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 Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 1:20 pm
It wasn't the morning sunlight that woke Na up that morning as it usually did, it was his nightmares. Tumultuous visions, dark imaginings and odd thoughts seemed to predominate his thoughts and he knew, just knew that it would be one of those dreams he couldn't wake from, where he felt trapped, as though tangled in icy threads, frozen and unable to stop what he did.
He opened an eye and felt the unfamiliar smirk cross his face, then, getting gracefully to his feet, he stretched like a decadent housecat, his normally out of synch movements co-ordinated and in check. Mentally he shuddered, this was the side of him he had dubbed the red emperor, arrogant, cocky and violent, he had assumed that his time in the pridelands had suppressed it.
He was wrong.
No longer could he resist as, with a shunt, everything changed, perception, movement, all of it. He was out of control, in the dark.
Yawning broadly, he turned, fixed his mane and called out, his voice a seductive purr. "Palesa..are you awake?"
Rolling to her side lightly, Palesa found herself awakening around the same time that Na had, her ears flickering at his call. Her soft brown eyes were the first to snap open, hurting lightly from the many times she had to awake and force her companion out into the moonlight. Always she pushed him out from his constant snoring, and always the next night she simply let him sleep inside. Be it pity, or just the same mistake on her part, Palesa had no clue, but alas it always happened. Somehow though, the lioness had changed from her old ways. Had she still been wandering, Na would be in his own den by now, forced out of hers after one night of disrupting her sleep.
Moving slowly out into the light, she blinked as she realized it was Na's voice who she awoke to, and shook her head to get rid of the awe. Padding lightly past him, she failed to notice his changed state and instead simply spoke to the air, not glancing his way.
"Yes, I just got up, Na. Would you like to accompany me on my morning hunt considering you are up as well?" Finally, her eyes turned to look over her shoulder in question, before she paused completly at the sight of his smirk. Blinking, she waited for his answer, wondering if maybe she threw him out a few too many times.
Na let his eyes rake Palesa's sleek form with a definate purpose there that he had never once displayed before in her precence, his grin widening just a tad before fading to a normal warm glance. "Mmmmmhhmmmmm,sounds good." he flicked his tail. "The hunt I mean."
He casually strolled forwards a few steps, once again decadently stretching, flexing his black claws in the earth. Once again he grinned that wicked grin.
"It's been a long time since I had a proper hunt." and in a near-inaubible undertone "With such a pretty lady."
Brown eyes narrowing darkly, Palesa just watched as his eyes moved over her form, before a low growl rumbled in the back of her throat, "Watch yourself Na, I don't know what is up with you today, but I wont take it lightly..." she of course had seen a lot of roguish males do the same sort, and it always led to no good. As he seemed to go back to normal, and spoke of the hunt, her muscles seemed to relax as well, though she was still on guard.
"Well lets go then..." She murmered to herself, not liking his new attitude, nor his comments about being pretty and good hunts. Ear flickering, she turned her neck again and moved down to where the rock dens encoutered the ground. Landing swiftly and eligantly, as always, she waited for the blue lion to make his way down as well.
Na feigned hurt at Palesa's words but his normal honesty was distinctly lacking. "Up with me? I have no idea what you mean. I feel better today than I have in a very long time." he grinned deviously before letting his attention return to the hunt at hand. He was totally oblivious to the unnaceptable tone to his words, as much as he was normally oblivious to his silliness. But the nature was there.
He followed Palesa with an uncanny amount of dexterity, totally uncharactersitic of him, landing with a tail flourish.
"So what are we hunting?"
She eyed him as he landed, before doing as she normally did, completly ignoring anything and just walking on. Her rogue side was still clear with her movements and as much as she liked the fact that Na knew how to walk now, something seemed completly off.
"We are hunting whatever we run into first," Nodding at that, she led him away from the bathing areas and more to the secluded hunting grounds behind the rock, where trees and rocks littered the flat lands. Not many others were out at sunrise, most would feel content sleeping the day away instead. But Palesa liked her silence, so she got up with the sunrise just as the prey did. To avoid the other preditors.
Na nodded, grinning oddly, intentionally lagging behind a ways, his tail sleekly waving behind him, eyes on Palesa's back paws as they moved. "First thing we run into. I like that, it leaves a lot of possibilities open." He could feel the pent up energy in his muscles, rarely used for anything other than bumbling around like an idiot and knew it would be fantastic to just run some life back into them, to actually kill something dead.
Palesa'd probably be surprised, but that was the plan, wow her with his power. His thoughts were simple.
