Pride of Exiles

[Ravvij]

Rav found her silence to be a bit confusing. "Did she understand? Does she know that I'm interested in her more and more?" he thought. He knew she would eventually tell him. But for now, it seemed, she was content. He nuzzled her neck with his face and occasionally licked her neck or ear. His tail flicked around silently and happily behind him. All of a sudden, his large tail wrapped around Laini's smaller tail a bit loosely. He felt a bit embarrassed and unwound himself from her's.

[TheWhistlerify]

Laini's happy smile only intensified when Rav began to not only lick her ears but also nuzzle her as well. She once again inched closer to him, this time close enough so that their sides were touching. The more the male continued the less she felt like sleeping. Her eyes opened when she felt his tail wrap around her smaller one, only for Rav to remove it as soon as it had come.

The young lioness looked at the lion next to her, smiling when her eyes met his. It was only then that his words from earlier really did sink in. He'd said he would protect her with his last breath and yet, at the same time, they'd only just met yesterday. But Rav didn't look like the type of lion who would say something so serious if he didn't mean it... Hoping that a situation like that would never happen, Laini returned his nuzzle while placing one of her smaller paws on one of his paws and she even took the liberty of wrapping her tail around his.

[Ravvij]

Rav felt strange. He was developing feelings towards a lion he didn't know. He hoped his affections weren't misplaced, but this lioness seemed to be worth his attentions. She wasn't rude or confrontational, she listened very well when spoken to, and because she was smaller than him that made him want to protect her even more. He liked her for who he knew her to be. When she moved closer and intensified their contact, Rav could only look at her and smile a gentle smile. He liked this attention she gave him and he liked giving his attentions to her. He licked her face lightly with the tip of his tongue. He was somewhat drawn into her gaze and didn't want to look away.

[TheWhistlerify]

Everything Laini had seen of Rav so far suggested that he was a lion who could one day be a good mate and father. He was strong, brave, caring towards those he knew and had all the qualities a leader of a pride needed. There seemed to be no reason for him to not be able to produce healthy cubs or to end up not being a good role model for them. While these thoughts weren't the ones going through the young lioness's head, she was a female like all others and her subconscious had already gotten that impression of the male.

As the two of them continued to lie there and exchange their little displays of affection, the fact that they'd only met each other yesterday once again came to Laini's mind. Despite that knowledge, she still felt like the way she kept getting lost in his eyes was completely natural. Her happiness when she was with him like that was something she could not explain and at the same time it was also something she didn't mind not being able to explain. She slowly brought her head closer to his so that their noses were touching, still staring deep into Rav's eyes.

[Ravvij]

Rav lightly licked Laini's lips with his tongue. Something inside him was driving him to pursue her more and more strongly, but at the same time it kept him from breaking that line. He was happy enough just laying there with Laini.
Kaith finally awoke. She blinked a few times then yawned, feeling the tenuous muscles in her jaw pulling themselves tight as her jaws were exposed to the warm mid-day air. She pushed her self up and shook off. She stretched her toes and pushed them down between the dirt and gripped the ground so she could arch her back and stretch more.
Rav saw his mother get up and pulled away from Laini a bit. He'd never hear the end of Kaith going on and on and on all day until she either had a mouth full of food or until she fell asleep once more. He didn't want to pull away from Laini, and he was in no way embarrassed.
"You two have a nice cuddle while I was out?" Kaith started without even a hint of the fact that Rav and Laini were resting together, pressed against each other's bodies' and a tiny bit entwined by the tail.
"Yes we did." Rav answered plainly.
Then Kaith looked at them and grinned. She said nothing at this point but Rav could feel her, his mother, in the back of his mind taunting him. She wouldn't keep quiet for long.

[TheWhistlerify]

Laini couldn't stop herself from giggling when Rav licked her lips with his tongue. The more time she spent with this lion the more she wanted to just stay there with him longer, even if they weren't doing anything other than just enjoying each other's company. At the moment she was satisfied enough with just that. Purring in content, she returned the gesture with a lick of her own before rubbing her head against his neck and chest, enjoying the contact.

To her dismay, however, the male suddenly pulled away from her a little. At first she didn't know why, having been so caught up in the moment that she'd failed to noticed Rav's mother was waking up, but she realized quickly enough. Her cheeks turned red in an instance when Kaith asked them whether they'd had a nice cuddle while she was asleep without even looking around at them. Was it really that obvious?

Hearing Rav answer his mother, however, did give the young lioness a little bit of confidence. Though not too much. She had a feeling that they were going to get teased again very soon, but at least she wouldn't have to go through it alone. Despite the way the older lioness was grinning at them, she managed to get herself to answer her as well. "U-um, yes..." she said, resisting the urge to look down at the ground. "Thank you for asking..."

