Take My Breath Away

[Eclipse]

Grass stalked through the tall stalks of the plain, her prey in sight. It was a herd of antelope, but her bets were on the youngest one, foolishly left near the outer edge of the herd's bulk.

She closed in, and sprung forward from the grass, quickly scaring away the herd, as they galloped and thundered, but the youngster was only a few days old, and was kind of sickly, so he had a harder time keeping up. His mother stayed with him, greatly slowed by this burden, and they were very soon isolated as the antelope pulled farther ahead.

Her paws hit the earth once, twice, then she was on him, her fangs digging in, fighting to take his fight out of him. He screamed, then she covered his muzzle with her own, suffocating him slowly. He squirmed and fought, but his own mother left him for dead and sped up, gaining ground, and she disappeared with the others in the herd...

Meanwhile, Grass grabbed his spine, shook it, and killed him within seconds, then dug in to the fresh meat. It was tender and delicious, and took all her focus for the moment...

[Captain (Irv)]

A distant thunderstorm taunted the dry plains of the savannah. It's booms echoing like drums of war and lightning cackled like gunshot. Though the earth cried for rain, the sky had it's own agenda. Today, it would strike the east and the dried grasses would have to hold out a little longer for the promise of rain.

A pale figure emerged from the haze of the afternoon heat. His white coat stood out against the amber glasses, yet as noticeable as he was, he walked with a air of confidence. His regal head held high and the wispy beginnings of a mane fluttered around the collar of his neck. Adonis shook his head, sending the black flies that congregated around his grey eyes.

He was a run-away, a child from a high-standing pride, he had no idea he was wandering on to someone else's land... After all, the foolish prince thought his father owned the world. Little did he know that they were not speaking in literal terms.

His dark lips parted to take in the scent, taking a deep breath and tasting the air. Adonis could smell a fresh kill not too far away, the blood over-powered the scent of it's killer --- a lioness. Adonis moved towards it at a trot, bouncing smoothly from one foot to another. Hell, he could use a meal and a little scuffle with a few painted dogs meant nothing to him.

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[Eclipse]

Grass fed, the scent of blood not helping to calm her rising bloodlust. But it did mask her own scent, little did she know. Her pale coat was stained pink around her lips, but a few licks wiped them clear until she took another bite.

Grass was a somewhat stunning creature; though as a lioness any who wanted their own pride would be drawn to her, regardless of stunning or ugliness. She was slim and lean, not scrawny though, and her coat was a healthy pale golden tan. Her eyes were a deep, rich golden amber fire, the pupils rimmed in grass the color of cat eyes.

She crouched beside her kill, regal looking as she finished eating, eyes closed as she licked her lips dry, then cleaned her paws. She scented the air around her, but didn't smell anything odd over the scent of the antelope. She stood and walked away after burring it, and gazed around. This was her home, where she had lived since her pride had been driven away by hunters. She had refused to leave, and instead fought back, hiding and attacking when possible. Finally the humans had left, and she had protected her land, ever hoping her family would come back one day. And in protecting it, she had kept all lions off her land, females and males included.

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[Captain (Irv)]

Adonis' deep, booming roar thundered over the plains, it was effortlessly carried for miles due to the flat landscape. A sound that struck fear into humankind and prey alike, it was iconic as the savannah itself. He followed it with a shorter, lighter chuff, loudly telling others that he'd lay claim to the fresh kill. Surely if there were any vultures or jackals at the site, it would've scared them away within seconds. Though, Adonis knew that the persistent critters would be back and he had to get there before they attracted the attention of hyenas... and he wasn't too keen on the idea of gaining some new scars for the sake of a midday snack. His pace quickened to a hasty jog as he continued downwind, a cheeky grin plastered to his face.

The white lion skidded to a halt as he nearly ran right into the lioness who had found it first. She was only a few yards away, the metallic, heavy scent of blood masked her own scent and his hidden by the wind. He had no doubt that he'd accidentally surprised her, confusion took hold of his features, removing that smile of his and replacing it with obvious annoyance.

"What do you think you're doing? This is Ndoto territory..." Adonis murred and raised his brow. His voice was kept level, oddly gentle considering he thought her as an intruder.

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[Eclipse]

Grass jumped at the sound of the roar, and swerved, snarling, claws out and tail lashing. There was an intruder in her lands!

She was about to run when he appeared out of the brush, jogging. He was trying to claim her prey, that she had stalked for a week, studying and deciding, then pinpointing and killing the youth. How dare he? How dare he enter her territory!

