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 Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 11:15 am
Galning was hot and sweaty and tired, but he thought it was probably a good way of being those things. He was not tired from lack of sleep, hot from over-indulging, or sweaty from random sexual encounters (although he wasn't sure that last one was such a good thing). He felt like this because he had been devoting himself to training for the past two days.
There was a definite aura of smug self-confidence radiating from the young father. Or perhaps that was just the stench of unwashed lion. His very fastidious son Yollalunta had wrinkled his nose when his father came home and asked very politely if he would like to go to the river and bathe. The moon-faced boy had even phrased it in such a way that it wouldn't seem like he was implying his father stank, but Galning knew what he meant.
Nevertheless, Galning had agreed and the pair had set off toward the river, whereupon Yolla had promptly vanished, leaving Galning with nothing to do but bathe. So by the time anyone might have come upon him, the reaver probably wasn't anywhere near as hot, sweaty, or tired as he had been only an hour ago.
"Yolla!" he called once he had determined he was sufficiently clean. "Come back. I can't kill wildebeest with my smell anymore."
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Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 11:32 am
Freyja had deemed the day worthy of wandering, after seeing that her den was... livable, if for a day or so. She'd never been the housewife type, and she doubted anything would change that. A few sweeps of dirt, tucking it where it couldn't be seen in the corners of the room, and her job was done.
She let her feet carry her the moment she was finished, no one to pick a course when it didn't seem interesting. What had dragged her to the river, she wasn't sure of. But when she came close enough, her thirst kicked in. Well, that was lucky. She was half-tempted to throw herself into the water itself, the sun's heat even a bit much for her white bodice.
She lowered her head to the water, took a few laps... then stopped dead when she heard a familiar voice. Involuntarily, she gagged, quickly looking upstream to see the sodden lion. Well, so much for a drink of water. She wrinkled her nose lightly, hoping she wouldn't catch anything from the male's sweat. Half-joking with herself, of course.
She would take it out on him, she mused, quickly shouting at him, "Maybe not kill them, but you can still knock them out. No wonder he ran off. I personally thought something might have died over here."
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Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 12:55 pm
Galning was grateful to Freyja for her attempt to help him out at Ru's sending-off, but that didn't mean he was going to sit there and take her insults without protest. He had the shambles of a reputation to maintain, after all, and besides which insults had to be met with resistance or else they escalated. His brothers had taught him that early on.
"That was so funny I forgot to laugh," Galning said, wading downstream so that he when he took the opportunity to shake the water from his mane, lots of it would get on her.
Actually, seeing Freyja wet and dripping sort of put Galning in mind of a sort of weaselly creature he'd once hunted down. Wet, he decided, was not a particularly good look for the largely white lioness. Even the striking markings that surrounded her eyes looked a little fuzzy because of the way her fur had shifted.
"You look like a rodent when you're wet," he pointed out helpfully, stepping a little closer. He wasn't sure how close he would have to be to make sure as much spray as possible struck her, and so he decided it would be better to be safe than sorry.
Also, he apparently couldn't tell the difference between what was and was not a rodent. All small things that scurried fell under the category of prey. Unless they were cubs.
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Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 1:15 pm
The laugh that had formed in the femme's throat became a snort instead, and she shielded herself half-heartedly with a paw. She didn't expect to stay dry flinging insults around the way she did.
"A rodent? At least it's better than looking like plant life... like a certain someone." She used a paw to throw water in his direction, a tormenting smirk crossing her features. "So what's got you scrubbing so hard anyway, the pink beast?"
Just the thought of the lioness, or what she'd assumed to be one, she'd seen just at Ru's sending-off sent a shiver down her spine. Sure, it was wrong to pick on others, but that thing just radiated her own supremacy. A little gossip wouldn't catch her ears, and even if it did, she doubted it would be acknowledged.
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Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 1:22 pm
"So suspicious. I'm hurt," Galning said, observing the paw she raised in self-defense. He hadn't even done anything yet. He'd only been thinking about it. "I just said you don't look good wet. Why in the world would I do anything to make you wetter?"
