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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2022 18:43:29 GMT
The sound of the grasses shuffling as a passing breeze caught them made her ears twitch, her green eyes focused ahead on the young gazelle. It had left the safety of the herd, had wondered to the very edge of the border. It was the first true meal her cubs could really enjoy. She needed this meal... A grumble from her stomach made her realize she had gone a few days without a good meal... The cubs were fed... That is what mattered and Lesedi had been given food. She had promised her mother Lesedi would be safe...
The original plan had been the Pride Lands, the stories that it was a safe haven and well protected by it's king. The episode with Zira had not been planned and the forced marriage... The pregnancy... Nuka... She squeezed her eyes shut at the thought of her mate. He had hated him at first, but he had been kind to her, soft and gentle... That final nuzzle before he left to the Pride Lands with his mother, after hearing that she was with cubs.
Inyere would not let him be forgotten... But, she had to get that young gazelle... She bolted from the grasses when it walked near her and missed the first lung, but it was scared and running along the border. It would work good enough for her. Her heart was pounding, the young thing must have hit it's leg, it was limping slightly. Good, it was hurt, she could catch it. As she neared inches from it, she felt a sudden blow to her side, which sent her tumbling along the ground... TAG: @kovu LOCATION: Borders of the Outlands COMMENTS: ^_^
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2022 12:48:21 GMT
The blow that hit Inyere's side felt to have some weight to it; That weight was in fact a grown adult lion, black mane flowing down to his shoulders. "Just in time..." he said mostly to himself, turning quickly before even addressing the strange lioness, "Out of here, go!" he shouted to the young gazelle, too young to be hunted at least for his tastes, and this lioness was acting strange... a bad sign.
"What are you doing? Explain yourself!" Kovu said, his words carrying a growl to them. He took an aggressive stance, trying to balance his ability to respond between her fighting or feeling, leaning toward answering with his strength rather than chasing her... so to did he try to make himself look bigger, something that came natural to the lion.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2022 13:12:14 GMT
Words did not register in her mind, her eyes followed the young gazelle, her stomach growling in protest as it disappeared into the tall grasses. What would her cubs eat now? She was too tired, drained from the chase and the sudden blow to her side to go after another fast meal.
Maybe Lesedi had better luck? She pulled herself up to her feet, about the time the words of the lion touched her ears and she turned, lowering herself to the ground, showing her teeth as she snarled.
"Hunting! I doubt the pridelands will miss one gazelle and now it is gone!" Inyere said as she felt her stomach growl at her again, her paw twitching to want to rub the belly, but she stopped herself. Her tail flicked in frustration and hunger. As she gained her bearings, she realized she was still on the Pride Land side of the border...
Danger...
If this lion was in the Pride Lands, maybe he was one of the rulers... They hated Taka... They hated Zira... They hated Nuka... They had killed Nuka and they would kill her and her babies. "Move aside and let me leave... Not like I will be able to find a meal at the border again today." Inyere was low to the ground, protecting her neck and stomach from attack. TAG: @kovu LOCATION: Border of Outlands COMMENTS: ^_^
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2022 17:47:09 GMT
Kovu's eyes met with the strange lioness's. "We in the Pridelands respect each and every animal." he countered. Though she resisted, he still picked up on her hunger. "No matter how hungry you are." he said, doing his best to veil his compassion. "Normally you would be told to leave, but..." he stepped toward her. "I can tell you are desperate." he tried to warm his expression, but only slightly.
"You'd surely have better luck with leftovers or grubs. Tell me why you came here to trouble us."
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2022 18:30:14 GMT
She knew all about the circle of life, but she also knew that food was food... Whatever great kings were in the land, she needed food. Her stomach protested her neglect, growling at her, causing a pain to ripple through it as she stood there.
The closer he stepped, she shrunk lower and slide her paws backwards, growling at him in genuine fear. Was her cubs going to be true orphans? Lesedi could care for them, she was sure of that...
"Leftover? Grubs?" she growled at the lion in disbelief. "I've eaten grubs for weeks, my cubs can not live off them alone... I can't live of those alone..." She winced when her stomach grumbled again. "Don't try and pretend you care, Pridelander... you didn't care when your Pride murdered my mate or the rest of my Pride."
