A Time and Place for Everything [OPEN]

[Imani]

Time: Early evening, just as the sun approaches the horizon
Weather: Clear, dry
Cast: Imani, Adetukunbo, Amadi



There is little to do this time of day. During the dry, it is still too hot to do much of anything but sleep, and that's what she's done for a good portion of the afternoon. There is little on the grasslands that will disturb a sleeping lioness, and Imani has been left to her daydreaming and been undisturbed for hours. Well, almost. A constant and irritating companion this afternoon has been a persistent little fly buzzing around her head and face, and after an hour or so of fighting with the little pest, the huntress gave up. There is little from her, save for a flick of an ear when her guest gets a little too comfortable on her skin or buzzes a little too close to her face. But even flies lose interest, though it takes them a while, and when her friend finally cartwheels off in the direction of the slowly setting sun does she let go of a mighty sigh and heave herself from her side to her stomach.

The lioness perched herself on a small knoll those hours ago, and having flattened down the grass created a marvelously comfortable lounging spot. And so, Imani stays there, unwilling to give up such a precious place, and begins to groom her outstretched forelegs. She is meticulous in her chore, swiping with her large tongue only to pause and examine the newly shinning fur... resuming moments later with renewed vigor at the task. She is content though, in this quiet space, warmed by the sunlight and left at peace. Most of her pride sisters, she thinks, are farther north of here, or even closer to the waterhole, and the noise of that place just isn't worth her time, it seems. Brilliantly bright eyes are so focused on her task that she doesn't take stock of her immediate surroundings right away; perhaps a dangerous fault for a young huntress, but Imani's mind is on her task, and perhaps, on a few other distant memories as well.

[Adetukunbo]

Through the grasslands comes another lioness, and one who doesn't seem to mind having her presence noticed as she doesn't take much care to tread too carefully or quietly. Swinging from Adetukunbo's jaws is an impala foal, a surprise opportunity that the huntress could not pass up when it had presented itself to her and requiring little effort to catch. And though there isn't much meat to the thing and Ade' could make a meal of it all by herself, she is a pridal lioness through and through: a meal, no matter the size, is always best with company.

Adetukunbo's ears lift as, not too far ahead of her, she spots her pridesister. Grinning around her mouthful of impala she picks up her pace from a slow, meandering stroll to a more purposeful walk. Which doesn't slow one little bit as she rises the small knoll where Imani is resting, drops the impala unceremoniously nearby and goes about greeting the other lioness with a thoroughly over-enthusiastic greeting for two lionesses who have probably only been apart for several hours at the most. Heedless of Imani's grooming, Ade' butts her head roughly against her pridesister's, a loud purr thrumming in her chest and throat, nosing Imani's ear and then finally flopping to the ground and giving the other lioness a broad grin.

"Hey!"

[Imani]

Imani pauses her evening groom, lifting a fore paw and squinting at her work, at one point flexing her claws and scrutinizing them for dirt and other impurities that simply won't do for a huntress, no, no. It doesn't take her long at all to hear the heavy and awkward paw steps of a lioness with a heavy cargo, and she turns just in time to see her pride sister and cousin cresting over on to her little patch of paradise. She has little time to sheath her claws and place her paw back to the ground before Imani is met with an exuberant head butt, which she gratefully nuzzles back against, and flits her ear against Ade's nose before turning her head to watch the other lioness settle herself. There is a gentle curl to her muzzle, a softened line at the edges of her eyes as she smiles, and she chuffs a warm greeting.

"Tuku'," Imani greets lightly, tone very soft as she wouldn't want her silly little nickname getting out to the public, would she? She has a name like that for everyone, but uses them sparingly, and only when she knows the recipient won't mind. Her attention falls to the yearling impala, and she noses at it, "Lucky break?" she asks, curious; Ade' isn't known for hunting by herself, no one really is, after all. Especially during the dry, for a huntress to waste her energy on such a small kill unless it was truly worth it (or extremely lucky), is a rarer and rarer occurrence.

[Adetukunbo]

Adetukunbo leans a companionable shoulder against one of Imani's, eyes softening at the usage of her nickname. "'Nini," She intones fondly in response, before nodding at the impala. "Yeah. I was heading out this way and the thing popped out of the long grass. Startled me for a second." But only for a second, the instinct to chase having been too strong to ignore.

