Post by Shomoro on Jan 25, 2008 22:01:15 GMT -5
Involved:
Almasi, Princess of Tyne
Amahl, Prince of Tyne
Jaak'oneil, Grouchy Old Man
Tyne - Kijitu Lake
So, here he is. Yeeeep. He's here. And really, that's pretty much all that can be said for the middle-aged lion currently flopped casually on his stomach on a large, mossy rock that juts out into the water, his eyes closed. He's here. Existing. Not.. really doing much but taking up space, it would appear. While Jaak'oneil has traveled far and wide, it's only recently that he has stuck for so long in one place. d**n dry season drying up all the water everywhere else. What the heck is a retired old fella supposed to do with himself when there's no water for fishing! Or.. y'know, drinking. Jaak is quite aware that he is on claimed lands; quite aware that there is probably some big, hulking grumpy King lurking just around the corner wanting to rip him to shreds for intruding or just as a precaution to keep him from getting around with any of the King's lionesses. Hm. Chin resting on the rock, one of Jaak's eyes creaks open. Women.. women... nah. Fishing. Said eye drifts closed again, and one forepaw, which has been dangling in the water, stirs around once or twice before stilling once again. This.. is why it's good to be retired.
There were a few clouds massing in the sky when he came out of the pridal den earlier--they look fluffy, bright, and as dry as condensed water can be, but Amahl is hopeful that they'll shed some rain before they disperse anyway. He'd be happy with /anything/, even if it's just a drizzle...a few lousy drops would at least be something to reassure himself and possibly the rest of the pride that rain even /exists/, because he's starting to think it's gone extinct and it won't be coming back at all. There's not much wind, but the clouds /are/ moving, and he'd started following them around; they've led him halfway across the lands, alternately running and stumbling over things because he's got his neck craned up to watch them, but now they seem to be breaking up. And they haven't shed a single drop of moisture. Skidding to a halt, the young lion frowns severely at them and then drops back onto his haunches, settling in for a sulk. It's only once he lowers his gaze back to the dry earth where it belongs that he even notices where he is. The /lake/? He'd assumed it would be a pointless chase, but that was just /mean/. ...And who's that there? Jaak is given a suspicious look--the adolescent isn't sure if he's some previously unknown relative or not. He's got a lot of those, he thinks--Tyne is a big pride. He rises after a minute, creeping closer, and clears his throat.
Pfft. Rain would only spoil what is otherwise a glorious day for fishing. Perhaps the powers that be in the world are with Jaak more than they are with Amahl, or the entire Tyne pride, or the whole of Africa. Isn't that a special thought! In as about as a relaxed and carefree state as anyone could possibly be, Jaak does not so much as jump at the sound of a throat being cleared somewhere behind and to his right. There is a momentary thought of 'uh oh' that flashes through his brain, and in his mind's eye he imagines looking around to see that big, hulking, fat and grumpy King behind him and about ready to pummel him into the ground. Slowly, as if the effort of actually lifting his head is too much work, the older lion swings his to his right, the light gray of his chin just barely off the ground. Both eyes open, blinking twice as his gaze alights on Amahl. Ah. It's just a /kid/. He doesn't have to worry about a kid. Er.. he doesn't think. Anyway. With a faint huff of breath of dismissal, Jaak's eyes drift nearly shut again, leaving just a sliver of color visible as he eyes the adolescent. "Shhh!" It's hardly above a whisper, as if even speaking.. or shushing, in this case.. seems to require too much work. His head swings back to its previous position, chin settling into the depression in the moss it made earlier.
Maybe if Amahl looked like a big, hulking, fat and grumpy king in the making, he'd be something to worry about. As it is? He doesn't even look like the sort of boy the /shrimpy/ boys worry about. But he's frowning, and even moreso when Jaak shushes him; it's not a loud noise, but it's sudden and against the silence of the afternoon (it's too hot for the birds to sing, he thinks) it sounds harsh. And in spite of his big, important position as a prince and future lord of the pride, the boy recoils a little. Well. This guy /must/ be a grumpy, older uncle or something. He's acting like he owns the place! Amahl is wary, but he seems to decide after a minute that Jaak has passed the 'Who are you and do you even belong here?' test without answering a single question, just on the grounds that he's /behaving/ like he belongs here. So when he moves again a little while later it's towards the water, and not away from it; he gives the older lion a bit of a berth, but he doesn't let Jaak's presence stop him from getting a much-needed drink. Well...unless Jaak does, in fact, stop him from getting it, anyway. He's prepared for that possibility, though--some people are just rude that way--and he keeps a wary eye on the other male, his ears alert for suspicious growls or grumbles. But he's shushed! For now, at least.
