Time for introduction [Mac]

[Hunter]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true] Sota walks, ”Sota talks” The drought was a problem for all of the animals Hexasol, but the heat in itself didn’t bother Sota much. The female cheetah’s fur was made for the hot weather of Africa, so she felt quite comfortable in the heat – the lack of water was an entirely other problem. As a Spy of the Pride, it was often Sota’s job to spy on the enemy and find out what their next step would be, but in these times she’d also been sent out to search for other water sources than the ones already located in Hexasol. And with slender build, short fur and agile body, it’d been piece of cake for Sota to travel around to give the Pride an advantage in this time of drought. But now she was back on the Iris Pride’s territory. Other members of the Pride had taken her job so she had a few days off work. Of course it was nice to get a break, but it was boring in the long run – she needed something to do! So she’d created her own little mission to make her spare time pass. Three days off work was simply too much for her. Two had already gone, so now, on the third day, Sota walked through the alleys to fulfill the mission she had in mind. She wanted to find one of the cubs by Florence and Panja. The cubs were only a few months old, so she didn’t expect them to be too bold – especially not in weather like this, with the sun constantly shining down, making the air as dry as dirt. They would probably be located closer to the Hospital, so that was where Sota was headed. She only knew a few things about her target, so that was also why she’d chosen to check the cubs out. They were, after all, pretty important to the Pride since one of them most likely would become the new leader if both Florence and Panja deceased. The female’s slender body emerged from the shadowed alleys as she stood almost one hundred meters from the Hospital’s main entrance. The sun shone down on her spotted fur as if it wanted to force her to walk into the shadows again, but Sota ignored it. As long as she didn’t have to be outside in the sun for hours in a row, the heat of it didn’t really bother her. Her brown eyes scanned the area on the square in front of the Hospital which once had been a parking lot for the humans’ cars. A gentle smile showed on her lips as she found what she’d sought.

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[atrb=background,http://i56.tinypic.com/2qbetnd.jp] It was a hot day, the sun beating down on the dried up earth and inhabitants of Hexasol. Nebula was bored, and the idea of playing with her brothers in a cool room on the ground floor of the Huntington Hospital was not her idea of fun just now. Nor was napping. She'd grown up a lot since her capture, and at five months old, she felt that she knew a lot more about the world around her. Too much now to spend time playing games like she had when she had been younger. So, when she'd gotten the chance, she'd sneaked out of the room and along the corridor to the hospital's entrance. In reality, she wasn't sneaking anywhere; the guards at the doors could she what she was doing, but they didn't stop her. Why would they? Unless she was trying to run away, they didn't have the authority to tell her to do anything. She nodded curtly to the two guards as she passed them, and they dipped their heads in return. She remembered what her half brother, Apollo had said. Was it true that the felines in the Pride really only thought of she and her brothers as spoiled brats? That was when the little white lioness saw the butterfly. It was beautiful creature, red with intricate patterns on its wings, as if painted on by a master artist. Stepping onto the carpark, which was luckily made of lighter-coloured concrete rather than black bitumen, she followed it with her eyes, entranced. She ignored the heat; it didn't bother her as much as it might another creature, for her short, white fur kept her as cool as one could be on a day like this. Unable to help herself, she jumped up at the butterfly as it fluttered over her head. She knew the guards must be watching, but right now, she didn't care. All she wanted to do was to catch the butterfly. It darted out of her reach, and she ran after it, her eyes never leaving its small form. All thoughts of how she acted had flown from her mind, and she was her younger self again. After a few minutes, the butterfly was out of sight. Nebula wanted to go after it, but she knew that she could easily get lost or in trouble if she did so. Looking up at the sound of quiet footsteps, she saw a cheetah, who was probably about her height but longer-bodied, standing in front of her. Her ears felt hot with embarrassment at being caught acting in such a way, especially in front of a feline she didn't know. Sitting down where she was, she eyed the cheetah curiously, giving a nod of her head in acknowledgment. She tried to act as dignified as she could after her little display with the butterfly. "Hello, I'm Nebula," she greeted the cheetah, wondering who she was and what she was doing here. She certainly smelled of Iris, but there were other, older, more interesting scents on her, and the cub wondered why that was.

