Post by Maiza on Apr 14, 2009 14:09:24 GMT -5
Thought I'd show that things are starting off swimmingly with the revival - and... I get bragging rights. XD 1st posted RP!
Enjoy - please ignore the errors in spelling, grammar, and typo's. I'm too tired to deal with editing it right now. :P
... and yes. I probably watch too much House. :P
~Maiza / Eos
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Towering Rock
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Seeing this landmark from a distance is enough to judge it as towering;
here, close enough to touch its composing rocks, the formation becomes a
disorienting upward view.
Three gigantic chunks of rock jut up at angles from the land here, in a
strangely aesthetically pleasing pile of rock and boulders, disturbing
the grass and bush-littered horizon and also emitting an almost divine
synergy around its huge monolithic form.
It might be possible to climb these rocks, but a fall from such height
would be surely fatal, and there are more interesting nooks, crannies,
and scrubby plants to investigate around the bottommost boulders.
---------------------------------- Exits ----------------------------------
[E ] East to the Water Hole [IN ] Into the Cavern
[NW ] Northwest to the Savannah [SE ] Southeast to the Plains
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[IIC] Eos
[IC] Dayo
[IC] Thulani
Dayo hasn't been around this odd, towering formation before. But then again there's a first time for everything. The adolescent is on the hunt for... just about anything, really. He's searching back and forth across the land for all the bare essentials: food, water, shelter, the like. And he's had little luck in finding *anything.* So this rock is more a blessing than a mere oddity, and overcome by curiosity (uncovering odd things is part of wandering, is it not?) he makes a beeline towards it.
Finding nothing of sustenance out amidst the desert and scrubland-like conditions of the local surroundings seems to be a common theme as of late. Or better yet, it has been like this for as long as anyone can recall. Prey is scarce to say the least, and water even more so. If it wern't for the occasional blurb in that mud-pit that the locals charitably call a 'Water Hole', life out here wouldn't be remotely possible. As such, the lion isn't the only being in the area that's had a rough time of it - as evidenced by a rather skinny, if overly large, russet lioness ambling her way dejectedly towards the central landmark of these lands - the towering pillars of stone - from the general direction of said drinking establishment. For the moment, the lass remains oblivious to anyone around her lost in her own thoughts as she is.
Thulani hadn't wandered these lands in a very long time. The last time she had been here was back in the day where she would tag along with her mother and the other clan leaders in their hunting parties, where she learned the art of killing. The adult Matriarch of the Nqobile Hyena Clan made her way across the dry lands, searching for nourishment of any kind. Food, water, shelter. They were becoming few and far between in the lands that she and her clan currently inhabited. Solitary this day, the female was personally responsible for seeing that her clan were safe. Lions surely were around here. Everything was going hungry, even her hated enemies. She was wary, though. Her strength was something that hadn't faded much, and her dark eyes kept a lookout for the felines. If there was food here, she would be the one to get it, not those filthy cats.
Dayo's eyes are on the towering bit of rock in the center of the lands, wondering why exactly he's missed it so many times before... perhaps, because he's never actually looked *up.* Rather, his eyes have been on the ground, looking for any scraps of food or licks of water he can get. So this big old bit of rock that seems to sprout up out of nowhere is, to say the least, rather surprising. And to find others coming towards him? Rather panicking, to be honest. He glances between the two, almost immediately feeling rather trapped as he pauses in the rock's shadow.
And yet another common trait shared between those denizens of the sparsely populated savannah. Skittishness. In a world of kill or be killed, those whom are not strong, or are not amoung the strong tend to find themselves preyed upon more often than most. As it is, the poor lass nearly jumps out of her skin in pure startlement when during her plodding along she nearly runs over the poor lad - and that's not because of him, no, but rather because she crossed into the shadow of the rock formation and the change in light levels brought her too. "Ahhhhh!" she cries, stumbling back, eyes wide - for the moment the canine is missed by the girl. She has more immediate problems.
Unlike the lioness, Thulani has spotted the two lions. It took her a moment, half of that moment just denying her bad luck. Sight was the hyena's most reliable sense, and she had caught a glint of their movement through the corners of her eyes. A low growl emitted from the matriarch's throat, as she lowered herself into the dried grass. One lion wouldn't be such a hassle, but two? What if they knew each other? Part of the same pride? What horrendous luck. Ears lowering in irritation, Thulani plopped herself down where she was, a quiet whine in the back of her voice. This sucked.
"AHHH!" is Dayo's answer to Eos' cry. He rolls away and ends up on his stomach, ducked down as low as he can go to show, yet still ready to leap and start a fight if he has to. Be prepared for any situation, that's what his life has taught him. Anything and everything can happen in this land. "Gebback!" he snaps, eyes frightfully wide. This was a lioness, full grown and probably better fed than he was. He was definitely in trouble.
"Ahhhh!" Whoo! We got ourselves a screaming contest here folks! The lad's panicked shout elicits yet another echoing one of her own as she falls back even further, and leans to one side in preparation of running. Full grown? Yes - if just. Larger than norm? Definately - she's got an interesting ancestry mix that's mostly been lost to the sands of time. Few would recognize just what her heritage is in this day and age. Still, as she gets ready to dart, her mind finally catches up with her - the lad's profile is somewhat smaller than she'd expect. And if she's not mistaken... ... yes. His mane (if that scraggly mess can be called such) isn't anywhere near grown in yet - most of what's developed is headfur, though hints of his coming heritage are plainly visible. "Ahh.. huh?" she muddles in a confused manner, setting down a forepaw she had raised in preparation of bolting. Oh joy! Incoherency and confusion!
