Set the whole | damn | world on fire, [RICO]

[`` taboo]

[atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=background,http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff11/EllieWellie23/RasmusTable2TextMiddle.png] A rhythmic clacking sound filled the quiet air of the desert. The land was uncomfortably hot today as the sun bore down, undisturbed by any clouds, upon the dry, cracked surface. There was an occasional wind that whipped over the ground and threw debris into the air, but it did not provide much solace for it simply shifted the hot, clammy atmosphere around. One particularly large patch of sand and dirt was thrown up by a sudden, harsh breeze. Through the thick yet opaque cloud there came a most unusual looking creature. It’s difficult to decide whether to be fascinated by the unique beauty or repulsed by the sheer abnormality of what came forth from that dust cloud. As he padded over the dry earth it was clear to see that his movements could be described as ‘loping’ due to the fact that he stood really quite tall, around forty-eight inches to the shoulder, yet his weight was most likely around half of what it should have been. Hips seemed to jut almost painfully out from beneath his skin while each rib was defined by a clear shadow from the light of the sun above. The feline’s naturally bright fur seemed to shine even brighter under the summer sunshine, practically glowing creams and whites. As he walked, squinting his grotesquely unnatural white eyes, the lion was snapping his jaw open and closed. The vibrations of his teeth crashing together caused the previously described clacking sound which sounded so loud in the almost silent desert. Each stride he took was long and effortless, allowing the creature to glide with natural ability of the ground. He paused for a moment; one large paw lifted slightly above the dusty surface, and surveyed the surroundings. Rasmus had always hated particularly bright lights but was never really sure why. He assumed it was due to the ‘weird white eyes’ others had always described him as having, but he couldn’t be certain. The desert in the middle of the day in the middle of summer was definitely not the right place to be. The heat was bearable; after all being a lion built for living in the heat of the African savannah was in his blood even if he hadn’t been born there. The reserve he’d lived on all his life provided the exact same terrain, so why shouldn’t he be adjusted. But the light was not something he could adapt to. His eyes were almost burning; surely there was some shade somewhere? With an aggravated huff the mute kicked up several gears and lolloped forwards. To the right of his periphery Raz caught sight of a slightly higher patch of land. As he suddenly veered off to the side to approach the area, he noticed it was covered in rocks and patches of tall, dry, reed-like grass. In the centre of the rocks there stood a small patch of pale, stunted palm trees that provided just the right amount of shade. Snapping open his jaw then slamming it shut again, he made the noise of approval and meandered towards it. Pushing his large front paws through the dirt, Raz shifted his weight so his rear rose in the air and his chest brushed the ground as he stretched, mouth opening in the process. Rising back to full height he attempted to fight a yawn that grew in his throat but his already open mouth meant he stood no chance and with a quiet wheeze the yawn broke free. Rasmus suddenly dropped his hind to the floor, his head snapping round to gnaw at an itch that irritated his hind leg. For a few minutes, even after the itch had gone, he remained there chewing absent-mindedly on his leg. His thoughts, which had strayed to the idea of sleep and where he might be able to go after this hellhole, were suddenly interrupted by a scent that wafted up his powerful nose. Another male, eh? This would be interesting. Rasmus encountering another living creature always was, after all. MUSE Good COUNT IT 672 THE ENCOUNTER Rico with Jabari BREAK THE SILENCE Sorry it's nothing special, first post in a while and just wanted to get a quick starter one up for you. c:

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[RICOCHET]

