And he enters the scene.

[ren]

Slinking across the area, surely with bad intentions in his devious mind, the black-maned male was cautious, wary. Should he be caught now, everything would be ruined. The rusty-red streaks against his coat marred him, and would give away his most vital secret - Vassago was a killer. He hadn't started out to be, it had just happened through chance and circumstance. And believe me, dearest Vassago enjoyed his work very much. Slender paws halted, lowered head sniffing the air. Satisfied that he was alone, he continued on. He knew that Furiko was unclaimed, but you can never be too careful now can you?

He'd picked the area because of the cover it provided; still only in the first few weeks of the dry season there was an abudance of mud puddles and grass - places to wipe his murderous act clean. He was new to these lands, and had taken his time in arriving. The animal park he'd been held captive in was very strict when it came to their lions escaping, but he'd managed it... after slaughtering two guards within the pride. Well, they DID start it. Wouldn't let him pass. He might not have made it, but the idiots had posted themselves under the rock quarry, and he'd been able to use his lithe body to shove one of the medium-sized boulders ontop of them. He'd gone to make sure they were dead, cutting off the larger males windpipe when he was gasping, and then left. Vassago never claimed strength, but his wicked mind was sharply intelligent.

Spotting the perfect hideaway - what he'd been seeking for weeks now - he leapt into the water with surprising grace, whimsy catching the better of him. Vassago must have paddled around the water for an hour, dipping and diving, washing the filth form his body. When he finally emerged, mud lay in thick splatters along his legs and head. Even a good shake couldn't remove that dogged filth. But it was no matter - mud was better than blood, at any rate. At least now he could pass for your average lion, wandering without cause.

[ open ]

[daystar]

Rayen had awoke that morning with some futile purpose but she'd long forgotten what that was and now she was just wandering. Her unguided trek had led her to the muddy plains of Furiko. She walked quickly, belly low to the ground when she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye. She stopped and turned toward it. She was dangerously close to a male lion. He was just stepping out of the river and shaking himself. She took a step back in surprise and debated whether he had seen her or not and more importantly if she could outrun him if it came to that. She hesitated for a second and finally decided to continue toward him, she hadn't anything better to do. It'd most definitely save her from the boredom that consumed her life if even for a moment.

She continued walking slowly but she stood up straight now. She paused a good five paces away from him, for precautionary reasons. She remained on her feet and bowed her head ever so slightly. Her yellow eyes still focused on him. Rayen was a rogue and quite dumb to the ways of feline politeness tactics. But she tried and that should be good enough. She wanted to break the silence so she said in a friendly tone the only thing she could think of, "Pleasant day for a swim, yeah?" It wasn't the greatest of conversation starters but it showed she was looking for a friendly conversation.

She watched his movements closely, any lioness should be aware that approaching male lions was dangerous. Simply because law of nature made them bigger and stronger. Years of living on her own made Rayen smaller then the average lioness, though what body mass she did have was muscle. Muscle that made her fast and strong to take down prey on her own. She was thin of body but her face was round and her yellow eyes bright with life. She stayed light on her feet, ready to dart away at the slightest sign of hostility from him. Though allowing a slight smile to play across her features.

[ren]

Mud-soaked and grinning, unable to help but find humor in the situation, he never expected to look up with those black, bottomless eyes and find someone there, looking at him. Thankfully, he never gave himself away - Vassago was an expert showman, if anything else; the concept of the show going on no matter what went wrong always appealed to him, the twisted devil. Instead he shook his body with a little less enthusiasm. He was a little caught off guard, angry that he hadn't felt her eyes watching him, but until he knew how much she had seen and pieced together he wouldn't bother being sarcastic or mean-hearted. After all, maybe she hadn't a clue.

In the silence, he charted everything he could about her. He noticed that she'd stopped a few paces from him, leaving a safety net between them no doubt to protect her from him if he were to attempt an attack. It was cute, almost naive. Vassago never made a full-front attack in such a way, and despite that being his knowledge alone, her wariness pleased him. Thinking skinny little Vassago would bite her in two, it was simply precious! The bow of the head did him in, and Vassago put on his best smile - wiping out the usual cynical air that went with it. "You could say that." His voice was mild, low. Nothing tricky in the tone. It was a voice he'd perfected, a voice that left no hint or trace of who Vassago was.

