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 Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 10:37 am
Though the others were well asleep soon after the sun went down, she did not move. She lay still, and took her breaths slowly and with care. The moon rose, both a blessing and a curse for its fullness. All was quiet, all was still.
Slowly the lioness rose, her eyes never leaving the black male. The females..they did not worry her as immediately. She could dissuade some, and those that she'd seen might fight her had enough spirit to perhaps join her in flight. At each twinge of the male's she froze, ready at the first sign of his pink eyes opening to drop down as if she'd simply been shifting her position. She was fully erect and he still hadn't moved though, and she began to gingerly step over her 'sisters' towards the exit. Being sure none were stepped on while still minding Tariq was hard, but she managed.
The den poured out into the night air around her. She stood a moment there, sniffing, trying to think what way had the least dens. To one watching, she almost seemed to take a step back into the den, just another woman enjoying the moon before going back to sleep. That back step was no step though, and in a flash of pink and golden fur she sprang forward, racing off and praying she'd meet no one.
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 12:28 pm
 Mixing, turning scents entered Tariq'ra'd's nose. They were familiar, but not entirely. He knew them, yet they were new. Sweet dreams were caressing him, so it was very hard for him to focus on what he was sensing in the real world. Something was moving...Still, he remained asleep, consciousness pulling at his mind. He fell into sleep, then out of it again, then into it, his dream picking up at the same spot each time. Finally, he woke.
And he remembered who the scent belonged to.
Pink eyes snapping wide, Tariq lurched to his stomach, claws gripping the rock beneath him, gaze moving quickly over ever nook and cranny of the den. It was both a startling and irritating realization when Tariq found that his newest banu, Weyard, was gone.
Lips curling, nose wrinkling, and eyes flashing dangerously, the black lion stood and jumped down from his sleeping space. His movements, however, contradicted his obvious current mental state. He moved slowly, lithely, as if he had all the time in the world. He sauntered past the rest of his banu and stood in the entrance of his den, paws matching up in the places Weyard's paws had been only moments ago.
Then he smiled.
He traced the nearly-invisible prints with his paws, as if they were something precious. His eyes snapped forward and left in the direction he knew she had gone in. And low and behold, he could see her, running. Without a moment's hesitation, the smiling male bolted after her, adrenaline of the chase pumping in his veins. The moon smiled down at him, making his already dark figure even more ghostly by the long, black shadow it cast beside him. Eyes locked on their target, Tariq ran faster and harder, his leaps nearly silent, as he had been trained to run. With another spring, he was beside his newest love, slowing to keep pace with her frantic leaps.
Tariq turned his head to her and flashed a grin.
"Where are we going?"
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 12:52 pm
It wasn't until Tariq was nearly upon her that Weyard knew she was being followed. "Damn!" She snarled. She must have made too much noise and woke him. Now he was pulling up alongside her...She was a little surprised that if he was able to catch up to her he hadn't tackled her.
'Where are we going?'
She wanted to snarl, to trip him, to say 'anywhere that isn't here.' He would just get up and run her down again though, or hit her back. It wasn't that she feared a fight, far from it. But her brain was flooding with adrenaline, and her thoughts raced for a way to goad him on, to trick him like he'd tricked her. Of course, anger never made it easy to think.
"Why for a a run of course my sir...I wasn't tired, you see..." She smiled back at the black lion and sped ahead. She wasn't built for speed, but maybe if she could just keep in front of him long enough he'd grow winded and give up the chase. Stamina was once thing she had, you didn't go months alone wandering the world without becoming fit. Tariq...Tariq was just a lazy layabout who had his females do all the work for him!
"You should wait for me at 'home', sir...I don't think you can keep up!"
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 9:02 pm
Tariq kept pace easily, eyes half-lidded and smiling as he ran. As far as he was concerned, it was a pleasant night-jog. The only thing it was doing to him was making him wired and awake. He loved the night, running was nice, and the rush of racing out to catch one of his banu had sent the male in a frenzy of heightened senses.
"How funny!" Tariq exclaimed, much more loudly than he needed to. "I'm not tired, either!" He exploded into a rapture of almost psychotic-sounding laughs, head thrown back and mane tousling in the wind. Dirt and grass ripped up from the ground and flew behind the two, wind rushing past faces. Lions were not cheetahs. They were strong, they were stout, but they were not created to run for very long. This simple fact of nature assured Tariq that Weyard would have to stop eventually. She was stockier than normal, after all. All muscle and no fat, though, right?
Mmm, stocky females...He was such a lucky b*****d.
"You're sweet." he said, whipping his head to the side to flash the female a grin. "If you're concerned I'll sprain my little ankle, you could always stop?" But Tariq knew he would not sprain a "little" ankle. He would not tire before this female, and he would certainly not give up the chase, even if he broke all four of his legs. He had been brutally trained those years ago, and if he gained anything from his treacherous (but delightful) experience, it was how to be a better fighter, hunter, protector, and defender.
