Post by Msasi on Apr 17, 2007 22:52:24 GMT -5
Involved:
Sundali, Female White Lioness Cub
Kibumba, Male Hippopotamus
Rutubika, Female Hippopotamus
Kale'kizuka, Male White Lion Cub
Onaedo, Male Lion Cub
Samayah, Female Lioness Cub
Motosi, Male Barbary Lion
Summary: A few of Tyne's cubs meet the residents of the local river delta. And where go Tyne cubs, so does trouble follow.
[Tyne] River Delta
Afternoon in Tyne has seen a rainstorm move through the area and now yet another forming in the northern sky.. though it seems that one will not reach the area any time shortly. Thus, the day has been left fresh and cool. It would be a perfect opportunity for little lion cubs to be out romping in the mud and such, but the girl now approaching the delta is in quite a temper. Sundali - who couldn't blend in to her surroundings even if she wanted to - is making no effort to conceal her approach. Oh, no! If Onaedo and Kamau aren't going to believe that she wrestled with a crododile - which, you know IS a fib on her part, but STILL! - then she is bound determined to find one and drag it back to Tyne Rock. Just to show them. Huff! The she-cub storms to within a few tail length of the bank before slowing, her courage slipping away just a bit. After all, the crocodile she DID see here the other day DID scare her, no matter what she told her two friends. But what a dilema she's gotten herself into now! It's either drag back a full grown crocodile to prove herself - ha! - or return empty-pawed and have them find out that she's nothing but a big fibber. Quietly pondering her situation, the white lioness cub creeps closer to the water. Perhaps a drink will help her make up her mind.
With a loud 'GNNNFFFF' of rumbling throats and wheezing nostrils, a massive hippo surfaces a short distance away from the little one. There will be no crocodiles in this area today- the big, territorial bull has made sure of that. "Gnnnnawfully bold," bellows Kibumba, squinting his eyes at the cub and letting his mouth hang open threateningly. A predator near his precious pod of potentially pregnant females? Blasphemy!
Potentially? Bah. Then again, it's hard to tell through the thick skin and massive bulk that Rutubika is expecting. At the sound of the bull's bellow, the smaller female lifts her head above the surface of the water where she had previously appeared to be nothing more than a rain-slicked rock, pausing in her munching of river vegetation, to turn her small eyes toward the bank. A child? ... a *lion* child, so close to the water? "...foolishness," she grumbles to herself, snorting out a fine mist and swiveling her small ears toward them.
Kale'Kizuka has arrived.
Barely does the girl's tongue touch the surface of the water when movement is caught out of the corner of her eye. Terrified that it might be that crocodile - did anyone else see that thing's /mouth/?! It was huge! And had lots of sharp teeth! - Sundali skitters back a step or two, pale golden eyes wide. However, what surfaces is not a crocodile, but a hippo. For a second, Sunny relaxes, even going so far as to breath an audible sigh of relief. Whew! But when another surfaces not too far off.. and the male's mouth drops open, Sunny's expression falters. That.. that thing has a very big mouth. "I..." Her eyes dart between Kibumba and Rutubika, back and forth, and then once again. Hippos don't eat /lions/, do they? Heheh. "Jus'.. gettin' a drink.." She says, attempting to sound bold and strong and fearless.. just like she'll tell Kamau and Onaedo she was when she relates to them the tale of this encounter.
Kibumba's chin slaps against the water's surface as he tosses his head up and then down again in what could be a yawn or a grimace- whatever it is, anyone nearby gets an eyeful of his ivories. "This place belllloonngs to my pod now! None that eat the flesh of others shall tread herrrreeee!" In the distance, where the water is deeper, a few other hippos surface to check out what all the action is about.
Rutubika's heavy feet push against the muddy bottom of the river, propelling her toward Kibumba and the cub. She could go rather fast, but keeps her approach slow so as not to frighten the little one away too much. "She has not been properly taught," the female intones in a rumbling alto, her eyes fixed on the cub with a slightly warmer expression than the bull...but only slightly. When she speaks, she does not bring her mouth all the way out of the water, and so fills the cavernous maw with water when ever she moves her jaw up and down. "Her elders should take better care of her," she adds, glancing to Kibumba for a moment before she actually addresses the child. "What would have happened to you if Greenskins still swam here? They do not speak to intruders as small as you."
