Burilda tramped through the tall grass of the Savannah growling and working on her roar as she went; her sister Widjan following after her. This was the first time Widjan had gone out on an adventure with her and Burilda wanted to look pretty fearless. She was after all quite the tracker for her age. 'you wish~' she heard her voice mummer to her but Burilda ignored it; too excited to be out with her sister to care. It might have been hot but Burilda was used to it and right now she was taking Widjan to a watering hole that she'd found on one of the times she'd gone out hunting... if you could call it that. And now she wanted to show it to her sister.
Widjan followed after her sister, taking quick, clumsy strides to keep up with the adventurer in the tall grasses. The tops tickled her belly and her paws were starting to go numb with all the walking, she figured they'd ache in the morning, but with how excited Burilda seemed, Widjan couldn't find the heart to complain. Still, they'd been walking for a while.
"You sure you remember where it is, Buri?" She looked around carefully, trying to find a landmark she remembered, but she was such a den-hermit that she'd be more surprised to find something she recognized than to realize there was nothing here for her to remember.
Buri stopped and waited fro Widjan to catch up if she was behind and rolled her eyes a bit full of herself. "Of course I remember where it is. I go there all the time!" She lied through her teeth. She lifted her nose to the air like she'd seen other lions do and sniffed. Everything smelled like grass. 'good one.' the voice teased and Buri tried not to listen to it this time either. "It's um..." She turned her head; lowering it to the ground and taking in a big whiff of dirt; this time she could smell prey beast and she figured that they would go towards water if they smart. So why not follow that scent? "It's this way!" She stated suer of herself before starting off in that direction.
Widjan felt uncertainty tighten her gut, but followed closely behind her sister anyways. Even if Buri didn't know where they were going, she supposed it was best they remained together. It would be easier to find their way back that way.
Everything smelled the same to Widjan, so she wasn't sure why her sister continued to stop and sniff, or what scents she caught when she did, but each time the cub seemed excited and certain, so still she followed. At least, until the numbness faded and she did get a little achey and tired.
"Buri, c'mon. Where is it?" She frowned.
Burilda looked around herself nervously; turning in a circle slightly. "IT should be some where around here!" she said certainly; jumping through a particularly dense patch of tall grass only to be followed by a splash sound and muffled cries of surprise.
Buri wasn't a very good swimmer; but luckily for her; the water that she'd bounded into wasn't very deep either. And though she was now cold and wet; at least she'd found the water and now Widjan could see it to. She shook herself off and looked around at her surroundings. It wasn't exactly what she remembered but she could tell a lot of other animals had been through here. And once she was certain it was safe she smiled to herself and called to her sister. "See I told you I knew where it was."
Widjan tilted her head and tentively poked her head through the grass to see her soaked sister sitting in the middle of a watering hole, and she smiled.
"Okay, I take it back. You did know where it was." She jumped through the grass and splashed into the water next to her sister, laughing at it sprayed everywhere. "We should bring Momma out here. I bet it's deeper in the middle. She could teach us to swim."
"I bet mommie's been out here tons of times before! Since she's a gaurd and all I bet this is where she comes to play hookie!" Burilda laughed entertained at that thought as she splashed around in the shallows of the water. She wondered if anything was out in the middle of the water but was too afraid to actually go out and see. So instead she simply climbed out of the water and walked along it's edge; it was big; but no bigger than maybe two lions; and one lion wide. When she was done; she flopped down in the sun and closed her eyes.
"Aren't you glad we came Widjan? I could stay out here all day." And in fact; Buri had spent the entire day out there on more than one occasion; getting lost seemed to be her specialty.
Widjan looked bewildered at the thought. "Momma doesn't play hookie! She does her duties for the pride." She frowned slightly. "She's loyal."
After a few minutes she followed suit and climbed out of the water to flop down near her sister, soaking wet and smiling again. "It's really nice out here. We should come out here more often. Or at least, you should bring me more often." She yawned softly. "Hey, do you think any hyenas come here?"