[Ravvij]

Kaith was about to say something but then stopped, her mouth open for an instant then it closed. She heard the yips and barks and many feet of hyenas from the south west. Her ears folded back and she turned to see. They were not far off and the lack of cover in the field revealed them for what they were and how many. There were more than Kaith was willing to fight. Even with her son, who'd slain human hunters, and Laini; who she was sure could help quite a bit. "Get up! Move!" she urged them.
Rav noticed her alarm and then he heard and saw what Kaith had. He jumped to his feet. Just as he got up, however, he saw a small shape a bit to the east and south. He concentrated on it and then realized what it was. The pack was chasing a young lion cub about half Rav's age and less than half his size.

[TheWhistlerify]

Laini continued to look up at Rav's mother with obvious hesitancy, awaiting the teasing she knew would arrive soon. However, just a few seconds before Kaith ordered the two of them to get up, she too heard the commotion that has caught the older lioness's attention. Immediately rising to her paws and realizing what the danger that lay ahead of them was, she had the exact same intention Kaith probably had (having had some encounters with hyenas in the past).

However, before she could even start to think of what they could possibly do to hide or escape the threat, she too noticed the lion that was being chased by the hyenas. She managed to tell that she was looking at a male (having spotted what had to be a mane in the early process of growing). This lion was probably an adolescent who'd only recently grown out of cubhood, which put him in a very bad situation. Heck, even they, a group of 3 adults, would be wise to not get into trouble with the number of hyenas that were chasing the unfortunate adolescent.

But, now that she'd seen that there was another lion in trouble, especially one so young, Laini couldn't even begin to consider just walking away from what was happening. "Wait!" she said, not knowing whether Rav's mother had noticed the helpless lion that was running away from the hyenas. "They're chasing another lion!"' Did she have any idea of how to help him? She didn't. She also remembered Kaith's scolding and how the older lioness had told her that the safety of the group came before anything else. That didn't change the fact that she still wanted to help somehow, though. But was there anything they could do to begin with? And even if there was, it would obviously involve taking some sort of a risk - most likely a huge one...

[Gemini]

It'd been a long day, hot and sticky, but it was better than where he'd come from.

The lion leapt off of the smooth, unblemished surface of the stone, his sweat-slicked pelt bristling as his paws kissed the thin veneer of fertile soil that blanketed the fresh landscape. It was pleasant here. Pretty.

Too pretty.

His muzzle twisted into some vague expression of contempt as he gazed upon the valley. It was a strange place he had wandered into. Truth be told, he wasn't exactly sure where he was headed anymore - but that was not to say he was lost. Au contraire, he preferred the silence and the solitude of wandering. But still there was a faint gnawing, a faint... something. He wasn't sure what it was, where it was borne from... but his wanderlust would not be sated if he lay around in one spot like those stupid cubbies back in the pride.

Best to keep moving.

He ignored his impulses calmly, pressing on as he always did, his ears flattened and his expression otherwise bored. The lion had no goal in mind, and thus any direction was, for him, adequate. This sweet place would only be one short, ephemeral stop, and then he would continue on his way. Again, it had to have been better than that pathetic, sun-baked, sandy wasteland he'd come from.

He couldn't resist spitting on the ground in distaste, a soft snarl coming to his lips... but it quickly melted and died away once he smelled something odd coming in a gentle rush of the wind.

Was it food? A predator, perhaps?

His dark nose scrunched willfully, and he took a long whiff of the wind in silent, calculating anticipation. A herd of gazelle, somewhere north.

He pressed his lips together tightly, a growling emanating from the perennially-famished pit that was his stomach. It had been a while since he had eaten. Given that he was still growing, and given that it was of dire importance for him to furnish his meager body with the lean muscle he needed to survive... finding a steady source of nourishment was important. Even with his skills, living alone was a harsh struggle for a lion as young and small as he was.

Caution was of the utmost importance, he knew. It was a lesson he'd learned, harsh and early on in his solitary life. After all, he hadn't gotten this far by jumping headfirst into every possible situation. Thorough observation and careful study were the only ways to ensure that there wasn't a predator lurking behind the nearest tree - and even then, he was running a real risk every time he left to hunt.

Naturally, he needed to minimize those risks. And so he did not cut corners unless he desperately had to. Indeed, he had once had an experience - one of the few times he'd been foolhardy enough to let his guard down - shortly after leaving his pride. In not checking his surroundings well enough, he had been ambushed by a pack of hyenas. Fleeing for his life was the only sensible option, and even then, he might have died were it not for sheer luck.

