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Darkseeker
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Kailani Desert Pride | Cubsitter | Mentions: Palika, Viyan . Watching the huntress closely, Kailani felt a tap, meaning get ready. The lioness watched the old bull fall farther and farther behind its herd. Perfect. She thought to herself. Kailani's attention was quickly drawn to Palika. As soon as the huntress charged, Kailani follows after her. Sprinting off her paws. Kailani felt a rush of adrenaline which kicked her to be a little bit faster than usual. The lioness grinned as she noticed the old bull had picked up its pace . Her eyes darted to a fellow lioness, Viyan, who was close to attacking. When Viyan jumped out to the old bull, Kailani did the same. She leapt off her paws and got ahold of the side of the bull. Kailani did her best not to let go as she was very close to the bull's hooves. She suddenly heard a grunt and out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed Viyan had been kicked. This angered Kailani. . Her teeth sunk into the flesh as hard as she could, feeling the bull struggling. Kailani was pretty much on top of the bull at this point, If he were to escape, Kailani would be thrown off of it. She held her ground on the bull's back, aggressively biting and scratching, hoping at some point the bull would fall lifeless on the ground. . As aggressive as she was, Kailani still felt she wasn't doing a good job. Of course she wouldn't be as good as the huntresses, and she didn't want to disappoint anyone in the pride. This motivated Kailani to fight as hard as she could on the bull's back. Just any moment, it should fall. And the lionesses would be victorious. Although she was still fairly worried about how close to Ridge Pride they were. . Kailani didn't worry too much because if Ridge Pride were to show up, they would just call for the males. But who knows if that would even be enough. Kailani shot her attention back to the bull who was still struggling. This started to frustrate the lioness. |
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Lightbringer
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Makalo Ridge Pride | Second Male | Male | Mentions: Patrol Party, Crixus and Kovanu The male walked with the King and Warrior in silence. His eyes casually scanning the territory, it seemed nothing had caught his attention as of yet. The day seemed quite peaceful, he flicked his audits casually listening to the conversation between the King and Crixus, a well respected warrior within the pride. He was rather uncaring with the politics of the pride even though he was the Second Male of said Pride. He was quite content with his rank, and honestly wouldn't care if he was higher or not. He found amusement in the awkward tension between the two males, and then he switched his pace to move a bit quicker - it wasn't his place in this sort of unspoken spat between them. He flicked his tell as he raised his head to get a better view of the area to make sure he didn't miss anything. He had heard of the rumors of the Desert Pride and he found them quite admirable- though he wouldn't admit it out loud. They had faced terrible things but it showed their resilience, and he thought it would be quite interesting to have them as allies, after all with the Ridge Pride being larger and more known throughout the area they could offer valuable knowledge to the Desert Pride while the Desert Pride could trade combat skills - after all they were rumored to be Kalahari lions, a stronger and larger breed . He got out of his thoughts when he heard Crixus mention the river that bordered them and the other pride. That was a wise move to make and he gave a short nod of agreement, "I agree, surveying that area would be a good shot, along with being able to make sure no horrendous creature from that river finds it's way to our camp, and since it is a natural water source for animals - make sure we see no nomadic males." He then shook the thought off and said, "I hope the lionesses and our Queen shall have an excellent hunt today." And he flicked his tail a bit, "the conditions seem perfect for a hunt." |
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Darkseeker
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Adani || Desert Pride || Huntress || M: Hunting Party The spotted lioness charged forward with Ismitta as the bull scrambled past them. His hooves kicked up clods of mud and dirt that sprayed Adani's front, and she had to lurch to the side to avoid trampling Ismitta as the ground gave way beneath the queen's claws. After a moment of hesitation to make sure that the other female was still in one piece and not in need of assistance, Adani lengthened her pace to catch up. She placed her teeth firmly in the other hind leg of the wildebeest and sat back on her haunches with her front paws splayed out to increase drag on their quarry. Adani flinched as some mud-hidden object slashed into her hock but ignored the sudden spike of discomfort. Digging her back paws deeper into the ground, she brought up her outside front paw and slammed unsheathed claws into the wildebeest's flank. The moist ground that had been covering her paw was flung free by the sudden sweeping motion and the largest