((I can't wait for her next heat, it's in like 13 days and I'm tempted to buy some SoDs to use on her..))

Steele had her eyes on Dusky, a hungry look on her face. She watched the younger huntress with rapt attention, her tailtip brushing the ground as it snaked backwards and forwards. Maybe she noticed the determination in Dusky's face - maybe she was ruminating on what Lita had said, earlier. Either way, she took a few slow steps forward towards Bingo when she spoke, finally tearing her gaze away.

"I'm glad you all agree," she said, with an awful grin - showing teeth permanently stained with red. "It''ll be fun."

Lita nudged her pridemate in the side roughly. "Don't get too excited, Steele. Remember what happened earlier."
She flattened her ears, glaring at the grey lioness. Steele rolled her eyes.

"That was your fault."

Lita snarled at her and then turned back to the Wormwood lionesses. "We accept your terms, girls. But don't go crying to your king like cubs when you lose."

At this, Sab exchanged a glance with Pallas. There was unease in his eyes - even he struggled bringing down a fully-grown hippo, and this just seemed like a death wish. As much as he despised the lionesses at times, they were his family, so to speak. A family that hated him, sure, but they kept the pride well-fed. And him, when they felt like it.

"Just... don't get yourselves killed," he rumbled over to his girls, who scoffed at him in annoyance, their teeth bared.

"As if," Avi growled.

((ye, that sounds good!!))

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(if you have the cash, id say go for it! id gift you one but im with heaven this year ;;)

Bingo nodded slowly as Steele spoke. As the lioness turned away, Vermeil mouthed It'll be fun with a mocking grin, only for Bingo to shoulder her hard in the side. Vermeil eeped and whispered an apology.

"We never lose," Bingo snarled. She nodded to Dusky and Vermeil, then said to Avi, "Lead the way to our contest grounds." Bingo and Dusky wore determined smiles, but Vermeil moved a bit skittishly, nervous about her first hunt turning into a competition. She watched Bingo closely, trusting the lead huntress to keep her safe.

Pallas sighed as the lionesses grouped up to leave. Slipping over to Sab's side, he muttered, "So, we gonna follow them? Could use their kings if things go south."

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((Im tempted to buy 20gb but like, that won't get me far haha! And that's fair!! Thank you so much anyway tho ^^))

"Let's see about that," Avi growled, though it was less in malice now and more eager and determined.
She turned tail and began to walk, Lita and Steele keeping step with her. They looked over their shoulders to watch the other lionesses as they moved, their heads held high. The atmosphere was one of purpose as all six ladies strode across the grasslands, making for quite the imposing entourage.

Sab, for his part, relaxed visibly when the lionesses left. He nodded towards the primal king.
"Obviously," he said, weariness lining his voice. "You got some really good ladies there, Pallas. Capable. Real sweethearts, too. Come on, then - I know where they're headed. We'll keep our distance... I don't think the girls would like it if we got too involved."

((Edit: decided to buy 20gb and look for a pon heat - if i get one, first heat from my next pon is yours))

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Bingo watched the lionesses go for a moment, then began following, walking with purpose. Dusky hurried after her. Vermeil looked almost frightened, but then she shook herself and bounded to follow them, walking in step with Bingo. The three Wormwood lionesses moved in a group, behind Avi, Lita, and Steele.

Pallas smiled at Sab. "Thanks, they are pretty good. And yeah, I could go without Lita shaving my face off." He chuckled a little at the grim joke.

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The plains opened up before them, the scent of Sab's pride fading as they crossed the borders. The pride that lived here had a weaker one, more faded with age. Avi moved like she knew the lands, though she was mainly following her nose; finally stopping when she'd reached a knoll where she stood, the other two coming up behind her. They raised their heads to the breeze.

"Finding it will be the easy part," Lita said. "We return with a carcass, or we don't return at all." She met the others lionesses' eyes one by one, her tail held up.

Sab laughed too, though it was a hollow sound. "Yeah, I don't know if this is a great idea. Knowing Lita and Steele... I'm hoping they don't find a way to sabotage. I'm hoping they have more respect than that."

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Bingo's apprehension faded as they entered the new territory. The lion scents were stale - whoever lived here either had a very tiny pride, or a very ineffective one. Dusky kept nudging Vermeil, and the ferus's concern was being quickly overriden with the desire to win - Dusky's fierce gaze kept her spirits up.

Bingo nodded as Lita spoke. She squashed any anxiety she felt, and gestured to Dusky and Vermeil, before padding down the hill and heading for a nearby river. Its water shimmered in the afternoon sun; it looked calm, flowing smoothly by, but Bingo knew things lurked under the surface. She began upstream, scanning the river for any activity.

xxx

"I don't think they would," Pallas said, starting off into the woods to follow the lionesses. "But you know them better than me. If Bingo senses danger, she won't stick around, so I don't think they could get into too much trouble."

