Strange Visitor

Participants:

Balana - lioness, Kopje Valley's Queen Mother.
Kikora - juvenile lioness, pride youth.
Olaniyi - lanner falcon, acquaintance of the Kopje lions.
Uzo - lioness cub, daughter of Balana and Siombe.


Celestial Lake:East Shore
_(Celestial)\\_(Volcano)\\__
The very center of the valley crator of the Celestial Volcano is also it's
crowning jewel. You stand on the shore of a rather large crator lake. The
pool is so clear and reflective that you swear that you can see the bottom,
and at the same time, every detail of your own reflection. When the sun
shines over the crator, the soft, lulling waves sparkle like a thousand
diamonds in the cool water. On this side of the shore there is a rock
formation that is perfect for sunbathing and relaxing on. One tree
shades a part of the formation to keep those who wish out of the sun.
=================\\(=================================)//====================

Move on {t}o the Gardens {S}outh {S}hore {N}orth {S}hore

Hunt… successful? Well, kind of. It's not very much, truth be told. A small impala that had some sort of injury. No horns to contend with, no hooves to be kicked by, slow enough to catch without expending too much energy. Unfortunately, it wasn't until the third hunting attempt that Balana managed to find it. As such, she's still somewhat tired out by the time she comes half-carrying it back to where she left the youth. Hopefully they were able to catch some fish to aid in giving them some much-needed nourishment.

Kikora is sprawled out a few paces from Balana's cubs, watching them with renewed curiosity. She isn't close enough to touch them, mindful of their newness in the world, but she looks a lot better than she did before she and Korzar's fishing expedition. Fish-meat is chewy and bony, but she ate as much of it as she could, and her stomach has ceased its initial growling. That isn't to say that she isn't still hungry, but tided over. The coppery scent of blood reaches her nose first, followed by Balana's own aroma — Kiko perks her ears and turns her head, watching the lioness's approach curiously.

Nearing the area, Balana lays it down. It's not too hard to see that most of one side of it has been eaten on—apparently she either didn't see fit to wait, or really needed the nourishment and just couldn't wait. Once it's set down, she gives an area of the intact pelt a couple of licks, then licks her muzzle, and looks over to Kikora. "It's edible, anyway."

Uzo was being the quiet, restful cub she had been so far, only something was different… new sensations! Namely, the little lioness had her eyes wide open, presenting their grey-green irises to the sky above as she laid there, staring at said sky with her maw poped open.. just so totally awestruck.. or something.. but this experience… dude!

Kikora spares one last curious glance to the pile of fuzz-balls before she starts to iiiiinch toward Balana on her stomach. She creeps forward as if she were hunting, though she doesn't mask any of her approachal noises. The grass rustles as she drags herself along like an old war veteran, laying her ears back anxiously. Is Bal gonna swat at her if she gets too close? Is she gonna share that delectable-looking impala? Mmmm … her stomach wakes up again and she keeps creeping, pausing every few feet to gauge Balana's expression. Something instinctual about the whole thing, really. If she were back in the valley, she'd have no problem shouldering her way in between the other cubs, but … this isn't the valley. It's the -volcano-.

For the time being, Balana seems to be tolerant of Kikora's approach, casting a searching glance around the area. Well, it doesn't look like anybody else has come wandering in, and all four of the babies are still there, and Korzar's sleeping nearby. Good. Moving over to the lake, the lioness crouches down at its edge and starts drinking. Quite a bit more stagnant than Kopje's waterfall, that's for sure.

To say that no one else has come wandering in isn't exactly an accurate statement. To say that no one has come wandering in via land-bound methods would be fair .. but what about the skies? Perhaps unnoticed by those below, the outline of a falcon is silouetted against the sprawling background of the heavens, slowly circling in from the volcano's perimeter. For the moment she is silent, but her sharp eyes are scanning the lay of the land below for the movements of life.

Uzo seems to be wholey caught up in staring at the sky right now.. small movements of the clouds and tree tops are significant events and she wants to catch them again and again! Woooow.

Kikora peers after Balana as she heads toward the water's edge, leaving her open to scoot a little faster to the impala kill. She licks tentatively at its hide before trying to chomp down, catching her yet-undulled eyeteeth into its flesh. She whips her head back and forth until a Kikora-sized chunk is removed, and she swallows it, hair and all. She repeats this a few times before her eyes notice something unusual … some shadow cruising effortlessly on the ground. She cranes her head back and looks, mimicking Uzo, and spots the gliding form of Olaniyi. "Baaaal, dat a vulture?" She asks, worried. Her hunger tells her to defend the kill, but the thought of getting gouged by one of those bald-headed things freaks her out!

"Hmm?" Balana's ear turns towards Kikora, and she looks over her shoulder at the young lioness as water drips from her maw. She glances upwards, but can't make out just what kind of bird it is from here. "I don't know. If more than one of them starts circling, maybe. Otherwise, it's probably just some other kind of big bird." She has a bit more of a drink before she gets up and starts to head over to where the newborns are.

Ah. There, by the shore. Movement. Considering she has seen none of it anywhere else .. then this must be those she seeks. Either that, or another group of leonines has conveniently settled in. Still, the falcon does not let yet out any sort of call to either identify herself as being sent from Kopje .. or to identify herself in general to not be any sort of vulture. Instead, she begins to circle lower, beginning a spiraling descent .. and that in itself will likely help to show that she is not a bird of the scavenging variety.

[We all had to leave at this point!]

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