W i l t e d

[eshe]

Slow, deliberate steps were taken through towering golden grasses that easily concealed the small lioness. Her pale gold bodice was low to the ground as she slunk forward toward a hidden target. Only feet away was a hare. The hare was this, but Aiyana was wasting away. She'd been through some type of marsh, which she didn't know how to hunt in, and hadn't eaten in days. So, the skinny rabbit was seen as a gourmet meal. Not even the searing rays of sunlight could distract this hunter from her prey.

'Almost there. One more step and I'll have food.' Aiyana's stomach growled at the mere thought of food. The grumbling sound revealed her location to the hare. It looked up with eyes wide, obviously frightened. The hare's little pink nose was twitching insanely fast, and suddenly, it had disappeared. Which way, Aiyana could only guess. The acrid taste of fear was clouding her senses, and the grass that had hidden her had now betrayed her by hiding the rabbit. With little hope of actually catching her prey, Aiyana crept towards a slightly darker clump of brush that didn't seem quite right. An instant before Aiyana could pounce, the hare shot out of the brush and half-jumped, half-ran to safety. The lioness pursued her prey and was just quick enough to see it dart into a hole that only her paw would fit into.

Frustrated, the lioness clawed the dirt, leaving gashes in the loose soil, and let out a low growl that soon became a rumbling roar. Overhead, a vulture rode the air currents to a nearby tree. Wings tucked by it's sides, the vulture mockingly watched Aiyana. The lioness sighed and turned her head away. Who was she kidding? Without some one to help her, she was going to die. As weak as that sounded, all these lands were unfamiliar to her. She couldn't even find her way to a pride of lions. Pride and determination made Aiyana pick her head up and scan the horizon. Maybe someone was around, but all she could see were mirages.

What can you do when you hit the bottom?

[daystar]

Taser walked through the tall grasses, more like strolled. He was killing time today because well, he didn't have anything better to do. He was, to say the least bored, and more importantly oblivious. He wasn't quite paying attention when he caught the scent of a lioness. He scanned the golden grass but he couldn't spot her. He continued walking, it was then that she sprang from her hiding place after some prey surely. She was quite aways away from where Taser stood but he paused anyway watching as she moved.

He couldn't see what she was after but he hoped she'd catch her prey but even as the thought crossed his mind, her roar tore into the silence, surely she'd been disappointed. Again he waited but it seemed she wasn't part of a hunting party. So he moved and started walking toward her. He was now in plain sight so he walked with more pride in his step. Taser wasn't exactly a proud lion, he wasn't profoundly proud of his accomplishments nor did he think too highly of himself but perhaps it was bred into him or maybe he'd picked it up but he simply had an air of regallity.

The way he moved, with each step, he was proud. This unbeknown to himself, he was actually quite down to earth. He stood out from the golden grass. He was much paler. Once he felt he was close enough to speak easily but still far enough away as to not make the lioness nervous he paused then sat down. A smile still danced across his face as his eyes swept the scene of the lioness and her surroundings. It was obvious that she was frustrated but to Taser it seemed this might be deeper then simply losing prey. He wasn't going to find out by simply staring at her.

"Hi, my name is Taser." his voice was where he lost that previously mentioned regallity. His voice was deep and yes, too friendly. Taser was a huge lion and radiated pride naturally but when he spoke it was the friendly voice normally only belonging to young lions before they decide that want a pride and lionesses and fights. At four years old, Taser wants all that too, he just isn't as absorbed by it as most other lions. Which could definitely count as a strike against the magnificent creature, he was too easily distracted and right now he'd totally forgotton where it was he was headed in the first place.

[eshe]

Step after slow step, Aiyana continued to plod along toward the muddy river. But something wasn't right. A strange feeling, a feeling as if she were being watched, was suffocating her. Come to think of it, she'd felt like she was being watched when she was hunting the rabbit, too. Stopping, the femme began listening intently to the voices of the dry season. Somewhere to her right, two crocodiles were hissing at each other. In front of her, a snake slithered underneath a rock. Beetles clicked in the intense heat behind her. Hushed breathing sounds were somewhere off to her left. 'Breathing sounds. That's promising.' Slightly nervous pools washed over the landscape around her.