She didn't stick around for him to speak more before she used her paw to send dirt into his face and raced towards the Oatlands and the termite mounds. She prayed to whatever Great Kings there were... maybe her old Pride King... that Lesedi had found food.
She stopped running past the river that was full of some crocodiles and trotted towards a den near the center of the mounds.
"Mom!" Both cubs came rushing out to greet her, earning them both a smile.
"My loves," she said as she laid down, resting from the escape.
TAG: @username LOCATION: --- in the Outlands COMMENTS: ^_^
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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2022 17:24:47 GMT
The small body of a lioness cub shuffled around nervously. Mother had gone out to try and hunt but to Inara, it seemed to be taking forever. Though, for her, mother always took forever, even if she was only gone for a few seconds. The lioness cub turned her gaze to her brother, her eyes full of worry. "Tesh, what if something happened to Mom... what if the Pridelanders got her! What if she got hurt?" Mother always came back, even if she did not have any food with her. That just was how Inara was though. Living in their small little den was all she had ever known.
Inara knew that all of these worries and questions would grate on her brother though. He was so much braver than she was. The lioness wished sometimes that she could be more like him but she was who she was. A sudden thought came to her though were she hoped maybe she could try to be brave with her brother, "Hey, maybe Aunt Lesedi will come by and we can go play pond and get all muddy and wet! You love that! I...I'll... I'll even try to be the big mean crocodile this time so you can save the day!" Inara lowered her front legs into a play bow and gave a tiny snarl just as noises started to come closer to their den.
The cub nearly jumped out of her skin and raced towards her brother. She got behind him, putting him between herself and whatever was coming towards them. She shrunk her body down, eyes wide. But just as quickly as that happened, Inara blinked as she realized that the creature coming towards them was Inyere, their mother. She sighed in relief and then promptly scampered her little body all over Teshub in an effort to get to their mother first. "Mom, mom, mom! Are you ok? What happened? Did you get food? You were gone forever!"
Words: 328 Tag: @inyere, @teshub Comments: Awww, she's adorable...so much fun to play
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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2022 18:25:48 GMT
Teshub pawed at a deadly snake before he pounced. No snake was going to infiltrate his home! He grabbed it in his teeth and shook it hard then showed his catch to his sister. What she would see was a twig he had been pretending was a snake, "Not bad, eh?" He said with a mouth full of dry bark. He dropped it at her feet. Inara was in no mood to play and her worried words made that clear enough.
He dropped the 'snake' onto the ground, "Mom is too careful to get into trouble, Inara. She knows what she's doing." He said, his voice gentle so as to sooth her. He didn't think too much before he acted, unlike his sister and mother. One day, he thought, his brazen charging technique would come in handy.
"Yeah," he agreed, "It's hot today, perfect mud day." He took the cue of changing the subject since worrying did them no good anyway. He chuckled, "Inara, a mean crocodile?" He teased, "I'd like to see that." His tail lashed as she got into a playful position. He was no fighter yet but playing with his sister was a safe way to get in the practice to become the fighter he would one day be. He planned to do just that until she skittered toward him in fear. He turned toward the source of her fright but the wind was not on his side and he didn't recognize their mother until she came into view. He sighed with relief and let Inara ask the questions while he observed. She had likely not made a kill, there was no scent of prey on her. He rubbed his body against her legs with a small purr.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2022 0:37:00 GMT
When her cubs came to the entrance of the den to greet her, she smiled and laid down to rest. The lack of food and physical stress her body had just been under, it was good thing to lay down. Her daughter, of course, spoke first and she smiled at the cub. She did not wish to worry them with the details of the Pridelanders, they had heard enough of how dangerous it was to venture into the territory of another Pride's land. That was all they needed to know...
"I'm sorry, no food, my loves... But, I think there might be some grubs in the log just by our pond... It isn't much, but I checked this morning," Inyere said, though hated to ask them to eat those again. For them, it would be filling. For her, it would just be a tease. She hoped Lesedi had had better luck. It was only early, so they had plenty of time and Inyere could catch a small fish in the river later...
The crocodiles had never been too friendly, but they rarely bothered the lions in the Outlands. They just asked for respect. She was grateful they followed the circle of life, it seemed. The fish weren't big, but for her and Lesedi, it was enough to keep her strength up and one a week or two didn't seem to bother anyone.