Thulani growls, loudly enough to be heard this time. Perhaps it is a mistake, perhaps not. One of these lions is a mere cub, though. A tasty snack for any of the older hyenas of her clan, herself included. Well.. maybe he's a bit older than being a cub, but he'd do. If only she had brought a few stragglers along.. she cursed herself mentally for being too stubborn. Something the lower ranking females often did for her. It was the other one, the older female that caused her a bit of grief. Why? Why did these d**n cats always have to stand in her way? Another growl, and she bolted upwards, furious with both her luck and the imposing felines. Thulani's black lips curled into a snarl as she slowly pawed her way over towards the lions, the rough mane of hair along her neck standing up just a bit. This place was hers, and she wasn't going to give it up easily. And that younger lion.. she almost began salivating as thoughts of killing him and dragging him back to the clan clouded her mind.
Dayo seems rather surprised that she isn't roaring at him or tearing out his throat by now. It doesn't enter his mind yet that she could be friendly, no, she's far, far too large for that (though he isn't too scraggly himself). He remains on the ground, staring at her with fearful apprehension. He very, very slowly begins to try and slink away, keeping his eyes on the female as he goes, waiting for any kind of reaction to his movements.
Eos regards the adolescent with rapidly receding apprehension and something more akin to confusion. Why is it that things that are a surprise or unknown tend to appear to be larger than they seem? "... ... Um... Hello there?" She finally manages to offer to the adolescent, somewhat abashedly. Well, it's not every day you get your wits scared out of you by someone a third smaller than you, is it? Relaxing somewhat, the lioness makes to sit and studies the youth quietly for several moments, trying to work through how to deal with the situation - and is thankfully saved by a noise almost completely lost in the background ruckus of the morning savannah. An ear flicks, and she turns to stare at the tall grasses nearby... "Unless there's more than just you there, I'd not advise making trouble." She remarks with a sigh. Canines. Ugh. More than likely if the sound is any indication.
Dayo's reply to Eos is a simple, uncomprehending blink. His first thought, when she says "hello" instead "ARRGRAAGHH" or whatever creatures say when they're ripping your throat out, is 'I'm not dead!' The second was 'Perhaps she's not going to kill me!' And the third was 'What was that noise?!' He glances in the direction of the hyena, which seems to quickly dart away in the face of two big cats. Oh, good. Now she could eat him all by herself. He turns back to her and gulps. "... Hi," he says, though it comes out as a strained, whispered *noise* more than anything else.
Alright! We've graduated from neolithic grunts and screams to attempts at speech for the two of them! Perhaps at this rate they'll eventually evolve to the point where they form communities and work together. Crikey! This is an exciting event! Eos waits for several seconds after the lad's reply to see if he says anything further and to listen to the retreating hyena, then turns back and cocks her head to one side, "... ... One of the local pride, or a loner?" She states simply, her previous panic forgotten and an innate calm settling over her features. In other words - should she be kissing donkey as she's a stranger in foreign territory, or can they speak on civil terms?
And there's the million kill question. If he says he's part of a pride, she might go away, or she might start acting like he's important... in which case, if she finds out he's lying, she'll probably kill him for food. If he says he's alone, she'll just kill for food right then and there. But it'll be hard to lie when it's so obvious that nobody's around, he is not well fed enough to be in a pride, and he can't think of a good cover story anyway. He glances around, shivering despite the heat, and answers slowly. "I'm... fairly... alone... it seems," he murmurs, ready to bolt.
"... Right." Eos remarks idly, watching the youth squirm as she debates how to handle the situation. He's scared silly - that much is evident. Hell, she was just there a few moments ago. And she's be willing to bet you that meerkats to gazelles that he is as much a loner as she is. Benefit of the doubt reasons that his statement leaves open the possibility for other explanations however. Thankfully for the kid's sake, she's already managed to get something to eat today. A mostly stripped wildebeest carcass retained enough meat and marrow to take the edge of her ever-present hunger, and the charitably so-called 'water' she pulled up from the muddy depths of the local 'Water Hole' helped to further alleviate her pressing need to eat. "Look cub," She finally starts, thrashing her tail in the dust behind her for a moment before curling it up along the toes of her forepaws, "I ain't gonna eatchas or run you off. I don't live here either. Shall we cut the crap and maybe try to be civil?" A toss of her head moves her long russet bangs out of her eyes, "The name's Eos. What's yours?"
Still keeping her distance from the two lions, Thulani wondered about them. If they were from prides, or if they were rogue lions. Why would she wonder that? The heat, probably. She didn't care, per se. But the thought of 'maybe I've fought them before, over a scrap of meat or land' had wandered into her delusional thoughts. The leader of the hyena clan's tongue appeard from her dark lips, the heat causing her to breathe heavily in the mostly non-sheltered environment. All the nice, cool shelter was currently too close to the d**n cats, who outnumbered her two to one. Still.. their presence cued a rumble in her stomach, signaling her hunger once again.
