[Open] The Winds of Change

[Baya]

Baya tilted his head as Vitani spoke, and then an idea struck him. He smirked as he got a bit closer to her, his eyes not breaking from hers. "I'll make a proposal. How about you owe me a fight if I do this, hm? I think it's fair that you are depriving me of battle, that you provide it after I do what you need me to do." Baya said with a smirk. "I promise I won't scratch you up too bad." Baya said in a sort of smug way. He generally wasn't like that, but he really wanted to provoke her into a fight. It was his pass time.

[SimbaKovu]

Vitani shot a grave, threatening look at Baya. If there were one thing she simply could not stand about him, it was his incessant blood-lust, his ever-present desire to kill or draw blood from living things, even if he wasn't planning on using the body to obtain food for sustenance.

"Baya...." Vitani began in an exasperated tone. She didn't know what exactly to say to the jarhead. He didn't seem to realize that the lions of the Pride Lands were vastly outnumbered by the number of prey species and that the prey, if they so desired, could easily throw off the yoke of their leonine rulers and establish a new social and political order, if they were so inclined. Baya seemed to be living in an alternate universe, believing that his status as a member of the ruling predator class was permanent and unshakable.

"Baya, this is what I need you to do right now. And I do not want you harming any members of prey species along the way!" she snapped at him. However, she immediately realized her mistake, knowing that Baya did not take kindly to taking orders. Upon realizing this, she waited nervously for his response.

[Baya]

Baya felt the urge to pounce at her, and just start fighting without her permission. Though something held him back this time around. As little as he might show it, he had alot of respect for Vitani. She never saw him defend her honor, but when few lionesses talked of killing her in order to get to Zira's side...well...they weren't talking anymore. Not breathing either. Baya's purpose wasn't primarily in battle anymore, but in keeping Vitani, someone he had grown to admire through battle, content. He swallowed his pride and snorted.

"Fine. You owe me a fight though." Baya warned as he turned and began to go off to get his job done.

[SimbaKovu]

Vitani merely rolled her eyes and resumed her descent to the base of Pride Rock, Baya in tow. She didn't quite understand why he was being so cooperative. Was it because he was feeling weak today? Was it because he was trying to turn over a new leaf? Was it because he was trying to win her over and get her alone and willing later that night? Or was because he was simply trying to catch her off-guard later on in the day? Whatever the reason, Vitani decided to not rock the boat and merely go along with it, all the while staying on the alert for any sudden changes Baya's demeanor.

Vitani and Baya continued to walk, side-by-side towards the elephant herd in the distance. After a few minutes of completely silence (save for the crunching of the ground beneath their paws with every step), Vitani decided to strike up a conversation.

"What do you think of the whole concept of marriage, Baya?" she asked thoughtfully, keeping her eyes on the path in front of her, even though her peripheral vision managed to pick up Baya turning his head in her direction after she asked the question. She was curious to hear what Baya's answer would be.

[Baya]

Baya walked alongside Vitani, wondering what was going through her mind. In the outlands she spoke her mind much more than often, calling him a mindless beast; making claims of his animosity being too cruel ever for her. He had indeed toned his lust for battle down a notch in the outlands, making sure not to kill any of the pride members, but now he was refraining from it all together which was putting him into a state of depravity. He had Vitani to blame for that too. Though he couldn't bring himself to fight her in surprise anymore. Especially when she already detested him so. Then he wondered, why should he care? He was Baya of the desert! What admiration could do to a lion...

When she posed her question, Baya chuckled. "Marriage is fiddle. Just make a cub, and be done with it. I don't see the point in all of this...there's no marriage in the desert. There's no marriage in the outlands either, and you know that yourself. Why on earth should it matter here?" Baya asked with a frown. He was always going to be a beast at heart.

[wolfishgirl]

Shaking his head Rafiki smiles at the lonely couple walking together. he was heading toward the wedding of Kovu and Kiara. "the fates have planned this day from birth" Rafiki tells the wind chuckling. Then looking at Vitani and Baya " You have another wedding in mind don't you fate? Your crazy thinking they can be together without killing each other, but it might actually help them except the way of life."

