[PRP] Let's Get Down to Business! [Megaera x Ulfric]

[Puhterodactyl]

Panting harder than any good huntress should, Megaera stopped to catch her breath after trying (and failing) to take down a wildebeest on her own. Despite it being fairly unheard of for a lion to take down a healthy wildebeest on its own, the purple lioness had seen her father do it once. And her older sister, Delphi, had taken down an adolescent by herself at least twice. Meg had been chasing after a sickly, elderly wildebeest. Really the most geriatric of the herd, but it had evaded her through dumb luck. Meg, however, placed all the blame on herself.

She glanced back in the direction she'd left her father and sister and cast her eyes to the ground. She'd never win their approval like this. At least she could thank the gods that she didn't have to go on pretending she heard a demon voice like she had to in their old pride. The Aikanaro'hini's fall gave her one less way to disappoint Phlegyas. The purple lion promised his daughter his love eternally, but his pride in Delphi, and her disapproval towards Meg seemed he said it more out of obligation than truth. Demons were always good at lying anyway, weren't they?

Gulping hard, Megaera padded off, further away from her family and towards the hope she could make them proud. Further ahead she saw some gemsbok. Felling a beast with those mighty horns would surely impress Phle and Delphi some, right?  

[Lithiasaur]

Puhterodactyl

Ulfric was having a good time out here this time. He had some successful raids on small lion units. He had a pouch he had strapped to his side that was filled with spoils he had collected so far. The pouch was very make shift, but he had managed to make it hold so he could walk and carry his spoils without dropping them, which was good enough for him.

He was passing through this area without any plans of gathering more tails for his collection, as he was not certain there were any strong targets for him to focus on here. He did see a female lion not too far away from him, and he slowed his pace to regard her for a long moment.

She was looking toward a prey beast that he felt was outside her ability, but he was judging a book by its cover. It was just because he considered dangerous animals like that well beyond most.

Ulfric was interested now in seeing how she did. He approached quietly, keeping down wind so she might not smell or hear him until he wanted her to, crouching low and settling down when he was close enough to see if she made an effort on the gemsbok. It was going to be a show, and depending on how she did, he was already debating if he would make himself known to her or not.

Part of being a Viking was bringing back more than just tails and trinkets, after all. She could be another body to his count, or she could be something more.  

[Puhterodactyl]

The female waggled her whole body to part the grass around her and she hunkered down in hiding. Unfortunately, one so purple as herself had much trouble blending in. So how did Phlegyas do it? She furrowed her brow and chewed her lip, slinking forward as quietly as she could manage, but her every muscle tense with stress and anxiety, not power ready to explode.

The nearest gemsbok flicked its tail lazily, chewing cud and paying the lioness no mind. She was sure that she had it! She was gathering her paws under her body and was ready to spring, when boredly, it looked over in her direction. She'd been spotted! And she was still too far away to have any realistic chance to catch it, but she'd come so far.

Megaera launched herself forward, praying to her goddess grandmother to give her any divine strength she could spare. The gemsbok got out a laugh before it turned and ran to the whole herd, the beasts leaving her in a big cloud of dust. Worse yet, she felt like she'd stepped in a honey badger hole while running and twisted her ankle some. She stared at it forlornly. It wasn't sprained, but it did hurt an awful lot.

The purple lioness hung her head in shame. Well, at least no one had seen, right?  

[Lithiasaur]

Puhterodactyl

Ulfric watched her as she tried to hide herself in the grass, though he was not sure she was quite as aware of herself as she needed to be, considering. She was a color that just did not occur naturally, and was likely better suited for hunting at night. Then, at least, she could use the shadows to blend in. But night hunting was not for everyone: it was much more difficult to find herds that were unprotected at night.

He watched her keenly, tilting his head as he saw her move, thinking she was too hasty. She had not taken proper stock of the situation. With the Gemsbok looking at her, she had no chance to surprise it now. She had no cover, and her luck was against her. She might have been able to salvage it if she were patient, if she retreated a bit or took a different stance, but she did not. Instead, he watched as she charged forward and lost the entire herd for it.

He sighed.

Getting up, he moved toward her as she sulked, noting the way she was holding her paw.

"Did you hurt yourself on top of that pitiful hunting display? Now you will ache and go hungry. But it is your own fault, for your haste. Can you bear weight on your paw?"

Despite the show, she had gotten his interest. Sometimes he could not help himself, and when he saw someone who needed to realize their own strength, needed to be more than they currently were, he just had to step in.  

[Puhterodactyl]

Lithiasaur

Meg jumped like she'd been shocked. Well, on top of everything he was saying, she also had bad spatial awareness if she didn't notice a huge lion like him watching her. She looked at a plain pebble, suddenly finding it very interesting. "I.. uh..."