collection of it made contact with her cheek, momentarily blinding the eye above it. Her tear ducts began working overtime and rapid blinking quickly cleared her vision, but now blood trails were running down the leg she held and her cut leg was beginning to sting. With a snarl, Adani brought up her other front paw and curled her back legs around the wildebeest's, stiffened her back, and jerked backwards as hard as she could. The bull lost his balance and stumbled, sliding on his back leg and Adani's frame. The lioness grimaced faintly and released with everything but her front paws to avoid being crushed entirely. Her one side was now colored with clumpy, half-dried dirt, and her paws were slick with the wildebeest's blood. Adani looked at Kailani's frame clinging to the bull's neck. She was so close... Adani released the bull's leg and charged forward until she was right up next to his shoulder. She lunged, then, and sank her teeth into his throat. More red liquid gushed onto her muzzle and up her nose, making her eyes water, and the bull slowed considerably before staggering, staggering... And he fell. The huntress was almost gagging on the creature's heme, but she dared not let go. Not yet. She had to let the others get onto him, too, before she would feel comfortable releasing its neck. She wasn't about to become the reason they lost their kill; Adani refused to fail them now. |
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Darkseeker
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Crixus
Ridge Pride | Warrior | Male | Mentions: Kovanu, Ethan [ind], Acantha [ind], Neda [ind]
The male was quiet for a bit as he let his mind wander, not fully listening to the two males he was with. He felt a bit like the odd mane out, since both higher ranked males were brothers, whereas he was the warrior tagging along. Crixus hadn't really gotten to know any of his brother's from his native pride, but his cousin, Davu, had been his best friend and companion for a while. Unfortunately, as thing would have it, shortly after joining the Ridge Pride and earning the affection of the Queen, his best friend and cousin had died. It had been a sad and devastating time for him, though he knew that his lady's cousin, Neda, had felt his pain along with him. The lioness had become fond of his cousin, though he thought it was an odd match, but the two were affection nonetheless. When Davu had died, he had seen the strong, angry lioness become cold and angrier than ever, and only Acantha seemed to tame the beast within her. The Queen was the sole reason he had been able to get through that loss, and now the crippling pain felt little more than a panging throb.
Shaking his head of his thoughts, the male let his eyes wander again, spying a bit of a disturbance near the border. He rumbled to alert the other two males, though he figured they had seen it. A herd of wildebeest was hauling away from the river and onto their territory, and behind them, likely from the direction they had come, he could see the billow of dust. It was a telltale sign of a hunt taking place and the male glanced at the two higher ranked ones.
"It looks like the Desert pride is also trying their paw at a hunt today, it might be worth it for the pride to check it out," he spoke the word pride specifically to insinsuate all of them should go, not just the males, to see what was happening. If they could push the pride off a kill, it would be a demoralizing show of force, not to mention it could show them what this pride was about and made of.
"Should I gather the Queen and her huntresses? Or would you like to call them?" Crixus knew he hadn't left a whole lot of room for Kovanu to argue, but he would rather face the wrath of the male than that of his mate's. |
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Darkseeker
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Neda
Ridge Pride | Huntress | Lioness | Mentions: Acantha
The bulky lioness was never one to enjoy group activities, it was one reason she had chosen to originally be a warrior for the pride over being a huntress. She didn't particularly enjoy working with the lionesses on hunts, she much preferred aiding in defending the territory and getting into fights. It was her skillset, where her expertise lied. Sure, she was a competant hunter, but it wasn't what she really enjoyed.
Her eyes glanced to the side, narrowed into her familiar glare, when Acantha approached her, and she rumbled out her greeting before bumping her head into the other female's own. Her shoulders lifted and fell in a shrug to her cousin's question and she waited a moment before speaking. "I'm not sure, it depends on what you're wanting to hunt. I know the water buffalo typically don't cross over onto our territory until later in the day, so, unless we're wanting to wait, they're not an option," she spoke, her ears twitching faintly.
The lioness lifted a paw and groomed it softly for a moment before setting it down, her tail flicking to curl around her paws. "Maybe we could hunt near the border, try and glimpse that new pride," she sneered slightly when she spoke and sunk her claws into the ground as she did. "I wouldn't mind a meal and some intimidation," she rolled her shoulders and glanced at the Queen beside her.
