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 Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2011 10:38 am
WEATHER dry, cooling off from setting sun
LOCATION to the south, halfway to lake Victoria
Niko would not have been Umoya's first choice of companion, though she rather enjoyed the other female's company. And Niko easily took her mind off of pridal matters that were going on of late. She was not happy with the things that were going on, and was very slightly afraid of getting sick herself. She'd steered clear of all cubs once the tragedy had struck, selfish as it may have seemed. Today they'd taken a trip out away from the main area of the prides, just walking and trying to waste some time. Time seemed endless ever since the pride took up the decision if they should stay or go. Umoya so the choice clearly; they should just find new lands. They didn't even have to go that far away, probably. She didn't understand the big question... sure travel was hard on some lions, but did they really deserve to keep living if they could not even move a reasonable distance?
Her dark green eyes roamed over the lands, a slight half-smile she'd come known for rested on her maw. It was like she was constantly amused by something, but what no one could say. "Oi! Nikonkoni yeh up fer a bit of a challenge?" She called over her shoulder, her smile turning into a full blown grin. She knew the other would, the question was just a formality. "I bet yeh I can scare off the most vultures." She jerked her head to indicate the few carcasses here and there in the distance, the big, black, hulking birds all hanging around. Looming. Sure it was fairly hot today, but the sun was setting and that meant the lands would be cooling down just enough for a little sport!
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Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2011 9:36 pm
The sickness had been of little personal concern to a particular bonelander lioness. She was too tough, too sturdy, too awesome in general to succumb to such a thing. It did worry her though, that others were falling ill. She’d have liked to help in some way, but the only things she was particularly good exceptional at were hunting and fighting. Since mauling the ill was not likely to do them a bit of good, Nikonkoni had slightly given up on playing nursemaid. She felt bad. But aside from making sure there was food to be had there really wasn’t much she could do. So hunting trips had become as frequent, and as daring, as she could persuade anyone to make them with her.
Of course, the food would only go to waste if there was excess, and in times like these… well. Wasting food would be nigh criminal, not to mention an act of extreme stupidity. She was neither, being the best meant that there were not pathetic flaws like that. Unfortunately, even the best could succumb to things like boredom. She was not one for dithering about decision making or pondering pros and cons from sunup to sundown. Why couldn’t people just decide to do something? And if what they did didn’t work, then do something else. Something would work eventually. Talking would prove nothing, actions were better than words. So when Umoya opted to have a little walk, well, Nikonkoni was quite pleased to not be the only one who wanted to do something besides sit and listen to debates. She’d been glad to accompany the other relatively dark-furred lioness. More brown, slightly lighter, but not nearly so much as Si was, though she wasn’t as dark as Nikon. Still, it wasn’t a bad pelt color, brown was nice enough.
”Oh you can, can you?” Nikon grinned that trouble-is-coming grin that bared more teeth than absolutely necessary. ”Why don’t we just see about that…” she purred, kneading the ground with her claws as she glanced with hot orange eyes to her current companion. ”On the count of three?” she offered by way of an equal starting point before, not bothering to wait and hear if the other lioness was agreeable, beginning the count. ”One…two…” Nikon’s body tensed, she was ready to go as soon as the other chimed in on the last number. It wouldn’t be as fun if she somehow managed to get a head start on Umoya. It would practically be cheating to do that. And if she cheated, even accidentally, then when she won it wouldn’t really count.
There were lions about, Fiskal wasn’t blind. But he was no coward either. Proud? Maybe. But ‘adventurous’ might be a better way to describe him. Bold and daring, maybe a little cocky. After all, where was the fun in a fast flight? The lions chased vultures, they didn’t eat them. Share and share alike, only vultures made use of this carrion, which was probably too bad for the large felines. After all, it was perfectly good food they would be letting go to waste without the birds about.
They weren’t rivals of any sort, no lions seemed inclined to eat the sort of food they enjoyed. No, it was more like they were… eh, ‘playmates’ perhaps wasn’t the right word. But there was nothing, he was certain, that he needed to worry about. The others might scatter soon, they’d seen him look up at the approaching pair, but he wasn’t through yet and saw no reason to leave so soon. Eying the catsas they apparently conversed for a long moment, Fiskal shrugged large black wings and turned to dig into the carcass he and his group had been enjoying before the lionesses turned up. No need to hurry, it wasn’t time to go just yet...
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Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2011 2:59 am
She snorted and crouched down as the other began to count, fur practically bristling in her excitement for the oncoming competition. It wasn't like Umoya challenged others left and right or anything, but she firmly believed that a little competing between two felines every once in a while was very healthy! Not to mention that if she actually beat Niko at something she was sure the result would be amusing in the least. Times like these called for some amusement. Laughter was much preferred to sickly coughs, worried whispers and general discontent anyhow. But Umoya had found laughing to be a big no-no around members of her pride, if they were grouped together. And usually they were. And usually they were discussing 'important' matters. But they discussed the same important matters five times a day it felt like.