"And I am fine, just sad I couldn't find you anything to eat," she said as she nuzzled Teshub and smiled at her daughter. "Have you two stayed in the den all morning?" For that she was rather surprised, especially with how adventurous her son could be. TAG: @inara, @teshub LOCATION: The Termite Mounds in the Outlands COMMENTS: ^_^
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2022 17:07:01 GMT
Inara smiled at the stick her brother had caught, no doubt he had imagined that it had been a massive threat to them that he had gladly taken care of. She was a bit too worried to notice unfortunately. But Teshub must have known that because his words were soothing for her. She found herself calming down enough to offer to play after mother returned. Inara found herself smiling again, glad that her brother agreed. "Yeah, we'll get all muddy and dirty and then trample Mom until she either gets mad or laughs! But you know she can never stay mad at us for too long, so either way, we can have a blast!" The lioness cub gave a little leap of excitement. She really did mean that she would try to be a mean crocodile. When Tesh teased her a bit, her ears were just starting to drop until he added that he'd like to see that. Then her ears perked right up and she puffed her chest out a tad bit, something that Inara hardly ever felt confident enough to do.
But then everything changed when mother came home. After her surprised retreat and then scramble to greet Inyere, Inara listened intently. She was disappointed that there would be grubs again for dinner tonight instead of fresh meat but she was not going to make their mother feel even worse for failing to hunt down an animal by herself. Even instinctually, Inara knew that hunting as a lone lion or lioness was incredibly difficult. To try to make mother feel better, she spoke up, "It's ok, Mom! Maybe we'll find one of those really big green fat caterpillars that you like! And yes, we were good today and stayed near the den. Is Aunt Lesedi coming over today?"
Words: 300 Tag: @inyere , @teshub Comments: Yes, she's officially one of my new fav chars!!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2022 21:13:42 GMT
Teshub's tail lowered in disappointment when it was clear there was no meat to be had, "I'm so hungry." He complained, Inara's reaction was different as usual and definitely more helpful than his. Grubs did not bring the same satisfaction that meat did, not by a long shot. He always considered not staying by the den but had decided against exploring today. He couldn't promise the same tomorrow, not with a belly full of grubs and a determination to find food for his family. Maybe he could even slip away tonight and surprise his mother in the morning with a kill.
He perked up when Inara mentioned Lesedi. Their aunt could also mean meat since she often helped their mother hunt, "Oh, we should track Aunt Lesedi to see how much better we've gotten. Can we, mom? We'll stay on her trail only, I promise." he waved his tail hopefully and gave his mother a very large-eyed begging face, "It'll make us better trackers and hunters." He said, trying to sound responsible when all he really wanted was an adventure and a chance to avoid a grub dinner awhile longer.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2022 23:00:34 GMT
Big Fat Green Catepillers. She smiled and made a sound of joy at the thought, but in reality... She hated grubs period... but, she had to show her kids that it was important to try things and she found joy in seeing them eat something. It was better than starving, even if it meant eating something she hated. When Teshub complained, she gave him a mildly-scolding look and nudged him playfully with her nose.
"You will be okay with some grubs," she said before she stood and headed deeper into the cavern, stopping to push some bones from their last actual meal. It was a memory at this point, but the bones were a clutter and she pushed them towards the opening of the cavern, listened to her son talk about tracking.
They did need to leave the cavern and she let out a sigh before she smiled at him. "Alright, but only for a bit... We don't need to make her hunt harder." Walking past them, she stuck her nose in the air and quickly found the scent of her sister going off deeper into the Outlands... Well, would the cubs find the scent? TAG: @inara, @teshub LOCATION: Mounds in the Outlands COMMENTS: ^_^
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Post by Deleted on Oct 15, 2022 5:06:26 GMT
The lioness cub rolled her eyes at her brother's complaint about being hungry, "But you are always hungry. That's not fair to Mom or Aunt Lesedi to constantly be complaining about it." Inara spoke rather quickly, with an attitude in her voice until she realized what she said and how she said it. Then her eyes got wide for a second and sheepishly looked down at the ground, "Sorry, Tesh, I'm not trying to hurt your feelings." Inara was so worried about what she said that she missed how their mother was really feeling about the grubs and her failed hunt.
