[aw] fleeting

[Soleil]

The water here smelt interesting. An early morning walk upriver had taken her past the rushing cascades and pools of rippling currents, up into more mountainous terrain. It was windless today, but the air already felt chilly and damp as she wandered across the damp rocks of the banks, peering at the icy pools.  With a dip of her head, Soleil sniffed gingerly at the water's surface. Was it toxic? It smelt good, but she couldn't place the reason why. 

With a sigh, Soleil seated herself by the bubbling pool. It was odd to see cold water do such a thing. She'd seen hot springs in the past, and at a distance she'd thought these had been the same. But now she just had questions, with nobody to ask.

[Jali]

Venturing to the strange lands Jali had came across that of a lake, with fresh water flowing, pounds filled with what she would assume fish to feed this would be a perfect stop for her to rest. As she neared the lake she decided to follow the streams up stream rather than sit at the lake itself to see what else it had to offer. Following the stream up the air seemed to feel a bit hotter than the fresh cool air she felt before, maybe there's hot springs or something warming the air.

Nearing closer she was right hot spring pools formed in the ground. Past the shrubs a faint figure could be seen, food maybe she thought, closer it appeared to be a lion sat right by one of the springs, pacing herself she should say hello, "Hello strange one." she spoke head up and clear peeking through the bushes.

[Soleil]

The rustle of paws on packed earth made Soleil glance up, silver eyes scanning the low bushes to her left. With a careful step back, she distanced herself from the bubbling pool. If it turned out to be someone unsavoury, Soleil didn't want to be slipping over her own paws. The tall, dark lioness that stepped into view was intimidating, so say in the least. She was shaggy, massive, and had huge teeth.

With all her oddities, Soleil shuffled back a few more shocked steps, tail flicking anxiously by her heels. "Strange?!" she flustered, "Have you seen yourself, lately!" How could this stranger say she looked odd when she had all that going on!

It occured to Soleil that antagonising someone so much bigger than her was a bad idea, but for now her indignance outweighed her caution.

Jali

[Jali]

Jali emerged from the shrubs with her paws paced slowly one after the other as she veered closer to the springs of the unknown lioness who had back up ever so slightly which seemed she was getting more of a grip, well Jali couldn't blame her for it. Fully visible now to the lioness she had spoken briefly in an anxious voice, reacting to her comment about Strange "Haha have I looked at myself lately." she replied head up, eyes looking down, brief moment "Yes I'm aware I'm huge and my teeth hang down like frozen ice shards." Leaning her down towards her. 

Attempting not to be scary and menacing she may have missed that as she lent towards her. "My apologies my dear." in a sweet tone.

Soleil

[Soleil]

Well, at least she did seem understanding of it. But the self-aware reply did little to soothe Soleil. This huge fanged woman was still a stranger and she had no reason to place any sort of trust in her. With a petulant wrinkle of her muzzle, Soleil glanced the smilodon up and down. "Apology accepted," she mumbled poutily.

"What did you even eat as a cub to make your teeth grow like that anyway?" a blurted question she couldn't quite keep to herself. "Don't they get in the way?"

Jali

[Jali]

With a response to her comment about her size and fangs Jali wasn't surprised. "What did I eat as cub you say, well it was meat maybe fish, I just ate it." She replied without hesitation. Laughing briefly "Haha as my teeth you see, they did not, you see I sharpened them on rocks or was it the bones of my meals." with a brief smile glaring at her. "And no they didn't it was more my meals got in the way."

"Let me ask you this, does one have a name?" asking with a slight grin, raising her right eye as she glanced directly into her eyes.

Soleil

[Soleil]

Soleil was a little taken aback by how literal the tawny woman's reply was, silver eyes warily glancing to her teeth... though she was trying not to. Was it rude to look at them? Soleil had never really had to consider such a situation. "But like..." she uttered with a furrowed brow, "Don't they make biting things... awkward?" How would you hunt like that? With claws? Soleil suspected that hunting wasn't much of a chore for a lioness so massive. Maybe she used her paws and body weight to take stuff down. Soleil was a little bit envious. Hunting was tough, when you were pretty much always outweighed by substantial prey.

Dark ears prick forward as Soleil realised she had been asked a question. "Um, Soleil." she said after a moment of hesitation. "...What's yours?"

