Saran had eaten her fill and had left behind the strange lion that she had thought was attacking her and instead only wanted the head of her kill. The rogue lands, while interesting, were also very strange. She figured it was time to head back to the Nergui and see just what that rogue male had done in terms of leaving her with cubs. It would take a while to see if she was carrying, of course, but she had high hopes for strong cubs to be born to her soon. Off to her left it seemed there was a huge storm blowing by, but she was glad it wasn't near her. She couldn't stand being wet.
Lawine, on the other hand, was heading away from the storm he had been caught in. He, too, had met a rather strange lion, but there had never been any danger at all. He was glad he had managed to get out of the rain, though. He had holed up in a cave for the better part of a day, but it seemed the storm didn't want to move anywhere any time soon. It became clear he'd have to do the moving. Up he had gone and he had run as fast as he could for as long as he could, finally breaking free of the rain. Now he'd been in the sun for long enough that his fluffy coat had dried. It was a bit messy, but light and puffy once again.
Saran squinted over in the direction of the storm, spotting the white fluff ball from a distance. He certainly didn't blend in here, not like the other lion had. She growled quietly and rolled her eyes. She really didn't want to have to deal with another male right now. Another creature right now, even. She began to trot forward, hoping to miss bumping into him.
Lawine didn't notice Saran until the wind changed. Her scent reached his nose and he paused, looking this way and that, until he spotted the lioness.
"Excuse me!" he called out, hoping to catch her attention. "Excuse me!"
Oh. God. Saran turned to glare a the fluffy lion as he trotted towards her. "What?" she snapped, her fur raising a bit along her spine. She didn't want to deal with him right now and he was going to be aware of that.
Saran's reaction caused Lawine to pull up sharply, his tail flicking back and forth. Whoa now...he wasn't trying to tick her off. Maybe she was just a grumpy lioness. That happened sometimes. Or maybe he was catching her on a bad day. Also possible.
"Ah...pardon my asking," he said, trying to stay polite despite his now racing heart. "I was just wondering if you knew of any place around here that I might be able to sleep for a bit. It seems pretty open and-"
"No," Saran said flatly. "I'm not from around here and I'm going home, so back off!" She bared her teeth at Lawine and lowered her head, not bothering to exchange pleasantries. Lawine took the threat for what it was and backed up a few steps, not wanting to tick her off any more than he already had.
"Ah...all right then. Sorry for interrupting," he said with an apologetic smile and as nonthreatening body language as he could manage. It seemed to do the trick. Once he was far enough away Saran snorted and turned to trot off again, heading back in the direction she had been traveling in. Lawine watched her go, letting out a little breath of air. Man, that was one grumpy lioness. She had an air about her that suggested she wasn't one to be messed with, either. Some lions put on a huge act but had nothing to back it up with. This lioness definitely had some bite to her, a bit of fire in her soul.
Saran snorted as she thought about the lions she had met on her trip. They were all bothersome and annoying except for the first one she had met. She let out a little sigh of delight, reminiscing on her first part of her adventure. Yes, that was a lion. A real lion that knew how to treat a lady. These two idiots were nothing better than the mud between her toes. Her mother had taught her how to pick her males and boy, did she do it right.
Lawine shook his head slightly as Saran walked off, deciding to continue putting some distance between him and the storm. Anything would be better than getting caught in that if it decided to change directions. He kept his eye out for the lioness as she continued to walk, not wanting to get caught in her path again as he headed a bit to the north as well. He'd gotten enough of her for his liking. He wanted to be home, this place was too hot and too unfriendly. He needed the ice and snow of his mountain home, his family, his...well. They weren't mates. They were. Friends. Yea, his friend. He smiled a bit at the memory of the blue lioness he had told he'd be back soon. He kept good on his promises, that was for sure. A bit of pep in his step, he continued on in the direction of home.
One more time Saran checked behind her to see what the lion was doing. To her surprise, he was gone. Huh...like a fluff on the wind, then. She was glad he wasn't anywhere in sight anymore, that meant she just had to worry about following her old trail home. It wasn't hard to do, really. She'd left claw marks on trees that she felt like she'd pass again, and sure enough she crossed one. Ha...this wasn't hard at all. A smug look on her face, she proceeded to turn and continue to follow her trail home. It wouldn't be much longer now...boy did she have stories to tell her parents.
FIN
WC: 1011