Merari slapped a paw out at a passing prisoner as a clear warning to stay away. He was on a break between shifts and he was going to use it by skulking silently in the shadowy spot he took as his place to sleep. He missed his old den on days like this when the sky was grey and the wind was cold. Today the wind seemed to have gained strength and was being funnelled down between the points of the rocks to blow up a storm in his mane. He pressed a paw over his snout and sank low to the dusty floor, wishing for a bit of sun to warm and brighten the day.
The sounds of orders being barked at his fellow 'co-workers' put him at unease, too, as if he were waiting for them to notice him and shove him in the back to get him to work. He was getting too old for this and yet, at the same time, he already knew he'd be back again soon after his release. Some lions just never did seem to stay 'clean' for long and he had no doubt that he'd cause more mischief with the Toka once he was free. Though perhaps now he would do it in the name of Morgana and not just for his own petty vengeance.
He couldn't help but smile when he thought of the female. She was a pretty creature, sly and quick and courageous. A true druid if he ever did know one. He'd flirted with many a female in his time but she was something else entirely. She had the stuff that rulers were made of and to picture her as the head of their pride...well, nothing could be much better than that.
Suddenly he was struck on the forehead, a sharp pain ringing through his skull. His head snapped up, seeking the cause. What he found there startled him.
Sat hunched on a rocky crag up above was a bird with a brilliant blaze of green and red feathers. It was so bright against the dull sky that, for a moment, it seemed a thing of imagination. That was until it threw back its head and gave a burst of amused laughter. The bird was a parrot, short and round with a fluff of feathers - all puffed up to keep it warm in the winds. It had probably come down to seek shelter and had knocked a stone loose as it landed.
Grumbling, he reached up to rub a paw across his forehead -- just as another stone came flying down at him.
"Hey!" He barked, growling as he got up onto his paws. "What do you think you are doing, bird?"
The parrot 'quorked' and said: "What do you think you are doing, bird?"
"Go throw stones at someone else."
"Someone else!" The parrot insisted.
"Yes, that's what I said."
"What I said."
Merari's brow furrowed and, in a split second, he was rearing up onto his hind legs and swiping out at the parrot; fully intending to sink his claws into its fragile body and put an end to its mocking. Unfortunately the parrot had anticipated this move and flapped up to a higher perch, laughing aloud as he did so.
"Stupid bird." Merari growled, turning his back and dropping back to the ground. A dust cloud rose, partially obscuring his shape. And then another rock fell and his growl twisted into a full-blown snarl. "Don't make me climb up there."
"Climb up! Climb up!" And the green parrot was strutting back and forth on the rocks, bobbing his head in a fashion that suggested he was finding this all incredibly amusing. "Climb up! Climb up!"
"Are you so foolish that you can't even find your own words? That you have to copy the words of others?"
"You so foolish. You so foolish." The parrot gave another short burst of laughter and paused to peer down at him for a moment. Then, a second later and he broke another piece of rock off in his beak and tossed it down again.
This time Merari was ready and he swatted it aside with a paw, growling in fury. This bird was going to taunt him, was it? Well, it'd made a mistake in that. With another snarl, the male lion launched himself at the rocks and hauled himself up by his claws; scrabbling frantically when some crumbled out from underneath him. The parrot - who had looked startled - had now paused to watch him, seemingly unconcerned that it was about to meet its end. It took a lot of effort to get up close to where the parrot was waiting and, then he fell still, as if changing his mind about attacking. Leading the parrot into a false sense of security.
The bird gave a questioning squawk and tilted its head, its bright foliage garish now - instead of beautiful.
"I've just come to admire your feathers." Merari spoke at last.
"Admire. Admire." The bird seemed to like the sound of that.
"If only the sun were brighter. The dull light reflects poorly." He inched himself closer, holding himself steady on the rocks. And then, in another second, and he had pounced and the air was full of feathers as the parrot loosed the rocks and took to the air. Merari tipped forwards, scoring his muzzle on the rock as he did so, crying out in a rage.
Down below one of the guards had spotted him and was yelling at him to get back. Perhaps they thought he had been trying to escape? Oh well...what was a few more weeks in prison? He wasn't sure he'd ever be getting out anyway. With a low growl, he let himself drop back down to flat ground where he turned and gestured at the guard. "I was hunting a bite to eat, not escaping." He retorted, mumbling 'you idiot' beneath his breath when the suspicious eyes turned away.
"Not escaping!" The parrot screeched above his head, wheeling in a wide circle.
Merari, for once, had learned his lesson. He kept his mouth wired firmly shut. Maybe the beast would go away if there were no words to mimic.
/fin
