by Gemini » July 3rd, 2014, 11:05 pm
Skauti was confused by everything that was happening. It was simply too much for him to take in and process at one time. He'd barely even begun to study them before he found himself being approached and even spoken to. Without thinking he'd taken a step backwards, feeling threatened and a little bit upset. His kill had been taken, he had to get back to it... but then, what if the hyenas were still there?
His flattened ears pricked back into their normal position when the oldest and largest of the group - a very imposing and graceful lioness, probably middle-aged - addressed him, with a bluntness that set him on edge. He knew better than to attack them, seeing as he stood no chance, but his claws were still out and he couldn't keep the sharp edge off his tongue once he spoke, trying his best to sound big.
"If kittens were able to care for themselves then I suppose I would be a bit presumptuous," he pulled back his lips, looking a bit ruffled up despite the fact that he hadn't been injured. "Nobody helps without expecting something. I wasn't born yesterday."
He wasn't sure what the older lioness' reaction would be. He didn't want to outright offend her, as that would likely end very badly for him, but he did want her to know that he wasn't just some poor, lost little cub wandering through the valley. Surprisingly, though, she didn't respond right away - it was the other lion, the one who had helped him, that approached, his eyes lit with a genuine, sincere understanding.
Skauti weighed the male's words carefully, his lips twisting. They were an odd bunch, that was for certain. Nonetheless, he still kept his guard up - though he was a reasonably good judge of character, he still didn't know enough about them yet to judge what they would do, and he wasn't about to bet his life on a hunch.
That was when the third individual of the group approached them, and immediately when he saw her, he noticed that she stood out. She was more slender and less muscular than the others, with a soft, sweet look in her eye. He had to admit that she was beautiful as she drew closer, affirming the words of her male companion. The younger lion looked at her a moment, bewildered.
"I'm fine," he said flatly, his expression puzzled as the new lioness looked over him, concerned. And then, without his intending to, more words escaped: "I was heading towards the mountains as well, but those good-for-nothing scavengers nabbed my kill, and would have made another out of me... I'll have to find another somewhere..."