Misguided Youth (Private ABB and Saraiya)

[abalancedbreakfast]

"I ain't got no regard fo' a life if I gon' be spendin' the rest of it rottin' in some hole!" He shouted back at her, taking a guarded stance.

"So, where the guards at, huh? You run off, sayin' you gon' get some food, only you gon' go and tell yo' friends that I was poachin'? S'that what this be?!"

He waited for a response for a moment before continuing. "'Cause let me tell you somethin', 'f'there be one thang I did learn, i's that you can't trust nobody when you grew up a cave rat? So where they at? Show yo'selves!" he yelled out into the bushes in his paranoia.

[saraiya]

"There’s no one else here. No guards or anything. Just you and me." Kela says, calming down. He must've had it rough to be this suspicious. "Look. Let's go back to ledge and eat. You need to keep your strength up." She says.

"I'm not turning you in. You have my word. I don't where you're from, but I'm not going to break my promise. You just got to trust me."

[abalancedbreakfast]

He froze in place as she talked, trying to look for any sign of lying he could. But he could still only see concern.

"A'ight then. Let's head on back."

The rest of the walk home was limping and silence. Wapo had his claws unsheathed the whole way home, still not trusting the lioness beside him. But when he saw the kill on the floor, he froze in place.

"So... You wasn't lyin'."

He sheathed his claws again.

[saraiya]

"No. You just have extreme trust issues." Kela says. "You can start eating now, if you want. I can wait." She says, relaxing at he sheathed his claws.

"Why'd you choose the poaching life, anyway?" She asks curiously.

[abalancedbreakfast]

As he dug into the carcass to get his fill, he closed his eyes and savored the taste.

Glad I'm still around to actually eat my kill.

But when Kela asked why he had chosen the poaching life, he stopped eating, and turned at her with a slightly judgemental look.

"You think anyone choose the poachin' life? Think anyone grow up as a cub and dream a' bein' on the run all the time? Bein' a criminal?"

He turned his head away from her and stared at the ground. "I grew up in a rocky wasteland. Wasn't no way to get food legit. I didn't have no choice but to learn how to play the game. My ma and pops certainly wasn't lookin' out fo' me."

[saraiya]

"Is that why your father gave you that scar? Because you turned to poaching?" Kela asks.

From what she can tell, Wapo has really had it rough. Makes her wonder how harsh living in a wasteland really was.

[abalancedbreakfast]

He considered what to say.

"Tha's half of it."

He took one last large bite out of a leg, and then made room. "I finished. S'your's now."

[saraiya]

Kela nods and starts eating what was left. "So, what're gonna do now?" She asks inbetween bites. "I mean, do you have a set destination, or are you just roaming?"

[abalancedbreakfast]

"I ain't got no plan. Can't stick around here. Can't join no pride. None gon' let me in."

He paused for thought. "Guess I can help you get whereva' you try'n'a go. Where you off to? I can get you through some of them locked tight places. I can smuggle you through, know what I'm sayin'?"

[saraiya]

Kela laughs a bit. "I hear ya. I'm mostly wandering myself. Trying to break free from the pride life." Then, she ponders a moment. "I'm very curious as to how you would smuggle me in someplace."

[abalancedbreakfast]

"Rogues help each otha' out. We got safecaves. You gotta talk to o' beat down the right people"

He laid his head to rest. "So why you leavin' the pride life?"

[saraiya]

"Typical 'controlling father' story." Kela sighs, finishing up the meal. "He wanted a son to raise as a leader. A warrior. Got a daughter instead, but he didn't care. Raised me to take control when need be and to lead the next generation and be the strongest." She says, then lies down.

"After a while, a lion joined the pride, and Father was very adamant about having us mate and lead the next generation with a pair of strong rulers. Needless to say, I got fed up with having no choices in my own life. So I left. I probably sound like a spoiled brat in comparison to you, eh?" She chuckles.

[abalancedbreakfast]

"Hey, ain't no shame in a sista' wantin' her life back. I say if you's can get control, you take it."

Wapo turned onto his side, unable to shake a look of concern for a moment.

"I'mm'a be honest, tho'. Otha' rogues ain't gonna take too kindly to that story. S'pecially the rogue lionesses."

[saraiya]

"Who says I have to tell everyone the whole story. As far as they're concerned, where I come from and why I left is none of their business." Kela says. "I appreciate you looking out for me, though."

[abalancedbreakfast]

"Ain't no thang. Afta' what you did today, I owe you fo' life."

He lays his head down and sighs, ready for rest. "Hey, tomorrow, if I'm feelin' good to walk, we should take a look at headin' fo'ty miles no'th of 'ere. There be a rogue safe-cave, an' we can hang there until this leg gets good completely. You can meet Mama Mlezi, too. She got all so'ts a cred with the rogues round here, she like a mom to all us. Takes care 'a young ones, gives beat up lionesses a real good livin' an' makes sure they ain't neva' get tricked by no male again. Rivals can't fight in her cave, and she treats the good males like sons. That kinda' thang. She can give you advice on where to go next. And if anyone's lookin' fo' us now, she'll hide you."

[saraiya]

"Thank you." She says, then lays down, getting comfortable. "Should I be expecting some rogues with a worse temper than yours?" Kela asks with a small laugh.

[abalancedbreakfast]

"Actually, you should be. I ain't talkin' about beatin' down otha' lions fo' no reason. 'f'I was you, I'd keep my claws sharp."

He settled into a comfortable sleeping position.

