She tossed a glance over her shoulder at the pale-pelted lioness and decided sitting down would not only rest her for the rest of the journey, but the lioness behind her was also extremely slow, even though the worst of their trip was passed. They hadn't come across anything worthwhile, sadly, but she supposed it was for the best. She just didn't have the malicious heart to bring home something as a Thrall. A sigh, and her gaze slid over the outline of the land before them. Soon she'd be back home, back with her..... beloved mother, and back home, and maybe her mother would stop complaining so much. She was starting to harass her about strong blood ties, and she was certain if she didn't find a worthy mate, her mother was going to have an arranged marriage set up for her, and who KNEW what would happen from that point on. She didn't even want to consider it, and she shuddered. It's why she chose this outing with Astrid, someone she was actually fond of.
Freya eyed up her friend and she could almost see the workings of her mind, and she sighed, her voice much softer than before, "Astrid, you shouldn't care what any beast has to say, because you do this for you, not them. You'll get home and hold your head high because you accomplished this. Do you see any of those old bitties out here? Hmm? DO YOU?" She nudged her playfully in the shoulder, a smirk playing on her lips, "They're probably so old they can't leave the pride or they'll poof into dust." She made a dramatic show of throwing a handful of dirt into the air, a small 'puff' cloud to emphasize her point. "Besides, you have more important things to do right now. Like that." She gestured off in the distance, where grazing animals were surrounding a pool of water. "We might be able to bring home some food instead of a Thrall, and it'll be better than nothing at all, right?" She knew Astrid wasn't one for hunting, as she's seen what the paler lioness was capable of, and maybe this would be a good excuse for her to get a workout and tuck a few skills away for herself. Maybe they should make a few viking trips together just for the heck of it, Astrid could certainly use the practice.... a lot of practice. Okay, she was really, REALLY bad at hunting, they both knew it, and this was going to be nothing more than an awful story for home: another thing they'd probably just keep to themselves.
Leave it to Freya to always cheer her up, Astrid rolled her eyes. But then the reality of what she was asking right at the end had her eyes widening. Was... she serious? They both knew she couldn't- Ah. That was her game. She half-heartedly glared at Freya and huffed, standing on tired legs but knew she was right. Coming home empty-handed would be terrible, and better to try this now before they caught up to the rest of the group to get home. I mean, after all they couldn't just hike out on their own, but being so far behind the rest, they may as well have been. With one last exasperated look at her friend, she shuffled forward, making as little noise as was possible... for her anyway. Which meant she kicked a few stones here and there, but somehow the herd hadn't noticed her yet. Or maybe they just didn't sense a threat from a bumbling lion. Regardless, she crouched down, getting herself into position, and she could almost hear Freya's voice in her head, telling her to breathe and relax. One step... two steps... she was pretty close, her luck was just amazing right now. And no sooner had she gotten a big head, they had sensed her and decided to make a run for it, and Astrid had to jump now or lose her chance and have Freya torment her the whole way home. She leapt, and by some unfathomable miracle, she dug her claws into the hindquarters of a very, very angry buck. She held on for dear life as long as she could, but one good throw and she was on her back spitting out grass, and laughter from a ways off told her that the band they were travelling with had been not so far ahead after all. Goody.
[Word Count: 1,043]