Aiyana took a sharp breath as she saw the other lion. How had the presence of another bypassed her? 'Hmm... Guess I need to pay more attention.' The massive male was sitting in the grass, and she smiled when she saw that he didn't exactly blend in with the grass. Of course, she wasn't one to talk. Her coat was probably just as pale and would forever have the darker spots of a cub. Lifting her from her thoughts, came the strangers voice. It was friendly, a reflief next to how threatening he looked to the much, much smaller Aiyana. Tightened muscles relaxed when the lioness saw the smile that played upon the other's face.

"Hello, Taser," tired vocals replied as calmly as they could manage. Aiyana wondered whether he'd heard her outburst only moments before. 'Of course he heard, I wasn't exactly whispering.' She hadn't broken down like that for a long time, so it bothered her. At least this once, she must try to let it go. With a quiet sigh, weary tunes were admitted once more. "I'm Aiyana." Unsure if she should move any closer to Taser, the bella remained where she was. Part of her, a part that had been buried long ago, was yelling at her to run, but AIyana only shoved that thought away. Maybe Taser could help her. She was so hungry. So thirsty. Trying to overcome those dreary thoughts, Aiyana asked what first came to her mind.

"How... How long have you been there?"

[daystar]

By her surprised reaction, it seemed he'd snuck up on her. He thought he'd been in plain sight. 'Maybe I'm sneakier then I thought.' the thought amused him. She must've not been paying attention because there wasn't much sneakiness about Taser. He wondered if she'd run at the sight of him but as he spoke she visibly relaxed. And replied with her own name. He caught her sigh and couldn't help but notice that she didn't seem to be in the best of moods. Though she was talking to him and didn't seem to be afraid so he was eager to reply.

"Not long, I was waay over there." he said with a tilt of his head in the direction he'd just came from. "I thought I'd come over and say hi." he was still smiling from before but he allowed his smile to widen into his best, most charming. It'd been more then several days since he'd wandered into another lion. He didn't have much to talk about but he did have the want to talk about anything. He was still sitting down but took a step toward her as he said the first thing that came to his mind.

"Stop me if I'm being too...uh, invasive but is something wrong, Aiyana?" Taser couldn't shake the feeling that the lioness had a problem. He wouldn't push her to confide in him but it was in his nature to be concerned. He was what could be called a worrier and he could sometimes concern himself with issues that were frankly none of his concern but he couldn't help it. This was no different, he couldn't help but ask. He wanted everyone to be one hundred percent all the time. If they weren't he was determined to help if they'd let him.

[eshe]

Although Taser had said he'd been far off, Aiyana was still beating her self up for her ignorance. 'If that had been a pack of hyenas, I'd be dead!' Perhaps for normal lions hyenas weren't as big of threats as they were for the fem, but Aiyana was a bit of a better target for those canines. Not sure quite what to say in reply, tunes only answered, "Oh." Aiyana had faked a pretty good "now-I-understand" oh, but it was laced with irritation at herself.

To his question, Aiyana wasn't sure how to answer. Taser actually seemed to care about how she felt, which was rather odd for a stranger. A whole year had gone by, and every loner she met had been rude. But, however nice Taser seemed, she couldn't just open up about everything to a lion she didn't even know. So, instead, she picked one of the least imposing of her problems and told at least that part of the truth. That's not to say that she didn't twist the truth as needed.

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm just a bit thirsty, really." Aiyana's left her twitched, but it almost unnoticeable, as she started her lies. Optics slid away from Taser and toward the direction of mud and the stench of fish. "I was heading in that direction when you came." That part was true. She didn't have to tell him her previous reason for going down to the dangerous waters. As her vision returned to the male, Aiyana scratched the dirt with her paws. "Would you mind if we headed in that direction?"

To be honest, Aiyana wasn't sure that Taser would even want to talk to her anymore. There was no doubt in hre mind that she was being boring, but everything had gone wrong. Everything. She didn't know if he fit into that everything yet, so there was no harm in inviting him along. In fact, Aiyana rather liked the company. It had been forever since she'd actually spoken to someone decent.