The huntress stretches out a paw, hooking a couple claws into the young prey's tender flesh to drag it closer, nudging it towards Imani. "It'll make a good snack. Here, I'll even let you have the first bite." Even though making the kill didn't take much effort, just the few seconds of a full out chase in the lingering heat of the day has left Ade' in need of a cool down period before she eats.

The faintest of breezes stirs the grasses, and Adetukunbo lifts her head, muzzle tilted towards the heavens, to let it wash over her, eyes closing to mere slits of amber. "You been sleeping out here all day?" She asks of Imani. "'Cause I think it's our turn to watch those youngsters tonight during the hunt. I know I spent my day resting up in preparation."

[Imani]

"Mm," is Imani's initial response, smile hardly fading as Ade' explains her chance catch, settling against her cousin's shoulder and looking, for all the world, content to whittle away the remaining rays of light with company. Rounded ears curl forward and then splay to the sides briefly, Adetukunbo's offer suddenly stirring a ravenous appetite within her... particularly if what her friend says is true. "Already?" she wonders quietly, but the tug of Ade's claws in the impala have her a little distracted. With a quick and light nudge to the others' shoulder, 'Nini begins to pick at the small kill, starting with the unfortunate creatures front shoulder. She works on the small meal for a little while, picking at the less meatier bits in order to leave the best parts for Ade' herself; after all, she was the one who did the work.

Moments float by as the sun continues to disappear, the fiery orange and red sphere now half hidden, and with a few good mouthfuls settling in her stomach, Imani begins her grooming ritual once again to free her muzzle from the pink that has stained normally flawless cream-white whiskers. Then as she considers Ade's last comment with a grin, her attention wanders over her shoulder roughly west, where the slowly dwindling water hole, and likely most of the pride, is. "Well," she muses lightly, curling and uncurling her tail, "You know I don't mind." She might mind going a little hungry, especially if the pickings are slim, or none, but thanks to her wonderful friend the two cub-sitters for the evening will be quite alright.

"I was sleeping," she admits, rather sheepishly, but as she glances back at Ade there is a subtle sadness behind her eyes. "But I was thinking, too. About Sizwe." The young lioness still misses her old King and father very much.

[Adetukunbo]

A sense of peace settles over Adetukunbo, lounging there alongside her cousin as the blush in the western sky deepens the further the sun sinks. An ear twitches at the sounds of teeth meeting flesh and bone as Imani digs into the small carcass and she finds herself taking slow, deep breaths as the scent of blood and fresh meat permeates the air. Hunger gnaws at Ade's stomach, but she holds back from the kill for several moments, allowing the other lioness time to get in some good choice bites before finally beginning to pick at it herself. It will be no great meal, especially since she is sharing it, but something in the belly is better than nothing in the belly and even the small meal will feel good if the hunting party is unsuccessful later on.

Adetukunbo licks at a bit of bone, using the rough texture of her tongue to swipe it as clean of meat as she can, grinning as her friend comments on their babysitting duties. Truth be told, Ade' doesn't mind it much either. The pridal cubs are always amusing and remind her much of her younger days, when everything was new and every day brought a new adventure (and, more often than not, a new form of trouble for her to get into).

It isn't until Imani mentions Sizwe that Ade' pauses, lifting her muzzle from the belly of the young impala. Her ears pan back slowly, sympathy creeping across her features. Adetukunbo herself misses her uncle dearly and deeply, but she knows that can't quite compare to losing a father. She reaches over to nudge her cousin's cheek softly. "He was a good lion." Not just a good King; a good lion. A vast difference that those who didn't know Sizwe as more than the King might not have picked up on.

[Imani]

Imani laughs, but it is not really a sound of joy. It is the sad sound of old memories, of locked away feelings; but it doesn't last long. The lioness might miss her father and mother for the rest of her seasons, but only every so often show these brief glimpses of longing. There is always a time and place for those feelings, and while a cold and deep blue glow begins to take over the eastern horizon and the dry continues into another night, Imani tells herself that this is not such a time. The lioness shakes her head very lightly, chuffing lowly, as if to say, 'Well, anyway...' She eases down to the flattened grass, propping herself up as she leans heavily into Adetukunbo's shoulder. She presses the crown of her head against the other for a moment before relaxing again, a silent thank you for the precious few bits of delicious impala in her stomach.

Another breeze gusts over the little hill that the lionesses survey from, and Imani closes her eyes to the slightly cooler air, likely driven from the west over the water hole. It is then that she laughs again, this time with a hint of amusement creeping across her muzzle in a slightly curled grin. She lifts her tail and sways the tip in the breeze a moment or two, then drops it behind her, hitting Ade's hind paw in the process.