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[Hunter]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true] Sota walks, ”Sota talks” It was the young lioness who had chased a red butterfly which had made her smile. The white lioness had grown quite large, but her mentality still fluttered like a cub’s – like the butterfly’s fragile wings. Sota wondered for a second how the cub saw herself as a person and her question was answered quite quickly. The white youngster tried to make up for her childish behaviour by maintaining a dignified position and looking like someone who was in control of herself. But Sota saw the curiosity in the lioness’ eyes. Well, Nebula’s eyes. ”Yes, I know that - but thanks for confirming my supposition,” she said in a gentle tone. She knew the names of the four cubs – being ignorant of this would be silly for a Pride member, especially since she was a Spy. She also knew there was only one female cub in the litter of Florence and Panja, and she’d heard the rumours of the little one’s colour. Well, she couldn’t really call Nebula “the little one” since she was about the same height as her. But she hadn’t had any doubts about who she was looking at when she saw the white lioness chasing the butterfly. ”Let me introduce myself,” she said, not wanting the (maybe) future leader of the Iris Pride feeling confused. After all, it couldn’t really be a pleasant feeling to be known by someone you didn’t know anything about yourself. ”My name is Sota,” she continued cheerfully, bowing her head slightly in an almost solemn gesture. Not that her voice was solemn at all because she wasn’t really accustomed on being like that. Being serious was a whole different matter and she’d no problems about being that while working, but right now, her mind was focused on something else; Nebula. Unless the cub was a drag, she wouldn’t have something against cheerful felines in the Pride. ”To be a little more specific, I can tell you that I’m one of the spies in the Iris Pride,” she said, her eyes and a little smile clearly showing the pride she felt by doing her job. Sota was sure that she was good at what she was doing, because complaints about her were scarce. And as Nebula would grow more mature, Sota was sure she would show the white lioness that she was just as good as she claimed to be.

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[atrb=background,http://i56.tinypic.com/2qbetnd.jp] The cheetah really was quite a magnificent creature, Nebula realised, as she looked her over. She was fairly sure she'd know who she was- there weren't many female white lion cubs in the Iris Pride. This was confirmed when the older feline responded to her greeting in a gentle tone. The cub wasn't sure if she felt like demanding to be treated with respect, or if she didn't mind the way in which the cheetah spoke. Respect was a lot more more than simply the way one talked to another. She suddenly remembered her conversation on the Hospital rooftop with her half-brother Apollo, if one could call it that. Well, she'd see if this female genuinely respected her, see if she couldn't prove him wrong. If she could win even one feline to her side, that would be one feline who would never support Apollo. She was unaware, however, that the cheetah would become a lot more than just an ally. Unaware just how greatly she'd help her prove her half-brother wrong. The little lioness waited for the other feline to introduce herself, as she did in due course, speaking in a cheerful tone. Sota. A simple name, short and sweet, easy to remember. Good. It was surprising how coolly and emotionlessly Nebula's mind worked sometimes, considering her age. Then Sota said something that grabbed her attention- she was a spy for the Iris Pride. She was obviously proud of the fact- a smile showed on her face at the mention of it. "A spy?" The ivory female asked, her eyes round, not really expecting nor requiring an answer. "That must be an interesting job." What she really wanted to say was, that must be such an awesome job! Show me how you do it! But in order to remained dignified, she had to do it nonchalantly. "So, what does a spy do?"