Oh boy.. This is all so new! And more than a little scary. Cool, though- very cool. A little white scrap is romping across the muddy ground alongside the river, Kale'kizuka hugely enjoying his first real trip away from Tyne rock. Or at least, his first unaccompanied trip. He's already stopped for several quick naps, his little legs finding the journey very tiring- but he's running on enough adrenaline to keep going for a while longer. The jungles were interesting, full of bugs, snakes and other things that the boy had to dodge- but this river is even more shocking to him. It's the first time he's actually seen water in flow, and he spent several long minutes gazing at it with his jaws wide open. But then he hears bellowing,. splashing. And catches a somewhat familiar scent. He scurries towards the noises- old enough to explore, way too young to be sensible, and finally appears from the cover of a bush behind Sundali. "Sunny-D!" He yells excitedly, somewhat pleased that this pal of his uncles should be the first to see him being INDEPENDENT and BRAVE and everything. And then he blinks, taking in the huge forms of the hippos. "What these, Sunny? They /hyooge/.." He wrinkles his nose. "An' smelly.." Younger even than her, he gazes at the hippos with admiration but no real fear. Nothing out there would eat HIM! He's too special!
Any hesitation Sundali has begins to fade away as the hippos speak and she realizes that she doesn't have a single clue what they're going on about. Pale features twist into a confused frown at Kibumba. "What'sa pod?" She questions, followed almost immediately by, "And whas' that mean? 'Bout no eating treats 'n flesh here?" A small, hesitant step is taken backward as more hippos surface behind Kibumba. Gulp. Golden eyes flick to Rutubika. Well, she looks nicer than that other guy, anyway! If maybe only a little bit. "An' what'sa greenskin?" These hippos sure do speak funny, don't they? "I've only ever sawed crocs here a'fore. An' he had a big mouth and big teeth 'n he went like this at me..." Here she parts her muzzle and issues a soft little hiss, trying to imitate the frightful noise that the crocodile she'd come across had made. The sound of her name startles her and Sundali glances back over her shoulder as who appears by Kamau and Onaedo's little runt-monster! "Hey.. hey, whatcha doin' all the way out here, huh? Oh, them?" She blinks to the hippos at the young male's inquiry. "Them's hippos. They lives in the water 'n.. uh.. you know. They lives in the water." Just WHY they live in the water is beyond her. Doesn't their fur get all wet and icky?
Kibumba lowers himself into the water and blows slow, thoughtful bubbles. After some time, he lifts up his huge head and grumbles, "Rrrutuuubiiika, for the sake of your calf in cominnnng, do not suffer these carnivores the breath." The slab of muscle and skin sloshes the water about with a sweep of his head, sending spray up about his face. "Begone, and let it be known that none of your elders ought wannnnder near our shores!" Muddy, roiled water splashes about in his mouth and around his yellowed teeth, but the bull seems not to care.
"They are children, Kimbumba," Rutubika takes on an even softer, quieter tone with the bull, eyeing the brats out of the corner of her dark eyes. "They are ignorant. Lessons should be taught...though yours will likely leave naught but their bodies to warn their elders." She shakes her own head, backing off a bit all the same. "Greenskins are the same beasts you mimic, child," she rumbles to Sundali, narrowing those once warm eyes. "They are not to be mocked when they could snap you up and eat you like you would a defenseless mouse." Even with the hormones of pregnancy raging through her, the presence of the cubs worries Rutubika more than it enrages her. What would their mother's do if something horrible happened to them?
"No eat mouses! Eat milk!" Kale'kizuka protests at Rutubika's words, sticking out his lip. Considering the boy is still naive enough to think that all grownups feed from a giant lioness in the back of the pridal cavern when he's not looking, it's not a hard leap for his logic to make. He gives Sundali a look as she explains about hippos, and then turns his attention back onto the two. "Why you shout?" Kale asks of the big male, his face full of innocent childish curiousity. "You BIG! We small.." He grins. "We no scary.. No mean." Yes, Kale. Keep talking to the enraged herbivorous battle-tank why don't you?
Sundali can't help but frown at the male hippo, brows knitting together over pale eyes. That guy is really hard to udnerstand. Why can't the old people come here? What if they're thirsty? What if they fall in the mud and need a bath? And what if they're nod /really/ old but only /sort of/ old? Are they allowed then? How very confusing. At least the female seems nice enough, and Sundali's ears cant forward curiously as Rutubika explains that Greenskins are, indeed, crocodiles. "I'm brave, though," She says, puffing out her pale chest and tilting her chin up ever so slightly. "Not afraid of no cr-- er, Greenskin. I gots to show Ona' and Kamau that I wasn't lyin' when I said it had a big mouth 'n big teeth 'n hissed at me." From her childish perspective, this is indeed vastly important, to prove her worth to the two young lords. Kale' is ignored, for the most part - he's the little runt-monster, after all, and does she really want to associate with him? - but one of his comments draws amusement from the girl, who turns to give him the smallest of smiles. "Not us eat mouses. She means that it'd eat us like mouses, silly." Wait, what? Frowning, and looking faintly worried, Sunny's gaze swings back to Rutubika. "...Do they really eats kids?"
Onaedo has arrived.
