[PRP] Drummer-Lion (Ranyshia & Rayn)

[Velveteen Angel]

Ranyshia was working on the drums, cleaning and stretching the hide meticulously. He couldn't do much in way of assembling them without the help of the baboons but he he could at least prepare the materials. He hadn't spent much time outside of his den recently, so caught up in his own work, that he finally brought himself out of his den.

...To sit in the sun and work on his job.

Ranyshia was nothing if not dedicated to his work.

He had walked a fair way from the pride, as he wanted silence, as he continued to scrape down and stretch the fur. He really needed to collect some more, he mused to himself.

Tanakako

 

[Tanakako]

Rayn grinned as she padded along. She loved being a reaver, not for the fighting (honestly she was probably the least muscular reaver in existence, all sleek body and graceful limbs) and not for the violence, though she loved her trinkets as much as the next Stormborn. No, she loved knowledge, and the chance to use that knowledge for her own ends. Rather than fight for a pretty necklace, she preferred to persuade its owner to give it to her. Rayn truly believed knowledge was power, and so far no one had proved her wrong.

Currently she was technically out on a viking with her elder brother. Captain Ragnvard was one of the more ruthless and dedicated males in the pride, and she knew he wanted to take over as Warlord. But the rest of the band were resting after a particularly violent battle for a small band of rogues. Rayn had done her part, singling out the weakest lions and picking them off one by one by pushing them into the claws of her more muscular fellow reavers. Plus she had orchestrated the start of the fight, positioning her brother’s band on the high ground and letting the rogues walk into her trap. Now the males were sleeping, two of them guarding the surviving rogues before they started the long trek back home. But Rayn had been restless and wanted to explore this land before they left.

The sound of scraping caught her attention and she turned, heading towards the sound. As a Stormborn, she never feared for her own safety. Not only was she a descendant of the Storm gods, but her entire family were warriors. She knew even Ronan, as much as they disagreed on things, would come to her aid if she ever needed him, and Ragnvard was only a shout away if she discovered any more trouble. So it was with a confident stride that she approached the lone male laying on the ground, doing something weird with a fur.

“Hello there, handsome..” She purred, gaze taking in both the male’s unusual activity, and the lion himself. Maybe it was time for a bit of relaxation after all….. A seductive, coquettish smile curled across her muzzle.

Velveteen Angel

 

[Velveteen Angel]

Ranyshia had heard her approaching but he wasn't that concerned. Not that he knew how to fight, he just knew that few would be stupid enough to attack him for his meager possessions; his furs. They didn't look like much, as he was scraping the meat and most of the fur off, leaving only the skin which he would stretch the make the drums. It was pedantic work, and it took hours, but he enjoyed his work.

At her purr, he raised his bright green eyes to scan her form, coming to rest on her face.

"Hello," he responded simply, looking rather unconcerned by her presence. His gaze slipped back to his furs, and he continued to scrape at them, otherwise ignoring her presence.

Tanakako

 

[Tanakako]

Rayn wasn’t a fan of being ignored. If someone didn’t desire her, she made sure they hated her instead. Nothing was worse than being a nothing. So long as someone felt something about her, she was content. Admittedly it was usually annoyance (from her siblings), irritation (from those she duped with bad deals) or desire (pride males looking to have reaver-blood cubs). However she had discovered that strangers in the roguelands tended to be interested in her, and she greatly enjoyed the many nights spent in their company. That was what she desired now. Attention.

Padding closer she plopped down beside the male, peering over his paw at his work. “What are you doing?” Sure she was more interested in the male himself, but the activity that currently engaged him was weird, and Rayn had always desired knowledge.

Velveteen Angel

 

[Velveteen Angel]

He startled a little as she plopped down next to him, and he paused in his work, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. At her question, he sighed, as if he was being greatly put out by it, though he was actually a bit flattered that she would take an interest in his craft. "I am making drums for the Nchi - the pride that is nearby," he remarked casually.

"I have to clean the skins completely before I can ask the baboons to create the drums; they have better paws for creating them than us lions." He glanced at her. "Are you a musician looking for the pride, or something else?" She didn't look like a musician, she looked too muscular to be in the pride, and she had come from the rogue lands, so maybe she was looking to join?

Tanakako

 

[Tanakako]

Curious Rayn watched his claws for a moment, then looked about them. “This is pridal land?” Well, that would be something her brother would like to know. A pride of drum-playing lions? How weird. Still, maybe they could take some drums back home…. Perking up at the idea she grinned back at the handsome stripped lion. This day was finally looking up!