[/color] She asked, unable to stop herself flicking her tail in her excitement. If Sota taught her how to be a spy, maybe she could do more things and go more places! Not to mention, she'd have more skills. Her parents had already begun to teach her how to fight, but spying would be a really unique skill to have. It meant stealth. Nebula's paws tingled with anticipation as she gazed up at the cheetah, waiting eagerly for a response.[/font][/justify][/size][/blockquote][/color][/td][/tr][tr][td][/td][/tr][/table][/center][/size]

[Hunter]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true] Sota walks, ”Sota talks” A gleam was shown in the female cheetah’s eyes. So, she’d caught Nebula’s interest by speaking of her job? Great! Right now she knew the cub wasn’t aware of the importance of her job, but she certainly would as she became older – there was no doubt that Nebula already was working hard to be on level with her brothers. Not to mention her mother’s expectations. This cub would need anyone possible to help her with keeping up the pace which was expected for a daughter of the leader. Teachers were necessary, because Florence and Panja had more than enough to think about these days, so they probably couldn’t give their cubs as much attention as needed. Poor girl - she was only a cub, and yet so much was expected of her because of the royal blood in her veins. And her thoughts were confirmed. Even though Nebula tried to live up to her Pride’s expectations, she still had moments where her cub-like behaviour broke through her façade. So, why not tell her a bit of her job now when someone was interested? A genuine smile appeared on her lips before she sat down and began speaking. ”A spy carries messages – secret information - which we deliver to your mother or father, and only them. And…” she said, leaning her head a bit forward as if she was going to tell the cub a secret. ”… The information we deliver is mostly about the enemy; the canines, the Tempest Pack. We sneak across their borders to get an idea of their strategies, their next move in the war.” She took her head back and sat up straight, lashing a single time with her tail. ”We try to make sure that the Pack doesn’t attack us by surprise, and we try to find their weak spots to make an attack less hazardous and thereby prevent great losses to the Pride. To be a spy, you have to be quick and soundless. Most spies in the Pride are smaller felines, but I believe you can achieve anything you want so I decided to become a spy despite my size when I joined the Pride.” Even though she was quite small compared to her being a cheetah, she was still bigger than many other spies in the Pride.”And who’d have thought! I’m actually quite good at this,” she said confidently, chuckling a bit.

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[atrb=background,http://i56.tinypic.com/2qbetnd.jp] Nebula sat, her eyes wide, as Sota told her of a Spy's role in the Iris Pride. They sounded like important, special creatures- not everyone was allowed to bring messages straight to Florence and Panja. A shiver of excitement ran through her as the other feline went on. So, from what she understood, the Spies ignored boundaries in order to gain their valuable goal: information. So they were far more privileged than ordinary warriors, or guards, who were only supposed to set a paw on enemy territory in battle or with the express permission of a leader. They used their natural stealth to snoop around, to find out what they needed to without their presence being detected. Technically, they were outsmarting the enemy, something that appealed immensely to the cub. From what the cheetah was telling her, this also meant that if they found out anything useful about battle plans, the Pride would be several steps ahead of their enemy, not simply anticipating Tempest's next move but knowing exactly what it would be. Then they could turn such strategies against them, use them to benefit the Pride and to further disable the Tempest Pack. Yes, it sounded as if. all in all, being a Spy was one of the best things a feline could do. One of the most enjoyably, too. It was almost disappointing that she'd hadn't been born an ordinary lion who could gain such a rank. But no. You have a much more important job in the Pride to do, when you're older, she told herself firmly.. For now, why not get a taste of what it was like to be a Spy? Responding to Sota's words, Nebula purred, "You must be, to be able to describe it so well." Even if she was still extremely young, she knew a thing or two about flattery, and it worked, especially when what she was saying was true. Her brown eyes gleaming with excitement, she asked, "Could you teach me how to be like you? For fun, of course." Another cub, such as her brother Orbit, or even Alex, might have jumped around impatiently as they waited for an answer, saying please over and over. But the white female simply sat there, the only signs of anticipation being her wide brown eyes and her slightly waving tail.