"Some lions ain't gentlemen with the lionesses, if you feel me. I look out fo' you while I can, tho'. I'mma get some sleep, you should too. Have a good one. And thanks... fo' not turnin' me in."

[saraiya]

"My claws are always sharp." Kela smirks a bit. "But don't worry. I'll watch your back as much as you're watching mine. I doubt that they'll think twice of taking down an injured lion." She yawns tiredly.

"You're right. 'Night Wapo. And, you're welcome." She says, dozing off.

[abalancedbreakfast]

The night went on without interruption. As the sun rose over the land, Wapo groggily opened his eyes and moved to stretch out his limbs. Getting up, he turned to look at the lioness next to him.

Looks like she's still asleep.

He needed to head out of the overhang to stretch out a bit. Slowly, he took one step out before freezing in his tracks.

Is that... another rogue?

A lion wandered through the dense undergrowth, sniffing the air determinedly to find someone. Wapo thought, wondering who it could be. This person left a horrible trail, and didn't seem to have outstanding navigational skills, as the look on his face gave away he was lost. That was when the lion muttered to himself. "Come on, Kela... come back to me... we can still have something special together..."

Well, if it ain't Prince Charmin'

He stayed absolutely still and waited for the inexperienced prince to pass the two by. But the moment he was out of earshot and eyesight, Wapo turned to Kela and violently shook her awake, placing a paw over her mouth to make sure she didn't give them away with a sound. "Kela, Kela! Ay, sista' we got ta' go now! They be lookin' fo' you!"

[saraiya]

At feeling a paw jerk her body around, Kela snaps awake and looks at Wapo. "What do you mean someone's looking for me?" She whispers, batting his paw from over her mouth.

No one should be looking for her, or even know where she is.

[abalancedbreakfast]

"I don't know, sista'! Yo' fiance o' somethin'! He was sniffin' aroun', talkin' 'bout havin' somethin' special with you!" Wapo turned to look and make sure that he hadn't made a second pass. "Point is, we need ta' get movin'!"

[saraiya]

Growling, Kela gets up and doesn't see him in sight. "I swear, Razu has issues to follow me this far out of the jungle." She sighs and turns to Wapo. "How's your leg? Think you're ready to move out now?"

She much rather get on the trail to the rogue's hideout as soon as possible. Hopefully, he'd be a lot more reluctant to follow her there.

[abalancedbreakfast]

"Hey, I can deal with this leg! But if yo' crazy mate find me, i's me in a cave and you bein' a cub factory, le's get a move on! I know the way, le's go!"

Wapo nudged her out from the ledge into the humid air and undergrowth of the jungle. Ensuring he did his best not to leave a trail, he stuck to the thin brush, craftily avoiding sticks and branches. "Hey, Kela, rub some dirt on yo'self" he said, finding a puddle of mud and dousing himself in it. "I assumin' that creep knows yo' scent."

[saraiya]

"I'd kill him before he tries to make cubs with me." Kela scowls, but follows his example and rubbed mud and dirt on herself. "Do you know how to navigate a jungle. I was raised in this type of environment, so I don't want to accidentally leave you behind."

[abalancedbreakfast]

"Yeah, I got you. I kno' a place like the back a' my paw afta' passin' through just once. 'f you think you 'bout to get lost, just grab onto my tail. Keep quiet, though!"

Wapo lead on through the undergrowth, weaving through and behind shrubbery, not leaving a single trail, clearly putting his smuggling skills to use. "There a river that flow north, we gon'-"

"Kela? Wha-... what are you doing... eloping with this... this trash?"

Wapo froze in his tracks at the disgusting, prissy, proper voice that just emanated from behind him.

He slowly turned around and faced the absolutely stuck up lion. "Hey, why don't you look me in the eye an' say that, prissy boy?" he shouted, getting right up in the lion's face.

[saraiya]

Stepping in between the two, Kela glares at the other lion. "Get outta here, Razu. I'm not going back. Not for you or anyone."

Razu glares at Wapo, then looks softly at the lioness. "You're just confused. Come on, let's go-" His sentence is cut off by a brutal smack in the head from Kela's paw, sending him to the ground in a daze.

"He won't be down for long. Lead the way, Wapo."

[abalancedbreakfast]

"Ay' naw', f' he wakes up, he gon' track us down again!"

Wapo unsheathed his claws and put them up to the unconscious lion's throat.

"We need to finish 'im now, get this ova' with."

[saraiya]

"We're not killing him. Trust me, that'll bring us even more trouble down the road." Kela says, nudging at his shoulder. "I don't want my whole pride trying to avenge this idiot, so let's just go."

[abalancedbreakfast]

"Hey, le'me do one thang first." He brought his paw up and smacked the unconscious lion once. "That's ta' buy us mo' time." Again, he raised and struck the Lion's face. "Tha's fo' callin' me trash." A third time he struck, drawing blood from the Lion's face. "Tha's jus' 'cause I felt like it." He unsheathed a single claw and dug it into the skin of the unconscious Lion's shoulder and carved an X inside of a circle. "That gon' keep any rogues from helpin' 'im, and keep him outta' Mama Mlezi's, too."

Finished brutalizing the lion, Wapo nudged Kela's shoulder and pushed on through the brush.

[saraiya]

"Brutal much?" Kela rolls her eyes and follows him through the brush. She's pleasantly surprised at how easily he can get through the trees, despite his injuries.

"Wapo? How far did you say this lair was?" She asks curiously.