[daystar]

He nodded, being thirsty wasn't a very good reason for being so...distressed. But Taser wasn't one to judge or assume so he replied without missing a beat. "No, I don't mind." He rose and began in that direction, he matched her pace, though he'd been taught his manners many a time, normally from older outspoken lionesses and so he kept a distance of at least five feet between them. Taser was just bored, and he enjoyed being in the company of others. It didn't matter to him, other lions, lionesses, even if the air was filled with tension it was better then being alone. In this encounter though he was calm and he was doing his best to ensure to his companion that he meant no harm.

As he reached the edge of the water he stopped and waited for her to drink the water she desired. The river was pitiful, he wished the dry season would never come but it always did and it was always bad. He eyed the water, ever watchful for the crocodiles. They were surely just as desperate as many of the lions were for food and relief. Dry season was bad for everyone involved. He wondered if this was the best water around, and as he took his eyes from the muddy waters he began to speak.

"I haven't lived around here for very long. How about you, Aiyana?" Taser was curious if she knew much about local prides, he always liked to keep tabs on any prides around him mainly because someday he'd be king of one of those prides. He'd accepted her excuse of thirst and declared the problem solved but in the back of his mind he was still pretty sure that Aiyana wasn't just thirsty and if she was willing to talk to him maybe the friendly chatter could somehow do something to help the lioness. Taser's logic wasn't exactly the best, nor did he think it out very well but his heart was in everything that he did.

He struggled to not let his suspicion of the lioness' internal struggles show on his face but the ever present smile wasn't matched by the rest of his expression. His eyes were searching, trying to catch in her movements what weighed on her so heavily. He was trying to shake his thoughts and just stay in the present, sometimes Taser was right but more often he was wrong. He couldn't count the amount of times he'd decided a lion was one way and it turned out to the exact opposite of what they had originally portrayed. Taser had been screwed over so many times by his 'instincts' which is why he quieted them now.

[eshe]

The fem noticed that he doubted her reason and her respect for him grew when he didn't ask any questions. Even more so, he didn't impose on her space, which she greatly appreciated. Why wasn't everyone like this? ' Because someone always has to be a jerk.' And, anyway, the world would be boring without a little conflict now and then. Just to be sure that she didn't reveal anything, for it was hard not to tell, Aiyana didn't speak at all on their way to the muddy river. On the opposite bank of the river were crocodiles. She would never drink from this spot again. Next time, she was sure, those crocs would strike. The deep laughing sounds of hippos also met her ears, and Aiyana knew it was time to step back from the water. Nothing was more dangerous than an angry hippo.

Well, I've been here for, maybe, a week. I don't really know much about anything. For some reason, Aiyana couldn't quit babbling. The marshes were the hardest for me. I mean, I've never even seen a marsh before. Except for when I'd been with Kumani and we... That was when the nonsense stopped. If she'd said that next word, she'd have had to explain everything. If she hadn't, Taser would think she was some cold-hearted fool. Aiyana didn't want the only lion she'd seen the whole time she'd been here to leave because of something that happened almost a year ago. And anyway, Taser was turning out to be pretty nice.

"Sorry for rambling like that." Finally, Aiyana took on her signature composure and let a smile stretch across her face. Melodious vocals sounded from her sandy colored mug as she asked, "Do you know about any of the prides around here?" She'd taken Taser to be somewhat of a loner, but he might still be able to tell her a little about the surrounding area. If not, she might have succeeded in turning the conversation away from her. Perhaps his suspicions would fade.

[daystar]

[ OOC: Since the last post, Taser did get to become King so there are going to be some inconsistencies in this post. ^.^ ]

She'd been here for less time then he but he listened intently, he hadn't seen the marshes. They must be dreadful he was thinking when she mentioned another name. And it was there when she lost him as far as understanding. She quickly stopped herself and regained her composure. He wished she hadn't and there was definitely no need to apologize. "It's alright, I like rambling." he said with a smile. It wasn't a lie either. He did, he normally didn't call it rambling though, more of a story sharing that relates to what was originally being talked about.

"I've only been in the area for about twice what you have. The only pride I've crossed paths with, is well my own. It's a small pride...right now, it's just me." It sounded silly to him and it showed in his voice but he knew all prides have to start somewhere. The pride had a queen that came before him but she isn't around a lot so he determined that this pride was going to start with himself. If she stayed around he'd honor her but he wasn't going to change his plans to accommodate her will. So yes, he'd made himself King of her pride and now it was his, too.

