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Flacari was minding his own business. He wasn't a showy sort of fellow, didn't do things to get the adults' attention or suchlike. He didn't growl and pounce to show how cutely aggressive he was. He did his own thing, and that was all. If adults happened to notice him doing it, well then he'd better be sure it wasn't something to get in trouble for! That was the only thing he really had thought for concerning the attention of the grown-ups.

Today he was experimenting. Specifically, he was trying to discover what would make his claws the sharpest they could be. They already were naturally like fine needles, able to p***k and catch on even the tough hides of his elders. But surely sharper claws were beneficial? Fighting, hunting, climbing... claws were important! So today he had devoted to trying out different surfaces for doing this.

Assembled in front of him were a hefty chunk of some sort of fibrous plant. It might have been from a tree, or perhaps just a very dense bush. It was hard to tell in it's current ragged state. Also in front of him was a smooth round stone, a rough, lump rock, some sharp-edged sawgrass, and a clear, flat patch of sand. He hadn't begun to test them, but he was examining each in detail as a slightly younger white cub came meandering by. Ignoring her, he kept at his observations and hypothesizing.

Well, if she had to come over and interrupt, at least she had asked a question instead of jumping in without understanding. Satisfied with this, he deigned to enlighten her. "Which of these," he gestured to his objects, "do you suppose would make your claws the sharpest?" He demonstrated raking his claws along the smooth surface of the one rock. "I am going to find out. Wanna help?"

Now, this was actually pretty magnanimous of him. He had plenty of sisters, he knew what horrible pests they could be to a boy. However, she was younger and he was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. She hadn't given him reason to leave her in disgust just yet, and if she turned out to be of some use, she could be his assistant today! The idea pleased him, but he merely peered at her inquiringly.

The transformation of his expression from eager interest to flat disgruntlement was very nearly comical. His face had not only fallen, but his ears had pinned back a little, and his mouth frowned. Turns out, she was just another girl, like all the other girls. Clearly displeased, he huffed and turned away from her, hiding his hurt feelings beneath a gruff demeanor. "Don't waste your time, then," he growled. "It isn't like we ever need to use them to defend ourselves, or kill prey quickly. Things like that might not matter if you are a giiiirl and just like walking around looking pretty." His tone was sing-song at the end, mocking and angry.

Somehow girls always did this to him. They made him feel awkward and clumsy and stupid, even when he knew very well that he wasn't! It made him surly and he obviously responded by making himself even more unapproachable. Heaven help him when he turned into an adolescent!

He shot her a glare over his shoulder, as he was currently presenting his back to her, hovering over his precious experiment. He'd hoped she'd just storm off when he'd rebuffed and mocked her, but of course, she had to be stubborn as well as a girl. "Sharper claws mean less time out in the hot sands, which means less water wasted! Sharper claws mean more food and less wasted effort. Sharp claws mean life and death." He said the last very sharply and sternly, as if he was eons older than his not-quite-juve age.

He snorted at her accusation of being a perfectionist. If only he could be! Nothing was ever quite perfect, and as a realist, he already knew this to be true. "Why would you care if I was?!" he shot back, his voice raising with passion. "You don't even know why sharp claws matter!" This was said with triumph, as if he'd somehow proved a vital point in his argument against her perceptions of him.

Her words this time, however, had a most unusual affect on him. Instead of raising his voice further, or growling angrily, he smirked at her. He practically leered, if a cub could do such a thing. HA, she'd provided her own undoing! Feeling victorious, he delivered the death blow. "So if you say that it's a waste to try improving things, then you, missy, are a fool yourself!" He lifted his chin in a superior and quite satisfied look, peering down his nose at her as best he could. "Standing here and lecturing me on something you don't care about. Seems like a fool to me!"

Granted, he'd be as guilty of it as she was, but hey, she'd started the argument by saying he was wasting his time in his endeavor. Fair was fair, and she had it coming! Augh, girls! The world would be a better place without them! "Now go prance around some more for the adults to smile at. I'm busy." With that, he slapped the sawgrass to scatter it, picked up the rough rock in his mouth, and started trotting away as if he hadn't a care in the world.

Flacari was practically stomping his paws, her words rattling around in his head while his mouth was occupied by his chosen claw-sharpening tool. More than just her words were echoing, though. Things other girls had said, things his sisters had said... things his older siblings had said... now wait just a moment!

Stopping dead in his tracks, he turned around slowly, eyes narrowed suspiciously. He glared at her a moment, then carefully put the rock down and stared at her intently. His older siblings had said some funny things about what some lions do when they 'like' someone. And this pestering behavior was exactly one of those things! Horrified at the very idea, he incredulously spat out, "You aren't going to kiss me, are you?" His very tone indicated that this would be the end of his entire young life if she had any sort of notion of doing this horrible thing.

He merely stared after her in shock and utter confusion. But... but... she had been the one who wouldn't leave him alone! With a soft snarl he swatted his rough stone after her, ears pinned to his head. Girls were so.. unpredictable. Yes, that was it. And superficial, whatever that meant. That too. Growling to himself, he turned to stomp off in the opposite direction than she'd gone. Stupid girls, making no sense and taking issue with whatever a fellow was doing or saying!

With these huffy thoughts, he gave up his current claw-sharpening project. At the moment it would only remind him of that interfering GIRL! Thinking about her was the absolute last thing he wanted to do! Thus determined, he set his jaw stubbornly and went in search of other male cubs to wrestle with. They wouldn't think him stupid for wanting to hone his skills! Only a girl would think such a crazy thing! HUMPH!