The big bull hippo gurgles, and it's either displaying anger or laughter of some sort. "Child," he grunts, and then louder this time, "Child! No Greenskin will befoouuullll this water while my pod stays here, and here we intennnd to stay. If you look to be eaten by one of those reptillian scounnndrels, you will have to go dowwwnnnstream." Kimbumba, having said these words, takes a breath and sinks down so that only his nostrils, eyes and ears protrude from the surface of the water. His expression is hard, but mainly uninterested.
Rutubika swims a bit closer to Kibumba to rest her chin on the bull's submerged back, "Yes, child. Yes they would." And that is all she says for now, closing her own eyes as she simply rumbles a low hum. Calm down, Kibumba.
It's all a bit too much for Kale, really. The bellowing voices, the strange scents and the splashing in the water. He sits himself down (parking himself neatly in a patch of mud, though he doesn't seem to care too much) and looks to Sundali. "So no cwocs here no more.." He shrugs, not really knowing what a crocodile IS.. but it must be pretty interesting. "Wanna fin' cwocs with me? Sounds fun!" As the hippos alternatively submerge and go quiet, he yawns a little himself. Yes, fun potential of this particular stretch of river bank does seem to be dropping. "I can say fo'weal to Kam an' Oney abou' it goin' *SSSSSS* atcha!" He attempts to mimic her own copy of the hiss, but doesn't make a great job of it, sadly.
Oh. Well, that.. that doesn't sound fun. And apparently she IS lucky that the crocodile the other day decided not to give chase. Do crocodiles chase their prey, the white girl momentarily wonders. She isn't even sure! But before Sundali can even think to ask, one hippo has submerged while the female says not much at all. "Wonder why the Greenskins dun' try to eat them?" She murmurs aside to Kale. Not that she expects an answer from the younger white lion. Sunny turns her attention fully on Kale, though as he speaks, chuckling lightly. "Hm. Yeah, we'll have to tell 'em something really excitin', you know. But we don't /really/ wanna go find croc-- er, Greenskins. That hippo lady said they'd eat us. And.." Great Kings, she doesn't know why she's telling the runt-monster, but, "..they're kinda scary. Just a little," She is quick to add, not wanting the younger cub to know that she is not as brave as she may come off. Nor does she want him ratting her out to her two friends. Ahem.
"Sunny!" Kale sounds shocked. "Lying /bad/!" Again, that youthful innocence kicks in, and he huffs a little. But then pauses. Maybe they ARE something to be worried about- after all, those hippos did seem rather serious about the entire thing. "Bu'.. maybe smart, now." He finishes somewhat lamely. He then grins to her, showing off his mouthful of babyteeth. "Bu' no be scared! You not on own now!" Yes, like he'd do any good aside from serving as a distraction/appetizer.
Kibumba gurgles a bit in reply to the one of his many females, but stays submerged, watching and listening.
"Because they know better, child," Rutubika says with a wink before she slips her head off of Kibumba's back and submerges herself, only her nostrils and ears visible above the rippling surface of the water. It's much better down there, where the cries of carnivorous children are muffled by the relaxing and steady static of the water.
Rutubika has disconnected.
"It's not /lying/," Sundali insists, looking scandalized. "It's..." She pauses, lifting paw to muzzle in a thoughtful gesture. To be honest it /is/ lying, but like she really wants to admit that! "It's.. telling a story," She says finally, giving Kale' a little grin. "And stories aren't bad, right? Stories are fun! Everyone loves stories." The gurgling and bubbling of the hippos draws her attention back that way for a brief moment, a slight smile curling across her white muzzle at Rutubika's response. Hm. Well that hippo isn't so bad. Sunny isn't too sure about the male one, though. Chuckling, though, the girl smirks at Kale'kizuka. "Yeah, guess you're not /so/ bad," She murmurs, mostly to herself. "But if we're gunna tell Ona' and Kamau a good fib--- er, story, then we gotsa make it sound good." She frowns, giving the younger cub a critical look. "Show me your best brave face, mkay?"
Oooh! Faces! This he can do! At once, Kale goes into a full on grimace, his lips curled back from his little babyteeth and tiny, almost clear claws extending from his pawpads. "RrraaaawwwrrAAAaaggh!" He attempts, the squeaky result sounding more like a malfunctioning air-conditioner than a roar, but the effort is there. His tail lashes behind him, apparently having grown a little in proportion to the rest of him. It serves to neatly counterpoint his expression- and for the first time, Kale looks like someone who might actually grow up to be a true lion, rather than a runt destined for an early death. As he relaxes back into his more normal expression of innocent fascination with the world, he grins. "Yeah! Stowies good! Me like stowies!"
