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Paeta was in a foul mood, and he was looking for something - or someone - to take it out on.He'd been trying since long before Breytast Vindar to find a band to take him on his first viking. It had been a fruitless battle, and Paeta was quickly growing irritated. There seemed to be some sort of stigma that came along with his family, and quite honestly Paeta was thoroughly disgusted with it. It felt like he was being avoided simply because of his family.
It was, more than anything, quite annoying.
Stalking through the pride, Paeta's eyes narrowed on a lion that looked like clouds.
A prime target.
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Kardas had been minding his own business, as he usually did. He was on loan to Karta, which he didn't really mind. Okay, that was a lie. He despised getting dirty. Loathed it. His initiation as Karta's borrowed thrall had been digging in a vast pit filled with mud. Kardas had no idea there were so many types of mud. It was Gods damned ridiculous, really, and Kardas never wanted to do it again.Thankfully Karta's love affair with dirt seemed to be nearly monogamous, and the greenish lion only relied on Kardas to retrieve food and drink for him, or to make deliveries.
Other than that, his time was his own, and Kardas didn't mind it too much.
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"You there," Paeta snarled, his voice a low rasp. He had no idea if the cloud-colored lion was a thrall or not, and quite frankly the lion didn't care. He was itching for a fight. It probably would have been wiser of him to simply start a fight out on the sands, but Paeta felt like preying on someone weaker than he.Of course, he didn't really know if the lion he'd chosen was weaker than him, but Paeta had a hard time believing that a lion colored the way this one was could be capable of doing anything that could cause him bodily harm.
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It was times like this that Kardas really hated his current station in life. Before he turned around, he pondered murdering Ruzanski in his sleep. After all, it was the dark lion's fault he was in this situation, wasn't it? Gods knew he'd never win a Breytast Vindar against the Captain.This train of thought was constant in his mind, even if he'd never really sought out Ru to see if he could simply be freed. Kardas was pretty, but he wasn't the keenest lion around. He was smart, yes. He only had problems when it really came to thinking things through.
With a sigh, Kardas turned, one brow lifted inquisitively.
"Me?"
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Paeta narrowed his eyes.There was no one else around that he could have been talking to, and that instantly made the short-tempered lion's fuse spark. It burned hot and fast. Either he was being made fun of (which was far more likely than he'd prefer) or the lion before him truly was as foolish as he looked.
Paeta immediately assumed it was the former.
"You're a thrall, aren't you? I've never seen you on the sands. In fact, I've never seen you do anything useful."
He felt frustrated, and Paeta knew he was misplacing his frustration on this thrall.
He didn't care.
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Well, then."I've never seen you before in my life," Kardas was being frank. He'd never seen this particular lion before, though he'd seen a few similar females around the pride. There was a female in particular that looked nearly exactly like this one.
"I'm a thrall, yes," Kardas ground out, hating the way the words tasted on his tongue. Incredibly frustrating, it was, and Kardas hated admitting such a thing.
"I'm afraid I'm on a task at the moment," he wasn't, "but if you'll let me finish this, I can help you with whatever you need."
He was totally lying.
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Paeta didn't really care of the thrall's tone, and he certainly didn't care for the way he was being made to feel.In a move he knew he'd regret later, Paeta struck the thrall with a thick, broad paw.
There was a definite satisfaction in watching the lion stumble back and hit the ground in a cloud of dust. That satisfaction spread throughout his chest until it blotted out the regret that threatened to loom. There was nothing to regret.
Yet. His mothers really hadn't raised him this way. His own birth mother was a thrall.
That thought alone gave Paeta pause, and he merely stood there snarling softly.
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Kardas didn't see that beefy paw coming, and he certainly hadn't expected it. He was left seeing stars, millions of them. As he fell back in the dirt, he let out a soft groan. Had the lion broken his jaw? He didn't want to think about it.Kardas didn't rise to his feet, either. He didn't want to antagonize the other lion, who seemed to be bristling for a fight. Kardas really didn't want to see this situation escalate, considering the way his head was throbbing.
Giving the buff-colored lion a confused look, Kardas remained quiet. He didn't think he'd said anything wrong.
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Paeta didn't feel better. Not even a little bit. In fact, he felt worse the more he thought about it. There was the regret he'd been expecting. It settled in his throat, bitter and foul. Hopefully Mopani wouldn't find out about this. Or Tazira. Neither of them would be pleased by the fact he'd just slapped down a thrall for no good Gods damned reason. Judging by the look on the thrall's face, Paeta's actions had confused him, too."You shouldn't talk back," Paeta growled harshly before turning on his heel and stalking off. He didn't feel like explaining himself. Not now. Maybe he'd apologize later. He felt no better now than he had before.
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Kardas was feeling bewildered, to be honest, and he didn't open his mouth to speak when he was spoken to. Instead, he watched the pale lion stalk off. He didn't rise to his feet until the lion was out of sight, and only then did he stagger upright.Gods. His head was pounding. What a terrible turn to an otherwise quiet day.
Muttering softly to himself under his breath, Kardas made his way back to the little den that Karta had renovated for him. Mud packed the holes in the once-rickety little den, effectively blocking out the sun.
Kardas was glad. The bright light hurt his eyes.
He hoped he didn't run into the lion again. If he never had a repeat of today, it would be too soon.