Dark & Handsome

{March 5th, open to Nyota & Zira for now, maybe open to Scar and lionesses later.}

"I hate being here."

The female didn't mind speaking aloud. The only morons that would hear her would be the hyenas and she gave not a sniff about them. Her tongue rolled over her sharp yellow-white teeth as she spotted a few rotted elephant corpses. Those poor beasts. Didn't they realize the hyenas made meals of their bodies. Zira would make sure she was washed out to sea before a hyena ate her. Disgusting. Her ear flicked back, head lowered as she marched towards the pile of elephant ribs. She needed more for the cages. Her prison vision would be complete. Whether it was madness or ambition was left up to the interpretation of whoever heard about it.

As she went to pull a rib from a spinal chord, a piece of bone fell towards her feet. Her ear folded back, eyes narrowed as she sneered towards the area where the bone had come from. Was someone lurking around here? Probably a hyena...

She stuck the end of the bone in her mouth and yanked, pulling the thing from the spine. Unaware there was someone else there with her that WASN'T a hyena.

When someone loses everything that means the world to them, a proper response is to just give up and die along with what they lost. Nyota had lost his everything to white apes. Nightmares plauged the adolescent lion to the point where he barely slept anymore. Having recently lost his mother to the fatal injuries left him on his own. Days without anything to eat had began to take its toll on Nyota . But he was survivor. A 'Warrior'. He might have lost everything that ever meant anything to him but he would not allow that to weaken his spirit. He would live on like he knew his parents and pride wanted him to.

Another night spent in the ribcage of an elephant. Another night filled with heart-stopping nightmares. Darkness seemed to constantly be a forecast for this place as Nyota never really saw the sun. He was awake now but his lids didn't peel back from his eyes as he knew that the sight before him would not be of home. He missed his home. His parents. He missed his father's lessons on how to hunt and fight, his mother tending to their wounds and filling their bellies with supper every night. The pretty boy wasn't use to living life like this but he had no choice now. He dare not even let a tear shed for he did not want to disgrace the memory of his loved ones.

He was content to just lay in the emptiness of that large ribcage until a noise caused his ears to swivel up and to attention and his eyes snapped open. What was that.. he pondered as he scrambled up onto all fours. Could that be someone -- another lion maybe? It was too far away to tell if it was a lion, but maybe, just maybe it was. Nyota took caution as he slowly sauntered out of the temporary home of bones into the dark misty air. His nose tilted to the sky as he tried to pick up on a scent of some sort and that keen nose of his paid off. Several minutes were spent crossing over bone covered hills until he reached the peak of the fourth one traversed over.

At the bottom of the fifth hill there was another lion. A lioness. Hearing the snapping of bones caused Nyota to quickly lower himself to his belly and accidently sent a stray loose bone tumbling down the side of the hill. His eyes fell to a tight close almost milliseconds after the bone fell and his breath caught in his throat. Did she see him? After a few moments of silence then the crunching of bone again Nyota slowly opened his eyes and resumed breathing again. What should I do.. Should I.. talk to her? He was thinking of pros and cons to this situation and non of the pros were looking too good given the area he was in. She's alone, so.. I could ambush her. That seems like the best id-- "AHH!" Unbeknownst to Nyota there were a pack of random hyenas that immediately came out of hiding and jumped him. The hunter had become the hunted. With two hyenas on his back, the rather large lion rolled down the side of the hill towards the lioness feasting on scraps. Though he managed to kick one off of him, another had him by the shoulder and was holding on for dear life.

"Get off of me!" He gave a rather loud growl and a mighty shake of his shoulder to send the scrawny flea-bitten mutt fleeing with his tail tucked between his legs. Now on full alert and looking directly at the other hyenas at the top of the hill, Nyota stood tall with hackles raised, claws out and digging into the ashy ground below him. Another chest rattling roar filled the air and displaced the gathered dust on his pelt. Well, that sent the other four hyenas running for their lives. After a triumphant snort, Nyota slowly turned his head over toward the lioness and just stared at her. Should he say something? Should he try to run. He was frozen and continued to stare at this new lioness as if she were the first creature he had seen in a long time.

