Hunger (COMPLETED)

[Deleted]

She could feel it curling, and uncurling in her gut as she moved through the shadows. Percylla had a steady supply food up until now. It had been a day since she had eaten anything, and the emptiness in her belly annoyed her to no end. The lioness lifted her head into the air, and gave a deep, and long sniff. It smelt like cold, dead shrubbery, bricks, and blood. She stood stalk still for a couple of seconds before pushing her belly to the ground so she could stalk more easily. The mismatched eyes of the large feline narrowed as the scent of blood got stronger, and the sound of thrashing echoed through the ruins. The mute peeked around a corner, and saw her next meal.

It seemed like some type of deer that had got itself into a fairly bad way. The spine seemed to be broken on the creature as it gave off distressed noises as if it were calling out for help. The front legs flailed in the air for a couple of seconds before they fell back down with a deep huff. The animal panted with heaving sides, and Percy knew what she had to do.

The predator darted forward with a lightness to her footing so the creature did not realize what was going on until she had fastened her sharp teeth around its soft through. She pressed down, and the snow was painted in a visage of red. It only took a minute for the poor creature to bleed out, and as the life left its eyes she slowly let go. Her long, pink tongue came out to lick away some of the juicy liquid on her muzzle before she went to work.

The Lioness tore into the dead animal causing steam to slowly rise into the air. The female started at the haunches, and started to feast on the tender remains of the animal. Her mouth was on the kill, but her eyes were up so she could see if anyone was going to chase her off. Percy had smelt multiple animals on this land that happened to be of feline origin. She figured she was not the only one who had heard the thrashing of the wounded creature. It had been loud enough to drown out any other forest noises, even though it was winter, that it seemed to echo off the snow in an eerie fashion.

The humongous female felt her claws gently slip out as she ate with a tail that danced back in forth violently. There was an understanding that she needed to eat quickly, and get out of there as quickly as possible. It was key that she did not get caught, other territories had not been very welcome.

[Mali]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 498px; height: 683px; background-image:url(http://i45.tinypic.com/2s9r78k.jpg)] Despite the sun that hung clearly in the sky above the earth, the land was cold and miserable. At least, to the small, thin-furred retro it was. Shivering as Mali silently pushed her way through the snow, occasionally finding herself sinking into the larger mounds, she repeatedly spat out curses. She hated the cold. Hated it! In her homeland, she had never had even an inch, not even a flake of snow. Her home had been filled with trees and vines, bushes and moss, not this freezing white substance. Her coat was not made for such weather conditions, either. Her fur was short and thin, meant to help her in the heat of the South American jungles, not protect her in bitter winters. Running her tongue over her lips, the small feline paused for a moment or two to shake off the particles of snow that clung to her fur and had begun to melt. She did not want to deal with trying to dry herself again like she had to the previous day. It had been a long and irritating process and she was going to be sure that she would not have to go through it again. Once again, the young Margay had no actual duties to perform at the moment, though it seemed to have become a common thing for her now. She was small and weak compared to the others in the pride, and in a way, that was beginning to worry her. She didn't want to be stuck in the nursery or dens as a denmother. She cared for kits, yes, but staying in such a position...it was just not for her. She wouldn't be able to stand having to stay at the camp and do...well, nothing! She wanted to be able to be out in their territory, but how? She was not a fighter, hardly bigger than a young lion cub and about just as strong as them. She couldn't truly hunt for the pride, only managing to catch small prey animals. She couldn't bring carry a deer through the woods let alone bring it down to begin with. At times, Mali could only think that she was nothing more but a useless extra mouth for the pride to feed. As her ears pressed back, flattening against her head, a soft sigh escaped her lips. Perhaps she was meant to be nothing more but a denmother... Mali didn't have much time left to dwell on those thoughts, though, as the strong, tangy scent of blood flooded her senses. Jerking her head up, her tail rising into the air as her ears pricked forward, the small feline began bounding through the snow, her deep brown eyes scanned the white scenery for the source of the smell. She had not scented or heard the hunting party pass by in the area, but perhaps they had come from the other side. What she saw, though, quickly threw out that option. Skidding to a halt, her paws digging deep into the frosty ground, the fur along her shoulders bristled as her gaze fell onto the dark furred lioness. There was no way she could ever afford to fight off this creature, but...well, she had to do something. She was stealing their prey! As her tail lashed out behind her, Mali crouched down low to the ground, her small form behind the lioness as she ran a number of options through her mind. She could run back to their camp and gather some of the warriors, but the lioness could be gone by the time they found her again. No, there was no time for her to go back for help. She had to find a way to deal with it herself. Taking in a deep, sharp intake of air, the Margay nervously shifted on her paws before she lept out from behind the lioness, her tail fluffed out as she hissed. "What are you doing here on Analoya territory!"