The young lion glances back and forth, wondering if this is some kind of trick. She's actually not going to try and kill him? She's trying to just... talk? Just talk? He isn't sure how to react to this. He stands up and scuffs his paws in the dirt, licking his dry lips. "Oh... my name. It's... it's Dayo," he says, just now starting to calm down. He seems ready to drop back onto his stomach into hiding at the slightest noise, however.
The young lion glances back and forth, wondering if this is some kind of trick. She's actually not going to try and kill him? She's trying to just... talk? Just talk? He isn't sure how to react to this. He stands up and scuffs his paws in the dirt, licking his dry lips. "Oh... my name. It's... it's Dayo," he says, just now starting to calm down. He seems ready to drop back onto his stomach into hiding at the slightest noise, however.
Still keeping her distance from the two lions, Thulani wondered about them. If they were from prides, or if they were rogue lions. Why would she wonder that? The heat, probably. She didn't care, per se. But the thought of 'maybe I've fought them before, over a scrap of meat or land' had wandered into her delusional thoughts. The leader of the hyena clan's tongue appeard from her dark lips, the heat causing her to breathe heavily in the mostly non-sheltered environment. All the nice, cool shelter was currently too close to the d**n cats, who outnumbered her two to one. Still.. their presence cued a rumble in her stomach, signaling her hunger once again.
Eos blinks... "Day'o, huh?" She repeats, mangling the pronunciation of the kid's name as she tries to roll it's familiar sounds around her tongue. "... Parents not like you much or something with a name like that?" One snort of amusement later, the lass decides it's safe enough (what's he gonna actually do to her, huh?) and lays down in a somewhat abrupt manner, sending micro-miniture sandstorms of dust scurrying about her form. Her emerald eyes regard the youth calmly, and with a bit of amusement prevalent. This could be fun - bettern starving alone at least.
It's a chance, but one that she has to take. 'There IS food around here.' she encouraged herself, and padded towards the large rock, the wind going against her and pushing her scent towards the other predators. 'And that food is mine..' she repeated in her head a few times, a low growl emitting from her throat as her large ears pressed back against her cranium, dark eyes glaring up at the two felines.
Dayo looks down to the ground and taps a paw on the ground. "Something like that," he murmurs in reply to her little remark. He raises an eyebrow at Eos as she gets comfortable, wondering what it could be to be so powerful one didn't really have to worry about... well, most anything, except equally sized or larger creatures. "So... what's your story?" he asks, wodnering how else to make conversation in a desolate wasteland. "You look like you should be in a pride."
Eos listens intently to the kid's explanation, and allows herself a small smirk as he deftly avoids directly answering her inquiry regarding his name. 'Something like that,' huh? Cheeky little fellow isn't he? This is swiftly followed by a slight widening of the eyes as he deftly switches tracks and changes the topic and point of the discussion back to her. Interesting. "And what makes you say that?" She replies in a conversational tone, merely flickering an ear as an unfamiliar scent crosses her nose... but for the moment is ignored. Whatever it is, she can handle it likely as not - and what could possibly be stupid enough to attack a (mostly) full grown lioness particularly one with her ancestry?
Dayo tilts his head and seems rather confused as to why she doesn't know the answer herself. "Well," he said simply, "you're a big, full grown lioness. You'd obviously be useful." He too glances to the side, wondering what it could be. Probably something deadly. He turns back to the lioness when nothing comes of it. "You could have killed me the moment you met me and gotten a good meal. I mean, not that I'm saying you should now!" he backtracks. "But I mean... well. Thanks for not doing that."
The russet girl gives a soft laugh, "Usefulness you think is key huh? Let me let you in on a little secret hun - usefulness only gets you so far." She shifts, letting her hind-legs sprawl out to one side, and uses a claw from a forepaw to trace idle circles in the dusty earth before her, "Prides don't just operate on whom is useful and whom is not... more often than not it's also whom you know. Or whom you're willing to prostrate yourself for." She growls, digging said claw into the dirt, "I don't just blindly follow orders or fawn over no one. I'd rather be alone than have to live like that. ... So I left." And then... she smiles and winks slyly. Oh, this is just too hard to pass up... "And don't fret - I'm not that hungry. Cubs are too gamey for my tastes anyway. You have to let your meat age properly you understand."
Dayo has to agree with that. He nods sullenly, pawing at the ground and his own forelegs, still quite nervous. He perks an ear when she calls him a cub (he seems to take some offense to that). "I'm *not* a-" he begins, but he's been teased about that kind of thing before, and knows there's no real point in contending with that kind of ribbing. Instead he rolls his eyes and sighs, and gets into a more relaxed position himself, glad they're in the shadow of the rock lest the sun grow too hot. "Well, at least when creatures call me tender I know they aren't inaccurate," he says with a twist of his paw. "So you *have* been in a pride, then?" he asks, given her knowledge of how they work.
Eos rolls her eyes, "We all start somewhere, don't we?" A cryptic reply if anything. Still, she isn't about to just continue blindly down this path and let the young one pump her for information without paying a toll. Time to turn the tables, eh? "I'm going to guess you wern't raised in one from your interest in the topic... Before we go on about me, I'd like to know whom I'm spilling my life story to." her tail drifts around and settles across her hindlegs, and she pauses a moment to shake her head to one side to once again clear her unruly bangs from her eyes, "A bastard cub perhaps? Or offspring of a rouge? Orphaned?"