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[Hunter]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true] Sota walks, ”Sota talks” She couldn’t help but chuckle as the young lioness gave her a compliment. Flattering was often a good way of getting what you wanted, and the cub had clearly learned that. But flattering or not, why should Sota not teach the young lioness a little bit of spying? She couldn’t see anything wrong in it and Florence could only get proud of her daughter if she was ahead with her training. ”Very well my princess, I guess I could teach you a trick or two.” She stood up and looked into the cub’s big, brown eyes. It was quite impressive that she was sitting so still despite the fact that she seemed to be so excited about the whole spying thing. ”But first we need some cover,” she said, blinking with one eye before turning around to go into the alleys. Making sure the white lioness was following her, she started speaking. ”Spying is very much like hunting, and I’m sure you’ve already learned a few things about that,” she explained while calmly walking with long strides down the shadowed alley. It was more comfortable to be in the shade since the burning sun only was an hour or two after midday but she knew that many other felines suffered much more than her this summer. She actually hadn’t gotten much to complain about with her short fur. ”But first Nebula, tell me. Have you yet caught your own prey, or have you only been watching? And, if you have caught some prey, then what have you caught?” Her voice had gotten slightly more serious, but it still carried her cheerful tone. She wasn’t Nebula’s teacher, only a friend who was about to teach her a few tricks, but it was clear that she had a job where details were important. It could be hard not to be carried away and keep asking questions. But there was a reason for all the questions. The first question she’d asked was the most important one. If Nebula already had tried hunting, and actually had caught something, then it meant she already mastered the basic movements you needed while hunting. If she’d tried hunting, but the prey had gotten away from her, then she’d still gotten a feel for it even though there still would be a lot of things to work with. If she hadn’t tried to hunt at all, then they would almost be starting from scratch.

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[atrb=background,http://i56.tinypic.com/2qbetnd.jp] “Very well my princess, I guess I could teach you a trick or two.” The words made Nebula more excited than she was already. "Thank you, Sota! I really do want to," she told her enthusiastically. Sota was going to teach her some of how to be a spy! She'd be able to sneak up more easily on her brothers this way, and, when she was older, dogs and mutinous Iris cats. As well as hunting, of course, for everyone knew that to be a good hunter you had to be good at creeping around. As the cheetah peered into her eyes, she blinked, unused to someone gazing so long at her. As much as she hated to admit it, it was her brother who got most of the attention. Her brother who had the grand conqueror's name and was to be the Pride's leader when Florence and Panja were gone. She loved him, but sometimes his immature ways made him seem too childish, as if he would never grow up and become the leader that he was destined to be. She shoved such thoughts to the back of her mind, not wanting to think about them now. This was about her learning something that few other cats knew, not anything else. The little lioness got to her paws at Sota's next words, and followed her as she headed for the alleys. When she had been younger, they'd seemed a scary place. Not so much any more. Yes, they were dark and shadowy, but the worst thing one would find in them would be a starving ragbag cat, who did nothing for the Pride but boost its population. No, there was nothing to be scared of. ”But first, Nebula, tell me. Have you yet caught your own prey, or have you only been watching? And, if you have caught some prey, then what have you caught?” A fair question; it made her like Sota a little more, despite herself. She wasn't treating her as a little cub, trying to teach her how to hunt, but instead asking her if she knew how. Trying not to look too proud of herself, she replied, "Well, I caught a mouse when I was one and a half months old, when we first came outside the hospital, and a bird, about a week ago. But I did have some help with the mouse, and the bird was so stupid it wasn't hard,"

[/b] she admitted. The bird, really, had been a fluke. She'd been exploring part of Iris territory on her own, and hadn't really been concentrating on her surroundings. Then the stupid bird flapped up in front of her, and instead of shying away as she might have done as a newborn, she aimed a blow at it, sharp claws outstretched, and to her surprise, it had actually landed, hitting the bird on its neck and snapping it.[/font][/justify][/size][/blockquote][/color][/td][/tr][tr][td][/td][/tr][/table][/center][/size]