[Deleted]

As she pulled anther hunk of meat from the body, her whole figure froze as she heard the distinct sound of another creature, but of course she pushed it off for the moment. She was more concerned with filling her hungry belly full of food. As long as she did not really see anything then she was fine. Percy had no qualms if they watched her, but showing themselves meant they were a threat. Her torn ears twitched forward, and back a couple of times as she positioned the meat in her mouth so it was easier for her to swallow. It was like watching a machine as she pulled off large hunks of raw flesh from the poor beast which had caught her attention. The Lioness never did understand why an animal made such annoying sounds when they were hurt, it gave them away to hungry predators. It just did not seem very ethical when it came down to it, but that was coming from a mute. Of course, she could make noises, but she would not be dumb enough to let everyone in the area know of her presence. In her deep thoughts she did not notice the small creature getting closer, and closer, well, more like she did not care. She thought maybe it was a large rat or raccoon of some sort that wanted to scavenge bits, and pieces from her meal. The Shifter was very wrong. As soon as her eyes set on her 'attacker' she completely froze.

What even was this? A raw hunk of meat hung from her maw in disbelief before it slowly fell to the ground with a wet slap. Percylla acted like a child with her hand caught within the confines of a metaphorical cookie jar, but she was not amazed by how it was done, but by who it was done by. The creature in front of her was probably no larger than a medium sized dog with large spots all over its body, and short fur. It attempted to make itself look bigger which was not something that made her look bigger. The other feline looked like a ruffled up parrot, and the large eyes which resided upon her face just gave off a sense of cuteness that disturbed the large cat. Those orbs seemed to study her every move, but showed the uncertainty in her action of attempting to challenge such a massive foe. If the small feline engaged her then it was going to be obvious who the winner was going to be, but the mute felt no need to attack such a small creature. This was not a threat... it was just sad, and when the midget started to talk it really flabbergasted her. She knew some Retromorphs were small, but this was just ridiculous.

The Lioness could answer her question in the shrug before pushing her nose towards the meal that was at her paws. The rounded ears a top her head slowly perked forward as she took in the short fur. This feline was not built for this climate. Slowly, she pushed her rump around which revealed the full massiveness of her person, scars in all. Her tail flicked back, and forth as she continued to study her 'opponent.' Should she eat her? Should she poke at her? Percylla was a hermit by nature which usually made her awkward in social situations, so she just stood there attempting to think of an emotion that would be appropriate for such a situation. Amazement was one emotion that came to mind. Then there was excitement, but excitement made no sense. Was it over the fact that she had 'discovered' a new creature she had never encountered before? Most likely.

[Mali]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 498px; height: 683px; background-image:url(http://i45.tinypic.com/2s9r78k.jpg)] When she had stepped up to this female, she had expected some sort of threatening hiss, growl, something. That was why Mali was simply thrown off when she got nothing more than a shrug to her question. Blinking, her ears pricking forward for a moment in confusion and a faint hint of interest, she ran her tongue over her lips before her ears flattened back once more. She needed to protect her pride's territory, to keep intruders from steal the prey that rightfully belonged to them. But, there was only so much that she herself could do. This large, massive feline could probably snap her up in her jaws in a single bite. As her small heart beat rapidly in her chest, her fur still bristling along her spine and shoulders, her tail lashed out again as she took a hesitant step towards this female. "You're on Analoya lands," she stated, her voice trembling faintly as she was afraid of what might happen if she angered this lioness. But, she had to be strong for her pride. "That deer belongs to us...Not you." Her whiskers quivered as she lifted her head, her ears standing erect as she tried to keep herself under check. If she wanted to fit in with her pride mates, then she would have to learn to face things that would frighten her. Of course, such a thing could last for so long. As the lioness moved, Mali's soft brown eyes widened faintly as her gaze fell onto the number of scars that covered her. The sight pressed a heavy stone against her chest as she sucked in a breath. This female had seen many battles which meant that a fight from not only a softpaw, but a much smaller feline would be nothing. It was then that she began to regret her decision of trying to stand up to this unknown female. As her burst of courage began to fade, her tail lowered a bit, her eyes resting intently on the lioness, her muscles tense and prepared to run if she had to. She would stand there, though, strong and proud until the time to run came. Despite the fear that coursed through her being, she would not show this intruder weakness.

