A White Speck in the Outlands (Open RP)

Peké gazed at the helpless termites, a grin still playing on his muzzle as he lifted both paws to bat and touch the termite mounds, chuckling lightly to himself. He really did seem to be in his own little world... Even pausing to unsheathe his claws as he ran them lightly over the mound. A termite mound was something new to the cub, and simply holding his attention for a short bit. No harm in toying with it, after all. At least, he assumed there was no harm in being distracted.

Not like there was anything living in these lands...

But Pekés amused grin had instantly faded at the sound of a fearsome growl, and he turned just in time to get a glimpse of another lion. "AAGHGHHH?!?" His shocked expression and scream made it fairly clear, he did not expect Kovu whatsoever. Getting quite easily bowled over and knocked straight to the ground, the cub oofed and grunted quietly, more pained by the shock and suddenness than anything else. Then he blinked, rather dumbly, in Kovu's direction, his mouth hanging open as he lied on his back, breathing somewhat deeply a moment until his breathing steadied. This... This is another... lion. A... cub. Maroon eyes went absolutely huge. He'd never had the chance to meet another cub before.

Maybe he wants to play!

Seeming to completely forget, or disregard, Kovu's fierce gaze and the fact that he was knocked over, Peké suddenly got a huge grin, excitement plain and evident on his face, "Hello!!!" He practically yelled, overjoyed and excited. In truth, Peké should be intimidated, and guarded. Kovu made it clear that he wasn't friendly, and somewhere inside the white cub did know that. But... still...
It was another cub!!!

An actual cuuuub!

Peké was still internally squeeing in misplaced and utterly bizarre excitement, reflected by the gleeful shine in his eyes and the large grin that would not leave his snout, despite how much Kovu presented himself as a fearsome threat. Perhaps the long bout of isolation in the grasslands had gotten to the white cub more than he thought, but in the heat of the moment... he really didn't care. He'd grin dumbly up at Kovu, and watched him as the stranger cub got off him, quickly sliding onto his side to lift his head up, keeping his eyes fixated on the other. His tail swing up and down, back and forth, adding to his portrayal of excitement. As Kovu crouched low and his fur bristled, making him seem bigger than he already was, Peké made a valiant attempt to calm himself and react more appropriately, clearing his throat.

Honestly, he felt a little embarrassed, as he was well aware of how... dumb? he was acting.

Still lying rather undefensively on his side, Peké rose a paw to touch his mouth, trying to wipe away the large grin that still sat there despite himself. "I-I'm... I'm Peké." He answered. Oh jeez I almost don't care if this cub kills me, I still found another lion! "...I'm.. I guess I'm just passing through?" He offered up rather lamely, ears folding downward as he laughed nervously, laughing a little too... much. Like he was trying to imitate a hyena. "I-I'm sorry, I'm, ahem." Peké once again cleared his throat, moving to his paws, though he remained crouched low moreso in a defensive position. Clearing his throat, again, for the third time, the white cub finally managed to wipe that grin off his face.

"Honestly, I don't really... know these lands very well. This is my first time being here." Peké offered this as a means of explanation, in case he'd somehow done something... wrong, or broken some rule. The cub certainly was not assuming that Kovu lived in these lands. After all, why would any lion live in a wasteland? "M-May I ask your name...? S-Sorry, I'm being weird, I know, it's just... been a long time since I talked with another lion." He laughed nervously again, though this time the laugh was weaker and shorter, feeling rather awkward trying to act honest and friendly with someone who was clearly not very friendly. "Really didn't expect to see someone else around... here, either."

"Just passing through?" Kovu repeated. He'd never heard of anyone just wanting to pass through this awful part of the outlands. Slowly, though, the brown cub did start to relax a little bit. Only a little bit, though. He still wasn't entirely convinced that Peké was worth letting stick around. The green-eyed cub didn't get a chance to ask further questions, though, because he heard a familiar voice addressing him. Kovu's head swiveled around to glance at his sister, and for a beat he was surprised that Vitani wasn't immediately on the defensive like he'd been. Maybe she had her reasons, though, and he knew she wasn't one hundred percent about fighting. So he relaxed.

"Vitani," Kovu said, "he's still an outsider. Mom isn't going to be happy if we just let him walk right in." He was pretty certain of that much. After all, they knew how Zira was. She wasn't against males or anything, but... He didn't think that she'd be thrilled with a random cub walking in like he owned the place. Vitani did raise a good point, though. How did such a friendly cub survive on his own?

"Well... I can tell it's been a while, Peké. Not all lions are friendly, though." That much had been obvious with how Kovu had greeted the white cub. Great kings, this cub was going to stick out like a sore thumb in the outlands. He was amazed that hyenas hadn't gotten to Peké first. Or jackals, for that matter. They would have lured the cub in with how 'sweet' they were and that would have been the end of that. Vitani already had pointed out how it was odd that Peké had survived as long as he had with his sweet nature, but that didn't mean that introductions weren't in order. Mother wasn't around yet, after all. She couldn't send him away, and even though Kovu was a little bit against the idea of letting him stay... He could at least let the stranger know who he and his sister were.

"I'm Kovu. This is my sister, Vitani." Slowly, he let his claws go back into their proper place. His fur already had been lying flat against his back again, but he still needed that final adjustment to look more friendly.

Actually, now that Kovu thought about it, his words that he'd said to Kiara ages ago started to come back to him.

An outsider doesn't need anybody. I take care of myself.

