[PRP] Taking a break (Devaraja/Wei)

[Fairy Snails]

'Everyone needs a break', the words of the young Nayaka echoed in Devaraja's head as he searched for a decent hunting spot. The weather was cloudy and cold. It was much different then how it was when he left his home. He silently wished that the Nayaka would have waited for a different season to send him out on this 'mission'.

This 'mission' was just an excuse to try to get him to take a break. A small part of him felt lucky to have others who cared about him since he had no family in the pride. The Nayaka was the closest thing he had. He mostly felt useless outside the pride, just wandering around pointless. The Nayaka told him to take a break and report if he found anything out of the ordinary. It was a task that was better left to the seekers then him.

Regardless, he was determined to bring some useful back to the pride.

As he made his way through the tall grass, he spot a heard of wildebeests grazing on the grass. Quietly he ducked down. This was his lucky day, he thought as he stalked them quietly.

Polette

 

[Polette]

Wei had been at this all day. Though she was in no real hurry, the act of just sitting and watching wildebeests was, well, boring. There was no other way to describe it, at least not to someone who had been hunting as long as she had. She had needed to gather food, but with her cubs big enough to go on their own, she really didn't need to get that much. But, out of habit, she had tracked a larger prey animal and had set up camp under some brush that peeked over a small roll in the land. From it, she had a perfect viewpoint - it even had some relaxing qualities.

She had expected the herd to move, or do something that would better prompt a hunt. As they were now, there weren't any prime targets sticking out, and she worried that the healthier and grown wildebeest would make an effort to retaliate against the lone lioness if she tried to strike now.

Her tail gently coiled and uncoiled just above the dirt behind her. She had been careful so that it wasn't in view of the wildebeest, but it stuck out a bit from behind. Her eyes were constantly tracing back and forth, back and forth over the herd, seeing if she could spot a reasonable target that she could attempt soon. As nice as this relaxing time was, she was ready to be done with it and move on to the next task of the day.

Green eyes still moving slowly, Wei's ears caught the slight p***k of a sound nearby. Was she no longer alone? Was someone else going to strike on her prey? Keeping an eye on the movement of the herd, she let her head turn away, searching for what creature could be incoming.

Fairy Snails

 

[Fairy Snails]

His focus remained on the herd, ignoring any other outside noise. Devaraja stayed low to the ground and watched for any sudden movement. So far the group did not seem to notice him. He inched closer and closer until he was within pouncing range of one of the smaller wildebeest. His first hunt on his 'mission' was going smoothly, he thought as he took a step forward.

Snap

Underneath his front paw, a stick broke in two. He looked at the wildebeest. They had not started running yet, but they seemed on edge. He remained as still as a stone, not wanting to draw anymore attention to himself. If they did make a run for it, though, he would be ready.

However the herd went back to grazing and he felt slightly more relaxed and ready to end his hunt. Quickly he pounced at the one of the smaller ones that was close to him, managing to sink his claws into its' back and knock it to the ground. The other wildebeest started to charge away from him in confusion. He pulled his claws out of the weakened wildebeest and watched the other ones run away.

This should be enough for now, he thought, looking at the smaller wildebeest.

Polette

 

[Polette]

The sound she had thought was originally moving closer to her began to quiet, and it was apparent that whatever it was was moving away from her now. Perhaps it was just a snake or a small creature that decided to steer clear of the lioness. Wei let out a soft exhale, glad she hadn't diverted any extra attention to whatever it was.

She was ready now, and she had finally found a target. There was a small group of younger wildebeest not too far off, and if she timed it right, she could get in and out without much trouble. Carefully, the brown lioness, adjusted, slowly creeping out from underneath the brush into some tall grass. A skilled hunter, she moved as swiftly as she could while maintaining her silence, making small stops to ensure the herd didn't catch sight of her. She decided that, in order to get to her prey and take it down as quickly as possible, she would get even closer than she normally would to instigate chase. At the distance she desired, she would be able to take a few bounds, pounce on her prey, kill it, and drag it away before anything disastrous happened.

Her legs tensed, and she made the charge towards one of the calves. Right as she decided to do so, though, the herd suddenly decided to start moving. And quickly, at that. Had she startled them somehow? But she had been so careful. At that, Wei abruptly ended her pursuit, as her target had changed position. This sudden stop, however, left her right in the path of a group of charging wildebeest.

The lioness crouched down, ears flattened against her skull. Her teeth were bared, and her snarls were very audible; she was trying her best to ward off the stampede that might trample her.

Fairy Snails

(( Okay, maybe not a crash. xD ))

 

[Fairy Snails]

As Devaraja was about to take his meal and head off, he glanced back at the wildebeest. There was movement in the grass. When he looked closer he saw a brown lioness in the grass, the wildebeest heading straight toward her. 'Dammit,' he thought as he realized that he did not notice her. It was his fault the wildebeest were charging in her direction. He could not let her get hurt.

Ignoring his catch, Devaraja started to chase after the wildebeest. It had been a long time since he had needed to run this fast. He growled at the wildebeest, trying to steer them away from the lioness. The wildebeest altered their direction, heading away from him and the lioness. He caught a glimpse of her pose and realized that she probably had it under control.

