[BL-PRP] Hunting (Tawa x Umthunzi)

[SilverLutz]

It was a hot day. It had been hot for a while now, but today was exceptionally unbearable. It reminded Tawa of his time in his old pride where the days were always scorching and the nights were always freezing. The desert was an unforgiving environment, but it seemed that the harsh climate had followed him to the Bonelands now that he was finally an Inselelo.

Hunting was getting a bit tricky as the water had started to dry up, sending a few big herds off to greener pastures. The lionesses were in charge of the food-getting, but Tawa knew he'd need to led a paw if ever asked. So far, though, he'd only been approached by females looking for cubs. It wasn't a duty he particularly enjoyed doing, but it was one he knew he should do. Keeping bloodlines fresh and new was important here, even if the thought of bringing more cubs into the world right now made him a bit uneasy.

He lounged under a tree in the shade, tail flicking as he waited for the sun to continue to set. Hopefully someone would be looking to go on a hunt and perhaps he could lend a paw.  

[Quaji]

"Oi!" The voice was followed quickly by a swift paw to the back of the scarlet Inselelo's head. A playful gesture from the cloaked lioness that soon came to stand beside her the flame from her childhood.

"You seem bored. Life as an 'eligible male' here doesn't seem to suit you, Tawa." It still amazed her how easily the two of them had fallen back into old habits from their youth. It was like they had never truly parted and for that Umthunzi was glad. Glad enough to forget the overhanging threat of Tawa eventually being challenged. Again and again he'd fight until one day he lost and then he would be gone. The horrid thought clung to the lioness, but the sound of her stomach's growl, a cry for food, only made her smile sheepishly from underneath her tawny cowl.

Over the years the cloak had needed to be larger and larger, but with the build of a true-blooded Firekin, prey the size she needed were hard to find. Instead, Umthunzi had settled for a naturally colored pelt of a rogue male that Bangizwe had killed a few months back. She thought the white mane that still clung to the skin suited her quite nicely.  

[SilverLutz]

The swat came too quickly after the call for Tawa to react and he grimaced at the smack. He lifted a paw to rub his head, turning to look at Umthunzi as she came into his line of sight. He snorted quietly as she teased him, reaching out to swat at the fur hanging over her shoulders to tease her back.

"You know I wasn't thinking about that when I joined," he said as he looked up at the large lioness, the little mane on her neck looking quite hilarious. The rogue had been smaller than her, but his pelt did the job to keep her from being burned by the sun.

"I was thinking I would be more of a physical asset, defending the pride, helping on hunts...I suppose I was wrong, though. But you're right. I am rather bored."  

[Quaji]

"Well come on then," a gentle nudge was all the pale lioness offered as encouragement to try and get Tawa onto his feet. "One of the Cinga spotted a couple of lone water buffalo last night up by a little dried up riverbed." Probably trying to find a drink, just like everyone else. "Seems there was a calf with them. If we can separate them, should be easy enough for two ex-Firekin to take down, right?"

It was a challenge, really. Umthunzi wanted to test him, really see if he was still the same lion she knew from years gone by. Physically he looked like the same Tawa, talked like him too, but could he keep up with her still? The grin she had been wearing fell into a firm line as she began thinking more about the other lionesses and a pang of jealousy bit at her.

Just as quickly as the coy grin had come and gone, so was Umthunzi, loping well ahead of the red male, giving no pause for him to catch up as she headed north. Water buffalo should be easy to spot, right? They were big, loud sometimes too. They were normally not hunted by the lionesses born in the Ithambo, but they also weren't normally as large or trained to a military standard as she and Tawa had been. Of course, her training had been different. Survival, herb lore, navigating harsh terrain, the works. She was 'huria' after all.  

[SilverLutz]

Tawa's ears perked up as his long time friend mentioned water buffalo. They were a dangerous animal to be sure, but ones without a herd were easier to pick off, especially if there was a calf. He got to his feet without any more prodding, the heat of the day forgotten. Finally something to do that could make him useful in other aspects!

