How Far Could That Little Lion Run? -Whisper/Open-

[Leo]

Quiet. It was quiet. Almost unnaturally quiet, and very still, too. In fact, one of the only few things moving was a huge lioness. The hot sun beat down on her coat, making it shine golden. The lioness was beautiful, though her face was marred by a scar, and a scowl. The scar was three vertical lines, stretching down from the top of her to her cheek bone. The scowl was firmly planted on her maw, and it didn't look as though it would be removed anytime soon. In fact, by the murderous look in the lioness' golden eyes, it was doubtful that the sneer would be permanently etched into her golden face.

Leo paused, her front right paw raised as she scanned the grassy plains. Baobab trees were scattered around here and there, but the golden lioness was not looking for shade. Nor was she looking at the beautiful scene in front of her; the grasses were tall and golden, and waving serenely in the wind. She blended in near perfectly. Though camouflage was not why she was here, either. Leo was here to find that sister of hers. Knowing Whisper, she would get her cream-colored butt into another problem, and Leo would have to get her out of it. Those scenes were usually accompanied by a lot of yelling, and maybe a fight.

Though looking after Whisper could be a hassle, it was well worth it. It seemed as though her sister was the only living thing that could bring a smile to Leo's pretty face, and Whisper was her sister, after all. The thought of the glamorous creamy lion did not bring a rare smile to her face, but the corners of her dark lips twitched upward, like she was thinking about removing the scowl from her face. But soon the shadow of a smile had passed, and Leo was sniffing the grasses, trying to catch the scent of her slippery sister.

Where could she be? Leo thought, her brow furrowing. If she was Whisper, where would she go? Well, where could you go, in this barren land? Leo sighed, her face darkening. She was very worried for her sister, because, a) Whisper was a rather small lion, though she made up for it in brains, and b) Leo didn't want Whisper's pretty face to be ruined by a matching scar. At least one of the us can be pretty, she thought, a faltering smile passing across her muzzle. But no, now was not the time to crack petty jokes. Now was the time to find her lovely sister, and be off.

Leo's trot turned to a run, and her half-tail swished out behind her. The golden lioness ran quickly through the grasses, her long legs eating up the dusty and slightly dry ground. The sun was high in the sky, and Leo guessed it was sometime around noon. That meant the sun would be beating down even more than the morning, and that had been quite hot. Tongue sticking out, the lioness made her way, nose snuffling along the grass, trying to find out where Whisper had gone.

Good God, how far could that little lion run? she thought, her eyes rolling. Trust Whisper to slip away from her as she was arguing with that stupid leopard. Honestly, the nerve of some! The sun was beating down on her coat even harder now, and she seemed to glow as she flew across the plains. Leo was the epitome of elegance. Her long legs moved in a gentle yet powerful lope, and her golden eyes were focused on the horizon. Her half-tail swished in harmony with her shoulders, that were moving up, down, up, down, in time with her legs as well. Her rounded ears were pointed forward, and her neck was stretched out, her body long and lean.

Finally she slowed, and rolled her eyes again. Knowing Whisper, it was better to call than search, actually. She raised her head to the sky and roared, her gruff-yet-smooth roar echoing around the plain. It bounced off trees and came back to her slightly, her powerful voice flying through the plains. If Whisper was in a five mile radius, she would hear that. Leo sat down, happy with her work. But if Whisper didn't come..

[Whisper]

A stir in the golden grass. A flash of white darts through the golden ocean of swaying grass. A shadow of a small lioness slunk through the grass, her belly near touching the ground, her tail dragging along behind her. The lioness paused, and a low, raspy snarl rose and fell deep in her chest. She raised her head slightly above the long grass and narrowed her stormy blue eyes. A cold smile flickered across her face, then it disappeared as she zoomed in on a newborn zebra foal. She licked her chops and muzzle and flicked her ears forward. The lionesses whiskers twitched, and she heard her stomach rumble.

The lioness slunk forward but suddenly, and her dagger like claws shot out, and she lowered herself even more, until she was at a impossible level. Only five meters away was her meal, it was so close she could taste it, when out of the blue, A loud powerful roar echos through the plains, shattering the silence, along with the frenzied whinnying of the zebra and wilder beast. Whisper watched helplessly as her meal ran off, without even a scratch. Whisper's beautiful delicate face turned hard, and she hissed,"Leo..."