Dayo blinks a few times, clearly disturbed by the sheer volume of distasteful options she throws at him. He shifts his weight several times and looks down and around, as if trying to pull an answer from the shadows. "You're spilling your story to Dayo. A rogue. I don't *have* a family anymore," he says a little snappishly. "I don't have a home. I'm just curious. Is that okay?" He looks down at his forepaws, wondering how she'll take that bit of brashness.
Distasteful? ... Probably. But unfortunately all rather common for those other loners and rogues she's run across - and those are the ones whom had it relatively easy. Whom didn't have to deal with far worse. Eos chuckles and shakes her head, "It doesn't matter really if it matters or not." She pauses, eliciting a blank look for a moment then sticking out her tongue briefly in a look of distaste. "Matters... matters not... Or something like that anyways. Anywho, the result is the same. I like to know whom I'm speaking to - and not just their name. A name's a name and tells us nothing. One's actions and responses however..." She smiles, "It's fine. I was just taking your gague. Now then - I presume you have questions about prides?"
Dayo sighs and scratches his claws in the dirt while the lioness explains her actions. Taking his gague, right. She was sizing him up. Like any violent lioness would. But she seems nice enough. She actually smiled without baring her teeth or anything. "Well... I was just wondering if you knew of any around here," he says hopefully. "I mean, I got lucky meeting another loner who just happened to be, uh... not hungry enough. But seems if there's prides in a land like this they wouldn't be really inclined to sit down and have a heart-to-heart." He terms this a little sarcastically.
Eos nods knowingly. "Indeed. What pride these days has the time to sit down with every runaway, hanger-on and useless hungry mouth to feed?" A pause... "Rethorical question. Don't answer that." He seems to be taking things to literally... or perhaps he's catching on. Hard to tell really. Reaching forward with her paws, she starts to kneed her toes as she takes a moment to consider how to direct this conversation, "... Not much gets past you, does it? Food's scarce. Water's even harder to come by... They can't afford to pander to anyone but their own. Hense it's in their interests to run others off. Or kill them. Each king of his own little pride plays one lioness off another - using what little resources he has to maximize getting what he wants for his favorites. That ring a bell?"
Dayo sighs as he looks down at the ground and crumples some the grass at his paws. "Oh, gee... sounds a lot like this place," he says with a wry smile of his own. "I wonder what exactly we're supposed to do, then," he says. "Or, uh... what *you* and *I* are supposed to do. Besides survive, I guess..." he mutters, looking off into the horizon. Making friends seems rather pointless if they were just going to part ways and probably kill each other the next time they saw one another. "I mean, you're a lioness... they'll probably want you to hunt. Me... well. Like you said. Gotta let your meat age a bit."
A soft breeze gusts across the savannah, sending the grasses swaying lightly in it's passing and eliciting the girl to lift her nose to towards it, backing her ears and closing here eyes - just basking and enjoying the sensation for the time being... "What do we do?" She asks softly after a long moment of letting her bangs dance across her face and down the sides of her head around her ears, "That's an excellent question. I for one intend to continue on trudging along doing what I've been doing. Surviving. If I'm lucky, I'll eventually find a lion whom isn't a total jerk and whom I can tolerate living with his idiosyncrasies and his amorous ways." She sighs and ruefully lowers her head to give the lad a long, thoughtful look. "However for awhile at least I'm continuing along as I have. ... I suppose I could use a companion to keep me company along the way for a time. Someone who will age and possibly serve as an emergency food source when he gets old enough. Feeling up to the job by chance?"
Dayo isn't *that* young. He's nearly an adult, kind of sort of. He just *knows* that's never going to stop rankling him, no matter how many people rag on him about it. He's honestly, but also pleasantly, surprised by the offer. Laced with sarcasm as it is. At least he hopes the part about eating him is sarcasm. It's sure to be better than just wandering around until he bakes in the sun. Now he'll have someone to exchange banter with while they waste away. Joy. He tries to match her gaze, but doesn't hold it, looking at her formidable paws instead. If she hasn't used them by now... "I don't suppose I can ask for hazard benefits in an already hazardous land, huh? But... not like I got a whole lot else going on." He rolls onto his back and looks at her upside down. "I think this place is boring. Let's find somewhere interesting to get heat stroke."
An adult he may be... or at least close enough for this day and age. And adult decisions are part of the game in this big and rough world and those whom can't live up to them are doomed to fail. But once in a while... some untrained, untried, completely green and irresponsible youth makes the right choice - and the world gets a little better. Eos regards the adolescent for a long moment with a level silent stare, in all honesty surprised by his acceptance of her offer. If her brusqueness and 'charm' hasn't scared him off by this point, perhaps there's hope that she won't kill him. At least not today. As for tomorrow... we'll see. "Indeed... maybe we can scare up a meerkat or three if we try hard enough or something." With a grunt, she rolls her hindlegs under her and stands, taking the time to stretch while speaking, "... Lead on cub. Show me what you know." May the great kings of the past help us all.
Dayo stands up and stretches. A couple of meerkats? Well, that's more meat than he's had in... a *while.* She's giving him the lead? Well, there can't be any worse choices... " I think we should go in a... general... that way direction," he says, waving a paw in *that* direction, whatever that is. And then he does what he's done before. Starts to walk.
