[Request] Freedom OC Pride

[zorayda]

Zorayda perked up cheerfully when the two lions accepted her offer of a free meal--it always made the brown lioness feel good to do something nice for others. Aiko smiled softly at her happiness; his best friend was a good lioness at heart, he knew, but being reminded of it all the time made him grateful for her company all over again.

The large lion turned his attention to Shomari, the smaller male's orange eyes averted. He seemed to be a little frustrated with himself, and Aiko could only feel sympathy for the other. He edged carefully closer to Shomari and tilted his shaggy white head at him.

"You are welcome to stay with us for a little bit, if you find yourself getting tired after eating..." he offered quietly. Aiko was very curious about the lion for some reason--his past and why he was so apt to mistrust others. Also, there was that green-eyed lioness who was very, very pretty... but Aiko liked to think he didn't want them to stay just because of a pretty face.

Zorayda's face calmed into a relaxed smile, though her mouth twitched at Shomari's apology. She waved her paw again, like she had to Mwanga, and stood aside to let them have the rest of the antelope she and her friend had taken down together.

[Zoketi]

Shomari could feel one of the stranger's gaze burn into his pelt. At the voice, he raised his head hesitantly and stared up at Aiko. "Alright." He murmured, his eyes darting back and forth. His ears twitched with nervousness and he swallowed.

Mwanga's tail flicked lightly across his back, making him flinch. He ducked his head again and sidled closer to Mwanga, wanting her comfort. He wished he could stop being so bashful. He overreacted so much, and it probably portrayed him as a terrified little cub.

Mwanga gently nuzzled Shomari's ear, her motherly concern showing in her pale eyes. "Breathe." She whispered, understanding his discomfort and fear. She decided it best just to calm him instead of scold him.

The sleek tan lioness glanced back to Zorayda and Aiko. "Thank you again." She meowed, as if nothing had happened, and gave them a slightly awkward smile.

As Zorayda stepped aside, Mwanga dipped her head and nudged Shomari over to the carcass, her own stomach rumbling again. She padded softly over and licked her chops. Shomari wobbled over and sat down right next to Mwanga, his eyes staring at the ground.

[VitaniOutsider]

Rain said goodbye to his parents as he left. "Goodbye!" said Rain. "Bye!" said his parents. "Now time to hunt" Rain said. "Antelope!" he thought. "Got it!" Rain said as he sat down to eat. "Now what should I do?" he said.

[Zoketi]

Drune pattered soundlessly through the savannah, his dark fur brushing against the tall grass. He raised his head and scanned the area, searching for something to eat. Normally he would have his other hyena friends along with him, but tonight he wished to be alone.

The sunset sky was fading to a navy blue as the sun sank beyond the horizon. Drune watched the heavens for a moment, then shook his head lightly and trotted onwards. His nose twitched as he scented, hoping for something edible and easy to find.

At last--the luscious scent of a zebra carcass rose into his nose. Drune hurried forwards, prepared to fight the vultures for a meal. Sure enough, a cluster of the birds lay around the carcass, stabbing and gulping down meat. Drune snarled and charged.

A flutter of dark feathers showered down as the vultures fled. Drune sniffed the carcass. Good, it was only a few hours old. Still fresh. He began to eat hungrily before the vultures came back, knowing he should try to bring some back to his pack.

[zorayda]

Aiko flopped down near the eating lions, choosing to remain quiet for now and let things come as they may. Zorayda, however, sat near the duo, careful to stay out of Shomari's personal bubble.

"So... can I ask where you guys are from?" the brown lioness asked cheerfully, politely waiting for Mwanga to finish chewing before she answered. Zorayda's fringe blew away from her right eye a bit, revealing a couple of the scars and her blinded eye. She drew a splotchy tan paw over it to cover it again, self-conscious.

------------

Eeve whimpered as she dragged half of herself across the grass, desperate to get to a hiding place, to someone who could help, just something to keep her alive. Her blood stained the tan grass as her hours-old cuts reopened with each movement, making her conscious flicker in and out as only sheer will kept her from closing her eyes.