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Lita led the way as the groups broke off, her body held low to the ground. She headed towards the longer grass, the other two following as they headed downstream. It was wide, meandering; they kept their noses raised, alert for the musky smell of hippo. Avi followed behind, sinking into the long grass with quiet pawsteps.
For now, the three moved in silent synchronicity.

xx

Sab nodded, though he looked uncertain.
"Do you really think your pride could deal with one of them?" He waggled his tall nervously. "I mean- Avi, maybe, but- well, I saw the way she looked at you. Same way she looks at every new king. Some queens, too. Anyone but me, at least."

Though he chuckled, it didn't sound genuine.

"So- how long has Bingo been with you, then? The others seem to have a hell of a lot of respect for her."

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The three lionesses roamed for a while before Bingo stopped them. She ducked down, Dusky and Vermeil copying her, and gestured to a bubbly patch of water. As they hid, a gray head surfaced, followed by the upper body of a juvenile hippo. Vermeil's eyes widened at the sheer size of the creature.

Slowly, Bingo began to creep closer to the bank, keeping a close eye on their prey. It was still near the center of the river, not showing an intention of coming ashore. Dusky and Vermeil followed Bingo as she moved downstream, making sure the hippo didn't leave their line of sight.

xxx

"I think they'd be strong enough to ward off an attack, and then be smart enough to get the hell outta there." Pallas shrugged as they walked. He squirmed a little at the mention of Avi's flirtatious nature. He couldn't deny that, if he didn't know Sab, he'd never pass up the chance to claim a leopon - so he remained silent.

"Oh, Bingo? Her mom was the last king's queen. She was born and raised under him, so she was the natural next choice when her mom died." Pallas didn't bring up that he'd considered several lionesses, and only picked Bingo because she was the sole ferus and he thought they looked rather nice. "Who's your queen?"

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Steele was first to smell their prey - she dropped onto her belly, ears perking straight up. Definitely hippo. Poking her head out from the grass, Lita could see a cow hippo wading downstream. For now, they kept upwind and watched as it shambled towards the bank.
The grey lionesses' pupils dilated, and she crouched a little lower. Her tail swept across the grass, making it crackle. The hippo's ears flicked, but she didn't notice.

Lita pushed in front of her pridemate's path. "Not yet" she hissed, almost inaudible. Steele bared her teeth.

xx

Sab clearly noticed Pallas' silence, but said nothing. Instead, he nudged against the primal's side.

"Hey, man, I appreciate it. And she seems like she's a strong lady. Definitely tough enough to handle herself against my pride, for sure."
He walked for a moment in thought at the question and then sighed.
"Well, I guess there's a few lions who're actually decent, but... no queen. Closest thing I ever had was a close friend of mine, a subordinate male. A pon, like Avi. Farrah treated him pretty badly, and I guess he kinda helped me take him down, too."

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(should we decide which hunting group wins? i dont mind either)

After a short while of silent following, the hippo finally began to dictate itself towards shore. Bingo paused and her companions did the same - Dusky shifted her weight eagerly, claws digging into the dirt. The hippo was an adolescent, not yet at its full weight, but it was still fairly big. Big enough to be worth going after, at least.

The hippo ambled slowly out of the water, then began snuffling at the grass. Bingo gestured for Vermeil to loop around and startle it back towards her and Dusky. Vermeil nodded and snuck away, a little clumsily but luckily not enough to alert their prey. Once she was out of sight, Bingo and Dusky readied themselves, preparing for the take-down.

xxx

"Thanks." He smiled at Sab's friendliness. He was a good guy, when he wasn't trying to scare Pallas off his territory. He nodded solemnly as Sab answered his question. "I'm surprised you've had two 'pons. It's a shame he's not around anymore, I'm sure he was great."

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((I don't really have any preference either lmao, I'm chill with either - Sab's girls have a history of being reckless anyway and are going for a bigger animal bc pride so I feel they're less likely to win? But we shall see hahah))

Lita began to crawl forwards on her belly, nudging Avi aside to circle further out. They'd flank the creature and then attack at once; a synchronized volley of claws and teeth. Hippo hide was tough, but Lita had a history with the creatures - she'd taken down more than one alongside Farrah in the past, but she had to admit that it was the first one she'd hunted since the king's death. It would be harder without his brute strength on their side.
Still, one look at Steele gave her some fire back in her belly - the grey lioness was fixated on the animal, her eyes dark and pupils huge. Steele always had a look in her eyes as though she hadn't eaten in weeks - insatiable, and all the more savage for it. For now, though, she laid patient, her whiskers twitching.

Avi, meanwhile, shot Lita a doubtful glance. She hadn't hunted such large prey before, and her small stature made her all the more wary. Though she was lithe and able to conduct herself in a fight, hippos had a brutality about them that rivaled any lion's. The pon's ears were slicked back as she began to crawl to the left of the creature. By now, it was lumbering across the grass near the riverbank, chewing with wide, lazy bites. Avi shuddered at the size of its huge jaws.

xx

Sab shrugged, his stride now more relaxed. There was a spark beginning to creep back into his eyes the more he spoke to Pallas.