"Do you remember all the trouble you used to get into?"

[Amadi]

This time of day is usually when the hunting party readies themselves to go out. Afternoon may be a better time for an enterprising cub to slip away from his elders, as they all tend to be asleep by midday, but the air is hottest then and, truth be told, Amadi always wants to nap through it too. Now, though, the boy is up and about and (perhaps most importantly) seeking a cure for his boredom.

The setting sun is warm on his back, gilding it red-gold, as he makes his way through the tall grass. He moves silently, but from the top of a conveniently placed knoll he might be easy enough to see, if not smell--he's upwind and seems quite unconcerned by this fact, although he can doubtlessly feel the breeze ruffling his fur the wrong way. His body is low to the ground and he's slinking along at a fast clip, stopping every so often to stare at something with his eyes wide and his ears pushed forward. It looks like he's following some small animal with a really, really bad sense of smell, or maybe nothing more than his own imagination.

[Adetukunbo]

OOC: Apologies! I forgot I had family coming in this weekend (they leave Wednesday) and my mother had to have emergency surgery (appendicitis). Things should calm down mid-week. XD;

Laughter, loud and long and sweet, fills the air. It's a moment before Adetukunbo can even speak. Does she remember all the trouble she used to get into? "Oh, goodness," She chuckles, grinning toothily at her friend. "I can certainly remember quite a few of the things I did to get into trouble, but I don't think /anyone/ could ever remember /all/ of it. There was just way too much!"

Forepaws cross casually one over the other, and though the laughter subsides a bemused smile remains curving along her muzzle, Ade's gaze growing distant as she summons up distant memories. As a cub, the authority of her elders had seemed harsh and unfair, restricting and limiting to the point that she had felt like she was being suffocated. The world was so big and she had wanted to see every inch of it.

Blinking, she glances sidelong at Imani. "I think I kept the old ones on their paws a lot more than they wished I would," She says with another breath of laughter. "My mother used to say I was the worst cub she'd ever known." A small pause of consideration and another grin. "Makes me wonder what she'd think about some of Ikenna's lot." An ear flicks suddenly, nose tilting into the breeze to catch a familiar scent on the wind. Nudging Imani's shoulder, Adetukunbo nods in Amadi's direction. "Speak of the devil..."

[Imani]

Adetukunbo's laughter is mirrored in Imani's face, her features rounded up in a more subdued enjoyment of her pride sister's merriment. So strange, those two, such close companions and yet worlds apart in their demeanor; perhaps that is what has brought them together over the seasons. But Imani doesn't really care why she and Ade' have the friendship that they do... it is enough to know that they have it. A breathy laugh escapes her muzzle, and the lioness gives her companion a sage and knowing nod. She was always watching as Ade' got stuck up trees, or got on the wrong side of an angry beehive, but that merriment fades just a bit as Ade' lifts her nose and points out what Imani herself just got on a quick gust of wind.

"Amadi," she murmurs with a nod to her cousin. She ponders calling out to the cub, but with a sly tightness to her eyes she motions shortly with her fore paw, waving off any interference from either of them. The cream-colored lioness is curious, and very slowly does she settle herself, leaning forward just a little bit and craning her neck to keep an eye out of the slowly parting grass. The boy is just one of Ikenna's trouble makers, and though he has a little less attitude as some of his siblings, he can still be a little terror if he puts his mind to it. Imani considers that thought for a moment; it might be a young boy trait.

Bright eyes glance back at Ade', and Imadi purses her lips thoughtfully. He should be with the others, but however he managed to slip away from everyone else doesn't concern her. What she does want to know is what the boy's up to. He might be upwind, but even a cub should be more aware of his surroundings than Amadi seems to be just now. If he can't see the two pride sisters on a perch above the grass... well, there might just be a lesson to be learned this evening.

[Amadi]

It's fairly obvious how Amadi must have gotten away: lionesses distracted with hunting preparations are less likely to be counting cubs, and it seems the boy has taken advantage of that to go off on his own...or maybe not quite on his own. He must have noticed Adetukunbo and Imani by now--either that or he really is distracted. He spares them not a glance as his lanky body rushes forward, cutting easily through the grass, and then twists to avoid a collision with something at the last second. By the way he's acting, he's found some prey animal to harass, a rat or a wounded bird or even a small snake, and is toying with it before he finishes it off.

