Sandalphon hadn't expected to be let go so easily from the pride. He had expected resistence, or at least a few watchful eyes as he made his way to the surface. The Mazunguko resided in a system of underground caves and caverns, so for the fully grown Prince this was only his second time breaching through the vines that covered the entrance cave of his homelands. It was just as odd now as it had been then. It made him antsy and disagreeable.
Huffing, he pulled himself away from the lip of the cave into the open as if he had simply appeared. The air was clearer here, fresher. It was weird and made him sneeze.
With a large yawn, Bhaskara padded lazily along the plain. It was a hot, dull day. The wandering rogue shook his head, figuring to go until the sun peaked before resting. Wandering could be exciting, but the inbetween times were not so much.. That is, until he saw the lion pop out from the ground. His eyes widened in shock, and he froze in place. What the heck?! Did that guy think he was a meerkat?!
Frowning disagreeably he pulled himself into a proper stance and gave the cheetah a frown. He had hoped to have left all the undesirables behind him, but he guess there would be some that slipped to the surface. After all, this is where they all came from.
"Pass along, vile creature, before I am forced to expel you from these lands myself." Sandalphon didn't have the time of day to deal with riff raff like this. That was a Guards duty, not his, and so he already began to look about for a path to take.
Why was that guy glaring at him? Was he about to be pulled into the ground and eaten by the ground lion? When he was spoken to, his ears perked curiously. "...What?" He had to sit down and c**k his head curiously. He had no idea what that guy had just said.
Oh Gods help me. Would he be cursed to only meet surface dwellers with poor hearing? He thought of the female he held captive, and began to wonder if these two were related. "I SAID," Sandalphon bellowed, using his best commanding voice, "GET OUT." Surely he would have heard that.
Ears flipping back, Bhaskara snorted. "You get out!" he shot back, remaining where he was. What was this guy's problem? Admittedly.. he was the one randomly wandering into the area, but he hadn't noticed any territory markings around. ..Maybe the markings were all underground? "Don't like it? Go back down.. wherever it is you popped up from."
Sandalphon sputtered, momentarily taken aback by the sheer brazenness of this lower species! The Prince curled his nose as his surprise gave way to irritated anger. "If I go back to my home, you'll bet your golden a** you're coming with me. We can always use more slaves." Admittedly the only "slaves" he thought of were females, but he would make an exception in this case.
Bhaskara snorted. As if anyone could break him! ..Though, this guy was starting to freak him out a little bit. He forced himself to remain seated. He'd started this little sit-n-stay, so he would see it through until this giant meerkat went back underground! ..Without him! "You should learn to clean your own nasty den. Good for your moral fiber."
Even with Bhaskara remaining seat Sandalphon moved ever so closer, raking his claws into the dirt. "You should learn to clean your nasty tongue, or better yet, how about I take it from you?" Lashing out he moved to strike, swiping his paw up in a high arch.
With a sharp yelp, he yanked his head back and finally moved his seat. Well, that hadn't lasted long... Bhaskara growled and shook his head. "You jerk I need this tongue for stuff!" Ooooh. Nice comeback.
Sandalphon roared as he landed on empty ground. He spun his large body around, moving in to swipe at the cheetah once more. There was a blind rage in him that was fueled by sleep deprivation caused by his visions. The weight of his station, visions he couldn't control, seizures...What he couldn't understand he sought to destroy.
"For what? Back talking your betters?"
The lion's fury finally caught the cheetah's attention. The large paw made contact, and Bhaskara yelped as his nose was sliced into. "As soon as I see a better, I'll find out!" he shot back in one last attempt of bravado. He didn't have anywhere near the strength of this lion... As far as he could remember, he'd never even been in a real fight before... "Hey, easy there! You could hurt someone swinging that paw around!" ...He was a dead cat.
Sandalphon relished at having drawn first blood. He moved to circle the cheetah. "The only one I want to hurt is the trespasser! LEAVE." He bellowed, his voice so loud it shook the roosting birds into flight. More than a few voices were coming from the entrance now, all moving towards the surface.
"I've told you not once, but several times now to get away from my lands. In less than a few moments my Guards will have come to my aid, and I will have you skinned, but not before you taste your own heart."
Okay... Now he was scared. Bhaskara looked over at the area that the lion had popped up from. Were more lions going to start spewing from the ground?! No way! "Hey, you came from underground! Your scent isn't anywhere up here!" Still, he backed away as quickly as he could. He didn't want to turn his back on this guy. His own heart?! "Hey! No no! I can be reasonable! I-can-I-can-I-can-I-can-I-can-I-can!!" His eyes darted between the enraged lion and the ground, ears pinned back sharply. Would they spring up from the same spot, or were there other secret holes for them? This had to be a joke!
Sandalphon made a noise akin to a growling whistle. The sounds stopped, but they were close enough now to listen to the commands given to them. "I'm going to count down from ten. If you are not gone by then my Guards will have you, make no mistake about that. "
Leveling his gaze with the cheetahs he started to tick off, "10...9....8...7..."
Bhaskara felt his legs going weak as the noise underground suddenly stopped. Crap. Crap. Crapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrap!! There was no point in wasting his breath anymore. "Legs, don't fail me now!" He spun and kicked off from the ground, bolting as fast as he could away from the scary lion and the mysterious noises from below the ground.
Sandalphon snorted into the crisp evening air and waited a long while before decided to trek back to the underground. Surface dwellers? Bah! Maybe this is where he would place his father once he took his throne; he and that cheetah would make good friends.
The thought brought a little smirk out as he disappeared into the darkness.