Another cub is making his way towards the water, following a scent it seems. Onaedo's tail lashes about in the grasses as he pushes his way out into the open an blinks while glancing around. Huh, his never been this far before. With a huff he looks one way then another before he catches sight of two cubs. Blinking he moves on over towards the two. "Hey Sundali.. Kale. What you guys doing out here?"
Samayah has arrived.
The big hippo is getting sick of these calf-killers in training (and the squeaky-roars aren't making him any more inclined to tolerate them) when a third one shows up. Without any warning he kicks off from river bottom and then charges out of the water, bellowing and thrashing his head side to side. "NnnnggrrAAAAAAUUng! Leeeave these waters!!"
Sundali frowns a moment longer, her only immediate reaction to Kale's display is a brief flick of her ear. Finally she nods, tossing one last glance to the place she knows the hippos to be lurking. "Well, that ain't too bad," She says. "You could try lookin' a lil' less like yer strainin' or somethin', though. But there's some talent there for us t'work with, I think." Turning, she nods her head to encourage the other white cub to follow. "We can work on it on our way back to that rock. Doubt they'll have gone very far from..." But she trails off as Onaedo pads into view. For an instant, surprise is written cleanly across her face. Uh-oh. But she recovers quickly, giving Kale' a brief glance. "Oh, you know," She intones casually. "Jus' 'venturin' and huntin' croc-- er, Greenskins." She nods sagely, then lifts a forepaw to gently nudge the prince. "Fer a runt-monster, this guy here is pretty brave. He believed my story of my las--- AHHH!" She is interrupted by the male hippo charging out of the water. Having been wary of him from the start - and realizing NOW how absolutely huge he is - Sundali takes off. Yeah, she'll have lost a lot of face about now, fleeing as she does in front of her friends. Maybe she'll have to go find a new pride with new friends to think she's really super brave.
( Sundali goes AFK. )
An expression of cherubic innocence settles upon Kale as Onaedo approaches the pair. Of COURSE everything Sundali says is true. "Yah! Sunny show'd me gweenies!" He babbles eagerly. "All teef' an' stuff!" Yes.. That'll have to do, as aside from being green and having teeth, Kale wouldn't know a crocodile from a small rabbit. He bumps back against the girl as she nudges him, and seems about to say something more when there's a sudden bellowing and splashing behind him. He's left almost literally eating her dust- or rather, mud, and blinks a couple of times before scurrying a few paces away from the hippo. He checks his flight, however, not wanting to look like a scaredy-cat. "We not IN da waters.." He protests feebly, backing away from the lumbering beast very carefully as he watches for a charge.
Onaedo blinks an giggles. "Why didn't you tell me? I wants to.." Hey what is that coming out of the water? The cub pauses in his movements towards his friend an nephew as the hippo suddenly crashes out of the water. AHHHH.. "MONSTER!" He snaps out. "Kale get away from there!" Oh geezs, if he gets killed Uko is going to skin him alive.. He runs froward to get near his nephew an stops next to him an then starts to push him backwards. "Come on Kale.. His not happy.." Look, his actually trying to help his nephew.
Fully on land now, the huge hippo looks ungainly and cumbersome- but he's quite capable of running. He slows his charge and opens his mouth wide at the retreating cub, giving another wordless bellow when Kale refuses to completely evacuate the area. He throws his head to the side and stares coldly out of his watery brown eyes. The territorial Kibumba is not pleased, not at all. These are predators, in the land he has chosen as his pod's, and they must be chased off. Protect the pregnant cows. Protect the cows!
Comotion has kept a strange cub (atleast to these lands) in a thick brush. Her eyes are the only thing that perhaps can be seen from her cover..and perhaps maybe her nose. Sama' sniffs eagerly, knowing that what she smells is a lotta lion and little bit of other things--mostly lions. Good! Lions mean a meal. Though the only ones she sees are about her size...and boys. Perhaps they haven't been raised like her, perhaps she could actually talk to them. Though the enormous..er..thing seems to a bit of an obstacle. For now, the miniature lioness resorts to skittering waaaay around the side of the waters edge to avoid the..thing. Yes.
"Why you be so mean?" Kale protests at the bellowing hippo, still backing away step by step, even as Onaedo pushes at him. Eventually he gives up however. "Okay, we go.." At which point he suddenly notices Samayah! "'EY! RUN! Hippo be grumpy!" He yells at the girl, before giving his uncle a look and turning to dash on a diagonal course away from herbivore, on a route that takes him past Samayah. "C'MON!" He yell-squeaks at her, his throat sore still from his 'brave-face' earlier.
Onaedo eyes widen as the hippo stands there an bellows at them. His ears slick back an he forgets to breath for a moment. "Kale.. move you butt or his gona /eat/ you." The boy snaps out while starting to back up himself, hey he tryed to get his nephew to move what else to you want him to do? Finally the younger cub seems to get a bit of common sense an he follows after him an towards another cub? He blinks wondering were all the darn cubs are coming from lately.