The same breeze that had alerted the two huntresses to his presence brings with it the rich, warm scent of the earth, and also something else, likely Amadi's unwilling playmate. It carries noise, too--the twittering of birds off in the distance, the hollow rattle of vegetation...

But the grass isn't yet dry enough to produce a sound like that, and, in any case, it should be more evenly distributed if that's where it's coming from. It almost seems to be originating from right behind Amadi. The cub turns around, taking a few steps back the way he came, his head lowering.

Then he dances away, his laugh startled and loud and quite sharp in the calm dusk, and as he leaves the cover of the longer grasses his quarry emerges after him, finally visible. It trundles along on four short, stubby legs, its stocky body bristling with comically long hair and...spikes? They clack against one another with every step, producing that curious rattle.

He's been taunting a porcupine. Gods only know where he found it, but it looks angry now.

Fantastic.

[Adetukunbo]

Adetukunbo shares a quick grin with Imani, slowly levering herself into a seated position to get a better view of the cub through the grasses. She is curious as to just what the young Amadi is up to; after all, what cub in their right mind wanders away from adult supervision to behave themselves? Ade' herself certainly never did. Heck, she'd probably be more worried about Amadi if he was just sitting there like a well-behaved and mild-mannered young prince instead of getting into some sort of mischief, planned or not.

Rounded ears pan forward at the sound of a faint rustling noise, which Ade' initially dismisses as the sound of dry grass parting in Amadi's path. But with the breeze blowing in her favor, the huntress picks up the scent a second before it triggers in her brain that the sound she's hearing is too pronounced to be rustling grass. "Porcupine," She tells Imani, voice no louder than a quiet whisper meant only to carry to the other lioness' ears.

For a moment, Adetukunbo is torn on a course of action. As a graduate of the school of hard knocks, Ade' is a firm believer in education via experience. It's a lot easier to respect a wasp after you know the power of their stings... or to respect a funny looking animal such as a porcupine once you realize that the thing has some terribly wicked 'hair'. But, Amadi isn't her cub and it is her duty to keep him safe. She watches the boy and the porcupine for another long moment before deciding to speak up.

"Prince Amadi," The huntress' tone is firm, but softened slightly with amusement, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Pulling spikes from your flesh is really not how I'd prefer to spend my evening. I'd be careful how you tread around that creature, if I were you."

[Imani]

That rustling, while it could be easily dismissed as the dry grass, stirs in the other lioness a deeply rooted fear. Panic begins to well within her chest, her mind convincing her that the young prince has found a snake; a snake warning him in clear and distinct terms that he is not to be messed with. But before she can run and jump off the edge of that cliff, both Amadi and the creature come into view, and Adetukunbo's soft confirmation of what her eyes are telling her eases that fear with a slow and grateful sigh. Not that an angry porcupine is any better than an angry snake, but it is, at least, marginally safer.

Marginally.

Imani remains prone as her pride sister rises, though her full and undivided attention remains solidly on the duo in front of them, maw drawn tightly together. There might be a hint of something behind her eyes, but whatever it is, the lioness is very good at hiding it. Instead of standing and blocking 'Tuku's view of the spectacle, she lifts her head and presses her fore paws together in front of her. There is a slight bob of her head in agreement with the other lioness, and for a while there is an uneasy silence settling over the savanna, broken only by the rustle of the grass and the irritated clacking of the porcupines quills.

"Amadi," she croons to her nephew, her voice immeasurably soft and without the edge that Ade' is able to project, "come away from it." An unspoken 'please' hangs in the air.

[Amadi]

Amadi lifts a paw in apparent preparation to give the angry rodent a smack, but something stays him. Maybe it's the fact that this previously sleek creature has suddenly sprouted sharp-looking quills, or perhaps the way that it's begun to stamp its feet confuses him. It's his prey; why has it stopped trying to run?

One ear flicks when the lionesses address him, but the boy doesn't appear surprised by their voices. If anything, he's disappointed. Now that he's been seen away from the rest of the pride his fun with this curious little animal is assuredly over, and he's probably in for a lecture about going off on his own. What can he do to avoid that?

