Hunting was always difficult for the albino child, but a flamingo? Impossible. His stomach growled loudly in protest of its emptiness, earning a wince as he attempted some pathetic stealth. There was no way on the fucking planet that the massive pink birds were oblivious to his presence, but they must have been so utterly unconcerned they hadn't bothered to chase him off. Nero clenched his teeth as he studied them, wishing he was larger -- or even that Bhaskar was around to get him some dinner. He hated relying on the older lions, but what choice did he have? Unless he wanted to go hungry, they had to feed him. It was bullshit. Utter bullshit. Nero felt so terribly inept at everything he just sank into the grasses, ears folded against his head as he stared longingly out at potential food.

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She moved silently through the grasses, her gaze casting for something to eat before she noticed the pale form hidden amongst the greenery. Pausing, Jewel let her eye roam the bright white - almost pinkish hued pelt with a bemused smile. The child reminded her of Sanson when he was younger. A soft chuff alerted @Nero to her presence before she came to a stop a few lengths from the boy, her tails flickering near her haunches.

"Watching.. or waiting?" She wasn't sure what his goal was out here - her tones curious as she waited for his reply. The ebon woman wouldn't interfere if he had something else he was doing.

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A dark woman approached. Had he been less hungry, he probably would have made some nasty comment about how weird her two tails were. As it was, he couldn't come up with anything witty enough worth saying and just deflated further into the grass with a sigh. "Waiting. For one of them to drop dead so I can eat it. I'm so fucking hungry." The teenager kneaded his claws into the dirt, ears flattened against his head. "I'm too little to catch anything good." All he did was live off scraps from the older kids, which explained his ribs being visible just beneath his fur.

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@Nero spoke and she found herself arching a brow before smiling and the woman chuckled. "Flamingo's might be a bit out of your reach yet, but has anyone taught you to fish?" She would get the child a meal if that's what he wanted - but she wasn't exactly big on.. providing and letting them go if she thought they would need more than simple food. He looked like he hadn't had a decent meal in quite some time.

The ebon lioness took a step closer, her gaze turning towards the pink feathered creatures. "If you're set on Flamingo.. I can try to get you one - or.. I can show you how to fish in their pond so you can keep feeding yourself." Though, truth be told, she didn't really want to just leave the kid to his own devices either..

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Nero wanted nothing more than to just dissolve into the ground. His stomach was churning in hunger and all he wanted was to eat something -- anything! The woman suggested something other than flamingo before offering to try and catch him one, but Nero's eyes were glassed over in hunger. "No one's taught me anything, lady." Nero groaned, draping his paw over his head as he flopped onto his side. "It's alright, I'm just gonna sit here forever." He yawned, stretching out his paws and spreading his toes. "Y'know you got two tails? S'weird." And that.. that was the extent of the sleepy, hungry boy's sass.

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She watched @Nero and huffed an amused sigh before turning and slipping into the grasses. The dark woman slunk down into a stalking crouch before she moved towards the squawking creatures in silence. She rounded around the flock, lunging towards them at the opportune moment before streaking into the middle of the squawking birds before her claws slashed out, felling one of the unlucky ones.

Snapping her jaws around its spindly neck, she carried it towards the young lion and dropped the fowl at his paws. "Eat before you waste away..Let's see what that quick wit of yours does when you have food in your belly." Jewel sat, amused as she coiled her tails around her paws, watching him with interest.

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Nero wondered how long it would take for him to starve to death. Days? Weeks? SECONDS? Considering how hungry he was, it wouldn't surprise him if his heart gave out at any moment. Woe was him, the perpetually sunburned, hungry kid no one wanted around.. besides Asteria, who had hopefully moved on from him by now. There were too many other kids in the world for her to be dragged down by him, okay? She probably already had a small army of friends ready to take on the world for her.

The next thing he knew, a bright pink bird flopped in front of his face. He flinched at the thud, eyes wide, and glanced up to the inky huntress. "How'd you do that? Well, she's bigger than you are, duh," he mumbled to himself, shaking his head. Regardless, he didn't last much longer before diving in for the meat, greedily sucking down every morsel he could find.

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Jewel chuckled, settling to her haunches to watch @Nero as he dove into the bird like it was going to get up and run away from him. "It's dead, sweetheart. Not going to get up and run away from you." The lioness smiled, her expression softening as she waited, letting her gaze wander the area around them to see about preventing anyone or anything from coming to get his food.

While the fowl wouldn't run away, something else might show up and take off with it. "Where's your parents, sweetling? And, what's your name?" She frowned, glancing towards the boy quietly before she returned to keeping watch, tail tips flickering near her haunches.

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It may have been dead, but it was still the freshest thing he'd eaten in weeks. Nero had become a scavenger, shaming his ancestors by devolving in such a manner. What else could he do, though? He was as pale as a ghost, covered in painful scabs from sunburn. He was pathetically small and malnourished, so hunting was nearly impossible -- between that and not really knowing how to do it, of course. Nero almost wept at how delicious it was, but her question made him freeze. Like he'd been encased in ice, Nero paused where he was -- meat in his mouth and all. "Around," he replied curtly, shrinking as he returned to his meal.

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She let her gaze travel the pale boy's sunscarred hide and felt a frown marring her features. "I have a son that has your same coat." Jewel shifted, searching the area for something that would help. "I made him a shade out of a animal pelt to help with the sunburn on his back. I can get something like that for you to, if you want?" Her tones were soft as she offered the child the same respite from the blazing rays as she had her own Sanson.

@Nero reminded her of the starving albino child she had found in the pit almost two years ago. And she had to wonder what it was with this place and albinos - and why they seemed to simply throw them away.

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"Speech"

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