Old Cubs, New Tricks

[Mizani]

((ooc: Awsome Scorplion, you joined!!))
Mteuzi left her pile of bugs, leaving the small insects to scurry away to their freedom. She looked out again. The hunting party was coming, but not very fast. In fact, not fast at all.

"You think they were taking a stoll" She muttered to Merra, pawing at the ground out of boredom. They took a long time, but no one dare rush Queen Uru. It was all out of respect, and some how, Uru's presence seemed to demand it.
Stretching out her limbs, Mteuzi wondered how long the hunt would take. She was, after all, eager to talk a little more to the new comers, and also catch up with her old friends.
Who know's, perhaps Mala would be kind enough to let her say hello to Taka.

[Merra'sSieria]

((Yay Scorplion! <33))

Merra yawned.
"They are SO SLOW" She muttered under her breath. "You'd think it was a celebration of slowness parade" She left her perfectly sorted bugs to run/fly away in peace.

[Ashara]

Taka sighed, growing bored of waiting for Mala. 'Oh, well. She'll catch up.' He thought to himself, and went back to Pride Rock at a lofty jog. Climbing up the stone steps boredly, he bumped into Femi. He had met her a few times when he was younger, and now that she was here to stay, he was eager to get to know her. "Hello" he said with a light smile.

[Scorplion]

Femi watched the others from her elevated position. She couldn't tell, but it looked like one of the lions was playing with... insects?
"I cannot be expected to live here..." She groaned, padding softly down the step like stones leading to the bottom of pride rock.
Femi stepped back to keep from falling on her rump when Taka bumped into her. Taka was probably one of the only lions she truly liked. He was diplomatic and intelligent. Traits that were seriously hard to come across in male lions. Most of them just laid around all day with the occasional scuffle here and there. Dull brutes...
She looked up at the youngest prince and smiled sweetly.
"Hello, Taka. Surely you're not joining the hunt?" She asked, nodding in the direction of the other lions.

((Hey, is anybody going to be Uru? Or is she even a necessary character here? If she is, and no one else has claimed her, I'd like to rp her.))

[Ashara]

(I did once...but you can! It's sorta wierd playing Taka and Uru....)
"Oh, no." Taka said quickly. "I was watching them, but it got rather dull. Thought I'd come up here to get out of the sun" He added. He looked the lioness over, thinking about how intelligient and sincere she was. Mala and Taugadi were his true lionesses, but he could always talk to others.

[Scorplion]

"Well, it may be bright out here, but it smells like dirty lions in the cave." Femi said and smiled sincerely at the prince as she walked around him. "I'll see you around."

Now, to get those lionesses moving.
"Hey!" She called out to them, "What are you idiots doing? Why hasn't this hunt started? You look like a troop of monkeys milling around out here." Femi sneered and sat down in the grass.
"Get moving, already. I'm hungry!"

((Just wanted you guys to know that you can be mean to her if you like. The little brat needs it. So don't be afraid to get into it. ^_~
I'll post as Uru tonight then, if it's okay with everybody. Just rp as if she's still inside the cave for now, if you will. ^^))

[Ashara]

Taka stared wide eyed at the new lioness adolescent. Well, she knew what she wanted and was willing to be a tyrant to get what ever it might be. He was immediately reminded of his mother. Or maybe Mala....It wasn't until then he realized that he had left her alone. He lazily sighed, thinking that if she wanted to be with him that bad, she could come to him.

[Scorplion]

Uru had just gathered up her hunting party when she noticed some of the young lions congregating near the base of pride rock. She smiled to herself.
"Never mind girls, I'm going to take the cubs out for some lessons. They're old enough to help me take down something on their own."
The three lionesses who had been following her were only too eager to get back to sleep, so they nodded, wished their queen good luck and went back inside.
Uru saw her youngest son nearby and she moved to his side, giving him a quick, good morning lick on his forehead.
"Mind your father and brother today, my son. I will see you later."
Uru then noticed Femi, the new lioness, sitting on a rock and barking out orders to the others. She would have to teach that girl a lesson. And what better way than a nice long, exhausting hunt?
Grinning to herself, the queen trotted down the rocks and held her head high.
"All right, you cubs... time to earn your breakfast. Anyone coming on the hunt, line up in front of me and we'll head out."

((I seem to have a different idea of Uru's personality(and looks) than anyone else. So, if you guys don't like the way I rp her, let me know.))

[Ashara]

(::Shrugs:: Seems okay to me.)
Taka nodded at his mother, wiping his forehead with his paw where she had licked him. With another sigh, he layed down to rest. Resting his head on his paws, he watched the three lioness adolescents and his mother begin to hunt. It must have been horrible to hunt....Thankfully, he would never have to unless it was just for a small meal for himself. Mufasa and Ahadi, being the stronger males of the family, always helped the lionesses when they needed it.

[Melody of Scar]

(( I have no excuse. Well, I do, but nothing worth spewing here. ^_^;; Mostly school, though. ))

Mala hadn't been too upset about Taka leaving her - she had been rather boring, and was sidetracked by something else. She made her way slowly across the Pridelands towards the elephant graveyard, her intentions to find her hyena family.

