Sayilmaz sim Sulta studied his dark brown companion with his split-colored eye. She was not returning his gaze, instead, she was focused on the small herd of similarly small klipspringers. She licked her lips in anticipation and her muscles rippled beneath her coat. He was on her side that bore the scars on her shoulder, not the side that showed the scars on her face. It was a tough life that they had before. Trying to eke out a living in the Jahy Salarin. Constantly fighting for the scarce water resources. The sands, oh, the endless sands. It was still arid here, in their new home nicknamed the Bonelands, but things were far more stable, even considering the routine change up of male leadership. But that was a system that worked, kept fresh, vital and unrelated blood flowing. The Inselelo knew that he did not need to go on the hunts like this. He had his duties, some of which he needed to work on more (that is, supplying the pride with some of that aforementioned fresh, vital and unrelated blood), but he had a history with the lioness named Disin bint Kiskac.
She finally noticed him staring at her and blinked in surprise, her focus broken. She jerked her head quickly in the direction of their prey and he nodded back at her. They were downwind and the grasses were tall enough to conceal them It was a good setup. Disin knew her stuff. They began slinking towards the creatures, who were totally oblivious to the imminent danger. They grazed, horned males next to the hornless females. It was a group of young adults, no fawns with them. Disin did not have much of a sentimental side regarding the hunting of fawns. However, she did feel a bit better when they took down an adult, especially an injured one that was likely not much longer for the world anyway. She watched the earth colored male as he crept forward. It would only take an instant to succeed or fail. She hoped for the former, or at least that any failure would come swiftly. It was better than wasting their time and energy.
A twig snapped under a paw. Both lions froze, too on edge to know whose foot it had been under. It felt like an eternity passed between them and they met each other's gazes without moving their heads, the whites of their eyes showing. Their adrenaline had already skyrocketed. It was now or never. Even though it seemed the herd was still oblivious to their approach despite their fault.
They both sprung forward at the same time and the klipspringers ran around helter skelter. In their panic some stumbled, some bumped into each other. It was a flurry of activity and panic. When it was all over- truthfully in but a moment, a few seconds, no more- Disin and Sayilmaz looked for one another once it was clear. Both of them sat, panting heavily, sides heaving, and with the necks of their prey clamped tight in their jaws. Two young bucks. They had been lucky. Sayilmaz let his prize drop, now that it was not going to be going anywhere, and a smile spread across his face as he continued to pant. He licked his chops in an effort to clean them. Blood was always so visible where his maw was white. Disin let hers go a little more reluctantly, letting it slump down to her feet. She examined the scene. The other klippys were nearly out of sight, she could just barely make out their hind ends bobbing up and down and out of sight as they fled.
Disin liked hunting with Sayilmaz. Neither of them were much for words and they had both been Qyrhyeshti together. Now there was a Burkuteshti lion running things and it did not sit well with her. But she tolerated it. Things were different here in the Ithambo'hlabathi. Better, safer, more secure. She did not have to worry about things the way that she used to anymore, right? But she had not yet let go of all of her grudges. She would. She would have to. And she was a level-headed lioness at her core. They all did what they had had to do to survive, that was all. She would not make it personal. But she was glad she had options and the power to choose with whom she would breed- if she ever did at all. And maybe they would be gone sooner than she would think. So for now she would tolerate them. But she would not be marching up to them first with her kills. They could go to the other lioness who worked hard or their cubs. She would even let them go to the cubs of the Burkuteshti before she would let them go to the lions themselves. It was a small resistance, but it was one nevertheless. Sayilmaz and Disin picked up their kills once more and began the walk back to the pride. Disin struggled a bit with her prize, it was a little bit larger than Sayilmaz's and she was a little bit shorter, but he knew better than to offer any assistance. Some Jahy Salarin lionesses could be quite stubborn and prideful and Disin was a shining example of their hardiness and determination that had ensured the pride's survival for as long as it had been around. Even with the dinner in his mouth, he could not help but grin and shake his head a little bit. Disin was doing well here, that much was clear. He was pleased with his situation, as well, but his clock would run up long before hers did. He just needed to make the best of things and capitalize on his situation as much as he could before being run off. He liked to imagine that was how things would end, at least. In the most recent turn of power, the one on which's coattails he rode in on, the ousted lions had left with his lives. That was as much as he could hope for.
the end
1022 words
1022 words