[Hunter]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true] Sota walks, ”Sota talks” With the white lioness at her side, Sota found them a quite good pair. She was slight and agile while Nebula was more robust and strong. She would become a good fighter, no doubt about that. In less than a year, the canines would tremble with fear just by the scent of her. What a great strength the Pride would get with more than four adult lions. Florence had two litters and the cubs from the first litter were already full grown. Yes, they would have a great upper hand against the enemy. And Sota could maybe help Nubula to get even more intimidating that she naturally would be as a full grown predator. She listened carefully at Nebula’s words as she answered the question. So, the little princess had been hunting before, but it sounded like there was enough to work with. It was good that the young lioness was honest, because that just gave Sota a better feel of the cub’s abilities and then this would also be a better experience to Nebula. The lesson would be nothing but a great failure if Nebula had lied and thus bragged about having great abilities. It would only have left Nebula embarrassed and Sota disappointed. So Sota nodded acknowledging while thinking about the best way to start. ”I think I know just the thing for you,” she said. Rats. They were plentiful in the alleys, and with Nebula’s size, they couldn’t hurt her much. She could only get some minor scratches if she wasn’t careful, and Sota was fast enough to catch it again if it should try to escape. Birds were available too, but they were harder to sneak in upon - they were already prey, so they were more watchful than rats. ”There should be a good spot around here, but,” she said, stopping up and ducked her head a bit. ”Walk like me. Make sure to stay low,” she continued and lowered her body down to the ground. ”Sneaking in upon the enemy is just like sneaking in upon prey.” She started to crawl forward and didn’t stop before she came to a corner. Looking down the next alley, she saw three rats scattering around in the middle of the alley, trying to find something to eat. ”Look at those dumb animals. They’re too busy with finding food that they aren’t aware of us,” she whispered. ”Right now we’re lucky. The wind doesn’t carry our scent because it comes against us. It should always be like that – otherwise, you can’t sneak into the enemy properly, got that?” she looked at Nebula, making sure if she understood. ”Now, I want you to attack the smallest of the rats. Keep your stance like before – hold your head and body low, and make sure to walk in the shadows for as long as possible before you jump on one of them. When you attack, make sure you do it as fast as possible. If you can attack it before it makes a sound, then you’ve done better than great,” she said with a sly smile. ”Because, remember. If the enemy should see you, you have to kill them before they blow your cover. If the enemy knows your position, your mission will fail. But in this case, it won’t matter if the rat screams out. Your mission right now is to sneak in upon the rat and attack it before it can get away. Now go.” She hoped she wasn’t overloading the cub with information. Otherwise, the cub was welcome to ask to hear it again after the “hunt”. Actually, Sota loved when apprentices asked questions. It only proved they would become great spies. ((OOC: Wow. Sota is like “Blah blah blah blah, got that kid?” xD))