[Deleted]

The the gaze of the large feline was surprisingly gentle as she studied her for another couple of seconds before pushing herself back, and stalking forward. Well, not stalking, it was more like an awkward crawl as she made her way forward. Her ears were perked forward as she stopped five feet away the other feline. She did nothing else, but study the other feline. Her nostrils flared as she took in the musky scent of the other being before perking her ears back, and forward a couple of times. She could smell the nervousness and fear coming off of her, and such emotions shown in her unnaturally large eyes. A deep sigh escaped her anmalistic maw before she slowly backed up her rump up. It was quite strange to see such a large animal slide backwards from the place she had once been before. Her movements were slow with easy motions that showed off the amount of muscle such a beast held. Such mass was gained through a hard life shown through the scarring, but her personality showed she was not one for confrontation unless there needed to be. It was not in her nature to attack without reason, it would just waste energy which she most likely could not spare.

She positioned herself back over the body of the deer as she looked down at the meat which was torn. Her eyes studied the areas that held the largest amount, and best meat possible. She sat there for two minutes before opening her mouth wide, and biting down violently into the dead corpse of the herbivore. With one quick yank the haunches, rump, and one leg came off in her jaws which dripped with raw, but juicy meat. Percylla pushed herself standing before she turned herself around, and lazily walked off. Before she was very cautious, but now she was calmly swaying and weaving her way out of her territory with prime cuts of meat held fast into her sharp teeth. She had gotten bigger since she joined the Menagerie. She swayed slightly as she moved, and her muscles seemed to bulge even more under her dark pelt, though that was not all that had changed.

She understood when she was fighting that her hormones had been suppressed to make her easier to bend, and mold. Less emotion led to a better fighter. Now that they were not being pushed down she could feel strange smells coming from her female form, and she seemed to be getting curvier as a Lioness, and human. Hormones seemed to slowly be leaking back in as the drugs slowly wore off.

[Mali]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 498px; height: 683px; background-image:url(http://i45.tinypic.com/2s9r78k.jpg)] As her words passed her lips, Mali had thought she would've angered the other female or receive some sort of harsh rebuttal from her. But, this lioness just continued to surprise her. Not only did she remain silent, but she seemed to even creep a bit closer to her as if she was inspecting her. Of course, the movement caused the Margay to flinch back, her tail fluffing out as she stumbled back a few clumsy steps, her spine arching. She had believed the movement had been meant for an attack of some sort, but the blow never came. Instead, all she got was a curious look from the female. For once, Mali felt herself relax somewhat. The fur of her tail flattened back as she eased her muscles out of their tense hold. Her spine slowly evened out once more until she was simply watching the lioness with wonder. No, the young retro had not had much experience with intruders, but from what she had heard, most would do one of two things. Fight or run. And, this female was doing neither of them. As the tip of her tail twitched, Mali's soft brown eyes continued to follow the lioness before she took a cautious step towards her. Though fear and nervousness still pulsed beneath her pelt, she felt a sense of curiosity running through her as well. She wanted to know why this large feline was not attacking her. Mali pressed her ears forward as she slunk a bit closer, pausing her pawsteps as she came within a few feet from the lioness. She had stayed silent through all of this and was prepared to speak once more until the other feline simply began walking away with a heavy chunk of meat hanging from her jaws. Now, Mali was perfectly aware of the fact that she was not the most intimidating creature in the woods, but she couldn't help but feel insulted by this. "Hey, wait," she called after the lioness, a frown covering her lips as she dashed after her. With her small, lithe form, she was easily able to slip through the bushes and darted in front of the feline's path. "You come here into our territory, steal our food, and then you just decide to leave," she questioned, her tail lashing faintly purely in irritation at that point. "The least you could do is introduce yourself and state your business."

[Deleted]

She was not very surprised when the other cat chased after her. She knew that her reaction was not one of a normal large cat, well, somewhat it was. In the animal kingdom a creature would only when threatened or afraid, and the same comes with the flight instinct. This small feline did not make her want to run or fight her therefore there was no need to do so. It was very easy to understand, but it seemed to pique the interest of the dappled feline scrambling through the bushes to catch up to her long legged walk which was normal to her. Her nature was that of a generally gentle beast that enjoyed being left alone, but smaller creatures did not seem to truly bother her for some reason. Maybe it was because she associated anything only slightly smaller than her as an opponent that would go against her at every turn. Percy learned from experience, and the ones she encountered were fairly violent, and literally ran skin deep. Though, her attitude seemed to be changing as instinct took hold in the more feral environment. As she watched large males off in the distance she felt a certain pull in her gut, but as usual fought the urge out of natural preservation. Trust from her had to be engaged, and earned. It was a simple fact of life that was engrained into her mental capacities to the point of complete, and total melt downs.

