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 Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2007 4:10 pm
Truth be told, Jua'randa was endlessly glad that he had wandered into this part of the roguelands. He had already met three new people, who else might he meet as the days wore on? Padding slowly over the grasslands with his head held high so that he could observe his surroundings now and again, the young male shook out his dark rusty mane with a soft whuffing noise. It wasn't exactly a call, but more of a warning so that he wouldn't startle anything in his path. He'd already eaten last the night before, but the walk made him hungry enough that he wouldn't grudge a tasty snack should one stumble across his feet. He also didn't want to scare any cubs that might run into him, as he knew the grass was some distance above their heads in height. Who knew what he'd run into out here, really.
Holding his tail aloft behind him so it swayed gently as it rustled the plants on either side, his ears swivelled from one direction to another as he walked to catch any peculiar sounds. He didn't expect to hear anything except perhaps the gazelle he was tracking, but they were some distance ahead and the wind would have to be fairly good to blow anything softer then a bleat that far. Needless to say, he was rather shocked when he heard a strange rustle of the grass between breezes, his head cocking in that direction as he paused midstep.
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Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2007 6:48 pm
There, hiding in the tall grass, was a gray female hyena. Her white front paws were tucked under her body, so as to not give her position away to any nearby creatures. She knew how dangerous it was to be out here all by herself, as lions of all types lurked about. However, she had decided that she would bring home a wonderful surprise for Tibuka.
A gazelle.
Yes... That was perfect. Tibuka would love to have fresh meat on his paws, and right now, this female hyena was bound and determined to get it for him. So, she slowly inched forward in the grass, watching the gazelle with her keen, silver eyes.
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Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2007 6:56 pm
Jua would certainly never harm a hyena intentionally unless they provoked such an attack, but he certainly didn't expect to come across one today or any other day. Hyenas simply weren't a creature that he looked for, nor spared much thought for. He was quite large - more than large enough to defend his food from any small group of scavengers no matter what their species - and most aggressive hyenas were simply none of his concern.
Needless to say, when he quite suddenly stumbled upon a waiting female in the grass, he nearly tripped over her gray form. Instead, he stopped midstep so that one paw lay on one side of her and the other still behind. Instantly upon realising what or rather who it was that he was standing over, the lion quickly stepped backwards a few paces so that he was no longer standing over her in such a manner. Or in any manner that seemed intimidating at all. Ducking down, he looked about before letting his amber eyes fall on her, speaking in a hushed tone, "Hunting?" It was a simply stated, kind question. As implied, Jua hasn't a consciously sadistic bone in his body.
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Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2007 7:08 pm
Just as she was about to yelp, the lion had stepped back. The female's silver eyes looked at him curiously, wondering what he was doing. Then, as he ducked down a bit, his coat blending in with the grass quite nicely, he asked an odd question.
"Hunting? Oh. Oh. Yes, I am. Are you?", she asked back, also in a hushed tone.
As a general rule, lions didn't speak to her, so when this one did, and didn't attack her, much surprise came over her face. She couldn't remember the last time a lion didn't try to eat her for lunch.
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Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2007 7:19 pm
The injured antelope that he'd killed and eaten very early in the morning still filled his belly to the brim, so eating anything right then was the last thing on his mind. Planning for future meals was certainly his intention, but at the moment he would not slip so low as to eat a fellow carnivore. Nevertheless, Jua was completely oblivious to the 'natural' hate between hyenas and lions in this part of the wide lands of beasts and so he thought nothing of speaking to the female. Certainly, he would not treat her exactly as he might one of his own species because there would be no interest in possibly mating, but he would still treat her with all the respect a female of any species deserves. Jua could often be a flirt, but never would he disrespect someone intentionally.
Slithering low in the grass as his amber eyes darted toward where he could just make out the sounds of gazelle grazing and their young bleating, he looked back to the hyena and smiled, "No, not at all. I had a big breakfast." The breakfast would probably last him another day or so, which was his reasoning for tracking the gazelle. "I don't think I scared them off, did I?" He carefully raised his head to peek over the grass, ears pinned against his skull as if to reduce the chance of being sighted.
