[Request] Freedom OC Pride

[Zoketi]

Link to discussion thread: Clicky


Characters:
Shomari the Lion [Zoketi]
Mwanga the Lioness [Zoketi]
Drune the Hyena [Zoketi]
Amber the Lioness [MissAmberMarie]
Baya the Lion [Baya]
Zorayda the Lioness [zorayda]
Aiko the Lion [zorayda]
Eeve the Lioness [zorayda]
Shani the Lion [Kopalover]
Rain the Cheetah [VitaniOutsider]

[zorayda]

The savannah was just starting to cool down from its regular day to day searing heat as the sun bled colors into the sky, throwing the sparse acacia and baobob trees into black contrast against the lovely shades of pink and orange. The animals were mostly quiet, a lull in the sounds of the environment of the African plain, as two top predators leisurely fed from their recently hunted prey.

A small antelope carcass lay strewn across the grasses, staining it red with its lifeblood as two lions hunched nearby--one lioness and one large male white lion. Their paws were tucked beneath their bodies in a sort of crouching position, ears perked and twitching at the smallest sound. The only sounds were of their eating for now, but soon there would be scavengers or beggars come to take some of their hard-earned fresh kill. It was Zorayda, the chocolate brown lioness, who had delivered the final blow that took the antelope down, crippling it, while Aiko was the one who had gripped its throat with his mighty maw until it had suffocated. Not ones to be cruel, they both said their thanks for the antelope's life before they ate of it.

Eating rapidly before slowing, Zorayda was the first to finish. She shook the fringe from her scarred right eye before settling down to bathe, paw repeatedly washing over her muzzle as she wet it with her pink tongue. Aiko finished second, needing more to fill him due to his large, rather intimidating size, and copied his 'pridemate', the blood a stark contrast to his bright white fur.

"Another blessing for today," Zorayda said happily after finishing, settling down to lie with her paws in front of her. Laying her head on her paws, she heaved a great happy sigh, closing her eyes in a dozy way after eating so much. Aiko grinned at her.

"What are you doing, Zor? It's near nighttime, when we lions rule the savannah," he teased, poking at her slightly bulging belly. She huffed uncomfortably and shifted away from his large white paw, swatting at his ear with her own tan one.

"Mm, I suppose..." she agreed absently with her eyes still closed, ignoring him for the most part.

----------

Taraji simply could not be happier about the setting sun. Though the snow leopard hated water, she basked in it now, letting it lap at her fur and skin and cooling her off. She kept a wary eye out for dangerous crocodiles as she did so, her webby paws automatically treading water as she kept her nostrils up and out of the water. After a few minutes, she dragged herself out, normally fluffy white fur soppy wet. She looked strangely skinny with the weight of the water pulling her fur downwards, but after a few good shivers and shakes, it was on its way to drying out.

[Kopalover]

Shani crossed the fields, that he was once brought up on. The entire pride he grew and loved, was dead. their bodies scattered throughout the view. His name was once Prince Shani, yet now he will never have anything to rule. The King and Queen were Shani's parents, and were torn apart, laying holding paws on the highest rock in the field. Shani saw them and multiple tears rolled down his face, running towards them with a snarl then falling down once he reached them. His mother was still partially breathing.

"S..hani...sson.. I....w..ill.. always...b...e...the..re...for...y..ou.." Breathing heavily as he cleaned her wounds. His tears staining her brown fur.

"I know. So you can't die." Crying out, more tears falling from his face. Still trying to clean her gushing wounds.

"M..y... time....isssss.......d...one... here...but... I...will..always...be..around..." Pausing, taking a deep, distorted breath in. "In...here." Placing a bloody paw on his chest, right above his heart.

"No. NO! You can not die, I will have no one!" Screaming through the trees. Echoing as the crows flew away.

"You..will.. have..someone....ev..ery..oonne...does. I...love..you!" Her eyes turned bright blue, as her eyes were darker blue and her chest stopped moving. Shani panicked, and started pressing on her chest.

"Breathe! You have to, you can't leave me. I can't be alone!" Crying into her fur, still pressing her chest. "Mother, I love you." Whispering in her ear as the last of her breaths exited her body. A single tear rolled down her cheek, as her eyes remained open. He lifted his paws and closed her eyes, his father's as well.

Shani got up, and whipped his tears away. Trying the best to smile, then walked away with fire in his eyes. As he walked away from his parents, he roared. Sending the birds to fly from the trees.