What in the hell?

After the bone fell a scramble ensued above her. Her ear flattened on her skull, teeth baring as she watched upwards, hearing the yelps and snaps of hyenas and...a roar. She lifted her muscular neck but she didn't have to search for long to find the chocolate male. He'd fallen in her lap so to speak. Despite not being afraid, she did stumble back as he ripped the hyenas from his body. She didn't help. He looked like he had this all under his control on his own. The hyenas took off and the male let out a bone chilling roar. Zira let a smile slither over her maw. How very interesting... He looked so confused. A dirty, soot covered rogue. A very...handsome soot colored rogue.

"Impressive," she purred softly, tilting her head to the side, "You've got a lot of fight in you, don't you, friend?" She offered a flash of her teeth as she padded towards him. Her tail whipped behind her, her muscles propelling her slowly towards him.

"Are you all aloooone out here, sir?" She asked, "You do know this land belongs to the hyenas. And by default, King Scar."

The smirk that crossed over the Lioness' maw had him slightly worried. It looked like to him she was sizing him up. Bright blue eyes had blinked several times as he slowly turned in a half circle to face his new 'acquaintance'.

"Ah." He exhaled once she made the statement, a thick paw coming up to slick back his main in a habit that he had. He figured he's put on his charm as he always did for the ladies, letting his maw curl up with a cocky smirk, "Yes. I know how to handle myself pretty well if I do say so myself." There was a cherubic song to his voice as she slowly padded up closer to him, he laid that charm on thick now. Shoulders rolled with his body to ensure that flirty nature of his as lids slightly closed over those beautiful blue eyes.

Once asked if he was alone that flirty nature soon turned into a distanced stare as the smirk slowly fell into a frown upon his maw. "..I am alone, yes. I just recently lost my family and pride to white apes.."

Wait, he was near another pride? Who was this King Scar? That distant look in his eye turned to interest as he looked up towards the Lioness that closed in on him.

"Ah, I was not aware no. I'm sorry if I'm trespassing." He thought he would go ahead and apologize for that. Now noticing on how close she was getting to him, Nyota took a step back and lowered his ears fearful that he had done something wrong.

"That's upsetting."

White apes. WHERE did this male come from? Humanity was who they were fighting. Perhaps she could convince him to...join their side. For the good of vengeance and all. Her ear folded back softly as she pushed towards the large handsome male. Her lip twitched. "Oh no," she said, "We welcome members of our pride. Welcome it freely and fully." She bowed her head and grinned viciously.

"And those white apes you speak of...we fight them. That's what we do." Her anger bubbled like a cauldron at the thought of the humans. Humans and heroes. Vicious monsters fighting back against...well...vicious monsters. Her eyes half closed as she looked up at the thick bodied lion before her.

"So tell me friend," she said, "Would you be willing to fight for us?"

Right now, Nyota wasn't feeling his bubbly self. When the mention of the White Apes came up he tended to get down. It indeed was upsetting and he knew the feeling all too well. When the lioness came to advance towards him, the large chocolate male stood tall and puffed his chest out. Mostly for intimidation but he didn't think her to be that ignorant and attack him out right when she witnessed what he did to those hyenas.

"Well.. that's good that you welcome it freely and fully.. there seem to be a lot of orphans from White Apes attacking prides.."

Again with the mention of those cowardice beings, Nyota's eyes fell to the ashy ground beneath them. The spark of rage in the female's eyes was a little too much to witness and keep a steady lock on. His shoulders slowly fell as he came to realize that she isn't the enemy. She too fights the same enemy he does. With her question, there was hardly any hesitation at all,

"Yes. I will fight for your pride and protect it from these beasts." He nodded his head down towards the female as a very sheepish smile crept across his maw. Nyota figured that this would be the closest thing he's had to a home in a while. So it would be good to finally be somewhere he could call home.