The scent of zebra meat permeated her nose, and a ray of hope came to the pale-colored lioness. Meat meant strength, energy, perhaps other lions to help her... She doggedly clawed her way over to it, legs wobbling and shaking, heedless of the doglike scent she sensed... hyena. But it didn't matter anymore. It didn't matter if the dog chose to kill her. She would die without sustenance and rest nonetheless...

Feebly beating huge buzzards away from her bleeding body, she came to a stop in front of the carcass. She raised her mandarin-orange irises to the hyena, pleading for him not to attack her... she took a breath and dipped her head down to take a bite at the tender flesh, mouth watering with hunger.

[Zoketi]

Mwanga swallowed, letting the flavor sink in. She was about to reply as the wind picked up, brushing aside Zorayda's little head-tuft. Noticing the other lioness's attempt to hide it, she didn't question anything. She dropped her eyes back to the caracass.

"Well, we don't have a permanent home." She replied at last, thinking. "But we usually stay under the trees." She glanced around and nodded towards the woodland. Remembering that that was not usual lion behavior, she wondered whether she should have told Zorayda. It certainly wouldn't hurt anything, Mwanga concluded, trusting their new acquaintances.

Shomari hesitated before eating. He bent to take a small, quick bite, chewing rapidly before ripping off another tiny piece. Mwanga gently nudged him, and he grabbed a larger chunk off.



Drune watched as the lioness crawled closer and closer. At the moment, his initial surprise kept him from confronting her. He stared, a piece of blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. His icy blue eyes blinked with almost stupid ignorance.

His senses returned quickly, though. A growl rose deep in his throat and he stepped closer to the bleeding creature. "Get away from my food." He snarled, bending down to her face. Her bright eyes momentarily froze him, their pitiful pleading almost winning his heart. Deciding to leave her alone, he growled irritably and padded around the zebra. Now across from the lioness, he plunged his muzzle back into the carcass.

The vultures and buzzards neared again, but he snapped angrily at them with a red-tinted muzzle. At least this pitiful lioness would help to keep the scavenging birds away. Drune snorted to himself and continued with his meal.

[zorayda]

Zorayda cleared her throat awkwardly as her scarred visage showed for a moment, thankful that Mwanga had dropped her mint-colored eyes politely. Aiko noticed, as well, and sent his friend an apologetic look before laying his head on his paws, his blue eyes flicking from Mwanga to Zorayda.

"We all have... histories," Zorayda said with a light, nervous laugh. She pinned her ears in embarrassment for a moment before the other lioness spoke.

The brown lioness nodded thoughtfully at Mwanga's comment about being nomads. That, Zorayda could understand perfectly. She and Aiko had been wanderers for a while now... though they'd had visitors now and then, none were permanent, and they often had to move to follow herds of prey and avoid pride territories. She was sure Shomari's and Mwanga's stories were similar in that respect. The reasoning behind becoming rogues, however, was probably different entirely. Knowing better than to pry, however, she simply gave Shomari a small encouraging smile as he ate slowly.

------------

Eeve held the gaze of the hyena as he snarled at her, his startlingly blue eyes hostile until he saw the depth of the lioness's need. She remained silent at the abuse, hoping against hope that he would let her stay. She let out the tiniest breath when he relented reluctantly, moving back to eat his fill. Eeve ate slowly, savoring the meat of the zebra and feeling herself become less wobbly and weak. Her belly filled eventually and she moved painfully away from the hyena and the buzzards, too tired to even lick herself clean.

She cleared her throat as her eyes fluttered softly with exhaustion. She would have to wake up and bat the buzzards away to let them know that she would live to see another day, but it would have to do. She turned her attention to the hyena before she drifted off.

"Thank you," she said quietly, but with fervent sincerity. The smaller carnivore's simple kindness had kept her alive. She wanted to pay him back, but for now... a simple thanks was all she could manage. Giving him one last look of gratitude, she lay on her side and immediately began snoring.

[Zoketi]

Shomari's eyes blinked once and he ducked his head. Returning to his meal, his ears flattened nervously and he tried to keep the meat from dripping down his chin. He busied himself with eating.

Mwanga looked down at her little gray companion, eyes soft but slightly amused. She shook her head and turned back to Zorayda, and the kill. For the time being, she kept silent and decided to fill her stomach. The fresh-kill was delightfully filling, and soon Mwanga stepped back, swiping her tongue around her muzzle. "Thanks, again." She meowed graciously.