Enjoy - please ignore the errors in spelling, grammar, and typo's. I'm too tired to deal with editing it right now. :P
... and yes. I probably watch too much House. :P
~Maiza / Eos
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Towering Rock
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Seeing this landmark from a distance is enough to judge it as towering;
here, close enough to touch its composing rocks, the formation becomes a
disorienting upward view.
Three gigantic chunks of rock jut up at angles from the land here, in a
strangely aesthetically pleasing pile of rock and boulders, disturbing
the grass and bush-littered horizon and also emitting an almost divine
synergy around its huge monolithic form.
It might be possible to climb these rocks, but a fall from such height
would be surely fatal, and there are more interesting nooks, crannies,
and scrubby plants to investigate around the bottommost boulders.
---------------------------------- Exits ----------------------------------
[E ] East to the Water Hole [IN ] Into the Cavern
[NW ] Northwest to the Savannah [SE ] Southeast to the Plains
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[IIC] Eos
[IC] Dayo
[IC] Thulani
Dayo hasn't been around this odd, towering formation before. But then again there's a first time for everything. The adolescent is on the hunt for... just about anything, really. He's searching back and forth across the land for all the bare essentials: food, water, shelter, the like. And he's had little luck in finding *anything.* So this rock is more a blessing than a mere oddity, and overcome by curiosity (uncovering odd things is part of wandering, is it not?) he makes a beeline towards it.
Finding nothing of sustenance out amidst the desert and scrubland-like conditions of the local surroundings seems to be a common theme as of late. Or better yet, it has been like this for as long as anyone can recall. Prey is scarce to say the least, and water even more so. If it wern't for the occasional blurb in that mud-pit that the locals charitably call a 'Water Hole', life out here wouldn't be remotely possible. As such, the lion isn't the only being in the area that's had a rough time of it - as evidenced by a rather skinny, if overly large, russet lioness ambling her way dejectedly towards the central landmark of these lands - the towering pillars of stone - from the general direction of said drinking establishment. For the moment, the lass remains oblivious to anyone around her lost in her own thoughts as she is.
Thulani hadn't wandered these lands in a very long time. The last time she had been here was back in the day where she would tag along with her mother and the other clan leaders in their hunting parties, where she learned the art of killing. The adult Matriarch of the Nqobile Hyena Clan made her way across the dry lands, searching for nourishment of any kind. Food, water, shelter. They were becoming few and far between in the lands that she and her clan currently inhabited. Solitary this day, the female was personally responsible for seeing that her clan were safe. Lions surely were around here. Everything was going hungry, even her hated enemies. She was wary, though. Her strength was something that hadn't faded much, and her dark eyes kept a lookout for the felines. If there was food here, she would be the one to get it, not those filthy cats.
Dayo's eyes are on the towering bit of rock in the center of the lands, wondering why exactly he's missed it so many times before... perhaps, because he's never actually looked *up.* Rather, his eyes have been on the ground, looking for any scraps of food or licks of water he can get. So this big old bit of rock that seems to sprout up out of nowhere is, to say the least, rather surprising. And to find others coming towards him? Rather panicking, to be honest. He glances between the two, almost immediately feeling rather trapped as he pauses in the rock's shadow.
And yet another common trait shared between those denizens of the sparsely populated savannah. Skittishness. In a world of kill or be killed, those whom are not strong, or are not amoung the strong tend to find themselves preyed upon more often than most. As it is, the poor lass nearly jumps out of her skin in pure startlement when during her plodding along she nearly runs over the poor lad - and that's not because of him, no, but rather because she crossed into the shadow of the rock formation and the change in light levels brought her too. "Ahhhhh!" she cries, stumbling back, eyes wide - for the moment the canine is missed by the girl. She has more immediate problems.
Unlike the lioness, Thulani has spotted the two lions. It took her a moment, half of that moment just denying her bad luck. Sight was the hyena's most reliable sense, and she had caught a glint of their movement through the corners of her eyes. A low growl emitted from the matriarch's throat, as she lowered herself into the dried grass. One lion wouldn't be such a hassle, but two? What if they knew each other? Part of the same pride? What horrendous luck. Ears lowering in irritation, Thulani plopped herself down where she was, a quiet whine in the back of her voice. This sucked.
"AHHH!" is Dayo's answer to Eos' cry. He rolls away and ends up on his stomach, ducked down as low as he can go to show, yet still ready to leap and start a fight if he has to. Be prepared for any situation, that's what his life has taught him. Anything and everything can happen in this land. "Gebback!" he snaps, eyes frightfully wide. This was a lioness, full grown and probably better fed than he was. He was definitely in trouble.
"Ahhhh!" Whoo! We got ourselves a screaming contest here folks! The lad's panicked shout elicits yet another echoing one of her own as she falls back even further, and leans to one side in preparation of running. Full grown? Yes - if just. Larger than norm? Definately - she's got an interesting ancestry mix that's mostly been lost to the sands of time. Few would recognize just what her heritage is in this day and age. Still, as she gets ready to dart, her mind finally catches up with her - the lad's profile is somewhat smaller than she'd expect. And if she's not mistaken... ... yes. His mane (if that scraggly mess can be called such) isn't anywhere near grown in yet - most of what's developed is headfur, though hints of his coming heritage are plainly visible. "Ahh.. huh?" she muddles in a confused manner, setting down a forepaw she had raised in preparation of bolting. Oh joy! Incoherency and confusion!