As there is no indignant sputtering, or angry muttering or anything else of the sort to indicate to Jaak that he may have just crossed a line by insulting a local, he fully settles back into his state of blissful relaxation and leaves it at that. No other attention is paid to Amahl, not even out of caution. Jaak figures that the kid looks old enough not to be obnoxiously annoying in the way that cubs can be - 'Hey, Mister! What are you doing, Mister? Why is the sky blue, Mister? Whywhywhywhywhy, Mister?', all the while stomping on his back and his face and boxing his ears - and he definitely doesn't look like the sort who Jaak would lose to if a fight were to come about.. so, all is well, in his mind. The lion's chest expands as he inhales the dry, warm air deeply (OK, so maybe a little rain would be welcome), then exhales with a loud sigh. Ahhhh. This is the-- waitwhat? The old lion's ears perk amongst the scraggly, grizzled gray mess of his short mane, capturing the gentle sound of tongue against water. Head snapping up and eyes opening in surprise, Jaak stares in open-mouthed shock at the younger male. "Hey! Whaddaya think you're doin'?!" This time, he forgets to even whisper. "You're gunna scare off the fish, kid!" His forepaw is removed from the water, and he ignores - or doesn't mind - the sopping wetness as he leans over the edge of his perch to stare down into the water, where he does indeed see no dark shapes that indicate fishy life just below. And he's POSITIVE they were there JUST a second ago, JUST ABOUT to get caught! "Gaah," He grumbles, shifting back and turning an annoyed glare on Amahl. "Now look what you did!"
There's no response as he approaches...but as soon as his tongue lashes against the water, Jaak's head comes up, and Amahl nearly jumps out of his skin. "/Gah/!" he echoes, with considerably more fright than annoyance, and treats the older male with a bewildered stare. "I'm /drinking/! It's hot and I'm thirsty!" From another youth, perhaps, it would sound haughty, but Amahl just seems utterly flummoxed. Nobody's ever had a problem with him /drinking/ before, even with how dry it's been. Doesn't this might-be-an-uncle-or-something know he dehydrates easily?! "I didn't do anything!" He looks down at the water as well, his brows raised, and then back at Jaak. Water, Jaak. Water, Jaak. "There aren't fish here! Just crocodiles and most of /them/ are gone anyway!" At least, he thinks there aren't fish here. He can't say he's ever seen any swimming around. But then again, how often does he /look/? "And anyway," he goes on after a little while, "if you're hungry I'm sure the hunting party's going to come back with /something/ soon." Because Jaak is, after all, a member of Tyne and thus perfectly qualified to eat their food.../right/? Amahl eyes him, but the way he's hunched in on himself makes his suspicious stare less than effective.
Jaak'oneil finally - finally! - pushes himself to his paws. He's not a large lion, he is not built thick with muscle. He is fairly average looking, aside from various scars. But he looks - espcially /now/, with the scowl that has etched itself onto his face - tough. Gruff. It's the odd juxtaposition of what clearly seems to be an advancing age, with the relative fitness of his body. Many his age have already gone to seed, or perhaps are just resigned to the fact that they are aging. But not Jaak. He is old (well, old/er/, anyway), he is scarred and scruffy and beat up, but he still looks like he could be dangerous. Trouble. ...If only he weren't wasting his time arguing about /fish/. Alas. The wet forepaw is lifted and is pointedly swung to indicate the lake before them. "It's a /lake/," He argues. "Where there is lake, there is fish. /Of course/ there are fish here!" And now his gaze narrows even further, a step taken towards the younger male. "Whaddaya think I was doin'? Soakin' my paws like some lil' old lioness? Of /course/ there are fish." And then he turns away again, grumbling to himself about misguided youth and their lack of knowledge about /anything/ these days. Pfft. But Amahl's mention of the hunting party and food stop him short of flopping back down - to /fish/ because there are /obviously/ /fish/ in the water where one is /fishing/ otherwise one would look like an /idiot/ sitting there dangling their paws in the water - and he glances back at the Tyne prince over his shoulder. He regards Amahl in silence for a long moment, before a smirk draws across the gray of his muzzle. "I didn't know pridal hunting parties were so kind to strangers," He remarks, his words tinged with sarcasm. Because it's always been quite the opposite, he's found. Quite a shame, really. Nothing brings folks together like food!
