[ORP] Natural Predators [For Juves & Cubs]

[Mogami]

If at first Thuli had been whispering excitedly to her sisters, it wasn’t long until the hike managed to subdue the cub considerably. She wasn’t used to long walks, let alone in elevated terrain and the cold winds added an extra dose of discomfort. Her muscles ached and if Thuli wasn’t so against showing any signs of weakness, she would’ve been the first to complain.

“Wow, look at this view! It goes on and on forever!” She said to her sisters, her eyes pausing on the dark brown juvenile with the pretty purple eyes – was she watching them? – before they returned to the immense landscape. While the view did fascinate her, Thuli was also using it as an excuse to stop walking for a few moments and try to understand why the pale adult seemed suddenly annoyed. Something about how the winds were going to ruin the hunt… or something. Frankly, the view was far more interesting.  

[Ithambo hlabathi]

Sekai swayed just a bit too close to the edge.

"KEEP YOUR BLOODY PAWS OFF," came the startled, angry screech from below. A large bird of prey, eyes yellow, had swooped out from the cliff-tops and was beginning to rise in elevation.

It oriented itself over Thuli, and then dove. At the last second, it changed its mind, just missing the yellow cub and aiming next for Sekai.



-

This is a triggered event! These might occur throughout the RP as the cubs interact with their surroundings. All are still welcome to post.

If you are interested in owning this peregrine falcon female familiar, roll 1-10 at the beginning of your next post. Remember, Boneland's members do not actually take on familiars, but you may do whatever else you like if you win her. The number you are going for is 2. You may roll only once, though you may post as many times as you like (as usual).

If no one has won her in 48 hours, the closest number to 2 will be the winner.  

[MoonRazor]

Ora, too, had run low on conversation ammo, and was on the verge of babbling just for the sake of hearing herself talk. Somebody had to fill those empty silences, and if not her, then who? In moments like these, she spoke without thinking (not that she often thought before she spoke in the first place), and the sentences that came out of her mouth were never guaranteed to make any sense.

Still.

It occurred to the pale-eyed little cub that perhaps she should talk a little bit to Sekai, whose name she didn't yet know. Ora thought she looked a little lonely there on her own, and she had been set to sidle over to the darker cub when the air was split by the falcon's sudden screech.

Pale eyes snapped open, and the little lioness back-pedaled in surprise, bumping into her sisters in her panic. "What... What is that?"  

[Princess_Feylin]

The bird's screech startled Sekai, fortunately into scrambling backward and not the other direction, which would have sent her directly off the edge of the path. For all the moronic urges her subconscious seemed to feel with regard to attempting flight, the rest of her seemed to have a fairly decent sense of self-preservation.

She scrambled back toward the path with her eyes wide and her teeth bared, growling as ferociously as she could. The display probably was not very effective in scaring off the enormous bird that was swooping toward her, in all honesty, but it was the most impressive thing she could do, lacking any of the faculties for a decent roar. In her mind she resolved that if the bird came too close, she was going to try to slash its wing.

That was assuming, of course, she didn't end up being slashed to ribbons by those dangerously sharp talons. Sekai hadn't liked the look of those, in the brief instance she'd seen them before the bird was overhead and difficult to see in detail. Unbeknownst to her, she had acquired a semi-mohawk down her spine as her fur began to stand on end.

It would be nice if one of the adults stepped in, a rational voice that sounded a great deal like her mother's pointed out.  

[Annchen]

"Yes," Buna agreed, "Might as well let them rest."

She had enjoyed the trip so far since they had moved with a pace that kept most cubs on their best behaviour. You couldn't both keep up and try to get in trouble at the same time apparently. She had managed to keep everyone on track without too much effort, and even the slower cubs had managed to keep up with a bit of encouragement. She counted the cubs as they explored their resting place, and was content to find that no one was missing.

The dark lioness had her head turned in the wrong direction when the bird of prey appeared, so she heard the commotion before she saw what had happened. She spun around, teeth bared, and tried to put her own body between her wards and the threat while figuring out what might have happened. Easier said than done since the bird was airborn.

"Try to get under me," she shouted to the cubs nearby, "And stay away from the edge!"  

[Mogami]

“Eeeeek!” Visibly startled, Thuli screeched as she jumped back and glued herself shakily to the ground, eyes wide and ears pulled back in the perfect image of A Very Scared Cub. Her mind was suddenly gone blank without so much as a hint of any coherent thoughts and not even a hiss escaped her mouth. It was as if the approaching bird’s bright yellow eyes were holding her in place. She couldn’t have been more relived when the falcon changed direction and went after the purple-eyed girl but the predominant feeling was definitely gratefulness when she realized there was a snarling adult trying to get between the cubs and the big bird.

Hiding behind Buna’s body, Thuli instantly regained all her courage and spirit. “Get him!” she growled excitedly to no one in particular.  