Sitting with a graceless thump on the ground, idly tail twitched in the sun. It was bearing down on them harshly, though by now he was used to the heat. In a country where the sun and rain defined you, one had no choice but to deal or be dealt out; Vassago always stayed in the game, though he often tried to snare away the position of dealer. The female before him, he noted, was still very wary of him, uncomfortable. As if her body told her one thing but her mind hadn't put it all together yet - or perhaps the mud had truthfully done the trick. It had before, caking in a hard mass on his sides and breaking away, leaving a bloodless russet coat behind.

[daystar]

She watched him and picked up that every thing about him seemed friendly. She shifted her weight from her right to her left. She took a small step backward and lowered her body into a sitting position. She noted his smile and was quick to return it. She couldn't help but feel uneasy but after all she'd walked into this. She reminded herself of some philosophy she'd delved up years ago, which summed up to, If you avoid everyone because they might hurt you, you'll never find anyone with good intentions. It was a philosophy she tried to live up to but she normally found herself avoiding contact with others, today being the exception simply because her stomach was full and she had cast away everyday worries of hunger and with it every day paranoia. She listened to his words and watched as he too sat down. She glanced behind him at the river, Rayen didn't enjoy swimming and rarely did it. She returned her gaze to him and replied " My name is Rayen." He hadn't asked but Rayen felt introductions were important if not mandatory. Regardless of the interaction she liked for her companion to at least walk away knowing her name.

[ren]

While she sat, taking her time - no doubt wanting to prove that he didn't bother her, or perhaps to show she was uncaring - trying to learn more about this odd little lioness from her features. She was small, but never to be termed delicate. Her body was a tangle of sinew, of strength. A hardy girl, one wouldn't lived through much. He himself could relate to her body, his own so feminine in shape. It was as if the gods, if there were any, decided to mock him by placing vast intelligence in such a tiny, unforgivable body. Without his wild black mane Vassago could have passed for a female, from a distance.

He was still smiling, at ease with her presence. So what if she ended up smelling that cloying, telling trace of blood? He'd only end up killing her... though now his mind had to wonder if it would possible. She was strong, little but certainly mighty. She wouldn't have to fight back - she'd outrun him in a second. His only chance would be to slow her down, force her into the drying up puddles, weigh her down with mud. But enough of that now. He had no intentions of harming her, and found it wasteful to focus on the future. It was now, not then, and he was enjoying the company. "Vassago." His voice was slightly cultured now, refined. He decided his only option was to pretend he was a rogue; with his body and slight build, it wouldn't be hard.

[daystar]

Rayen nodded, he was friendly enough. She allowed herself to relax as much as she ever did. Which left her still calmly alert. Vassago, was it? That was an interesting name, he didn't state a pride after that name making him a rogue as far as Rayen could figure. She thought for a second, her small rounded ears erect atop her head. She let a smile cross her pretty features as she replied, " So Vassago, what are you up to on this fine day?" She watched his movement as elusively as she could. Rayen loved to talk to other rogues, to know their story. Everybody belonged somehwere but rogues had nowhere, there was always some reason. Some had been abandoned, others exiled, and some left by their own choice. But they all started out somewhere. They were always interesting stories. Rayen didn't push her curiousity though, besides that it could be considered incredibly rude, many lions didn't want to talk about their pasts. She watched him intently, would she ever know his story? Most likely not, though she couldn't help but wonder.

[ren]

At her smile, Vassago knew he'd won the little dance. She believed him, in the lie he was weaving out for her so neatly; it was brilliant. He couldn't help but smile good-naturedly, keeping up with appearances and all. At her question, he laughed heartily. "Swimming," He managed to get out, still highly amused. Yes, Vassago was quite easily entertained - especially on a day like this, with weak sunlight streaming down, mud on his body, and this interesting creature to converse with. The laughter died down. "And living of course, can't forget that. And you Miss Rayen? He didn't know of her desire for a story, or he'd have readily told her - changing and distorting some facts, of course. It might be nice to test out his story before finding a home, see if it was solid enough.