Thulani growls, loudly enough to be heard this time. Perhaps it is a mistake, perhaps not. One of these lions is a mere cub, though. A tasty snack for any of the older hyenas of her clan, herself included. Well.. maybe he's a bit older than being a cub, but he'd do. If only she had brought a few stragglers along.. she cursed herself mentally for being too stubborn. Something the lower ranking females often did for her. It was the other one, the older female that caused her a bit of grief. Why? Why did these d**n cats always have to stand in her way? Another growl, and she bolted upwards, furious with both her luck and the imposing felines. Thulani's black lips curled into a snarl as she slowly pawed her way over towards the lions, the rough mane of hair along her neck standing up just a bit. This place was hers, and she wasn't going to give it up easily. And that younger lion.. she almost began salivating as thoughts of killing him and dragging him back to the clan clouded her mind.
Dayo seems rather surprised that she isn't roaring at him or tearing out his throat by now. It doesn't enter his mind yet that she could be friendly, no, she's far, far too large for that (though he isn't too scraggly himself). He remains on the ground, staring at her with fearful apprehension. He very, very slowly begins to try and slink away, keeping his eyes on the female as he goes, waiting for any kind of reaction to his movements.
Eos regards the adolescent with rapidly receding apprehension and something more akin to confusion. Why is it that things that are a surprise or unknown tend to appear to be larger than they seem? "... ... Um... Hello there?" She finally manages to offer to the adolescent, somewhat abashedly. Well, it's not every day you get your wits scared out of you by someone a third smaller than you, is it? Relaxing somewhat, the lioness makes to sit and studies the youth quietly for several moments, trying to work through how to deal with the situation - and is thankfully saved by a noise almost completely lost in the background ruckus of the morning savannah. An ear flicks, and she turns to stare at the tall grasses nearby... "Unless there's more than just you there, I'd not advise making trouble." She remarks with a sigh. Canines. Ugh. More than likely if the sound is any indication.
Dayo's reply to Eos is a simple, uncomprehending blink. His first thought, when she says "hello" instead "ARRGRAAGHH" or whatever creatures say when they're ripping your throat out, is 'I'm not dead!' The second was 'Perhaps she's not going to kill me!' And the third was 'What was that noise?!' He glances in the direction of the hyena, which seems to quickly dart away in the face of two big cats. Oh, good. Now she could eat him all by herself. He turns back to her and gulps. "... Hi," he says, though it comes out as a strained, whispered *noise* more than anything else.
Alright! We've graduated from neolithic grunts and screams to attempts at speech for the two of them! Perhaps at this rate they'll eventually evolve to the point where they form communities and work together. Crikey! This is an exciting event! Eos waits for several seconds after the lad's reply to see if he says anything further and to listen to the retreating hyena, then turns back and cocks her head to one side, "... ... One of the local pride, or a loner?" She states simply, her previous panic forgotten and an innate calm settling over her features. In other words - should she be kissing donkey as she's a stranger in foreign territory, or can they speak on civil terms?
And there's the million kill question. If he says he's part of a pride, she might go away, or she might start acting like he's important... in which case, if she finds out he's lying, she'll probably kill him for food. If he says he's alone, she'll just kill for food right then and there. But it'll be hard to lie when it's so obvious that nobody's around, he is not well fed enough to be in a pride, and he can't think of a good cover story anyway. He glances around, shivering despite the heat, and answers slowly. "I'm... fairly... alone... it seems," he murmurs, ready to bolt.
"... Right." Eos remarks idly, watching the youth squirm as she debates how to handle the situation. He's scared silly - that much is evident. Hell, she was just there a few moments ago. And she's be willing to bet you that meerkats to gazelles that he is as much a loner as she is. Benefit of the doubt reasons that his statement leaves open the possibility for other explanations however. Thankfully for the kid's sake, she's already managed to get something to eat today. A mostly stripped wildebeest carcass retained enough meat and marrow to take the edge of her ever-present hunger, and the charitably so-called 'water' she pulled up from the muddy depths of the local 'Water Hole' helped to further alleviate her pressing need to eat. "Look cub," She finally starts, thrashing her tail in the dust behind her for a moment before curling it up along the toes of her forepaws, "I ain't gonna eatchas or run you off. I don't live here either. Shall we cut the crap and maybe try to be civil?" A toss of her head moves her long russet bangs out of her eyes, "The name's Eos. What's yours?"
Still keeping her distance from the two lions, Thulani wondered about them. If they were from prides, or if they were rogue lions. Why would she wonder that? The heat, probably. She didn't care, per se. But the thought of 'maybe I've fought them before, over a scrap of meat or land' had wandered into her delusional thoughts. The leader of the hyena clan's tongue appeard from her dark lips, the heat causing her to breathe heavily in the mostly non-sheltered environment. All the nice, cool shelter was currently too close to the d**n cats, who outnumbered her two to one. Still.. their presence cued a rumble in her stomach, signaling her hunger once again.
