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Post by stauromaniac on Aug 15, 2011 15:36:00 GMT -5
The sun was beginning to set, although it seemed to make little difference to these lands due to the dark clouds above. The once great Pridelands, full of a variety of different predators and prey alike, seemed barren and unfriendly. Not that Sanura, the rogue, would know. The lioness was situated at the bottom of the valley, south of the tower of logs that probably controlled the amount of water that entered these parts of the territory. The earth was now dry and dusty, although Sanura could tell it wasn't always so. Tired, she sat and pointed her nose to the dark clouds. She sniffed the scents the gentle breeze carried, but soon lowered her head in disappointment. There would be no rain tonight, either.
If it hadn't been for the rodents or the slowly dying blades of grass, Sanura would probably be severely dehydrated. The lioness had been in these lands for a few days and during that time had only found a small amount of water. She was almost desperate enough to submit to the home pride, craving a decent drink. But alas, there was one thing that made her hesitant. Something that could be heard especially during the night. That was the sound of hyenas. Hungry hyenas. Sanura did wonder why a pride of lions would share their territory with such a large pack of hyenas.. perhaps they were desperate for food and water, too?
The hyenas cries could be heard throughout these lands and they made the lioness nervous. Sanura had not met many hyenas in her lifetime, but she had seen enough to know they were annoying, ruthless and incredibly demanding. Even if she had the strength to fight, the small lioness would be a poor match against even a few hyenas. It seemed the carnivorous birds were hungry too, as they had almost been following Sanura over the past day, squawking and possibly even drawing attention to her. Mustering the little energy she had left, Sanura continued forward towards the stack of logs, hoping for some sort of shelter and protection from any larger, wandering carnivores.
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Post by Scar on Aug 16, 2011 17:13:44 GMT -5
"There were ten vultures up the clouds~!" A distant voice could be heard singing.
Bakari was helping the other hyenas capture a runaway topi. She had been looking for many hours, so far without luck, so you could imagine she was bored out of her mind. Bakari could not stand silence, so she would often sing when alone. But she certainly wasn't good at it: her voice was too squeaky, and she seemed to get every note off. But that didn't stop her.
"But one fell off! That'd make thirteen vultures up the clouds~!" The hyena sang on.
She was walking while looking up, at the carrion birds who inspired her song. She did not see the rock until she was on the floor. In the process of getting up, she could not help but notice the reddish shape in the distance...
"Hey I think that lioness is new!" She thought out loud. How cool, a new lioness!
Without any time to lose, bored as she was, the hyena ran to meet the stranger lioness. She was fast for a hyena, but still lacked the massive musculature of an adult. She had decided to put her topi quest on hold for the moment being, after all, it seemed like it was gone for good anyway.
Bakari stopped at a safe enough distance from her, watching. Her yellow eyes glowed like fire in the partial darkness, and her unusual spotted pelt melded with the shadows in the ground. But on her face was a big grin, and she did not seem like she was about to attack.
"Welcome to the Pridelands!" She barked in her most welcoming tone, "What can I do for you?"
She looked over her shoulder for a moment before she would add, in a quieter voice:
"If it is not joining, you better turn back now. I heard Azizi in the outer ring was in a very bad mood..."
But he couldn't be blamed. Just who wouldn't be in a terrible mood after having fallen in those thorns? That guarding post was by far the worst, Bakari had been assigned to it several times as punishment in the past and she had fallen in the cruel sea of thorns more than one time herself... |
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Post by stauromaniac on Aug 17, 2011 5:59:49 GMT -5
Sanura’s pace slowed dramatically, paws beginning to itch due to the small stones and dust littering the ground. They were already mildly aching due to walking on harsh terrain, but they were now starting to irritate the lioness. The birds above were adding to the annoyance. The lioness even wondered if she would be safe at the foot of the log formation, or would the vultures attempt to eat her alive? Hardly a pleasant thought, but that was the reality for a lot of animals. Determined not to end up a victim, Sanura stopped and snorted at the birds – perhaps if she did play dead..
Something then broke the lioness’s attention from the birds. Singing? Sanura spun around and desperately searched for where the noise was coming from, hoping - whoever it was - was a considerable distance away. Her green eyes narrowed and strained to see any movement. She was aware that the owner of the voice most likely blended into the background a bit better than she did, which made her much more anxious. Then she saw it – what appeared to be a hyena sprinting in her direction! Sanura gasped and revealed her black claws. She lowered her head, displayed her teeth and growled in warning to the hyena. Hopefully the creature would back off. The lioness feared she did not have the energy to defend herself. This was worrying considering hyenas lived in packs.
Fortunately, the hyena stopped. Sanura continued to make her rage obvious, raising the hairs from the back of her neck down to her tail in a threatening display. Preparing for the worst, the lioness was ready to release a powerful warning roar until the hyena.. welcomed her? The growling stopped abruptly and her facial features slowly begun to soften in confusion. This was certainly unlike any hyena she had met in the past, but Sanura wasn’t prepared to let her guard down just yet.
“Who are you?” Sanura questioned, her tone was accusing.
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Post by Scar on Aug 18, 2011 14:16:40 GMT -5
Sanura's initial, aggressive, response appeared to worry Bakari. The young hyena smiled nervously and her muscles tensed, ready to get out of there. Because, honestly, a lioness was a great deal bigger than a hyena, and even one weakened by hunger and travel would be too much for Bakari to take. Another hyena would have been more than willing to fight, especially since the Clan had escalated in rank so much after the latest happenings.
But at her question, or rather, her demand, the hyena's ears Perked and her head rose over her shoulders; on her face was a prideful smile.