Surprised out of her thoughts by his question she looked back up at him, vivid blue eyes wide. “Me? No…. I… what’s a ‘musician’?” Obviously confused she glanced back the way she had come. “I’m a Stormborn. My brother and I came here on a viking. But he was being boring so I decided to come see what you were up to.” Pausing she tipped her head, looking up at him from under her lashes. “I’m glad I did…”

Velveteen Angel

 

[Velveteen Angel]

"To be specific, this is not pridal lands. This is just outside our border. Sometimes the pridal members are too distracting and I find them too annoying when I am trying to work," he explained, sliding her a side-ways glance. She was being distracting as well...but Ranyshia did not mind her that much.

"A musician is someone who plays music; someone who can create tunes out of objects or with their voice," he said, spilling a rather basic line.

"What is a stormborn?" He asked, his curiosity obvious. Ranyshia had been a rogue once, coming to the pride as an adult he had found his paws rather quickly. Still, ti didn't mean he wasn't curious of how others lived.

Tanakako

 

[Tanakako]

Rayn listened attentively, tail curling. She was a very smart lioness and could be a good student when she wanted to be. It was just that usually, she didn’t see any point in listening to someone who clearly knew less than she did. However this time, this male was utterly fascinating, and what he spoke of was certainly worth remembering.

“I see. Is the pride close by then?” Glancing down at his bald pelt again she tipped her head, chuckling. “I can understand that, I have many who distract and annoy me back home. Reavers especially only have one thing on their minds, fight and drink, fight and drink…” Pulling a face she huffed, shifting closer to the big male with an apparently innocent movement.

Peering up at him, her slim muscular frame now resting lightly against his bulker one, she smiled. “Are you a ‘musician’?” Curious she paused before answering. “We are a pride born of the great gods of Storm and Sea. We are great warriors.” Eyes shining she smiled proudly, clearly her birthright was incredibly important to her, to all the ‘stormborn’ lions.

Velveteen Angel

 

[Velveteen Angel]

Ranyshia hummed as he contemplated the distance between them and the pride. "I suppose so, if you consider our relative location to all other prides, then yes, we are quite close to the Nchi in particular." He had moved a fair way from the pride, hoping for silence. "Are 'Reavers' a particular sort of lion in your pride?" He asked, not understanding the terminology.

He noticed her shift closer but didn't remark on it, curious as to what she was doing. When she said that she was from a pride of warriors, he realised he should have been concerned or nervous, but he had a feeling she wasn't likely to hurt him. She didn't seem to have violence on her mind.

"I suppose you could say I am a musician," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I prefer to create, rather than entertain, however. I test all of the drums that I and the baboons make however." It wasn't much, but it was enough music.

"Are you a warrior then?" He asked, his eyes obviously scanning her figure.

Tanakako

 

[Tanakako]

Looking up over his back she peered at the land all around them. She will have to remember to let her brother know, but she planned on acquiring a few drums herself first. Not only would it impress the reavers, but she would have a unique bargaining tool. Grinning, pleased with her plan, she returned her attention to the handsome male.

“Yes, though most of the pride are reavers. That is the main warrior class in our pride. We also have the freeborn, regular lions who choose not to fight.” Her tone held a slight disdain to it as she said that. Her parents, while traditional, had brought their cubs up to believe reavers were the least that you could aspire to. “Though many females are mothers, so that’s ok.” She added, just to clarify. “My brother is a Captain.” She usually wouldn’t talk so much about her home, knowledge was power after all, but she couldn’t see a drum-making stranger from this far away causing her or her pride any trouble, ever. And it was kind of nice to talk for the sake of it, rather than with some kind of end goal in mind.

“I’d like to hear this…” She replied, curiously watching the skin he had been flaying, though it seemed their conversation had stopped his progress. “Of course, or I wouldn’t be out here… freeborn can not leave our boarders. I am a reaver, but I am more brain than brawn.” A fact she was particularly pleased of. Though she could more than hold her own in a fight against a regular rogue, and most reavers too.

Switching topic again she nosed a bit of the hide that poked out from under his paws. “Do you trade these ‘drums’..?” She wanted far more from this stranger, but first.. business before pleasure..

Velveteen Angel

 

[Velveteen Angel]

He paused in his scraping, giving her his full and undivided attention as she spoke of her home pride, his gaze interested but not maliciously so. Ranyshia was not the type who would take the information that he gave her and use it against her. Rather, he was honestly interested in her words and her story.

