[prp] Full on Sprint (Mayus x Diffudi)

[Lethrossen]

Mayus sighed heavily as he stretched and carried himself down the large termite mound, feeling restless. No prey in this area today, it seemed. He wasn't desperate though, he could go a few more days. Tomorrow he'd make himself travel some, scope out some nearby areas he knew were good for hunting.

Today he would try his paw at the watering hole. Too long he'd spent on his own, even his brothers having abandoned him. And perhaps with all of that solitude came reflection on his past behaviors, reasons why he was alone exactly. "Not a damn friend in the world." He lamented, shaking out his mane a little. He hated his mane, he wished there was some way to rid himself of it.

After a bit of walking he picked up his pace, just trotting along for a ways before he grinned and burst into a full on sprint. He yelled out joyfully, uncaring of any who might be around.  

[mouselet]

Today Diffudi didn't feel like trying her luck with (better known to others as tormenting) a pride. It was always fun to get a rise out of the lions in particular who just couldn't figure out what she was.

Then a lot of them decided that her mixed blood somehow made her a "lesser creature". That was the quickest way to piss off the leotah.

She examined her reflection in the water. So she wasn't a cheetah, or a leopard. So what? Neither were her brother or sisters. And her parents didn't seem to mind that they were from two different species, so why should anyone else care?

But they did. It was obnoxious.

Angrily, she raised a paw to swat the still waters. Then she heard a shout. Raising her black head, the leotah looked around.  

[Lethrossen]

Mayus had intended to make a big entrance into the watering hole... if only because he could. What he hadn't intended, really, was to be going as fast as he was. Nor had he intended the dark coated... leopard? To be right in his way. Blame it on the few trees scattered around the watering hole, blame it on his inability to properly pay attention to where he was going ... blame it on anything you wanted, really, but it wasn't going to change the fact that he was going to crash right into her if she didn't get out of his way.

"Holy s**t! Look out!" And even if she did get out of his way that meant he'd be tumbling right into the water and... oh! Oh, he should try and stop! So he did exactly that... except his paws seemed to get caught up in themselves and suddenly his body hit the ground hard... and kept going! The world was spinning like crazy and it was not fun.  

[mouselet]

"What in the-"

Diffudi never got to finish the thought. She had been aware of something, yes, but not a strange male barreling in at full speed! She'd only just gotten to her feet when he hit and the only saving grace she had was that he wasn't trying to hurt her.

Small consolation when he bowled her over into the water. With himself on top.

The leotah was not a swimmer. Some people were, yes, but she'd rather climb trees. Regardless, the water was not a place she wanted to spend a significant amount of time. Thank goodness that they managed to separate themselves once they hit the water.

Flailing and spluttering, Diffudi dragged herself back onto dry land before turning to glare at the stranger.

Unfortunately for her, her glare was offset by the fact that she was dripping wet and still hacking up water.  

[Lethrossen]

Gods above, he was going to be sore tomorrow morning. He felt slightly bad for who ever he'd just slammed into... but honestly he was feeling worse for himself. As his head broke the surface he took a big gasping breath, paws hitting the water awkwardly as he dragged himself out. He'd been in water that came past his knees only a few times in his life. He maintained that he looked absolutely ridiculous while soaking wet. His frame was too thin and his mane was too heavy!

As he lay on the shore, panting from all the excitement, his wide blue eyes zeroed in on the leopard, who wasn't looking pleased at all. He squinted, frowning. "You're... not..." He panted out, still trying to catch his breath. He dragged himself to his paws and tried to shake his mane off. Something was off about this supposed leopard, but he'd only ever seen felines like himself... or entirely leopardy looking leopards. Maybe he was just dizzy still?

"I mean... wow... tough break, couldn't move out of the way soon enough huh?" No apologies would come from him, even if he did feel kind of bad.  

[mouselet]

"You're the one who just ran in blindly without even looking where he was going!" Diffudi spat at the male. He had a mane, but he was waaaaaaaay too small for a lion. He didn't look like a leopard at all, but she could see some things in common with cheetahs.

Huh. Another hybrid. Normally she'd be ecstatic about that, but she was too pissed at him for this.

"Seriously, did you even bother to think that your actions might have consequences?" The sarcasm dripping off of the leotah's tongue was thick enough to be lava as it oozed its way across the landscape towards its inevitable victims.  

[Lethrossen]

His ears pressed back into his sopping wet mane the instant she started to berate him, his brows lifting in surprise then drawing down. Just who did she think she was? He started to nod after a moment, looking slightly put off. "I did try to call for you to look out, though." Admittedly this was true, so he really didn't see what the problem was.

He rolled his eyes. "Oh boy, I'm do dumb I don't even know what consequences means... care to share, girl?" His tone matched hers for sarcasm... oh. Maybe she was too big to be a leopard? Wow, this was going to bother him. She obviously wasn't a cheetah, he knew cheetahs! For most of his life growing up he desperately wished he had been born fully a cheetah.... especially because his mother was so adamant that the lion part of him was a retched, disgusting part. "Listen... did you break anything? Going to live? Can we get on with our lives then? It's not like I purposely was trying to ram into you, alright? I've just been out of my mind bored! Okay? I just wanted to come to the watering hole. Usually no one is here, anyways." Which wasn't exactly true, but he figured he'd give the lie a try.

"You're not a leopard. Or a cheetah." Maybe she had lion blood in her too? He couldn't not ask, honestly. "Maybe some lion in you... unless it's cheetah but I really don't think so... but that means you're like me. Well, not like me of course because I have cheetah blood and I just reeeeaally don't see it with that body frame..." He'd started off by addressing her but by the end he was mostly mumbling to himself.  