Heh. His brain pointed out the gutter connotation and he barely stopped himself from smirking. His son might be around somewhere, and although it was not the Stormborn way to shield cubs from life in all its violent fullness, Galning had not been raised to expose young cubs to overt vulgarity. It was bad enough that he'd come home fall-down drunk on several occasions since Ru's sending-off.
"I don't look like plant life. Why would you even say that? That makes no sense at all."
It took Galning a moment to realize who Freyja referred to. "The pink beast" seemed like such a mild title for someone like Bilijo. It left so much unsaid that really, really needed to be said for the good health and happiness of all. Once it dawned he shuddered involuntarily.
"Thank the gods, no. I haven't seen her since the night of Ru's sending-off." And if he never saw the torpid terror again it would be much too soon.
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Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 1:41 pm
She gave him a wide grin, patting him like a cub at the top of his head for the sole purpose of making him upset, "Did Galning have a bad moment with the scary lioness that I should know about?" She rubbed lightly for emphasis, to weigh down that her paw was right on top of him.
She was all over partially torturing him today, though she couldn't place a paw on a reason. Maybe knowing his cub was somewhere nearby, she wanted to have a good taste in her mouth and avoid the more cruel ways she could abuse his father. For now, at least until she actually met the little cub.
A thought passed through her head, so sporadic that she was momentarily caught off-guard. The whole reason she's joined the Stormborn had taken a backseat before she'd even been a member, all because of the lion in front of her. She couldn't blame him, but she hadn't expected to get along with him so well either... She quickly dove back into reality, not even daring to stay on the same thought process. It wasn't a good idea.
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Posted: Wed May 16, 2012 6:23 am
Galning decided that this was a perfect moment. If he tried to explain to her what had happened between him and Bilijo he would start having flashbacks, and those weren't safe things to have while standing in a river. He smiled in a way that he hoped was enigmatic and then shook his head violently, sending a drenching spray everywhere, but especially toward Freyja.
"Let's just say that with anyone else it would have been a moment unworthy of comment or memory, but because it was her it was horrible. Have you ever seen her teeth?"
Probably she hadn't. But Galning had on more occasions than he would have liked and they were awful. More than her blubber, it was her teeth that bothered him. Well, that and her breath. And the way she assumed she was irresistible to men and tried to flirt accordingly. He wondered what sort of fool would cover such a lioness and then tried to backtrack before his mind could obligingly show him images of such a coupling.
"I would rather talk about something else."
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Posted: Thu May 17, 2012 6:51 am
"That bad, huh?" She made a face. She wanted to be nowhere near that lioness to see what he'd meant by her teeth. Just the thought of it, her own imagination, was enough to make a shiver run down her spine. That is, if the spray of water flecked on her fur hadn't caused it.
She submitted silently, flicking her gaze around the both of them, "Alright then, change of subject. I wasn't aware Stormborn lions bathed." She smirked, stepping to the side and gesturing back towards the pride, "I'd consider finding a good conversation topic while you dry off... Unless you like the whole... wet thing you've got going on." The smile that crossed her face was suggestive in those next few moments, and she knew it. Which was why she quickly wiped the look from her face. Galning wasn't allowed to get any ideas as much as she wasn't.
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Posted: Fri May 18, 2012 4:55 am
Galning nodded solemnly and intoned, "Worse. She's really quite awful."
That was Freyja's new subject? Bathing? It was like she was a mom or something. Galning remembered his mum always being on him and his brothers about bathing, too. Their sister Samia never really got dirty, from what he recalled. He wondered how long it would be before she, too, showed up here, given how his family seemed to be migrating.
"Of course we do. We're probably cleaner than most lions, actually. It's considered bracing to go for a quick dip and scrub in the water from the ice melts, and there's almost no other way to get salt out of our fur if we swim in the sea." Duh.
Except that hadn't been the topic she'd been introducing. She'd just...mentioned it? Girls were so weird. It didn't matter that since growing up Galning had managed to get himself a decent amount of tail and even had a cub of his own to care for. He still didn't really understand the females of his species - or any other for that matter.
"I'm okay with wet," he said, grinning almost guiltily. He would feel a lot better about flirting if he knew where Yolla was.