One, two, There was just a fraction longer of a pause before Umoya realized what was meant of her. "Three!" She snapped, teeth clicking as she spit the word out in a frantic manner, springing away from the other lioness. She'd already picked out her target, and she was racing right for him! She did snap at one other vulture on her way, but the feathery beast had already started taking to the air and he wasn't worth it. No, she wanted that one that seemed to care less that she and Niko were racing about.
As she got closer she let out what she thought to be a very menacing growl, then something of a roar. Well, it would have been a really awesome roar... if she hadn't tripped. The thing about carcasses was that usually other bones were also laying about, but Umoya really hadn't been expecting the one in her path. How had she not seen it? Her roar cut off and turned into a strangled cry as her body went forward much faster than she was prepared for; gravity doing it's job as well.
Umoya tumbled forward and after a second she felt her weight crash into something else's! Well this certainly cut the game short, hadn't it? She shook her head as she tried to scramble to her feet, but she could feel something under her. She groaned as she finally managed to get to all four paws; she had not even scared one vulture off! In fact, she'd managed to capture one. She stood above the winged beast, slightly unsure of what to do next as she peered down. She hadn't realized yet how hard she'd crashed into the thing, or that she'd ended up twisting his wing into a position which had caused it to break.
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Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2011 7:13 pm
Nikonkoni launched herself forward at the ‘three’, tearing across the dusty ground in silence. She would get closer before making sure every bird there heard that she had arrived. The grin only grew as she drew closer, neck and neck with Umoya for the time, before she veered off to focus on a different cluster of birds. If tey split, it would be easier to tell who had scared which vultures after all. Gathering a breath, Nikon let out a snarling roar as she pounced at the carrion, completely missing her companion’s stumble as she darted after the fleeing birds. Laughter caught in her throat, this was and always had been a fun game to her. Enthused, she took a few moments extra to leap and chase the vultures, growling threateningly. For a moment she almost went along with the idea of mauling their carcass, seeing as she had landed on it. But the smell, ugh, not something she wanted clinging to her paws.
She was panting slightly, though not likely to admit it, when she turned from her brief run to return to where she and Umoya had split slightly. It was only then that she noticed the other lioness seemed to have stumbled, her coat was all dusty and she was rising to her paws. How had that happened?
”You okay?” she asked, padding lightly over to where the other lioness still remained. Oh, and there was another of those birds too… didn’t seem like he was too smart. Why was he still here? Nikon bared her teeth in a growl, her tail lashing as she crouched into a proper pouncing posture. Someone needed to learn to respect the power of a huntress!
It was fun, this game. Fiskal took his time working a small strip of tough meat from one of the bones even as his comrades began taking wing. How close could he let the lionesses get before he had to go? Puffing up slightly as he swallowed, the vulture turned to survey the pair from the side of one beady eye. They were racing towards the carcass, only to be expected.
But he had time. Just a little time.
A little more.
A bit closer…
Once the brown lioness who’d come towards him was so close he could see the white rimming her dark eyes Fiskal finally moved. With a squawk of laughter, the vulture spread his wings, preparing to launch directly over her head. How surprised she’d be when his feathers clipped those ears! It was all a matter of timing after all, and he was very good at it. But then, neither of them were really expecting what happened next.
Oh his take-off was properly timed to avoid the lioness who’d been racing towards him with a growl, but it was not fast enough to avoid the same lioness after she’d tripped and hurtled uncontrollably through the air. Hastily, Fiskal attempted to make his escape, only to find himself caught, and by accident too! How embarrassing. That he hoped none of the lovely females of his group had seen was the last thought he had before pain distracted him completely.
He screeched as he felt something snap in his outspread wing, and as the lioness climbed to her feet Fiskal engaged in a highly undignified scramble to his own. Birds were very undignified when walking, mostly because they had to do an awful lot of hopping. But his wing. His wing. Is wing! Shock turned to dismay, and then dismay turned to horror. It was broken! Broken broken broken, oh he was so stupid to have waited just that tiny bit too long! Fiskal shrank slightly as he looked up at the lioness who’d probably just crippled him before his arrogance made him angry. How dare she spoil his talent! He was the very best flier of his group! It was why he had never felt a need to fear showing off and playing chicken with the lions!
”My wing!” he screeched at the brown one who’d half crushed him, raising the uninjured left to help make himself look larger. The right trailed uselessly, and painfully on the ground. ”You clumsy cat, you broke my wing!” This was not how the game was supposed to go! ”You- hey, hey, that’s not fair!” he squawked as he spotted her darker friend stalking towards him. Being pounced a second time, when he already hurt? He was very much not interested in that, especially since he couldn’t fly now!