She snarled and swiped at him, knowing he was too far away for her to hit, and he would as well, so it was an obvious warning, especially added to her pinned ears and curled lip. "Get out of my lands! This is my territory, my prey, not yours or Ndot-whatever territory." She growled, staring hard at him, golden brown pelt glinting under the sun, butterscotch eyes cold and calculating. "It has been mine for five years, and before that it was the Natasha territory!"

She continued to glare at him, tail tip flicking with outrage, face scrunched with anger, and watched him, looking him over and sizing him up. He was a young lion, no pride yet, or at least she smelled no lionesses on him. He had never mated yet, so this made her wary. Young lions were stupid when put around the first lone lioness they came across, especially since she hadn't been mated since her father and pride left the land, and so every month, regardless of the season, her scent came on, hot and ready. He had most likely just been chased from his cubhood pride, and was looking for territory of his own, and lionesses of his own, so he could have cubs of his own soon enough as well. That didn't explain why he thought this was someone else's territory though, especially since his pelt smelt of far away savannas. He puzzled her, so she calmed enough to let him speak.

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[Captain (Irv)]

Two thoughts ran through Adonis' normally blank mind. One, what was this female talking about, it had always been Ndoto territory and two: Oh shit. His whiskers pulled foreword as his maw spread into a slight smile --- she was right... The territory no longer smelled of his stepfather's land and he had unwittingly just banished himself from the pride.

It was barely a week ago when the king Athari sent Adonis and his brothers out on a vague mission to gain more favorable hunting ground. Of course it was a lie, Athari was simply trying to keep the lionesses from rebelling against him and get rid of any sort of competition for the throan.

His attitude quickly went from cocky heir to fearful wanderer. His black-tipped ears swept back and he bowed deeply, a strange concept if she wasn't part of the larger prides.

"Miss, forgive me. I didn't know. I..." Adonis cast a worried glance over his shoulder, the full gravity of the situation struck him. "I believe was was just ousted from my pride." He added warily.

[OCC: Little post, sorry! ;-;]

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[Eclipse]

Grass watched his face closely, eyes narrowed and one brow lifted with annoyance and confusion. "How did you get ousted? And why?" Her eyes were suspicious, suspecting he must have attacked someone, or something of the like. Lions don't often rid themselves of pride members, especially ones like this obviously powerful heir. Then she wondered, maybe a jealous new male in lead? She was unsure, so she just waited, head tilted impatiently.

OOC: Same

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[Captain (Irv)]

Adonis rose back to his full height, an imposing, but young creature. His mane was not yet as full as a mature lion's, rather it was coming in more like a warrior's mohawk. He squared his shoulders, feeling his bangs drop down over his eyes as he looked down and over his shoulder again. His mother and sisters probably believed him to be a run-away at this point --- after all, he was still supposed to be with his pride at his age.

His gaze was no longer on the lioness in front of him, but instead had a rather glazed look. He was confused, angry and scared. What was he going to do without them? What was Athari going to do to his brothers if they returned...?

Adonis flicked his ears back at her question, his face screwing up into a half-snarl.
"Miss, to be honest I'm not entirely sure. Besides, what does it matter to you anyway? Moments ago you were hissing and striking like a viper." His booming voice was harsh, though it was obvious he was in no position to be throwing around threats.

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[Eclipse]

Grass shrank back. Though she was obviously the older one here, males were known for their ferocioty. She wrinkled her lips, and hissed. "Excuse me for being curious." She spat, "I was just wondering. So tell me, and let's get along, or get the hell off my land."

[/b] She growled, eyes dark and alight with fire.

She growled louder, moving closer to him, teeth bared and glittering in the red light of the approaching sunset, eyes dancing with anger. Her tail flicked deftly, showing her anger and annoyance even better then her fangs, eyes, and voice had already done.

"Well?"

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[Captain (Irv)]

Adonis flipped his tail as he became more and more aware that she was in the position of power here --- He needed a place far away from the threat of an assassination and she had just the right speck of territory that could supply it. That was obviously very bothersome to him. Adonis was never one to strike at a female, it was simply something that was never allowed in his pride.

"My apologies, madam... but, as I said before, I'm not entirely sure how it happened. What I am sure of though, is that at this point I am in quite the predicament."Each word was like pulling teeth but he knew he had to cut her a deal or risk a possible attack by either her or Athari's trained guards. After all, he had no idea how long they were trailing him or if they were even following him at all.
"I'm willing to offer you a deal, if you're willing to listen to it. All I ask is for lodging and a meal every now and then. I hold some influence in the Ndoto pride and in return..." He chuckled a bit at this and airily gestured with his paw. "Your wish is my command."

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