The small creature skitter in front of her which made her head slowly tilt to the side. Slowly, she set down the hunk of food which she planned to have for dinner before sitting down casually. Her mismatched gaze dully turned into slits as she started to speak to her, and it seemed like the mute was trying to figure out a way to respond. She was not mood to even try to form words, but grunting would probably work or a moan to show that she could not say what she wanted to at this present time. Unless the Retromorph knew how to read then there was no point in trying that either. A deep hiss came from the back of her throat, but it sounded wrong, and hollow. She used her gut to vibrate what was left of her vocal chords, and she felt the fat around them weakly jiggle a slow, and faint grunting sound came from her mouth before it sputtered out into her coughing, and hacking.

[Mali]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 498px; height: 683px; background-image:url(http://i45.tinypic.com/2s9r78k.jpg)] As she stood before the lioness, her ears twitching as she waited for an answer, Mali took a moment to glance over the heavily muscled form that stood before her. She didn't have any actual intentions to attack this large creature, but she still found herself curious to it. She took note of the number of scars that she could easily see through her short dark fur and she wondered how many other scars littered her form. She was sure there were others that were hidden from view. It was then that a thought came to mind. How had she gotten all of them in the first place? It was possible that the female was simply a cold-hearted creature that found joy in fighting. But, if that had been true, then why didn't she attack her when she first showed herself. Her ear twitched as she slashed out that option, her mind wandering over other possibilities. Perhaps she just had a habit of getting into trouble. Or, maybe she was simply somewhere that required her to fight. Mali tilted her head faintly to the side as her thoughts continued to wander, her tail now gently swaying behind her. For a few moments, she had forgotten about the demand she had made earlier for a name. No, she was much more focused on the number of questions that bounced around in her mind. But, when the lioness finally settled her haunches on the ground beneath them, Mali did her best to drag herself out of her thoughts. She had been expecting an answer at that point, but found herself dumbstruck as all she got were some grunts and hisses that simply seemed unnatural. Her pelt prickled faintly with uncertainty as she stared up at the lioness, confusion flooding her expression. It took a few moments for her to piece it all together, and when she did her ears quickly lowered. "...You can't talk," she said with a questioning tone, though it sounded more as a statement than a true question. Mali had never stumbled upon someone who couldn't talk. She had met a few who simply chosen not to speak, but never one who plain out couldn't. Allowing her shoulders to slump faintly, she took a small step forward, the fact that she was standing before an intruder completely forgotten. It must be horrible to not be able to speak. She knew that if she had her voice taken from her she would be absolutely devastated. A voice was everything. From a way to express yourself to a way to stand up to others. Standing only a foot from the lioness, her wide brown eyes staring up at her, Mali studied her for a moment before finding her own voice once more. "...Is it hard? Not having a voice?"

[Deleted]

Percylla was satisfied when the other female easily realized that she could not truly answer her questions unless they were specifically yes or no. It was a simple concept which the small being seemed to latch onto very quickly, almost like a leach suckling on blood for the first time. Yes, it is a strange comparison, but its the best one that came to mind, and yes I did just break the fourth wall. She pulled herself out of her thoughts as she thought of how to answer her inquisitive mind. Her head tilted down a bit with her ears forward. A deep murring sound lasted a couple of seconds before she actually laid down. Yes, she was a very lazy cat, even for her stature. She saw no point in sitting there when laying down was oh so much easier on her, it took up less energy, and let her muscles relax. She gently used her large paw to rub her nose before she would actually answer her question. Oh wow, her face was itchy. She put her head down, and proceeded to rub her face with the large pads of her feet. Her claws peeked out only slightly as she moved to scratch behind her ears which caused some fur to slowly drift off of her. She did shed from time to time, but she could hardly really stand the itching. It was quite a bother as temperature cooled, and warmed so often. Fifty degrees weather made her shed the next day. The next day would most likely only be ten degrees. Oh how she truly hated this weather sometimes, but those complaints were for the weak, which she was not. She slowly lifted her head after was done, and shook it clean of specs before answering.

She shook her head yes to both of the questions. It was hard for her to not be able to talk, which made her have to be fairly creative when it came to her getting her point across. Sometimes she was even known to do charades to do it, but those events were rare, and far in between. Most animals understood her basic body language, but when it came to other shifters or even retromorphs, it made it quite difficult to actually get to know anyone, though Belle was an exception. The pup seemed to always know what she was thinking at the time, and understood the slight hints that she gave off every time she communicated. It was a strange bond, but it was somewhat comforting.