"It's nice land, it's got small trees and dogs, a lot of wild dogs in the area. They aren't so bad." He shrugged, he was proud of his new home. It wasn't the greatest surely but he had high expectations for it. He wanted to clear out the dogs and get a pride going. It was slow but he was working on it.

[eshe]

OOC: Congrats! ^^

ICC:

The air was so still. It was like there was no air at all, just a painted blue horizon. The sun was at it's highest point now, and there were hardly any trees to take shade under. Aiyana's reasoning was evaporating even as Taser spoke. She knew she'd been wrong to lie. He wouldn't care anyway. Maybe. Even so, the lioness felt especially bad for lying to someone who seemed to thrive on everyone being in a good mood. He might have been able to help. The past could never be rewritten, but the future is a blank slate.

Aiyana was dumbstruck. She'd thought that she'd had Taser all figured out, but then he threw in that he owned a pride. Luckily, her mouth didn't drop open like some harebrained cub, but you could still see bewilderment dancing in her eyes. Aiyana didn't think that Taser lacked what it took to be a ruler, she hardly even knew him, but she was rarely wrong in her judgments. Then, she remembered. Taser had acted regal when he first met her. That should've been a big hint.

'You're really the only one in your pride?" Curiosity finally won over Aiyana's surprise, and she wanted to know more. "How do you take care of it?" The way he'd said, "it's just me", led the fem to believe that someone else may have lived there before Taser. Aiyana wondered who it could've been, but kept from asking a question about the other lion or lioness. Lost in her thoguts, Aiyana didn't hear everything that Taser was saying, but she did catch that it was a nice land, but had a lot of wild dogs. The dogs part, brought her attention back to him. Supposedly, "they weren't so bad." She only hoped they'd stay that way for him.

Her own pride had had a tough time with wild dogs, not to mention hyenas. However, it was the African wild dogs that stole all the pride's prey. There were so many of those canines that their pack took the same amount that her pride did. Now, that may not seem so bad, but Aiyana's pride had lived in an area where there was only small prey. Every year, wildebeest traveled by them, but, other than that, they hunted mostly gazelle. Needless to say, the gazelle had moved somewhere new because their numbers were beginning to dwindle. When Aiyana had been... exiled, her pride was having difficulties finding food. She still wondered whether her sister was alive.

Aiyana was quiet as she reflected in her past. Her breathing had quickened instead of slowed. A minute may have passed before the lioness came back to her senses. He'd probably considered her rude for ignoring him like that, but it hadn't been her choice. The flashback had just happened. Her long tail swung with the tuft still on the ground as she pondered over what she could tell Taser.

"The pack of dogs isn't large, is it?" The lioness wasn't sure what made her want to help Taser out, but something did, adn the more she knew, the easier it was for her.

[daystar]

"Well, when I got to the land I can scent a lioness and her scent is everywhere but it's rather faint. It's surely her land but I haven't been able to locate her just yet." so it was just him and a ghost queen. It was up to this queen to disappear or come back to life and when she did Taser would deal with that but right now he wasn't too bothered with her. At the present he was more concerned with more prominent matters.

Take care of it, well there wasn't much to it. He did suppose that he needed several more lions to 'occupy' the area. He knew that everything was fine as long as no other pride tried to take his land. He was curious as to if any pride would be strong enough in the dry season to be scouting land. He hoped not for he could fight lone attackers but an entire pride and he'd most definitely lose it. It was a weak reply but it was the truth. "Well, right now, I'm just doing the best that I can. I think with two or three more cats I could properly cover the entire area but for now, I'm just hoping."

She stopped talking and he could tell in her eyes that she was lost in her own thoughts. It was in his experience that the quiet way she thought was normally only home to bad memories. So he didn't interupt her, he just waited watching her with his dark brown eyes so ready to react to her next statement. The seconds she spent thinking allowed him to process his own thoughts. He decided without any argument that he liked Aiyana. She was pretty. She was much smaller then he and if he remembered right she'd be smaller then the average lioness. He noted the faint cub spots, how pecular yet they added to her beauty. He broke his thoughts almost embarrassed as she began to speak.