Jali

[Jali]

Idling there glaring her massive teeth and starring into the lioness, Jali was asked that question many times but yet never gets old to her as she likes telling the story of her teeth. Do they get in the she thought ha, "Awkward ha in fact they make hunting easier." spoken with a confidant tone to her voice.

The lioness replied to her name she spoke Soleil but as she did there was subtle hesitation between speaking her name asking Jali for hers, hesitation to Jali meant one is scared, had something to hide or just trying to think. "My dear I'm Jali, no need to be sacred." attempting to sound friendly.

Soleil

[Soleil]

"Huh." Soleil uttered thoughtfully, processing the new information. Although she was still wary of the huge woman's fangs, they were becoming less of a shock by the minute. It was unlikely Soleil would get used to them though - definitely unusual, however which way one looked at them. "Do you stab things with your mouth, then?" it was kind of a joke, trying to find humour in the topic because she wasn't really sure how else to adress it.

Jali was her name, Soleil discovered. It fit her, somehow. "Are you from around here then, Jali?" she asked. Maybe it was a thing to just be huge and have big teeth around here. Something in the water, all that jazz. Maybe she'd grow massive fangs if she stayed here long enough? Soleil eyed the bubbling pool with a calculating frown.

Jali

[Jali]

"Do I stab things with my teeth you ask ha." a vague pause "...Maybe." Jali let out a little roar showing the full length of her fangs. He mouth open and the glare of the faint light on her fangs for brief moment showing Soleil she shut it. Soleil had asked if she was from around these parts, Jali paused briefly "Around here...You ask." pause with held breath "I...I am not and you?" she asked with hesitation which was not like her to hesitate.

Noticing Soleil eyeing the bubbling pool Jali tilted her head down to glanced at it too. It was bubbling she thought, contemplating to take a dip to cleanse herself, knowing she well needed it after all the wondering and little rest.

Soleil

[Soleil]

Maybe was not the answer Soleil was looking for, but the way those fangs glinted in the light made her hesitate asking any questions. Was Jali trying to intimidate her, or was it just coincidence Soleil was anyway?

With a swish of her tail, the inky lioness focused instead on the moving topic. "Oh," she said - sure he suspicions had been right. It was a little bit relieving to know the water and stuff around here wouldn't mutate her into... Jali. Not that she wouldn't be unhappy with a few more inches of height but... the teeth thing was still sticking in her mind.

"I'm not from here either." she answered after a pause, "But I like it here better, I think. What about you? Have you seen much yet?"

Jali

[Jali]

Jali could somewhat see the hesitation in Soleil but this was to her size and fangs so that she had nothing to worry about. Even then she herself had no intention of hurting the small Soleil more to that of trying to be friends but her appearance can make that awkward as she knew. She had replied the same to her of not being around from here either and had asked if she seem much yet.

With Jali first appearing here not much was seen to her. "Here is nice...different, I myself haven't seen much this is the first place I've been."  a quick breath "And you my dear, seen anything?"

Soleil

[Soleil]

"I've just been following the rivers," she answered, taking in Jali's response. "I wasn't really looking when I arrived." I had been running. Such information didn't need to be said, not when the healing scabs of clawmarks on her shoulder betrayed recent conflict on her part. "I've been fishing, mostly... but hunting is difficult." It felt natural, to blabber on a little bit. It was easier than having to explain her reasons for leaving, or thinking about her past.

"Do you want to maybe... hunt with me? I'm sure you're a lot better at it than I am." Maybe she could scab a quick meal, under the guise of helping...?

Jali

[Jali]

Soleil had replied that she like Jali had been following the river rather than searching around. She wasn't really looking much like her, she had implied that hunting wasn't her best with that it was difficult but could catch fish at least. As Jali stood there glaring at her she asked if that maybe the two of them hunt and was sure that Jali was better hunter. Jali's stomach rumbled with butterflies with a little blush as she was flattered.

Blushing the slightest "My dear of course, with two us better odds catching prey." she spoke in confidence knowing well she could teach Soleil some hunting skills and they both can get a nice feed.

Soleil

[Soleil]

Yes, that was it - they would have better luck hunting together than alone. Soleil liked that explanation, it made her feel less like a little cub trying to mooch a meal, than the adult she definitely was. With a pleased lift of her head, the inky girl nodded her enthusiastic agreement. "Let's find a better place to hunt then, " she announced, turning herself in the vague direction of the plains. "No point wasting any time."

And with that she was off, padding away with a certain confidence that the fanged woman would follow.

/exit soleil

Jali