She also continued to be quiet from then on so as to not interrupt Mother or Teshub until their mother agreed to let them track Aunt Lesedi. "That was a great idea, Teshub! Do you want to lead the way or should I?" Inara might not like to go out adventuring away from home too often but if mother was going to be with them, then Inara could get some practice in too. She actually did like tracking but she was scared to actually try hunting yet. She was nothing like Teshub, who showed his courage every day. Though a thought just occurred to her, "Hey Mom, how come you didn't just go hunting with Aunt Lesedi in the first place? Don't lions hunt better together?"
Words: 227 Tag: @inyere, @teshub Comment" We need a Lesedi... lol
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Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2022 2:50:29 GMT
Lesedi
Hunting in the Outlands was like trying to breathe water. Some painful spluttering, some gasping... and coming out of the water soaked and not a mystical water-cat. Prey didn't dare come here and the crocodiles were a death sentence to hunt, even if she dreamed about it. Still, sitting by the waterside was a good choice; everyone needed to drink and if anyone did come out here, this would be a good place to catch them.
She hid among the rocks above, downwind of the Pridelands border. So far only a few crocodiles had come this way... but she would spot a few lizards making their way through the dry reeds. They were fast and had great vision, making them near impossible to actually catch. But maybe, if she came close... She'd step down from the rocks and slowly inch toward the waterside...
She hadn't come half as far as she needed to before they spotted her and ran off, scurrying into small crevices and burrows she couldn't dig into. This made her flop onto her belly with a sigh and a pout, ears drooping. Maybe a fish would do, or a toad... Well, a toad she knew was okay. Those were dangerous. ...On second thought, no toads.
"...Maybe if I annoy the crocs enough they'll share. I could scare away all their fish! They can't catch me! Yeah...!"
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Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2022 14:21:30 GMT
"But you are always hungry."
Teshub shied back, embarrassed. If there was one thing that could make him grumpy and complain, it was his stomach growling. He couldn't help it, being hungry was one of the worst feelings in the world! "Maybe my stomach just complains more than yours." He said, pouting, "I can't help it." He just nodded with a small smile when she apologized. He didn't mean to make anyone feel bad but his stomach felt like it might flip inside out if he didn't eat some real food.
"You're the better tracker." He said, good natured, completely putting his hurt feelings aside, "You should lead. I'll make sure no predator comes near." He said, his mind completely on the task at hand of protecting his sister while she tracked their aunt. Maybe she'd have some real food, his mind buzzed at the exciting thought.
He wished he and Inara were big enough to help hunt, then they'd be unstoppable. He imagined all the prey they'd catch and he had to swallow really fast or drool. He shook his head, getting back to the task of watching for danger, his eyes narrowed and his ear alert. He hardly listened as his mother and Inara spoke, only intent on that goal for precious meat.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2022 16:05:42 GMT
Inyere chuckled at the cubs as they went back and forth for a moment. "Enough, you two... The circle of life has always provided us with just enough," she said as she nudged them both with her nose before they began to walk towards the direction Lesedi had left this morning.
As they spoke about tracking and protecting, Inyere shook her head. "How about I do the protecting, you both need to practice your tracking," she said as she kept a close eye out. They had rarely been bothered by much in this area of the Outlands. The hyena sometimes came to the edge of the termite mounds, but never stuck around to cause problems. It was almost like they were watching for something, sometimes even making eye contact with her.
At her daughter's question, she let out a sigh. "We wanted to be able to hunt a larger area... Sometimes, it is best to try and go to two places at once," Inyere answered, though this morning it seemed like maybe they should have stuck together for the hunt. They were nearing the river where the crocodiles liked to hang out.
"Stay clear of the water cubs," she said as she came over the small hill that overlooked the river. The crocodiles were resting and they most the time kept to themselves. So far, she didn't see anyone, but soon spotted her sister in an area near the river, but she didn't say anything. The cubs needed to find her, after all. "Remember, stay calm... If you spot your aunt, do not yell out at her, she might be hunting and we don't need to ruin it." TAG: @lesedi, @inara, @teshub LOCATION: Crocodile River in the Outlands COMMENTS: ^_^
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