Oh, and the fact that he was going off with Umthinzi alone would be nice, too. He missed her dearly and rarely got a moment with her, which was a shame. She was the reason he was here, after all.

He followed after her, keeping an eye on the tawny pelt as she passed through the dried up grass. He put on a little burst of speed to catch up with her, a grin on his face. Ah, it was like old times, but instead of running through the sand they had the tall grass whipping at their faces.

As he pulled even with her he bumped against her shoulder, jostling her just a bit as they had done when they had raced as cubs, trying to get the other to lose their footing to get a little edge.

"Should be easy indeed," he finally agreed.  

[Quaji]

Umthunzi simply responded with a scolding chuff. There were snakes, hyenas, hell even vultures posed some kind of threat, however minimal. Pale red eyes were watchful, keeping an eye out for both of their sakes. She had practically grown up here. It was more of a home than the desert they were walking in the direction of ever had been.

Still, she couldn't deny the thrill of it all. A private hunt, dangerous, but there would be time to worry later.

"That's assuming we can break the calf away from whatever group it's with. The Cinga said there were two with it, but there was another nearby, about an hour's walk. That was last night." Sure she was with Tawa, but the training, the practice honing her skills as a hunter, it all showed now. Tawa was a precious commodity to the pride and to hell if she was going to help anything mess with him, but Umthunzi knew he would watch her back as well. Especially with the pelt both weighing her down and making it a little more difficult to see out from the holes where the lion's eyes had once been, but it didn't seem to hinder her movements. As if it was simply a second skin to the Busisa.



The pair walked in relative silence for nearly two hours with only the occasional bit of chatter breaking the quiet that settled between them. Most of the talk composed of Umthunzi giving brief lessons about various flora they came across, or the bones of long-dead fauna. 'Better he learn now.'

The sun just beginning its descent towards the horizon by the time the scent of their quarry finally hit her nose and certainly Tawa's as well. Following it, carefully, quietly, she lead them on, her knowledge of the terrain superior to his. Only two, one adult and one calf, both resting, down on the ground near the end of the long since dried up river.

"Likely a mother and her calf," Umthunzi spoke, voice hushed. As quickly as they came into view, Umthunzi's body language completely changed. The massive body dropped to the ground, belly itching against the dry brush as she moved, crouching the entire time. They had the wind in their advantage. For now.

"You take the lead. Remember, we're not trying to take the mother down. Just keep her off of me and we'll be golden," her voice was solid, eyes watching him sternly. They hadn't hunted together in...by the Sun, it must have been years. Umthunzi's eyes softened as she reached a single paw over to lay across one of his larger ones. "Be careful."  

[SilverLutz]

Tawa was glad to be given the lessons as they walked. He had decent experience having survived for so long on the edge of the Bonelands, but most of it had been living off of the skills he had learned in the Firekin. Now he was finally starting to know his new home as well as Umthunzi did, which hopefully would help him in the future.

The walk was long, but he didn't mind. Every step was with Umthunzi and therefore a step well made. Their shoulders brushed on occasion and sometimes their tails bapped one another, accidental or on purpose, it was hard to tell. Finally they reached their goal, the water buffalo blissfully unaware of the two large lions.

Tawa crouched beside Umthunzi, nodding at her direction. He knew it wasn't usual for a lone male and female to go hunt, but they weren't normal Boneland lions. Tawa had no trouble holding his own against prey, especially if it was just a mission to distract. He could do that easily and even perhaps send the calf fleeing directly to the waiting jaws of his friend.

The paw over his made him pause, though. Glancing at the lioness beside him, he gave her a grin and leaned in to nuzzle her cheek with his nose. "Of course," he said quietly before pushing through the brush.

It didn't take long to reach the end of their cover. He watched the mother for a few moments before slinking around the side, breaking cover only when he had to. He kept his stride low to the ground, and for a while he circled them without being noticed. Finally, though, the mother lifted her head and spotted him approaching. Lumbering to her feet, she nudged her calf off in the direction of the brush, no doubt to hide. It was a shame Umthunzi would be there and waiting.

