[PRP] Grumpy Kitty

[CaliWolfe]

In retrospect there had been several warnings that trying to sneak a drink from the river was a bad idea. Yet did she heed these warnings? No, of course not. Because that would be the logical thing to do. Of course, nothing horrible had actually happened. She had sauntered on down to the river, spotted a croc and went running for the hills. Really, she hadn’t been anywhere near the river when she tucked tail and turn away.

However this was not how Uthuli saw it. The pale lioness saw it as if she had been in grave danger. To her it was a miraculous miracle she escaped without any wounds! To Uthuli her survival had been based on pure good luck, or fate giving her a second chance. Now she was left to deal with the reminder of just how she had to let the title of Enkulu go to her head. Help take down one hippo and now she thought she could take down anything!

Currently the lioness sat grumbling to herself about how a crocodile had almost taken her arm off. Aside from the dust coating her pelt there were no signs to tell that anything traumatizing had happened to her. In fact she just looked like a downright grumpy lioness!

Peppermint Coffee

 

[Bronze Coffee]

Dwa yawned loud and long as he emerged from the den of his mother. She'd finally drifted off to nap and he wanted to go sun himself in the heat of the day. He also needed a drink. The male licked his muzzle and glanced around and padded the path to the river. Of course there were crocs there, you just had to figure out where they were and drink quickly if you wanted one.

Not that he'd done that before, gods no.

Either way, he found himself walking by the river and stumbled upon a lioness he didn't recognize looking like she was having a very bad day. She smelled of the pride, so Dwa wasn't too alarmed by her.

"Rough day?" He asked, tail flicking from side to side as those blue eyes tried to place her face. She had a very distinct face! No, he didn't know her. "Anything I can do to brighten it up at all?"

CaliWolfe

 

[CaliWolfe]

“I don’t know if anything can brighten my day!” Uthuli exclaimed loudly. She wasn’t too concerned with the arrival of this male. She swore she’d seen him around the pride once or twice, from a distance. So he likely posed little to no threat to her well being. Actually the main threat to Uthuli’s well being was herself. But that wasn’t important right, what was important was this pale lion had decided to speak to Uthuli, which meant he wasn’t going to escape without hearing all her complaints.

“Those stupid beasts almost ate me whole!” She snarled in the direction of the river. “I was just minding my own business and they nearly swallowed me up! Stupid crocodiles. I wish they’d just find some other river to hang out in.”

Peppermint Coffee

Enter Dramaqueen Uthuli I'm so sorry Dwa

 

[Bronze Coffee]

He was about to say something when she explained herself without any prying.

Ah, the crocodiles he was just thinking about. Dwa winced a little and bit down on his lip as he moved to sit next to her, tail flicking this way and that.

"They're a mean sort, aren't they?" He nodded and looked at the river himself, ears twitching slowly before he looked back at her. "Well, at least your alive! I don't see or smell blood, so they didn't get you. That means you win this round." He was trying to cheer her up, make her smile. So he tried to stand in front of her and made a funny face, sticking his tongue out, puffing his cheeks, and crossing his eyes.

Would that work?

CaliWolfe

 

[CaliWolfe]

“Sure, I’m alive for now, but what if I lose next time?” She bitterly growled, continuing to glare in the direction of the river. What was she supposed to do? Sneak near the river while those monsters were asleep? Did Crocodiles even ever sleep? They must have, they were alive after all. Though Uthuli had a dreadful sensation that told her they didn't anyways.

“Am I simply to never drink again at all?!” She exclaimed, pouting. She certainly hoped she was wrong about that, Uthuli quite like water and being hydrated. Not drinking would be a torturous existence, never mind the fact that she’d eventually die from lack of it!

Tempted to complain some more Uthuli opened her mouth to speak however… “What… Exactly are you doing with your face?” She made a puzzled look at the pale lion. Was he pretending to be one of those hippos or crocodiles? Or... “Are you making fun of me?!” Uthuli gasped. “I do not look like that when I talk!”

Peppermint Coffee

 

[Bronze Coffee]

His head drooped when she seemed to get mad at him and he pulled back and stepped to the side slowly. Dwa rubbed his face with a paw and then shook his head. "Sorry. No, I'm not making fun of you. I was trying to get you to laugh. That face usually works with the cubs, but.. you're no a cub. I was just hoping to get a smile on your face.."

The pale lion settled back down and turned his head away from her before shaking his head again, getting the fur back in place.

"Yes, the crocodiles sleep, but usually during the daylight they're in the waters because of the heat. I haven't seen many in the river at night. I could be completely wrong. It's best to go in pairs that way one can keep watch while the other drinks.. It's not always fool proof, but it usually helps. I'm sorry if I upset you more.."

CaliWolfe

 

[CaliWolfe]

Uthuli softened her expression when the male explained himself. “O-oh.” Now she felt bad. The fact that they sat in silence for a couple minutes made her feel slightly worse.

“No, it’s fine, I shouldn’t have lashed out. And thanks for the advice.” She’d be sure to recruit someone to go drinking with. As odd as it sounded that she’d have to do that.