"I see," he mused. "Your brother is a powerful lion in the pride?" Perhaps that was why she was not afraid to approach strangers, though looking at her form, it was clear that she could defend herself. It was unlikely that this female relied on anyone else to get her what she wanted.

"You seem fairly brawn to me," he remarked with a semi-amused smile. "Your brains must be quite impressive then." She was more powerful than he was, though he had muscles thanks to his trade of scraping the furs. They were not muscles honed by fighting, but by hard work and the daily grind of a career.

He removed his paws from the hide, allowing her to inspect it if she so chose. "I do not," he responded. "Or rather, I have never. You would be interested in a drum?" He raised a brow. "It takes the baboons a few days to complete the process; I'm afraid they are not the most committed creatures...but I do have a few completed drums back at my den that I could bring you to browse, if you so desired."

Tanakako

 

[Tanakako]

Lifting her head again she nodded. “He is. He is going to be Warlord someday.” She knew he wanted to challenge for leadership, though she wasn’t sure if even her brother was powerful enough to beat a warlord, if any lion could do it, she knew it was her older sibling.

Feeling him look her own she grinned, arching her neck and curling her tail to best display her lean frame. She was not bulky like a male, but there was nothing soft about her, she was a skilled warrior in her own right, muscles hard under sleek fur. Laughing with pleasure at his reply she gave him an appreciative look. “Why, you are something of a flatterer, aren’t you.” Grinning she dipped her head in acknowledgment of his praise. “Certainly I am not slow. It is why my brother keeps me near. I can’t be the strongest, but I can be the smartest, if I try hard enough.” She was already sure there were few in the pride smarter than she, but it never hurt to keep honing your skills.

As he moved to let her see more of his work, she leaned closer, sniffing the hide curiously. “I would. I can think of many uses for such a thing back home. And even this ‘music’… I think our reavers would enjoy such entertainment greatly after a viking.” Certainly, they got drunk enough that they could be incredibly loud all on their own, but maybe having one of these drums would at least give their loudness some direction… The idea pleased her and made her all the more determined to have some of this lion’s wares.

Looking back up at him she smiled, a warmer, more intimate expression than earlier. “Maybe I should come with you? I can’t imagine it would be easy bring too many of these drums all the way out here…” Maybe her fun would be a part of their trade… She really did love her job.

Velveteen Angel

 

[Velveteen Angel]

His brows rose. A warlord? Hm, sounded like a fierce-some male, and definitely one that Ranyshia did not want to get on the wrong side of. Thankfully, it seemed that he amused the strong male's sister, so perhaps that would be enough to provide him some protection should he ever run into the male.

He looked amused at her comment of him flattering. "I don't flatter needlessly," he told her calmly, and he didn't. There wasn't any point in his opinion. "If the future warlord of your pride thinks you are worth it, then I can't think of a reason to doubt that." She was quite beautiful, he thought to himself, now taking note of her lean muscle and her coat. What really struck him about her was her eyes though, such a vibrant colour.

At her suggestion of returning to the dens with him, he glanced at her, meeting her gaze. Ranyshia was not what anyone would call a 'ladies' man, in fact he rarely spoke to the pridal members except to hand out the drums, but even he could recognize the warm expression on her face. "I'd be honoured to escort you," he remarked, rising to his paws. He used his paw to chuck the semi-scraped pelt across his back, before gazing down at her. He wasn't a big lion, but he was reasonably tall.

"Shall we?" He asked, a semi smile coming across his face as he waited for her to rise and follow him. What a fortuitous day.

Tanakako

 

[Tanakako]

Grinning up at him she couldn’t help preening a little. She knew she was important to her brother, he didn’t suffer fools. But to hear a stranger say similar couldn’t help but affect her. Watching him rise and accept her suggestion, she beamed, vivid blue eyes sparkling with pleasure. Standing herself, she gracefully shook a few stray bits from her pale coat before padding up next to him, her head held high and carriage confident.

“Lead on, drum-maker..” Flashing him a wide smile she added. “I’m Rayn by the way.”

Velveteen Angel

 

[Velveteen Angel]

He had been confident that she would follow, after all it had been her suggestion, but he felt a certain level of relief when she stood and motioned for him to lead. At her comment of her name, he realised that they hadn't even exchanged pleasantries such as names, but then again, he wasn't really one for small talk. He liked their previous conversations better, though he supposed it was only fair to trade names now.

"A pleasure to meet you, Rayn," he said, with a half smile. "I am Ranyshia." He began to move towards the pride, a slow pace to ensure she continued to follow, his heart thudding in his chest.

Tanakako