Sundali, Female White Lioness Cub
Kibumba, Male Hippopotamus
Rutubika, Female Hippopotamus
Kale'kizuka, Male White Lion Cub
Onaedo, Male Lion Cub
Samayah, Female Lioness Cub
Motosi, Male Barbary Lion
Summary: A few of Tyne's cubs meet the residents of the local river delta. And where go Tyne cubs, so does trouble follow.
[Tyne] River Delta
Afternoon in Tyne has seen a rainstorm move through the area and now yet another forming in the northern sky.. though it seems that one will not reach the area any time shortly. Thus, the day has been left fresh and cool. It would be a perfect opportunity for little lion cubs to be out romping in the mud and such, but the girl now approaching the delta is in quite a temper. Sundali - who couldn't blend in to her surroundings even if she wanted to - is making no effort to conceal her approach. Oh, no! If Onaedo and Kamau aren't going to believe that she wrestled with a crododile - which, you know IS a fib on her part, but STILL! - then she is bound determined to find one and drag it back to Tyne Rock. Just to show them. Huff! The she-cub storms to within a few tail length of the bank before slowing, her courage slipping away just a bit. After all, the crocodile she DID see here the other day DID scare her, no matter what she told her two friends. But what a dilema she's gotten herself into now! It's either drag back a full grown crocodile to prove herself - ha! - or return empty-pawed and have them find out that she's nothing but a big fibber. Quietly pondering her situation, the white lioness cub creeps closer to the water. Perhaps a drink will help her make up her mind.
With a loud 'GNNNFFFF' of rumbling throats and wheezing nostrils, a massive hippo surfaces a short distance away from the little one. There will be no crocodiles in this area today- the big, territorial bull has made sure of that. "Gnnnnawfully bold," bellows Kibumba, squinting his eyes at the cub and letting his mouth hang open threateningly. A predator near his precious pod of potentially pregnant females? Blasphemy!
Potentially? Bah. Then again, it's hard to tell through the thick skin and massive bulk that Rutubika is expecting. At the sound of the bull's bellow, the smaller female lifts her head above the surface of the water where she had previously appeared to be nothing more than a rain-slicked rock, pausing in her munching of river vegetation, to turn her small eyes toward the bank. A child? ... a *lion* child, so close to the water? "...foolishness," she grumbles to herself, snorting out a fine mist and swiveling her small ears toward them.
Kale'Kizuka has arrived.
Barely does the girl's tongue touch the surface of the water when movement is caught out of the corner of her eye. Terrified that it might be that crocodile - did anyone else see that thing's /mouth/?! It was huge! And had lots of sharp teeth! - Sundali skitters back a step or two, pale golden eyes wide. However, what surfaces is not a crocodile, but a hippo. For a second, Sunny relaxes, even going so far as to breath an audible sigh of relief. Whew! But when another surfaces not too far off.. and the male's mouth drops open, Sunny's expression falters. That.. that thing has a very big mouth. "I..." Her eyes dart between Kibumba and Rutubika, back and forth, and then once again. Hippos don't eat /lions/, do they? Heheh. "Jus'.. gettin' a drink.." She says, attempting to sound bold and strong and fearless.. just like she'll tell Kamau and Onaedo she was when she relates to them the tale of this encounter.
Kibumba's chin slaps against the water's surface as he tosses his head up and then down again in what could be a yawn or a grimace- whatever it is, anyone nearby gets an eyeful of his ivories. "This place belllloonngs to my pod now! None that eat the flesh of others shall tread herrrreeee!" In the distance, where the water is deeper, a few other hippos surface to check out what all the action is about.
Rutubika's heavy feet push against the muddy bottom of the river, propelling her toward Kibumba and the cub. She could go rather fast, but keeps her approach slow so as not to frighten the little one away too much. "She has not been properly taught," the female intones in a rumbling alto, her eyes fixed on the cub with a slightly warmer expression than the bull...but only slightly. When she speaks, she does not bring her mouth all the way out of the water, and so fills the cavernous maw with water when ever she moves her jaw up and down. "Her elders should take better care of her," she adds, glancing to Kibumba for a moment before she actually addresses the child. "What would have happened to you if Greenskins still swam here? They do not speak to intruders as small as you."