[Mali]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 498px; height: 683px; background-image:url(http://i45.tinypic.com/2s9r78k.jpg)] Mali may not have had many interactions with others outside of her pride, but she knew from stories and the very few experiences she did have that this all wasn't quite normal. Usually when an intruder had wandered onto her pride's lands, they were driven off the land unless they had means of joining their ranks. Of course, if said intruder was a shifter, than they would be driven off regardless. No, only retromorphs were allowed to earn a place in their ranks. That was when a fact that she had horribly overlooked came to mind. Was this female a shifter or a retro? Tensing faintly as she realized her mistake, her fur prickled and stood on end for a moment before she hastily ran her tongue over the fur that rested on her shoulders, attempting to smooth them back. If this feline was indeed a shifter, then she would have to find a way to get her off their lands...or, at the very least, make sure that no one found her talking to her. The gods only knew what trouble she would be in if someone from her pride found her conversing with this outsider. Shuffling a bit nervously on her paws, her tail tip flicking in a sort of jerky manner, she lowered her gaze as the lioness laid herself down. Her deep brown eyes avoided the lioness before she tentatively sniffed at the female. Her jaws hung open as she inhaled her scent, allowing her unique smells to engulf her senses. A gentle scent of crisp, wet leaves filled her and she held something of a smokey smell to her as well. The mix was strangely comforting, but there was something else that remained faint, almost hidden beneath this lioness's natural scent. Running her tongue over her lips, she gradually pulled her head back, having gathered the information she needed. This lioness was, indeed, a shifter, which meant that she was suppose to be drive her clear of the lands, but...well, she didn't have to do that just yet. Glancing around her a bit nervously, being sure that there was no one of her pride around, Mali finally turned her attention back to the lioness. Hesitantly laying herself down as well, her tail curled up beside her before she spoke once more. "Um...I'm sorry about...well, all that earlier," she began, her ears burning with embarrassment as she cleared out her throat. "It's just...It's a rule to chase out outsiders." Her voice was a bit quiet, her ears continuously twitching and swerving on her head, keeping a look out for any possible patrol that could be out. She didn't want to get caught talking to this intruder. "I'm Mali, by the way," she purred softly, a small smile forming on her muzzle.

[Deleted]

Percy pricked back her ears as they seemed to turn into radars as she also listened for anything that may be nearby. She did not hear anything for a fairly long ways off so she could shut off her ears for now, and let the other feline pay attention to it. She slowly pushed her muzzle into the meat in front of her before pulling off a large chunk probably half the size of Mali. Percy set it down in front of the other cat by leaning forward. The piece of food plopped in front of the other feline before she backed off to eat her own piece. She slowly chewed on the meat with a thoughtful look on her features. She knew that she would not eat it all so it would probably be better that she shared some of it. Letting a meal go to waste was something that she did not approve of, of course she left a whole deer back there, but she knew that if Mali found it then the rest of her... 'group' would most likely hone into it like a pack of blood hounds. It would not be long before they noticed the scent of blood on the wind, and went after the bait. She knew because she would do the same thing. Such fresh meat was hard to find in such harsh conditions, so it was easy to see how protective they must be of the little that they had, but she could not think of others. She had no connection to them. She was more concerned with feeding her own belly before helping anyone else. It would make her useless first off, and secondly it was against her nature unless that individual was closer to her which was not something that was very possible.

Ohh, now she had to introduce herself. Slowly she pushed the meat away with her nose before leaning over behind her as if she was searching for something important. It took her over thirty seconds to come back with a stick lazily hanging from her strong jaws. She set it on the ground, and slowly start to carve something into the cold earth. She obviously drew it upside down so Mali could read her name. It took her awhile, but she finally spelled out P E R C Y. Yes, her name. She was not sure if she could actually read it, but it was worth a shot. The mute would try anything at this point, but she could at least speak through body language to reveal her content. She let the stick drop down before a cracked, and soft purr seemed to slowly rip through her gullet before sputtering slightly, but it kept up as a soft whisper against the sounds of the frozen ruins.

[Mali]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 498px; height: 683px; background-image:url(http://i45.tinypic.com/2s9r78k.jpg)] While she had not been in the Menagerie for extremely long, Mali had spent enough time there to know the affect living in such conditions could do to someone. Usually the affects were quick on those who simply did not have the will or mentality to remain sane. And, for those who couldn't take it either passed during their time in the labs or had been left to rot in insanity. At the same time, those who did manage to survive were altered just as much if not more. People, shifters and retros alike, could grow cruel and brutal in this land. But, as she sat laid there beside this dark-furred lioness, she could not feel that same bitterness, that harshness. And, her judgement was confirmed when a piece of the meat from the shifter's little stash was offered to her. Blinking with surprise, Mali's soft brown eyes gaze up at the female's for a moment before she smiled gratefully at her. It was a rather large piece of meat and she doubted she'd actually be able to finish it, but the offer of food was not something she would turn down. As she bit into the bloody and torn muscle of the deer it had came from, her teeth sunk into its warmth. The sweet taste of the blood lapped over her tongue and washed down her throat, filling her form with a warm sense of satisfaction. Mali quietly tore at the meat, her eyes watching the lioness curiously as she reached back. She wasn't sure exactly what she was trying to do, but it was amusing to watch. When she came back with a stick, the small feline lifted her head up, tilting her head to one side as she watched the shifter trace lines into the earth. Stepping forward, she narrowed her eyes faintly as she stared down at the letters. She had seen these...markings before, having learned what a few of them had meant, but she did not know much beyond what the letters themselves were called. The first letter was a P, the second an E, she wasn't quite sure what the third one was. She knew the fourth one was a C, and the last one..."...P..Peeee...," she began, trying to sound out the word that sat in front of her, though was having some difficulty. "Peeeerk...Peerc...Peerc?" Blinking, she looked up at the lioness, her tail curling over her paws as she wondered if she had gotten that right. It sounded to be an interesting name, though it did sound quite odd. But, who was she to judge?