Buri nodded her head; she'd only been kidding but they both knew their mommy was loyal; otherwise she would have kept them all together as a family rather than only keeping half of the litter. She was silent for a moment before rolling over to her sister and licking her muzzle and rolling away.
"Pfft. No! What do you think they are crazy? No ones stupid enough to come to the demon pride unless they want to get eaten! or at least... that's what some of the elders say!" She rolled around in the grass a bit; leaving her scent all over the long and crushed blades; wanting to definitely be able to find her way back there next time.
Buri liked the feel of the dirt in her fur; it kept her cooler for longer; although she was certain that she was still going to be getting a bath; at least for a while she could play in the dirt.
She giggled softly and nodded a little. "I kinda always thought there were a little crazy," she admitted. "I mean, have you heard them laugh? You'd have to be crazy somewhere in your brain to have a laugh like that." She laughed again, this time trying to imitate the cackling sound of the hyenas she heard just beyond the pride boarders. The sound usually gave her chills, but her imitation what so poor that it just made her laugh harder.
"Buri, you look like a mud monster. Mom's going to be bathing you for hours!"
Burilda smiled at her sisters attempt to get the laugh right; ignoring the fact that her mom was going to have to clean her off for an hour at least. "That's no where NEAR how a hyena laughs!" She said in a matter of fact manner. "They laugh like this~" The moment she opened her mouth to try her best at a hyena's laugh; a hyena really did laugh somewhere behind there. Buri turned in wide eyed terror towards where the sound was coming from; ears slicked back and her tail hiding between her legs she backed away from the tall grass afraid of what might happen next.
With her eyes closed, Widjan couldn't see her sister's reaction and she grinned. "Yeah that's exactly-...." She'd opened her eyes to speak and frowned. "What's wrong Buri?" She tilted her head just as the the laugh came again, but this time it seemed closer and louder, and she felt her heart skip a beat.
"That wasn't you... was it?"
"Run." Buri said in a low whisper; afraid to give away where they were anymore. "run! run! RUN!" She screamed the last part pushing her sister forward and taking off as fast as her little feet would carry her in the direction they had come afraid that the Hyena would catch them and eat them or something worse than being eaten! Not stopping as she ran afraid that it would catch up to them; thinking that Widjan was right there next to her the whole entire time and that they would both be safe if they could just make it to that tree coming up in front of them and climb it!!
A shrill shriek left Widjan's throat as she took off as fast as she could, sticking close to her sister's side. She saw the tree that Buri kept in their sight and ducked her head, trying to get more speed. Her paws still ached despite the rest, and he lungs were heaving for breath, but she saw the dark trunk getting closer and she wanted to scream with frustrations and get there sooner.
Yaretzi looked up from her perch in the tree at the sound of hyena laughter and the sounds of a high pitched shrieking that sounded a bit too familiar for her tastes. She turned her head and looked over the tall grass for signs of movement and saw the grass moving in a straight path towards her tree. She couldn't see the things making the grass move so she assumed it was either a cub or a lower prey beast being attacked by a Hyena. Either way there was no excuse for a hyena being in the pride lands unless it was one of the slaves. So sighing that her break had been interrupted; she bounded from the tree in a graceful arch and landed in front of the things running with a loud thud.
Burilda screamed and came to a halt running into her mommy with out knowing it was her mom as she thought it was something else trying to get them. She scratched at who ever it was she'd into and tried her best to run away until she was swatted at by a big paw and sent sprawling the way her mother did when they were play fighting. She looked up at her mother with large blinking eyes and ran under her feet. "Mommy save us!" she cried out.
At the moment Buri had screamd again Widjan and slid to a hault and looked behind her to decide which way she should run. She felt surrounded, and she needed to grab Burilda and get out of here!
But she nearly exploded as she heard the word "Mommy" and turned back toward her mother to dart underneath her legs. "It's going to get us!" She shrieked. "Make it go away!"
Yaretzi raised her eyebrow and lowered her head to look down at her two daughters hiding in between her legs with their tails between their legs and shook her head. She raised her head and listened a bit to catch the sounds of the idiotic hyena that had the nerve to chase her daughters. When she heard it's laughter coming closer she rolled her eyes and let loose a loud terrifying roar to let the thing know it was no longer alone. When she heard it yip and watched the grass movements begin to change so that it was receding from her she stepped off of her cubs so that they were no longer underneath her. "What are you two doing so far away from the dens?" She asked unamused.
