Ajani cracked an emerald eye open as a clawed back-paw kicked him in the face. He snarled then sighed as he realized it was only his younger brother, Jirani. Ajani grumble inaudibly and attempted to push himself upwards. However, Jirani's bulky body, which he'd insisted on laying completely on top of Ajani, proved too heavy for Ajani who was sore after yesterday's fight. With short-tempered annoyance, he bit down on Jirani's ankle, drawing blood.
The pain barely awakened Jirani who yawned, revealing his long white canines and reddish tongue. "Yeah?" he asked lethargically.
"Would you please remove your giantly heavy body from my very sore and pissed off one?"
Jirani blinked hard and stretched out with his large paws. He pulled himself forward slowly, stretching one back-paw, then the other. He sat down and scratched one of his mid-gray ears. He shook his mane, fluffing it up, then looked over at Ajani.
"You need to relax," he made an obviously irritated face as the sun shone in his eyes.
Ajani gave his brother a disbelieving look and stood. "You need to be on guard. You were so asleep an elephant could've snuck up on you!"
"Nah," Jirani said, clearly unaffected,"I would have scared it off with my snores."
Ajani shook his head at his rather immature brother. "C'mon," he said, rising,"let's find Baya or Zira. Maybe they'll have something for us to do." He stalked off through the dusty caves, his lean body casting distorted shadows across the walls.
Jirani followed haltingly, his much larger body casting shadows as big as elephants. "Yeah, like sleep." Ajani let out an exasperated huff; Jirani was hopeless.
===
He found Baya barking at his children, two runts, though not particularly small, that paled in comparison to Ajani and Jirani.
"Sir," Ajani said respectfully, Baya being the one lion he feared and stood in awe of. Everything about the lean lion demanded respect and Ajani was not slow to give it, having already earned a scar or two for not paying it.
Jirani obviously got a Baya's nerves, being so big and powerful, but so soft. He rather got on Ajani's nerves too. But he was crucial.
"Do you have anything for us to do, sir?" Ajani asked, meeting Baya's eyes, both burning like emerald fires. He knew Baya liked for lions to show coolness and control-and making eye contact was the first lesson to showing you aren't intimidated.