Crossings

[hodgeypodg3]

It was unbridled freedom. An expansive sea of rich, grass surrounded Rakesh and there was not even a tree nearby to obstruct the sky above. The young lion was completely exposed, a random spot of gold amongst the verdant landscape, warning away any prey in the area. He couldn't find himself to care.

He had spent his first week on this new land wandering, stopping only when his body screamed for rest or food. Everything was different, from the creatures to the smells. He felt like a small cub as he watched the foreign animals go about their routines, absolutely captivated. Even his year of freedom on the human's island didn't seem to offer such variety.

The heat became cloying and thick as the day progressed, forcing Rakesh to finally seek some shelter from the sun's harsh rays. He laid himself underneath the closest tree and stared up into its branches. A small flock of birds rested above him, seemingly unperturbed by the predator below. He had seen these ones before, but he kept his head tilted up to watch them flitter about as he rested.

[Ninja]

you'll be lucky if you live to regret it

All his life the Open Territories had been his home. From the Arches to the Wide River, he knew all the area had to offer. It was very seldom in his life, however, that Giza had ventured here, to the Half Hills. Here, the flatland was abruptly disrupted by the rise of a series of small hills. They were no great feat, but in a land as flat and open as this, they were spotted from quite a distance in all directions. That was one of the reasons that Giza had never bothered with the place; it's lush grasses may have attracted prey, but from thier perches atop the crest of the hills, there was no way for a tawny gold beast like him to sneek up on them in this sea of green. The other reason he did not often bother with this place, was because it was only useful for part of the year anyway. As soon as the colder weather hit, the grasses died and the place was a virtual barrenland. All of the prey would have to move anyway, and it would move closer to his home in the Blood Caves.

Today however, was a slap int he face toward the norm. The norm had done nothing but succeed in tampering with the young males patience, and so, sick of waiting for things to come to him, he had gone out in search of it. Yes, it was a rash move, but not an ill advised on- Giza never did anything foolish. No, if anything, one could say that for a male of such youth-only 4- he was impressively well learned in the worlds ways. He had been trying to use some of this 'wisdom' when his patience had all but run out, and he'd left his brother to wait at the Arch alone. Giza had chosen the place because int he past it have proven a popular spot for young lions and females, but so far this spring had yielded nothing to them, and the black maned brute had simply left.

In his wanderings, he'd found himself here. The golden grasses, dry and parched had eventually given way to shorter, greener grasses of healthier looks, and the looming hills ahead became bigger and bigger with every passing minute. He was almost amused to see the effect he had on the wildlife around him; a small herd of Zebra on the flatland below the hills scattered upon seeing him, the hares jumped in surprise and bolted off, and even the birds in the trees sent a suspicious look his way. It couldn't be helped though. For a young lion, he looked very much the veteran. Four feet tall at the shoulder, and over five hundred pounds of rock solid muscle, he was a massive figure, carved from nothing but the finest breeding. To not run when faced with him would make you a fool.

He didn't chase after anything as it fled him, and as the herds and other life began to sense his ease, they to began to relax, though continued to give him a wide birth. Eventually, he stood at the foot of the hills. They were much bigger up close than they appeared from a distance, but compared to the high cliffs of the Canyons in the Badlands, this hill was nothing. And so, his ascent began. Perhaps from the very top he could spy something- anything- that was lion right now. Spring was here, and there was nothing more he longed for than a female to bear him a litter, to secure him an heir and bloodline- where then were all the females?

It was a question that was infuriating him, and he had no doubts that he came off a bit tense to any who looked at him, and he was. Hell, he would even go so far as to call it sexual frustration, because wasn't that what he wanted, a female to use?

It was as he was nearing the top of the great hills, that the scent caught him. Though it was masculine, it was strong and feline; it was lion. He froze and, looking to the side, was surprised to see a golden figure laying beneath one of the small growing trees that grew along this strip of the hil, gazing up at a flock of perched birds. There was a series of emotions that exploded through him, like flickers of light in a deep blackness; surpise, excitement, curiosity, annoyance. He met them all, with a deafening roar.