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Posted: Fri May 18, 2012 8:52 pm
With an eyeroll, she turned her gaze to the trees. And it was looking around that she would think of another topic.
"Where's your little offspring anyway... Yolla, was it?"
Looking for the little guy would be a perfect distraction. She definitely didn't want to flirt with Galning, and she was headed that way at this rate. She would start the search in the next few moments, but first...
She gave Galning a smile and splashed him for good measure, quickly retreating out of range and making it seem as if she knew what she was looking for.
She knew that, from her own appearance, parents and cubs could look absolutely nothing alike.... but then again, mother had only described father in personality. Who knew what his fur color was.
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Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 5:53 am
"Yollalunta. Yolla for short. And I have no idea. He told me I stink, insisted that I come down here for a bath, and then vanished."
Galning wasn't all that worried about his son, to be honest. It didn't occur to him that Yolla might not know how to swim, and so might be in some danger of drowning. He was more focused on the fact that as long as they were withing the pride's boundaries and fairly close to the stronghold Yolla wasn't likely to be put at risk of anything worse than a little cubbish roughhousing.
"I probably ought to go looking for him," he decided regretfully. Even though he wasn't all that worried, he was making an effort to be a better reaver and that meant raising his cub right, too. Yolla was too soft still, thanks to his mother's lingering influence.
Suddenly he was seized with inspiration and so delighted with his own cleverness that he practically glowed. This was one of his brilliant ideas, but not one that could possibly get anyone into any trouble.
"You could help."
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Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 8:12 am
"You must've stunk pretty bad."
Freyja was about as worried as he was. She needed a diversion, and she thought he'd make a decent enough one. And of course, she had been right, the moment he had brought up trying to find the poor thing, wherever he may be.
It was the next time he spoke that she eyed him in slight suspicion, "Help? He's only a cub, right? How hard could he be to find?"
Of course, Freyja knew she'd help anyway. It was her in her nature to be somewhat difficult, it was how she was raised. And maybe if Galning needed the extra help, he could be a handful of his own. Hopefully not as hostile as she herself had been, or she might smack him around a little.
Galning had no say in the matter, if it came to that.
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Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 7:10 pm
"Obviously you have never had a cub or been one," Galning remarked, his posture dripping with wounded pride. "Cubs that don't want to be found are nearly impossible to find. Especially when they're Yolla's age, and old enough to know how to hide."
Just the thought of searching for a reluctant cub in such a frame of mind was enough to make Galning grimace. He doubted that Yolla was really in much of a hiding mood, but he might have gone off somewhere, figuring he had more time to spare than he did, and Galning did not know his son well enough to guess where he might have gone.
"However, I can understand that you probably have other things to do, and he is my responsibility." It was hard to retract his invitation even this much because Galning would have liked to spend more time with someone who wasn't outwardly disgusted with the way he had behaved for the past few weeks.
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Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 8:23 pm
In a dramatic fashion, Freyja rolled her eyes and let out a soft sigh, only to toss Galning a smile to show she was kidding, "Alright, you've twisted my paw... I'll help you out."
Where she would even start, however, was the true limb-twister. As a cub herself, Freyja was the one who had to be pried off her siblings whenever she drew blood rough-housing with them.
She gave a glance to Galning. In order for his cub to be the same, destructive way... well, she highly doubted her mother would ever choose him as a mate. Which the idea of sent a shock through her system.
Just... no.
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Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 11:11 am
"Oh, no no no," Galning said. "You have been uninvited from the cub hunt. If you want to go hunting cubs, you'll have to have some of your own. But you can't have mine."
He twitched his tail in much the same manner a person might wriggle their eyebrows suggestively. It was a silly gesture made jokingly.
"Unless, of course, you ask me very nicely."
He jumped out of the water and shook himself thoroughly, sending an impressive spray of water every which way. He was going to be damp for a while - one of the downsides to having fairly thick dark fur - but as long as he didn't go too high up in the stronghold he wouldn't freeze to death. Maybe. He still had some difficultly adjusting to the cooler temperatures in the Stormborn lands.
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