Her day had been pretty crappy. She'd managed to miss all of the important lessons and didn't get any family time. They were all full and pretty much sleeping while Tuc was wide awake and looking for someone to spar with or talk to. Anything to keep her occupied. The black and bright red cub crawled around and sniffed at the dirt, trying to find entertaiment. "Goddess above, I'm bored!" She complained loudly, black eyes scanning and spotted a high rock. She scrambled onto it and sat down on her haunches, huffing. Last time she tried to wake up one of her family members while they were asleep, she nearly died. Or so she claimed. Her twin hated when she did that, so he pretty much slept lightly ever since they were littler. Which wasn't saying much, she was little now, even.
Phlegyas, too, found the coming dusk dull. Though it was his preferred style, the juvenile was becoming bored with his lack of companionship. But it wasn't like he would do anything to change it. There was no good company in this pride, just demons and devils. Instead he would roam, careful to stay near the body of the pride, but just far enough to evade notice and escape conversation. His listless wanderings gave him time to wonder about his siblings. He'd not seen them recently. Or if he had, he'd not paid them much attention. His thoughts drifted to his red brother and dark sisters.
But they were boring too. His paws brought him to the base of a large rock. It would serve as a distraction. He circled it once and then twice, dissatisfied but settling for a niche near the bottom. He stared out at the lands before him. His father's lands. How droll.
She heard shuffling under her and then blinked. Who was that that found her rock? She inched over to the edge and arched a dark brow at the male that had settled herself at the foot. Looking around the top of the rock, she found a smaller one and then grinned, kicking it down so it'd hit either his back or his head.
"You're at my rock," the little cub stated with a little sigh. What she didn't know is that he was royalty. She'd never met that family before, and she probably wouldn't have cared if she knew. Shuffling a little bit, she managed to make her way down and started at the purple male with those dark eyes and then grinned and pounced on him. Her teeth wanted to sink into his ear in a play spar. Hopefully he didn't take it seriously.
He looked up towards the sound of the bouncing rock only to see it smack him right between the eyes. It smarted, and it startled him, but he shook it off. "Who did that!?" He stood against the stone. His neck strained just enough that he barely glimpsed the female cub at the top. Was it Kifa? Sese? Probably the former than the latter to have knocked a rock in his direction. "Who do you think you are? ...Your rock?" His red eyes narrowed and focused on the cub, only to widen as she leapt down. But as she made painful contact with his delicate ear, he could tell she was smaller. Smaller even than Sese. It had to be someone else. Through the scuffle he became confused, but his body remembered its phobia of contact.
He pushed her off with his hind feet and scrambled up the side of the rock. "Don't you dare touch me." While he also wanted to ask her what on earth she was biting him for, or her name, his chest was racked with heavy breathing and a shudder. But he was fine. Nothing had happened. This time. Warily, he turned his face to look down at her, looming on the rock above her. "Now tell me. Who are you?" His voice was still that of a child's but his mannerisms had been adopted from his father and applied quite well.
The kick hurt a bit, but nothing she really wasn't used to. Her brothers scuffled with her harder. But she did slide on her side a few inches before she got up and shook herself off, claws digging into the dirt. Who didn't want to fight? With a roll of her black eyes, the cub watched the other, her head tilting to one side, scraggly bangs fall into one eye. ".....Who am I? I'm the great Tucagwathiel! If you've never heard of me, you must live under a rock," she murmured with a grin, teeth flashing white at him. A very stark contrast indeed. Red tail flicking a bit, she shuffled back over to him and started to sniff.
"Who're you? I never seen you before..." Then again, she hadn't seen anyone but her family before. And they never spoke of others, it seemed. Just other members in their family. So clearly this male wasn't in her family. He didn't carry the red she and her siblings did. "Ya sound like an old lion. Like that one that lives near me. His voice is booming and loud, and wakes me up when I'm napping."
Phlegyas drew his head back at such a boastful remark. He chuffed in disdain and threw out his chest. "I live far higher up than you do, Tukagwafeel." He insinuated his rank in the pride. But for all his talk it was mostly just that. Phlegyas had been doted upon, if it could be called that. His father was probably more proud of himself for having sired the litter than the cubs themselves. But Phlegyas knew his rank, and well. But... He didn't really know anyone outside his own family, and he didn't particularly care to. Sure he'd seen the dark shadows skirting past, had nannies tend to him as a cub, and shared meals with others. He wasn't oblivious to the mewls of new cubs, either born into the pride or kidnapped as he, but that didn't interest him. However, Tuca did, for some reason. Even if it wasn't really a positive interest.
"I'm Phlegyas. Hirao'alph, but a Tarenai to be. That booming lion is my father, Iartuupe. Aran'shale of Morifaer. And my mother, Posca. Goddess of Decay." Still, his father's mannerisms, he parroted back what he'd been taught. He emphasized his lineage, but his mother's name still stung his bleeding ear. "So what right have you to claim this rock as your own? And to attack a prince." He growled at her, and did his best to hide the shuddering as her breath moved his fur. Though he had the higher rank and the upper hand, it still made his skin crawl. She was getting too close.
Blinking at that, her ears flattened for just a minute and then raised back up, grinning a bit more and then shrugged. Who cared if he was royalty? He was a cub and he needed to learn how to play. Every cub did. "C'mon, stuck up. Do you not know how to play without sounding like you have a stick up your rear?" She asked, arching another brow before scooting closer and then tried to nibble upon his chin a bit more.
"Yep. It's my rock and I don't really care if you are a prince. Fighting shouldn't be about rank, but about practice and fun, you know?" She murmured, inching back a bit a little bit to watch him. His growl didn't scare her. Very little did anymore. Her mom had quite a temper on her. Tuc didn't care or notice insults, she wasn't clear on her own rank in the pride. Her mother told her that she was indirectly connected to the royal line, but that all went above her head and she didn't really take much interest in it. Genealogy wasn't any fun! Humming a bit she continued to watch him and then batted at him playfully.
Phlegyas' ears mimicked hers as they pinned back against his skull. The nerve! The audacity! He flinched back and struck her face with his paw, a reflex. His brows furrowed and his body rocked back before it launched forward, pinning the cub. His skills weren't quite polished, to say the least, but he had an idea of what to do from watching more serious fights between elders. But this wasn't a serious fight. So he really didn't know what to do. He felt Tuc wriggle as he held a poor grip, and dug his claws in a little for stability. And to get her to stop squirming. Even so, that probably wouldn't work very well. Then it occurred to him; an eye for an eye. He bit at her ear so that it was as bad as his, or worse.
Satisfied, he leapt off her agilely, admiring his work and the points of blood that drew from her side like his own born-marking. However, its beauty and symmetry were lost on the dark coat. He frowned, but poised himself for another attack. "How's that for fun? I'll bite you to death!" He snarled, finding his threats and presentation actually more amusing than he would have thought.
