[META] Cat and Mouse (Open)

[Syrius Lionwing]

Coburnycus couldn’t help but over hear the voices of those around him. What would they do if they found someone? It was a terrifying thought really. However looking around the big guards were clearly there for holding purposes. They just had to find out who had done it really.

It was quite exhilarating being a tracker. The coral maned male continued to follow the receeding tracks, assuming he wouldn’t have to attack anyone at the end of the journey.  

[SilverLutz]

Total: 58

Kawai nodded, sticking close to her mate as the group followed the trail left by the intruder. Why had someone come here and murdered someone so thoughtlessly? Was it true that it was because of the visitors they had recently? Although Kawai was new to the pride - she had floated in with her siblings not long ago on some driftwood - she knew the history of her home well. There were floods and cubnappings and alliances and all sort of things, but never a murder.

Shivering a bit, she pressed up against Lit's side, jumping as a bird flew out of a bush beside her and startling her quite badly.

AstoriaFallen

 

[Epine de Rose]

At least Burny had answered his own question - quite frankly the Bumani had deemed it a bit of a foolish one, but what had happened had come as a shock and everyone handled it differently. His island-bound self could scarcely comprehend it given it was such an abnormality. These things just didn't happen here, and if they had, then it was long before his time. Nevertheless, no sooner had the call gone out than the lions (and a Cheetah of all things) had assembled in pursuit of the individual in question.

Nevertheless if there was one thing he had noted, those who had gathered were being a touch too cautious for his tastes. Granted he was far from qualified to chastise them for this approach, but if they were going to catch anything then they needed to have a little bit of spark! He was no leader and therefore not an individual who had the capacity to inspire, but he'd heard that leading by example tended to work and with that in mind he quickened his pace.

He ceased being 'quiet' - he wanted to catch the culprit and therefore he moved with purpose. The worst that could happen was that the creature kept running until they were tired, the best that could happen was that it might even get corralled into the waiting embrace of a guard...or thirty. Thirty sounded good, but he had to be realistic.

"Y'all need to move more quickly, y'all are far too slow," he murmured, moreso to himself than to them, but the closest would certainly be able to hear!

Chase Total has been decreased to 150 points just to make it easier!

 

[SilverLutz]

Total: 72

Lit really was a comfort to have beside her and his calm, confident presence soothed her rapidly beating heart after the birds startled her. Someone ahead of them muttered something under his breath that she couldn't quite make out, but the group increased their trot to a run almost in unison. They were out to catch this murderer, after all, not just track it until it disappeared.

A sense of importance settled over Kawai as she ran beside Lit and the cheetah and the other members of the pride. Her fear didn't matter in this moment. What mattered was her presence. This murderer needed to know that the pride wouldn't stand for such behavior, even the more timid members. With a courage she didn't know she had she picked up her pace even more, ears flattened against her head as they followed the sounds up ahead.

AstoriaFallen

 

[Syrius Lionwing]

Coburnycus couldn’t help but notice the couple that seemed to stay very close to one another as they all searched. It made him smile and think of Anya of course. He was glad she wasn’t here though, he didn’t want her any where near this thing.

Total : 77  

[SilverLutz]

Total: 81

Running along, Kawai felt her confidence grow. They would find this murderer and bring them to justice! The thought quickly flashed through her mind that the culprit might not have acted alone, but it was just as quickly pushed aside. There were a lot of them chasing the murderer down and dozens more ready at a roar's notice. They wouldn't stand for such things in their own homeland!  

[Anderleit]

Sjunheal may have been a latecomer, but he was no less serious about the state of things. He'd known strife. He'd known trouble. He'd known murder and the hunting of his enemies. Maybe not in such a cowardly fashion as this - and entirely too long ago - but enough so that his heart went out to the panic sown among these peaceful creatures.

Checking in on one of those gentler souls was exactly what had kept him, in fact. Would that he could have met his friend again under better circumstances! He would have been happy to hear that she was safe and comfortable among the Bahari. Thrilled to see that she was adjusting well to pridal life. And to some extent, he was - but it was made bittersweet by this tragedy. Some other warriors' quarry making trouble in the midst of the innocent. Not knowing the whole story, Sjunheal was loathe to judge the Stormborn too harshly, but it was hard to resist. 'Twas a poor thing, not being able to keep one's prey in line.

But that didn't matter now. As soon as he'd heard that there were some courageous number actively seeking leads on the attack, Sjunheal was honor-bound to bid his friend good fortune and seek them out. The male charged in among the searching party, making a beeline for a set of fellows that appeared to share his notable size. They all seemed to know each other, so he projected his question to the lot; though it was addressed, at first, to a respectable-looking black-pelted lion whose face was drawn with a streak of white. "How goes th' hunt so far? Any leads?" His size, combined with the volume and shag of his mane, would doubtless pick him out as not a lion of the pride. Hopefully though, being there would still mark him as one wishing to help.