Oh boy.. This is all so new! And more than a little scary. Cool, though- very cool. A little white scrap is romping across the muddy ground alongside the river, Kale'kizuka hugely enjoying his first real trip away from Tyne rock. Or at least, his first unaccompanied trip. He's already stopped for several quick naps, his little legs finding the journey very tiring- but he's running on enough adrenaline to keep going for a while longer. The jungles were interesting, full of bugs, snakes and other things that the boy had to dodge- but this river is even more shocking to him. It's the first time he's actually seen water in flow, and he spent several long minutes gazing at it with his jaws wide open. But then he hears bellowing,. splashing. And catches a somewhat familiar scent. He scurries towards the noises- old enough to explore, way too young to be sensible, and finally appears from the cover of a bush behind Sundali. "Sunny-D!" He yells excitedly, somewhat pleased that this pal of his uncles should be the first to see him being INDEPENDENT and BRAVE and everything. And then he blinks, taking in the huge forms of the hippos. "What these, Sunny? They /hyooge/.." He wrinkles his nose. "An' smelly.." Younger even than her, he gazes at the hippos with admiration but no real fear. Nothing out there would eat HIM! He's too special!
Any hesitation Sundali has begins to fade away as the hippos speak and she realizes that she doesn't have a single clue what they're going on about. Pale features twist into a confused frown at Kibumba. "What'sa pod?" She questions, followed almost immediately by, "And whas' that mean? 'Bout no eating treats 'n flesh here?" A small, hesitant step is taken backward as more hippos surface behind Kibumba. Gulp. Golden eyes flick to Rutubika. Well, she looks nicer than that other guy, anyway! If maybe only a little bit. "An' what'sa greenskin?" These hippos sure do speak funny, don't they? "I've only ever sawed crocs here a'fore. An' he had a big mouth and big teeth 'n he went like this at me..." Here she parts her muzzle and issues a soft little hiss, trying to imitate the frightful noise that the crocodile she'd come across had made. The sound of her name startles her and Sundali glances back over her shoulder as who appears by Kamau and Onaedo's little runt-monster! "Hey.. hey, whatcha doin' all the way out here, huh? Oh, them?" She blinks to the hippos at the young male's inquiry. "Them's hippos. They lives in the water 'n.. uh.. you know. They lives in the water." Just WHY they live in the water is beyond her. Doesn't their fur get all wet and icky?
Kibumba lowers himself into the water and blows slow, thoughtful bubbles. After some time, he lifts up his huge head and grumbles, "Rrrutuuubiiika, for the sake of your calf in cominnnng, do not suffer these carnivores the breath." The slab of muscle and skin sloshes the water about with a sweep of his head, sending spray up about his face. "Begone, and let it be known that none of your elders ought wannnnder near our shores!" Muddy, roiled water splashes about in his mouth and around his yellowed teeth, but the bull seems not to care.
"They are children, Kimbumba," Rutubika takes on an even softer, quieter tone with the bull, eyeing the brats out of the corner of her dark eyes. "They are ignorant. Lessons should be taught...though yours will likely leave naught but their bodies to warn their elders." She shakes her own head, backing off a bit all the same. "Greenskins are the same beasts you mimic, child," she rumbles to Sundali, narrowing those once warm eyes. "They are not to be mocked when they could snap you up and eat you like you would a defenseless mouse." Even with the hormones of pregnancy raging through her, the presence of the cubs worries Rutubika more than it enrages her. What would their mother's do if something horrible happened to them?
"No eat mouses! Eat milk!" Kale'kizuka protests at Rutubika's words, sticking out his lip. Considering the boy is still naive enough to think that all grownups feed from a giant lioness in the back of the pridal cavern when he's not looking, it's not a hard leap for his logic to make. He gives Sundali a look as she explains about hippos, and then turns his attention back onto the two. "Why you shout?" Kale asks of the big male, his face full of innocent childish curiousity. "You BIG! We small.." He grins. "We no scary.. No mean." Yes, Kale. Keep talking to the enraged herbivorous battle-tank why don't you?
Sundali can't help but frown at the male hippo, brows knitting together over pale eyes. That guy is really hard to udnerstand. Why can't the old people come here? What if they're thirsty? What if they fall in the mud and need a bath? And what if they're nod /really/ old but only /sort of/ old? Are they allowed then? How very confusing. At least the female seems nice enough, and Sundali's ears cant forward curiously as Rutubika explains that Greenskins are, indeed, crocodiles. "I'm brave, though," She says, puffing out her pale chest and tilting her chin up ever so slightly. "Not afraid of no cr-- er, Greenskin. I gots to show Ona' and Kamau that I wasn't lyin' when I said it had a big mouth 'n big teeth 'n hissed at me." From her childish perspective, this is indeed vastly important, to prove her worth to the two young lords. Kale' is ignored, for the most part - he's the little runt-monster, after all, and does she really want to associate with him? - but one of his comments draws amusement from the girl, who turns to give him the smallest of smiles. "Not us eat mouses. She means that it'd eat us like mouses, silly." Wait, what? Frowning, and looking faintly worried, Sunny's gaze swings back to Rutubika. "...Do they really eats kids?"
Onaedo has arrived.