As far as the adolescent is concerned, the fact that Jaak is posturing at him while arguing the existence of fish in Lake Kijitu is irrelevant; it's still intimidating as far as he's concerned, and it would probably still be intimidating even if the topic at hand was a firm belief that the sky is actually green and anyone who believes otherwise is a big doodoohead.. Maybe Jaak isn't the biggest lion...or the most muscled...but Amahl isn't exactly big either, and the older male definitely has the advantage of /aggressiveness/ on his side. Or at least an apparent willingness to /be/ aggressive. Delicate little thing that he is, the prince's best defense is to just get up and move away, which he does quickly enough. "/I/ don't know what you were doing!" he retorts from a safer distance. "I thought you just fell asleep like that!" This is as argumentative as he ever gets; it's a poor cover for the fact that he's confused and intimidated and wishing, suddenly and quite childishly, that Waset was here. Yes! His mother would know how to deal with this guy! ...But she's not, of course, and he's left floundering as he at least tries to figure out what she /would/ do. Probably she /wouldn't/ turn into a perplexed, miserable little lump at the first sign of trouble. He glares at his feet for a minute, but his gaze snaps up again in a hurry when Jaak ever so blithely admits that he's /not/, in fact, part of the pride. "/What/?!" It comes out a squeak, almost. "Then why are you /here/? These aren't your lands! You've got to /ask/ before you come in and--and--fish in our lakes!" Never mind that he was just doubting the existence of the aforesaid fish two minutes ago. Now he treats Jaak to the same severe, frowning look he'd given the clouds earlier. It doesn't make him look /dangerous/...but it does make him look, amazingly, rather more stern. Of course, he hasn't got the muscle to back it up, and it's an expression driven much more by indignation than by actual aggression.
Well! He can be sure that Amahl /is/ one of the pride, and nto a freeloader - er, retired, layabout rogue - like himself. As he stands there, watching how the adolescent reacts, Jaak can't help but be inwardly amused. That the younger male is ill at ease is pretty darn clear. In fact, it would probably be something to take advantage of, if he ever were entertaining a thought of trying to take over.. whatever the heck this pride is. Not that Jaak has even considered such. He's.. more of a loner, now, than anything else. "Maybe I /did/ ask," He retorts, raising gray brows at the boy slightly. "Maybe no one answered." Turning his back on the adolescent, Jaak moves back to his place by the water. He doesn't settle back down just yet, instead lazily watching for the tell-tale shapes of fish below. "And /maybe/ I didn't come here to 'fish in your lakes,'" He remarks, casting a quick glance back to Amahl, ignoring the stern look on the youngster's face. "Maybe I came to eat local cubs." He goes back to his water watching, though one ear remains tilted slightly in Amahl's direction, in case the boy decides to race off to find help; better prepared than.. not.. prepared. Several moments of silence later, Jaak again flops back onto his spot, resuming a more casual, laid-back air. "AND," He adds, indignation creeping into his tone now. "I'll have you know that I was /not/ sleeping. I was listening for the fish!" Pause. "With my eyes closed. It's easier that way." Because he was, indeed, drifting off just as Amahl came around. But /maybe/ sleeping is all a part of fishing, not a part of being old and grumpy. So there.
Speaking of lionesses and cubs! Here comes another one. Almasi is carrying what looks like a dead and very skinny hare in her maw, so she found it by mistake, an as the hare was on its way out she finshed the job. Her bright gaze drifts one way then another while her ears perk forward and she blinks once she catches sight of her brother an some grumpy looking lion. He better not be bothering her brother! If so she'll be sure to give him hell.. Well, that's what she thinks anyway, maybe she could smack him with her dead skinny hare? It would be amusing if nothing else. For the moment she's quiet while she makes her way onwards to where her brother is, eyeing the stranger all the as she goes.
Of course, even if Jaak /was/ entertaining thoughts of taking over...he'd have to go through not one but two kings. Amahl, thank goodness, isn't Tyne's first line of defense. But he's trying now that he's aware the other lion is one of those mysterious foreigners, bless him. "Well, it's rude to come in just because no one answered," he scolds, and when Jaak turns away from him he steps forward. Thinks better of it when the older male looks over his shoulder. "You didn't come to eat our cubs," he goes on stubbornly. "If you did you wouldn't be lying around /here/." Has he found his spine? Maybe he's just too confused to keep running himself in verbal circles. When Jaak falls silent again, though, he does too--he slumps back onto his haunches, his brows furrowed. "...You can /hear/ them?" he wants to know when the other does speak, a little dubiously. "Really?" After a quick look to make sure that the stranger is staying put, he eases a little closer to the water again, squinting at it. His ears are perked forward a little in spite of himself--listening, even though he doubts hearing fish swimming around and minding their own business /is/ at all audible. He doesn't hear any /swimming/, but he does hear something rustling nearby as Almasi comes closer, and glances up.
Almasi wanders ever closer, her ears lowering as she catches what the lion says to her brother.. What a evilevil..THING.. yes a THING. The young lioness moves closer to her brother's side, the hare is dropped while she gives herself a shake. "What you talking to some grumpy old lion for bro?" She questions Amahl as her gaze turns back to Jaak as if half checking him out before huffing. "His all icky looking.." Nice girl an't she?
