[ PRP ] Complementing Spots

[Thalion]

It was hard coping with the fact that his captured benu was, more or less, given to him from an outsider. The outsider was a god so there was some pride in that but within the pride it was Rushil's silent shame. He couldn't tell anyone, his father least of all. Faiz was proud of his offspring and every one of his sons had managed to return with a handsome banu of their own. Rushil's banu had been swollen with cubs upon his return. They looked enough like her that there hadn't been much of an issue, but it still gnawed at the pit of the older male. He raised the cubs as his own and had watched them set out to find their own mates but it still wasn't enough. He enjoyed his banu...but she was distant. He didn't have the same connection with her that he saw in the banus of his brother. Ender, bless his soul, had only one banu to his name but that's all he desired.

He wasn't quite prepared to set back into the wild in an attempt to tame a wild lady for himself. He had a few skills he had to learn. First and foremost was confidence. He was a handsome fellow and his siblings made sure to remind him of it but he lacked the desire or confidence to flaunt that. He was strong but again he had little opportunities to show that off.

He crossed out of his territory and moved into the pride's common ground. He'd eaten just fine that morning and had time to groom himself. He had a water source in his own territory but the common ground gave him an excuse to move into the pride's territory and scope out the available banus.

 

[Ririka]

Shirina could not take it anymore; the talking, the pressure, the giggling of some of the other adolescent females as they talked about their future and what kind of man they wished to find or be given to. It was kind of sickening to say the least, but what was she to do, especially when she knew that soon enough she too would have to eventually face the facts and find a Pad of her own. Escaping and dodging hints was easy enough as an adolescent, but soon adulthood would hit and then there would be no wiggle room, not unless she wanted trouble anyway.

For now though there were other things to attend to, like getting away from her band of brothers and going out to 'mingle' with the crowd as some of the other girls liked to call it.

'Right, mingle. More like sitting on my a** all day while trying to look uninteresting. I'd rather eat a putrid hare.' she thought to herself while relaxing in her usual little spot under the shade of a tree.

Her ears flicked as she picked up bits and pieces of chatter here and there, just idle talk or the usual chatter of a male trying to pick up a banu. Though those who were failing at their attempt did bring a little amusement to her rather boring day.

 

[Thalion]

Sky blue eyes roamed over the small gathering that had already established itself around the watering hole. It was typical for the pride to mingle in such a way. The watering hole was as good a place as any. There were the usual slew of females laughing lightly as potential pads competed against one another in small shows of strength or wit. One male was stretching himself out as he sharpened his claws on the base of a tree while another pranced by with a limp vulture hanging from his maw. Rushil sneered and glanced down to his paws. He wasn't about to get himself flustered trying to pin down a bird. A dirty vulture...guh. And he'd just got his claws the way he liked them! He wasn't about to get sap and bark all over them.

His gaze drifted from the cluster of activity to a solitary figure laying some ways from the others. A lovely...spotted figure. Young and obviously detached. He cleared his throat and corrected his posture. Right. If he was going to attempt turning her head, he had to look presentable. Proud. Dignified.

The male stepped forward, his movements smooth as silk, his head held high- and his foot sliding into an unseen puddle. There was a distinctive squish of mud followed soon by the splash of a large body slipping down into the damp ground.  

[Ririka]

She truely did not understand the point of all the displays going on around her. The shows of strength and the ability to provide. The shows of beauty and ability to serve. What was the point? Yes, one could provide food and home, but was that really all the mattered? Was there nothing that mattered when it came to one's true character and not what one painted themselves to be? Maybe Shirina was over-complicating things. Maybe she was just a lone water-buck among a herd of zebra.

Letting out a yawn, the adolescent stretched out and readied herself to leave; that is until he felt eyes "preying" upon her. Raising a brow, she watched as a newcomer started to strut around only to fail in an embarrassing manner. At least he got her attention, though it wasn't in the manner he may have hoped for.

"Oh my. How....Hmmm, that must hurt one's pride, no doubt about that. Might as well see if the poor fellow is alright though."

Jumping to her feet, 'Rina quickly padded her way over towards the large male . He seemed, well, alive.

"Forgive me if you find it rude for me to talk without being talked to first, but are you alright Sir?"  

[Thalion]

The worst of it was restricted to a damp, muddy belly and a badly bruised ego. The later would take time to mend and the former would take a short dip in a stream and an afternoon of grooming. Of all the days to fall... he had plenty of territory to himself where he could have fallen and none would have been the wiser but here in front of everyone!? It was embarrassing.

He gathered himself up, his back arching instinctively away from the puddle as he took a few steps away from the damp ground out to where it dried and hardened once more.

There were a few snickers here and there at his expense but that was the worst of it...until someone approached him on it.

Oh heavens it was the pretty spotted one...

"Oh uh- yes! Yes I just, well I wasn't watching my feet. I was... a little distracted."