Pride of Exiles

[TheWhistlerify]

If it weren't for Kaith, Laini would have probably not been so quick in digging into the antelope Skauti had hunted down. However when she heard that they would later go on another hunt, which meant that there would eventually be food for the older lioness and Rav as well, she found her concern for the two's well being melt away. Even though she was currently having her own fill, she was definitely going to help them get themselves a meal as well.

Just as she was about to finish her meal, however, she suddenly felt a very brief, slight and warm sensation on her flank and looked in Skauti's direction just in time to see him retracting his tail away from her. The younger lion looked a little stiff, surprised and embarrassed. Even though the contact had caused Laini's cheek to turn a little red, mostly because she hadn't expected it, she soon came to the conclusion that the adolescent hadn't meant to do that.

~~~

Some time later, Laini silently stalked her way through the tall grass along with Kaith. Rav had instructed her and his mother to take one side while he and Skauti took the other. There were plenty of boars between the four lions thanks to his call. Bringing even more than one down wasn't going to be too difficult considering how being attacked from two different directions by lions would confuse and frighten their targets quite a bit. The young lioness remained absolutely silent as she and Kaith waited for Rav's signal.

[Ravvij]

Rav crawled slowly and and as low to the ground as he could. If he wasn't careful his size could give them away One he'd reached a spot where he felt comfortable he spok to Skauti in hushed tones, "They're going to scare the boars in our direction. You grab anything you can kill."
Kaith, having done the same as her son, positioned herself across from where she knew he would be. She then looked at Laini and whispered, "On my count... we jump out and scare them. Take ANYTHING you can. It might be a good idea to leave a meal in-case other predators come along." he shoulders rolled on her back and her eyes narrowed. She began a short count-down. "4... 3... 2... 1... Now!" she said, never breaking from her whisper. Kaith lept out of her nidden spot anf roared loudly. Pouncing on a large male boar and pinning it to the ground, she then tore out a large chunk of it's throat with her powerful jaws. The small group of boars panicked and scattered away from the two lionesses.
Rav then popped out of his hiding place and roared loudly as the scared boars came towards him. Most of them turned off and to the side to get away, but this directly in front of him could go nowhere. He lept forward and caught two boar. One he caught under his large paw and he held it down by it's tusk, the other he had firmly by it's throat and he held it with his teeth as hard as he could. Rav felt the boars soft neck collapse under his powerful grip and it didn't long to die. The other, the one he held with a paw by it's tusk, was thrashing around and trying anything it could to get free. Once the kill in his mouth had gone limp, Rav then bit the other's neck and did the same to it as he had the previous. Had anyone been watching his expressions they'd have seen how he reveled in the chaos and fear put off by his prey.
Once it was all over, Rav and Kaith carried their meals to a spot more convenient for their consumption. It seemed Laini and Skauti had caught something as well. They left the two younger lions to their own meals unless other wise stated.

[TheWhistlerify]

Laini continued to wait silently. She was always patience when she hunted, something which was very important. The fact that she has already eaten and wasn't hungry didn't make her take this hunt any less seriously. Yes, she wasn't aiming to feed herself, but her companions still had to eat as well. Because of how quiet it was, the young lioness easily managed to hear Kaith whisper to her and she nodded her head in agreement with what the older lioness said.

Taking the remains of your kill with you or staying next to them just so that you won't have to hunt again once you became hungry was never a good idea. That was a lesson she'd learned the hard way just when she first started traveling on her own. If anything, leaving the leftovers behind was a better idea in every aspect (safety-wise) because it could divert the attention of any possible threat that was around.

Once Kaith had given her signal, Laini also leaped out of her hiding place. The boars were already running away from her, but she was counting on Rav and Skauti's presence on the either side to help her with that. And, when one of the boars noticed the two males ahead, it temporarily slowed down in fright before changing directions and running to the side - meaning that it wasn't running away from her direction as efficiently as it had up until that point. This made it very easy to tackle it to the ground from the side.

After killing her prey, the young lioness looked and was happy to see that her 3 companions had also had luck on their own personal hunts. Rav had even managed to take down 2 boars at once! She was once again impressed by how Skauti, smaller than her as he was, was such a capable hunter. "Nice catch, Skauti." she complimented with a smile, looking at the male adolescent who was standing over his kill a very small distance away from her.