Oh, come now! Jaak'oneil is not 'icky looking'! He's just.. weathered? Well-seasoned? Yes. Something to that effect. The arrival of the teenage lioness is met with a light scowl from Jaak; geez, can't he get a little peace and quiet around here on these lands that are not his?! And though he continues to act unconcerned.. he is not a stupid lion. He knows that if two youngsters have turned up here, that it might just be a popular place for the pride to gather and he may have to scoot along sometime soon. But as it stands, he remains where he is. Jaak's attention shifts from Almasi to Amahl, and a look of amusement passes across the older lion's face. Is the kid seriously trying to listen for fish? Jaak had just made that up as an excuse for his near slumbering. A flash of teeth as Jaak chuckles, grinning at the Tyne prince. "Mhm. S'all a part of the fishing experience. Which why why you need quiet." Another glance to Almasi, since she is.. rudely interrupting and /talking/. "Totally quiet."
He's not /seriously/ trying to listen for fish! He's just.../casually/ listening for fish. To see if the older male is actually telling the truth. Which he doubts, mind! ...Though if that /is/ true Jaak's fishing skills must be very impressive. Honestly, Amahl isn't sure /what/ to believe right now. "I still don't think there are fish here," he declares, but it's worth noting that he sinks onto his stomach and settles down even as his eyes go to Almasi. Oh! It's not another random visitor. Good. He's having a hard enough time assimilating to one. "He's /fishing/," the boy explains; he's still a little doubtful, it's clear, but he's lowered his voice soas not to disturb the possibly there, possibly not fish. Oy.
Almasi makes a face as the lion talks about being quiet. "Why would I want to be totally quiet? not like I'm trying to hunt or anything.. An what fish? I haven't seen fish in there for a long time. I mean ever since it hasn't rained in like EVER." Oh dear, seems she's gotten rather talktive. "An why is some STRANGE lion all the way in here anyway??"
Jaak'oneil's facial features twitch in annoyance. "It's a /lake/," He says, glaring in Almasi's direction. "/Lake/ means /fish/." Stupid kids. Once again, the aging lion settles himself on his mossy outcropping of rock, wanting nothing more than for irritating, /noisy/ children to go away and leave him in peace. Even if they're only going to tell their King that he's here, at least that would be a few minutes of blessed peace. "/AND/," Because, of course, he cannot leave well enough alone. "Maybe I'm all the way in here because your King is too fat and lazy to care." So there! Now, isn't that mature. Grouching to himself, Jaak attempts to block out any and all of Almasi's /noise/, calmly lowering his forepaw into the lake water once again. Now. Where was he before he was interrupted by annoying, noisy teenagers grumping about him and his favorite hobby? Ah, yes. Sighing.. more an irritated breath of air than anything else.. the lion drops his chin back to the rock and lets his eyes close.
"You don't know anything about our king," Amahl points out, surprisingly reasonably. "You don't even know how many we have." Maybe the fact that he's not alone anymore has calmed him down...or maybe it's just that he's figured out Jaak seems harmless. Grumpy, sure, but harmless. He glances at Almasi, lifting his eyebrows...and then, incredibly, sliiides a little closer to Jaak. He peers down into the water, but doesn't say anything more--just stretches out his own forepaw to dabble it in the water, neatly mirroring the older male's posture. He still doesn't think there /are/ any fish, but he's a little curious as to what the appeal of this is.
Almasi just blinks and eyes Jaak as if there was a rhino sitting on his head. "Stupid lion..." She grumbles out, ears lowering while her tail lashes. "You wouldn't be saying that if YOU knew who was the king.." An who she an her brother is, but she keeps that to herself. The young lioness lifts a brow while peering after her brother, whom she slowly follows after. Well someone has to protect him after all.
Chin never leaves the rock, eyes never open. "This is the face of 'not caring'," Jaak mumbles, more to himself than to the two teenagers. But he files those words of Amahl's away for future reference. 'You don't even know how many we have'? Now that's an odd statement to make. Most prides have a single King. So why remark on the /amount/ of Kings unless there is an unusual number in this specific pride? If Amahl were on Jaak's team, he would have just earned himself a good hard cuffing between the ears. Mind your words.. what you /don't/ say sometimes gives away more than what you /do/ say. Reminding himself to tread carefully around any local adults he comes across - and perhaps making note that he should go find better fishing lands once the dry season breaks - Jaak twirls his paw lightly through the water, focusing on the feeling of the water. The older lion's eyes open just a touch as Almasi speaks, his gaze slipping in her direction. Another interesting statement, though not one he ponders on as much as Amahl's. Speaking of the young male, Jaak is again amused to find the prince toying with the water himself. He allows himself the faintest of smirks.. but says nothing. His eyes drift closed again, and he relaxes. Ahhhh. Fishing.