He'd barely escaped with his life. But through it, he'd realized that luck was not an interminable resource that could always be depended on. When possible, he needed to rely on his control, his planning, and, most importantly, on his own abilities for his survival, not the directions of some careless and capricious fancy, and certainly not on the foibles and the questionable motives of others.

In the end, that lesson had stuck with him above all others, and it was an integral part of who he was and why he had to be so self-reliant. And so he lay in wait, scanning the horizon and eventually catching a glimpse of the herd as they grazed, silent and peaceful en masse.

They looked tantalizing. But still he continued to crouch behind a clump of grass, studying his potential prey closely.

So complacent... he mused inwardly, keeping silent as he watched the stragglers in the herd. Haven't they learned yet? That those who do not fight to live are quickly overtaken by others with more will than themselves?

He shook his head, budding clumps of mane falling to the side and framing his angled face, but could not complain. Their weakness worked all the better for him, after all. He prepared to creep closer, but not before another scent wafted past his nostrils, causing him to flare them in concerned curiosity.

Hmmm. His first instinct had been right, after all. There seemed to be the scent of predators in the air. Lions, on closer study. A small group of them.

His face twisted briefly in distaste. Naturally, it would be best to leave them and to move straight in the opposite direction, but...

He felt his stomach growl again, a sharp pang of hunger assailing his belly. Fleeing wouldn't be the best option. The mountain pass ahead would require a lot of energy and effort to cross, and he would need to rest up before even attempting to do so, lest something go wrong and he was caught in it for longer than he intended. And as it was, the land to the east, where he had come from, had not been altogether too forgiving...

The dark lion smirked, a note of self-confidence sparking in his center. This proved the counterpoint, the addendum, to his mantra... that sometimes risks were worth taking, provided that they had benefits involved. He didn't know what was beyond the mountain pass... but he'd heard of rich, fertile lands that would suit him well for a time as he continued on his journey and continued to grow. If he rested here, and ate well, then he would have the strength to cross those mountains without straying too far to the west or the east...

And besides, they were only a couple of lions. No more than perhaps four. He could keep himself hidden pretty well, he was sure, and flee if necessary. At this point, it didn't even seem like they were moving towards his prey, anyways...

Some reconnaissance can't hurt. After all, I need to eat, and besides that... he scoffed, succumbing to the trait that was, perhaps, both his greatest strength and his greatest flaw, ... I sure am curious...

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

Skauti noted the gazelles moving due north of where he was, and had been studying them for quite some time. He hadn't seen further sign of those lions... but he knew he had to move quickly. The scent of the herd was overpowering, and thus it would be hard for him to detect oncoming danger. He would have to be very careful.

His tail lashed as it dangled in the air, and he quickly curled it back up, hiding it in the foliage of the branch. If the lions came, he would hide here, and drag the remnants of his kill with him if he could. As it was, he wasn't very visible in the tangled mess of branches, not to mention that most animals tended to look for lions on the ground once they detected them. Staying in a tree was, in his mind, the best way to stay hidden.

Perhaps, however, that wasn't so strange for him. He cast a short glance back at his tail, with its slick dark fur and black tuft. Definitely not a desert lion, but then... the more he thought about it, the more he came to think that he'd been born in the forest, as that would explain some things. He'd spent quite some time in one of the land's many jungles shortly after leaving his pride, and he'd adapted surprisingly well despite the torpid humidity and the abundance of verdant greenery in every direction. Despite having no trees to climb in his old home, he'd put emphasis on learning how to scale them in a relatively rapid manner - being mostly arboreal was much safer than being on the ground, a fact he'd recognized quickly. By now, he was pretty good at climbing, and it was at times like these that that skill paid off. Trees were useful for any number of things, from hiding to hunting to simply getting a nice view of things.

He noted the gazelle edge closer. Close enough, perhaps, for his plan to work. It was a bit of a long shot, but given that this valley had little cover, and that his dark pelt was an absolute eyesore in places such as this, his success would probably depend upon it. Especially since he wasn't as strong or as fast as a fully-grown lion.

Despite himself, a glinting smile spread across his muzzle as he set down the rock he'd been carrying in his jaws. He tossed it in the air once, getting a feel for it, and found he liked it. The young lion looked left, then right... and then gave a mighty swing with his paw, lobbing the stone up and over the herd. It sailed above them for a long moment, and the predator found himself tensing up in suspense. He'd hoped it would work, that it would land in just the right spot to send them running.