"Food and intel would be good for the pride, so if we and the males can get both today, it would be beneficial. I would like to see where their weaknesses lie," the warrior in her wasn't something that just faded away. Truthfully, Neda was itching for a fight, and the Desert Pride seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so. |
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Neutral
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Hatari
Ridge Pride | Warrior | Female | Mentions: Shiva Hatari had been awake for awhile, unable to sleep due to her over worked mind. There was just, too much to worry about for the lioness to relax. She shifted to her side, barley paying attention. The Desert Pride, they where all the pride seemed to talk about, part of her was relieved, maybe with the growing tension her pride won't care about her. Hatari made sure to keep her head down at all times. She had been able to join by the graciousness of the King and Queen, and starting trouble was the last thign she wanted to do, which is why she panicked when she realized she was with cub. 'What am I going to do? Their going to think I mated with some outsider' She thought panicked. Her train of thought was interupted by another lion passing her, Shiva. She knew the lioness temper was terrible, she was the one Hatari really had to watch out for. As she passed Hatari kept her head down, but respectfully dipped her head. If she was nice, if she was polite and followed orders, maybe. MAYBE she'd finally find a better and safer place in her pride. |
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Neutral
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Ethan | Male | Second Male | Ridge Pride | Mentions: Desert Hunting Party, Crixus, Kovanu, Acantha. Ind Mentions: Ridge Lionesses. Ethan had been half asleep throughout the majority of their patrol, half-heartedly paying attention to his surroundings. He stirred and quite quickly hopped into the shade, alongside his brother, Kovanu and Crixus. He sat down half facing Kovanu and not facing Crixus, staring out into the river's banks. Although he found it boring, the tension between the two was interesting, he'd heard that the Cubs of Acantha were to be the heirs, rather than any cubs that the King could bare. Though with his brother having no mistress, it was bound to be that the Queen's would be heirs to the kingship or queenship. Ah, Crixus and her ladyship, such an odd pair. Crixus is unworthy. E's mind drooled of anticipation of some kind of drama between the two. Kovanu had been much like himself, unable to find a mate, but on like his brother, Ethan believed that no lioness in the Ridge Pride had a heart strong enough bat his behavior. Most of the Lionesses were grumpy, taken or not his type- which also happens to be, Not Grumpy-, in turn, he gave up nearly all hope on finding a lioness to fit himself. E tipped his head down, focusing his eyes across the river. A scuffle was in the works, he assumed from the new pride. He wouldn't be surprised if the Desert Pride had hunted on the Ridge's claimed property. A small growl excaped his chest rumbling. "I suggest you go tell the Queen about the new neighbors who are causing trouble, after all, she's mush in your paws, isn't she?" He turned to Crixus, his glare was unpleasant and dissatisfied with him, hoping he would leave. Crixus's presence was more unbearable then his own, he had always had a nagging anger towards Crixus. Although it was not uncommon for him to feel that way about everyone. "If, that's alright with you, magesty." He said, snapping his tone and spitting the word kind of softly. He hated nearly everyone but he had enough brains to not make an enimie with his brother. King or not. |
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Darkseeker
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Acantha Ridge Pride | Queen | Female | Mentions: Neda, Pride Lionesses The dame flicked her ears and listened intently to the words her cousin spoke, nodding her head slowly. Prey that was near the border. Hadn't there been a herd of wildebeest near the border just yesterday? Or had it been the day before? Regardless, it would be worth searching for. "The males are likely to return from their patrol soon, so I would like to ask them if they spotted any remnants of that wildebeest herd that was lingering near the border yesterday," she said slowly, leaning over and running her tongue along the space between her cousins ears. "If they're still in our territory, we could split off one of them and drive it closer to the border. If they've crossed, we can still hunt them. If the parasites try to fight us for it, it will be a display of our strength when we win." And, on top of that, a wildebeest would give the pride plenty of food for them, and raise the morale, just as she'd hoped. She needed her pride to be together, to act as a unit, just as her parents would have wanted. It had been a long, long time since she had seen them, even longer since she had imagined them being happy or pleased with her. She did try and rule the pride the way they would have wanted. It was just hard with so many difficult creatures beneath her. "I will call the lionesses to ready themselves for a hunt, and possibly a battle," she muttered, drawing away, and facing the rest of her pride. The three males of their pride, Crixus, Kovanu and Ethan, had gone on a patrol--she felt bad, sending Crixus with them, as she knew of the tension