"I mean, sure, it's cool, but - a leopard, rather than me? If it were just one of them, then sure - but you've seen the way that guy slinks about. Either my ladies are easily charmed or, uh, the issue's with me. You know?"
But the laugh he gave this time was hearty and he bounded forward a bit, his stumpy tail raising. There was a clear fondness in his next words.
"Jack was kinda... sold to the last king. He was a guy, and I don't think Farrah knew the implications of that. He didn't manage to give any hybrid cubs, so Farrah ran him out. And he found me, I guess. Turns out a pon doesn't have quite as long as of a lifespan as we do, but he was pretty great."

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(alright!)

Minutes crept by at an achingly slow pace. Bingo hoped Vermeil was doing okay - she didn't know how to hunt very well, and a slip-up now could mean facing down an angry hippo. Luckily, the beast was still calm, grazing its way away from the river.

All of a sudden, a yowl broke the air, and the hippo bellowed in fright. Bingo's muscles tensed as it turned and began to charge in their direction, Vermeil on its heels. As it got closer, Dusky launched herself from the ground and landed on its back, getting in a good slash before tumbling off - Bingo leapt after her, biting firmly into the hippo's thick hide. It roared in pain.

xxx

"Right, right," Pallas chuckled, "I suppose it's a shame to have your girls cheat on ya with a sleazy leopard. I'd be happy, though, 'pons are cool." He listened as the smilus spoke, noticing the happiness in his voice. "Jack sounds pretty cool, too. Y'know, you talk about him like Mysterio talked about Bingo's mom," he laughed a bit and gave Sab's shoulder a good-natured shove.

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Avi took position on the hippo's left, hiding her sleek form in the grass. Her pawsteps rustled quietly, making the animal whip its head up again. The lionesses froze as its nostrils flared, scenting the air. Its huge head swung around, but they held their positions until it went back to contemplative chewing.

Steele was digging her claws into the earth, staring at the wide, wet back of her prey. It would be hard to get any purchase with her claws in that tough skin, but she was sure she could grip on hard enough to at least get a few good swipes in. Once Avi had it charging, they'd flank it, leaving the leopon to circle back around and join the fray.
She wasn't awfully strong, so wouldn't be a great candidate for an all-out attack. She was nimble, though, and likely more able to avoid the crushing teeth. Adrenaline pulsed through the leopon as she prepared to make a move. She was more expendable than the strongest and most vicious hunters, at least in Lita and Steele's eyes.

Then, Lita's tail raised from the grass like a charmed snake. Avi put all of her power into her haunches and streaked out of cover, startling the great beast.

xx

"Well, maybe he's got some moves to teach me," Sab chuckled. "It's no real loss. Not really. Though Avi is a bit of a pawful."
The nudge made him grin for real and he turned clumsily to give Pallas a soft cuff over the head. Now the smilus's ears were straight up, tail waving behind him like pondweed.
"Hey, now, that's none'a your business! We were close, that's all. He was... good. Good-natured, good-hearted. Would've made a better king than me, I think. Had a lot of love for everyone."

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Bingo dug her fangs into the hippo's flank, scrambling for a hold in its thick hide. Dusky jumped again, catching it in a hind leg with a firm bite. Vermeil circled them, dismayed, trying and failing to get in a scratch. The hippo's big jaws swung from side to side. It bit once at Bingo's leg, but she pulled back, the sudden motion causing her to slide down its side onto the ground.

Dusky dug her claws into its haunches and pulled herself up, eliciting a loud groan from their prey. Perched on its back, she bit into its neck, but her position didn't let her dig deep enough to hit any major arteries. She pulled away with a bloodied chin. The hippo bucked, throwing her off, and began to run away through the grass, bleeding from several wounds but not enough to stop itself.

"Damn!" Bingo cursed, throwing herself into the chase. Dusky and Vermeil were hard on her heels. The three lionesses followed the hippo, all four streaking across the savannah like lightning.

xxx

Pallas cackled at the cuff, showing off long teeth. "Alright, alright, whatever you say." He was sobered by Sab's next words. "C'mon, you're a pretty good king. Just got stuck with a bad pride is all. If I led your girls, I bet they'd hate me, too."

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The cow hippo seemed confused at first; smelling lioness but seeing a much smaller creature. Still, she bellowed and charged towards the leopon, who sprang out of the way and turned tail. Lita and Steele burst from the grass, barelling towards the hippo and leaping to dig their claws in - before they could do so, however, the animal seemed to smell them.

She swung around at the last moment, her huge jaws smashing sideways into Steele. The grey lioness was thrown backwards, landing sprawled on the grass with a roar of pain. She barely managed to scramble up and spring away as the hippo charged again, the other two aiming for its flank again, keeping on its tail.

xx

In a sudden show of gratitude, Sab headbutted Pallas's neck and mane. He then pulled backwards, step quickening as he gambolled ahead a few more steps. There was a strange sense of youth about him now that he wasn't under the pressures of leading, and now he'd dropped the mighty king act altogether.

"They're good hunters. Good fighters. Just not great pridemates. It isn't their fault, not really, but..." he trailed off, ears twitching. "Honestly, I think Lita and Steele only survived under Farrah because they were fighters. Usually he didn't care much for common lionesses. He'd have loved your girls. Probably try to make a move."

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