"This here," she began, tapping her chest with a paw just like Shenzi would have done in her place, "is the famous explored of Mount Kilimanjaro and the bane of rhinos. Also, a very loyal follower of King Scar and a member of the Clan."
"The name's Bakari. There is no faster hyena in the plains." The hyena finished her arrogant introduction. She did appear to be very happy of who she was and thought highly of herself.
"May I ask in return, who are you?"
((Shorty! My apologies.)) |
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Post by stauromaniac on Aug 18, 2011 15:40:43 GMT -5
((That's okay, I will try not to get too carried away. xD))
Sanura's stance was frozen, her gaze hard on the hyena before her. Despite the opposing creature seeming ready to run herself, the lioness remained on tenterhooks; still expecting to suddenly be surrounded by a gang. There were limited exits from the valley, most of them would involve some tough climbing - something the tired lioness dreaded. Fortunately, adrenaline started to take effect. Sanura felt more alert and more agitated the longer she had to wait for a response.
The hyena seemed to calm slightly, her body language no longer displaying nervousness. Instead, Sanura read it as more confident. Eventually, almost arrogant. She listened to the hyena's monologue, raising a brow as if unimpressed by the introduction. Was this an attempt to make herself seem more of a threat? Perhaps the hyena really was alone? Although that still would not explain the sudden sprint towards her.
"Also, a very loyal follower of King Scar and a member of the Clan."
Sanura seemed puzzled and raised her head, green eyes still narrowed at the hyena. Once the introduction was over, the lioness grunted. She wasn't ready to reveal her name yet; far too familiar. Especially revealing it to a hyena!
"Bakari," she repeated, causing her lip to twitch in a way that might have appeared to be a smile. "Who is King Scar and what is the Clan?"
((I think that's a bit better? o.o ))
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Post by Scar on Aug 18, 2011 17:24:01 GMT -5
((Don't worry about that, I was just rushing posts on my Ipod x3))
Bakari seemed slightly disappointed at the fact that she was not curious about any of her many titles. Hm. She asks about Scar, how come she ignored the bit about the rhinoceros, huh? Nobody could ignore the bit about the rhinoceros... I mean, it was such a wonderful story...
Wait a minute.
Then the lioness's words registered. Bakari looked confused by one moment, but almost immediately exploded into laughter. Her voice echoed through the empty canyon and laughed many times more.
Right. Maybe her people skills weren't the best ever. But Bakari was an... um... unique character. Yes, unique, not to mention crazy; but all hyenas were, no? At least that's what they say about them... really no surprise here.
"That's a good one!" She said, once she managed to stop, taking a deep breath. In Bakari logic, there was absolutely no rogue and no lion in all of Africa that didn't know of Scar and the Clan. This lioness had to be joking, obviously.
"And they say lions have no sense of humor!" Bakari rolled her eyes.
"Anyway, there is a stray topi I must find. Like I said before, turn back now if you don't want to join the Pride; Scar really does not appreciate intruders in his lands... And if you DO want to join, I think that's... uh.... Zira's department. Yeah that's Zira's." |
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Post by stauromaniac on Aug 19, 2011 1:12:46 GMT -5
((I have been tempted to reply on my blackberry, but I think that would just be a disaster xD ))
What little smile that had started to appear rapidly disappeared once the hyena started laughing. A familiar, chilling laugh that Sanura had the misfortune of hearing before. She often wondered why all hyenas seemed to find everything so amusing. It was exceptionally irritating! However, the lioness did not take offense at Bakari. Sanura neck arched and she frowned, briefly throwing a glance high up the valley and lowering her ears. Due to the echo the valley created, the sound of laughter would carry well. Fortunately, Sanura thought, if it was incredibly common for hyenas to audibly laugh, perhaps this one would not attract any atttention.
The lioness lowered her rear and sat, continuing to look unimpressed at the hyena. Her black ears constantly swiveled while her eyes remained on Bakari. It became apparent that Sanura was mistaken for a comedian as soon as the hyena stopped laughing. A good one? What was she talking about? A low growl erupted from her throat and the tuft of her tail flickered in annoyance. Perhaps it was time for Sanura to explain, to spare herself from anymore laughter.
"And if you DO want to join, I think that's... uh.... Zira's department. Yeah that's Zira's."
Rolling her eyes, Sanura exhaled deeply. "I have traveled through many sunrises to get here, so I really have no idea of what you are talking about." She replied, making an effort to speak slightly slower and more clearly in an attempt to get Bakari to realise. "Please enlighten me as to why I would join a pride of hyenas?"
Sanura assumed that, despite the hyena refering to a pride, she must be talking about her pack. It was hard to believe that lions and hyenas would cooperate so closely. Even in these times. However, it appeared that the heavens were finally beginning to open. It merely spat at first, but was completely welcomed by the thirsty lioness.
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Post by Scar on Aug 27, 2011 22:11:26 GMT -5
"What?! You must be from VERY FAR, then! Oh, you must be tired!" The hyena exclaimed in awe. She suddenly felt like wanting to do something for this poor vagabond lioness, but she had nothing to give her, honestly.
If she joined, however, she would have right to eat and drink like everyone else. Yes, she should do that... but how to convince her? Bakari shrugged mentally.
"A Pride of hyenas...? She had to bit her lip not to explode into laughter once more.
"What, no, there are lions here too. Lion King Scar has formed an alliance with my Clan, and now there is no King more powerful." Bakari explained, obviously quite proud of her kingdom. She just couldn't help it.
Just then the sound of a distant, low howl, rumbled underneath their paws. Bakari ground her teeth.
"I'm coming, Vangr!" She howled back at the other hyena. (( Bah. Short again, sorry about that, just that I am on an epic rush -runs to post elsewhere-)) |
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