The birds the cat had been looking at startled into the air, the herds below scattering at the sound and even the few creatures that were on the outskirts of the flatland below grazing paused to look around. Amber eyes narrowed suspiciously on the other lion, and the hair along his spine bristled in challenge. "Who the hell are you?"

[hodgeypodg3]

Like the birds above, the sudden roar startled Rakesh and he cringed for only a moment before he sprung up onto his paws. The lion crouched into a defensive posture, ears back against his skull, and faced his confronter. He was taken back to see another lion heading in his direction. He was not stupid enough to ever have believed he was the only of his kind. He still had a few memories from when he was a very young cub and of his mother and siblings, at least of their smell. But to put it simply, he didn’t expect to come upon another one so soon, or in this case, another to come upon him. How did he not smell the other’s approach?

And this male...everything about this male was imposing. His very posture warned everything around him that he was dangerous, a threat. His thick, dark mane broadcasted his vitality; his sheer size and brawn gave further proof of his good health and strength. Rakesh felt diminutive in comparison, his own size greatly stunted from his years in captivity.

On the human’s island, Rakesh was king with no other cats who could compare. Even when he was at his weakest, freshly released from his cage, he had enough power to best the cougars he came across that made the island’s forest their home. Only the bears had proved to be a formidable threat. He had no knowledge to believe it would be much different on the mainland. But now, if other lions were anything like the one before him, he might have gravely overestimated himself. This one alone seemed to greatly outclass him. He wasn’t keen on finding out by how much either.

He locked eyes with the other male, but for only a second, before every instinct had him turn his gaze elsewhere, his tail twitching lowly behind him in apprehension. “I am Rakesh...” he answered, his voice low and quiet. He backed away from his confronter, keeping his movements slow. He did not want to instigate in a fight, not with this one. “If this is your territory, I was unaware. It was not my intention to intrude.” He explained.

[Ninja]

Standing where he was, looking across the short distance that separated him from the much smaller, crouching feline, he found he was torn by instinct and desperation. Despite this not being his land, being face to face with a male who didn't share his blood brought out an overwhelming desire for Giza to fight. To sink his claws into fur and teeth into muscle. By the looks of it, he could send this one off with nothing more than a few swipes of his paws if he wanted to, but that was the problem...he didn't want to.

This was the first feline of his kind- aside from his sibling, Kisari- that he had come upon since the last Fall. It was a torment to have the sudden scent of his own kind washed over him, but tinged with a masculine musk instead of a females perfume. What made it all the worse, was how the lion before him looked. He was so small and hesitant, and though he sounded of a fully mature male, he looked like nothing more than a yearling. “I am Rakesh...” he all but whispered, backing away slowly, as if he could simply disappear into the background. “If this is your territory, I was unaware. It was not my intention to intrude.”

Ears flicked forward at these words, and suddenly, deliciously malicious plan began to formulate in his head. The truth was, he and his brother owned a place called The Bloodcaves a few lands over. What this unfortunate lion didn't know however, would only aide Giza in his ambitions. "That is unfortunate." he replied, tones slow and drawling, and a small, almost menacing smirk seemed to find it's way upon his lips. There was something else behind it though, something powerfully alluring and dangerously intense. "None the less, you'll have to pay the fine."

Slowly, so as not to spook the other into a foolish move such as trying to bolt, he came forward. Massive paws took each step in silence, and he came to stand still only when he was just out of reach of the other males claws- should he choose to unsheath them.

[hodgeypodg3]

“None the less, you’ll have to pay the fine.”

A fine? That quickly had Rakesh stop in his retreat, more out of curiosity than fear. If the larger lion meant punishment, why would he word it like that? Could he possibly have something else in mind?

“And what does this ‘fine’ entail?” he asked with a bit more confidence in his voice.

He was not about to assume anything. Punishment, even a fight to the death, could still be what the other cat had in store for him. The thought made him tense and the fur along his spine bristle, but he refrained from displaying any larger signs of aggression. Rakesh was not going to invite a fight when he was still so unsure about his confronter’s intentions.