Whisper jumped up and roared back in anger, and snarled watching as Whisper loped swiftly onto a plateau and took in her surroundings, then muttered,"Leo, why must you always ruin my hunts?" She sighed and shook her head, then trotted down the slope, her long tail swaying from side to side in sync with her shoulders. As the lioness moved across the savanna, she took in the beautiful dawn, quiet still, a good day for hunting. Or was a good day. Whisper sighed and looked down at her delicate paws, then paused and turned around. She observed her tiny paw prints and with a a single claw. The cream colored lioness drew a paw around her own, roughly the size of Leo's paws. She sighed and sniffed the two of them, then sat back on her haunches. She wasn't that tiny, was she?

Even if she was, she, at times, felt her sister became a little to panicky about her. Just because she was not even half the size of her huge sister, didn't mean she was a cub. And she was not to be treated like one. A determined pout crossed her face and she thought gloatingly to herself,someday, I'll have the courage to tell her I'm not a cub anymore. She wiggled with the anticipation and set off once again, at a quicker pace, and opened her jaws to let out a low gu-wuff into the air. She followed the distinct scent of her sister till she came upon the ledge where Leo is sitting. Whisper raised her head slowly and looked at her golden sister, a hint of irritation in her blue orbs.

[Leo]

A lone lioness sat alert, her short fur bristling slightly. Her eyes scanned the flat land, and her ears moved at every sign of noise. Her tail rested upon the sandy ground behind her, twitching irritably. Her claws were unsheathed, and were digging ruts into the dry, dusty ground. Her head was raised, her shoulders rolled back, and her back straight. Her mouth was tight, and her liquid gold eyes were narrowed. The lioness was waiting.

To be more specific, the lioness was Leo. Her posture was elegant, and alert. At any sound of an attacker, the lioness could whip around, her jaws open and her claws already unsheathed. That was how she survived. Life was like a game of survival. You had to be strong, you had to be smart. Leo was blessed with both of those fine qualities. Some didn't, and their fate was destined to be.. unsatisfactory. But Leo was not like them. She had been trained to be bitter and cold, and very violent. Though some found her cruel, some called her evil, some called her plain rude. In her eyes, it was how she survived. The strong triumphed, the weak did not. That was the rule of the unforgiving savanna.

Wait. Leo froze, her eyes narrowing more. The wind wafted toward her carrying a scent along with it. The huge female visibly relaxed, her eyes suddenly softening. Leo would know that scent anywhere. Whisper. Well, at least she heard Leo's roar. The large lioness stood and turned, her golden orbs settling on the creamy colored female. A very rare smile broke out on her face, but the irritation in her sister's stormy eyes did not go unnoticed. "Roar ruined your hunt, huh?" Of course, Leo didn't even have to ask. Being the brilliant hunter that she was, Whisper was always looking for an opportunity. And this wasn't the first time Leo had ruined a hunt.

Oh well. There would be another chance. Whisper would catch something soon. "Relax, lil' sis. You'll get something soon." Leo gracefully walked over to her sister, glancing carelessly down at her. Leo's tail flicked, and she flashed her sister a evil smile. Her grin was worrying, and for those that didn't know her would guess she was planning something dangerous and deadly. However, Leo was just thinking of the ways she could make it up for her sister, and a good idea had just passed through her mind.

"C'mon. I'll make it up to you. You, me, hunting." With another grin and a flick of her short tail, she prowled through the grass, her golden eyes focused forward, her nose trying to pick up the scent of an animal.

[Whisper]

Whispers scowl spread slowly as her sister realized she was upset, then she sighed dramatically as she watched Leo try and think what she'd done to upset her. But luckily she perked up and smiled when her older sister said brightly,"C'mon. I'll make it up to you. You, me, hunting." Inside, Whisper was joyful that her sister was trying hard to make it up to her younger sister, but she wasn't letting her get away that easily. Whisper jumped up to follow Leo, a smile on her pretty face. Leave it to Leo to be so.. Carefree, casual, and totally laid back. Of course, if someone else came, Leo would immediately jump to defend. Leo was so over protective. At times it could be annoying, but many a time Leo had gotten them out of a rather sticky situation. Whisper didn't really like Leo's methods, Whisper was never one to throw her weight around -not that she had much-, but Leo was different.

