[PRP] An Undesired Encounter [Hila x Ushindi]

[Vashtya]

It was a rare, sunny day in the land of storms, and Hila was taking full advantage of the scarce resource, sunning herself on a large, flat rock near the pridal borders. It sat high enough above the surrounding landscape that she should be able to see anyone approaching with plenty of warning, and so she felt comfortable dozing lightly. She was determined to move up the ranks, and so planned to become a fixture here, ready to take on any rogues that might wander too close.

So far, she had yet to engage in a single duel - and while she'd only recently made the decision to begin working toward a new rank, patience was not something she possessed in large supply.
 

[Ctrl F Greenie]

Claiming his rightful place, continuing a proud bloodline, and nurturing his need to correct the path the Stormborn had been traveling down were square in his mind. Ushindi let loose a small sigh, but steeled his expression as approached the borders - his borders. "Jicho, Silma. What do you see?" The pair of ravens had been silent company, clutching the furs he wore as he walked. The simple question wasn't answered with words, but instead a reaction as they let go of the pelts and beat their broad wing span to rise into the sky.

Once above the lion the pair surveyed the area and spotted what they presumed to be the usual traffic. Lions monitoring the border and doing a little surveying of their own. Cries could be heard from a distance that suggested duels were going on - good. Fortify the ranks with new blood, moldable blood. "So?" The voice from below was impatient, not an uncommon tone, and it prompted the return of both ravens to the pelt they had been riding. Ushindi had ceased moving pending their return and so landing wasn't a cause for concern.

"Nothing unusual, aside from a lounging youth." Jicho reported with very little enthusiasm. Seeing the youth in such a manner, female or not, had struck him as odd. Lions enjoyed sun bathing as much as the next animal, but at the borders?

"We'll go there, which way?" Ushindi queried the raven while gazing at him from the corner of his eye. "That way." Silma instructed, speaking up and out of turn, but to her delight there were no consequences.

Ushindi didn't hesitate another moment. His ears twitched slightly as he heard the clash of teeth, then the collapse of heavy body to the solid ground. It was a satisfying crunch that followed suggesting one side had dominated the other. His silent hope was that the Stormborn were doing themselves proud in that moment. If not, then their blood would be replaced with the victor's. He smiled slightly, but the smile faded as he approached the area where his companions had pointed.

"Not much further Ushindi." Jicho squawked.  

[Vashtya]

Despite the appearance (not a deceptive one) of idleness as she watched for interlopers, Hila was not being inattentive. As Ushindi and Jicho grew closer, she got to her feet, shaking the dust from her pelt and moving forward to greet them. Noticing the direction they approached from, she knew they were stormborn, and as they drew close enough for her to make out details, she stiffened, fighting down a snarl of annoyance - fantastic, it was their new warlord...the one responsible for her having to spend her days at the borders, working toward the coveted rank of Valkyrie...all so that she could earn the right to leave pridal borders as she had before his reign.

Much as she already resented his policies, she wasn't one to burn bridges, and so inclined her head in greeting as he drew close. "Warlord Ushindi. It's a good day to die." she said, and could probably be forgiven for her tone ending up more...neutral than friendly. As she did so, she took the opportunity to study him...covertly. She resented the change that he represented, but he was still their warlord, and as such, she couldn't help but be curious about him, since information was sparse (perhaps understandably, no one wanted to be caught talking about him, and she wasn't enmeshed enough in the female arena of discreet gossip to hear much from that side of the pride).

Ctrl F Greenie

 

[Ctrl F Greenie]

Silma and Jicho had settled on a perch not far from where Ushindi entered the scene. They were no longer needed as eyes in the sky, but prepared for a rapid take off should they receive a glance from their master.

"Daughter of the Storm, it is indeed a good day to die." He responded back to her coolly. While he didn't engage with others often he did find that her silence was strange. Especially considering the rumor had been dry. Something he had tried to keep under wraps save for what he wanted the people to know. Typically these conversations would be filled with questions, anger or out right hate. The prides females considered what he had done to be a dishonor to their kind, but he didn't see it that way.

Silma made a small sound that grabbed Ushindis attention away from the adolescent briefly only to see she had spied the battle - or likely that - and she looked quite proud. Another victory under the fighters belt, he was sure of it. "Is there not enough to do at the borders? Or perhaps the den you tend is already cared for?" He was curious, and if she chose to keep questions to herself who was he to prod? Though his questions seemed innocent enough they were anything, but careless. He chose the wording carefully and let his eyes narrow slightly, even his 'pleasant' tone could be compared to ice.

