The Plains

Setting:

Vast rolling plains, prey is scarse. Prides struggle, but only the tough survive. Lionesses stick together, whereas the males stay lone. Cubs are rarely abandoned, but it does happen if the mothers cannot look after them.
Outsiders are a rare occurance, but mothers and their cubs are sometimes seen prowling for scraps of food.

Lenna stalked the shadows of the plains, her fur was dirty, her paws aching. Being an Outsider was hard, expecially for her, she had been abandoned after her mother was killed whilst hunting and her sisters left her. Lenna let her black mane fall over her pale green eyes, her black nose almost touching the ground. Her twin, Leo stumbled at her side. "When is mom coming back? Wheres the food, Im hungry... Im too hot-" Lenna growled: "Just shut up, Leo!" Everything fell silent, Leo walking with his head low. The two cubs only had each other.

Neiko and Laika looked out and saw the two cubs. Laika tilted her head as she listened, being the one who never really spoke at all she sat down and groomed her paw. Neiko looked at them a moment before trotting over to them, his dark coat was cleaned and glistening, unlike his large paws which were pretty dirty. He stopped right in front of Lenna and smiled the best a lion could, he then sat down, blocking their path.

Lenna looked up, her small black mane falling over one of her green eyes. "Move." She growled. Leo backed up a little, not wanting to be the victem of his sisters anger.

He shook his head, as Laika looked over, before she stood and walked over to them, her look was submissive and shy. "Why should I?" He asked, in a jerky tone. "This is mine!" he hissed at her before laying down.

Lenna hissed, diving at Neiko, her jaws clamped around his neck. She bit once, then got off him. She walked around him, flicking the dry dirt on him, Leo following at her heels, her black tail tip flicking.

He growled as he stood and lunged at her, grabbing the end of her tail and pulling on it like he was in a game of tuga war. Laika jumped at him and pushed him away, she shook her head, but didn't speak.

Lenna growled at him, Leo lowering his head. "Did your mother ever tell you to never bite a girl?" She hissed, batting his snout with her paw, her claws extended. It was clear they were outlanders.

"No! She died... Stupid humans killed her..." He mumbled, "Outlanders huh?" He snarled at her. Laika shook her head, she wanted so much to talk, but was scared of rejection.

Lenna growled, placing her clawed paw back on the ground. "Whats it to you?" Leo sat near Laika, lowering his head. "Hi." He whispered.

"I was just saying..." He shrugged his shoulders in a small circle. Laika looked down and moved away, her baby blue eyes reflected the sun light beautifully. She didn't talk thought instead she looked over to him and swallowed hard.

Lenna rolled her pale green eyes, shaking her golden fur. Leo lowered his head, moving away, laying in the shade.

He pawed at her, as if to play, then flicked his tail. Laika smiled as she moved closer, "I'm...Laika..." She said lowly.

Leo raised his head with a smile. "I'm Leo." He said quietly. Lenna swatted Neiko with her paw, like he was an annoying fly.

Astrid stalked her prey, a lone gazelle. She lowered herself into position and slowly crept forwards as close as she could in the grass before she jumped out. The gazelle ran off but Astrid still chased it. Soon she was close enough to jump, and she did. She caught it on the rump and pulled it down before she sank her teeth into its neck and killed it. Astrid had found no reason to live in the jungle, where she was born, because there wasn't s much food. "One down for today" She muttered to herself before eating.

Laika smiled before she stood and looked back, giving him a nod, as if to say, 'Follow-me'. She then began to walk, not knowing where she was going exactly, but she was tired of her mean brother pushing her around. Neiko wrinkled his nose, and shook his head, before he yawned. "You're boring me..." He said as he walked ahead of her.

Leo walked next to her, his tail flicking happily. Lenna rolled her eyes, walking the opposite way, though stepping on a sharp strand of dry grass made her yowl in pain. She hissed, limping away to the shade, trying to pull the dry grass out of her paw.

Laika smiled as she whispered, "I know of a place that's just over here... it's not dry and stuff... it's even got water... Me and Neiko try and keep it a secret... it's kinda like a secret garden, I guess..." She said as she slowed down at what looked like a dead end of thick bushes. "Awe, poor thing." Neiko said sarcastically as he walked closer and pulled the grass out of her foot.

Lenna growled, licking her paw, her eyes slightly welling up as it stung. Leo smiled, stopping as well, looking around, looking confused.

Neiko smiled and said, "How are you going to repay me?" He laid down in the shade and watched her with his brown eye. Laika pushed through the bushes, on the other side was a sorta lagoon, odd for the setting, but it was like something to help them out. She walked on the plush, green grass, then looked to the water.

Leo followed, looking around, gob-smacked. "Woah..." Was all he could get out, and it was merely a whisper.// Lenna rolled her eyes. "I wont kill you." She smirked, rolling onto her back, her tail twitching.