Deciding he was being just like normal, more distracted with the scenery instead of the hunt, she figured his words were just mumblings of agreement, the norm for him. As much as she enjoyed Na's company, he did have a lot of faults, though that made him something of a work for her. She liked cleaning up his messes, for they gave her something to do in the many days. Suddenly, she paused and raised her head, the winds having picked up as well as given her a scent. As they brushed though her mane, her ears flickered and her nose caught the scent of fresh meat, causing her to turn into the breeze.
"Perfect...not too far either..." Murmering it to herself, she took a glance at Na.
Na slunk along in silence behind Pale, his mind not on the usual facinations of the travel and the rolling grasslands. Sunshine and kittens were long gone from his mind, replaced by less wholesome things. He found himself dwelling on a nearby bird, hating it simply for it's existance. Part of him wanted to ruin it, break it's wings and kill it dead. Normally the thought would have terrorised him but in this state, it delighted.
He grinned as Pale led the way to the hunt, moving with more quiet than he had in months.
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Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 1:24 pm
Seeing that he was still close, she turned her head away and started to head into the winds, the light breeze cooling the air despite the light. As long as it was early, the winds would keep the air cool, but as the day goes on they lose their effect. Pausing a moment, she lifted her maw again, before her eyes snapped open and she glanced to her right. There stood a heard of gazelle, all grazing on the soft grasses. A small smile crossing her maw, Palesa thought not of how they too had feelings, but instead of how to catch one as her meal.
Her thoughts were halted by Na, moreso when they landed on him, and she decided she would have to go for a larger one to feed them both.
"Wait here Na, and if they decide to run this way, feel free to catch one..."
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Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 1:43 pm
Na caught sight of the gazelle himself by following Pale's gaze and came to a halt, his tail curling languidly at his back paws. He let his gaze linger on him as she spoke, the faintest grin on his face. Oh wouldn't se be surprised when she saw the brutality that lurked just below the surface, such anger just waiting to be vented, such ruthless skill inherited through blood from his father.
He nodded. "I'll wait here then." he flexed his claws, readying himself for the hunt.
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Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 1:52 pm
Nodding slowly, Palesa moved so that her form was lowered into the grasses, pelt matching strangly to the pale greens of the dry leaves. Prowling slowly down the hill they had been planted on, she made no move to glance back over her shoulder at her companion, instead her brown eyes were focused souly on the hunt. Because of the winds, she was able to catch the heard, as well as keep her scent downwind. Smirking at how easy it was, she stalled a moment as one perked its ears.
Finding a pair of dark eyes settle on her form, Palesa let no mistake happen as she attacked, claws extended and form stretched. Within seconds, the herd grew to chaos and the creatures sprinted every way away. The lioness, content with the catch she held, dug her claws in for a slick kill before turning her eyes to watch the others run. Seeing a large male running straight towards Na, Palesa let out a roar to catch his attention. Not even she would face a male as large as the one she had seen. Forgetting the meat for now, she just watched with baited breath.
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Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 2:04 pm
Na, normally about as useful on a hunt as an airhorn had fallen silent as Palesa moved off, hunkering down into the grass to watch. He observed as she skilfully snagged one of the fleeing beasts and sent the rest hurtling his way.
The next few seconds were seen in slow motion for Na.
He lunged, charging with every ounce of strength he possessed towards the big male, fangs bared, claws entirely unsheathed for traction and for the kill. Moving with uncanny awareness, he pounced, a bolt of blue fur that struck the gazelle, slamming it to the ground and with a brutal shake of his head broke it's neck. He fought like his father, seeing no need to make death linger when it could be rapid and doled out liberally.
He only stopped shaking it when another female gazelle came runing past him. Leaving the bloodstained beast, he irrationally ran off after her, disregarding the fact that they had brought down more than enough food than they needed. He was like a lunatic, eyes glazed, running as fast as he could until he could run no longer.
Snarling he snapped back, running to the male he had brought down and for no reason at all sinking both of his sets of foreclaws into it's flesh, growling darkly.
It was when he let the anger out it was like a torrent he couldn't dam.
His now chilly gaze fell onto Palesa and he smirked darkly, panting for breath, covered in blood, not Na-Be.
"Bet you doubted me capable of /that/"
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Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 2:15 pm
Her eyes were wide, and even from the distance they were seperated she was sure Na could see just how surprised she was. His actions, to put it lightly, had scared the hell out of her and left her shivering. A dark nightmare, the lioness had no idea what happened to the friend she had made not too long ago.
