Man'Tah was outside for one reason, and one alone.
Someone needed to hunt, and the female Dwarf wasn't going to not hunt when her best friend and their buddy were both being lazy. Very well, she would seek a kill to bring back to keep the morons from starving. It wasn't her idea to overdose on n**, and she wasn't going to say word one until they were coherant.
Nasa was watching the others amiably with Angaza next to her. Adhari, Dulce, and Tencho were talking and plotting, to which the older hyena and Nasa both made a concerned expression, the female frowning. Angaza seemed moderately disgruntled. Adhari grinned, dropping into a playful position and yapped, and the lot began a lively game of tag, Nasa's ear flicking.
"They act like cubs. And pups." She noted. Angaza nodded.
"Yeah. Almost... Nice. Except that could get them enslaved or killed."
"Yeah." Nasa grunted, shaking her head. Adhari shot up to them, grinning, tongue lolling as she pounced Angaza, and Nasa watched him fall over with a startled grunt.
"Daddy! Come on! Let's play! you never do anything fun!" She begged. Her mop-tail flopped and flipped everywhere, and Nasa eyed Dulce and Tencho. Dulce was stalking, and Tencho was trotting over.
"You two are boring, come on, we should be having fun." The leopon tried coaxing. Dulce nodded.
"Come ooon!"
"What? No. I am an adult, and--"
The sound of a stick breaking ceased the horseplay, Angaza and Nasa jumping to the defense first as they moved side by side. A black and white lioness paused, staring several moments.
Man'Tah's eyes took in the dog first. It wasn't really a threat and she was sure the Dwarves back home might think she was entertaining if nothing else, based on her startled face, and the female Hyena next to her earned raised brows. Definaitely not the typical 'bite your face' sort, not really. She made a hmming face, blinking at the hyena male and lioness female growling, smiling slightly. Hyenas, she understood, overall, could be valued allies, vicious and brutal, and it looked like this lady befriended two. And a dog. The dog though looked ready to wet herself and hide. The last figure eying her back, more curiously, was...
Wait.
That thing was half-leopard, half-elf.
"Half-elves?" Her brows raised. "Your travelling with a half-elven Hobbit?"
"What."
Five expressions flattened, one momentarily before fluctuating back to fear. Man'Tah blinked.
"Sorry. Dwarf linguistics. Me see-ah that you-sa has-a Leopon. Easier?"
Tencho blinked, shrugging.
"What of it? I'm sexy, my brothers and sisters are also sexy." She groomed a paw neatly, despite being fairly un-delicate. Adhari nodded.
"Yeah. What's wrong? Tencho is just fine as she is!" The female's tail flopped and flicked furiously, the hyena glaring, and Dulce huffed.
"You're so mean! It's truuueee....!" She frowned. Man'Tah eyed the last two, Angaza merely glaring.
He didn't know what the female's problem was. Nasa huffed.
"What's your problem?"
Man'Tah blinked.
"Oh, I didn't mean to offend. Just surprised. I'd seen one before, Hybrids are simply.. Rare in the pride I'm in."
Nasa's ear flicked.
Not the pride she was born in? Hmm.
"Well, lay off it. Are we intruding on pride lands?"
"Again?" Adhari added helpfully. Nasa shot the hyena an annoyed look aand she grinned sheepishly.
"No, but you're close to the Dvergr." Man'Tah noted. "Borders really. I was going hunting. Most of the pride is in the mountains right now. Afraid I'm alone simply since a couple friends overdosed on the n**."
Adhari, Angaza, and Dulce exchanged confused looks, Tencho giggling shakily as Nasa blinked.
"Seriously."
"I know, right?" Man'Tah stretched.
"We're warriors. Oh, my mannerrs. I'm Man'Tah. And you?" She smiled, bowing her head. Nasa blinked. Angaza was relaxing next to her, and Adhari, Dulce, and Tencho were calming, Tencho at a slower rate.
"Nasa. My companions are Angaza, Adhari, Tencho, and Dulce." Nasa motioned to each in turn, nodding politely. At introduction, each nodded, some simply staring, and Man'Tah chuckled.
"Well, it's nice to meet you. We haven't seen many travellers recently. But I suppose the fires before I came frightened many others away. Nobody likes burning mountains." She looked back. Adhari followed her gaze, and Dulce reacted first.
"Oh, it smells awful!"
"We're probably near some bodies." Man'Tah motioned.
"Please, follow me. You're guests, I'm sure the king would love to meet company." She smiled. The group exchanged looks-- most prides didn't welcome visitors, but apparently this one did.
"Will the mountain smell badly inside?" Adhari asked. Man'Tah blinked.
"Not in the caverns. Not in the areas lions go normally, or hobbits. There's places we haven't gotten to, but that's normal. Right now we're simply cleansing, rebuilding. And lived-in places smell good, like kills and life." She explained softly.
"Will I be eaten?" Dulce asked next. She kept step between Adhari and Tencho-- the trio were practically best friends by now.