[Tanakako]

Laini'hatua had followed his three sisters into the group when they had all collected at the edge of the prideland. Yet just like his name 'soft step', the young cub was neither loud nor rambunctious. When they set off he had stayed close to his sisters but a little way behind so he could keep an eye on them, yet neither was he the last cub in the pack so as to avoid being urged along by the lioness behind him. No, he had walked quietly, not the smallest cub but not the biggest either he was average in every way, aside from the very striking stripes of gold in his dark mane and tail... his father Matifu's bloodline was very evident in this cub, more so than in a couple of his sisters.

After climbing along the ridge he had taken it upon himself to walk close to the quiet cub with the violet eyes. She seemed far more nervous than most of the others and even though he had no more inclination to speak than she did, he hoped his presence may help to make her feel more included. He had just about decided to offer his name, if nothing else than simply to be polite, when a great bird flew up, scaring everyone and causing a right commotion. Leaping back he froze for a split second, golden eyes wide, before he realised that the bird was aiming for the little cub beside him. For a frantic second his heart thundered wildly in fear. What could he do? How could he protect her? Then, before his brain could catch up with his body, he dropped his head and drove into her as hard as his small size allowed, sending her bowling head over tail towards Buna.

He himself went sprawling, loosing his footing in his attempt to shove the young female to safety and ended up flat on his side, ears ringing where he had struck a hard lump of rock as he went down. The other cubs cries of fear or fervor and the lioness's deep roar rattled round his head alarmingly, disorientating him. Yet something subconsciously made him haul himself unsteadily to his paws, ears ringing, and try to stagger towards Bruna and safety.
 

[Ithambo hlabathi]

While everything turned into chaos, Ulaka was rushing between stragglers, rescuing those few who remained from the edge. Unlike Buna, she wasn't going to brave the sharp talons, and kept her head and body sunk low.

"Stay down!" she shouted out, to no one in particular, but it was sound advice for all.

The large bird had swept by Sekai, before moving off the cliff face and hovering. It had its eyes on Buna. A falcon, however, has wonderful eyesight even at a distance, and even if its brain happens to be not as big as a lions, it can assess when a mob of cubs and two lioness' are too much for it. But it lingered, making low swoops in threat, attempting to avoid large claws.

The sky rumbled. And, then, suddenly, it began to pour.

-

The peregrine girl goes to Mogami, for rolling a 2. You are free to keep her or give her away.  

[Annchen]

After suffering through the horrible drought season Buna was thankful for rain. The thunder was a bit unnerving, but if it meant fresh grass and fat prey she'd take it. The rain could pose a problem for them here, however. Younger lions got cold easier than grown ones, so they should probably try to find at least some shelter. The rain might make the ground dangerous and slippery closer to the edge so she ushered her group of cubs further away from it.

"Don't even think about looking down," she said, if anyone should be tempted despite the bird incident, "Try to stick together now. Let's move over here and see if we find a good place to wait out the rain. You can stay under me."

She headed for something that could be called bushes if one was generous. They wouldn't provide much shelter, but it was the best she could do right now.

"Do you see better shelter up ahead," she called to Ulaka since the pale lioness had travelled in the front of the group of the way here.  

[Princess_Feylin]

In truth, it wasn't that Sekai hadn't noticed the slightly younger male cub. She just couldn't think of anything to say to him, or to any of them, really, and so she had said nothing throughout. She did not think her mother would be getting a very good report at the end of this hunt. Which was a shame, because Sekai wanted desperately to please her mother.

Naturally, when the monster bird made its shrieking appearance the farthest thing from her mind was pleasing her mother, except possibly keeping track of the other cubs, which she hadn't been doing anyway, for the most part. Oh, she definitely heard them screaming in response, and the huntresses' angered snarls, but none of those things really seemed as immediate to her youthful mind as the sharp-taloned bird that seemed to be swooping right toward her.

At least that was the case until something struck her and sent her into a graceless somersault toward Buna. Because she had been completely tensed up when the blow came, the resulting roll and tumble hurt more than it should have as tense muscles struck hard ground. At least the bird hadn't gotten her, she supposed as she lay momentarily stunned and whimpering in the aftershock of so much excitement.

Her whimper turned into a wail when the heavens opened up and soaked her bruising body: "I want to go home!"  

[MoonRazor]

And... boom, the rain began to pour. The initial torrent crashed down onto Ora's back, sending her skittering forward in surprise. Within moments, she felt the water soak down to her skin, and she cast her gaze upward, blinking against the fat drops of rain to gaze at the murky skies.

"Scary," she intoned, though neither her voice nor her cheeky grin seemed to agree. It didn't seem to matter much to the little - it was raining, whether she liked it or not, and she was soaked, though she would much rather be dry. Turning around now wouldn't make her any less soaked, and... water was fun. The last thing Ora wanted was to stand in the rain look sorry for herself.