Still smiling, she walked over to Rav and gave him and affectionate lick across his muzzle, obviously very thrilled and proud about his achievement. "Two, that's great!" she said with a giggle, not thinking much of Kaith's presence. She then gave the male some room so that he could finally eat and satisfy his hunger.

[Gemini]

Skauti crouched down in the grass, his face taut and serious-looking as he awaited the signal. He enjoyed hunting, and he secretly reveled in the chance to prove himself to his temporary companions. For a long moment he remained there, his paws flexing and his claws kneading into the dirt in anxious anticipation. Only a few more moments.

He glanced at Rav, then looked to his left to catch a glimpse of the lionesses. He could barely see them, as they blended in well with their surroundings, but after a moment he noticed the older lioness leap out of the brush, grabbing a boar with her paws and ruthlessly ending its life in a few short moments. The dark lion couldn't help but grin to himself as they all charged his way, and both he and the other male followed suit and ran into the fray surrounding them. Skauti waited a moment before tackling the most manageable one. Without the benefit of added size, it was hard for him to bite or claw at the tough skin of the boar, and he found that going for the throat would be too dangerous due to the churning hooves and capable tusks.

So he pounced, his lithe and streamlined body landing softly on the back of one of the boars. He bit down on the back of its neck and twisted as hard as he could. The loose skin folded in his jaws, though he bit harder, trying to draw blood. And still the beast ran, his efforts not strong enough to snap the creature's neck.

Skauti finally growled, before coming up with an idea. Using both his front limbs to hang on to his prey's ruff, he lowered himself down, hanging on by only his claws. And then, with an ample swipe from his powerful back legs, he drew his sharp claws down the boar's relatively soft belly, cutting it open with a merciless swiftness.

It fell to the ground, squealing and kicking as a mess of entrails splattered across the ground, staining the earth a dull, ruddy hue. The lion attempted to disentangle himself, freeing his legs from the ragged trail of bloody intestines, before tumbling across the ground alongside the boar. It grunted and bellowed, attempting to stagger to its feet and gore him, though it didn't quite make it far enough. A few more struggles and it was on the ground for good, the life quickly draining from its maimed figure.

Skauti got to his paws, his chest puffed out superciliously as he gazed upon his messy victim. It was easily bigger than he was. He would have liked to have seen any of the young lions back home do better.

He heard Laini compliment him from afar, and this time he actually risked a small smile, feeling in significantly better spirits than before. She hadn't done too bad herself.

Then he looked over at Rav, who was so much bigger than he was, and noticed the young lioness already going over to him, sparing him a pleasant lick across the cheek. She beamed at him, seemingly more impressed at his catch - two full-sized boars lay dead before the older male somehow, and the way he stood atop them, as though it were no big deal, was somewhat disheartening. The kills were big and clean and well-taken.

Skauti looked back at his smaller mess of a victim, and noticed that he didn't feel so happy about his catch anymore.

[Ravvij]

"Thank you Laini." Rav said smiling, "And Skauti? Not bad! I like your resourcefulness. Not many would think to do what you did. I would have just gone after a smaller animal."
"I am impressed as well." Kaith said from over her kill. Her bloody maw making her look half crazed. If not for her projected stature and self control, Kaith would have looked more like a savage. Her kill just happened to be particularly bloody. "You should feel proud to have taken down something so much bigger than yourself. Like with your earlier hunt. It was impressive."

After dragging the kills in together for convenience, Rav and Kaith began eating. They tore large chunks of flesh from their kills and swallowed them nearly whole. Only after several of those large bites did they slow down and enjoy their meal. The sounds of ripping skin and meat, breaking bones and dislocating joints made a sickening cacophony of gore in the air.
Rav couldn't wait for the opportunity to lie down with Laini again. All the excitement of the day made him feel a bit lethargic and eating such a large meal didn't help improve those lazy feelings. He would push on though. If they all agreed to travel by night a short ways or just find a good place to sleep, bother viable options at this point.
Finally, and after mostly finishing his meals, Rav spoke. "What would you all prefer we do for the night? We could travel though the moon light or just find a spot to sleep a short ways up the mountain side."
Kaith had finished long before Rav. She hadn't expended as much energy as he did this day, so Her needs for food were as great at the moment.

