((pre-meta/orp))
There were many whispers about the newer Inselelo. Though she had heard one of them was pale (and being somewhat traditional in thought, she had zero interest in him), the descriptions of the other one had been too conflicting. Wings, odd spots, his mouth was strange, and those forepaws were a mess. He was intriguing, had a dark mane, seemed stoic, almost too quiet. Then she had heard that he joined to be with his sister...so strange. Too strange. Family was something that Umutsuz had a hard time wrestling with. She did not have a full grasp on what it meant to be a mother, and so she herself didn't have much of an urge to bear cubs of her own. What if she decided it wasn't worth it? Sure, she could always pawn them off to a sister of her's, or any other willing female, but that wouldn't make things right. And so she merely kept to herself as best she could, her sour attitude driving many curious friendlies away from her.
So with heavy paws, she set off to go find this new inselelo, and to poke and prod and see if he was even worth anything. She didn't really know where to start, but her ears were pointing her into the right direction. There was a bit of noise to the east, and she assumed that the flutter of noise was because of at least one of the two males.
As she approached, there were about four females gathered around a male. And he didn't look exactly thrilled to be the center of attention.
Bingo.
" 'Ey!" Umutsuz yelled out, drawing the attention to herself for a moment. All of the lions looked back, wondering who it was. There was a distinct look of confusion on Giruvegan's face, but two of the females looked a little offended at who was coming over. They didn't appear to want to leave quiet yet, however, and the sandy coloured-female knew she was going to have to put a little work into it.
Giruvegan had been doing ok. He hadn't gotten mobbed too much in the last few days, but that was clearly a ruse to let him drop his guard. He had a moment to himself...when suddenly a group of lionesses had ambushed him to poke, prod, and ask questions. They were the normal exclamations of how strange his markings were, especially his forepaws and face. He was growing rather tired of being the spectacle of the Inselelo, but it appeared to be a useless fight. It didn't matter how much he explained he was born with them, they still had to move around his lips and make sure he had true lion teeth in his mouth. And being the perfect gentleman he was...he let them walk all over him. It was rather frustrating.
So when a pushy looking female barged into the group, Giruvegan was at a loss of how to deal with yet another female who wanted to poke and prod yet again. It didn't go unnoticed that some of the other females around him didn't seem to like her, and this stranger seemed to enjoy that.
"You've had you time with him, move along already. Unless you're going to entice him into servicing you?" Umutsuz sneered with hiss, her pale golden eyes darkening with warning. She received a few snarls in return, but with another huff and a push against the apparent ringleader, the four lionesses ended up wandering off. They offered a few embarrassing catcalls to the Inselelo, and the sandy lioness roared with laughter. "I see you're as popular as they say...though you're strong, you let them walk all over you!"
Giruvegan shifted uncomfortably under her critical eye. If they were fawning themselves over him, they were insulting him. He didn't seem to find any of the busisa and umzingeli fell anywhere inbetween. "I am here to protect and...offer breeding services," he said with a gulp, to which he received another burst of laughter as a reply. "It is not my business to tell them how to act or behave."
He was watching her closely. She didn't seem too interested in offering the usual questions that bordered on insults, but she also didn't seem all that impressed with him. What was her story, and why did she seem to not care about how those other lionesses saw her?
"It is your business to stop allowing them to insult you," she flatly replied, her look of disgust apparent on her face. "Really, even if you're only here temporarily, that doesn't mean you have to allow them to walk all over you. So really, why are you here? You're obviously trying to play the walking archtype of a nice guy, but there has to be more reason that wanting to stick by your sister. Are you sure you're not here to ******** every little female that looks at you with those pleading doe eyes? Lately we've had some inselelo that only seem interested in that. Granted, it strengthens the pride, and they have to win their way in...but it is still treating both sides of the relationship like a joke."
Giruvegan blinked very slowly. Was...were...she was probably the most up front and almost vulgar lioness he had come across yet. And it was like a breath of fresh air. "No. Regardless of what you may attempt to saddle me with, I am only here to make sure that my sister is happy and safe. The chaos of our homelands falling apart was not easy, and it isn't easy trying to find a new place to call home. The last thing I want is to see that happen again, and damned if I am not going to at least try!"
He was breathing heaving, as he hadn't realized his talking had turned into an intense bit of yelling. "Ah....sorry. I understand the tasks that I have accepted when I won the challenge to be marked as an Inselelo for this pride, but it doesn't mean I have to be happy with all of them."
Umutsuz didn't realize the hornets nest she had kicked when she attempted to prod the male into an argument. Her face was a look of surprise...and then she relaxed into a look of bemusement. "Oh, well then. I think I'm going to like you a lot, Giruvegan. Let's see if we can come to some sort of arrangement to your benefit," she said with a sultry laugh.
Giruvegan felt his ears grow hot. What did he just accidentally sign up for? Clouds above, help keep him safe.
(1,103 words)