But she never quite made it.

The golden form that reared out of the plains next to her took her completely by surprise. One minute she was striding forwards purposely, and the next she found herself staring into the auburn eyes of Prince Mufasa.

She snarled at him, but his calm face subdued it quickly. She realized he bore her no hostility - at least not now - and she quickly dropped her lips, turning her vengeful eyes to the horizon.

"What do you want, Muffy?"

The young lion started and glared at her for a moment before he shook his mane and sighed. He hated the nickname, but certain lionesses insisted on using it. He continued to gaze at her turned cheek, his deep voice rumbling quietly from his chest.

"I want you to leave my brother alone, Mala."

She snapped her eyes to him, blinked, then laughed in his face and moved past him. But the young male easily kept up, keeping right on her paws. She looked back at him, growling quietly.

"Don't tell me what to do, fluffy."

Mufasa's stride picked up until he was next to her, his eyes beginning to glint with anger. He jumped in front of her and cut her off, growling deeply into his face. For all her anger and power and courage she suddenly felt intimidated standing face to face with the big male. But she didn't show it, only met his gaze with a long, cold stare.

"Leave Taka alone, Mala, or I will do everything in my power to banish you from the Pridelands. You have been nothing but a poor influence on him since you met him, and I will not have you..."

He cut off with a shocked roar as Mala's lithe paw shot out, her claws raking his cheek. He twisted away from her and planted a paw on his wound, staring the brown body down as it sauntered away from him. She cast a final glance over her shoulder to assure the pained young prince that, "Taka is mine, and nothing you do will ever change that."

Mufasa looked after her and growled then turned towards Pride Rock and moved in a fast trot back home. He would live up to his promise... He had to speak with his father.

Mala would never be allowed to set foot on the Pridelands again if he had any say in it.

[Scorplion]

From the tall rock Femi was sitting on, she noticed a lioness heading away from the others. She also noticed Uru coming her way. That could only mean that the queen was planning something that Femi probably wouldn't like.
With a quickness of motion that no one would have expected of the lazy, ex-princess, Femi slunk down from the rock and headed in the direction of the other female.
If she remembered correctly, the lone lioness was named Mala. She had heard about her from Taka.
Suddenly, Femi heard Mufasa's voice. She ducked down low, her golden fur making it easy to blend in with the dry grass.
'It sounds like an argument...' Femi thought to herself. There was a short, brutal sound... the sound of claws breaking through flesh. And whether Mufasa roared in anger, surpirse, or pain, Femi couldn't tell. She drew back a little until she couldn't hear their voices anymore and then moved far around Mufasa so that he wouldn't catch her scent.
She could see Mala again in the distance. "Hmm... I wonder what she's up too." Femi asked herself softly.
Well, it was either follow this girl and see where she was going or go back to pride rock and possibly get roped into hunting. Femi opted for the first thought and kept up a quick, quiet trot a ways behind the older female.

[Katse]

((Yay! Plot development!))

Taugadi had failed in finding Rashu at the moment. She now lay on a rock, resting as he brown eyes lazily looked out onto the savannah. She noticed a light, pale tannish figure walking away from Priderock. Taugadi lifted her head and strained her eyes to see what it was. The unmistakable brown stripe told her of Zira. That meant she had left Taka temporarily.

Taugadi stood to her feet, leaning back to stretch her forelimbs. Gracefully jumping down from her perch, Taugadi began trotting in the direction she had last seen Taka. The first thing she heard when she rounded a corner was an adolescent lioness calling out commands to the other lionesses of the pride. Taugadi couldn't help but roll her eyes. Even if she couldn't see her right now, she had already guessed it to be Femi. Taugadi often kept her distance from the former princess, getting the same sort of vibe from her as she got from Zira.

Suddenly, Taugadi stopped in her tracks and her head darted into the air. She could hear a faint roar on the wind. Her ears drew back as her eyes widened slightly. Who was that? She trotted towards the front of Priderock, scanning the horizon for any possible source. She saw a golden figure approaching. Her brow furrowed as she recognized it as Mufasa. She looked around, wondering if anyone else heard it, but she couldn't spot anyone at the moment. What had happened?

[Ashara]

Taka laid restlessly on the stone, his shaded back side comfortably cool, and his exposed head burning up. Through his silent thinking, he heard a roar from a male lion. Not any male lion, either: his brother. His head shot up, and he glanced around. It sounded like it was far off, but he could never be sure. Not seeing anything, he moved up to a sitting stance, and looked over the horizon.
He could see Mala now. The morbidly beautiful lioness seemed to be stalking off. Taka could also see Taugadi. This made his lips form a crooked smirk.

[Katse]

The grey lioness's head abruptly turned round when she heard something downwind. She could see Scar. She was glad for him to have shown up, but whatever matter at hand overcame that emotion at the moment. "Did you hear that, Taka," she asked, her tone matching the concerned look on her face.

[Ashara]

"Yeah I did, actually."Taka said with a nod. In greeting, he bumped his head to hers. "Do you know what it was?"He asked, his tone serious now.