His attack of the male had surprised her, and dare she say it, impressed her to a great degree. However, the fact he chased after the female, as well as distroyed the male like there was no tomorrow made all priase disappear from her maw. With his gaze falling onto her form, Palesa took a step back unconciously, suddenly feeling the same dark shadow that lurked on the creatures of the roguelands. Na-Be had become ruthless, and she had no idea how to stop him.
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Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 2:30 pm
Na like this delighted in Pale's fear, he wanted to intimidate, to show her his strength. It made sense in his currently skewed mind that this would make her respect him, power always did, didn't it?
His grin widened lopsidedly and he stepped forward to counter her few steps back. "Did I give you a fright? So sorry, sometimes. I can't help myself. When I want something you see..." he cackled, winking "I usually take it."
And then he dropped the intensity again and turned to eat some of the fallen gazelle, still grinning like a lion gone mad.
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Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 2:38 pm
A frown marring her features, Palesa still failed to say a word as he moved close, this time not turning away as it only encouraged him. Shaking her head and glaring at the wink, she decided strictly that Na would not be anywhere near her den come nightfall.
Ripping a large portion for herself, Palesa moved away from Na and decided to use his distracted nature to leave him alone. Maybe, she thought darkly, he would just get over it with a little alone time. blood dripping down her maw, she tried to pad away without his knowlage.
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Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 3:20 pm
Na was still on an adrenalin high as he ate, watching Pale out of the corner of his eye, determined not to let her flee him that easily. It wasn't often that he had control like this, it wasn't often at all and he wasn't about to give in.
Instead, as she moved out of his field of veiw, he too tore off a portion of the gazelle off and trotted after her.
"'ere are 'oo 'oing?" he purred
"'ere I 'ought 'ee 'ere just hitting it off."
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Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 9:17 am
Her ears flattened as he spoke up, and she got a tight frown across her maw. Clearly, Na was quite a bit more determined to stick with her than normal. Shaking her head, she glanced out of the corner of her eye to where he had moved, and just continued on her silent act, falling into the process of observations more than anything else.
"Keep thinking that..." She said tightly, having slowly set down the meat. Lifting it once more, she turned and started once more back towards the dens, her mind pushing away the thoughts of the blue lion behind her.
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Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 12:01 pm
Na remained stubbornly persistent, padding along just behind Pale, taking a large bite out of the meat he was carrying before dropping what was left, he'd retrieve it later. He picked up his pace a little, falling into step alongside her, letting out a low, slightly frustrated growl.
"Stop walking away. It's ignorant." the anger was already apparent as an edge in his tone and the growl's slight intensification hinted at his growing impatience.
He'd follow her doggedly all the way, he decided, setting his jaw.
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Posted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 10:53 am
She grew annoyed as well, her mouth setting into the meat as she took a large bite. Pausing as the muscle and meat fell down in front of her, she swallowed it slowly and than set her deep earthy eyes onto Na's form.
"Ignorant? How does walking away make me ignorant?" However, below the irritation, she still held onto her small smirk, a brow raising in entertainment as she waited to see just how he would explain that. For some reason, she felt the need to run, though her mind told her to stay and hear him out.
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Posted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 11:10 am
Na glowered, his eyes dark. "It makes you ignorant because you walked away from someone who had been talking to you." he flicked his tail agressively. "And I'm not about to let you go that easily." he snarled, almost bristling "I will not tolerate being blown off by a lioness regardless of how physically attractive she might be."
He smirked darkly
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Posted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 11:38 am
Her frown darkened at his words, and she soon forgot about the old Na, simply focused on the new once completly as words floated out of her maw without check. Her soft tone was gone, now a dark one grew where her words were tight and bristled, just like his.
"And I will not tolerate your lack of respect for me, since you woke up this morning Na-be," She said shortly, using his full name for once even if it was short, "you have done nothing but look at me like a peice of meat." Her eyes narrowed, "And that last statement proved my point completly." Eyes focused on his, she just glared with annoyance, trying to prove a point to get him to back off.
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Posted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 11:50 am
Na raised a brow and let that grin that was never normally permitted residence on his face return. It was like this that his true resemblances to his father became apparent. He didn't cease his frustrated bristling as he stepped nearer still, fangs bared ever so slightly.
"Ah but you see, you are just meat, just like everyone else. Meat to be taken and used." he cackled.
"You should never have found me, I destroy everything I touch. Didn't I warn you?" he referred to his mentions of the other prides who had not tolerated him, who had cast him out for harming their numbers.
"But it's too late, I'm here and you, my dear, are mine."
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