Open: Pridelands Waterhole: Wandering Lioness

[Typomouse]

Setting: Some time before dark. (Around 3, 4 PM)
Players: All Welcome

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The sun has hit a midway point in the sky; it is no longer noon, but not quite yet dusk or evening. The sky is slightly cloudy, but there is no hint of rain yet. A cool breeze skips along the land, sending the grass rippling in its wake. The reeds and long green grass surrounding the water hole itself wave lazily. The Rocks, where they lay for sunning, are at this time warm; but its their shade which draws creatures to them more.

Slowly, weaving through the grass somes Tsuri; the medium brown lioness, with lighter markings and dark dorsal stripe down her back moving with a calm air about her. A stranger within these lands; yet there peacefully. Anyone attempting to challenge her to battle would find her willing to back down or depart. At the moment, her movements are simple: upon reaching the water's edge, she dips her head down, and laps slowly at the cool liquid that carries a reflection of the light of day overhead.

[Kesh]

OOC: And now for a game of Choose-Your-Adventure!


The wandering lioness comes upon a dry grove of trees, the earth here dusty and cracked as the onset of winter rains is still yet to come and the lack of a local source moisture threatens the livelihood of this typically lush grove. Many parts of these lands suffer the same fate, though they do so every year with varying degrees of severity while some, such as those near rivers and persistent ponds, remain fertile almost year-round.

Two things come into clarity at nearly the same time, one by sight, the other by sound. Towards the sloping landscape to the lioness' left can be seen a male lion far in the distance, plodding along along a shallow ridge, his willowy mane ruffling in the upgusts of air that make for coolness in the daytime heat without the need for shade along that route. The direction of the wind gusts and his nearly tangent line of travel lends him to having not taken notice of her presence just yet. A patrolling guard? A surveying king? A wandering rogue? It cannot be told for sure from this distance as the air does not offer a whiff of his identity for her, either.

The other item, called upon by a shrill note, is that of a pair of eyes set upon the foreign lioness, a matching set of over-sized ears perched atop while a long, dappled neck elevated them and a slender nose and set of whiskers above the dry grasses not so very far from where the lioness stands just now. A serval, and clearly one inquisitive of this stranger but paused in the grasses for any of a number of reasons, the easiest, and most logical, reason being fear of the bigger cat, but at the same time the gaze does not seem to suggest such a thing.

Choose your path:
Call to the wandering lion and find out if he is friend, foe, or worse (Turn to page 31)
Approach the inquisitive serval and show the little thing who's boss (Turn to page 76)
Beckon to the serval and find out what this small feline is doing in lion territory (Turn to page 12)
Quickly hide behind a tree and climb up to try to avoid being seen! (Turn to page 112)

[Typomouse]

(OOC: Turning to page 12. Bahaha.)

Ears would cup forward, first at that sight of the approaching male; however, being as she seeks no hostile intent in these lands, Tsuri does not find him to be overly worrisome to her goals. Instead, she laps a few more quick swallows, and then, ears flitting forwardagain, lifts her head to peer towards the Serval.

She turns in that direction; then the lioness would step in that way. A strange creature she has only seen in the distance before, and now it seems to wish to come quite closer! Her surprise, and amusement at this is registered across her face in a kind, bemused quirk of the corners of her muzzle, before she speaks: "Hello... Come here.. I won't hurt you." She lowers her head, ears falling to an 'at ease' stance, as she offers, to the serval, a rather non-threatening pose.

[Kesh]

In time the pacing lion disappears from sight, unaware of the activity in the dry grove should no loud sound be made that would call his attention.

The smaller feline doesn't seem to be aware of the male lion or, at least, not doing anything about it, whatever the reason may be, though one would certainly think that one of this one's stature would do well to avoid lions whenever possible.

At the welcoming gesture of the unfamiliar lioness, the serval blanks once then ducks down, tall ears remaining visable as it plods forward till the grass thins and allows the lanky cat's full form to be seen, and vice versa to the darker-than-most lioness.

"Aloo.. who goes there, lady lioness?"

Clearly the littler she-cat is not, in any way, fearful of the leonine, at least not overtly so, indicated by the high angle of her short tail, the directness of her gaze and voice tone, and the fact that she approaches without any sort of directly convenient shelter. Risky, perhaps, but the stanger seems to be of the more well wishing sort. Of course, plenty of distance still spans between them just yet.