The young lion glances back and forth, wondering if this is some kind of trick. She's actually not going to try and kill him? She's trying to just... talk? Just talk? He isn't sure how to react to this. He stands up and scuffs his paws in the dirt, licking his dry lips. "Oh... my name. It's... it's Dayo," he says, just now starting to calm down. He seems ready to drop back onto his stomach into hiding at the slightest noise, however.
The young lion glances back and forth, wondering if this is some kind of trick. She's actually not going to try and kill him? She's trying to just... talk? Just talk? He isn't sure how to react to this. He stands up and scuffs his paws in the dirt, licking his dry lips. "Oh... my name. It's... it's Dayo," he says, just now starting to calm down. He seems ready to drop back onto his stomach into hiding at the slightest noise, however.
Still keeping her distance from the two lions, Thulani wondered about them. If they were from prides, or if they were rogue lions. Why would she wonder that? The heat, probably. She didn't care, per se. But the thought of 'maybe I've fought them before, over a scrap of meat or land' had wandered into her delusional thoughts. The leader of the hyena clan's tongue appeard from her dark lips, the heat causing her to breathe heavily in the mostly non-sheltered environment. All the nice, cool shelter was currently too close to the d**n cats, who outnumbered her two to one. Still.. their presence cued a rumble in her stomach, signaling her hunger once again.
Eos blinks... "Day'o, huh?" She repeats, mangling the pronunciation of the kid's name as she tries to roll it's familiar sounds around her tongue. "... Parents not like you much or something with a name like that?" One snort of amusement later, the lass decides it's safe enough (what's he gonna actually do to her, huh?) and lays down in a somewhat abrupt manner, sending micro-miniture sandstorms of dust scurrying about her form. Her emerald eyes regard the youth calmly, and with a bit of amusement prevalent. This could be fun - bettern starving alone at least.
It's a chance, but one that she has to take. 'There IS food around here.' she encouraged herself, and padded towards the large rock, the wind going against her and pushing her scent towards the other predators. 'And that food is mine..' she repeated in her head a few times, a low growl emitting from her throat as her large ears pressed back against her cranium, dark eyes glaring up at the two felines.
Dayo looks down to the ground and taps a paw on the ground. "Something like that," he murmurs in reply to her little remark. He raises an eyebrow at Eos as she gets comfortable, wondering what it could be to be so powerful one didn't really have to worry about... well, most anything, except equally sized or larger creatures. "So... what's your story?" he asks, wodnering how else to make conversation in a desolate wasteland. "You look like you should be in a pride."
Eos listens intently to the kid's explanation, and allows herself a small smirk as he deftly avoids directly answering her inquiry regarding his name. 'Something like that,' huh? Cheeky little fellow isn't he? This is swiftly followed by a slight widening of the eyes as he deftly switches tracks and changes the topic and point of the discussion back to her. Interesting. "And what makes you say that?" She replies in a conversational tone, merely flickering an ear as an unfamiliar scent crosses her nose... but for the moment is ignored. Whatever it is, she can handle it likely as not - and what could possibly be stupid enough to attack a (mostly) full grown lioness particularly one with her ancestry?
Dayo tilts his head and seems rather confused as to why she doesn't know the answer herself. "Well," he said simply, "you're a big, full grown lioness. You'd obviously be useful." He too glances to the side, wondering what it could be. Probably something deadly. He turns back to the lioness when nothing comes of it. "You could have killed me the moment you met me and gotten a good meal. I mean, not that I'm saying you should now!" he backtracks. "But I mean... well. Thanks for not doing that."
The russet girl gives a soft laugh, "Usefulness you think is key huh? Let me let you in on a little secret hun - usefulness only gets you so far." She shifts, letting her hind-legs sprawl out to one side, and uses a claw from a forepaw to trace idle circles in the dusty earth before her, "Prides don't just operate on whom is useful and whom is not... more often than not it's also whom you know. Or whom you're willing to prostrate yourself for." She growls, digging said claw into the dirt, "I don't just blindly follow orders or fawn over no one. I'd rather be alone than have to live like that. ... So I left." And then... she smiles and winks slyly. Oh, this is just too hard to pass up... "And don't fret - I'm not that hungry. Cubs are too gamey for my tastes anyway. You have to let your meat age properly you understand."
Dayo has to agree with that. He nods sullenly, pawing at the ground and his own forelegs, still quite nervous. He perks an ear when she calls him a cub (he seems to take some offense to that). "I'm *not* a-" he begins, but he's been teased about that kind of thing before, and knows there's no real point in contending with that kind of ribbing. Instead he rolls his eyes and sighs, and gets into a more relaxed position himself, glad they're in the shadow of the rock lest the sun grow too hot. "Well, at least when creatures call me tender I know they aren't inaccurate," he says with a twist of his paw. "So you *have* been in a pride, then?" he asks, given her knowledge of how they work.
Eos rolls her eyes, "We all start somewhere, don't we?" A cryptic reply if anything. Still, she isn't about to just continue blindly down this path and let the young one pump her for information without paying a toll. Time to turn the tables, eh? "I'm going to guess you wern't raised in one from your interest in the topic... Before we go on about me, I'd like to know whom I'm spilling my life story to." her tail drifts around and settles across her hindlegs, and she pauses a moment to shake her head to one side to once again clear her unruly bangs from her eyes, "A bastard cub perhaps? Or offspring of a rouge? Orphaned?"