Almasi, Princess of Tyne
Amahl, Prince of Tyne
Jaak'oneil, Grouchy Old Man
Tyne - Kijitu Lake
So, here he is. Yeeeep. He's here. And really, that's pretty much all that can be said for the middle-aged lion currently flopped casually on his stomach on a large, mossy rock that juts out into the water, his eyes closed. He's here. Existing. Not.. really doing much but taking up space, it would appear. While Jaak'oneil has traveled far and wide, it's only recently that he has stuck for so long in one place. d**n dry season drying up all the water everywhere else. What the heck is a retired old fella supposed to do with himself when there's no water for fishing! Or.. y'know, drinking. Jaak is quite aware that he is on claimed lands; quite aware that there is probably some big, hulking grumpy King lurking just around the corner wanting to rip him to shreds for intruding or just as a precaution to keep him from getting around with any of the King's lionesses. Hm. Chin resting on the rock, one of Jaak's eyes creaks open. Women.. women... nah. Fishing. Said eye drifts closed again, and one forepaw, which has been dangling in the water, stirs around once or twice before stilling once again. This.. is why it's good to be retired.
There were a few clouds massing in the sky when he came out of the pridal den earlier--they look fluffy, bright, and as dry as condensed water can be, but Amahl is hopeful that they'll shed some rain before they disperse anyway. He'd be happy with /anything/, even if it's just a drizzle...a few lousy drops would at least be something to reassure himself and possibly the rest of the pride that rain even /exists/, because he's starting to think it's gone extinct and it won't be coming back at all. There's not much wind, but the clouds /are/ moving, and he'd started following them around; they've led him halfway across the lands, alternately running and stumbling over things because he's got his neck craned up to watch them, but now they seem to be breaking up. And they haven't shed a single drop of moisture. Skidding to a halt, the young lion frowns severely at them and then drops back onto his haunches, settling in for a sulk. It's only once he lowers his gaze back to the dry earth where it belongs that he even notices where he is. The /lake/? He'd assumed it would be a pointless chase, but that was just /mean/. ...And who's that there? Jaak is given a suspicious look--the adolescent isn't sure if he's some previously unknown relative or not. He's got a lot of those, he thinks--Tyne is a big pride. He rises after a minute, creeping closer, and clears his throat.
Pfft. Rain would only spoil what is otherwise a glorious day for fishing. Perhaps the powers that be in the world are with Jaak more than they are with Amahl, or the entire Tyne pride, or the whole of Africa. Isn't that a special thought! In as about as a relaxed and carefree state as anyone could possibly be, Jaak does not so much as jump at the sound of a throat being cleared somewhere behind and to his right. There is a momentary thought of 'uh oh' that flashes through his brain, and in his mind's eye he imagines looking around to see that big, hulking, fat and grumpy King behind him and about ready to pummel him into the ground. Slowly, as if the effort of actually lifting his head is too much work, the older lion swings his to his right, the light gray of his chin just barely off the ground. Both eyes open, blinking twice as his gaze alights on Amahl. Ah. It's just a /kid/. He doesn't have to worry about a kid. Er.. he doesn't think. Anyway. With a faint huff of breath of dismissal, Jaak's eyes drift nearly shut again, leaving just a sliver of color visible as he eyes the adolescent. "Shhh!" It's hardly above a whisper, as if even speaking.. or shushing, in this case.. seems to require too much work. His head swings back to its previous position, chin settling into the depression in the moss it made earlier.
Maybe if Amahl looked like a big, hulking, fat and grumpy king in the making, he'd be something to worry about. As it is? He doesn't even look like the sort of boy the /shrimpy/ boys worry about. But he's frowning, and even moreso when Jaak shushes him; it's not a loud noise, but it's sudden and against the silence of the afternoon (it's too hot for the birds to sing, he thinks) it sounds harsh. And in spite of his big, important position as a prince and future lord of the pride, the boy recoils a little. Well. This guy /must/ be a grumpy, older uncle or something. He's acting like he owns the place! Amahl is wary, but he seems to decide after a minute that Jaak has passed the 'Who are you and do you even belong here?' test without answering a single question, just on the grounds that he's /behaving/ like he belongs here. So when he moves again a little while later it's towards the water, and not away from it; he gives the older lion a bit of a berth, but he doesn't let Jaak's presence stop him from getting a much-needed drink. Well...unless Jaak does, in fact, stop him from getting it, anyway. He's prepared for that possibility, though--some people are just rude that way--and he keeps a wary eye on the other male, his ears alert for suspicious growls or grumbles. But he's shushed! For now, at least.
