((Old RP, finally getting it logged after losing the log twice.))
Somehow she'd gotten away. Somehow she'd escaped, but she'd had to do it without Taja or her cousin's friends, but at least Miki , and as the guilt ate at her over the next two days trying to find her way to the Pridelands she thought of how she'd make it up to her. How was she even going to find them again once she got the guards?
Her mother was a seer, gods willing they'd get clues from that, find their way.
That was, of course, assuming she ever found her way home. They had been traveling for a few days and she had been unconcious for much of it as a precaution. The adolescent was shaken, hungry, and angry. She watched eyeing the herd disappearing into the distance, a dust cloud marking their retreat. Reaching up with a paw to rub a spot on her head that had suffered a nasty kick, she growled when really she felt like screaming in frustration, settling down to recover a bit.
----
Angani'mla was used to tracking others. Hunting, tracking included, was only one of many skills his exceptional parents had drilled him in. In this moment, tracking down the lost lioness was as natural as breathing. He sought every scrap of her scent, every claw mark in the dirt left by her paws. With each sign he found he only smiled. He was looking forward to the moment where he came upon her. How much of a fight would she give him? He hoped she was strong...all the more interesting for the taking.
When he had come across the caravan of males and their females he had been only slightly curious. Upon investigating he'd been intrigued. He had decided to join because to add a sense of hunting to mating-the capture- was exciting to him. Catching a female who was obviously clever or strong enough to escape was an exciting proposition. And Angani was often bored. This event offered up a wide range of exciting possibilities within a pride that seemed to offer endless entertainment. This was what he'd be looking for.
Her scent grew stronger as he drew near and he immediately moved into a stalking position. He moved quietly through the grass, patient enough of pause at a sound or uncertainty. He was close and he knew it.
----
Lela just laid there for a long moment, catching her breath as the throbbing pain ebbed, leaving only a dull headache behind. As the adolescent rose to her paws again she was unaware that she had been followed, sure that after the first day and night uninterrupted they had simply given up on her. They had no reason to think she could lead retribution to their doorstep, she was sure. Still, she had taken no chances and had stopped to rest only minimally, and when she could help it, never out in the open. Today was just a little bit different since she'd had to stop to breathe after her failed hunting attempt. Next time she'd get something, or she might have to resort to eating like a scavenger, that sure didn't sound appealing at all.
The female took a few steps when something made her pause, it wasn't a scent, nor any noise, just a feeling, was she being watched? The irony was lost on her, because she'd never once stopped to consider how prey beast felt when they were being hunted, but if she had she'd probably imagine it felt a lot like this. Was she just paranoid because of her previous attackers? Would be captors? Should she air on the side of caution or stubbornly refuse to show fear?
The second one sounded good, so, growling softly, she continued on, ears open.
----
When Lela paused so did he. Angani waited as she did, sensing that she, often like nervous zebra, sensed something was there. So, she wasn't completely oblivious. That was good. He had expected as much, but she was tired, he could tell. And she had just failed to catch a meal. How long could she keep going? Probably for a good long while before she truly stopped. He wanted to catch her before than, though. If she couldn't run, that took away some of the fun.
He continued to trail her, waiting for the perfect moment to pounce. When a show skated over the landscape, its owner a hawk calling out in the sky above, he decided to move. He pushed himself forward on powerful legs, skirting quietly through the grass until he was in the air, jumping out at her from behind without so much as a warning roar.
----
The call of the hawk was what made her startle. Looking skyward Lela, naturally, assumed it was the bird's stare that she'd felt, sighing first, then muttering irritably in it's general direction. Just as she'd taken up pace again she felt it, someone lunging for her. The shadow caused her to turn halfway before she felt the collision, screaming in surprise as he took her down.
She certainly didn't intend to make it easy though.
"OW! HEY! LET GO OF ME YOU a*****e!" She raged, struggling under his weight and swiping at him with claws unsheathed.
----
She hadn't managed to get out of the way, it seemed. Angani decided it was more due to his perfect timing than her lack of spirit. After all, despite the weight of his huge body she was still struggling. He chuckled a little, showing white fangs in his smile. Yes, this was going to be fun, he could already tell.
"Feisty!" he said, clearly amused. He kept the bulk of his weight on her to keep her down, while lifted his head up to avoid the limited swipe of her claws. "Are you going to let me take you back peacefully or do I need to rough you up first? Please say it's the later," his eyes flashed and he seemed quite serious. He wanted to bat her around with his big paws first before he had to knock her out and drag her along.
----
His glinting grin gave her chills, but his words made her heart sieze.
Take her back... s**t. Then he was in league that group from before! Her struggles became more intense, she absolutely couldn't be taken back, who would get help for the others if she was caught here?
"I said let GO!"
When her swipes got her no where she changed tactics, looking to latch onto the nearest part of him with her own fangs. She was younger, and smaller, but she was Mosi's daughter, unarguably, and refused to give in that easily.
----
"Ohh good, so you agree with me, we'll do it the hard way," he replied with what seemed to be a pleasured growl. He felt her fangs sink into one of his front legs and the little burst of pain only made him smile. Yes, she really was spirited, this one.
