Chest low and hind end in the air, Liuxing was practicing her pouncing in the tall grass. She was just a few paces from her family's den; she was careful not to go too far and worry her mother. The small cub really liked being outside, but not always when there were other lions around. Though she never really heard anything directly, she could feel the strange unhappy feelings around her - she even saw the glances towards her and her siblings. Liuxing didn't really understand it. Momma was always so kind, and father...well, she knew he was good. She just knew it. She didn't know why some others didn't like him. He was a good King, wasn't he?
Puckering her lips and wrinkling her nose, she tried to focus on the butterfly floating a few yards in front of her. Her bright eyes were wide, trying to track its random movements - how did anyone ever get the hang of this? Shifting her weight back and forth on her back paws, Liuxing's energy built, until she spring-loaded forward, front paws outstretched as they flailed towards the butterfly. When she landed, her empty paws revealed that she had missed. Again. Maybe she was letting too many negative thoughts distract her. Letting out a huff of air, she rest her head on the ground, her face pinched in a pout.
Riding the warm breeze, Astrophel closed his eyes as he glided in slow circles. He had come to settle in a position about twenty feet off the ground - it was enough out of the way where he wouldn't have to worry too much about trouble, but also close enough for him to perhaps eye his next meal. The wind felt so nice against his face, and he felt like he could just fall asleep right there.
His eyes opened as a certain smell entered his nose; lions. And this much of a stench meant he must be entering into a pride's territory. Flying over a pride was like being smacked in the face by the overwhelming scent of lion. It wasn't always pleasant, but he could sometimes scavenge some food from prides. Scanning the ground, he was hoping there might be something that he could just easily pluck from the ground without having to spend too much time. A small purple ball caught his eye - it looked like a cub. Unfortunately, it also looked like it had grown out of his food range. But it did look like it was following his next snack.
Adjusting his wings, Astrophel quickly aimed towards the earth, gaining speed. Due to the nature of his prey, he dove head-first, snatching the butterfly in his mouth and coming to a quick land a few paces away.
Liuxing's pout was interrupted by the sound of a sudden thud nearby. Her eyes popped open, ears shifting forward. Her small mouth hung slightly agape, and she cautiously rose from the ground. Squinting slightly, she peered over the grass, trying to see what had suddenly come near her. At her size, all she could really see were some rustling stalks. Her body tensed, ready for a supposed attack - this is part of what she had been practicing for, right? Maybe it was just a big mouse or a rabbit that had come up from its den.
Giving a slight wiggle, the small cub bounded forward, putting her small claws out in front of her like she'd seen her mother do. As she cleared the tall grass, it became instantly clear that her prey wasn't a mouse or a rabbit - but something feathered.
Momma had never really bothered with anything with feathers on it, so the small cub stopped in her tracks, confused on what to do.
Chomping down on his prize, the pale bird was blissfully unaware of his new ground surroundings. That is, until a sudden and aggressive sounding shift in the grass grew louder towards him. Shrinking his head down and extending one of his clawed feet, Astrophel's wings were up and guarded, waiting to see what would break through the grass.
Ah, the cub. He relaxed significantly upon seeing the small purple thing stop abruptly. The young bird had forgotten briefly how dangerous the ground could be for him, but luckily this adversary was harmless.
"What are you looking at, kid?" Swallowing his snack, he shuffled his wings and feathers back into place.
Liuxing carefully looked over the creature in front of her; she had never seen such a thing up-close. They only walked around on two feet? How did they not fall over?
By now, Liuxing's head was tilted, her eyes tracing the figure up and down over and over. The feathers looked so soft up close, she wondered if she could ask to touch them.
"You're a bird, aren't you?" She bounced up and down on her toes, a small smile growing on her face.
Really? Really? Astrophel was still decently young, but he was no dumb child, which apparently is what he’d stumbled upon.
“Uh. Yeah.” He blinked a few times, a little skeptical that the question was even legitimate. After a moment, he just went back to chewing, resigned to this childish interaction. “And you’re a little fur-ball.” Astrophel kept ripping at his meal, wanting to finish quickly so he could go on his way.
“I’m not a fur-ball! I’m a lion.” Liuxing was quite proud of that fact, and didn’t want anyone mistaking it. “You should be my friend!” The small cub grinned at the bird, unphased at the carcass that he was destroying. She thought his wings were so cool, and she always wanted something like that by her side.
Astrophel paused for a few moments, deliberately stopping his feeding to stare at the cub. Maybe if he humored it it would just go away on its own. “...yeah, fine.” Returning to his meal, he was just about finished now. Taking a few moments to clean his talons, he had had quite enough of this conversation. “Well, my little lion friend, I’ve gotta fly. Maybe I’ll see you around.” He looked over at her for a moment before spreading his wings and flapping from the ground.