[TheWhistlerify]

Laini did eat a little bit more while Rav and Kaith had their meals. She wasn't really hungry anymore, but why not eat some more if her stomach could take it? It certainly won't do any harm. She listened to Rav as he asked them all what they would like to do. Finding a safe place to sleep would be more difficult during the day if they were to travel during the night, and she was quite worn out already from all the walking they'd done that day. "I think I'd rather find a spot for tonight..." she admitted. "But I'm not the only one in this group." she continued, waiting for the others to make their calls. "I can keep going some more if you'd like."

[Ravvij]

Rav shook his head. "No, We'll find a place to sleep a bit further up into the mountains." he said, feeling the weight of the food in his stomach. Anything that was left over was left behind. The group, all four of them, now finished with their meal, headed up the mountain side. It was a leisurely walk and the light from the slight moon gave them just enough to see where they were going and what they should avoid. After about an hour they found a large acacia tree and settled under it. Rav lay next to Laini, he wanted a bit more time with her. Their earlier cuddling had been interrupted and he wanted more.
Kaith hopped up into the tree and wedged herself between some of the thicker branches. Their stems cradled her nicely, This is the most comfortable tree I've ever found! She purred happily and, smiling, she shut her eyes. Her chin rested heavily on her front paws and she was fast asleep. Her tail hung down from branches, the only indication that she was near.

[TheWhistlerify]

Even though she would have willfully continued their journey into the night had it turned out to be the intention of the rest of her companions, Laini was glad to hear Rav say that they would all go to sleep soon. Not only has she strained her body more than he and his mother have that day because she was smaller, but she also hadn't taken that nap before the encounter with the hyenas. The young lioness definitely needed her rest more than they did.

As for Skauti, she had a feeling he could use some sleep as well after nearly dying earlier. She also remembered having made up her mind to talk to him privately in order to try to get him to feel more comfortable around them and to get him to see that he could really grow to like living with other lions. But she felt simply exhausted, and decided that it would be best if she spoke to him the following day. After all the adolescent had said that he would stick with them until they made it past the mountains, so she still had some time.

Letting out a yawn, Laini went ahead and almost flopped onto the grass next to Rav. It felt like the sleep she planned on getting was going to be the most pleasant one she's had in a long time. After a short moment, the young lioness became aware of the fact that the male was still awake. She looked at him with a happy and somewhat tired smile, shuffling closer to him so that their sides were touching and nuzzling him lovingly. "Hey..." She felt like she'd missed him. True, she's been with him all day, but not like this...

"That was really incredible, what you did today..." she continued, her voice quiet. Still nuzzling him, she started to purr as she wrapped her tail around his. "You saved another lion's life while risking your own, and you didn't even know who he was... It's the most amazing thing I've seen anybody do in my entire life... You were really brave..." She couldn't really explain it, but she felt like she was growing closer and closer to Rav with every passing moment. The more they were together, the more she felt like she'd found her place.

[Ravvij]

"Thanks. To be honest? I thought that second one was going to get away. I nearly lost my grip a few times." he said, happy to have her by his side. "You didn't do so bad yourself." Rav pushed his nose onto her cheek and then licked a few flecks of blood left over from their earlier meal. He felt the warm ground around him begin to loose it's vibrancy as the chill of the night cooled everything, save for the spot where he and Laini lay. Under them he could feel their heat keeping the dirt and rocks and grass warm. It was a pleasant sensation. The moon seemed to hang there in it's first quarter of travel through the night sky, a sky which was shimmering with stars of all kinds and colors,and behind them, the misty trail of light made up of countless more star lights. Rav would have noticed all this exept that his eyes focussed solely on Laini.

[TheWhistlerify]

Laini smiled timidly as Rav complimented her on her hunt earlier. Although, when she thought about it, that boar from earlier wasn't nearly as challenging as the one Kaith had challenged her with hunting when she'd just met her and her son. She was about to thank him for the compliment, but only a giggle came out when he pushed his nose against her cheek and began to lick her. It felt strange because, while she really enjoyed being like that with him, it was almost starting to feel like it wasn't enough for the young lioness.

Perhaps it was just her imagination. As the air around them began to get chilly, Laini went ahead and cuddled up as closely to him as she could. True, this would never compare to how cold she'd been during the storm, but why not take advantage of Rav's warm fur if she could? "It's a little chilly, isn't it?" Smiling, she went ahead and pushed her nose under one of the lion's foreleg, nudging it upwards before crawling forward a little so that it was resting over her back. Much better.