He was right, except about the part about going hungry. Delphi or Phlegyas would catch something. She rolled her shoulders in a shrug and put the paw on the ground. It could bear standing, but probably not another hunting attempt. Not that afternoon, at least.

"I'm... I'm new to this," she said, eyes still downcast in embarrassment.  

[Lithiasaur]

Puhterodactyl

"New to feeding yourself? At your age, you should have a firm idea of it. You are no cub. Perhaps you simply lead a very soft life, and have someone else to hunt for you? Or had, since you are out here now. Either way, your attempt just now was pathetic. Have you never learned how to hunt properly?"

He watched her, and though he seemed gruff and rude, he did have a point in his prodding. He was trying to see what kind of a lioness she was. How much s**t she took from some random stranger, and how she responded to his challenges. If she even recognized them as challenges.

With her paw hurt, he would not be able to see a second attempt, but at least he could push her, and get the idea in her head.

The viking was collected and regal, and he stood tall, poised, keeping his expression mostly unreadable. He was just not sure why he was so interested in her just yet, considering she had not done anything impressive so far. There was something there, though, his instincts told him so. And his instincts had not led him astray just yet.  

[Puhterodactyl]

Lithiasaur

The purple lioness shook her head. "In my last pride, my father had to protect me lest I become a slave because my coat was so light. I didn't get to do much of anything. My elder sister was the one who learned hunting and killing."

She was ashamed to admit it. This male was just another lion she was letting down and disappointing. What else was new? She furrowed her brows and finally had the presence of mind to ask, "What's it to you, anyway?"

Her tone was not accusatory or rude, it was still the voice of a sad and defensive lioness. Her red eyes searched him. His bulk meant he must be well fed and know how to feed himself quite well. His bags bulging with spoil meant he must have more skill beyond that, even. The hurt look in her eyes began to fade, replaced by hope. Maybe he could find it in his heart or one of those bags to help her?!  

[Lithiasaur]

Puhterodactyl

"Well, you are clearly no longer in your old pride."

Ulfric watched her sad look and shook his head. It was pathetic, when a lion was not aware of their own potential. But he felt he could see it, even if she was had no confidence in her own ability. She just needed to learn, and then, perhaps, she would have something to offer him.

"I think you are better than that display. You are your own worst enemy. You got in your own way, and you can do better than that. I can teach you."

He had some time. He was out here on his own schedule, after all, and perhaps he could bring her back to his pride, to make her a viking and show her true strength. He nodded at her seriously, glancing around but seeing nothing left for them to hunt around here.

"I am a lion of focus and strength. I belong to the Viking pride, and that has helped me as well. I cannot sit idly by as someone wastes their potential. You have simply not learned how to use yours."  

[Puhterodactyl]

Lithiasaur

Meg was certainly not sad to have left the demons. She nodded feebly to his constructive criticism, and her eyes searched his, now bright, that his had seen potential in her. She'd never seen or heard of Vikings before, but they must be tough. And it appealed to her that they drew from their own inner strength than relying on some made up demon-voice.

"What do I have to do?" She blurted out.

And here she didn't even know this lion's name before she was nearly tripping over herself to do whatever he said was best to toughen her up. Desperate times called for desperate measures, she figured, and so far she'd only invested her whole life to winning her father's love and approval.

"I'm Megaera." The pride she used to belong to no longer meant anything and without anything else to boast of, her introduction was rather short.  

[Lithiasaur]

Puhterodactyl

Ulfric watched her, seeing the way she seemed to thrive under his attention. This was a lioness that wanted to be better than what she was now, and she had the ability to do that, he thought, if she stopped tripping herself up. Sometimes, lions liked to get in their own way. If he was right, he could at least help her to see past that.

If he was wrong, he would be wasting his time. He hated wasting his time.

"If you want my full help, it would be better for you to come back to my pride with me, to learn how we strengthen ourselves, and so I can be around to train you. Teach you. I do not live out here: my home is far from here, but I can teach you along the way, and you will be stronger by the time we get there. Is that something you would consider?"

He tilted his head, and his tone seemed to say he was not asking her so much as telling her that was how it was. She could either agree, or he would part company with her, as he was not interested in helping someone that could not, if he needed it, later return the favor.

At her introduction, though, he nodded his head.

"I am Ulfric."  

[Puhterodactyl]

Lithiasaur

It was a good thing he formally offered his assistance, it would be easier than her alternate plan of following him and observing (granted, he surely could have put an end to it any time). Megaera nodded earnestly. "Where is it, where can I find the Vikings?"

It must have been far from the old Aikanaro'hini for her to not have heard of it. Or not, as she recalled they were slightly xenophobic about other prides. Her thoughts didn't wander to her father or sister or the rest of her family and how she ought to bid them farewell and maybe tell them where she was headed or why. She had to make herself better before anything else.

"Lead the way, Ulfric," she said, her one full of hope.