Vakasa had wanted a free meal- he had wanted to pull the same little plot he always tried to get a male to get some food for him. Or a female- it didn't really matter who worked for his food, as long as it wasn't him. The con was a simple one. Lie down, look injured, moan a lot and get someone to pity him and take care of him. It was something that never seemed to fail him. Until that moment, it seemed. He had been lying down moaning away when a strange black lion ventured towards him, caught on the line like any other sucker of a cat. However, it was clear the moment he arrived that he was not like the others. He was looking down at Vakasa like he had gone mad.
"What are you doing?" the lion asked, arching an eyebrow.
"I'm hurt," moaned Vakasa, "I've been trying to get help for days... I'm unable to get up." He looked up at the lion, wearing his most pitiable expression. But the lion seemed immune, looking down at him with the same skeptic look he had been wearing since he arrived.
"You're not hurt," he pointed out easily enough, "there's no blood and no injuries, and no marks around to signal you've been in some kind of a fight. The dirt would at least have prints in it, and all I see are yours." He looked down at the dirt at that, pointing out the fact that there was only one set of tracks in the area, and they were leading right up to the hyena in a nice, neat line. It didn't look like there had been anything else going on, and that the hyena had simply stopped and set himself down on the ground. Vakasa frowned.
"You... you're looking for proof? I... I moved away from the fight... I collapsed here." He looked at the lion, surprised. No one had ever pointed out such things to him before- why was this guy pointing things out? Was he the type who didn't like to help others?
What a jerk.
"I don't think so," the lion mused, looking over his shoulder, "if I had to guess, I'd say you're looking to pull a fast one on some unsuspecting animal wandering by. Are you looking for a free meal or something? You're not injured- it's easy to see if you really look." He sat himself down, watching the hyena carefully. The hyena frowned, but said nothing, making the lion chuckle. "I can attack you if you want- I'm sure you'll be able to respond if I make a leap at you."
He was just about to answer when out of no where a blue wild dog came bounding towards them. "There you are, Mr. Wizard!" The wild dog yelped, "I have been looking for you all over! Making a wish didn't work- I didn't turn into a sea creature! Did I do something wrong?" She looked at the hyena on the floor, needing a moment before adding: "oh my gosh, are you okay?!"
"He's fine," the lion told the small wild dog, "he's just pretending. Did he tell you to do something, then?"
"He told me about how I can turn myself into a fish. I waited for hours for my wish to come true, but it didn't happen." She looked back down at Vakasa, "are you really okay? You look very poorly! I should get you some more fish! That should help you feel better."
"oh, thank you," the male sighed, "I would appreciate that."
"but he's not hurt!" The lion growled, "he's just acting like that to try and get food out of you- he lied about that wish thing, too. There's no way to turn yourself into a fish." He frowned, watching as the wild dog still seemed to be heading off to find some food for the hyena.
"That's okay," she said lightly, "if he's hungry, I'm happy to find him food! It doesn't matter if he lied or not- he must have had a reason. This time, I'll get him food and he won't have to pretend! That's better, right?"
The lion and the hyena both lacked any idea what to say to the wild dog, who bounced off to find them something to eat. Frowning, the lion looked down at the hyena. "You might as well get up- she doesn't believe you, either, even if she is still kind enough to help you."
"Fine, fine," the hyena said, sitting himself up, "but how did you know that I was faking? Are you so against helping that you have to look for proof before you invest in something, twinkles?"
"My name is Quinlan," the lion replied roughly, "and it's not that I don't want to help- I always look for proof of everything. It's sort of in my nature to break down illusions so I know how they work. So seeing through a con is easy for someone like me." He watched as the wild dog rejoined them, bringing with her a hare. She dropped the small body in front of the hyena, who ate it without complaint or, apparently, guilt. Quinlan sighed. "That was very nice of you. What's your name? I'm Quinlan."
"I'm Nguva! And I'm happy to help. Is there anything I can get for you? You seem unhappy."
"No, I'm alright, thank you. I just feel bad that he tricked you before." He watched, but it didn't look like Nguva cared at all. She was watching Vakasa with a smile. It seemed she didn't hold grudges, which was actually very adorable. To think that there were beings out there that were still so innocent. Maybe magic really did exist, and he didn't have to worry about spreading it into every single heart.
Some already brimmed with it.
Nguva watched as Vakasa finished the hare off, sitting himself back up and licking his mouth. He stopped, looking from the wild dog to the lion, who were both looking at him. Nguva looked happy and carefree, while Quinlan looked ready to rip his head off. This was a tricky situation for him to be in- he wasn't used to being around lions and other animals who had exposed his con. Normally, he would have had to run away and avoid a fight a long time ago. So... this was kind of a first for him, if he was honest. He smiled at them both, though that only seemed to make the wild dog happy. Quinlan's expression seemed to sour even more, making him heave a sigh in defeat. "Okay," he huffed, looking at Nguva, "I'm sorry I tricked you before- it was very nice for you to come and bring me food even though I was mean to you. It won't happen again."
Honestly, he would have liked getting beaten up a hell of a lot more than having to apologize when he didn't feel like he had done anything wrong. It was a tough world out there, and he had just found a good way to make things work for him instead of against him. Since it was every animal for themselves, he really hadn't been doing anything wrong, right?
The continued glare from Quinlan suggested that wasn't true.
Nguva, meanwhile, only smiled. "I don't mind you being mean to me, as long as you're healthy and happy!" She cheered, "I didn't think it was that mean, anyway. It was fun getting to explore more of the rogue lands, and I got to spend time watching the sea. Still, I don't think you should lie so much to those around you- you could end up getting hurt if someone gets really cranky about it!" She watched him with such concern in her eyes that, for a moment, he did actually feel a little bad for pulling a fast one on her. She was very different from any wild dog he had known before, and he wondered if she was really all that sane.
"You do need to be careful," Quinlan agreed, "if I had been a meaner lion, not only would I have exposed your game, but I would have attacked you for it, too. You're lucky I'm not the type to resort to violence. That doesn't mean there aren't other animals out here that aren't willing to make you suffer for trying to trick them. You just got lucky today."
"Thanks dad," Vakasa chuckled, "I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Well, now that I've been fed, I think I should be going. It was nice seeing you again, Nguva, and just LOVELY meeting you, Quinlan. I do hope we see each other again soon." With that, he turned away from the two of them, heading off in his own direction. Quinlan sighed and looked at Nguva.
"He might end up getting hurt," he said.
"I'm kind of worried, too," Nguva agreed. Two kind souls watched a less the reputable one vanish into a forest, both wondering whether or not they should follow to keep an eye on him.
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