Drune watched her out of the corner of his eye. He was a bit reluctant to share, but that was only from his selfishness. There was definitely enough for both of them. He swiped at the scraps of blood around his muzzle, feeling full at last.

He glanced at the lioness, his eyes hard and cold. He watched the birds follow her a moment, checking that she was alive. His ears perked at her voice. "Whatever." He grunted in reply. He felt a bit embarrassed, knowing that if any other hyenas saw they would've clawed off his nose--if they hadn't died laughing first.

Drune watched as she fell asleep,then padded away from the carcass over to a scrubby bush beside the lioness. Immediately the vultures and buzzards attacked the remains. With a sharp sigh, Drune thought he might as well protect her since he had given up some of his meal for her to live.

[zorayda]

Zorayda sat next to Aiko and yawned tiredly. It was getting darker, and though it was prime time for lions to become active, she'd already eaten and hunted, and it made her sleepy. She laid her head on her paws and closed her eyes, sleep taking her quickly. Aiko grinned as she slept, and patted her shoulder blades affectionately, like a big brother. He stood up carefully so as not to disturb her and approached their two guests.

He walked up to Mwanga, not quite able to look her in the eyes without blushing. "Um, like I said to your friend... you two are welcome to stay with us. The savannah stays warm at night, and there's not much that will try to attack us if there are four lions hanging around each other," Aiko said, shuffling his paws. Why did this lioness make him so self-conscious? He wondered if his fur was dirty. He hoped it wasn't. He didn't say anything else, and met the lioness's eyes. Minty, bright green, with dark brown to make them look even brighter in comparison.

After about ten seconds, he shook himself out of his daze, blushing, and mumbled something about having to keep watch before trotting over to Zorayda and lying close by, head up and alert to watch for predators for a while. He and Zorayda had come up with a watch system that let each of them sleep for a while, then wake the other up to keep vigil to get rest.

----------------------

It was about an hour before Eeve finally woke up again, groaning softly in pain. The cuts from all over her body burned like fire as she slowly got to her paws, coming to a hunched sitting position. Her muzzle was crusted with old remnants of her meal, just as the rest of her normally shiny, silky fur was matted with her own blood and criscrossed with cuts. She flicked her ears, hearing nothing but the normal buzz of the savannah at night. The sun had gone down. She deemed it to be early evening, her eyes expertly surveying the sky. She looked to her left and saw that the zebra carcass she'd fed from was picked clean by buzzards, only the bones left to dry alone. She caught movement from the right and she whipped her head towards it, wary.

It was the hyena. Confused, she tilted her head slightly, ears perked forward. Her brows knitted together. Why was he still here? Perhaps he needed a rest, too, after eating, and perhaps found the company of a lioness convenient. There were few things that messed with a lion unless they came in entire prides or packs. She shrugged and began licking her paws, taking the bath that she'd so desperately needed. She no longer felt as weak as before, what with the cuts scabbing and stopping the bleeding, but she was still a little light-headed. She moved slowly as she cleaned herself, paying attention to each cut and making sure there was no dirt or dried blood around them.

[Zoketi]

Mwanga's jaws stretched in a yawn as well, and her ears flicked. She looked around as Aiko approached, noticing his slight discomfort. "Thank you." She replied, watching him curiously. He seemed nervous around her, and she was confused. She watched him move away, still wondering what was up with the lion. Shrugging, she shifted away from the carcass and folded her paws together. She glanced at the now-dark sky, feeling a bit tired. She grunted as she flopped her head down, then shut her eyes.

Shomari pressed his tail around him. He slipped over to Mwanga's side, curling around her. He wasn't really tired, but didn't want to leave her side. He dug his muzzle into his paws, his orange eyes darting about warily.



Drune's large ears flicked as the lioness reacted to his slow scratch. He peered at her, frozen with his paw by his neck. He watched her for a moment, then put his leg down. Grumbling to himself, he lay down in a puff of dust. He snorted the cloud away. He was stiff, and quite exhausted. With a low groan, Drune stretched out and huffed. He glanced once more at the lioness before closing his eyes.

He didn't fall asleep, but kept alert. Despite being with a lioness, he was still in danger from other things--other lions especially. His breathing was rhythmic but not sleepy.