As there is no indignant sputtering, or angry muttering or anything else of the sort to indicate to Jaak that he may have just crossed a line by insulting a local, he fully settles back into his state of blissful relaxation and leaves it at that. No other attention is paid to Amahl, not even out of caution. Jaak figures that the kid looks old enough not to be obnoxiously annoying in the way that cubs can be - 'Hey, Mister! What are you doing, Mister? Why is the sky blue, Mister? Whywhywhywhywhy, Mister?', all the while stomping on his back and his face and boxing his ears - and he definitely doesn't look like the sort who Jaak would lose to if a fight were to come about.. so, all is well, in his mind. The lion's chest expands as he inhales the dry, warm air deeply (OK, so maybe a little rain would be welcome), then exhales with a loud sigh. Ahhhh. This is the-- waitwhat? The old lion's ears perk amongst the scraggly, grizzled gray mess of his short mane, capturing the gentle sound of tongue against water. Head snapping up and eyes opening in surprise, Jaak stares in open-mouthed shock at the younger male. "Hey! Whaddaya think you're doin'?!" This time, he forgets to even whisper. "You're gunna scare off the fish, kid!" His forepaw is removed from the water, and he ignores - or doesn't mind - the sopping wetness as he leans over the edge of his perch to stare down into the water, where he does indeed see no dark shapes that indicate fishy life just below. And he's POSITIVE they were there JUST a second ago, JUST ABOUT to get caught! "Gaah," He grumbles, shifting back and turning an annoyed glare on Amahl. "Now look what you did!"
There's no response as he approaches...but as soon as his tongue lashes against the water, Jaak's head comes up, and Amahl nearly jumps out of his skin. "/Gah/!" he echoes, with considerably more fright than annoyance, and treats the older male with a bewildered stare. "I'm /drinking/! It's hot and I'm thirsty!" From another youth, perhaps, it would sound haughty, but Amahl just seems utterly flummoxed. Nobody's ever had a problem with him /drinking/ before, even with how dry it's been. Doesn't this might-be-an-uncle-or-something know he dehydrates easily?! "I didn't do anything!" He looks down at the water as well, his brows raised, and then back at Jaak. Water, Jaak. Water, Jaak. "There aren't fish here! Just crocodiles and most of /them/ are gone anyway!" At least, he thinks there aren't fish here. He can't say he's ever seen any swimming around. But then again, how often does he /look/? "And anyway," he goes on after a little while, "if you're hungry I'm sure the hunting party's going to come back with /something/ soon." Because Jaak is, after all, a member of Tyne and thus perfectly qualified to eat their food.../right/? Amahl eyes him, but the way he's hunched in on himself makes his suspicious stare less than effective.
Jaak'oneil finally - finally! - pushes himself to his paws. He's not a large lion, he is not built thick with muscle. He is fairly average looking, aside from various scars. But he looks - espcially /now/, with the scowl that has etched itself onto his face - tough. Gruff. It's the odd juxtaposition of what clearly seems to be an advancing age, with the relative fitness of his body. Many his age have already gone to seed, or perhaps are just resigned to the fact that they are aging. But not Jaak. He is old (well, old/er/, anyway), he is scarred and scruffy and beat up, but he still looks like he could be dangerous. Trouble. ...If only he weren't wasting his time arguing about /fish/. Alas. The wet forepaw is lifted and is pointedly swung to indicate the lake before them. "It's a /lake/," He argues. "Where there is lake, there is fish. /Of course/ there are fish here!" And now his gaze narrows even further, a step taken towards the younger male. "Whaddaya think I was doin'? Soakin' my paws like some lil' old lioness? Of /course/ there are fish." And then he turns away again, grumbling to himself about misguided youth and their lack of knowledge about /anything/ these days. Pfft. But Amahl's mention of the hunting party and food stop him short of flopping back down - to /fish/ because there are /obviously/ /fish/ in the water where one is /fishing/ otherwise one would look like an /idiot/ sitting there dangling their paws in the water - and he glances back at the Tyne prince over his shoulder. He regards Amahl in silence for a long moment, before a smirk draws across the gray of his muzzle. "I didn't know pridal hunting parties were so kind to strangers," He remarks, his words tinged with sarcasm. Because it's always been quite the opposite, he's found. Quite a shame, really. Nothing brings folks together like food!