Shield Maidens that wanted to prove themselves shouldn't be lounging. A mental note he made for himself. The women wanted their ranks so badly and yet the few he had come across weren't pressing forward. All in all it secured the decision for him.

Vashtya

 

[Vashtya]

Her eyes narrowed, almost imperceptibly as she studied him. If he was expecting her to fill the conversational void with false niceties, then he was yowling up the wrong tree...her mental disrespect stopped abruptly when he spoke again, her lip lifting over her sharp teeth before she schooled her expression into careful impassivity once again, although the adolescent's posture stiffened at his implication.

"My den is in the care of the thrall I brought back from a viking, although I appreciate your concern," she began, her own tone sharpening, sarcasm bleeding through at the rebuke that she read into his tone. "And I've been at the border since dawn, but have had no rogues cross my path to challenge." She bit off the words, more resentful than was merited, since he had essentially caught her in an (admittedly rare) moment of laziness. It wasn't as though the warlord knew her well enough to know how hard she might usually be working to earn a new rank.

And how dare he accuse me of shirking my duties, when by dint of their gender, no males have to undergo this sort of testing?! Mentally, she continued to castigate the intimidating warlord, renewed anger surging through her before she tamped it down, breathing in slowly through her nose. The adolescent's own bias contributed to the perceived insult she took from his words, even as she managed to control most of the visible expressions of her frustration.

Determined to control herself, even if he deserved every harsh word she wanted to utter, she cocked her head slightly to the side and gave him a sharp, predatory smile of her own. "But then, warlord, perhaps you're having issues with the care of your own den, that you ask after mine..." Her tone shifted as she continued, (falsely) solicitous in the extreme. As far as she was concerned, asking her about the tending of her den was yet another attempt, this one verbal, at shutting down her dreams of seeing more of what lay beyond the borders of her homeland

Ctrl F Greenie

 

[Ctrl F Greenie]

For his part the Warlord listened with a patience he warranted only because he was enjoying the fire of the young lioness. She was furious. Something about a firey lioness brought him great joy, even if he was the reason they were all alight with varying degrees of fury. If he was to be honest with someone he would have to admit that he was shocked none had taken a swipe at him. If even for the simple reason of his demotions he doled out with such ease. Ushindi earnestly considered it for the best of all of them, but watching them squirm was a bonus. Writhing with anger, amusing.

He had felt his own varying degrees of emotions, but they were ones of concern and intrigue. The lioness was waiting for something to come along? "You have so little ambition that you don't seek a challenge that could possibly be just out of reach?" He chose his words well here, purposefully tackling the ambition question early on. "Just a few steps from that perch and you could easily have found something, there are plenty trying to prove themselves. Plenty who want to join the Storm." Ever so slightly he was sure he saw something flit through the youths eyes and then there it was. His den...

"Truth be told, young lioness, it probably is in a state of disrepair. Missing a womans touch after all." Ushindi left his words with a glance to the two birds above them before his gaze returned to the girl. "Warlords have plenty to do, but then I suppose you will never know." A wicked grin grew on his lips slowly as he spoke. Suddenly appearing a little more spooky than before.

Vashtya

 

[Vashtya]

She thought she'd disliked the Warlord previously, but now, she could honestly say she hated him. He'd stung her pride with the new rules, but now he was making it personal. She was, for perhaps the first time in her life, struck speechless by his comment about her lack of ambition...but not for long. And so, the adolescent replied without measuring her words as carefully as she should have.

"That is truly unfortunate, although I imagine the days could be shorter, if simple things like words were more easily understood - after all, 'cross my path' doesn't indicate passive waiting...but perhaps I should have used smaller words - being female, I tend to go with efficiency, since we've been tasked with having to accomplish more to be granted the same as our male counterparts, warlord."

And then he'd gone on further still. His words made her rear back, expression one of blatant disgust, as if she'd ingested something rotten. The only part of his words that weren't particularly offensive were the ones implying she'd never be warlord - that was not a responsibility she craved, thank you very much. She wanted the freedom to largely come and go as she pleased, and to be in charge when she did so - not to deal with the headache that surely came with managing a pride as large as the stormborn. And yet, she continued on her path of foolishly venting her ire...verbally.

"How...unfortunate for you." Her tone made it clear she thought it was anything but. "And that's so odd, since the only results seem to have been hastily-made edicts without any consideration except to restore the fragile egos of the more hideabound..." She looked faintly puzzled, although she wasn't a good enough liar for it to be anything but blatantly obvious that the emotion behind it was false. Had she crossed a line, insulting him to his face? Probably, and she'd likely regret it later, when she had time to cool off, and realize how foolish it was to insult the warlord to his face, even if he was a raging p***k.

Ctrl F Greenie