[Zoketi]

As the sun set, its light began to fade from the jungle as well. Deep among the trees, it was less noticeable, but closer to the edge, shafts of light seeped through the trunks of the numerous trees. The stalks of grass became more numerous as the trees thinned, reaching the edge of the forest. Resting against a rather mangled rosewood tree was a slim lioness. Beside her was a smaller adolescent lion.

The lioness, Mwanga, was leisurely watching a brilliant blue butterfly float past her face. Her paw twitched, but she was too lazy to bat at it. She seemed quite relaxed, even for a lion. But few troubles appeared in the forest. There were rarely other lions, and even the dangers of having enraged prey charge down upon you were slim.

Shomari, half-asleep against Mwanga, didn't stir in the evening light. His growing mane ruffled in the light breeze, while his whiskers twitched in a dream. Mwanga turned her gaze to him, her eyes soft. His peaceful expression, such a rare sight when he was awake, made her think of her own cub days. When she had been free from worry and was full of child innocence. A twinge of nostalgia pricked her mind.

Mwanga shook it away and blinked. A large yawn escaped her jaws, and her teeth gleamed in the sun's dying rays. She flicked her tongue around her muzzle and felt her stomach gurgle softly.

Shomari's eyes shot open. Mwanga tilted her head, slightly amused and surprised he had heard her stomach noise. "Obviously, I am hungry." She commented, as the smaller lion shifted away from her.

Shomari made no reply, but eyed her with a sort of resigned look. He rose slowly to his paws, stretching slightly. Without any indication, he began to pad towards the more open savannah. The dimming light turned him into a dark silhouette.

Mwanga smiled slightly, then heaved herself to her paws. A few bits of tree bark and grass clung to her tan pelt, but she ignored them. A low grunt escaped her mouth and she arched her back in a stretch. The satisfaction of her spine cracking made her grin, and she slid past the rosewood tree and followed her younger companion.

[zorayda]

Aiko stopped messing with his friend when the wind shifted slightly, allowing him to catch scents from a different direction. He stiffened when he caught the familiar smell of others lions, but these were strangers. Ears alert, he turned to Zorayda.

"I think someone's coming this way. Lions," he told her. He knew that their catch would attract others... but, since these were lions and not hyenas or other troublemakers, maybe he and Zorayda could have a friendly chat with them? It had been a long time since he'd spoken to anyone other than Zor, so a change in company would be nice...

"Mm, I kinda wanna meet 'em," Zorayda said, voicing Aiko's exact thoughts aloud. He nodded at her, still looking for the source of the scent, when two shapes made themselves apparent somewhere ahead of them.

"Hm, there they are," Aiko said softly. Zorayda stood up and walked next to her friend, plopping her rear end down. Her crystalline eyes scanned the horizon, as well, and saw that the two nearby felines were relatively close. They'd probably be aware of Zorayda's and Aiko's presence as she and Aiko were of theirs. All that was left was to wait.

[Zoketi]

Mwanga's slim body rustled the long grass as she past it. The trees, already few, were left behind after a few moments. Mwanga's light eyes sought out Shomari's shape, just ahead. His tail flicked in front of her as he weaved through the stalks.

Sniffing, Mwanga lifted her head to peer over the grass. The wind brought in something new--the scent of two nearby lions. Curious, the lioness scanned the savannah, the dying sun still bleeding colors over the land. The silhouettes of two large cats were visible ahead. "Hey, Shomari!"Mwanga spoke, her voice quiet. Like usual, Shomari didn't reply. "Well, I'm gonna go greet them." Mwanga bounded forwards, brushing past Shomari.

The young gray lion growled as she rushed past. His orange eyes, glowing with the light, narrowed in annoyance. He would have just left the lioness to her interests, but with the fact that he might run into some other less-friendly lions alone killed his wishful thoughts. With a heavy sigh, he turned and followed Mwanga.

The lioness trotted closer to the two shapes. She knew that Shomari would eventually follow her, as sulky and unfriendly as he might be. She'd have to excuse his rude behavior if these turned out to be friends.

As she neared, the builds of each cat became apparent. A male and a female...maybe a pair. From what she could tell, their expressions were peaceful. A small smile blossomed upon her muzzle--she wanted to look friendly--and she slowed to a halt, a few tail-lengths from the other lion and lioness.

[zorayda]

Aiko took notice of the details of the two felines as they neared--one lion was male, the other female. Something in the male's posture was stiff and untrusting, however, as they approached.