Oh, oh no. He couldn’t fly. He was trapped on the ground! Injured and, where were the others? Circling high above where it was nice and safe no doubt, leaving him to fend for himself… well fine. He didn’t need them anyway. Refusing to be cowed, Fiskal puffed up his dark chestfeathers and fixed his attackers with his most intimidating glare. ”Aren’t you gonna apologize?” he demanded boldly, though what he could possibly gain from that he had no idea. But he had to say something, since he certainly couldn’t do anything! Not now.
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Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 8:08 am
Umoya had not planned on things going so horribly wrong... no, things definitely could have been worse than this. And as Nikonkoni approached she felt her ears waver in slight embarrassment, had the other lioness seen what had just happened? No, it really didn't matter! Umo cleared her throat, snorting. "Course I'm a'righ, no tumble like tha' can keep me off my feet." And here she laughed, as if what had happened truly was nothing. Her gaze narrowed as the bird squawked away, and did not even quiet as her companion tackled him. She snarled all the same, but winced slightly because she'd spotted the wing. "Oi, Nikon it's fine... looks like the bird's bones didnae stand a chance 'gainst my might." She boasted, half in jest and half in seriousness.
But now that presented a problem, didn't it? What to do with the bird? And it seemed Nikonkoni definitely won the bet... Umo wasn't going to bring that up just at the moment. "Oi, yeh better shaddap." She snapped at the male bird, tail lashing as she tried to think. Apologize! Who did he think he was, king of the vultures? And even if he was, that didn't merit an apology from a mighty lioness! It hadn't even been on purpose! "Pah! Apologize, yer lucky I don't snap yer neck with my jaws, bird. I said quiet!" Her words were quiet and annoyed, and she threw a glance to her companion.
Vultures probably tasted like the rotted flesh they were always eating, she had no wish to try out what the bird tasted like. And with the sickness spreading and the water dwindling it wasn't good to leave another dead carcass to rot in the sun. At least, Umo thought that all of the dead things around them must have been bad. Death was bad, and they'd been letting themselves become surrounded with it. But to go free would make it seem like the females were soft-hearted and what if the birds retaliated or something? Her gaze shot sharply to the sky at the thought, but the others were all just circling. It was unnerving, but it was also normal behavior. "Any ideas Niko?" She mumbled, tail still lashing as she glanced to the other lioness.
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Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2011 7:44 am
”Good,” Nikon said shortly. It would be more than a little inconvenient if the other lioness had been hurt. There were fewer and fewer who were healthy and could hunt. A twisted paw, or a broken one, would be unfortunate under normal circumstances. But now? Now it would be terrible. Too many of their pride were getting sick, there was no need for anyone to get broken.
And speaking of broken.
Nikonkoni eyed the bold bird as he spoke. Now she remembered where she’d seen this one before, cheeky and arrogant thing. He always waited until a lioness nearly had him in her claws, and sometimes he even turned up before they were completely finished with their kill. Small wonder he’d been hurt, the fool bird had it coming as far as she could tell. Her ears laid back in annoyance at his tone, and words, but she slid out of her crouch to settle back on her haunches. ”You caught it,” the dark lioness shrugged, her eyes narrowed in a distinctly unfriendly way as she stared at the bird. ”You decide what to do with it.” She doubted the birds would taste good though, they ate dead things, sometimes long dead from the smell… Her nose wrinkled in distaste, but she kept it to herself. She didn’t much care either way. No fur off her back and all that.
Things were not looking particularly good. His wing hurt, was in fact broken, and here he was trying to stare down two lionesses all on his own. The others weren’t as tough and brave as he was, though Fiskal was having a little trouble completely ignoring that tiny traitorous little voice that sometimes agreed when they called him foolish.
As indignant as he thought he ought to be, the lioness’ snap had him shutting his beak. Well it wasn’t like it was polite not to apologize for breaking someone’s wing! But he didn’t really like the idea of getting his neck broken either. He might have been a bit nervous now as he looked between the two, wondering if he was going to find out how it felt to be a carcass himself. It irked him a bit to be meek and quiet, actually it irked him a lot. But what was he supposed to do? There was the usual last-ditch defense, but he had a feeling doing something like that would only guarantee that the pair would kill him.
Clearing his throat as the second lioness told her friend to decide, Fiskal offered a slightly different argument. ”You know… eheh… we’re not enemies,” he tried, though he didn’t puff himself back up as he spoke as he had before. ”I mean, we don’t need to be,” he added, ”You don’t want our food, we don’t eat your food… we just sort of live in the same place…” Diplomacy had never been Fiskal’s strong point, but apparently saying that he ‘couldn’t be tactful if his life depended on it’ was actually false. Funny how life-or-death rearranges priorities.
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