ah... You go on ahead a little ways. I need to take care of something, hm?"
Again, Chel's words were purred at him. She even went so far as to tap her nose along his chin as she jerked her head to the side, showing she was fairly serious. Behind her, the crown gleamed lightly in the rays that kept flowing down like a golden waterfall. Right now, Chel was mentally cursing it. All she could do was pray to whatever god that he wouldn't notice the gleaming gems. They were her's and she wasn't about to share them. She worked hard for them!
If he went ahead, she'd bury it somewhere safe and sound for the night and come back early the next day to take them and run. ....If this Hazard didn't prove interesting.
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Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2013 6:18 pm
Tulio made a face and gave a short but definite shake of his head. "Sorry miss, that's not how things work around here." He ignored her trinket for the moment, perhaps he could find some way to convince her to simply...share a little. Just a little. But that paled in comparison to the very real threat of a harsh punishment from the nobility's paw if he allowed a threat to haunt their borders. He already had her scent on him and short of a dip into a very cold ocean, it would linger for a few hours.
"You've crossed into a .... well we can be dangerous or we can be your best friend. You're being followed, so it's best we get further in. The patrons will make quick work of the intruders but...to stay on the safe side we'd better put some distance between here and there if you don't want to get confused for an intruder yourself."Word count: 159
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Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2013 6:24 pm
So it would seem this Hazard wasn't going to let her go that easy. Sighing, she backed up and attempted to bury the crown with her back paws. When she felt it was good enough, the dark brown lioness stretched herself up while moving over to him. She nudged his side and motioned him to lead the way. No sense in putting this off.
Chel's plan was to escape early, early in the morning from wherever she was with him and come back for the crown. Then she'd bolt. But, her night could prove interesting and fun. "Alright, Hazard," she said, arching a brow at him. "I'll follow you, but I'm not planning on staying too long. I just... would like a place to hide and get the hyenas off my trail, hm?" She asked, finally giving him a bit of a hint into what kind of trouble she'd gotten herself into.
Chel was a lot of trouble.
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Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2013 9:58 pm
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