Her pride would be her downfall.
The brown lioness knew it, it cling to her like a dark shadow, ever following, always present. Her claws found soft ground as she stepped out of her den to face the day, tired bones ached from the day before. She was training, sparing with a Goddess in disguise, learning to overcome her own emotional demons, while working to be the best version of her self.
It was surprising to her in all honestly, the amount of time she had been spending with a Goddess made her feel a little guilty for ignoring her own father, whoever, the wounds her father left cut too deep to simply forget. So for now she would keep her mind on the prize. Wisteria would keep her eyes focused - she was going to battle her way trough the ranks, and she was going to prove to the entire pride that she belonged here.
Though she was born free her blood was tainted by the old Warlord, who was her adoptive mother at the time of her fall. The female would carry this with her always. Never forgetting the pain she must have felt upon being shamed and stripped of her title.
The seer would have her day in the sun.
Slowly she walked until her paws settled at the edge of the forest. Sometimes the lioness came here to think, alone, enjoying her solitude.
It was a dull grey day and Orm wasn't feeling being around his family right now. Hed grown with two sisters and was the only boy and even as an adult it still agitated him that they were just as competitive as he was and ambitious if not more so. He still had major beef with his sister hila namely who'd managed to get the reaver title before him, the only son. Despite the warlord making things right and putting women in their place he harbored a lot of resentment.
So the edge of the woods made sense as not many gathered there and he could be alone. Clawed paws scraped the ground as he padded in a very meditated way. He was not pissed but he wasn't exactly in a pleasant mood. One could question if Orm knew what it felt to be pleasant.
The sight of a brown female had him rolling his eyes but rather than turn to find a different spot he approached. No, confrontation was not what he sought but he didn't have a friendly aura either.
"Didn't know females liked the woods ." His tone wasn't hostile but it wasn't friendly either.
As quickly as he spoke the lioness turned her head and frowned, speaking to him in a very matter-of-fact sort of way. "I didn't know boys liked them, either." she could tell he was pissy right off the bat. Awesome, just what she needed, another brooding male looking to pick a fight. Her eyes scanned him as the golden maned lion moved closer, eyes narrowed in dislike.
"But what would I know about boys" she was taunting him a little, as if she already knew what would give under his skin. Her lean frame stood still as she flicked her tail toward him, smirking. The seer was use to boys like this.
She would remind him of his place if he dared challenge her.
Orm snarled at the implied boy diss despite having just done the very same moments earlier. Orm had a thin skin and did not know how to maturely walk away from a taunt. A bold paw step was taken forward and a new menacing poisoness glare swam in his eyes.
"I will not take such disrespect from a lesser," he growled. "I can only hope you're not a thall because if you are I will take your tongue right now " his claws extended as he kneaded his toe beans in to the earth.
"Hah, how adorable." her eyes rolled back as she gave him another mocking smirk. "You wish I was a thrall, don't you boy?" her body tensed as the lion moved to a rather defensive stance. "I am a freeborn, and a child of a God. I dare you to try to strike me down." Wisteria was rather large, her God-blood was undeniable, still, she would stand and defend herself if he chose to strike. He was nothing to her. She hadn't even got his name.
"Disrespect, you are the one being disrespectful!" the female hissed as her ears lowered in annoyance. He had some nerve.
"Why are you out here, shouldn't you be raiding or something?"
Orms stature was also large for a lion given his God blood. He was not a powerful seer nor had he ever had a vision but if he had maybe he'd see he was shooting the s**t with another Demi god here and now. The black lion postured on the ready to strike this female but held back. As an adult he'd learned not to resort to violence right away when one was of standing to at least be a freeborn. It was frowned upon.
"Shouldn't you be ? With how you're postured I'd guess you trained to be a warrior but oh. You can't leave with out the ranks of a reaver because you're lesser in every way to a male. " He grinned knowing he was crossing a line. He crossed this line many times before with his sister's and couldn't care less if she was to strike him. He wanted the excuse to engage.
The angst was strong with this one.
"Makes it even more pathetic you aren't a Reaver by now. I'll be one before you will ever be, I can tell just by looking at you." her eyes narrowed as she gave him another frown, tilting her head in disapproval. "Even with an entitled birth you still can't rank up? Pity. What a waste of a lion." if he was going to attack her pride she would destroy his. The female knew better than to raise a paw to him, they were both freeborns, she knew she needed to show some respect, but he was making it hard. He was making it vary hard to stand here like this, unable to attack, unable to step down from this verbal fight.
"My name is Wisteria, and you best do well to remember my name." the female warned with a frown. "-boy."
The assumption had Orm raise a clawed paw at this female but he did not strike as he knew that it would be seen unfavorably to strike another blood of the storm.
" I. Am. A. Reaver." He was fighting his rage and it was hard right now. " You will never be my equal and you will never be anything more than a guard dog stuck at the border yapping in to the abyss." He bristled and took a few steps forward now uncomfortably close which may not have been smart on his part.
"Why don't you go home...girl. A true Reaver is here and I don't want you spoiling my spot. "
Despite unleashing his emotional bile he was feeling more of a sting than he'd care to admit. She had assumed he was lesser and not a Reaver and no amount of yapping at her would undo the inferiority complex wound now resting on his chest.
The female smirked as he neared, standing firm in her need to defend her own pride. She let out another small snarl as he spoke, pinning her ears back in annoyance. "Oh, well, I couldn't tell, you don't look like a Reaver." the brown seer rolled her eyes again she sat herself down, speaking again, this time with her head held high.
"I won't leave. I was here first. You can leave if you are so annoyed." he couldn't make her do anything. She wasn't a thrall. Her claws dug into the earth as her eyes followed his every movement. As he moved closer she gave him a disgusted look. "You're even uglier up close."
Maybe that wasn't true, still, she wouldn't tell this jerk that. He was annoying.
Orm swallowed his whine that no he wasn't ugly and instead took a seat. She wasn't moving and nor was he not that he cared so much for this spot before he'd gotten here. His tail lashed from side to side and his wounded pride fueled the anger in his dark green eyes.
"I'm not moving either. " Oh this was childish and even Orm could see that but now how was here and he wasn't about to move. His pride was at stake and it was what he cared about most of all. So there he sat and stared.
"Fine by me." the female frowned. "I can sit here all day." what the heck was she doing? Was she really going to waste her time sitting here like this, all to spite some random wanna be reaver? Her eyes narrowed as she gave him another nasty look. Of course she was. He had offended her, she wasn't going to move until he did.
It looked like the two were at some sort of stalemate, stuck between pride and anger. They wouldn't dare move for the next few hours. So they sat in silence, glaring at each other until their eyes turned sore.