The lion that accompanied Sjunheal was his opposite in just about every visible way. He was smaller, but that was both expected and obvious. His pelt was pale as the ocean spray, light in every way that Sjunheal was dark. He was younger too, if the growth of his mane was any indication.

But Acamapichtli didn't carry himself like a young lion. Though he let the larger male lead their path, and did not object to his talking for them, he trotted up to the front of the group with long, sure strides. Brow and mouth furrowed deeply, the markings at the corners of his eyes crinkling until they resembled little teardrops. The serious young male intended to bend all his will to the search - and why shouldn't he? True, he'd never been to the Bahari before. He'd never met any of these present, and this certainly wasn't the sun and surf that Sjun had promised him. Some things were more important, however. Cama refused to be one of those that stood by and did nothing while there were others in need.

Total: 87  

[Syrius Lionwing]

Anderleit

The massive black lion turned his gaze on the approaching male. He paused for a brief moment to examine the younger male. He had always prided himself on knowing everyone in the pride at least on sight. The pride had grown so much but he could always pick out a defining feature that let him know that they belonged in the pride. This male, he didn’t know but he had seen him before today the clear streak of gold down his chest was easy to mark.

The paler male behind him though, he did not know. He pegged the two as rogues mostly though it seemed they were here to help. “Aye lad there’s been a movement.” ‘Kota replied, all of his observations having been done in a blink of an eye. He nodded towards the rest of the party around them “We be trackin’ Um that way lad. Dunno what we’ll be findin’ But we’ll be bringing what ever ails our lan’ to a halt ya can be countin’ On tha.”

Vuai looked at the dark male suspiciously. He had of course heard about the ones the vikings were hunting and he was fairly certain they were dark pelted. Still his father seemed to recognise the male so he let his suspicions subside and turned his attention on the paler of the two. “You lads just passin’ Through?” He queried his dark eyes curious and cautious.

Poseidon moved beside his brother and for a brief moment he sat, his curly mane flittered in the breeze that whipped off the sea, his dark eyes casting over the world he knew oh so very well. “Think we should keep movin’ Here. There’s some little ones that might need our paws.” He nods to the big black male and his companion, he could leave his father and eldest sibling to question the strangers. He was here for the hunt.

Triton shifted uncomfortably as they were approached by the strange males. The younger of the two seemed to be about his age and he sidled over to his great grandfather to take a closer look at the two. “Arn’t we looking for a dark pelt?” He voiced the thoughts that the other three had not, young and inexperienced as he was.

Pelleas clicked his beak in amusement at the youngest member of the hunting party. “They came from the border youngun, what we are chasing is thattaway, can’t you smell the blood on the air?”

The tiny red bird flitted over and landed on Tritons head, she had known the youngest of the group since he was a tiny cub and she nibbled at his ear before hopping back off, a reminder to listen and think before his spoke.

“Sorry.” He pale male mumbled, feeling foolish to have voiced his opinion instead of leaving it to his older relatives.  

[Syrius Lionwing]

((Forgot to roll))
Total : 90  

[Epine de Rose]

Others had joined, and based on the manner in which they had thrown themselves into this (regardless of whether they were rogue or otherwise), there would be many in the pride who were truly appreciative of their selfless act. It seemed that with the growing number of individuals pursuing the 'culprit', or what this particular Bumani hoped was the culprit, it was abundantly clear that they were beginning to get closer.

...It wasn't that they were moving faster, it was simply that the growing number of lions who had chosen to come to their aid were closing in from a variety of different angles. It was like a net, something that the hunters who focused much of their time in the sea with the shoals of fish, would have been all too familiar with. Eventually there would be nowhere to run and once that happened, it was inevitable that the individual who had fled from them would be found.

It would be at this point that the individual would answer for their crimes.

This was Ramiel's hope at least, a moment in which he desperately hoped that this would be the end of it and once she or he was found, they could return to their daily lives after a period of mourning. Alas, he wouldn't jinx it, for now he would focus on the task at hand and continue on his own way. On the plus side, it seemed that as their numbers grew, so did their confidence, so at least there was that!

As if to encourage them further, there was a flicker of activity in the distance.
It seemed that whatever they were chasing had realised that the number of avenues it could use to retreat was reducing at a rapid rate. More importantly it definitely seemed to be a feline - it looked smaller than average, but there could be little doubt that on this occasion, it certainly wasn't anything as delicate as a hare...  