The wild dogs weren't a problem in his mind either. They were smaller then hyenas and much less ruthless. "I see a lot of them running around but I don't think any of them actually live in the area. I think there are about seven or eight of them that come around regularly. I've backed them off a kill they made already so I don't think they are much of a threat." The dogs had taken down an animal and Taser came up on them when they were almost finished. He hadn't wanted the meal but it was his land and therefore it should be his kill. So he eased up on the dogs. They all look alike and move so rapidly that he could never catch a good head count but they backed down with little protest.

[eshe]

The second before she started speaking, Aiyana noticed that he was peering at her, which set the gears in her head spinning. What was that look of embaressment for? She'd certainly never seen it before. A smile flickered across her face, though for no apparent reason. She'd smiled more today than she ever had. Except, perhaps, when she was just a young cub and there hadn't been a reason to tease her. Aiyana wondered what Taser's past had been like. Had he just been normal? That was when she realised that they had both, most likely, been kicked out of their own families. For different reasons, yes, but they had something in common. Before she could get to much off track, the lioness tried to remember what they were talking about. Aiyana had never been to the land, so she wasn't sure how big it was, but Taser probably would've found the lioness if she was still there. However, it wouldn't be a good idea to factor her out of anything just yet. She'd closed the distance between them to about two feet. Taser was obviously no threat to her, and Aiyana rather enjoyed his company.

He obviously dismissed the threat of the dogs, but Aiyana knew that if he allowed them to live on his land, they'd become over populated and ruin his life. When he said that he thought they migth not even live on his territory, a nod wa smade by the fem. he'd backed them off from a kill. Remembering her own problem with food, Aiyana became jealous. She'd been unable to catch anything, but Taser got a meal simply by scaring away a couple of dogs? How unfair was that? Her eyes became cold for a moment and she spoke without thinking. "Why should you get a catch that you didn't even have to work for?" Vocals were laced with poison as she addressed Taser. "I deserved it more than you. I've actually been working." She only barely suppressed an angry growl, and her lanterns seemed to burn with fire. Hunger gnawing at her stomach was clouding her emotions. Every thought right now was on anger and jealousy. 'This isn't fair. I've been trying to catch something for four days and haven't had any luck. But, Taser basically got it handed to him.' Cruel voids narrowed as they bored into the male.

A small voice let itself be heard inside her head. Like a lullaby in a thunderstorm, it was out of place, hard to hear, but so soft that you had to listen to it. Aiyana lfocused to the soft voice, her own, rising from her black thoughts. Slowly, her muscles relaxed from their tight knots and she stoped digging her claws into the hard, cracked earth. She felt dizzy. It took her a moment to realize how she'd reacted to the lion who had only treated her with respect and kindness. "I'm... I didn't..." Her head bowed as she wondered what she could say. Maybe just an apology? " Sorry. I don't know why I said that." She'd made so many mistakes today. So many. However, she didn't call meeting Taser a mistake. he was probably the only good thing about her day.

[daystar]

As he finished his last word he could see something rising in her eyes. It didn't take but a second for him to see that it was anger. She was mad at him, he didn't understand. They were just stupid wild dogs, it wasn't a big deal to take from them, they were worthless. As she spoke he realized she wasn't sympathetic with the dogs. He remembered that she'd lost prey. And her frustrated roar from earlier echoed in her voice now. His eyes lit with shock. Taser wasn't phased easily but the look in her eyes cut into his very being and an uneasy feeling welled in his stomach.

How such a small, lovely femme could create such anger but Taser didn't mirror her mood. He felt guilty. Sometimes he was so caught up in things that he forgot how serious others situations could be. Taser had never been threatened with death. It'd never crossed his mind, he'd never thought once that he might starve, he might not be able to find water, or something bigger then he might harm him. Everything always worked out for him and instantly he felt guilty as he looked upon Aiyana. He looked down unable to meet her angry eyes, he didn't even eat the dogs' kill. He'd spent hours guarding it but he hadn't been hungry. He allowed birds the eat it and eventually it was just bones.