[Deleted]

Her face contorted slightly as she listened to the attempts at her name, but she guessed how she said it was close enough. Slowly, she shrugged. She did not mind how she pronounced it as long as she was given a name. A name was a way to recognize a person, and now she had something for her to be recognized by which made communication slightly easier. Her large eyes roved over the other feline before she pulled the hunk of meat back over to her, and continued her meal. Her large eyes closed slightly as she tasted the sweet meat against her rough, and bristled tongue. A tongue strong enough to take skin off of any prey that she may come across, but she did not know that. She did not grow up around other Lion Shifters, and her mother was nonexistent in her mind. She never knew of the woman, and did not even remember what she looked like. It was a strange thought that such a mellow creature never knew the touch of a loving mother. Well, she was mellow right now for more obvious reasons.

A deep breathe was taken in, and slowly breathed out before she continued eating. She would respond to the other shifter if she asked her a yes or no question, but anything detailed was not going to really be 'said' because of her lack of noise making. It took her all of ten minutes to clean the bone in front of her clean, and she slowly pushed herself off to the side lazily. Her stomach bulged with food as she laid there, and her large eyes closed slightly. Her tail slowly swished back, and forth as she let the bloody mess settle in her belly. She stretched herself out like a large house cat, and in her lazy stupor a large yawn escaped her three different times under a span of a minute.

It felt so nice not having to have schedules where she could train or do anything she wanted really. It just seemed easier living out here, and she was satisfied that her old 'owner' did not kill her or attempt to breed her. The breeding part would not have been as bad, but she doubt she would let it happen. She would not just let any male attempt to get it one with her, even if he was from good stock.

[Mali]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 498px; height: 683px; background-image:url(http://i45.tinypic.com/2s9r78k.jpg)] It was clear to anyone who would be around that Mali had not gotten the female's name right. Her expressions and the displeased look made it obvious. For a moment the spotted feline felt a bit bad for having said this shifter's name wrong. With a twitch of her ear, she looked back down at the letters, running them over and over in her mind, trying to sound them out to herself silently. But, that last, foreign letter was what stumped her. She had no idea what the odd, split branch sign was. She ran her tongue over her lips as the tip of her tail twitched in frustration before looking up at the lioness. Whether she had said her name wrong or not, it didn't seem as if the large feline minded. No, she seemed rather indifferent at the fact that she had given her a bit of an odd name, but if Peerc didn't mind, then Mali wouldn't bother herself with attempting to sound it out again and risk slaughtering the word even more. Her tail curled gently around her paws as she quietly sat there, her deep brown eyes watching Peerc with interest as she quickly devoured her piece of the meal. Mali herself had only taken a single bite out of her chunk and the meat was beginning to grow cold as it rested against the snow covered earth. Eventually dipping her head down, she tore another small piece off of the bloodied muscle, savoring the flavor that came with it. For a time she stayed silent, occasionally glancing up at the lioness shifter as she ate. Her whiskered twitched with amusement as she watched Peerc stretch herself out like she had done herself many times during the warmer moons after finishing a meal. Purring faintly, she ran her tongue over her lips to clear the blood from them before leaving her hunk of meat and padding up to the lioness. "Comfy," she purred teasingly a small smile sliding onto her lips as she sat in front of the lioness. Now, Mali wasn't quite sure why the thought had crossed her mind, but she hardly paid much attention or held any sense of worry over it. The small feline was not a huge fan of her weaker, more vulnerable form, but there were times where she did not mind it. And, such a time was now. Sitting in front of the female shifter, Mali slowly shifted into her human form, her smile widening a bit as she pulled her knees close to her chest, resting her chin on her knees. Her hair was a soft light brown, reaching to about the bottom edges of her shoulder blades. SHe had a very simple, hardly covering outfit. She had a thin blue shirt on that was ripped at the bottom, her midsection showing a bit. Her shorts were ragged and a bit big for her, but it was not something that bothered her much. It was only after she had shifted, though, that she had realized her mistake. It was freezing!