"Oh, but if you go home, you'll miss it!" Ora piped up in reply to poor Sekai's cry as she bounced over to help her brother out. "Come on, Laini," she said happily, leaning up against him to guide him toward Buna. The little cub chanced a peek over the edge, already dreaming about the dangers, but Laini was already moving and Ora drew back before she could see the vast drop.  

[Mogami]

“Ora, Ora, Ora, Ora!” Thuli called out excitedly, fleeting from one spot to the next like a crazed hummingbird. “Did you see that thing?! It kind of looked like you! It was, like, pale with brown on the back and face and yellow eyes. It even had stripes!” She eyed her brother next, moving closer to the dark cub with bouncy steps and an awed expression. “That was really brave, Laini.”

And then the sky broke – at least that’s what it sounded like – and once again Thuli’s ears dropped. This time, however, she recovered surprisingly quickly and the cub mirrored Orabela’s grin as she joined her sister.

“Don’t say that! It’s just… a little wet.” She added after Orabela, trying to encourage the older girl. “Hum… what was your name again? I’m Thuli!”

Thuli was usually suspicious of the adults in the pride but this time she was quick to obey Buna’s commands even as she addressed Sekai, an inkling of trust blooming deep inside the usually guarded mind of the Lusizi after she had seen that the adult was willing to face a sharp beak and a pair of talons in order to protect the cubs… all the cubs. Even though it was becoming increasingly cramped under Buna’s body, she could barely feel the rain anymore so she grinned again, looking rather content as her bright blue eyes watched the raging clouds with obvious amusement.

((And wheeee! 8D))  

[Boudaihobbit]

Still shaken up a bit by the bird, Sekayi stuck close to him siblings. Well, at the least that crazy bird hadn't taken anyone off of the cliff with it! He had been frightened when it had gone for his sister and he other cub.

He laughed at Thuli as she told Ora that the bird had resembled her. That was silly, birds didn't look like lions, but he said nothing least he spoil her fun. When it started to rain, Sekayi looked to his brother and said, "Look! It's raining!"

Looking upward, he tried to see where the rain was coming from, but he only saw the mass blue of the sky so he looked back down. Besides, the rain was dripping into his eyes, making him blink a lot.

The small gold cub couldn't remeber it ever raining before. As the water cascaded through his little body, he shook as much as he could, but the raindrops were quickly replaced. Well, there would be more water now at least. That's what everybody was talking about wasn't it?  

[Kaelyndra]

"Uughh," was Ulaka's very intelligent response as she squinted through the downpour. The water was sliding down her face, catching at the fur on her eyes before dripping en mass over her vision.

"There's," she tried at first, but found she could not hear her own voice. "THERE'S AN ACACIA UP AHEAD."

Hauling in a deep breath, Ulaka doubled back, to where the cubs were surrounding a brown one - Sekai had been her name?. "So much for hunting," she mumbled to herself, scruffing the poor girl, moving her a few feet and then nudging her on.

"The faster you walk, the faster you get warm!" she shouted out, her voice constricting with the chill.

-

Matifa had been wandering the other direction through the tall grass when she'd heard the shouts behind her. Naturally curious, and a bit concerned for her well being as well as the other juvenilles, she'd come jogging back, body low.

By then, the bird had left, presumably where it had come from, and so she'd managed to miss the whole spectacle minus a few blurry glances of something airborne. The rain, unfortunately, she did not miss.

"Orabela!" she spoke out loudly, her sister's loud voice easily coming to her firs. "You're all entirely soaked!" she proclaimed as if it wasn't completely obvious. "Like hippos." Hippos were something that few of them had seen, but they'd all heard of. They were warned every water source not to bother the hippos and to be wary of logs that weren't logs.

A chill stole down her back, and instinctively Matifa moved closer to the red and yellow cub who apparently looked like what everyone had seen.  

[MoonRazor]

The little cub giggled. First she was like a bird, now she was like hippos. All of a sudden, her crazy cub's imagination came into play and she thought, maybe that meant she was like a winged hippo or something. The curious image popped into head and she giggled again. Surely, there were worse things to be than a flying hippo.

Ora squeaked as her wet fur came in contact with Matifa's, and she craned her neck to look at her sister. "But you're all totally soaked too!" She grinned, taking obvious delight in stating the obvious as well.

A sudden urge to shake the water out seized her, and without warning, she stood and gave herself a good shake, flinging water every which way. For a split second, her fur puffed, making her seem twice as large as she actually was before the pouring smoothed it down again, leaving her no less drenched than she had been moments before.

"Sorry," she apologized to Matifa for flinging water in her face, although Ora doubted it had made her sister any wetter. The rain had done a fine job of soaking them all.