@Etain

okay, so, he probably could have found a better napping spot.

in his defense, though, the flamingos hadn't been here when he'd settled down for a snooze. in fact, he'd been content enough to actually fall asleep-- this section of the watering hole was quiet and secluded enough that he felt safe enough to snooze away the day. until, of course, the squawking wakes him up from a nap. and then, suddenly, he realizes why this part of the lake was abandoned.

ughhh, he complains, still half-asleep, blinking bleary eyes. that doesn't really do much to help him make sense of the scene before him. the watering hole was still there, cool, but so were.... pink blobs. lots of pink blobs. a few more blinks to clear the sleep from his eyes, and.... <>ugh. yep. those were flamingos.

hey, jerks! he calls, sounding awfully ferocious when hs voice cracks around a yawn. it's a big one, the kind where your jaw pops, but when he can speak again he's hurling more angry words towards the birds. shut the hell up! aww, yeah. that'll show 'em. in fact, virgil's pretty sure he sees a few of them shaking in their flamingo boots....

The pines, they often whisper

They whisper what no tongue can tell

Maybe she could have found something else to do, but it was getting colder and she saw little point in sitting idle. A moment was taken outside of the borders, fur brushing against trees and the ground until no scent of any territory held by a pride lingered on her. No point in advertising where she belonged when her reason for wandering was not related to pride business in the slightest. Well, maybe a little, since she was searching for clues on something. But this was mainly a personal thing.

Lifting her head to scent the air, she grimaced slightly. The cold air stung slightly on the right side of her face where the bitemark was still healing. It had healed faster than any other injuries, but it was still far from fully healed. She'd have to examine it more closely when she got home. As she trotted along, large paws tossing up the soft layer of first snow, her dual toned gaze wandered, never quite lingering on anything. Not until the sound of squawking and a grumpy voice reached her ears.

Floppy ears laced back as she took in the scents surrounding her. Alright, so it wasn't him, but it was still someone she didn't know. Carefully, the near colossal lioness lowered herself to the ground, prowling closer towards the scene. Dual toned gaze landed on the massive grey form, so comfortably stretched out. And for a moment she wondered if she'd mistaken the scent. No, this one had a full mane, white and fluffy. Nothing like the other. And his coat was lighter. She found herself inching closer before settling onto her haunches, tail curling around her legs. Muscles shifted under star speckled shoulders, gaze darting between the male and the birds. "Pretty sure that's only gonna make them louder," she chuckled, tilting her head a little. "Not the best place for a nap."

@Virgil

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Alas, his words fall upon deaf ears. Wait-- did birds even have ears? Eh, no matter. Even if they did, it's clear they're happier ignoring him. They squawk and shriek, splitting the air with their cacophonious song until his teeth seem to rattle with it. And he's juuuust about to get up and give them a piece of his mind when her voice lilts through the commotion.

Grey eyes shift, his snarl smoothing out into something more approachable. More polite. A wolfboy, pretending to have manners. Nah, he says, voice still hoarse and full of sleep, me and them? we have an understanding. They'll shut up if I ask them, he says, a toothy little simper pulling at his lips. He sounds pretty sure of himself, but that confidence clearly hasn't been earned.

Namely, because he doesn't.

Instead his attention drifts to @Etain. He doesn't smell the brook on her ( nor would he think anything of it if he had ), but her most recent injury is hard to miss. His own cheek twitches in sympathy, ears ticking forward curiously. Don't tell me, he says, gesturing towards that very wound, they were the ones who got ya, huh? He's prying, of course, and sticking his nose were it clearly doesn't belong, but virigls never been much of a conversatialist. Here, though, he tries-- to the beautiful backdrop of flamingo honks and squawks.

The pines, they often whisper

They whisper what no tongue can tell

A purring chuckle slipped past her lips at his words, a spark in her vibrant gaze. "Right, totally obvious," she responded with a hint of amusement still on her features as she turned to watch the noisy pink creatures. Oh how she wanted to smack them and give them something to squawk about. But that wasn't why she was here. Then again, why was she here in the first place?

Her train of thought got interrupted rather quickly by his comment and she found herself lifting a paw to lightly touch the bite mark that nearly blinded her, almost a mirror to the old claw marks on the left side of her face. "Nope, some spoiled brat with no respect." The mere thought of that fight had her huffing again, her paw landing back on the ground with a heavy thud. "Maybe I'll return the favor next time...or rip off one of his ears." Peering back at @Virgil, a smirk tugged at her lips. Despite the scars, she still seemed softer, more adorable with those floppy ears. But clearly, looks could be so very deceiving, if her words were any indication.

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Oh, yeah, she totally believes him.

Virgil grins peachy-keen at @Etain, hearing the amusement in her voice and simply choosing to assume she means at the situation.... and not at him. Because-- he's totally telling the truth. He'd never lie to her, and he'd certainly never lie about those pink feathery bastards! Who are still squawking, by the way-- they must have missed the memo that it was gossip time.

Etain explains what happened easily; she doesn't sound too tore up about it, only focusing on some future revenge. That was good, it meant it wasn't a sore spot, even while it's still healing. I mean, why not both? He says, answering her smirk with one of his own. Sounds like he deserves it. Or worse, really. He's no real strsnger to violence ( even if it's not often him doing the fighting... ), and karma? Well, even he believed in that. She looks okay, though-- looks like it'll scar up nice and pink, and it's almost fitting in a way. Matches the other ones she wears, and tells a story beyond that. And the guy she ends up de-earing?

Well, he'll have a story too... but probably not one as good as hers.

And, you know, he continues, casual as he can manage-- which is to say, not at all. If you ever need help.... large shoulders rise and fall, rolling in a totally nonchalant way. He was big and mean, and his claws were pretty sharp-- he could probably help. But.... I know some reeeeally tough guys who could totally help. He's smirking now as he speaks, really cheesing it up, and there's a 99.9% chance that the ""guys"" he's talking about are pink.

The pines, they often whisper

They whisper what no tongue can tell

How could she not believe him? Especially when he was so very charming, right?

It felt...nice. To just sit and talk with someone. No expectations of something higher, not having to think of any duties for a while. Even if the background noise was less than ideal. But that was all it had become for now, background noise.

His words made her chuckle and she found herself slowly stretching before settling more comfortably. At least he seemed to really understand how she was thinking. Not that it was that hard. To her it really was that simple. If someone hurt her or the ones she loved, she'd respond with equal or more violence in turn. "I mean, he'd definitely deserve it. Yeah...that and more."

Floppy ears twitched a little as she looked at @Virgil again with a laugh. "Oh really now?" A playful tease. "You'd find someone to run to the help of someone you just met?" She slowly stretched her large front paws out in front of her, flexing her claws. "I'm Etain, by the way."

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