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[atrb=background,http://i998.photobucket.com/albums/af101/Siberia_North/jajamid.png] "Get out of my sight." It was a rare occassion to hear Jabari so angry, but the venom and sheer disgust that laced his tone was enough to make anyone cower. Dark, voidless looking pools shimmer slightly in the light, and the harsh desert wind buffeted at the mange-ridden mongrel as it cowered in the shadow of the large tawny feline. The lion inhaled deeply, squeezing his eyes shut and trying ever so hard to hold back an enraged snarl. "I said.... go." The hyena suddenly found a little bit of courage and looked up at him, a hunk of flesh of the kill that it had tried to steal from the hungry cat still hanging from it's jaws, which were agape with awe at the sight of the mighty feline that had many a time as a species been dubbed as King of the Cats. "W-What will you do if I don't?" At that moment, suddenly, a very ugly side of Jabari emerged. He really did detest hyena's. "You'd like to know what I'd do, would you? Well, let's just say... if you don't scamper off like the disgusting vermin you are within the next ten seconds, you won't have legs to flee on." If anyone from Mabruke had seen him like that, they'd probably be rather frightened. Well, Taabu or Caspian probably wouldn't, but they had seen him confronting hyena's before, and knew how much he despised them and how he almost switched from placid and calm to deadly towards the canine-like creatures within seconds. Any lionesses who had recently joined the family, however, would probably be a bit more startled to see their kind and affectionate leader turn into a vicious and foul-tongued brute. "W-What?" "You heard me, for fuck's sake! Now make sure I never come across you or any of your measly pack ever again, and tell them that if they try to steal my meal again, there won't be another verbal warning, fur will tear and blood will shed. And it won't be mine." The hyena - which seemed to have suddenly developed a brain tumour, as it did something incredibly uncharacteristic for it's species and stood up for itself - didn't turn tail and flee like it should have done, but instead glanced at the three hyena's that stood a little bit behind him. One was a female, larger than the two subordinate males that flanked her, and her belly was swollen with what could only be offspring. "You're going to be a father, you fool." The lion rasped at the male, who rounded back to face him and looked up at him with an almost bemused expression. "Why do you care, cat?" His voice lost the stammer, as if he was becoming used to being loomed over by the largest lion he'd probably seen in his lifetime, and no longer feared for his life or his clans, even though his body remained tense and ready for flight if he had to. The other three hyena's looked at each other warily. "Because you are a fool for remaining here and endangering your life when your mate and your followers need you alive and well. Now leave. I won't spare you simply because you have a family, but I'll give you a second - and final - warning." The hyena's fur bristled slightly, but he sighed and ducked his head a little, relenting. He quickly turned tail and ran off, nudging at his mate as he passed her to follow. She did so, loping after him as quickly as she could in her state, and the two subordinate males followed. They were probably going to find the rest of the clan, who were probably lurking somewhere in the distance. If they'd witnessed the show from the foliage they could be hiding in if they were close enough to, then Jabari hoped that they'd all learnt their lesson. He pitied the female, because she needed to keep her unborn litter fed, but he still disliked the species as a whole and didn't appreciate them stealing their food. They may have a family to support, but he did too. And he couldnt' do that on an empty stomach, could he? The heavily maned brute turned back to the kill he'd been defending. It was missing a few chunks on the flank, and he grunted. Bloody mongrels. He stalked over to the fallen antelope and stood over it a moment, possessively. Lowering his skull, he took a few bites out of it, tearing into the flank with his long, thick fangs. Tangy metallic red liquid seeped from the wounds and into his mouth, and he pulled away only to lick his lips and relish in the taste. "Nothing like a decent meal to lift your mood." He muttered dryly to himself, blinking tiredly. A yawn forced itself from his jaws and his lips pulled back to reveal large canines - an ironic name for a set of feline chompers, really, but that's what they were called on all predators, and that couldn't be changed - and he turned around and began to pad in a random direction, not really caring where he ended up. He'd come back to his kill later, and he'd scent marked all around his meal so no scavengers would be stupid enough to try and steal some like those hyenas did, as they'd believe that he was still there, guarding it. In the distance, he saw some palm trees, and underneath the said palm trees lay a feline. On closer inspection, he saw that it was another lion. This would be interesting. Jabari relaxed slightly, as maybe this cat would be civil and not attempt to steal his meal like the hyena's had attempted to. He remained silent, but licked his dry cracked lips and his amber gaze remained trained on the lion, who resembled him in a few ways but differed from him in others. Jay's pelt was tawny whereas this brute was almost white, with creamy tinges here and there. On even closer inspection, the male had black rings around his eyes, with hauntingly pale eyes. They were similar in size, but Jabari didn't fancy getting into a scrap now, especially seeing as he would be fighting on low energy and an almost empty stomach if he had to. Hyena's were one thing, but another male lion was something else entirely.