|
|
Post by Bartholomew on Apr 16, 2013 22:52:58 GMT -5
Bartholomew had caught the scent on the edge of his territory--the gazelle had wandered far from the safari, only to turn at the base of the mountains and trek back to their homeland. This left the Siberian tiger at a mild inconvenience.
What he had expected to be a short hunt was lengthening steadily, as he progressed through the mountainous range and out into the fields and then into the safari, all at a steady lope. He felt mildly irritated, but more than that: focused. It had been quite some time since he had enjoyed the simplicity of the hunt. Being a ruler had it's disadvantages, and one of those was very little time to do what he wanted. There was always something else--
Bartholomew stopped his thoughts suddenly, his eyes focusing and his whiskers twitching resolutely. The gazelle that he had been following for miles, now, had stopped ahead of him at a small watering hole. He lowered himself further into the grass, which offered proper camouflage. Despite being thickly furred and burnt orange, the swaying of the grass and the shadows of his stripes concealed him well.
Bartholomew's tail flicked behind him as he crept closer. Even those simple motions were an act of power, as his quicksilver muscles rippled under his coat. He kneaded the ground with his claws, imaging the glorious moment when they would slice through the flesh of one of those golden creatures--
Something snapped to his far left, near an outcropping of Acacia trees. His eyes snapped in that direction, and so did the gazelles'. The herd sprang to action, and Bartholomew burst from his hiding place too late--one sprang by, and he narrowly missed it. He let out a snarl, and whipped his large body around to face the initial direction of the snap. Someone was there, he was certain, and they had ruined his hunt! The Vhenu leader prowled in that direction, his eyes smoldering. "Come out," he said pleasantly (although it did little to hide his rage) toward the grass near the Acacia, eyeing the movement of another feline.
|
|
|
|
Post by Taj on Apr 17, 2013 2:04:05 GMT -5
 Taj lay quietly in the shade of an acacia tree. Though he had no real reason, he found himself drawn to this place, he felt natural here. He supposed it could be because his ancestors had lived in a land much like this one. He was at home in the swamp, the place where he had grown up and learned to hunt. But here, here was where he felt he belonged. His dark brown pelt blended perfectly with the grass, dirt, and just general color of the area. Everywhere he looked, it was a color that resembled him, almost as if the land had adapted for him to hunt on it. The leader lazily ran his tongue along the length of his foreleg, not really bathing so much as acting on autopilot. It wasn't often that he escaped his responsibilities in his territory, so the quiet was a nice change.
His ears flicked in mild interest as a tiger entered the scene. The tiger was not one of his pride, but by the smell of it, one of the Vhenu Pride. He did not move as he watched the tiger, laying almost flat in the cover of the tall grass. The tiger clearly held a high rank in the Vhenu Pride, it was exceedingly obvious in the way he held himself. Not wanting to mess up his hunt, Taj laid his head down on his paws and watched the hunt unfold. The tiger was patient, waiting for just the right moment strike... And then 'crack'. Taj looked to right to see a fairly well sized lizard running around. He growled lightly at the creature, causing it to run away in a panic.
"Come out,"
A small smile appeared on the lion's maw. He lay still for a moment longer before pushing himself to his paws with a large yawn and a luxurious stretch. He was not at all intimidated by the tiger who stood not far from him. In fact, as he looked more closely at the other male, he noted that he was larger. Not by much, but at least a little bit. He took a couple of casual steps toward the tiger, but stopped at a comfortable distance. "What did you need?" His voice was unreadable, though it didn't offer any hints of negative emotion. In fact, he wasn't bothered at all. The two had merely run into one another by coincidence, and he saw no reason why the encounter should be anything more than that.
|
|
|
|
Post by Bartholomew on Apr 17, 2013 23:37:11 GMT -5
Bartholomew's rage simpered vaguely as he watched the adult lion stand. It became obvious that the creature had been lying indolently enough, but Bar's anger was sparked again at the realization that the other had likely been watching his hunt without his knowing.