"No. Dog isn't on our menu right now."
"Am I going to hear more jokes about my bloodline?"
Man'Tah stopped at Tencho's question, looking back.
"It is possible. you may face jokes or nothing at all. It depends on what others do. A lot of old blood is alive, and a lot of young blood is there too, but... The Cheetah side will be... Appraised." She traied to be delicate. "Cheetahs are called elves, and believed to be different from lions, called Dwarves."
Tencho frowned, looking away some. Adhari growled, Nasa surprised she was anything but friendly.
"That's not fair!"
"No, but entirely likely." She sighed, sitting.
"They're a good lot, honestly, but set in their ways." She looked, turning.Dwarves take care of their own. They aren't cruel, though some can be, but they aren't perfect."
Adhari frowned, looking to Tencho sadly. Dulce sniffed, the trio huddling, and Nasa suddenly planted herself hard. Angaza looked to the female in slight surprise, blinking a bit.
"We may not want to be where we're not welcomed equally, then. These are my friends--" Even Dulce. Derm as she was... "I can't walk with them anyuwhere they might be unwanted or made fun of. It's not RIGHT."
Angaza hesitated, and sat himself, looking towards Man'Tah quietly. Judging. Man'Tah blinked, but nodded.
"No, that makes sense." She smiled. "I wouldn't want anyone uncomfortable, honestly. I'd actually come out to find a couple friends breakfast..." She trailed off.
She forgot to hunt!
"...I forgot to hunt."
"Obvious." Nasa half-smiled. "I don't see why we can't help though."
Man'Tah blinked. Adhari's tail flopped a bit, and Dulce smiled, Tencho shrugging. Angaza grunted.
"There's some Gazelle near by." The male rose, beginning to walk.
"This way."
Man'Tah rose, trailing after him curiously, and Nasa followed quickly after, the trio of trouble bringing the tail up as they followed.
The road was worn, not a road at all but dry grass and dust, the sun high and hot as they moved, Angaza occassionally grunting, indicating a direction. The others followed, before a distant herd paused them, Dulce dancing in place.
"Pretty sizeable... Anything easy?" Man'Tah asked. Angaza smirked -- a real smirk.
"Anything's easy, dollface." He winked. Adhari perked. Her father seemed so happy, and it made her feel warm. The others watched, Angaza dropping to stalk before Adhari followed suit, Techo, Nasa, Dulce, and Man'Tah following. They crept close, avoiding stones and twigs before watching. The gazelle were calm, quiet... After a moment, Angaza nodded, and Dulce moved forward. Man'Tah was surprised, the dog creeping before barking, flushing the herd close, and suddenly, it was time.
Tencho moved to run, and her cheetah blood showed as she persued a gazelle moving faster, the female's paws pounding as she leapt on the animal roughly, the weight from her leopard parent enabling her to bring the animal down. Nearby Adhari and Angaza moved for another, circling before moving to attack, the ferocity of a hyena proven. It was, honestly, Nasa who waited. The female watched intensely, before rising, indicating to Man'Tah it was time to move, and the pair rushed two gazelle whom were tangled in a fight at the flushing, the lionesses attacking.
Hooves flew as gazelle fled, the group disinterested as they worked at preserving the kills so far, before they compared notes. Some were smaller but movst...
"I'll need help dragging this home." She breached. Angaza grinned, Adhari snapping up mouthfuls as she grinned happily.
"We can at least help bring in food, dear." The older hyena noted. Tencho nodded. "Ugly, but good kills. I might take the pelt from mine to Koiboi later."
"Koiboi?" Man'Tah blinked.
"Tencho's brother." Nasa grunted. Dulce nodded.
"He's a boyyy!"
"Obviously." Man'Tah blinked. Dulce smiled again, tail wagging, and Nasa motioned.
"Ignore that comment." She motioned. Dulce pouted before Nasa continued. "We'd be happy to help. Not like we can eat this all, and your friends... So it's a good bit to store too, right?"
"Oh... Likely. The pride could always enjoy tasty bits."
"That's good. We can help you bring it, then. You know, eat, then bring in food." Nasa nodded as if this were some peice of wisdom. Man'Tah blinked, tilting her head before shaking it.
"Are you sure? I mean. Half-Elf." She motioned to Tencho. "The possible teasing--"
"Eh." Tencho shrugged. "I won't be around long enough to lose my temper, and I'll want to leave sooner to see my brother." She nodded. Man'Tah blinked, head tilting a bit as she thought, before nodding.
"That should be okay." She smiled. "I can take you to the entrance. Then we'd have plenty of help bringing it in properly. So you might even be able to get away with that." Man'Tah nodded. Very slowly, Nasa moved over, and the others followed suit, the group quietly beginning to eat -- they would move the kills after, and as soon as the group finished, Man'Tah motioned. Very slowly, the lot lifted parts of the kills to carry toward the mountain, and Man'Tah nodded, moving towards the mountain. Slowly, but surely, the group travelled after her, single file, towards the lioness' mountain home.