Probably a smart idea, the white lion thought absently as the female unabashedly trotted up to them. Taking his eyes off of the male, he focused his ice-blue gaze upon the lioness. Her build was very similar to that of Zorayda's--a little stocky, but graceful all the same. Her fur was an average color, with an interesting stripe down her back. But what caught his attention were her eyes--a beautiful, unusual minty green color, bright against the dark brown fur around them. He was taken aback by this so much that he simply stared and remained silent, allowing a few awkward moments to go by.

Zorayda cleared her throat, giving Aiko a confused look before smiling at the lioness.

"Hi! We haven't stopped to talk to others for a while... I'm assuming you guys were hungry, and followed your noses," she giggled, gesturing towards the half-eaten antelope, still fairly fresh. "I'm Zorayda! And this guy is Aiko," she introduced the two of them, elbowing the white lion in the side when he was still unresponsive. This seemed to work, because he snapped to attention and blushed.

"Oh, yeah, hello," he mumbled, averting his eyes.

Giving her friend another confused look, the chocolate brown lioness turned her attention back to the newcomer. "Your friend doesn't have to be suspicious, we won't attack," here, she extended a claw and made an 'X' across her fluffy chest. "Cross my heart."

She got to her feet and grinned, back arching and tail erect in a feline posture of friendliness. "What's your name? And your friend's, too? Or mate. Or whatever," she corrected at the last second, trying to be mindful of her own manners.

[Zoketi]

Mwanga felt the male's gaze turn to her for a moment, but she disregarded it. She dipped her head in a friendly way, her eyes searching both lions' pelts with mild interest. At the female's first comment, she gave a light laugh. "Well, yes. I am a bit hungry, but I won't intrude." She responded evenly, still smiling brightly.

"Er...nice to meet you." She mumbled, the white lion's hesitation and embarrassment had attracted her attention. For a moment she watched Aiko, and her words faltered in her distraction. Shaking her head slightly, she refocused on Zorayda, hoping not to be rude.

Mwanga's eyes sparked. "I wasn't expecting you to." She purred, her voice hinting amusement. "Don't mind him, he's always like that." She twitched her ear.

The tan lioness blinked quickly. "Ahh, yes--names." She repeated, her tail tip flicking back and forth in gentle rhythm. "My name is Mwanga, and that is Shomari." She nodded towards her approaching companion. Giving a small chuckle, she continued, "I am more like his mother, if anything. We aren't actually related, but when I found him as a small cub what was I to do?" She gave the young male a fond look, at which he stared back.

Shomari slowed to a halt behind her, and peered warily at Zorayda and Aiko. His small build seemed even smaller compared to the other lion, and made him feel uncomfortable. Small lions like him--as he was unusually small for his age, not only because he was younger--weren't very normal, nor very beneficial to himself.

"You'll have to excuse his rudeness." Mwanga apologized, giving him a rather stern glance. Shomari snorted quietly in response, averting his gaze.

[zorayda]

"Well, yes. I am a bit hungry, but I won't intrude."

Zorayda waved a paw flippantly at the lioness's remark, making a 'pff' sound at the same time. "We're totally done, so no worries," she said casually, tail twitching with excitement at their new guests. Her grin got impossibly wider when she introduced her somewhat antisocial friend, nodding her head in greeting. Aiko's embarassment faded slightly when he spied the smaller lion, and he gave the other male a reassuring smile.

"Hello, Shomari," the large white lion greeted kindly, still somewhat shy about talking to the pretty lioness. Shomari seemed extremely wary, which was understandable--it looked like a cheetah would be able to take him on and win. Small size was bound to make one a suspicious lion.

"Hiya!" Zor chirped, eyes squinted shut in a smile. She sensed his awkwardness and caution, but Zorayda always tried to fix shyness with lots of friendliness. Aiko smirked in amusement, knowing that her tactics of loudness and attention often got her the opposite result she wanted.

[Zoketi]

Mwanga shrugged. "I can't refuse." She agreed, giving Zorayda a smile. Her ears twitched at Aiko's voice, and her eyes flicked to him. He was greeting Shomari, and Mwanga had a sudden hope that maybe her shy little cub would open up more to one of the same gender as he. Mwanga nodded encouragingly at the little gray lion, her eyes cheerful.

Shomari froze at the voice directed to him. His eyes flashed from Mwanga to Aiko, and the fear boiled up inside. His vision focused and unfocused, and he felt his tail tremble. "Oh.....greetings." He muttered, wondering if he could be any more awkward. Why did he have to be so shy? His claws dug into the ground and he ducked his head.

Mwanga let out a disappointed breath. "Sorry." She mewed apologetically to Zorayda and Aiko. Wanting to get off the subject, her tail rose into the air and her minty eyes brightened. "So...you still have that food?" She asked innocently.