She didn't normally hunt at night, despite her dark coat. Her eyes were often too bright to not be noticeable, so it was typically a moot point. That said, she stalked across the ground now, trying to find something to eat.
Aislin had found herself along the edges of a forest. Thick with trees as it was, it was both a boon and a hindrance. A boon because she was difficult to spot, and a hindrance because she in turn could not spot any prey. She let out a quiet snarl, annoyed but not enough to scare away anything that might be nearby, and stopped below a low hanging branch. How was she supposed to find anything to eat in this? Leopards were crazy for preferring it!
The lioness took a look around, wondering if she should just wait until the morning when birds would be out and about. The only reason she was hunting during one of her least favorite times was because she hadn't found any prey earlier in the day.
And she was hungry. So hungry.
Which made her grouchy. Very grouchy.
Nott was lounging in one of said trees. He had always liked being high up, though as a lion, that wasn't really something he could accomplish on most days. He wondered what it would be like to be a bird, soaring high above all the lesser creatures below it. Of course, he would be nothing less than an eagle or a hawk, something majestic and powerful, a predator that was feared and revered.
He was brought out of his daydreams by the sound of something crunching below him. Blinking, he turned his head down and stared at the lioness prowling beneath him. She seemed aggravated by something, growling under her breathe and making a ruckus. As he watched her movements, he realized that she was trying to hunt, but he didn't think she realized just how loud she was being.
The lion snorted, which unfortunately brought her attention to him.
Great, she had an audience. Sneering, she splayed out her claws threateningly and spat at him, "What?" The last thing she needed was some uppity male looking down on her. Hell, the last thing she wanted was someone there in general, but she could already tell that this one was going to grate on her nerves.
Hmph, he hadn't meant to draw her attention, though he supposed that he deserved it for interrupting her hunt. He could have done without the hostile look though.
The black lion flicked his tail below him, choosing his words carefully before answering. "If you weren't so loud, maybe you would have caught something by now." He shook his head, "You're scaring off all the prey."
How dare he?! "I'm not being loud!" Well, now she was, but he had started it.
The lioness stood up challengingly and glared up at him. High up as he was, it was hard to tell what he was really like, but his black sleek coat spoke of strength and power. She probably shouldn't be getting up in his face, but her pride had been battered by this point.
Nott couldn't help the snort that came out again. He wasn't fazed by her challenging position, not when he was this comfy, and he saw no reason to move this beyond just a verbal fight. If she wanted a fight, then she would have to come up here herself. "Yes you are. I can hear your paw steps from here." He gestured down at her paws, "You're snapping twigs as you walk and your grumbling could wake the entire forest."
Her eyes drifted down as he spoke, staring at the branches and twigs littered around her feet. Blast it all, she hadn't noticed that! Why hadn't she noticed that?! Ugh, maybe she did just need to go to bed. She was too tired for any of this.
Not that she would let him know that.
Narrowed eyes and flat ears tilted slowly up at him, and Aislin considered her options. Should she pick a fight with him more to save face? Should she walk away and hopefully never see this nuisance again? The last was tempting, but she didn't want him to feel any more superior over this.
"Well, at least I'm not up in a tree like a scared monkey. What right do you have to tell me how to hunt?"
She was certainly an unpleasant one. Nott's eyes narrowed back angrily and he bared sharp teeth back at her. He wouldn't rise to her bait though. He had just been pointing out her mistake, and if she didn't want to heed it, then that was her problem.
Instead, he scoffed and turned his head away. "I am a hunter of the night. I hunt in silence for a living." He glanced back at her scornfully, "And if you can't take advise from someone more superior in night hunting, then perhaps you shouldn't be hunting at all."
The nerve! Hunter of the night, bah! He was nothing more than some stupid brute with a superiority complex, and he needed to come down a few pegs.
Whatever, she didn't need to take this.
Turning away with a huff, Aislin stalked a few paces away, "I don't need to take any of your crap. You can take your 'advise', and shove it!" Some other time, some other way, she may have been willing to listen. But she was an old lioness and she was of the opinion that if he had really been trying to help, he could have done so without sounding so conceited!
So with a flick of her tail, she ignored him and began making her way out of this wretched forest. She would simply have to wait for morning. There would be more active prey then anyway, and she would be able to spot this black spot of fur a mile away, in case he tried to mock her once more.
Nott glared as she walked away, annoyed at her words and now wishing that he hadn't noticed her at all. Like he had said though, she was being loud enough that it had been impossible not to.
Ugh, females. Pretty as they were, he had had an unpleasant amount of run-ins with them lately, and they had all been insufferable. It's part of why he had never taken a mate, and he doubted that he would ever want to. Not unless there was one that didn't make him want to kill something.
Turning away as well, he plopped his head down on his paws and went back to his sky-gazing. Hopefully that was the last he would ever see of that harpy.