"It's not doing anything," he starts, very reasonably, and glances over at Adetukunbo and Imani to offer them his most winning smile. He's apparently decided to try and appeal to their sense of logic and turn up the charm, both things he can do well. However, the huntresses know a thing or two about porcupines that he doesn't, and is telling them it's harmless really going to work when they're perfectly aware that it isn't? Oblivious to this fact, he opens his mouth to say something else. And then his eyes snap back to the thing as it suddenly issues a long, low growl, shuffling around until its posterior is aimed at him. Baffled, Amadi watches with his head cocked while it rearranges itself.

"Except that," he amends, moving forward to get a closer look. For a moment the porcupine seems as bewildered by him as he is by it; it falls silent except for the steady, irritated vibration of its quills, and is completely motionless.

Then it charges at him, its backwards gait clumsy and lolloping but amazingly fast, and Amadi leaps away in a hurry. "Yow!" he tells it, and is that pain tightening his voice or simply fear? It's hard to tell in the commotion, because he won't stay still and neither will the porcupine. Now it's following him, and he, no longer quite so interested in tormenting it now that it's puffed up to twice its normal size and has started to fight back, is eager to get away from it as quickly as he can.

[Adetukunbo]

An ear turns toward Imani's more gentle plea for the young prince to leave the poor porcupine be, but otherwise Adetukunbo's attention remains focused squarely on Amadi and the porcupine. The young lion's attempt at logic and charm only increases Ade's sense of amusement; oh, how she can remember trying similar things on the adults of the pride back when she was his age and wanting to be off, seeking adventure and getting into trouble, making bets with Mbali on just how far they'd be able to sneak undetected.

Adetukunbo rises fully to her paws as Amadi steps closer to the porcupine. The momentary silence is heavy with warning and seems, to Ade', to last both a half a second and a half a lifetime before her muzzle parts, speaking with a sharp, urgent tone. "Amadi!" It's only his name, but there's a full command in that tone; get away, step back, don't get near it, stop...!

And then Amadi is yelling and running and the porcupine is running and Adetukunbo leaps into action after them, not even sparring a glance to her pride sister to get her reaction. The huntress covers the distance quickly and, tail lashing, tries to put herself between prince and porcupine. Avoiding the quills herself would be nice, though if it comes down to it Ade' would gladly take them. Lips peeling back from her teeth in a silent snarl, Ade' tries both to avoid the quills and wait for an opening so she can make a move for the creature's head. She's never tasted porcupine before...

[Imani]

Seconds.

It begins in a second. Time stands still, but only for that brief moment. Muscles tense, fear grips the heart as tightly as claws grip the earth. The single utterance of fear, adrenaline, emotion hangs suspended in the air.

And in a moment it is over, eradicated by an explosion of dust and the cries of the adult lionesses. Adetukunbo is first to move, followed closely by her pride sister as she rises in once quick, fluid motion and takes a wide 'U' away from the others' quarry. In that moment, Ade' had chosen the porcupine, and so Imani chose the prince. Her movements were heavy, quick, deliberate, as she moved to cut off the creature's other escape route, at the same time heading toward Amadi to see if he had been caught by those vicious quills. Her maw parts in a gruff but commanding chuff as she slows, towering over the young prince and, hopefully, cutting off any more unnecessary flight from him. Now that Ade' has the thing in front of her, the boy will have no reason to flee.

"Ama'," she croons lowly, trying to force a calmness in her force despite forceful breathing from the sudden and unexpected motion, "Are you hurt?" But before he can answer her, amber eyes flit warily to the other female, tail lashing as she watches the sparing match. If the boy is okay, then it will be her duty to help her pride sister in any way possible. If that means taking a quill, distracting it long enough to get her teeth around it, well... she hopes it will not come to that.

[Amadi]

The porcupine is aiming for Amadi, the source of its ire, and not Adetukunbo in particular, but it seems more than willing to run through her in the process--or perhaps it simply hasn't looked over its shoulder to see her. It deviates not an inch from its present course, and so it might run into her snout, or her leg, or simply miss her altogether depending on how she's positioned herself. The fact that its back is to her will make its head more difficult to get at, but the head itself does, at least, appear relatively unguarded.

Amadi, for his part, takes little notice that the lionesses have intervened on his behalf; he's too focused on getting away from that walking, rattling pincushion behind him. He's quick, too, but he lacks the longer legs of an adult, and so it's fairly easy to catch up with him.