[Deleted]

She had closed her eyes for a short amount of time, but when she opened them again she was in for a slight surprised. She had heard the other feline sit in front of her, but she was not expecting her to change into human form. Her rounded eyes stared at the girl for a while, and took in her overall figure. She was attractive, and she did not find many other woman attractive, well, she preferred certain attributes that some women just did not seem to have at certain points. Her rounded ears slowly perked their way forward as she watched her seem to realize her surroundings. Yes it was cold, but the Lioness or the other girl did not seem to notice because of their luxurious, and soft fur that made it oh so easy to survive in such an environment.

She slowly got up, and pulled herself up into a lazy, standing position before shuffling over to the cat gone human. She positioned herself so she was around her, and laid down so her soft belly was pressing against the bare skin of the younger girl. She assumed she was younger because she still had such great youth lines on her features that it revealed her in such a light.

A sigh rippled through her as her tail curled around her, and her long legs wrapped around the legs of the girl. It was a simple gesture that revealed she was not a very selfish creature. If she had heat then she would share with the benign female that seemed to want to spend time with her. Percylla slowly closed her eyes with a deep grunt, and buried her black nose into the pads of her paws. Her torn ears twitched a couple of times before her whole body seemed to go lax.

[Mali]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 498px; height: 683px; background-image:url(http://i45.tinypic.com/2s9r78k.jpg)] After she had taken some time to actually think about what she was doing despite the fact that she had already done it, Mali figured that it would no doubt be a better idea for her to shift back to her natural form where she actually had a fur coat to at least keep the chill away. She had yet to piece together why she had thought this had been a good idea to begin with, though. It was the middle of winter, she hardly had anything on to warm her, and she was exposing her weakest form to an outsider. Where in there suggested that shifting had been a good idea? Unfortunately Mali had little time to actually put too much thought into her decision. When the lioness had moved, she had tensed simply out of instinct, having been taught to always be ready for anything and to expect the unexpected. Of course, what happened next was far from anything expected or not. Blinking in confusion as she watched the dark-furred lioness stand and curl up behind her, the young retro wasn't quite sure what to say or do. Staring blankly at the female, curiosity and even something of confusion flitted over her expression. But, it was gradually replaced by a soft smile. "...You're new in here, aren't you," she asked, her hand stretching out to run her fingers over the head of the lioness before she paused. Was that really the best idea? What if she didn't like it? Hesitating on her decision, Mali gradually made up her mind as her fingers gently buried themselves into the thick fur of the lioness. "Most others get mean from being in here...but, you aren't like the others."

[Deleted]

A snort escaped her before a deep murring sound slowly escaped her large mouth. Her eyes stayed closed as she felt her nimble fingers run through her fur, again a sensation which she was not used to, with gentle caresses, and twists. This movement just relaxed her more, and made the large predator want to turn into a kitten. To curl, and twirl around as she patted her belly, and sides, but she resisted such an urge. She was a lioness for Pete's sake, even though she was mild mannered to some, others would not be as lucky. She was not one to blindly run into battle, but once she picked a fight, she was sure to end it. Percylla could not actually help herself once she got into a fight, it is like the whole world turned black, but came back a couple seconds later to reveal itself in a red hazed slow motion that clouded her decision. The mute blamed her time in the ring. The ringing of the bell always caused her to go wild into a rage that could hardly be stopped by normal means. She would not stop until the opponent was down, and not a threat any longer.

Her mind wondered over these thoughts, and when the mentioning of her being different came up she did not seem to mind the comment. The cat accepted that her ways were probably fairly strange, and different then the other structures of the animal kingdom. A lioness with a pride generally died off or had to stay as a straggler that was constantly beaten down by the other females, but for her this was not the case. She thrived in this state, and ended up healthier because of it. Her tail slowly twitched as a puff of hair was aimed at Mali's hair to cause it to billow gentle against the plumes of steam that rose from her great maw. A gentle rumble, and laugh emitted from her chest which was similar to a breathy heave, and weeze to reveal her overall amusement at the statement. She understood her new 'owners' were more powerful than her old one, but since they did not interfere or make her hurt anyone she did not really care if some of her actions were somewhat strange.