[SimbaKovu]

Vitani gave a quiet chuckle at Baya's carnal answer, which she somewhat agreed with. Despite his propensity for initiating childish fights with any and everybody around him for no reason whatsoever, Baya did have the occasional insightful moment which made Vitani question her normal assessment of him (that assessment being that he was simply an idiot). She knew he was capable of formulating cohesive points on different topics, and when he managed to get that brain of his, which always seemed to be dealing with a severe overdose of testosterone, actually working and forming cogent thoughts, Vitani couldn't help but feel a bit attracted to Baya. That thought, coupled with Baya's indirect mention of the act of mating, made Vitani blush. Hoping Baya didn't notice the bright red flooding her cheeks, Vitani decided to play Devil's Advocate.

"Well, marriage allows for families to be formed and allows for greater connection between father and mother as well as between the parents and the child. Don't you think that's positive?" she asked Baya, hoping he would challenge her on this point, as they continued walking through the plains.

[Baya]

"A ceremony is a ceremony. It is tradition. What is tradition in the face of reality? You might as well have a ceremony for eating, and for hunting and for breathing." Baya snorted. "It is all very pointless. Battle on the other hand to me, is like marriage to them. It is something I simply cannot go without. The thing I love most about it, is that you can see who you are fighting in their rawest form. Are they a coward, who quivers and runs at the face of loss, or a brave fool who tries to kill what they know they cannot. Then there is the expression on their face that sums up how they value life towards the end of it." Baya explained, a smirk growing on his face. It wasn't often he touched on why he really fought. He figured of all creatures, Vitani deserved to know.

He stopped for a moment and looked to her. "What's gotten into you anyway, hm? Didn't have all this talk of marriage and rainbows and beautiful sunny skies in the outlands. I think you've gone soft." Baya commented, wanting to coax her into a fight. Of course, even in battle he admired her with great intensity. When she lost, she showed no fear. When she won, she had to fight herself a great deal from killing him. It sort of gave him a thrill that no other lioness had given him in battle. Knowing that she could kill him, but chooses not to.

[SimbaKovu]

If Vitani hadn't been thinking about how much she was attracted to Baya before, she definitely was at the moment, thanks to the answer he just supplied her with in response to her question. As he opined on the uselessness of ceremony and tradition, she turned her head and stopped in her tracks to look at him. He stopped at roughly the same time. They made eye contact as Vitani stood in her tracks, her mouth ever so slightly slightly agape, her bottom jaw quivering just enough for only her to realize it. She gulped and for a few seconds, stared at him as he was silhouetted against the light of the morning sun. She'd never, in all the time she'd known Baya, had the thought she had at that moment. And that was that she wanted him...she wanted him right then more than anything in the world....

His jesting of her allowed her to save face. She chuckled nervously, hoping he wouldn't notice her obvious want for him. She knew he was trying to coax her into fighting him, and as she regained her composure, she decided to take him up on his implicit offer. Who knows? It might lead to something other than a fight, she thought naughtily to herself. She fashioned a smirk and began to step towards Baya, who was seated on the ground in front of her.

"Hey, who are you callin soft, smarta$$?" she snapped in a snarky manner at him, while sporting a wide grin. She sat down next to him, her back to his face, and she raised her left paw, bearing her deadly sharp claws for him to see from a few feet away. She looked over her shoulder and made eye contact with him, waiting for his response.

[Baya]

"I'm calling you soft, and that is hardly a smart a** comment." Baya pointed out with a bold smirk. He realized her attitude towards him had changed entirely, but decided to put that at the back of his mind. He quickly jumped at her when her back was turned to him, figuring that was what she wanted him to do. The two tumbled about, pawing and biting at each other, until Baya was surprisingly pinned down. He looked up at Vitani and cackled at the look in her eyes. "That's it! I love it!" Baya growled, his smirk growing ever wider at the short fight.