Umlotha peered out from her place under a tree, golden eyes looking off into the rogue lands. She had noticed a large red lion sticking around for longer than he probably should have as of late. Looked like one of Firekin blood. There was a strange alliance with the Firekin that made others not worry too much about the red-pelted pride in the desert, but she got the feeling this particular male wasn't here on an ambassador's visit.

Not to say she minded his presence or the fact that he was clearly hanging around, waiting to challenge someone. Umlotha was about as un-traditional as they came, and in fact sometime she sought out ways to ruffle the other lioness' feathers. With a smug grin she remembered her own meeting with a rogue not too long ago. Hopefully soon she'd have something to show for it. For now, though, she could keep an eye out for that large male and hope to coax him to come in and beat the snot out of the current Inselelo.

Emrys himself was on patrol at the borders of the pride. He has already met the red male once before, and now that some time had passed he was starting to grow worried. When he had first met him he was fresh off a loss from the Inselelo Emrys had ended up ousting, so he had no fear of the battered and bruised lion. Now, though...now his wounds had surely healed. The grey lion paced the pridal boarders, his tail flicking in agitation. He didn't want to leave his new pride just yet, but he knew in a battle he'd be hard-pressed to win against that hulking beast of a Firekin.

Pausing for a moment, he stared out into the rogue lands, unaware that Umlotha was a few paces behind him and doing the same thing from under the shade of a tree. His ears pressed back against his head as he focused on picking up a strange scent that blew in from out of the pride, but there was nothing. Perhaps the red male had gone?

Peeved that her view was blocked, Umlotha rose to her feet and headed towards Emrys. "You are awfully hard to see through," she said, her tone flirtatious even though she'd never consider the male for a father to her children. "Perhaps you could consider moving your massive head?"

The voice startled him. Emrys turned to see Umlotha, one of the few females in the pride he had seen grow up. She was certainly a sight to behold now, massive and sleek and very unpleasant. He flattened his ears against his head as she approached, but did step aside so if she were to return wherever she had come from she would be able to see. "Terribly sorry," he said with a very curt bob of his head, which made the dark lioness laugh.

"Oh, I'm sure you are," she purred, stopping to stand beside the small male. She looked out into the rouge lands, a smirk on her face. "You know your time is limited, don't you? Peering out here, looking to find that lion who will take your place."

Emrys was a little uncomfortable that she knew what he was doing, but he rolled his shoulders in a shrug as if to say he didn't care. "Any male that fights his way in here knows his time is limited. It's the nature of the position."

"Oh, but who really wants to leave?" Umlotha said, turning to peer at Emrys. He was so small for a male and she so large for a female that she actually looked down at him just a bit. Having a god for a father certainly helped her size. "All these females at your disposal, even if the majority of them dislike your markings and coloration. Still, there's enough of us here to satisfy any needs you have, hm?"

Emrys would have blushed if he had been able to. It had undeniably been a reason he had joined, but so far only one female had requested cubs from him. It wasn't as if he could force himself on anyone he chose at any moment. It was the female's decision to make. "I enjoy it here, yes, but I'll follow the rules when the time comes." He cast a wary glance out to the rogue lands as if saying that would summon the red lion that he had jeered months ago. Surely this wasn't some plot to ambush him?

Emrys' obvious worry made Umlotha laugh, a very ugly noise. She bared her teeth at him in a grin and circled around in front to block his view of what laid beyond the Bonelands. "I've seen your loss, you know," she purred dreadfully. "Blood everywhere. You're lucky to leave with life and limb. Although you might lose that ear," she said, snapping at Emrys' head teasingly. The male backed up at the snap, worry in his eyes. He knew Umlotha was a Seer - it was a surprise if someone didn't know, the way she flaunted her visions - but he couldn't let himself believe it.

"I suppose we'll see if your vision comes true, then, won't we?" he said with a huff, flicking his tail in irritation. "Good day, Umlotha." He turned to go, not wanting to hang around the female any longer than he had to. He set off in the direction he had come from, patrolling the area where the red lion had last been seen by him. He wasn't going to be caught sleeping on his paws the day that the challenge was made, oh no. He was going to be ready to face his foe.

Umlotha watched Emrys go with a chuckle. She hadn't had a vision of his loss. She couldn't be bothered to expend that much energy for something that meant so little to her. Seeing his face had been more than enough reward. Satisfied that her view of the rogue lands was now free, she returned to the shade of her tree and got comfortable once again. She kept her eyes out to the waving grasses of the rogue lands and smirked when she saw a red dot in the distance under some trees. Perhaps her 'vision' would come true after all.

FIN
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