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[atrb=background,http://i56.tinypic.com/2qbetnd.jp] Nebula trotted along at Sota's side. It was nice to be in the company of someone who could keep up with her; more often than not, the felines that were sent to accompany her if she wanted to go somewhere were ordinary cats, or they insisted that she slow down. Even though she never ran. Running, unless it was in play or a battle, (of which she'd only heard about) was extremely undignified. But so was walking around like an old, decrepit dog. Honestly. She twitched an ear happily and swished her tail. At last she'd met someone who didn't insist on taking everything so slowly. Someone who would help her to be the best hunter, the best spy, and fighter that she could be. After all, all those skills were linked, were they not? The cheetah nodded at her words, and the little lioness wondered what she had in mind. "I think I know just the thing for you," her new mentor told her. Something small, she suspected. Something fairly easy to catch. But she found that she didn't really mind. This way, there were be fewer oppertuities for her to make a fool of herself. Pay attention, now, or you will, she told herself firmly. She did as she was told, mimicing Sota's stance. She gave a minute nod in acknowledgement of the other feline's words, and followed her, slinking along, her belly almost brushing the ground. She did her best to make no noise, and she was pleased with how smoothly and silently she moved. She was so preoccupied with moving thus that she almost bumping into Sota. Stopping abruptly, she saw the rats, and listened what the cheetah was telling her. The three rats certainly did seem to be too engrossed in what they were doing to notice the danger. Nebula replied, "Yes, I'll remember," in a terse whisper. Her parents had told her, briefly, that she should not hunt or attempt to sneak up on an enemy when the wind was blowing towards them. Now she knew why. Tuning in to her mentor's words once more, she strove to keep it all in her mind. Sneak up on the rat without it noticing it and successful kill it. Bobbing her head as she passed Sota, the female crept towards the rats, holding her breath. Fixing her eyes on the smaller of the three, she decided to get fairly close to it rather than to leap on it from a distance. When she was only a few metres away from the pile of rubbish, she pounced, knocking the rat to the ground. Its fellows squealed, and the cub could see that they were about to jump at her. Acting quickly, she unsheathed her claws and pressed down with her paw on the rat, sinking the needle-sharp appendages into its body. Blood welled up where her claws pierced it, and a shudder of pleasure ran through her as it soaked her claws. It gurgled and squeaked in pain, and she tightened her grip briefly, before loosening it. The rat lay dead on the ground, blood oozing sluggishly from its body. The other rats leapt at her shoulders, enraged at the death of their friend. Rearing up on her hind legs, the white feline managed to shake one off, but the other hung on determindly, its teeth set in her shoulder. Turning her head, she grabbed it in her mouth and bit down hard. It fell to the ground, bloodied but alive. Along with the other live rat, it fled, leaving a bloody trail in its wake. Feeling slightly fatigued and hsocked at what had just happened, Nebula turned back to her mentor, wondering what Sota's reaction would be.

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[Hunter]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true] Sota walks, ”Sota talks” Staying at the corner while Nebula crept forward toward the rats, she sat still as a sentry while watching the young lioness in action. The cub’s movements were good enough though the female wasn’t doing it completely to Sota’s satisfaction so that wasn’t what Sota would start working with at this point. But when the rats attacked Nebula, it was a whole different matter. She wasn’t attempting to interrupt the cub’s fight – she had to do that herself, because Sota knew that there was no way the rats could injure the lioness majorly. And a few scratches couldn’t hurt the princess. Besides, the cub needed to learn how to solve a conflict with her strength as well as her common sense. It wouldn’t turn out well if one of Florence’s cubs should become scared of and unable to solve conflicts by force since Nebula most likely would need to do that in a battle when she became older. So when the cub had taken down the rat Sota had pointed out and hunted the two other rats away, Sota sat in the same position as when Nebula had left. ”Don’t worry, rats can’t hurt a feline of your size,” she assured the cub as she saw the chock in Nebula’s eyes. ”See for yourself – you hunted them away and got what you wanted. ” She rose on her feet and went to the cub. ”Now. Your movements when sneaking in upon the rat were fine, but you have to be quicker when you attack. You hadn’t thought that the other rats were going to attack you when you attacked their little friend had you?” she asked, not waiting for Nebula to reply. ”Think of them as dogs. If those three rats had all been dogs, then of course the two others would have attacked you as the rats did when you tried to kill one of them. If the rats had been further away from each other, and if you’d killed the rat in one snatch, then you could have scared the other two away. Remember, your enemy will continue fighting for a friend’s life if the attacked canine still has a chance of survival. Therefore you will give them no chance. You will attack them out of nowhere, and you will kill your victim as fast as possible to look more intimidating to your enemies, making them scared of you – making them flee like the cowards they are,” she said, almost sounding like she was the cub’s personal mentor. ”But you did well, not scared away yourself are you?” she asked the cub both teasing and daring Nebula at the same time while blinking with an eye. ”With some more training, I’m sure you’ll learn to do it perfectly,” she praised the white lioness. Praise was always a good thing; it was a motivating factor which oftenest made an individual want to do better next time.