Of course, that was his fault, for not being observant. Regardless, he still had an empty stomach and a lion to blame. "Was it you who made the noise?" Bartholomew asked frankly, his eyes taking in the size of the other male. Lions, he knew, often rivaled him in size. But size was not everything, and that was apparent. Look at him, Bartholomew thought. So proud, so strong. There was a sardonic tinge to his thoughts, but it was not shown on his impassive face, nor in his smoldering eyes. "What pride are you in?" The wind was not in his favor at the moment. Bar's tail twitched, his ears flicked. The tiger was not pleased.
He knew for a fact that he wasn't in Vhenu, so that left either Mahi or Aogut. Curious. Simply curious. Bartholomew sat on his haunches to show a posture of ease, but the simplicity of it, and the way it set his muscles into motion, just managed to show how powerful his body was. He felt as though this male was not intimidated, however, and whatever power struggle Bar intended to have (if he intended to have one at all) was silent. His stomach growled, not loudly, but enough for him to feel discomfort.
|
|
|
|
Post by Taj on Apr 18, 2013 15:57:45 GMT -5
He watched the other cat closely. Though he did not feel threatened by the tiger, he still didn't want to be caught off guard. He was completely confident in his ability to fight the tiger off if it came to that, but being caught off guard was a good way to ensure his own defeat. The tiger, however, did not seem disposed to fight at the moment either. It moved a big closer to him, and sat down. Taj knew that size wasn't everything in fighting, and he knew that his size would only be a small advantage if things went sour. In any case, Taj sat down as well. He liked the relaxed atmosphere between them, even if they were from different prides. He wrapped his long tail neatly around his paws and waited for the tiger to finally speak.
"Was it you who made the noise?"
"Hardly," there was a tint of annoyance in his tone, "I would not got out of my way to mess up your hunt. I was merely relaxing, a fairly large lizard ran by me and stepped on a twig. Unfortunately gazelles have excellent hearing, so even the slightest of sounds will alert them to your presence." The lion's amber eyes were calm, but daring. He did not like to be accused of things, and he would be damned if he allowed this tiger to interrogate him. One question was fine enough, but he wasn't about to stand for any more than that. They sat in silence for awhile before the next question came.
"What pride are you in?"
Ah, finally an acceptable question. If he was going to spend his time out here in the savannah with the tiger, they might as well get to know one another. "I am Taj of the Aogut Pride." He did not mention that he was the leader, but he held himself in such a way that it was impossible not to see that he had some sort of high title in his pride, "And you?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Bartholomew on Apr 19, 2013 1:52:54 GMT -5
For a moment, Bartholomew weighed his options. He gained nothing from being cruel to this other feline; certainly not a full stomach. But kindness, or at least charisma? Bar saw the posture of the other lion, and although his father had always told him that the lot of those golden cats were simply egotistical fools, he thought that perhaps the stranger had some high rank in his pride.
Therefore, Bartholomew chose to ignore the irritation in the lion's tone, opting to flick an ear forward and take the explanation without argument. He merely nodded, his eyes attentive and perhaps a little troublesome, as they often were. Taj, Taj. Where have I heard that name? It was painfully familiar, but Bar did not involve himself with the other prides very often. Vhenu was better, and that was that.
"I see. It is a pleasure to meet you." He blinked slowly, and offered a partial smile, a mere flick of his lips that showed a bit of teeth in a good-natured fashion. "And I'm in Vhenu. My name is Bar." He did not elaborate, merely gave the nickname. It would do him no good to be recognized.
Bartholomew rolled his striped shoulders, loosening them. He appeared at ease, but he awaited any movement of the other feline, if the lion decided to become hostile. "The sun is unbearable. If you want to continue this, I suggest we move to the shade?" His tone was pleasant, and Bar stood to pace lazily in the direction of the Acacia. Once there, he turned to glance at Taj again, molding his expression into one of curiosity. "So how is Aogut? I was born and raised in Vhenu. I haven't really had much interaction with the other's." He shrugged and chuffed, a sound like tiger-esque laughter.
|
|