[Mali]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 498px; height: 683px; background-image:url(http://i45.tinypic.com/2s9r78k.jpg)] After having been captured by the Keepers, Mali was not one who commonly shifted to her human form. Most of her pride members agreed with such a thing, many of them avoiding the unnatural stance and form of humans. It was something alien and foreign to them and, as far as she knew, if was something that none of them enjoyed. At least, she knew she didn't. When she had been nothing more but a cub, she had been unable to control her shifts, always changing forms when specifically told not to. And, it was because of her that she and her mother had been taken. The form reminded her too much of that loss and she hated it for what it had done to her life. But, as she sat there with Peerc, none of those thoughts seemed to be of high priority. No, she was simply enjoying the time to get to know this unique, strange shifter. As her fingers continued to trace over the lioness, occasionally dipping beneath the furry layer and running her fingertips over the buried flesh of the shifter, Mali found herself relaxing. Softly sighing, she sat there in silence, the warmth from Peerc enough for her to keep the edge of the cold air off. She was hardly paying any attention to the other female before she felt a bust of air hit her face. Squeaking with surprise, tensing, the retro stared wide eyed at Peerc, clearly caught off guard before a small laugh passed her lips. "Well, that's one way to grab someone's attention," she teased faintly, a smile on her lips before she leaned back against the lioness. "...You can only answer yes or no questions, huh," she said, more to herself than truly asking as she looked at her odd, newfound friend. "How old are you? Nod for eighteen or younger, and shake for nineteen or older."

[Deleted]

So, she wanted to know her age. Slowly, she thought about it. What was age? Was it the amount of time that you lived? Or maybe it came from the experience of hardship throughout daily life. As a Lioness she looked old, her long, and muscled body held youth, but the scars had made permanent marks to make it seem like she was a much older lady. She did not exactly see herself as bad looking because she had no scars on her face, but it was a nuisance when those around her expected someone much older in her human form. A human form with different scar patterns, but a face that was gentle. Her eyes always did seem to large for her face, and her nose was long, and thin with high cheek bones with a slight roundness to reveal her young age, but her body was a different story. She was packed with muscles, and her movements generally showed how careful she was, from her scarred, and rigid toes to the sides of her head which were shaved to keep it neat. Though, it was probably better to answer with her actual age. A nod was a slow lowering of the head before it bobbed back up.

As the girl leaned on her she just kept herself a relaxed mass of muscle, and bone. She was most likely comfortable to lay on, and it just let her have more warmth, but what she really enjoyed were those fingers of her's. They kept twirling, and curling through her fur without abandon as they did once before. Her large paw raised as she decided to rub her head behind her ear to dispel an annoying itch. Fur gentle drifted all over the place as she vigorously started to scratch the annoying spot right behind her ear. Once she was done her paw was slowly replaced on the ground, and sneeze shook her. Her fur was all over the place now. On top of the snow, on top of her, and it seemed to have coated Mali in a thin layer of grime from her pelt. Whoops... she was not expecting that to really happen. She knew that her shedding was bad, but this was just ridiculous. Percylla would have to spend time later grooming herself to get rid of all the clogged, and clinging, dead hair that dared litter her body.

[Mali]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 498px; height: 683px; background-image:url(http://i45.tinypic.com/2s9r78k.jpg)] In the few experiences that she did have with others, Mali had learned early on to not simply assume another shifter's or retro's age whenever they were in their animal form. One could not simply try to figure it out in such a form, it was never accurate. For instance, a rather young looking shifter can turn out to be much older in their human form or vice versa. It was never a set thing in such beings as themselves. As she waited for Peerc's answer, she raised an eyebrow faintly as she took notice of how the lioness seemed to be thinking over something. From what she knew, most others knew their age and she never thought that remembering one's age would be difficult. Of course, she could be thinking of something else entirely different, though Mali had no idea what else she could possibly be thinking of. Bringing her knees up to her chest, wrapping an arm loosely around them, her fingers continued to run aimlessly through the shifter's fur, not even realizing she was continuing at that point. Her deep brown eyes gently watched the female shifter as she nodded her head, the retro smiling faintly. Though she could not guess on an exact age, Mali was sure that this shifter was at least sixteen judging by the development of her lion form and by the number of scars that covered her form. She was sure no one of a younger age could have that many scars. "Alright, well at least we're getting somewhere," she said with a smile, her eyes gleaming with amusement as she watched Peerc scratch at her ear. Opening her mouth to speak, Mali planned and offering the female assistance, but it was clearly unneeded and a bit too late to offer such a thing as the lioness stopped and suddenly gave a rather large sneeze. Jumping faintly, Mali couldn't help but laugh faintly as she looked around at the fluttering strands of fur that surrounded them. It was everywhere. At first Mali had simply assumed it had gotten on the ground around them, the dark brown fur sprinkled over the soft white earth. But, she gradually discovered it to be on her as well as she found herself sneezing from the hairs that tickled her nose. She had never seen a feline shed so much at one time. Shaking herself to clear the hairs as best as she could, she sneezed a few more times before she was finally able to stop. But, there was still a good amount of fur still on her that seemed to want to just stick as they refused to fall off. But, they didn't seem to bother her at all. Instead the retro found herself laughing.