Dayo blinks a few times, clearly disturbed by the sheer volume of distasteful options she throws at him. He shifts his weight several times and looks down and around, as if trying to pull an answer from the shadows. "You're spilling your story to Dayo. A rogue. I don't *have* a family anymore," he says a little snappishly. "I don't have a home. I'm just curious. Is that okay?" He looks down at his forepaws, wondering how she'll take that bit of brashness.
Distasteful? ... Probably. But unfortunately all rather common for those other loners and rogues she's run across - and those are the ones whom had it relatively easy. Whom didn't have to deal with far worse. Eos chuckles and shakes her head, "It doesn't matter really if it matters or not." She pauses, eliciting a blank look for a moment then sticking out her tongue briefly in a look of distaste. "Matters... matters not... Or something like that anyways. Anywho, the result is the same. I like to know whom I'm speaking to - and not just their name. A name's a name and tells us nothing. One's actions and responses however..." She smiles, "It's fine. I was just taking your gague. Now then - I presume you have questions about prides?"
Dayo sighs and scratches his claws in the dirt while the lioness explains her actions. Taking his gague, right. She was sizing him up. Like any violent lioness would. But she seems nice enough. She actually smiled without baring her teeth or anything. "Well... I was just wondering if you knew of any around here," he says hopefully. "I mean, I got lucky meeting another loner who just happened to be, uh... not hungry enough. But seems if there's prides in a land like this they wouldn't be really inclined to sit down and have a heart-to-heart." He terms this a little sarcastically.
Eos nods knowingly. "Indeed. What pride these days has the time to sit down with every runaway, hanger-on and useless hungry mouth to feed?" A pause... "Rethorical question. Don't answer that." He seems to be taking things to literally... or perhaps he's catching on. Hard to tell really. Reaching forward with her paws, she starts to kneed her toes as she takes a moment to consider how to direct this conversation, "... Not much gets past you, does it? Food's scarce. Water's even harder to come by... They can't afford to pander to anyone but their own. Hense it's in their interests to run others off. Or kill them. Each king of his own little pride plays one lioness off another - using what little resources he has to maximize getting what he wants for his favorites. That ring a bell?"
Dayo sighs as he looks down at the ground and crumples some the grass at his paws. "Oh, gee... sounds a lot like this place," he says with a wry smile of his own. "I wonder what exactly we're supposed to do, then," he says. "Or, uh... what *you* and *I* are supposed to do. Besides survive, I guess..." he mutters, looking off into the horizon. Making friends seems rather pointless if they were just going to part ways and probably kill each other the next time they saw one another. "I mean, you're a lioness... they'll probably want you to hunt. Me... well. Like you said. Gotta let your meat age a bit."
A soft breeze gusts across the savannah, sending the grasses swaying lightly in it's passing and eliciting the girl to lift her nose to towards it, backing her ears and closing here eyes - just basking and enjoying the sensation for the time being... "What do we do?" She asks softly after a long moment of letting her bangs dance across her face and down the sides of her head around her ears, "That's an excellent question. I for one intend to continue on trudging along doing what I've been doing. Surviving. If I'm lucky, I'll eventually find a lion whom isn't a total jerk and whom I can tolerate living with his idiosyncrasies and his amorous ways." She sighs and ruefully lowers her head to give the lad a long, thoughtful look. "However for awhile at least I'm continuing along as I have. ... I suppose I could use a companion to keep me company along the way for a time. Someone who will age and possibly serve as an emergency food source when he gets old enough. Feeling up to the job by chance?"
Dayo isn't *that* young. He's nearly an adult, kind of sort of. He just *knows* that's never going to stop rankling him, no matter how many people rag on him about it. He's honestly, but also pleasantly, surprised by the offer. Laced with sarcasm as it is. At least he hopes the part about eating him is sarcasm. It's sure to be better than just wandering around until he bakes in the sun. Now he'll have someone to exchange banter with while they waste away. Joy. He tries to match her gaze, but doesn't hold it, looking at her formidable paws instead. If she hasn't used them by now... "I don't suppose I can ask for hazard benefits in an already hazardous land, huh? But... not like I got a whole lot else going on." He rolls onto his back and looks at her upside down. "I think this place is boring. Let's find somewhere interesting to get heat stroke."
An adult he may be... or at least close enough for this day and age. And adult decisions are part of the game in this big and rough world and those whom can't live up to them are doomed to fail. But once in a while... some untrained, untried, completely green and irresponsible youth makes the right choice - and the world gets a little better. Eos regards the adolescent for a long moment with a level silent stare, in all honesty surprised by his acceptance of her offer. If her brusqueness and 'charm' hasn't scared him off by this point, perhaps there's hope that she won't kill him. At least not today. As for tomorrow... we'll see. "Indeed... maybe we can scare up a meerkat or three if we try hard enough or something." With a grunt, she rolls her hindlegs under her and stands, taking the time to stretch while speaking, "... Lead on cub. Show me what you know." May the great kings of the past help us all.
Dayo stands up and stretches. A couple of meerkats? Well, that's more meat than he's had in... a *while.* She's giving him the lead? Well, there can't be any worse choices... " I think we should go in a... general... that way direction," he says, waving a paw in *that* direction, whatever that is. And then he does what he's done before. Starts to walk.