[PRP] Payment

[Z o m b i k ii]

Chausika was not having an easy time of it lately, even by her usually unlucky standards.

Finding a rare moment of peace she decided it would be for the best if she found some food; scraps could only go so far and she was not able to eat with the Pride. The black lioness knew she needed to keep her strength if she wanted to be of a use to the Eye; because ancestors help her if she found herself unable to complete her duties.

She made her way to the hunting lands, not too far away from the border. If there was no greater show of the control Katiti had over her; it was the fact she could be so close to running away, and she was still too scared to do so. They would find her is she ran; but more importantly and to her dismay. The urge to leave was disappearing a little more with each passing day.

The kill was easy, for a lioness that grew up a rogue solo hunting was second nature. However, as she stood over the carcass finely tuned ears picked up on a noise? Her first instinct was to protect her meal, but the sound seemed too tiny to be anything larger than a cub.

The female purred curiously, some maternal instinct killing in. Black paws took her slightly away from her prey, to see if whatever was lurking was hungry.
 

[KasaiLoki]

Z o m b i k ii

Aera was playing hide and seek with her twin when she realized she had ventured a little too far from her father's camp. Not knowing the area, the cub remained in her hiding spot until she was found. However, that never came.

When the next morning rolled around, the bright cub wandered from the underbrush, red orbs scanning. "Kabu?" She called out weakly. She sniffed the ground, trying to find scents of her father or brothers, but came up empty.

"Dad's gonna kill me..." she sighed, walking in the direction she thought she had come in.

She was stumbling on unfamiliar territory. "Oh...." This wasn't right. She paused, looking around. She was sure she hadn't seen those sand dunes before.

Aera's stomach growled when the scent of a fresh kill hit her nostrils. She grabbed for her belly, holding it for a moment before lying on the ground. She inched towards the smell, her form dragging across the softer dirt. She spotted the kill, and the dark lioness who had brought down the meal. She blinked, her stomach getting the best of her as she continued forward, intent on sneaking her way to food.  

[Z o m b i k ii]

KasaiLoki

The cub did not stand a chance of going unnoticed; not only was her pelt bright against the rusty dirt that made up the Outlands, but the black lioness was rather observant. When you were used to only having your own eyes to rely on, without having anyone else to watch your back; it was surprising how sharp they became.

The slender feline laid on the ground, making her body small and flat to try and look as unthreatening as she could manage. She cursed the fact she could not call out to the cub; but her punishment was still in place. It made many situations hard; but this one, in particular, was complicated.

A cub so young did not last very long alone, she knew this better than anyone. She was not much older than this little girl when she was cast out of her own pride, and it was a close call.

She shuffled away from the beast a little more to give the cub some room, to try and lure her out into the open. Chausika was far from the most intimidating lioness, and she hoped that in this one occasion that would work in her favour.

From her throat came a gentle, reassuring cherp.  

[KasaiLoki]

Z o m b i k ii

Aera stopped her shuffling as the lioness moved away from the kill, her gaze floating from the dead prey beast, back to the lioness, before it landed on the dead again. Her hunger outweighing her fear, Aera continued to creep forward, the reassuring chirp from the other causing her ear to flicker towards the sound.

She stopped just short of the fallen creature, sniffing it before she looked at Chau. "I can...have some?" She asked quietly, licking her lips. It was weird the adult had not spoken to her yet. All the adults Aera had met in her lifetime (which wasn't many) were always a chatty group.

"Do...you know where we are?" she looked around, still not eating the food, although she found herself moving closer to it.  

[Z o m b i k ii]

KasaiLoki

Chausika remained close to the ground, she was not a small lioness but was not large by any stretch of the imagination. Still, every adult looked like a giant in the eyes of such a young cub. The little girls question earned a nod of her head, letting her know it was okay to eat. The black feline might not be the best fed within the Pride, but she could share what she did have. T

he hunger here was nothing compared to what she had experienced in the Roguelands. Times were had, but not desperate like before. The poor thing must have been starving.

She frowned as another question was asked, knowing she could not answer. The birds would be watching, even now and a single word would cost her tongue. Instead, she just nodded again, letting the cub know that she did know the lands on which they stood. She then rolled her head, suggesting that she eat her fill quickly in case they were discovered. The Outlanders were not fond of strangers, as Chau had found out the hard way.