The larger male slowly made his way closer and Rakesh shifted were he stood. He was not foolish enough to run. He knew very well that would just end up in a chase, one that would most likely not end well for him. A wild thought of trying to catch the other off guard crossed his mind, land a hard blow on him than make an escape, but he was quick to dismiss it. It was too risky and the lion was too far for him to make a quick attack and run.

It was almost like he was being toyed with. The larger lion’s teeth were no longer bared and his claws remained sheathed, but the way he spoke...it was unsettling and somewhat ominous. And the way he was so quick to turn from anger to something almost casual did not sit right with him. He wasn’t sure if he would have preferred an outright attack over being put on edge like this.

[Ninja]

He stood over the other, watching his fur bristle in uncertainty and feeling the tension around them thicken with each passing moment. Thier new proximity had the others musk; a strange odor of woodland, humans, and his own natural oils, whirling around Giza, and for a moment he found himself in the lightest of fogs. Something cloud like had settled over his mind, and along with the instinct to claw this half pint before him, there was something else, something disturbingly powerful.

“And what does this ‘fine’ entail?

The words of the others seemed to snap him from his daze, and his fierce gaze narrowed on the other.

"Whatever I want!" was his snarled reply, and with a lash of his tail he suddenly strode forward. With a flash of his massive yellowed fangs, Giza let a single paw fly toward the other males head. Though the sound that erupted from his throat was feral and cold, the swipe itself was half hearted, claws sheathed- more like the cuff an adult would send an unruly cub.

"And what I want," began the other, letting his momentary flash of anger fade for a moment, like the flicker of a candles flame, "is your complete subordination until sun high tomorrow."

[hodgeypodg3]

He didn’t have a chance to flinch away. The sudden return of the other male’s anger temporarily stunned him, fear washing over Rakesh. He stumbled back and crouched low to the ground, growling and flashing his teeth at the larger lion. There wasn’t any pain or the smell of his blood. He didn’t even feel dazed from the blow. It was more of a reprimand than an attack. It confused him. He saw the anger clearly, why did the larger cat hold back?

He calmed down and carefully watched the dark maned lion. Just as quick as the rage was there, it was gone.

“And what I want is your complete subordination until sun high tomorrow.”

He didn’t answer immediately, staying in his hunched position close to the ground. He couldn’t stand how perturbed the other made him. His mere size had Rakesh battling his instincts to show complete submission. And his smell; it was an overpowering musk that was slowly dominating his senses. He didn’t want to agree, but he wasn’t in a position to deny what the other wanted either, not if he wanted to keep his hide.

“And afterwards?” He asked slowly, standing back up to his full height. “Will I be allowed to leave unharmed?”

[Ninja]

Uncertainty was never something Giza had displayed in his character. Confidence and intelligence had always been something that had come naturally to him. Picking up on the little things and letting his instinct guide him had saw fit to make him a powerful and capable male in return. Therefor, he did not recognize the feeling until he was nearly suppressing a tremble. Somewhere in his mind, he had decided the moment he laid eyes on this strange male what it was he wanted from him, and yet the thought was so foreign and unnatural that Giza himself had the slightest doubt that it would work. Could he, for all his threats and violence, convince this male to do such a wicked thing out of his own free will?

With his own words lingering in the air, the dark maned lion stood, hovering above the other, waiting. To the largers surprise and relief, the crouched male seemed to be mulling it over, and so he continued to wait with an unmoving silence, until finally, the other stirred, causing Giza to take an inadvertent step back. “And afterwards?” He asked slowly, standing back up to his full height. “Will I be allowed to leave unharmed?”


At this momentary spark of bravery or dignity, or whatever it was, Giza could not help but let his lips twitch upwards int he beginnings of an amused smirk, just barely noticeable upon his golden lips. "If you wish to leave after Sun High tomorrow, you may do so unharmed. I give you my word on that." growled the male softly.