The big bull hippo gurgles, and it's either displaying anger or laughter of some sort. "Child," he grunts, and then louder this time, "Child! No Greenskin will befoouuullll this water while my pod stays here, and here we intennnd to stay. If you look to be eaten by one of those reptillian scounnndrels, you will have to go dowwwnnnstream." Kimbumba, having said these words, takes a breath and sinks down so that only his nostrils, eyes and ears protrude from the surface of the water. His expression is hard, but mainly uninterested.
Rutubika swims a bit closer to Kibumba to rest her chin on the bull's submerged back, "Yes, child. Yes they would." And that is all she says for now, closing her own eyes as she simply rumbles a low hum. Calm down, Kibumba.
It's all a bit too much for Kale, really. The bellowing voices, the strange scents and the splashing in the water. He sits himself down (parking himself neatly in a patch of mud, though he doesn't seem to care too much) and looks to Sundali. "So no cwocs here no more.." He shrugs, not really knowing what a crocodile IS.. but it must be pretty interesting. "Wanna fin' cwocs with me? Sounds fun!" As the hippos alternatively submerge and go quiet, he yawns a little himself. Yes, fun potential of this particular stretch of river bank does seem to be dropping. "I can say fo'weal to Kam an' Oney abou' it goin' *SSSSSS* atcha!" He attempts to mimic her own copy of the hiss, but doesn't make a great job of it, sadly.
Oh. Well, that.. that doesn't sound fun. And apparently she IS lucky that the crocodile the other day decided not to give chase. Do crocodiles chase their prey, the white girl momentarily wonders. She isn't even sure! But before Sundali can even think to ask, one hippo has submerged while the female says not much at all. "Wonder why the Greenskins dun' try to eat them?" She murmurs aside to Kale. Not that she expects an answer from the younger white lion. Sunny turns her attention fully on Kale, though as he speaks, chuckling lightly. "Hm. Yeah, we'll have to tell 'em something really excitin', you know. But we don't /really/ wanna go find croc-- er, Greenskins. That hippo lady said they'd eat us. And.." Great Kings, she doesn't know why she's telling the runt-monster, but, "..they're kinda scary. Just a little," She is quick to add, not wanting the younger cub to know that she is not as brave as she may come off. Nor does she want him ratting her out to her two friends. Ahem.
"Sunny!" Kale sounds shocked. "Lying /bad/!" Again, that youthful innocence kicks in, and he huffs a little. But then pauses. Maybe they ARE something to be worried about- after all, those hippos did seem rather serious about the entire thing. "Bu'.. maybe smart, now." He finishes somewhat lamely. He then grins to her, showing off his mouthful of babyteeth. "Bu' no be scared! You not on own now!" Yes, like he'd do any good aside from serving as a distraction/appetizer.
Kibumba gurgles a bit in reply to the one of his many females, but stays submerged, watching and listening.
"Because they know better, child," Rutubika says with a wink before she slips her head off of Kibumba's back and submerges herself, only her nostrils and ears visible above the rippling surface of the water. It's much better down there, where the cries of carnivorous children are muffled by the relaxing and steady static of the water.
Rutubika has disconnected.
"It's not /lying/," Sundali insists, looking scandalized. "It's..." She pauses, lifting paw to muzzle in a thoughtful gesture. To be honest it /is/ lying, but like she really wants to admit that! "It's.. telling a story," She says finally, giving Kale' a little grin. "And stories aren't bad, right? Stories are fun! Everyone loves stories." The gurgling and bubbling of the hippos draws her attention back that way for a brief moment, a slight smile curling across her white muzzle at Rutubika's response. Hm. Well that hippo isn't so bad. Sunny isn't too sure about the male one, though. Chuckling, though, the girl smirks at Kale'kizuka. "Yeah, guess you're not /so/ bad," She murmurs, mostly to herself. "But if we're gunna tell Ona' and Kamau a good fib--- er, story, then we gotsa make it sound good." She frowns, giving the younger cub a critical look. "Show me your best brave face, mkay?"
Oooh! Faces! This he can do! At once, Kale goes into a full on grimace, his lips curled back from his little babyteeth and tiny, almost clear claws extending from his pawpads. "RrraaaawwwrrAAAaaggh!" He attempts, the squeaky result sounding more like a malfunctioning air-conditioner than a roar, but the effort is there. His tail lashes behind him, apparently having grown a little in proportion to the rest of him. It serves to neatly counterpoint his expression- and for the first time, Kale looks like someone who might actually grow up to be a true lion, rather than a runt destined for an early death. As he relaxes back into his more normal expression of innocent fascination with the world, he grins. "Yeah! Stowies good! Me like stowies!"
Another cub is making his way towards the water, following a scent it seems. Onaedo's tail lashes about in the grasses as he pushes his way out into the open an blinks while glancing around. Huh, his never been this far before. With a huff he looks one way then another before he catches sight of two cubs. Blinking he moves on over towards the two. "Hey Sundali.. Kale. What you guys doing out here?"