As far as the adolescent is concerned, the fact that Jaak is posturing at him while arguing the existence of fish in Lake Kijitu is irrelevant; it's still intimidating as far as he's concerned, and it would probably still be intimidating even if the topic at hand was a firm belief that the sky is actually green and anyone who believes otherwise is a big doodoohead.. Maybe Jaak isn't the biggest lion...or the most muscled...but Amahl isn't exactly big either, and the older male definitely has the advantage of /aggressiveness/ on his side. Or at least an apparent willingness to /be/ aggressive. Delicate little thing that he is, the prince's best defense is to just get up and move away, which he does quickly enough. "/I/ don't know what you were doing!" he retorts from a safer distance. "I thought you just fell asleep like that!" This is as argumentative as he ever gets; it's a poor cover for the fact that he's confused and intimidated and wishing, suddenly and quite childishly, that Waset was here. Yes! His mother would know how to deal with this guy! ...But she's not, of course, and he's left floundering as he at least tries to figure out what she /would/ do. Probably she /wouldn't/ turn into a perplexed, miserable little lump at the first sign of trouble. He glares at his feet for a minute, but his gaze snaps up again in a hurry when Jaak ever so blithely admits that he's /not/, in fact, part of the pride. "/What/?!" It comes out a squeak, almost. "Then why are you /here/? These aren't your lands! You've got to /ask/ before you come in and--and--fish in our lakes!" Never mind that he was just doubting the existence of the aforesaid fish two minutes ago. Now he treats Jaak to the same severe, frowning look he'd given the clouds earlier. It doesn't make him look /dangerous/...but it does make him look, amazingly, rather more stern. Of course, he hasn't got the muscle to back it up, and it's an expression driven much more by indignation than by actual aggression.
Well! He can be sure that Amahl /is/ one of the pride, and nto a freeloader - er, retired, layabout rogue - like himself. As he stands there, watching how the adolescent reacts, Jaak can't help but be inwardly amused. That the younger male is ill at ease is pretty darn clear. In fact, it would probably be something to take advantage of, if he ever were entertaining a thought of trying to take over.. whatever the heck this pride is. Not that Jaak has even considered such. He's.. more of a loner, now, than anything else. "Maybe I /did/ ask," He retorts, raising gray brows at the boy slightly. "Maybe no one answered." Turning his back on the adolescent, Jaak moves back to his place by the water. He doesn't settle back down just yet, instead lazily watching for the tell-tale shapes of fish below. "And /maybe/ I didn't come here to 'fish in your lakes,'" He remarks, casting a quick glance back to Amahl, ignoring the stern look on the youngster's face. "Maybe I came to eat local cubs." He goes back to his water watching, though one ear remains tilted slightly in Amahl's direction, in case the boy decides to race off to find help; better prepared than.. not.. prepared. Several moments of silence later, Jaak again flops back onto his spot, resuming a more casual, laid-back air. "AND," He adds, indignation creeping into his tone now. "I'll have you know that I was /not/ sleeping. I was listening for the fish!" Pause. "With my eyes closed. It's easier that way." Because he was, indeed, drifting off just as Amahl came around. But /maybe/ sleeping is all a part of fishing, not a part of being old and grumpy. So there.
Speaking of lionesses and cubs! Here comes another one. Almasi is carrying what looks like a dead and very skinny hare in her maw, so she found it by mistake, an as the hare was on its way out she finshed the job. Her bright gaze drifts one way then another while her ears perk forward and she blinks once she catches sight of her brother an some grumpy looking lion. He better not be bothering her brother! If so she'll be sure to give him hell.. Well, that's what she thinks anyway, maybe she could smack him with her dead skinny hare? It would be amusing if nothing else. For the moment she's quiet while she makes her way onwards to where her brother is, eyeing the stranger all the as she goes.
Of course, even if Jaak /was/ entertaining thoughts of taking over...he'd have to go through not one but two kings. Amahl, thank goodness, isn't Tyne's first line of defense. But he's trying now that he's aware the other lion is one of those mysterious foreigners, bless him. "Well, it's rude to come in just because no one answered," he scolds, and when Jaak turns away from him he steps forward. Thinks better of it when the older male looks over his shoulder. "You didn't come to eat our cubs," he goes on stubbornly. "If you did you wouldn't be lying around /here/." Has he found his spine? Maybe he's just too confused to keep running himself in verbal circles. When Jaak falls silent again, though, he does too--he slumps back onto his haunches, his brows furrowed. "...You can /hear/ them?" he wants to know when the other does speak, a little dubiously. "Really?" After a quick look to make sure that the stranger is staying put, he eases a little closer to the water again, squinting at it. His ears are perked forward a little in spite of himself--listening, even though he doubts hearing fish swimming around and minding their own business /is/ at all audible. He doesn't hear any /swimming/, but he does hear something rustling nearby as Almasi comes closer, and glances up.
Almasi wanders ever closer, her ears lowering as she catches what the lion says to her brother.. What a evilevil..THING.. yes a THING. The young lioness moves closer to her brother's side, the hare is dropped while she gives herself a shake. "What you talking to some grumpy old lion for bro?" She questions Amahl as her gaze turns back to Jaak as if half checking him out before huffing. "His all icky looking.." Nice girl an't she?