The thought of losing a race with a female made him laugh inside.
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Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 4:06 pm
Weyard grimaced. The male wasn't taking a hint, was he? Of course he wasn't tired, he'd just woken from half a night's sleep. Still...it would have done her heart well to see some sort of strain on his face when she turned to regard him evenly. She locked her gaze with his, even as they raced along, golden eyes meeting maniacal pink...
She swerved before she looked away, making the sharpest angle she could, and running directly away from him. She had stamina, sure, but agility? Not so much. The angle was slight, but enough, and the gap between them widened. Where was the border of the pride?! She knew he would chase her past it if he wanted...She had begun to panic though. The border, the border...if she could reach it she would be free, right? He couldn't drag her back, right?
She remembered the raid, seeing the males of the pride return doing just that. Hauling in females like common prisoners. She stumbled, nearly fell, but kept going. No, she couldn't think like that. Her family was out there SOMEWHERE...right? She had to find them because they'd...left without waiting for her...
The familiar worry gripped her and she began to slow. Slower, and slower, and then she was walking, and finally she was standing still. Her front toes just touched the faint border of the pride. Out over it, to the unknown regions of Africa, she stared. Another step and she'd be free, perhaps. But she'd been reminded that her family hadn't waited, hadn't wanted her. Here? She scowled at the very thought of Tariq. But it was clear he would do more than wait for her. He wanted her, even if it was only for his own sick pleasure.
She frowned.
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Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 12:17 pm
As the pink female ran, Tariq watched her facial expressions change time and again. She was worried, confused, determined, then everything waned as she slowed to a stop. So that was it? She was done running? Dark paws trampled to a halt at the female's side, pink eyes flicking over her stocky form. He hadn't thought she'd given up so easily, yet there she was, standing still. How interesting...
The border was at both their paws, but Tariq knew that didn't matter. He'd cross a dozen territories to get any of his females back, banu, beybanu, or kajira alike. They were his, and he was in charge of them. If one of them decided to run off, it would be a very poor, poor mistake on their part. But perhaps Weyard was finally starting to wise up to things--wise up to him. Maybe it wouldn't long until she gave up escaping all together? It would be nice if she decided to stay...decided to serve him...
Decided to love him...
A dark grin crossed the male's maw at the thought, locking eyes with his banu. But the grin faded, something in him realizing that it might provoke her rebellious nature.
"Crossing the border won't do any good," he explained, quite seriously, "your home is not out there anymore." It wasn't exactly the most sugar-coated explanation as to why she should turn around, but Tariq didn't like beating around the bush unless he had to.
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Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 1:20 pm
Weyard flinched when Tariq drew alongside her. He wasn't touching her, no, but he was standing close, and she hated the smell of him, his look...everything. But...At the moment, he was right. Her place was not just somewhere out there. It was with her family. Or...
She grimaced, then forced it into a smile. "Who said anything about crossing the boarder? I told you..." She turned to face Tar, flipping back her small tuft of hair, "What, you suspect your women would lie to you? Some confidence you've got." She huffed and turned away from the rogue lands, taking several bold steps back into the pride's lands.
"I do hope you'll forgive my disturbing your precious slumber. I have been traveling a long time, all this sitting around every day makes my legs itch. Though I suppose the exercise of chasing me must do you some good as well, so it was not all for not." She lashed her tail. Why was she being nice to him? Why not go now? Maybe it was, besides knocking her out and keeping her as a prisoner, he hadn't done anything cruel or wrong. Sure, those things he HAD done were very, very bad...but the others seemed happy, and she hadn't been mistreated. Even now his threats were temporarily idle.
"Are you coming then?" Che called back nonchalantly as she began picking her way back to the den. She was jogging lightly, trying to seem as if she hadn't a care in the world. This...would take some more thinking.
It bothered her that she wasn't entirely sure what to do.
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Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 1:51 pm
Her words were venom, pathetically hidden behind veils of sweet, sarcastic deception. Tariq saw through it all. He always did. Perhaps Weyard knew that and continued to speak to him purely for sport, or perhaps she didn't and was about to be profoundly sorry.
But Tariq held back. He was thinking. Weyard was going back of her own free will. There was no biting her by the face and dragging her back, as part of his twisted mind desired. Yes, she was walking back on her own. If he punished her for her insolence now, it was possible that her slight progress would move backwards. It was a tricky situation. He was walking on hot desert sand, unsure of where to step.
He didn't like that feeling.
Lips curling slightly to barely reveal a glint of fang, Tariq lowered his head and moved slowly after the female, following her. She was a tricky little b***h...he despised her. But that made him want to control her all the more...
"Yes, I'm coming, Weyard." he said sweetly, sneer vanishing. She was quite far ahead of him, maybe even out of ear shot. He watched her go off in the direction of the den, stocky legs jogging away.
"...And I always will be." he added darkly.
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