He heard the sharp thunk from his place in the tree, his ears flattening slightly in surprise. The gazelle, who had been grazing peacefully, instantly stood alert and stared in the direction the sound had come from. Mistaking it for a noise made by a predator, their flighty bodies suddenly began calling and bucking and pronking in an augmenting frenzy as they ran away from the source of their fright... and unknowingly moved straight towards the real threat.

Another grin spread across his maw as they streamed by, a couple moving towards the tree. He felt his muscles bunch instinctively, his blood running hot as he prepared himself for the lethal pounce.

Death from above, as he liked to call it.

With a sudden jerk he finally leapt out of the tree, punctuating his move with something between a cubbish yowl and an intimidating roar. Definitely not the most imposing sound emitted by a lion, though it was more than enough to strike terror into the unsuspecting gazelle, who hadn't at all expected to find this cat flying at it from the tree. There was only a second or so for the beast to see him approach, his teeth bared, his claws out, his face scrunched into a determined expression. For the gazelle, there was no time to turn away.

Skauti landed on his prey's back, knocking it to the ground as it let out a bleat of terror, and it was a simple affair for him to swipe his claws across its throat, effectively ending it. Its cries quickly melted away, subsiding into a gurgle as its enervated form ceased kicking out and came to lie still, its soft body warm and enticing.

He licked his lips. That had gone better than he had expected. Now there was only the matter of eating it quickly, and...

His claws instinctively unsheathed in preparation of butchering his kill, though the dark lion suddenly stiffened, freezing. He felt his ears prick, turning every which way in a desperate attempt to listen in on his surroundings, and his pupils narrowed to mere dots as he scanned the horizon.

No... that couldn't be what he thought it was... was it?

His blood suddenly ran cold, and he could acutely feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Yes, it was. Hyenas.

A part of him hoped that they would turn away, that they hadn't seen him yet... but inwardly he knew that they had already noticed his presence - otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to detect them yet. Another whiff of the air, and he found their scent suddenly strong, perhaps even equal to that of the gazelle's. They were approaching. Quickly. And there were a lot of them.

He looked over his shoulder, only to find that his worst fears had been confirmed. The blurred shapes of at least a dozen hyenas were now visible as they ran towards him, descending a nearby hill. They had definitely seen him, and their intentions did not look friendly. There was no way to ensure that they were only coming for the gazelle, and would leave him alone once he abandoned it.

For several moments, terror had locked his muscles up, rendering him unable to move. He weighed his decisions quickly. There was no time to climb the tree, and as it was, they would certainly just eat his food and wait him out if he did so. His only choice was to run.

Finally he did so, bolting away from them as fast as he could. He wasn't sure what else he could do, and thus didn't have a plan in mind. The only salient thing on his mind was getting the hell away from there. Already he could hear their yips and barks as they closed in from behind, and inwardly he cursed his luck. In fact, he cursed his luck that it had come to the point where he'd had to curse his luck. He should have been more careful... surely he slipped up somewhere...

But then, he thought dazedly, doing little else aside from moving his paws as fast as he could away from the hyenas, what else could have been done? He'd been as careful as possible! And still this was happening!

He saw ahead of him a great outcropping of rocks. At this point, the hyenas had spread out, effectively surrounding him in every other direction - he had no choice but to run straight for it. Already, in the blink of an eye, he'd been cornered. The hyenas had planned their attack well, it seemed.

The lion came to the rocks and skidded to a halt, looking around in a panic for any possible place to hide. There didn't seem to be any crack small enough for him to fit into, though he probed their surface anyways, clawing at the stone as though he could carve his way out. It was no use. With unbearable fear and resignation in his eyes, he looked over his shoulder at where he last saw the approaching pack. What he saw there, however, surprised him tremendously...

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

[Ravvij]

Rav lept passed Laini to help the young lion being chased. He felt his blood rush and his heart pound. He bared his fangs and extended his claws, readying himself for the fight that was to come.
Kaith almost stopped him, but realized that he would need help a bit later. "Come on, Laini! We should reach the mountains before they do!" she urged the young lioness, "We'll fight them where their numbers mean nothing."
Laini reluctantly followed Kaith's lead into the mountains, which were many leaps and sprints away still.
Rav was upon the pack of wild dogs almost as quickly as he'd left for them. He plowed into them and they scattered as he bit and swiped at them, fangs and claws tearing through them one by one. He took only moments to disorganize the lot before he rushed to the younger lion. "Before they come around! Get on!" he commanded him, signalling the young male to jump on his back,
Kaith and Laini had ducked around a corner not far from where Rav and the new lion had gone. They waited until the right moment... Kaith would call Rav as soon as she saw him.