She was fighting, so there was no reason to not fight back. Calmly he took his free paw and swiped to slam it right into her skull, claws extended. Not once did he move his body so that she could get up. He wanted to see how she'd do pinned. Anyone could run. Not everyone could fight when it was clear they had little to no chance.
----
Common sense should have told her to see that coming. He had her pinned, no way was he going to let her up to fight fair, and it wasn't as if she could MAKE him let her go, but she refused to give up either. Lela cried out with the force of his paw and the rip of his claws, leaving burning trails across her face, thankfully missing her eye. The others had only knocked them out, not fought so fully, not that she expected that from him. As the blood trailed from her fresh wounds, though, it almost sent her into shock. For a moment there she wondered, terrified, what was going to happen to her now. What was going to happen to Taja, and the others if she failed?
She mustered up all the strength she could into her back paws, claws extended as well, and swiped at his legs and his underbelly, anything she could reach in two fluid, joined motions with a loud snarl and a furious glare.
----
"Well, look at you!" he laughed, slightly impressed by her efforts. Humoring her in a sense, he rotated the majority of his body off of her, leaving only the stength of his forarms against her. Her terror was absolutely delightful. He didn't actually find fearful animals to be entertaining, but it was when they ignored all instinct, like she was doing, and fought anyway. THAT was amusing.
"Come on, kitty cat, show me what you've got," He growled in her ear. He left go, but only so he could take another hard wing at her head.
----
Sick b*****d, she thought, feeling his weight shift, and she was trying her damnest to ignore his taunts. He made it seem like he could end this anytime, and all he was doing was toying with her! That wasn't going to do at all.
She swung a paw up to try blocking the second attempt to box her head, hissing. "a**."
However, she rolled with it, taking the chance to try to get to her paws, backing away from him with her ears flat. The wounds on her face stung as air and dirt hit the claw marks, she was a bit out of breath from the struggle, not to mention having the bulk of his weight pressing down on her, limiting her air supply.
"Who the ******** are you?" She demanded, though really it didn't matter, she knew what she needed to, that this jerk was here to take her back. She hadn't seen him with the group though. Were they closer to their home than she'd thought? Damn it, why hadn't she memorized anything on the way here?
----
Angani stood there looking at her for a moment, his head tilted a little and a grin still twisting at the corner of his maw. His body kept a fluid tension, like a coiled snake, he was calm and comfortable, but ready to react at any moment. He didn't feel the need, however, to react just yet. He was still sizing her up, trying to see what she could do and how far he could push her.
"Who am I? A bored bystander who decided that chasing down an escapee to keep for himself would be quite fun," he replied in such a blunt honesty it might have seemed harsh or cruel in a way. "And I am having fun. You're not done yet, are you?"
----
Standing there, tense, much less gracefully than he was at that, Lela saw red listening to him. Fun? He was hunting her for FUN?! Her teeth ground together, or would have if they weren't made to fit perfectly between one another, but her jaw was certainly clenched tight.
"You sick b*****d!" She barely parted her muzzle enough to spit in insult, claws digging into the ground. "I'm just getting started!" She roared, charging in, lunging at him, not the most well thought battle plan.
----
Ha! He knew he had made a good choice going after this one. He jumped back, dodging away from her lunge quickly. Had she been perhaps a little more rested or a little calmer she would have hit it. Her anger was contagious, but when it spread to Angani it turned into excitement. Aware of his bulk in relation to her speed he moved around her, watching.
Finally he lashed out again, his claws reaching to hook around her legs and throw her off balance. Even as he moved his muscles prepared to pull back from a sudden counter strike should his attack miss or go astray.
----
Lela saw him dodging, just not quite fast enough. She refused to think she wasn't capable because of something as stupid as hunger, her mother's temper coming through. She turned, ready to lunge after him again, but felt him grabbing at her legs, and then her balance was gone. She hit her shoulder hard as her body instinctively twisted to try to catch itself. With a hiss of pain she moved to pull herself together as fast as possible, going after him again.
----
Once she was down Angani released the energy he had been withholding. He lunged forward, jumping to push back her recovery and slam her against the ground with his weight. He might have been having fun, but that didn't mean he'd hold everything back. If that was her limit than so be it. If not he'd continue until she stayed down. That was how he was going to play this game; she played well because could take a hit. He liked that. But how much of a hit could she take?
----
She crashed into the ground again with the force of his hit, pain blooming through her body, not a stinging pain, just a dull pain from the impact even though her lungs burned as he knocked the wind out of her as well. She didn't know when she'd started to tremble (Was it rage? Exhaustion? Hunger?), but she didn't seem able to find her paws another time, growling tiredly as she tried before collapsing again with a soft groan.
~Damn it...~ Was her last thought before darkness swallowed her into a fitful "sleep".
----
"Well, this has definately been an entertaining start," Angani commented as her body beneath him relaxed. He would have been fine if she had fought a little more, but this was good enough. She had, after all, been captured and chased beforehand. She'd probably be a little bit more amusing once she got her strength back. For now he could do what he was supposed to; bring her back.
He stepped offer her, pausing to look her over one last time before he bent down to heave her up onto his back. It took a bit of maneuvering, but once he had her balanced he headed off in the direction he had come. If she awoke he had no doubt he could subdue her again. But their path was clear; they were off towards a new beginning, one that offered a lot of promise for Angani'mla, if not for Lela.