Oh, come now! Jaak'oneil is not 'icky looking'! He's just.. weathered? Well-seasoned? Yes. Something to that effect. The arrival of the teenage lioness is met with a light scowl from Jaak; geez, can't he get a little peace and quiet around here on these lands that are not his?! And though he continues to act unconcerned.. he is not a stupid lion. He knows that if two youngsters have turned up here, that it might just be a popular place for the pride to gather and he may have to scoot along sometime soon. But as it stands, he remains where he is. Jaak's attention shifts from Almasi to Amahl, and a look of amusement passes across the older lion's face. Is the kid seriously trying to listen for fish? Jaak had just made that up as an excuse for his near slumbering. A flash of teeth as Jaak chuckles, grinning at the Tyne prince. "Mhm. S'all a part of the fishing experience. Which why why you need quiet." Another glance to Almasi, since she is.. rudely interrupting and /talking/. "Totally quiet."
He's not /seriously/ trying to listen for fish! He's just.../casually/ listening for fish. To see if the older male is actually telling the truth. Which he doubts, mind! ...Though if that /is/ true Jaak's fishing skills must be very impressive. Honestly, Amahl isn't sure /what/ to believe right now. "I still don't think there are fish here," he declares, but it's worth noting that he sinks onto his stomach and settles down even as his eyes go to Almasi. Oh! It's not another random visitor. Good. He's having a hard enough time assimilating to one. "He's /fishing/," the boy explains; he's still a little doubtful, it's clear, but he's lowered his voice soas not to disturb the possibly there, possibly not fish. Oy.
Almasi makes a face as the lion talks about being quiet. "Why would I want to be totally quiet? not like I'm trying to hunt or anything.. An what fish? I haven't seen fish in there for a long time. I mean ever since it hasn't rained in like EVER." Oh dear, seems she's gotten rather talktive. "An why is some STRANGE lion all the way in here anyway??"
Jaak'oneil's facial features twitch in annoyance. "It's a /lake/," He says, glaring in Almasi's direction. "/Lake/ means /fish/." Stupid kids. Once again, the aging lion settles himself on his mossy outcropping of rock, wanting nothing more than for irritating, /noisy/ children to go away and leave him in peace. Even if they're only going to tell their King that he's here, at least that would be a few minutes of blessed peace. "/AND/," Because, of course, he cannot leave well enough alone. "Maybe I'm all the way in here because your King is too fat and lazy to care." So there! Now, isn't that mature. Grouching to himself, Jaak attempts to block out any and all of Almasi's /noise/, calmly lowering his forepaw into the lake water once again. Now. Where was he before he was interrupted by annoying, noisy teenagers grumping about him and his favorite hobby? Ah, yes. Sighing.. more an irritated breath of air than anything else.. the lion drops his chin back to the rock and lets his eyes close.
"You don't know anything about our king," Amahl points out, surprisingly reasonably. "You don't even know how many we have." Maybe the fact that he's not alone anymore has calmed him down...or maybe it's just that he's figured out Jaak seems harmless. Grumpy, sure, but harmless. He glances at Almasi, lifting his eyebrows...and then, incredibly, sliiides a little closer to Jaak. He peers down into the water, but doesn't say anything more--just stretches out his own forepaw to dabble it in the water, neatly mirroring the older male's posture. He still doesn't think there /are/ any fish, but he's a little curious as to what the appeal of this is.
Almasi just blinks and eyes Jaak as if there was a rhino sitting on his head. "Stupid lion..." She grumbles out, ears lowering while her tail lashes. "You wouldn't be saying that if YOU knew who was the king.." An who she an her brother is, but she keeps that to herself. The young lioness lifts a brow while peering after her brother, whom she slowly follows after. Well someone has to protect him after all.
Chin never leaves the rock, eyes never open. "This is the face of 'not caring'," Jaak mumbles, more to himself than to the two teenagers. But he files those words of Amahl's away for future reference. 'You don't even know how many we have'? Now that's an odd statement to make. Most prides have a single King. So why remark on the /amount/ of Kings unless there is an unusual number in this specific pride? If Amahl were on Jaak's team, he would have just earned himself a good hard cuffing between the ears. Mind your words.. what you /don't/ say sometimes gives away more than what you /do/ say. Reminding himself to tread carefully around any local adults he comes across - and perhaps making note that he should go find better fishing lands once the dry season breaks - Jaak twirls his paw lightly through the water, focusing on the feeling of the water. The older lion's eyes open just a touch as Almasi speaks, his gaze slipping in her direction. Another interesting statement, though not one he ponders on as much as Amahl's. Speaking of the young male, Jaak is again amused to find the prince toying with the water himself. He allows himself the faintest of smirks.. but says nothing. His eyes drift closed again, and he relaxes. Ahhhh. Fishing.