[mouselet]

So he was pissed too, huh? Well, good! Maybe he'd actually learn something from his stupid actions. Diffudi didn't even bother to respond to his sarcastic questions. She had sisters after all. To respond to barbs like those would just find more jabbed in.

"Well, I think we've discovered why no one is usually here," the leotah replied, looking down her nose at the red male. Really, and no wonder, if he made a habit out of it. Or maybe he was just that repellent. It could be.

She sighed noisily as he tried to figure out her ancestry. Did he honestly have nothing better to do? Well, if he was going to be so obnoxious, she could at least answer him. But why was it so obvious to her what he was and yet so murky for him going the other way?

"My mother was a cheetah, and my father was a leopard," she answered shortly before turning her back, fully intending to settle back in for a nap, regardless of what the idiot did or said.  

[Lethrossen]

He made a face at her incredulous words. Was she actually implying he was the cause of lack of life in this area? He never! He scoffed, though really he didn't have an actual good reply to that. She was snarky, wasn't she? He sort of liked it. At the same time? He hated it. "Whatever, that totally isn't how it is!"

He blinked in surprise when she stated that her mother was a cheetah and really? He jumped to his feet and padded around her, eyeing her body critically. He obviously hadn't cared in the least that she'd turned her back on him. "Whaaaaat?" He stated in disbelief. "Wow. Well, I guess I really picked up the idiot stick today." He'd brought himself in a full circle around her, slowing near her tail. Gosh, he wished he didn't have a dumb lion tail. He sighed and sat himself beside her, leaning away as he went to scratch at his short mane. "Now that you told me I guess I can see it." He grinned innocently at her.  

[mouselet]

She thought about replying to his childish reponse, but it was simply not worth the breath it would take to form the words. Better to ignore him until he left.

Except...he wasn't leaving. He came and sat nearby and kept talking. Really, what was so strange about her half blood? It wasn't like he was so pure himself.

"I don't know what your problem is, you're clearly half lion and half cheetah," she snorted, closing her eyes and turning her head away from the male. She shouldn't have said anything, shouldn't have encouraged him at all.  

[Lethrossen]

He nodded along with her words, obviously not upset at how easily she'd guessed her lineage. "My problem?" He back tracked. Oh right, right. He'd started this whole interaction by literally running into her so obviously... she was upset about that still.

"I mean... you're literally trying to turn your back on me... but I have the problem? Seriously?" He snorted. "Besides, it's not like there's some friggen' guide to determining what's what when it comes to things like you and me." He mumbled, rolling his eyes. "I knew you were part leopard, at least." Why was he even defending himself? It wasn't like he lived with a bunch of mixed blood cats, right? Mostly lions. A few cheetahs here and there and one or two leopards.

"What makes you such an expert, anyways?"  

[mouselet]

Ugh, it was like listening to her siblings all over again. There were a number of reasons why she hadn't stayed near any of her family. The whiny drivel emanating from the male's mouth was one of the foremost ones.

"Not being blind," she returned softly, eyes shut, clearly attempting to sleep. It was her hope that the longer she didn't give in, the more likely he was to just go away. Honestly, what was it with some people? Or maybe it was his appearance. His cheetah blood made him look like a half-grown lion, so maybe he felt that was how he should act.  

[Lethrossen]

He snorted and then actually chuckled at her response. The chuckle wasn't amused as much as it was sarcastic and fake. "You do realize no everyone's seen things like you or me, right? And that like... you know like I have two brothers and while sure we all look kind of pretty similar it's not like we are exact replicas of each other?" Not like in the case of lions, where it was rare that they didn't have their defining characteristics.

"Baaaahwhatever." He mumbled and hopped back to his feet, trotting away from her and half around the watering hole. He leaned down to drink, glad the water was still slightly murky from being disturbed. Uuggh, he'd just wanted some social interaction and his only options were... her. He plopped himself down in the sun, head tilted as he unashamedly stared at the female.

How had he missed the cheetah aspect of her though? Maybe she just looked too leopard-ish to him. Did all part-lions have manes? Well. Males. He rolled onto his side, gaze still vaguely in her direction. UUugh, he was so bored. "You should give lessons." He called over, not able to help himself.  

[mouselet]

Yes, she did, amazingly enough, realized that hybrids were uncommon. Still, she was intelligent, she had seen purebred members of all three major species, and was able to see elements of them in their mixed blood offspring. Really, most of the people who hadn't known what she was at first sight had more trouble with the concept of hybrids than the physical recognition.

Not that she cared to explain any of this. He went away for a bit...but he came back. Like a cub who couldn't figure out what to do without input from an adult. Ugh.

She was tempted to ask what kind of lessons he meant, but this time Diffudi truly meant to not encourage him.  

[Lethrossen]

He was literally pouting right now. Was she really going to give him the cold shoulder? He hated being ignored... with his brothers it was just provocation for physical altercations. Obviously he'd be even further down s**t's creek if he tackled the female, probably.

"What a stick in the mud." He mumbled, though loud enough that she'd be able to hear. He rolled onto his back and wiggled in the dirt for a moment before rolling back to his paws and hitting the water with a paw. "Real nice, maybe you can keep cool with that shoulder of yours." He called out and smirked at his own wittiness before trotting in the opposite direction he'd shown up in.

Whatever, he could find something else to do. Someone else to talk to, maybe.