Silence, he didn't know what to say or if he should even talk. He lifted his head as she began to speak. He wondered if it was anger that laced her words or desperation. "No need to apologize, Aiyana. You should say what you feel." His voice was calm, it wasn't as chipper as before and he spoke quieter then normal. He really didn't want to her to feel sorry, she'd done nothing wrong but he wanted to say so many things but he was at a loss of words. Again his eyes danced over her figure only this time not in admiration of beauty but concern. He wondered how long it'd been since she'd eaten. It was hard to catch prey, especially alone.

He guessed that all lions had rough times in their lives, for some it was family-related while others couldn't bring down prey. With every prey lost, it would be harder to muster the energy for another hunt. Happened to lots of respectable lions and Taser was always game to help out. He wondered how he could approach the subject without appearing that he pitied her. Because it wasn't pity that he felt, Aiyana was down on her luck, he had the potential to help her so it was pretty, open given his potential and personality, that he help her.

As a lion he didn't have the skill that lionesses possessed but he had the power. "Aiyana, I..." he sighed as he decided to change his words "Would you like to hunt with me?" His distress lingered in his eyes as he spoke. Mainly he wanted to help her but part of him feared rejection from her. After all, she was pretty lioness and he liked her. If she said no, of course he'd wonder if it was because she didn't like him. It tried not to let his nerves show in his expression though he was too distracted to know if he was accomplishing looking normal or just twisting his entire face into an awkward position.

[eshe]

The way Taser reacted to her sudden outburst only made her feel worse. He'd seemed hurt by it, or it could've just been guilt. But, for some reason, he thought he deserved to be yelled at. "I shouldn't have said that to you." Her voice was a mere whisper as she tried to make things right. "I didn't really mean it. It's not your fault." She was feeling lowsy, but that didn't give her the right to make those around her feel bad, too.

Aiyana stared at the ground, shuffling her paws, as silence set in. Each was lost in thought. The fem was still wondering about Taser's past. Besides being run off by the pride leader, which, inevitably, happened to most lions, she guessed that he had had a pretty normal life. He even had his own territory. The main difference between the two felines was luck. Aiyana had zilch. Nada. None at all. Taser just had better luck. Maybe that was the reason. She didn't really know. It could also be that she never finished learning the ways to survive from her pride elders. She hadn't been there long enough.

When Taser finally spoke, Aiyana slowly brought her gaze back to the regal male. He wasn't acting the same before. He wasn't speaking the same way. ' Nervous. Why's he nervous?' The young fem had no experience with those sort of trivial matters, though she could guess at the reason. Recovering from only moments ago, Aiyana flashed him one of her warmest smiles. She knew that he wouldn't be as fast her, but it was the thought that counted. "Of course I will." She said it liek there was nothing better inthe world for her to be doing. And there probably wasn't.

"Do you want to try for prey here?" They were by a river, even if it was mostly mud, so there would be prey. Aiyana had only chanced upon this land today, otherwise, she'd probably have caught something by now. Or... Is there some place you know?" The fem was sure that Taser was at least a year older than her, probably two, so he'd undoubtedly know better on the matter of hunting.

[daystar]

'Of course I will.' Instantly Taser was reassured of course she will, of course she wants to hunt with me. Of course. Her 'outburst' completely forgotten he considered his options. Conveniently, he remembered seeing a smallish herd of wildebeest about twenty minutes before he'd stumbled into Aiyana. They had been moving very slowly as they grazed and Taser had decided not to disturb them. He wondered how far off they might be now, if they hadn't changed direction they would've been headed directly toward where the lions now sat. On the other hand, he could invite her back to his pride lands where they could hunt more safely. Rather quickly he dismissed the idea, he hadn't lived there very long and he thought that his lack of knowledge about his own land would make him appear like a bad King.

Making a good impression never weighed heavily on his mind but as King he didn't want to seem like a stammering idiot. "I passed a herd of wildebeest not too long ago. They were a rather small herd, but I bet we could wrestle them up if we tried." A smaller herd would be harder to find, he wasn't sure how long he'd been talking to Aiyana but they couldn't have gotten too far off. A quick sweep of the landscape with his eyes and he knew exactly the direction that they had been. If worse came to worse they could go back to where he last saw them and find them from there but he was sure that they'd run into them somewhere between here and there.