He nearly collides with Imani, but, thankfully, rather than try and dodge past her he grinds to a halt, his paws skidding against the dry earth. Wide eyes lock with hers. His left cheek bears a few quills now; the injuries are nothing life-threatening, but they're certainly an inconvenient and painful lesson on how not to treat a porcupine. It's unlikely that he'll harass another one after today. "It--it bit me!" he says once he's recovered his voice, and he's bewildered, frightened--and, yes, just a bit indignant as well. "With its tail--?!" Amadi crowds in close, placing himself behind his aunt's foreleg with no ceremony whatsoever, and finally looks back towards the porcupine. He's tense, expecting to see it still coming after him.

Instead he sees Adetukunbo facing off with it, and his first reaction is a surge of rather nasty, vindictive pleasure. She regularly hunts animals that weigh twice as much as she does; she'll avenge him! Unless it gets her too. He paws at his aching face, watching them anxiously. The porcupine is--

Oh, it's just actively tried to smack her with its tail. Doesn't it know when to run away?

Then again, did he?

[Adetukunbo]

Adetukunbo vs. Porcupine, Round One.

Dingdingding... Fight!

Ade' skillfully manages to avoid the porcupine's long quills at first; the creature doesn't deviate from its course, so Ade' herself dodges around it (rather ungracefully, trying to avoid being stuck, but her quick movements work well enough). Lips pull back in a low growl as, head hung low, the huntress tries to find an opening in which to dart around the porcupine towards its head. Ade' is vaguely aware of where Imani and Amadi are positioned, though she doesn't know how the boy fares or if Imani is tending him or trying to move him out of the area.

Lioness and porcupine seem to be in a bit of a standoff, and Adetukunbo is just about to make a move when the /porcupine/ makes a rather bold move for a creature that is, in her mind, nothing more than a rather overly decorated dinner; she see's the flash that is the porcupine's tail and quills, lifts her right forepaw to defend herself.. and then recoils a step or two with a snarl. A couple quills are stuck to her cheek and the right side of her muzzle, but more are embedded in the top of her paw.

Well. /Now/ this is /personal/.

"C'mon, spikebutt!" A growl that means business. "Try it again.. I /dare/ you."

OOC: And I am going to apologize in advance, but I may not have time to post for the next two weeks. Family coming in, mother's wedding, etc. Blah.

[Imani]

The cub's voice tempts her eyes away from Ade' and the porcupine, the corners of her mouth pinching as she examines the few quills that quiver as the boy speaks. So, he did get stuck with them... and, hopefully, that is a lesson that will stick with him for a while. Imani suppresses the urge to sigh, knowing that there is still a dangerous creature nearby. Not that the quilled animal could kill her, or her cousin, but if angered enough to go after the cub relentlessly... well, that is another matter. A quick glance over her shoulder toward Ade' and her battle, before wordlessly Imani envelopes Amadi's neck with her jaws and picks him up as if he weighed nothing, turning and moving with quick, heavy, long strides toward her once resting spot at the top of the knoll and placing her nephew back down.

"You will stay here," she orders, though her tone is not as harsh as some lionesses would normally be. It is a command, but it is gentle. "And don't try to remove those quills until we are finished." That said, the light lioness turns and moves swiftly toward her cousin's position, paws and heart thrumming as she circles back wide around the dancing pair with quills and claws. An ear flits to her pride sister, and without saying a word her plan is conveyed. Two against one is a much fairer fight in the lioness' mind, and while one is the distraction, the other is the killer. Imani's paws lunge forward with a hefty swat at the creature's briefly exposed face before it whirls and begins to backpeddle in her direction. An irritated grunt escapes her, and she, too, dances in a quick back step shuffle away from the rattling quills.

[Amadi]

Amadi is, at this point, too large to be carried comfortably--not too heavy, for he weighs much less than the prey animals any huntress is used to dragging around, but his comparatively long, leggy body is somewhat awkward to move. It helps that he curls up on himself when Imani's jaws find his neck, his tail tucking between his legs like an abashed dog's. And when she sets him down at the top of the knoll he simply hunkers where he is and watches with wide eyes as she leaves to help her cousin. Two against one is surely better--except, oh, he can see more of those horrible quills embedded in Adetukunbo now. He resists the urge to paw at his own, although it's difficult; they hurt and they itch and he wants them out.

Two lionesses against one porcupine, no matter how angry it is, is not a fair fight. The animal is doomed from the outset. Regardless, it can certainly cause a lot of irritation, and now it seems to have fixated on Imani, following her as briskly as it can. This does, naturally, leave its unprotected head wide open to Adetukunbo.