Slowing down, he approached the lioness. Before speaking he decided to take a moment to catch his breath. That was too much running for one day. “Sorry about that. I did not see you there. I should have been paying more attention to my surroundings.” He finally said. “If you would like, I could share some of my catch with you? It is the least I could do.”

Polette

 

[Polette]

By some miracle, the wildebeest began to veer and thankfully none hit her head-on; she had only gotten brushed by one or two from the initial movement.

It wasn't every day that Wei found herself agitated, but having come so close to making a kill and having it blow up in her face like that was beyond irritating, even for someone as even-tempered as she was. And the wildebeest had moved for no reason - unless she had missed something

Ah.

Coming to a full stand, Wei could see the male approaching. She remained tense, unsure if he was threatening or not - part of her demeanor was from putting it together that he was probably the cause of the disturbance. Her green eyes stayed on him as she tried to calm herself from the encounter with the herd. "So it was you." She squinted at him for a moment in what could almost be called a scowl, but her brow eased after a moment and she let out a huff of laughter. "Well, at least I know my skills aren't rusting." It was a slight relief in that regard, and while she still felt a slight pang of irritation, she thought it best to let the feeling ease away. After all, he wasn't intentionally sabotaging her - he was out here, just like her, trying to find another meal.

"I would hate to impose..." Though, she knew she should probably take him up on the offer. After all, she had come out here because it had been a little while since she'd eaten last.

Fairy Snails

 

[Fairy Snails]

With his good eye, he watched her carefully for any sign of aggression. Devaraja let out a sigh of relief. She did not seem too upset about the whole thing, still he did guilty about the whole thing. She could have been seriously injured. Thankfully she was fine, but still. “I should have taken in my surroundings better. I am just used to hunting with no one around.” Next time he would be more careful.

He turned back toward where he left his meal. “I insist that you have some. If it wasn't for me I am sure that you would have caught something yourself. Plus this is more than enough for me. If you do not take any, it will just end up going to the vultures or scavengers.” He said truthfully. “Plus it would be a welcome change to share a meal with someone. It has been a while since I had any company.”

Hopefully she would say yes. He remembered a small creek he passed that would be a good spot to eat and have a nice back and forth. Potentially he would learn something useful to bring back to his pride. If not, then at least he would have a story to bring back for the young Nayaka. He was certain that the Nayaka would enjoy a retelling of such an odd hunting experience.

Polette

 

[Polette]

"It's fine." Wei paused, regaining her composure and settling her mood. "It can be difficult when you're in the heat of the moment." She offered a smile, returning to her normally cheery demeanor; perhaps a lack of food had made her a little more irritable than usual.

"If you insist, I would gladly take you up on that." She felt a few minor pangs of hunger after exhausting so much energy on a failed hunting attempt.

"Do you...live nearby?" She was trying to see if he was a member of her own pride or had come from somewhere else.

Fairy Snails

 

[Fairy Snails]

“My home is far from here. I actually am here on a mission from my pridal leader. He requested that I take a break from my duties and take some time to explore outside the pride. My travels have brought me here.” Devaraja explained, being careful not to mention anything by name. He knew better then anyone what would happen if he divulged any pridal information.

“How about you? Are you a fellow traveler?” He asked curiously. His knowledge of the area was next to nothing. All he knew was what he had learned so far from his little adventure. “Do you know of a good spot to eat and chat? When I was traveling I saw a creek not too far.”

Polette

 

[Polette]

"Oh...how interesting." Her mind briefly ran through the various prides she had encountered on her travels; this was Wei's third pride, so she had quite some experience with the various ones in the lands. But the mention of a mission put Wei on edge slightly; was he a spy? Her eyes glanced over him, looking for any clues in his demeanor or appearance.

"I actually...live fairly close by. Though I've traveled quite a bit in my life." She shifted her weight, reminiscing mentally. "But, I think there might be a decent spot over there, under a tree." She motioned with her head to a place behind him, not too far off. Even though she had some fleeting suspicions of him, he'd still been quite kind to her and didn't show any other animosities. Plus, it'd be nice to get out of the sun.

Fairy Snails

 

[Fairy Snails]

Devaraja gave a small smile. “I hardly ever travel outside of my pride so it is a new experience. Though, truthfully traveling so far does make me home sick. Having company around helps distract me from it.” He hoped that he would be able to provide adequate company to her as well.

“A seasoned traveler! Perhaps you would be willing to share some tips with me.” There was still a lot for him to learn, even though he did make it far on his own. He looked in the direction to gestured toward. “That will be a lovely place to eat and rest.”

Polette

 

[Polette]

"I can understand that." She had spent so many moons travelling alone when she first left her birth pride. How nice it would have been to have a friend along for some company.

"I suppose I could dig around in the vaults and see what I find." Wei smiled, happy to possibly be of service.

Fairy Snails

(( Time to wrap up? :3 ))

 

[Fairy Snails]

“Thank you,” Devaraja said with a bow of his head. It was rare for luck to shine on him, but today was an obvious exception. He was certain her would take to heart any tips and suggestions Wei would tell him. Carefully he picked up the meet and headed toward the spot she had recommended, ready for a nice meal with even better company.

Polette

Sounds good!