“Though next time make a joke instead of a weird face, how did you even do that to your face anyway?” Uthuli smooshed her paw against her cheek, giving her a weird lopsided look as she tried a combination of glaring and snarling while she held her paw in place. “Wuuike dis?”

Peppermint Coffee

 

[Bronze Coffee]

"Hey, don't worry about it. We all have days that go badly." Gods knew his mother had them from time to time. But that was alright. "It's honestly fine. As for th-" and then she tried to do it and Dwa couldn't help the loud, hearty laugh that came from deep in his belly.

"Cl-close!" He managed to squeak out between laughs. "But p-puff your cheeks full of air!" He moved closer and sat in front of her, showing her how to do it. He breathed in through his nose and held all that air in his cheeks and stuck his tongue out at the same time.

He released it in a huff and then just grinned. "Then you gotta just cross your eyes. If you can wiggle your ears, the cubs go crazy."

CaliWolfe

 

[CaliWolfe]

The fact that he was roaring with laughter told Uthuli she was doing a pretty decent job at this strange-face-making thing already.

But if puffing her cheeks was to make cubs laugh more then by golly, Uthuli would master it! Determined to do good at this, she took a gulp of air through her mouth, not her nose, then puffed her cheeks out with the air she had caught. She tried sticking her tongue out as well, but it only deflated the air she was holding in her cheeks.

Hmm. Clearly she needed to set some time aside to practice this strange-face-making skill. If she was ever to become an expert like this lion was anyways.

Peppermint Coffee

 

[Bronze Coffee]

He relaxed when she seemed to do the same and just watched her with snickers and tears in his eyes from laughing so hard. Finally the large male flopped to the side and just breathed deeply through little fits of snickers. He was trying to calm down!

"Ah... I'm D-Dwa.. Just so you know who you're learning from." He looked at the female and then sort of batted at her ankles, seeing if she was in the mood for a tumble bout of play. You were never too old or too big for a wrestling match! But if she wasn't, she'd just cuff him and he'd apologize. No harm done. His tail flopped in the dirt behind him, kicking up dust as he rolled over onto his back.

"I should know my pupil's name!"

CaliWolfe

omg playful idiot, that's Dwa

 

[CaliWolfe]

Dwa. Easy, simple. She'd be sure to remember it!

Apparently she was becoming a professional at funny faces. Since now the male was flopped over in his attempts to breathe! The thought that she was capable of provoke such laughter from another made the lioness smile in glee.

"It's Uthuli!" She grinned, lightly jabbing the male's exposed stomach. "You have much to teach me about funny-face-making, Master Dwa."

Peppermint Coffee

 

[Bronze Coffee]

He grunted at the jabs to his tummy and nipped at her paw a bit, squirming to do so. He tried to get a couple toes in his mouth to n** at but it didn't work. Somehow Uthuli was too quick for him! Dwa shifted to roll onto his stomach, effectively covering himself in the dust that made up their homelands and just yawned lazily.

"Uthuli. I can definitely teach you between bouts of cubs! Little things need entertainment." Entertainment, sometimes a firm paw. It all depended. "Do you have cubs of your own?"

CaliWolfe

 

[CaliWolfe]

With Dwa’s yawn Uthuli also decided to relax and lowered herself onto the ground. She stretched out as she responded to his question, “Noooo. But I’d like some someday.” Uthuli merely worried whether she’d be a good mother or not. Why, she would be the best at protecting her cubs for sure. But if they started annoying her? Well, she didn’t have the patience for that.

Then again, she was sure some of the other lionesses wouldn’t mind watching her cubs. That was arguably one of the best parts of being in a pride, that everyone shared the work!

Uthuli gave a sigh as she mumbled, “I hope my cubs like me when I have them. Even when I do snap at them sometimes."

Peppermint Coffee

 

[Bronze Coffee]

No cubs? He just gave her a little smile and shrugged. "There's always time! You're young still." His blue eyes looked off to the rest of the pride, tail thumping lazily behind him. It was really nice, actually, to not have to worry about a female trying to flirt with him. It was always so awkward to explain things.

"Well, every mother loses her patience...It's just knowing how to handle the situation after that happens." Dwa's brows raised and then hummed. "I'm sure you'll be a good mom, though." He actually thought almost every female in this pride could be a good mother.

"Well, sorry to keep you, if I am. Just thought I'd put in my two cents."

CaliWolfe

 

[CaliWolfe]

Was he holding her up? She didn't think so... Hmm. Right, yes! Watering hole. The quest to find a drinking partner so the Uthuli didn’t die from dehydration! Just the thought of refreshing cool liquid sliding down her throat was serving as reminder enough to the lioness of how parched she was.

Standing, Uthuli gave a little shake of her fur to get some of the dust off of it. Not that it seemed to do much with her dust-colored coat... “You weren’t really, but I should be going anyways.” Now with a goal in mind she’d have something to do the rest of that day.

As she turned to leave she quickly flashed Dwa a grin. “You know, you’re actually kind of fun to hang out with... I’ll have to work on my stupid-face-making skills for the next time we meet!”

Peppermint Coffee

last from me.