So the pair went off, Whisper quickly catching up despite the fact that her legs were not as long as Leo's, and soon Whisper was in the lead. Whisper was a tad more perky, and was strutting about like she ruled the world, her furry chest puffed out, her stunning blue eyes glowing with satisfaction. Typically, Leo led the way. But she could not gloat for to long, had a job to do; hunt. So the creamy lioness paused, and scanned the horizon for a termite mound or some rock structure where she could look for a potential meal. Once she had one in view, she loped over to a large rock mound, and noticed two large step like rocks jutting out from it. Whisper readied herself to leap, then lept nimbly from rock to rock, scattering a few pebbles as she went.

Once she got to the top, she sucked in her breath and took in the landscape, the rich smells of the land filling her nostrils: animals, water, grass, dirt, blooming flowers and a rich abundance of fruits and nuts. She smiled slightly, it was the perfect day, clear, sunny sky, warm but not to hot. The prey animals were relaxed and grazing sleepily on the roots,small plants and new grass. And the sky was filled with colorful birds, all singing their own song. Whisper felt her sleek shoulders relax along with all her muscles. A smile slid across her pretty face, making it only more radiant. Whisper sighed with content as she flopped down on top of the rock, and let the sun's golden rays soak onto her...

[Leo]

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[atrb=background,http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd415/Somatra1/tback-7.png] Leo grinned crookedly as she saw her sister visibly brighten at the thought of a small hunting trip. Whisper took the lead quickly, her chest puffed out in pride at being the leader of their odd group. It really was an odd group, Leo realized with a jolt. A small, pretty, dainty, creamy colored lioness, and a huge, elegant, beautiful, golden and tawny lioness following her, as though a bodyguard. Leo snorted, her black lips curling up into another one of her trademark crooked grins. Bodyguard. Yeah, that was Leo, the big, strong, bodyguard. Shaking her head, Leo quickened her pace as not to be left behind. Yes, Whisper was small, -or in lioness standards, at least- but she could set a fast pace, that even Leo and her long, muscled legs had trouble keeping up with. Jerking her tawny head up, Leo watched her sister's mucles tense and then spring up into the the air, landing on a large boulder, scrabbling her way up before laying down gently. Leo rolled her shoulders, her tense muscles relaxing, too, as she jogged up to the large rock and making a leap, elegantly arcing through the air before landing on the boulder with grace and agility. The lioness mirrored her sister and gave a content song. This was where the two were happiest: Outside, in the beautiful plains, relaxing in the beautiful surroundings that they had been blessed with. Though the huge lioness was relaxed, her eyes darting around the area, forever alert. She had been blessed with strength, size, speed, and agility, and she would make sure she used it as she protected her sister and herself. Strong as a male... the words her father had spoken drifted through her mind, and Leo involuntarily straightened up, rolling her shoulders back and raising her head and tail to a place that spoke of authority. Annoyed, Leo slumped her shoulders, her golden eyes flashing. Just the mere mention or memory of her father could make her pay attention. But that was how it had been.. Leo was his apprentice, his son he could never had. In a way, she gained much from learning under his watchful and cold eyes. But she had also lost much.. Leo rolled her golden eyes, the same eyes her father had had. The lioness suddenly snapped to attention, lips curled in a silent snarl, before she relaxed again. The rustle in the grass had been no more than wind. "Sorry," Leo said softly to her sister, only half thinking about the present. C'mon, girl, she thought. You're gonna have to be in the game to catch anything, she mentally chided herself. "Well, now that we're here, Whisper, shall we hunt?" Leo grinned at her sister, and motioned with her paw to the swaying grasses. From their vantage position, they could see many herds of zebra and gazelle, the dream of a hungry lion or lioness. "Dear sister, lead the way!" Leo cried dramatically, knowing that Whisper longed to be the leader of the group. The golden lioness could see it clearly, the way Whisper talked when she was the leader, the way she walked, no, strutted, the way her little chest puffed out. It was quite endearing, it really was. Leo's sister was her favorite person in Leo's world, and probably always would be. Leo smiled. And unlike most of her smiles, this one reached her golden eyes and set them ablaze, lighting tiny fires in them. And for a moment you could see Leo's true spirit, but the moment passed as she turned her head back to the plains, now serious again. "Zebra? Gazelle? Anything out here suit your fancy?" she asked, one eyebrow raised, a questioning look on her beautiful, aristocratic face. The sun shone down on the two sisters, and for a moment everything was perfect. Just two lionesses, out for a hunt, smiles on their faces, ones that reached their beautiful eyes. It really was a perfect moment. Leo was always happiest when she could be herself around her dainty sister, and this was living proof of that. Leo's Song