Giving a little roar of annoyance, Tawa trotted forward just enough to draw the mother away. She lowered her head and began to run at him, which caused the large lion to turn and jog away, luring her further from her calf.  

[Quaji]

As the angry bellows filled the air, Umthunzi knew that was her cue. The speed at which the mother moved was enough to already put a small amount of space between her and her calf. While Tawa harassed the much larger buffalo, she watched the calf approached, her body low until she knew she could strike. It noticed her first. Brown eyes widened as it began to bleat, trying to call it's mother ad it turned tail to run.

It dodged her first strike. Panic had already settled upon the scene and the calf was trying to desperately to return to its mother's side. Scrambling to find footing as the young calf's bleating became more frantic as the lioness' paws scraped the ground, claws leaving marks on the dry earth as her body spun, body turning as she attempted to keep it from its angry mother.

Paws hit their mark. The weight behind them alone pushed the struggling calf to the ground. Sounds were quickly silenced as Umthunzi's mouth around the brown calf's throat, its cries dying in its throat. The struggles ended soon enough, though not before it managed to nick her on the shoulder with one of its hooves.

They had succeeded in securing a meal, now it was time to see if they could convince the mother to leave well enough alone. Most of the buffalo's Umthunzi had seen or heard stories about had a knack for vengeance, even chasing some lions up trees and keeping them for hours. Hopefully she wouldn't be one of those and would simply leave after seeing her calf was dead.  

[SilverLutz]

Tawa kept an eye on the mother, only putting in a bit more effort of running away when he saw Umthunzi make her move. The bleating of the calf got the mother's attention, and that was when he acted. Turning quickly, he charged after the lumbering beast to cut her off. This was where it would get dangerous.

With a snarl he threw his weight against the water buffalo's hind quarters, sending her weight off balance and the beast down to the dirt. He pounced quickly, claws digging into the muscular shoulder, and jerked back as the dangerous hooves flashed before him. The female was slow to get up, but he continued to circle her to keep her occupied. There was no way he could take her down for good on his own, but he could keep her off Umthunzi's trail as she made the kill.

Finally the noises stopped from where lioness and water buffalo had fought. The mother made a distressed call, but it wasn't answered. She snorted and pawed the ground before giving Tawa a bit of a chase, tossing her head after him as he dodged and disappeared into the tall grass once again. Thankfully that seemed to be the last of her anger, because she lumbered away without any more fuss.

Moving through the grass to return to Umthunzi's side, he emerged with a proud grin on his face. "Not bad for two of us," he said, sitting down to let Umthunzi and himself catch their breath.  

[Quaji]

Umthunzi's head rose, mouth hanging open and stained red, but there was a sense of feral pride in the grin that was firmly placed on her face. Though her chest heaved, her breathing heavy and hard-drawn, she laughed. It was a deep laugh, one that caused her sides to ripple. The source was simply the stress of the moment and the excitement it had wrought.

Of course, the Busisa knew full well that the other lionesses would scold her for being so reckless and with such a precious male no less, but they would say it as they filled their bellies.

"Come on, better get this thing back to the pride before the buzzards get a whiff of it." As if on cue the familiar cry of a white-headed vulture rang true. Umthunzi's head snapped in the direction, eyes narrowing against the glare of the setting sun. It clung to a branch of a long-dead tree, watching, hoping they would leave the still-warm calf unattended for a moment. It would only be a matter of time until more swarmed them.

Lowering her head, Umthunzi gripped the calf's neck in her mouth, dragging it to place upon her old friend's back. "Your back is wider," was the excuse Umthunzi used this time to have Tawa do most of the work, though she insisted that she would be keeping the vultures from them and take the point in scaring any overly curious scavenger from their trail.

With a warm orange glow washing over them, the pair of ex-Firekin made their way back to the pride's center, a prize with them.