[Anderleit]

He certainly wasn't offended to see the old-timer and his mates sizing him up. Given what had just happened to the pride and the situation they found themselves in, Sjunheal couldn't help but respect them for doing so. So he padded alongside them without mentioning it, merely nodding when the brief side-eye had passed and he received the answer he'd been looking for. "Good, good. That's th' hope, friend. Your pride has my paw in doin' whatever I can t' help the lot of ye' clear this scourge from your lands." It almost felt personal at this point. Here he'd brought a lovely lady, devoid of home and pinin' for a place to belong, down to a lovely land by the sea. Promised her safety and peace there, his word on it. And this happens? A deep growl escaped the lion. He'd not let his word be broken without a bit of justice due for the trauma Anya had suffered!

Cama blinked up at the red-maned behemoth, his question a sufficient distraction from the search. He'd thought it strange to see a lion as big as Sjunheal - now here he was, right in thick with a whole brood of them! "Yeah, just passin' by. I met him," a pale-maned head jerked back towards the darker male, "Not too far outside the pride. I was just wandering about, and he tells me about a pride full of sun and sea. Relaxing sort of place." His voice was somewhere between sympathy and sarcasm. Whatever it was, it was a strange and rather unflattering mix. "Didn't expect this. But hey, I bet you lot didn't either."

That last was aimed mostly at Triton; Cama knew what it was like to be the youngest of a place. He could pick out the attitude of it from a mile away. Trying to catch Triton's eye, he offered a half-smile. It wasn't the most jovial, but Cama thought it was just about as friendly as he could be and still stay focused.

Total: 94

Syrius Lionwing

 

[SilverLutz]

Total: 98

More and more lions were joining in and even some rogue as well! Kawai felt emboldened by their numbers and although she stuck close to her mate, she was no longer trembling. This was what a pride was for, to show strength in size and not to back down in the face of adversity.

She gave a soft 'oh!' as she spotted the thing they were chasing. Certainly feline but small. How could something like that been the cause of such destruction? Perhaps it was a young lion lost in the woods being chased and terrified in the process or another rogue cheetah or even a leopard. What kind of greeting would that be?

"Are we sure we're on the right trail?" she murmured softly.

AstoriaFallen

 

[Syrius Lionwing]

Anderleit

Nahodha’kota chuckled quietly smiling at his great grandson, his laughter faded swiftly though as he picked up his paws and continued onwards. “Aye lad, tha pride she be in an awful turmoil. We’ll be solvin’ Tha problem tho come hell or high water.” The big black lion turned his gaze ont he horizon for a moment. “Many thins ‘ave append ‘ere in my life time lad. This are tha firs’ time I’v seen true death ‘ere tho, I don’ like it one bit.”

Vuai nodded at the fire chested male and gave a short grunt “If ya here to help its welcome lad. Put the young uns in the middle.” He nodded to the two pale males. “You look like you can hold your own in a fight.” He paused for a moment and cast his gaze to where his father was looking before returning to the conversation at paw. “If it comes to a fight we can hold our own here.”

The pink tinted male stepped between his brother and Sjunheal “Don’t mind him, he holds all of his grumpyness on the surface. Can’t blame him for it though.” He smiled a strained smile and decided it was a good idea to introduce them to the two. “The red maned grump is my brother Vuai and the big black oldie there is Nahodha’kota, our father and the young pale lad is Triton my grandson.” He chuckled a little “it’s strange being a grand father. We are one of the oldest and largest families here.” He smiles at Sjunheal and his paler companion “Oh the birds are Amphitrite, Keehah and Pelleas, if they land on you try not to eat them okay?” He grins playfully nudging his white grandson “Moving on.”

Triton smiled at the other pale male that had joined the party. “It’s hard being the youngest.” He huffed though there was clearly a look of pride in his eyes. He belonged to an amazing family and that he was deemed old enough to be on this hunt was actually a blessing to him, even if the circumstances were terrifying. “It’s not usually like this you know? Like great gran pa said, we’ve had the odd catastrophe but we are peaceful here.” He puffs out his chest proudly “That doesn’t mean we can’t fight though. Great Gran’ ma was a firekin she passed on her skills to all of her kids and then down to us.”

The small red bird once again flitted over and landed right on Poseidon’s nose “There’s a movement that way.” She whispered, though her words were loud enough for the others to hear. “I think we may be getting close.” Clicking her beak the little bird once again darted off like a little red arrow.

“Aye she’s right yanno? Smell of blood is getting stronger.” The blue vulture clicked his beak and opened his massive wings “I’l follow her, make sure she doesnt get in to trouble.” He cawed alighting heavily from his perch on Vuai’s head.