Buri huddled closer to her sister as she was soon under her legs too and lifted her head a bit to listen to her mommy roar; wanting to be able to roar like that. So loud and mighty that it made others scared to come anywhere near them! that was amazing. But when her mother was no longer covering or protecting them; and instead was looking at them with that scary look on her face. She no longer felt as safe. "I wanted to show Widjan the oasis..." She mumbled quietly; afraid of getting in trouble.
widjan shook slightly, from the nerves and now the fear of getting in trouble. She flattened her ears against her skull and looked down, not daring to meet her mother's eyes. "I just wanted to see the watering hole. I hadn't been before." She scooted closer to her sister and whimpered slightly.
Yaretzi raised her head and 'mmhmmed.' at the two of them; looking around to try and see if maybe there was a random guard doing patrol that would bring them back in for her; but when she saw that there was none around she sighed and began to pad back towards their den. "well then come on; we're going back to the den. and once I'm done patrolling; you both had better believe I'll be back to have a serious talk with you both. I may walk around the pride lands like there's nothing for us to be afraid of but neither of you should think that means you can too. I'm full grown; neither one of you are." She lectured as she walked; waiting for them to catch up with her and pushing them in front of her with her nose to make sure she could keep a good eye on them.
Burilda was hiding her face and looking at the ground miserably until her mother started to walk away and she looked up afraid of being left alone just the two of them. So she quickly caught up and padded to the front miserably when she was nudged by her mother. She was only halfway listening; feeling too embarrassed at being lectured at about how dangerous it was to wander. Hoping none of the other cubs saw them getting yelled at.
Widjan felt her chest tighten. Out of the clutched of the hyena and into the clutches of her mother. At the moment she couldn't decide which was worse. "We were in the pride's lands." She protested. "We thought it would be safe. How were we supposed to know a stupid hyena was at the watering hole?" She frowned up at her mother and stumbled slightly because she wasn't watching where she was going.
"No." Yaretzi countered staring down at her daughter. "You weren't. That tree I was in is one of the boundary markers of the pride. You both were out of the pride lands. You both could have been killed and no one would have known where to find you. Is that what you want?" She glared down at Burilda knowing she had been the one that had taken her sister so far from the den. "Burilda what were you thinking?"
Burilda felt as if she'd just been stabbed when her mother said that they were no longer in the prides land. She winced away from Widjan feeling awful about having put her sister in danger. "I thought it was prideland still mommy...."
Yaretzi shook her head and let out a snort of air. "Didn't you notice when you could no longer smell any of the pride members?"
Burilda lowered her head shamefully. "No mommy."
Widjan felt the need to stick up for her sister and spoke quickly. "I didn't smell it either. All I smelled was prey animals, grass, and water." She shook her head. "I think other pride members might go to that watering hole too. Maybe that's why we didn't notice." She didn't mention that she wasn't quite sure how to tell exactly where the pride members had been, but she figured if she had she would just get in more trouble.
Yaretzi shook her head. "It doesn't matter now; you're both in serious trouble. if you want to explore you should do so with Xi or myself. The fact that neither one of you could tell where the pride starts and ends is even more proof that you two have no business being out this far now come on; hurry up. We're almost home." And picked her pace up to make them hurry up a bit; leaving them behind slightly to let it all sink in.
Burilda turned to her sister after their mommy had gone off in front of them and nuzzled her head along the side of her body. "Thanks." She whispered lowly; not wanting her mother to hear and picking up her pace; not wanting to be left behind either.
She nodded. "It wasn't just your fault," she whispered back, "I was there too, and I wanted to be there." She frowned and bumped her hip against her sisters. "It won't be that bad." She quickened her stride for what seemed like the millionth time this day and tried not to think about the lecture that would have worked its way up for them tonight. Right now she just wanted to take a nap and forget about the whole ordeal.
