AT LAST~! (Sellion & Iartuupe)

[[Eskimo]]

It had been days since Sellion had drank water or eaten food. Much time of traveling in harsh weather conditions had dirtied his fur and marred it with grime. It had been days since he had last bathed.

Then again, he rarely bathed anyway.

Dust stuck to his black mane, causing it to appear lighter than it was. The sun was setting into dusk and a yawn escaped Sellion's mouth. But he wasn't tired. He was still full of energy. Once he had heard someone speak of a demon pride, he had set out immediately to find it. He hadn't stopped looking for it since. That was weeks ago.

The pink and black cheetah bared his fangs in a look of frustration, ears constantly flicking away flies. He was very tired of wandering...If only there was some sign...Some way he could know he was on the right path. If only his "demon sister", Chana, would aid him!

The shape of a darkly colored lion began to form in the distance.

Sellion's jaw dropped and his legs froze to the ground. He stared.  

[Manda]

Iartuupe had been out on patrol ... was just about to head back toward the den area when he caught a strange scent on the air. An intruder... and one that was not a lion. With a soft snarl, he turned toward the scent - following it to its source.

And once Sellion could see him, he could also see the darkly-colored cheetah. And he paused just a moment, not at all unsure, but wondering. What would such a one be doing here? Had he strayed unknowing, or did he come for some other purpose? Either way... Iar would deal with him as was fitting.  

[[Eskimo]]

Once he had recovered from his shock, Sellion slipped into a state of awe. A smile twitched onto his face.

There was a demon...Right. Over. There.

An odd, twisted giggle escaped Sellion's lips, but he choked it down. "A demon, a demon~!" Sellion chanted in sing-song, still staring. Pink eyes met deep orange and a shiver ran down Sellion's spine. How frightening the demon looked...Vivid memories of a pack of "demon" lions killing his family crept into Sellion's mind and he stared blankly at the approaching lion.

"Chana..." he whispered. Then he grinned. Finally, he would become a demon!

...Right?  

[Manda]

Iar blinked slightly, head tilting over juuuust a bit. What in the world. Was this cheetah crazy or something? Most weren't quite so ... happy ... to meet a demon. But then again, he was a bit crazy himself.

Stepping forward a bit, Iar glared at the other. "Who are you and what do you want here?" he rumbled, not sounding at all friendly.  

[[Eskimo]]

Sellion was barely able to hold his excitement in enough so that he could speak. His body kept shuddering and his left eye began to twitch. "I am Sellion." he introduced himself enthusiastically, putting much stress on each syllable in his name. "I...I...I..." he violently shook his head in an attempt to shake off his flustered feelings. A grin stretched over his face and he gazed at the demon lion. It was all just too good to be true. Finally, finally, there was a demon lion!

"I wish to become a...DEMON...!" he choked. Then he burst into an insane fit of laughter. But it was over just as quickly as it had begun.  

[Manda]

Iar blinked. Stared. And blinked again. Then he threw his head back and laughed. "You?" he asked, sounding as if it was the funniest thing he had heard in a long, long while. "You want to be a demon??"

Stepping toward the other, he lashed out with one paw toward the cheetah's face. "It's not that simple!" he roared, suddenly violent. One must be born a demon, they couldn't simply BECOME one! Idiot!

Not to mention, he wasn't even a lion...so how could he claim to know anything at all of demons? He should be cowering in fear, not standing there saying he wanted to become a demon! Tch!  

[[Eskimo]]

Sellion cried out and threw himself to the ground, shielding his head with his long arms from the sudden violence of the demon lion, frightened and thrilled at the same time.

"Born a demon?!" Sellion echoed pathetically, staring around the dirt floor beneath him confusedly. "But Chana...Chana..." he repeated in a whisper, pink eyes shifting up to look into those of the demon lion's. It didn't make sense to him. Chana...His precious sister had been chosen. She had been consumed in the flames of hell and selected. She had not been born a demon...

...Had she?

Sellion sprang to his feet in front of the lion, fear forgotten and replaced with urgency. "Are all demons...born?" he asked hesitantly.  

[Manda]

Iar growled as the cheetah cowered before him suddenly, fur on end and ears laid back. He was angry now... that this idiot had just assumed he could stroll in here ... and ... and ...

Shaking head as the other spoke again, he snarled, "Of course they are! How else would they come into this world?!" And he slashed at the other again - just to drive his words home with accompanying pain.  

[[Eskimo]]

Sellion felt his pupils thin and his teeth clench in shock. His mind shut down for a brief moment and he simply stared at the demon lion blankly. But he shook himself out of it, fortunately just in time to dodge a slash, though not completely. The blow had drawn blood from his right shoulder. Sellion twitched, eyes flicking down to the wound, then back up at the lion. A mix of fear and awe clouded his mind and his legs vibrated beneath him.

If all demons were born, and his sister was one, surely she had been from the start...But then what about him? Was he a demon? He didn't know. He must be, though. He must be. But if he wasn't, certainly a true demon could...Turn him into one?

"Yes, Chana. I know, I know..." he whispered, barely audible, feet stepping backwards on their own, moving away from the demon lion. He moved his eyes and rested them on the black face of the powerful lion before him. "But aren't demons...omnipotent?" he asked, voice suddenly dripping with calculation. "If they wished, couldn't a demon...Change another into a demon?"  

[Manda]

That question actually gave Iar pause for a moment, as it was something he'd never thought of. Could they... could he? In the next moment, though, he snarled again and advanced toward the other. Of course not! Not in this form, anyway. Like this, they were, all of them ... trapped. Limited in power and hampered by mortality.

"No," he growled. "It's not that easy." And something in his tone said that he very much wished it was. If he could do that... then it would be so terribly simple to take over this world, to turn it into a mirror of the one below.  

[[Eskimo]]

Suddenly losing confidence and stumbling several feet backwards, Sellion felt the need to run away become present in his mind and body. This lion was dangerous. Of course, of course. This lion was a demon. This lion would harm him. This lion would kill him, just like they did his family. But his family was foolish. They weren't careful. This demon lion would only kill him IF he wasn't careful. That was fine. He just had to be careful.

But for how long?

Sellion swallowed dryly and twitched an eyebrow, flicking his pink eyes over the face of the demon before him. "Not that easy?" Sellion echoed in question, careful not to sound too eager lest he anger the lion more. "Why?" The cheetah knew he was on dangerous grounds, but the enticing thought of becoming a demon and having his questions answered spurred him on. He was running on adrenaline, heart pumping wildly in his chest. The muscles in his legs were tensed and ready to bolt.

Something told him the conversation wouldn't last much longer.  

[Manda]

"Because," Iar snarled lowly - clearly not at all happy about what he was saying, or about even talking to the other. He didn't like having such things shoved in his face. "There are RULES!" he shouted suddenly - leaping toward the other, with claws flashing out.

Just go away. You only make trouble and make me think of things I can't change, though I wish I could. Leave these lands, stop talking to me, LEAVE ME ALONE!  

[[Eskimo]]

Sellion stumbled backward even more, shrieking girlishly at the claws that nearly shaved off his face. He fell on his backside, stood, and ran with the speed of a cheetah in the opposite direction.

Okay, his plan failed. He wasn't a demon just yet. This lion, a true demon lion, had sent him away. But certainly it was because Sellion was unprepared.

Of course...

It was all a test, Sellion thought to himself as he ran. It was certainly a test. He'd just have to stick near the borders for a while, learning how to be more...Demon-y. That sounded excellent. What an excellent plan. Sellion smirked.

He would become a demon soon enough.