"You know, we might not look like the hunting party of the year but I think we've got pretty good chances." A distinct playfulness had entered his tone of voice. Taser loved hunting and though he wasn't a very fast runner if he got close enough he could spring rather quickly on his powerful back legs and often the force was enough to bring prey down before he ever sank his teeth into it. On his own he had decent success and if Aiyana could run one of the wildebeest on top of him he could easily take it down, she wouldn't have to lift a finger. Of course that was under perfect conditions.

He was already entering hunting mode, as he began to move his footfall was silent. When before he'd been totally in tune to Aiyana it was like a new world opened up. When he looked back at her, he no longer just saw her but all around her and to both sides of where they were. He heard the faint cry of a bird, the movement of the dangerous hippo in the nearby river. Each of the sounds he'd easily ignored, allowed to blend in with the gentle sway of the world until they were unnoticeable. Strange how they seemed so loud, so distinct now because he was listening.

[eshe]

Overhead, one pathetic, wispy cloud hovered, so close to the sun that it might as well have vanished right then and there. The vast expanse of blue that was the sky met with golden grasses that now concealed both the lion and lioness. Aiyana took one look at Taser and knew she'd hidden the jealousy well. Even she had fallen for her trick for a minute or two, but, even so, it was still there. Haunting her like a ghost that refused leave.

Wildebeest. What strange creatures. With those long faces, huge hands, and monstrous horns, it was a wonder they could keep from tipping forward. Brindle stripes, were surely meant to help the wildebeest blend in, but nothing could fade such a comical creature into the background. Despite their appearance, the wildebeest were a force to be reckoned with. They were strong-willed and powerful. one gab with those sharp horns could seriously injure a hunter. Aiyana hoped that within that small herd, there was at least one that was weak. If not, the chances that prey would be brought down were still okay.

Taser's playful tone brought a smile to the fem's facade. 'We're like night and day' You couldn't deny that a small, spotted lioness would look awkward near a large, powerfully built male. "Yeah," she said sarcastically, "we could bring down an elephant if we wanted to." Vocals had a frisky edge to them as she continued to smile. Being the pessimist that she was, Aiyana "knew" that they weren't going to catch anything, but she had the right to pretend to believe in their abilities. Pools swirled with mixed emotions as they trailed after Taser, who was already in the "hunting mode."

Senses were heightened as Aiyana allowed herself to slip into full consciousness. Everything in her surroundings was noticed, even the movement of a black ant trying to find its way back to its tree and colony. As the two felines advanced in near silence, Aiyana focused for the distinct sounds the wildebeest made. Sure enough, ears caught deep snort-like vocals coming from in front of them. She glanced over at Taser, trying to will him to know that she had to split up with him. If they got any closer to the herd and they were only feet apart, the herd would heard the two sets of paw steps.

The lioness peeled to the right, the side she was on, and continued to advance on the herd. When she got into range, she began to scan her possible targets for one that she could force over to Taser. There were no young calves, which was only to be expected this time of year, so she settled on one with a broken leg. It would likely be easier than a calf anyway. Yet again, eyes drifted back to Taser, wondering if he was in position. Right now, this was all her. One mistake and the wildebeest could make a getaway.

Creeping a few inches before sprinting forward, Aiyana picked her path through the grass to the injured creature. This task was looking easier than the fem had thought it would be. One more second... 'Surprise!,' She thought as she rocketed toward her target. Like the others, it took off in it's awkward ate, but the broken leg made it difficult for the wildebeest to keep up. Within seconds, it was yards behind all the others. No one came back to help their their fellow herd member. They never did.

Thudthudthudthudthud. Her heart pounded in her ears as she curved around her victim. It began running in another direction, opposite of where Taser was. Aiyana had no time to stop and turn, so she made a wide arc and came at the wildebeest from a different side. Having seen wild dogs at work, the lioness knew that they also used this tactic. However, she was a lioness, not a wild dog, and this didn't feel right. Guilt started snagging at Aiyana, telling her that this wasn't fair, but she countered it wit the fact that the wildebeest would've likely been eaten by a croc anyway. As she pushed the guilt into the darkest corners of her mind, the wildebeest made a beeline for Taser's direction. Aiyana watched with satisfaction as she came to the end of her part in this hunt. She slowed down a bit, but still followed the wildebeest.