[PRP] Aren't you tiny (Budek x Cubbin)

[MangoMeow]

She was bored. Annoyed and bored. She loved her pridemates, well and truly, but they had a habit of hovering and pestering and telling her she needed to bath, which was just a stupid idea, in her opinion. What was so wrong with a bit of grime! Well, whatever. Melo wasn't around them now. She'd gotten quite good at slipping away from the others, though her sister was harder to lose. (thankfully, she gave Melo her space when she felt she needed it)

Nosing at some grass, the tiny cub sniffed at the dry scent. She liked to take in the new smells when she could. Everything was new and interesting! Plus, her pride traveled a lot, so she wanted to memorize all the new things she came across.

And on that note, she barely had time to register the new scent of another lion before he spoke up. Startled, Melokuhle whipped her head back up to stare at the other feline. It was a male... actually he seemed kind of familiar? Probably one of the ones in her pride, she never really kept track. She probably should, because come to think of it... yeah, he seemed really, really familiar. And he towered over her. She had to strain her head up to look at him. (not that that was saying much. Everyone was bigger than her)

With a flick of her tail, she realized that she never answered him back. "Um...." An ear tilted back, as she tried to think of how to answer. "I like being alone?" Which was true, she often trailed off on her own, preferring the silence to the chatter of the other lionesses. She narrowed her eyes at him, "Why are you out here alone?"

AstoriaFallen

 

[MangoMeow]

Melo let out a huff, puffing herself up to make herself look bigger. "I can defend myself just fine! Anyone that'd try to attack me would just turn tail when they saw me." Not that she's ever really fought anyone or anything before, but she was fairly confident that she could handle herself.

And how dare he question whether she could or couldn't. Just because she was small, it didn't mean that she couldn't defend herself. She took off on her own all the time. Granted, it was because she didn't want to be around those sympathetic glances and hushed whispers about her and her sister, but the fact remained.

His next question had her flicking her tail as she deflated back to normal. "Melokuhle, but most people call me Melo." Curiosity overcame her then, overriding her indignation from before. "What's all that fluffy fur around your head?" She's never come across a male lion before. Was this normal? Seemed weird to her.

AstoriaFallen

 

[MangoMeow]

A mane, huh? She's never heard of that before. It looked like it'd be a pain to have though, always flopping all over the place, but she had to admit that it looked really fluffy and it made her curious what it felt like. She wondered if she could talk him into letting her play with it.

Melo hummed distractedly, "Nope." She popped the 'p' sound at the end dramatically, before shaking her head to pull herself back out of her thoughts. "He was challenged and beat around the time I was born, and I never saw him before he left." And the females of the pride never really let her or the other cubs around the males until they were a bit older. At least, she didn't think they did. They never let her, anyway. Maybe it was different for cubs who still had their parents.

Flicking her tail around to curl about her feet, the little cub tilted her head and squinted when she noticed his eyes. "Why're your eyes different colors?"

AstoriaFallen

 

[MangoMeow]

Melo gave him a narrow-eyed look, not really sure she knew what an anomaloly was. Anmoly? Anonomaly? Whatever, but she guessed it meant something about being different from the rest of your family. She hadn't ever... come across something like that, but then, it was just her and her sister, and she's never sat down and stared at other litters before.

No, she mostly kept to herself.

She snorted at his next question, "I just saaaaaiiid, my name is Melo." She shook her head, annoyed that she had to repeat herself, and then, in true cub fashion, moved back to the previous topic, "Do you see different in each eye?" That'd be hard, seeing like that. She couldn't imagine that.

AstoriaFallen

 

[MangoMeow]

Huh, she'd have thought he'd see differently. But then, she thought that everyone saw differently when they had different eye colors. The more you learn, she supposed.

At his question, she hummed in thought, head tilting dramatically to one side. She wasn't sure she had anything else. At least not right now, which left her scratching her brain to think of something. Who knew if she'd still be able to ask him anything later. She wanted her answers now!

But no, she couldn't think of anything else. Noticing him looking up had her looking up too. Oooo, vultures! She'd love to meet one of them some day. Maybe even partner with one. Anyone with a vulture was reputed as important and useful.

Glancing back down at him, Melokuhle hopped on her feet, "Are one of those yours?" Could guys have vultures? She didn't know.

AstoriaFallen

Lol, it's cool. xD I always end up having to reread the rp I'm replying to because I'd do the same thing otherwise.

 

[MangoMeow]

Aw, she was sort of hoping he had one. She would have loved to meet a vulture! She continued to gaze wistfully up at the sky, before his next words registered in her ears.

A scowl grew on her face then, and she turned back slowly with narrowed eyes. She felt her fur bristle along her little spine, and she shuffled in place with claws outstretched. She opened her mouth to snap back her usual responses to inquiries about her mother, and then paused as she realized that he probably didn't know.

What was it the lioness' always said? Take a deeeep breathe? Not everyone is trying to attack you?

Well, she always was bad at following that advise.

Sniffing and jutting her chin out defensively, Melo grumbled out a reply, "My mom is dead." And then more reluctantly, "The other lioness' take care of me though... So I guess we could go back to them."

AstoriaFallen

 

[MangoMeow]

Melo gave a huff and then shook her head. She was tired of everyone apologizing about that. She didn't even know who her mother was. Just stories and whispers behind her back. She wasn't sure she wanted to hang around him much longer, nor did she really want to head back quite yet, but... a quick glance up showed that it was later in the day. She should probably head back.

Grumbling unhappily, the cub glanced back at him and then gave a reluctant nod. "They're over this way." She waved a paw in the general direction she'd come from.

"We should be able to find Mazuri or Nomvula or someone over there." That's where she'd given them the slip in the first place. "... And they're probably looking for me, so we'll probably hear them before we see them."

Hopping back up to her paws, she flicked her tail straight up cockily and then began padding away, not looking back to see if he was following or not.

AstoriaFallen

Sounds good. 3nodding