The massive lion was not expecting to find the pink female in his path, but he supposed he was never expecting to run into anyone when it happened. That was the way of pride life, or just walking through the rogue lands sometimes. Things just appeared in his path, and he had to deal with them as they came. He had spent a lot of time in the rogue lands, exploring and meeting strange creatures, and getting himself into stranger situations. He was no the most out going beast out there, but he was not the type to walk past a challenge or, despite himself, leave another creature that was in danger without at least seeing what was going on. Call it one of his biggest flaws. Perhaps it was a morbid curiosity, or a desire to see if there was a challenge waiting for him. Whatever it was, Ulfric had his fair share of strange experiences under his belt, and he had learned from every one of them.
Walking about from this pink lioness, who was staring at him with wide, terrified eyes, was out of the question.
“What is your name?” he asked sternly, his deep voice rumbling out of his throat like a low roll of thunder. The pink lioness shuddered and her gaze dropped from the middle of his face to the floor, never having a chance to reach his stern, fathomless eyes.
“H-Hivya,” she managed to say in response, not sure why she was offering him any information at all, when it came down to it. He was a complete stranger, and a male to boot! The last thing she wanted to do was give him anything to use against her. To some males, she had always believed, just knowing her name would be enough to make them think they had power over her, like they could control her. She did not want to be used by any male, and she certainly would not allow one to steal her away and make her theirs, like she was some sort of pink trophy to be won. Maybe that suited other lionesses in their pursuits, but honestly, Hivya had no idea if she was even cut out for this sort of life, in this kind of a pride. She would much rather just try to avoid the whole thing. If she had more sense, she would have gone back into her cave and refused to come out after her first run in with that strange, but somehow alluring, male. Everything was getting all confused, and she was scared of what lay ahead.
If there was anything out there for her.
“Hivya,” Ulfric said, narrowing his eyes at her. His gaze was so serious and strong, she was terrified of him. And yet he did not attack her, and the way he was looking at her… it was strange. She was not sure what he wanted from her, but something told her it was not something she had to fear. In a way, she knew he was going to help her, whether she wanted the help or not. He did not smile at her and did not make her feel comfortable, but his confidence and the air he had about him made her stay in her spot, instead of just running the hell away like any sensible lioness should do.
“Are… are you going to hurt me?” She ventured to ask, when the silence between them stretched too long. She just wanted to know what he was thinking. She felt like he was judging her, and she was right about that. He wrinkled his nose at her, then shifted his gaze away from her as if he had already forgotten she was there. He took another long moment before he said anything to her, but this time she did not dare try to break the silence between them.
“No. I have no interest in hurting weaker creatures. You are not a worthy foe, and present no threat to me. I have no cause to waste your life. Neither do you, I think. Why do you grovel when you have never met me before? I have done nothing here yet to warrant a reputation, though perhaps one day this will be an understandable reaction. Stand up and face me as an equal.”
She stared at him, wide eyed, for a moment. He was telling her she was being weak? That her hiding and trying to be submissive and forgettable was wrong for her, a female? He was not like any male she had heard about before, though she had hidden away so long she had not met many of them. She had no basis for comparison beyond two males, and neither matched the image she had painted in her head, and feared, for so long. She wondered if she had been wrong about everything, the entire time.
“I… I don’t…”
“You are scared, and fear is reasonable. I can hurt you. If I wanted to, I could do anything I wanted an you would have little power to stop me. But to approach me so pathetically… it is beneath a lion. Lions are strong, male or female. You dishonor yourself and your kind by cowering like a cub at the unknown.”
She had not been expecting a lecture, and she nodded her head feebly, finding herself staring at a particularly interesting stone on the ground. She could not lift her eyes from the ground, trembling but absorbing the words she was being offered for what they were. She had no idea how to conduct herself, and she was learning every day that hiding away in a cave did nothing for her. She was oblivious to the world just outside her den.
Ulfric shook his head and moved away from her, padding off slowly. She looked up when he was far enough away that she knew he had forgotten about her, and frowned at his back. He was such a strange lion, unlike any creature she had managed to meet so far. She did not even know his name, and doubted she would be able to track him down again, if she wanted to. Which she did not. Probably. She took a breath and found she had stopped shaking, at least. She stood up straight and looked around, though no one else seemed to be around. No one would see her, then, as she practiced walking a bit taller.
Word Count in Word: 1,079