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Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2007 7:31 pm
"No, not at all. So far, so good."
The hyena smiled and she looked over at the prey. They were so tender looking, especially the young ones. The parents would of been just as good though, as any kill should be treasured for being brought down in the first place.
"What's your name, if I may ask?", the female questioned, turning her head back towards the lion. She felt kind of weird being this close to one, as her last encounter ended up giving her a horrible back ache as a lion had bit into her back and shook her up. She still had the scars left to prove it, but preferred not to remember it happening at all.
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Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2007 7:44 pm
He nodded his agreement, glad that he hadn't scared off their prey - well, currently it was specifically her own as he wasn't actively hunting it. Settling down so that he was resting comfortably on the bent grass, he curled one paw beneath his broad chest as he resisted the urge to flick his tail so strongly that the grass would rustle. Flies were settling, but with a gentle shake of his head and twitch of his ear, they flew off again.
Her smile made his only broaden as he dipped his head in a more formal greeting to give his name, "Jua'randa. Naught but a rogue. And yourself?" His voice was still quiet, one ear tuned to the movements on the herd so that if they appeared to move in one direction or another he could inform her quickly. As it were, the group of herbivores seem to be sticking to a central area, probably around the injured buck he'd seen earlier.
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Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2007 7:57 pm
"Kailasa. Graveyard pack scout.", she whispered quietly. Watching the gazelle out of the corner of her silver eyes, she noticed how they seemed to be sticking around here. Surely they had heard or seen the two of these hunters, right? It just didn't seem right as they merely stayed there, happily eating.
"So, why are you watching this herd?", she questioned, wondering since he apparently wasn't hunting them at all.
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Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2007 9:38 am
Her pack meant little to him, as he was very unfamiliar with the social system of the hyenas much less how they were divided. He supposed the Graveyard was specifically their living space, and it was likely the place he had seen a few days ago from a great distance. He'd thought he saw hyenas there, but had shrugged it off and continued onward. Nevertheless, he inclined his head as if he understood, "Pleasure to meet you, Kailasa."
Her question, however, he divulged with some consideration. She was much smaller then him, and obviously hungrier if she was actively hunting whereas he was not. It would do him little harm to turn the injured buck over to the hyena female. He would be an easy kill for her, as he was old and suffering. "There's an ill one, ailing under some injury or another. This herd is full of the elderly and the young, but he would be the easiest kill, not to mention merciful if that were considered." He raised his head to check the position of the beast that lay awkwardly amongst his peers, attempting to graze. "He's in the center of the group, pestered by his grandchildren, no doubt."
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Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2007 10:23 am
Kai cocked her head to the side some and peered above the tall grass. Sure enough, there in the middle of the grazing herd, was a rather old buck. He didn't really seem to be hurt, from this angle anyway, but he did indeed seem to have trouble just nibbling on the grass that lay around him. He was slightly thinner than he probably should of been, and he eyes looked rather baggy. Indeed, he was the perfect target.
"Oooo.. Looks like a rather easy kill, if anything. He may not be too plump and may be slightly old, but if it means I get an easy kill, I'll gladly take it." She smiled and her tail twitched slightly, anticipation already starting to build up in her.
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Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2007 12:37 pm
His amber eyes watched her peer over the grass with interest. He couldn't remember when he'd been this close to a different predator before. She was built similiar to him in some ways, with sharpened claws and teeth as well as sharp eyes set on the front of the face rather then to either side, but in every other way she was different. The bulk of her was at the front, and her paws were strangely dainty, despite that they were proportionate to her size. His head cocked slightly to one side as he watched her until she spoke again.
Lifting his body a few centimeters off the ground, he smiled at her eagerness, "Shall I leave you to your hunt, then? There will be plenty for me to kill another day, but today you are hungry. I will stay out of your way by those bushes."