between them all. From what she saw, the two brothers seemed to gang up on him. At the least, Kovanu held Crixus in a neutral, guarded regard, whilst Ethan was more than open with his body language of his dislike of her mate. She was simply glad it had never gotten physical. Regardless of Ethan's ties with Kovanu, she would banish him from her lands if he started a physical altercation with Crixus. Males like him had no place in her pride. If the brute didn't have the protection of his brother, she would have forced him out of her pride long ago. Acantha blinked slowly, focusing once again on her lionesses. She made a low sound, not a roar, but enough to draw attention. "Prepare yourselves for a hunt," she called, stretching her limbs. "We're going to head towards the border and see if the wildebeest are still there. Whilst we're there, I want everyone to be on high alert of the Desert Pride. I want to know their numbers and how weak they are." |
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Darkseeker
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Kovanu || Ridge Pride || King || M: Crixus, Ethan, Acantha (Ind) Kovanu's blue eyes shifted to the growing dust cloud in the distance, and his ears strained to hear the scuffle. A short cry from a wildebeest was barely audible. Yes, their neighbors were most certainly hunting -- and they were cutting it dangerously close. Too close. Crixus's words caused his whiskers to twitch in faint amusement, and the king turned to the warrior. Ethan beat him to a snarky reply, which Kovanu would mildly berate him for later, but he did agree with the main point behind his brother's suggestion. Taking a breath, he said, first to Ethan, "Careful. Acantha's mush is still ten times more deadly than any of ours." To Crixus, he replied, "If Acantha is planning a hunt -- and I am sure she is by now -- then I believe you should relay the news, Crixus. You are the fastest, and Ethan and I will be able to provide a more... diplomatic approach... until you can arrive with the lionesses." In other words, Crixus would start a war before either Kovanu or Ethan could get to the lionesses and, while the king had no doubt that Crixus would do just fine and come out pretty much unscathed, Acantha would slaughter them both. He wanted to keep his hide, thank you very much, and Crixus was one of the few other males in their pride. Leaving their lionesses without two of their main males would not help their chances of success against the Desert Pride. See, it was all strategic. |
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Darkseeker
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Araali Desert Pride || King || Male || Mentions: Koen Indirectly Mentions: The Pride Pink tongue lolling from his mouth, small pants could be heard, expected to cool the male down in response to the sun's harsh rays. Drops of saliva ran down his chin, falling onto the ground and being soaked up by the dry dirt below. Behind him, his tail twitched, eyes steady on the path ahead before fixating onto his companion. "Aren't we a prime fit?" Tone riddled with amusement, he continued, "between the pain of your eyes against the sun and the heat felt with my mane, this is torture." Araali wasn't one to bluntly complain. In truth, he complained little, but this.. this was something worth complaining over. He would risk sittin in a river full of crocodiles if it meant that he'd cool off. Long had he been proud of his flourished mane, but now, he wished nothing more but to strip it off. In fact, he.. A pause. His ears sat erect upon his cranium, head risen and eyes widened to better glimpse his surroundings. A sudden feeling had struck him from within, a form of uneasiness. "Do you sense that, too?" He asked, tone barely above a whisper. Something was off, he could feel it. "Come," was all he added on, resuming his walk. This time, his gait had increased, head still raised as his paws slapped the ground in a brisk walk. The Ridge Pride was at a constant threat. Their neighbours made sure of it, and Araali didn't trust them. As King, he needed to be on constant alert, for his pride had but two males, while Ridge Pride had three. He knew that much, thus, he needed to ensure everybody's safety all the more. The safety of the lionesses lay in his paws.. The safety of their Queen and of his unborn children lay in his paws. Thus, when Koen declined the offer to see his child, Araali couldn't help but nod in agreement. The sudden shift in the air had him unsettled, the option of visiting Titilayo no longer on the line. Call it paranoia, but it was better to be safe than sorry. For now, he wished to check on the lionesses and see their progress with Koen by his side. He alone wasn't intimidating enough, despite his enlarged height, but with Koen's massive physique standing alongside of him, he was sure it would be warning enough to keep away. Especially given that they were to be so close to Ridge Pride. The females could be at risk. The pride could be at risk. Everything could be at risk. He wouldn't have it. "I don't trust them," he spoke, voice a raspy alto as a rumble lay at the back of his throat, aching to be released. "I trust Ismitta, but they could use back up dare anything ensues, and I pray that it doesn't." They were hunting in the general direction of the Ridge Pride, lurking dangerously close.. "I don't trust them at all." |
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Spring 
Day Weather: 
