[NOTE: One months after previous chapter!]
The ferus leaped into the cave, quiet on his feet, he grabbed a chunk of stale food, then prepared to take his leave.
Diablo was walking by, he trotted into his den to grab some food, when his eyes met with a lion he had never seen before. In fact, it took him a second to register what it even was. Spechless, the lion stood up straight.
Diablo was simply confused, but he knew enough to make the signal to Oddwater, a few taps on the wood with unsheathed claws, and the nearby leader would be alerted.
The primal hissed through his teeth, the sound muffled by the food in his brown muzzle, he then continued:
"Back off. You have more then enough to go around."
The strange lion hopped out the window, confident of success, he trotted out... although was abruptly stopped by Nexus, the submale of the pride. He stared down at the ferus with a mighty frustration, standing wide and proud.
"Hello. How are you?"
Nexus asked smugly.
The now fearful adolescent replied shakily:
"F-fine. I'm great. How are you?"
Nexus flicked his tail aggressively, a toothy smile of tension rested on his face.
"Oh, I'm just great. Although, you know what makes me feel... not great?"
"No."
"Well, when people steal my stuff. It doesn't make me very, 'great.'"
The young lion was just staring now, knowing he'd been caught. Nexus continued, his tone now more true to what he was feeling.
"But you see, my little friend, you have very nice claws. You have powerful jaws and shoulders, and you must be light on your feet for me not to notice you. So- I'll make you an offer..."
He listened, now hanging on his words to try and save himself.
"You hunt. If you some food, you can keep thirty percent of it for yourself, and the rest we'll give to the pride. You can come and go as you please. That's option one, okay? Okay. Option two: You join the pride fully, perhaps even rule it one day. Food is unlimited, so is shelter. And, you'll have a family. Option 3: Take your little scrap piece and buzz off, before Diablo shows you the meaning of his name."
The primal sighed and looked around, there were lions everywhere. Even though he didn't like it, he was restricted to these three choices.
"Option one."
He muttered.
"Really? Oh I'm so glad you wanna join the family, even if it is temporary."
Nexus' face lit up.
"I don't want a family. I want food and protection. There's someone out there, one of us, racking up death counts like souvenirs. I'm not a souvenir."
Diablo walked up from behind.
"Then what are you? What's your name?"
He asked, analyzing the young primal.
"Aranea." His name meant 'Spider,' referring to the markings on his legs, that looked like they had been wrapped in cobwebs.
"I'm a ferus."
Although they both knew this lion was different, Diablo and Nexus exchanged a look of shock when he stated that. 'Ferus' was slang for a ferus primal, a rare species long thought to be extinct. More and more creatures were claiming to have seen these mutants, but the majority of the pride didn't believe it until now.
"Well, Aranea, if you'll follow me to your new cav"-
"I won't sleep in a hole." Aranea interrupted. "How about I sleep in the trees?"
Nexus shrugged and looked to Diablo for confirmation.
"Fine by me. Just be careful. The trees are just as important as you are. Don't damage them."
Diablo ordered.
The adolescent nodded and suddenly flung himself up the tree, grasping a sturdy branch, he climbed on top of it. Turning around to lay there, he seemed content.Diablo looked to Nexus and whispered:
"A ferus? Where the heck did he come from?"
"Who knows? I'm just glad he had such great timing. If we've ever needed a primal, is this the right time or what?"Aranea listened to their chatter with his ears pricked, but his eyes closed. This pride was planning on turning him into a combatant to fight 'The Someone.'
Although, he didn't give it much thought. After all, if he hadn't taken the deal, he would have starved shortly after. The Someone was taking everything that was edible. If, a certain pride was lucky enough to snatch some food, stealing from the rich was his last option.This wasn't a 'family' to him. This was the difference between life and death itself.
YOU ARE READING
oddwaters pride.
De Todoa lioden journal. if it doesn't turn out chaotic then im throwing hands. NOTE: this is only of important or interesting events! expect timeskips! TW: VIOLENCE AND OTHER CRAP