What was she meant to do? Her brows frowned, she had not been expecting to find a cub on her travels and did not really know what to do next. Did it mean a family had wandered into the Outlands? Where were her parents? A soft purr resonated in her throat as she looked at the young one's pelt; she looked so familiar. So much like Katiti that if she had not known better, Chausika would have presumed her the mother.
 

[KasaiLoki]

Z o m b i k ii

Aera hesitated only a moment longer before she lunged towards the fallen prey beast, small canines tearing the flesh as she enjoyed the meal. Her bright red eyes occasionally glanced up from eating, before she focused on a particular tough piece of the leg. With one final tug, the cub felt herself losing balanced as the food and herself rolled backwards. It was probably a comical sight to see.

The bright cub chewed as she regained her footing, swallowing the torn piece of meat before licking her lips. The white fur around her mouth now stained with dark red. Aera gave a sheepish grin as she moved back towards Chausika.

"How come you don't talk?" The cub asked quietly, ears perking at the purr. The sound seemed to calm the youngster a bit, as she neared the darker female. "Thank you for sharing..." she said, her tone still soft as she nuzzled against one of Chau's larger front paws.  

[Z o m b i k ii]

KasaiLoki

In the next post; Chau can pick her up and carry her off, then you can close it? : )

An amused smirk crept onto Chau’s maw as the cub fell. The black lioness had never been particularly maternal; she had never had a strong desire to birth or raise cubs. However, she did have a bleeding heart for young rogues, she wanted to help them; to protect them. Make it so no children would have to go hungry like she once had. The lioness often gave up her meals to help the younger wanderers of the Roguelands. Kindness was hard to come by there, so she wanted to be that little spark.

When she cub rubbed against her legs her breath caught in her throat. What was she meant to do? Her jaw clenched a little tighter as she thought about her options. Well, she could not leave the little lady out here alone. The black lioness continued to purr as a large paw raised, scooping up the cub and pulling her into her body to hold her close. It was a gentle action, non-threatening and slow.

‘Shhh.’ A whistle escaped her lips, a soft hush to try and calm her, stop her from asking more questions. Silver eyes closed and then looked in the direction of her den. It was not too far away, and the cub could rest there as she tried to work out what to do with her. A dark face leant down, a rough tongue running along the cubs head to clean it of blood.

And to work her way closer to the soft fur at the back of her neck, so she could pick her up and carry her away.
 

[KasaiLoki]

Z o m b i k ii

Works for me!

Aera did not resist when she felt herself being pulled towards the lioness. To her, the action was comforting, something a mother would do. Aera hadn't known her mom. She had asked countless of times of who the female was, but Azima would remain quiet. She finally ended up shrugging off her question, leaving the female to always wonder who she could have been. Maybe one day she would meet her.

Her ear flickered as her dark red eyes peered up curiously at the whistle. "Oh. Okay, you can't talk. Kabu did the no talking thing for awhile. I get it." She murmured, a small rumble of a purr vibrating her form as Chausika cleaned her.

This was nice. Aera could get use to having a companion that wasn't her a boy.  

[Z o m b i k ii]

KasaiLoki

Chausika gently sunk her teeth into the loose skin on the cub's neck; hoping that she was doing this right? She had seen other females carry cubs this way so she doubted it would cause too much discomfort. Chau often wondered if she was just broken? Dropped on her head at birth? How could a female be this maternally constipated? Where were these famed instincts she was meant to be blessed with?

Ancestors, maybe it was a good thing she never had cubs of her own.

When Aera was hanging from her maw like a little gift, Chausika turned towards her den and started to jog. She did not want the ride to be too bumpy but at the same time, she could not risk getting caught. Not that she had any doubt that Katiti’s ravens were already very aware of the situation, she would be a fool not to.

Oh, how much trouble she was going to suffer for this little one.  

[KasaiLoki]

Z o m b i k ii

Fin <3

Aera found her feet curling up underneath her as Chau picked her up. A small purr still rumbled through her form. She was quite content with having a full belly, and now it was as if her mother was carrying her away.

Red eyes glanced one last time at the place she had met the dark lioness, past the kill and towards the borders she had wandered through. She frowned, but didn't let the thought dwell too much. She could always try looking for her father another day.

What was one more day of her missing? Aera turned her head, focusing ahead as Chausika brought her further and further into the Outlands.