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Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2007 5:30 am
Kai looked back over at the lion, still smiling. She liked this one. Sure, he was being both sweet and still kind of ferocious, but that's the way lions were. They tended to judge everything, as they were always very cautious. They had had too many odd things happen to them in their pasts. Of course, some of those odd things involved hyenas, but definitely not all of them. Still, this particular lion was good-natured, and Kailasa greatly respected that.
"That'd be nice. I am hungry, but for me to bring this dying buck back to my pack would be a wonderful thing. It's hard for us to catch food where we live, especially fresh food. Most of the food we get are dying animals that come to our lands to simply die. It's rather boring, and we can't express our hunting skills that well. So, this will be a blast for me."
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Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2007 7:15 am
It had most definitely been the pack she came from the other day, then, as he had been following the scent of a dying oryk. When it had approached the Graveyard, however, the chase was given up when he saw a larger group of animals. They would no doubt take care of it, and now he learned that they had indeed done so, more likely then not.
"He may be dying, but he's surely not admitted it to himself yet. He is likely fresher then anything heading toward the Graveyard willingly." Tipping his head, he smiled once again, "Enjoy your fresh kill, Kailasa. Hopefully we'll meet again someday." It wasn't an empty phrase. Jua enjoyed making friends, and this young female (despite being a completely different species) was quite nice enough to hold another conversation. Hopefully one where neither of them had to whisper or crouch, another day. Slithering through the tall grasses with barely even a hint of a sound, Jua took off for the bushes where he could sit up in the shade to watch Kailasa work.
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Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2007 7:31 am
Kailasa nodded her head, realizing that this particular buck wouldn't be that easy to take down. Yes, he was still alive and kicking, but at least his age would slow him down, if anything. Watching the male lion take his leave behind the bushes, Kai crept a little closer to the herd, the grass only barely rustling. Her body moved silently and her silver eyes were keeping a very stern eye on the grazing beasts.
"Wait for it.. Wait..."
Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, the gray female dashed through the savanna grass. Her body acted like and accordion, pushing her along with ease. As soon as the gazelle noticed her presence, they began to scatter in every and any direction possible. Does, bucks, and even this fawns, all bounding away. However, the one elderly buck that lay in the middle of the once formed circle struggled to get up. The little ones that were near him had already leaped away, freaking out just as much as the older ones did.
"Perfect!"
The elderly buck managed to get to his hooves, but not in enough time. Just as he had begun to sprint away, Kai caught up to him, slashing at his ankles. His back legs collapsed slightly, putting a strain on his running. Those were his last few moments of running freely as Kai jumped up and onto his back, biting down harshly on his neck. The buck made an awful noise and toppled forward, Kai digging her claws into his back to hold on.
Thank goodness she had watched Chu'mana hunt. Otherwise, she would of never known how to pull that trick, as it was very commonly used by lions when they hunted.
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Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2007 10:33 pm
Jua watched the hyena hunt, sitting up in the shade once she'd startled the herd so that he no longer had to worry about scaring them off and disturbing her. He watched her muscles work beneath her shimmering coat as she ran and performed a familiar move on the old buck. The move was strange in that it looked familiar to him, and odd on her - and yet she performed it exactly right so that there was no margin for error. His brow furrowed as he nodded his head slowly in approval. She was a good huntress, and he was glad he had turned the mark over to so accomplished a female. It was an interesting thing, to watch a different species hunt.
Standing up and stretching out so that his claws kneaded the dirt idly, he considered his options before deciding against trundling back down the slight incline to speak with her again. No doubt she had someplace to drag the carcass, and whereas Jua did not understand nor believe in the animosity between lions and hyenas, he was not willing to risk his hide helping her drag that back to a large group of hyenas. So instead, shaking his rust-hued mane, the lion whuffed a deep, breathy goodbye before starting off back into the grass so that he might continue wandering and search again for a suitable meal once he was hungry.
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