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[atrb=background,http://i56.tinypic.com/2qbetnd.jp] Sota was sitting exactly where Nebula had left her. The cub felt her cheeks grow hot with embarrassment; if no fur had covered them, they would have been red. She was are that she'd made several blunders, and her only excuse was that she'd never hunted properly before, and never when there were other animals who could have been prey around to distract her. Still, she had to take whatever reprimands and corrections her new friend gave her and not be angry with her. She had to act her age and older if she didn't want to be treated like a stupid, spoiled brat of a cub. That thought brought her half-brother, Apollo, to her mind, mak more determined to be humble and mature. She'd show him. She'd show anyone who thought she was no more than one of Florence and Panja's cubs, without a true identity of her own. It would be a lot harder than she'd first thought, but she would make a good impression on her Pride. The cheetah spoke, bringing the little lioness back to reality. Her reassuring words reminded her of how shaken she was. She'd never really been attacked by anything before, except her brothers, and that had only been in play. The one rat who had managed to harm her ant all had only left a small gash in her shoulder; she knew that she ought to take care of it, otherwise it might fester and become infected. Her parents had said that several times, reinforcing the fact that rats were dirty beasts who, while they were no more than prey, could kill a feline if a wound got infected. Turning her head and licking the wound with her tongue, she kept her eyes on the other feline as she continued to speak. Her mentor went over what had happening, telling her what she had done right, and, mostly, the things she needed to do differently or better. Her injury attended to, Nebula turned back fully to the cheetah, who was standing before her as she spoke. Her advice was good: pretend that the rats were dogs. Yes. She unsheathed her bloody claws briefly and shook her head when Sota asked she was scared, smiling slightly at the teasing gleam in the older feline's eyes. She sat up straighter at the praise, and nodded solemnly. "I'll remember what you told me, and practise as often as I can. Is there anything else you would advise me to do? Any tips, or things like that?" She didn't attempt to hide the thirst for mastering these skills. If she could hunt and fight proficiently by the time she was fully grow, she certainly would be an asset to the Iris Pride.

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[Hunter]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true] Sota walks, ”Sota talks” Good, the cub didn’t seem to be scared at all when it came to the end. She could end up being a brave little one if she kept on training her fighting skills. Sota liked that about the little fellow whom she was starting to look at as much as her friend as the young princess she was. Maybe this little encounter could end up as a loyal friendship which was a thought Sota liked. She would make sure to stay tuned about Nebula’s future whereabouts and noted to herself that she would help the female as much as she could when her help was needed. Most importantly of all, Sota would make sure that the young princess would know that she could come to her with whatever thoughts the young one might have on mind and in heart. As Nebula spoke, Sota nodded in approval. ”It seems like you’ve already chosen to fulfill my most important advise; practice. Hunt as often as possible to practice your speed and stances, to get a feel for spying and make your movements more precise.” Of a tip, Sota had one in mind within a second. ”As for tips? Be aware – or you end up dead like that one,” she said with a darker, more thoughtful tone in her voice as she looked at the dead rat by Nebula’s paws. ”Don’t drift off into your own world - stay in reality. If you lock out the reality for a longer amount of time and take the path of ignorance, you won’t survive for long. Now, you’ll have to excuse me my friend,” she said gently. She rose herself and made ready to leave. It’d been enough training for today, and Nebula probably also needed to think about what Sota had said as much as Sota soon needed to get back to some work. She had to meet up with other spies to get an idea of where she was needed. She knew her last words were hard words when spoken to a cub, but Sota also knew that cubs could have a tendency to drift off into a dreamworld which too many didn’t wake up from before it was too late – like herself. She hadn’t woken up before the canines had attacked her old pride and killed some of its members. She didn't want that for Nebula. But thinking about canines… ”And Nebula,” Sota said, looking back at the cub. ”It’s not only canines who can be your enemies… Stay close to your friends and never leave your bag uncovered. But be aware. Some souls are too busy with looking over their backs that they aren’t aware of the attacks coming from the front. I’ll keep your back, always. And more if you want.” She smiled genuinely to her little friend and dipped her head in a last goodbye before she went on, thinking about Nebula’s older halfsiblings. They hadn’t been raised the same way as Nebula and her brothers, and who knew what they would do to get power… ((OCC: Feel free to make a last post if you want ^^))