Samayah has arrived.
The big hippo is getting sick of these calf-killers in training (and the squeaky-roars aren't making him any more inclined to tolerate them) when a third one shows up. Without any warning he kicks off from river bottom and then charges out of the water, bellowing and thrashing his head side to side. "NnnnggrrAAAAAAUUng! Leeeave these waters!!"
Sundali frowns a moment longer, her only immediate reaction to Kale's display is a brief flick of her ear. Finally she nods, tossing one last glance to the place she knows the hippos to be lurking. "Well, that ain't too bad," She says. "You could try lookin' a lil' less like yer strainin' or somethin', though. But there's some talent there for us t'work with, I think." Turning, she nods her head to encourage the other white cub to follow. "We can work on it on our way back to that rock. Doubt they'll have gone very far from..." But she trails off as Onaedo pads into view. For an instant, surprise is written cleanly across her face. Uh-oh. But she recovers quickly, giving Kale' a brief glance. "Oh, you know," She intones casually. "Jus' 'venturin' and huntin' croc-- er, Greenskins." She nods sagely, then lifts a forepaw to gently nudge the prince. "Fer a runt-monster, this guy here is pretty brave. He believed my story of my las--- AHHH!" She is interrupted by the male hippo charging out of the water. Having been wary of him from the start - and realizing NOW how absolutely huge he is - Sundali takes off. Yeah, she'll have lost a lot of face about now, fleeing as she does in front of her friends. Maybe she'll have to go find a new pride with new friends to think she's really super brave.
( Sundali goes AFK. )
An expression of cherubic innocence settles upon Kale as Onaedo approaches the pair. Of COURSE everything Sundali says is true. "Yah! Sunny show'd me gweenies!" He babbles eagerly. "All teef' an' stuff!" Yes.. That'll have to do, as aside from being green and having teeth, Kale wouldn't know a crocodile from a small rabbit. He bumps back against the girl as she nudges him, and seems about to say something more when there's a sudden bellowing and splashing behind him. He's left almost literally eating her dust- or rather, mud, and blinks a couple of times before scurrying a few paces away from the hippo. He checks his flight, however, not wanting to look like a scaredy-cat. "We not IN da waters.." He protests feebly, backing away from the lumbering beast very carefully as he watches for a charge.
Onaedo blinks an giggles. "Why didn't you tell me? I wants to.." Hey what is that coming out of the water? The cub pauses in his movements towards his friend an nephew as the hippo suddenly crashes out of the water. AHHHH.. "MONSTER!" He snaps out. "Kale get away from there!" Oh geezs, if he gets killed Uko is going to skin him alive.. He runs froward to get near his nephew an stops next to him an then starts to push him backwards. "Come on Kale.. His not happy.." Look, his actually trying to help his nephew.
Fully on land now, the huge hippo looks ungainly and cumbersome- but he's quite capable of running. He slows his charge and opens his mouth wide at the retreating cub, giving another wordless bellow when Kale refuses to completely evacuate the area. He throws his head to the side and stares coldly out of his watery brown eyes. The territorial Kibumba is not pleased, not at all. These are predators, in the land he has chosen as his pod's, and they must be chased off. Protect the pregnant cows. Protect the cows!
Comotion has kept a strange cub (atleast to these lands) in a thick brush. Her eyes are the only thing that perhaps can be seen from her cover..and perhaps maybe her nose. Sama' sniffs eagerly, knowing that what she smells is a lotta lion and little bit of other things--mostly lions. Good! Lions mean a meal. Though the only ones she sees are about her size...and boys. Perhaps they haven't been raised like her, perhaps she could actually talk to them. Though the enormous..er..thing seems to a bit of an obstacle. For now, the miniature lioness resorts to skittering waaaay around the side of the waters edge to avoid the..thing. Yes.
"Why you be so mean?" Kale protests at the bellowing hippo, still backing away step by step, even as Onaedo pushes at him. Eventually he gives up however. "Okay, we go.." At which point he suddenly notices Samayah! "'EY! RUN! Hippo be grumpy!" He yells at the girl, before giving his uncle a look and turning to dash on a diagonal course away from herbivore, on a route that takes him past Samayah. "C'MON!" He yell-squeaks at her, his throat sore still from his 'brave-face' earlier.
Onaedo eyes widen as the hippo stands there an bellows at them. His ears slick back an he forgets to breath for a moment. "Kale.. move you butt or his gona /eat/ you." The boy snaps out while starting to back up himself, hey he tryed to get his nephew to move what else to you want him to do? Finally the younger cub seems to get a bit of common sense an he follows after him an towards another cub? He blinks wondering were all the darn cubs are coming from lately.