[Scorplion]

Uru had been waiting for the young lionesses to assemble when she heard a roar. Her son's roar!
"Mufasa!?"
Her brows drew together in a concerned frown and she looked in the direction the sound had come from. She hoisted herself up onto a nearby rock and from that vantage point, could just make out the red of Mufasa's mane among the grass. She saw no other lions... had a snake bitten him?
No. There was a lioness. Make that two lionesses - slinking away from him. From the distance, she could not make out who they were. Uru bared her teeth and leapt off the rock, running full tilt towards the females.
If either of them had hurt her son... Well, she wasn't a queen for nothing, and they wouldn't soon forget the marks she was going to leave on their hides.

[Melody of Scar]

Mala turned to face Femi, a snarl on her lips. "Don't think you can sneak up on me, Pridelander." She stopped and glared at the grasses behind her, catching the faint outline of Femi's body in the grasses. She yawned boredly and sat down. She knew this one - she was prissy and lazy and good-for-nothing.

"What do you want?" she said by way of a greeting as she began to lick the blood from her claws, savoring the young prince's taste.

Mufasa looked up and saw Uru rushing towards him. He suddenly feared for her safety - he knew Mala would attack her with no second thoughts. He stared at her for a moment before he placed himself squarely in her way, crying out to her.

"No, mother, don't! She'll kill you!"

Mala's head turned at the sound of Mufasa's voice. She saw Uru rushing for her and knew the queen's intention. She laughed and stood, moving up next to Femi.

"Aaahh... A good fight. Something I have been longing for."

She ran forwards to meet the queen, her claws sliding from their sheaths purposely as she moved. Normally she would have avoided contact with Uru, but the challenge was out now. Nothing would stop her from meeting and defeating her foe.

Except perhaps for Mufasa.

The young prince had executed a perfect pounce as the bloodthirsty lioness rushed past him, landing squarely on Mala's back. Any trace of kindness was gone from his massive face, his calm auburn eyes now red fires of rage. He uttered a thunderous roar as he sank his claws into Mala's shoulders and held her to the ground. The young lioness squirmed and snarled but couldn't break the vengeful Mufasa's grasp as he leaned all his weight onto her, and no matter how hard she bucked against him he remained firmly on top of her.

That Mala had attacked him was bad enough, but moving to attack his mother was worse. And now he wasn't even going to wait for Ahadi to pass punishment to the headstrong lioness. He turned his auburn orbs to Uru, both pleading with her to pass down the only punishment fitting to such a creature.

[Scorplion]

Mala. Uru's eyes blazed with fury.
She had seen this upstart hanging around her Taka. And now she thought to cross her other son? The future king? It would not be tolerated. Uru snarled and was about to leap when suddenly Mufasa's form filled her vision.
He had said something to her, she hadn't heard through the fog of red that seemed to surround her mind. But suddenly the rest of the world came back to her and she saw her oldest son leap onto Mala.
Uru was caught between pride and fear. Mala was a killer. You could smell it on her. And if you couldn't smell it, you merely had to watch her. Mufasa, he wasn't. Not in his heart - and strength was not always enough to win a battle.
All at once the scuffle between Mufasa and Mala was over.
Uru was aware of her son looking up at her as he kept the struggling lioness pinned to the ground. Seeing the bloody scratches on his dear, golden face renewed her anger. But she pushed it down. She had a responsibility to mold Mufasa into a good king, just as Ahadi always tried to do. Now was the time to teach mercy... loathe as she was to waste her lessons on Mala.
"Let her go, my son."

[Melody of Scar]

Mufasa obeyed his mother with no questions, stepping gingerly off of Mala's back. She immediately took a swipe at him, but he had expected such an action and moved nimbly out of the way. He growled a warning at her but moved obediently to Uru's side, standing protectively next to her. He was obviously shaken by what he had just done - Mufasa was generally a gentle lion, not taken to such outbursts. But seeing Mala charging his mother...

Mala remained as still as possible, sitting in front of Uru as she licked her bleeding shoulders. Her eyes flashed contempt and clearly showed her desire to kill, but even through the rage Mala knew when she was outmatched - Mufasa and Uru both could easily defeat her. And she was sure the rest of the pride would be coming to join the Queen and the future king.

So she decided that her best course of action would be to remain where she was and look for an opening.

Mufasa studied Mala then looked to Uru, speaking quietly.

"She will do nothing more than poison Taka more and continue to attack us, mother. She must be sent away or we risk being killed in our sleep."

Mala smirked and licked her claws again, cleaning the last of Mufasa's blood from them before she studied Uru, waiting for her response to Mufasa's most likely true accusations.

[Ashara]

From where he was sitting, Taka just managed to see an outburst on the plain. Standing to get a better view, he noted a dark brown figure-his mother- a golden one-most likely his brother...and...Mala. His claws unsheathed out of instinct, and a low growl emitted his throat. If his mother hadn't been there, he would probably go to help Mala. Wouldn't that be fun? Ripping his perfect brother throat out.
What was he thinking? He dearly loved his brother, even though the brute was of higher standards towards his father