Maybe it was the same with Peké? But he was so... Warm and fuzzy. Not at all threatening, Kovu decided. So maybe letting him stick around wouldn't be bad? But it wasn't Kovu and Vitani's choice. That was up to their mother and the other adults in the outlands. Penina probably wouldn't have cared. He couldn't say the same of the other outlanders.

Peké gave an assured nod as Kovu repeated his answer, a bit unsure as to why Kovu looked confused over this. He wasn't the only one in these lands, after all, Kovu was here as well! Surely he had to be passing by these lands... right?
No one would willingly live here... right...?

Ears perked straight up as yet another voice was heard. A young voice, and soon his smile would return once again, turning to focus on the new arrival. Another cub! Or, well, another young lion, same as Kovu. Talk about lucky. No smell of a lion in weeks, and now two lions close to his age just happened to come out of the shadows. He would be more giddy with excitement if a thread of doubt wasn't beginning to itch his mind. Why did these two suddenly appear? His ear twitched as Kovu mentioned a mom... Pekés grin was replaced with a confused frown, brows knitting in an urgent curiosity. By now, he'd risen himself to sit up properly, tail curled around his legs as the tip occasionally tapped against the ground, eyes watching Vitani as she circled before shifting between the two siblings. He was starting to feel the pressure of the situation, the unfriendliness of it all.
Had he really intruded onto someone elses territory?

"I-I know not everyone is friendly... Guess I just got, excited." Peké admitted reluctantly, giving a short sigh. Why are these young lions acting like... adults? "Good to meet you both." The white cub added after finally receiving their names, his polite mannerisms making themselves plain and evident. The excitement was almost entirely gone, allowing him to behave more naturally now.

Then... a bone-chilling voice was heard, making Peké instantly flinch despite not even knowing why. He'd turn to immediately fixate his eyes on the large lioness... Now he was convinced that he must've intruded onto some sort of territory. Rising to his feet, he lowered himself to the ground defensively again, the snarl and harsh gaze making it plain and evident that this lioness was not friendly. Judging from Kovu's introduction... he was about to receive the same lovely welcome.
Holy fluff this lioness is scarier than my mom.

Peké swallowed heavily as Zira had snapped so harshly to her children, then flinched as her anger was directed at him, retreating back a step nervously, "W-Well, I-I actually told them, ma'm... I'm just... passing through?" He felt the weight of how simply lame his answer was. The cub was so foreign and unfamiliar to these lands that it physically hurt. "I-I'm new to these lands... Just came from the g-grasslands, b-but, ah, I-I can leave, no harm done, right?"

Lilac eyes traced over the alabaster hued scrap of fur, the term “termite” fluttered to the surface of her thoughts and Vitani deemed it a suitable title but didn’t voice it. While Vitani wasn’t outwardly aggressive, she was trying the manipulative approach to the situation. She wanted Peké to spill forth the information rather than having to spill his guts. The snowy white pelt was like a beacon against the amber terrain, hunting would be next to impossible. For a moment she assumed his niceness as all an act which kept her on edge even if her expression reflected calmly.

The utterance of her name induced a slight glance towards Kovu, her indigo irises squinting but she made no indication of annoyance. It was obvious Peké would likely not escape if he chose to run, they had the situation under control which made a cruel smile speak against her lips. Another scent drifted into her nostrils but Vitani wasn’t fast enough to realize it.

"Well you're right about that at least, Kovu."

Vitani’s gaze went wide, tufted skull jerking towards the towering form of her mother. The female cub suppressed the urge to lower herself into a cowering form, merely pressing her calm gaze and keeping her chest puffed. Cowardice wasn’t respected even if your mother looked absolutely mad with rage. Inhaling sharply, she rekindled her emotions, realizing that the attention was barely addressed towards her. Kovu was taking most of the heat, probably because he was the chosen one which left Vitani invisible majority of the time. Feisty cub adored her brother and her mother but sometimes she wishes for any sort of attention.

As if a switch was thumbed, Vitani turned her once tranquil face towards the pale cub and peeled her lips aggressively. Mother wasn’t pleased, therefore she would react accordingly. Her physique went stiff as she noticed the daunting form of another lion traversing the scene, expression reflecting one of confusion. It appeared female if not for the deepened voice and the muscled stature. He too didn’t smell of the pridelands but she wasn’t certain of his standing. He accused Peké of being a spy when Vitani was very sure that Peké did not come from the pridelands due to scent alone and pure intuition. With that said, the stranger had no obligation to take the heat from Kovu and it quite honestly made her suspicious of his casualness. Blame it on her upbringing but Vitani never trusted easily.

“Mother… They both do not smell of the pridelands,” she reasoned but kept an aggressive posture, tufted fur bristling ever so slightly. Her mom was angry but she knew she was logical and hoped she would notice the elephant in the room; an adult lion was way more a threat than a scrap of white.

"These are NOT the lands to pass through," Zira said with a growl, "And since my cubs can't do anything right apparently, I'll have to teach you a lesson about trespassing myself." Her ears folded back and she was about to lunge at the cub when she spotted another lion. Her ears folded back and she let out a low growl.

"Children, get behind me," she hissed, "WHO are you?" She hissed towards Banister, tail whipping behind her like an angry cobra.

“Mother… They both do not smell of the pridelands.” Zira nodded.

"Very good, Vitani," she praised, "You're right, they don't. But that doesn't mean we'll just let them stay here." She growled low. So the cub had found a protector. She didn't think they knew each other...yet this lion would probably fight for the white speck. She let out a few rumbled chuffs, annoyed.

"Lions don't pass through these lands without an agenda," she snapped, "So...tell me yours."