{Creature Hunt} The Stone Lion

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Eli tilted his head as he watched and took interest in the strange creature, Steele, it was his first time hearing and seeing a werewolf. Although Gabriel was well educated, he still had a long ways before his children, or the pride for that matter, was also as educated.
"Fu-?" Eli is shut up before he can speak the words he had just heard (in lion of course) with his fathers firm slap of a paw to the top of his head.

Eli then began to trot aroun as he pondered over what Seth had asked, he began running around Seth, looking the other lion over.
"No, I didn't see anything... Well except a really pretty blue bird that I caught myself and ate!" He exclaime to Seth. "You smell funny. Did you take a bath in strange water? Are you a real lion?" He begins to ask and then stops after jumping atop Seth's back and beginning to cling on. "Wait! Yeah I did see something else! I saw a cave that looked like a perfect place for a den!" He claimed before looking at Gabriel, "oh papa it looked so nice, it was wonderful! And I only heard a few noises like one if your yawns coming from it. Maybe there is a bear you can scare off! Oh that would be so cool!" Eli happily states as he standes up on Seth's back.

Gabriel chuckles in lion and shakes his head as he looked at his son treating Seth as a Jungle gym.

[Steele]

"Must endure...pain..." Seth mutters as Eli clung onto his back with his claws and began walking all over him like a play-thing. He did not dare to shake the cub off of his back out of fear that it might offend Gabriel.
"Ah' cave?" Steele nearly facepalmed (facepawed?) He'd never thought of searching the caves for the creature. Maybe just a few here and there but he never did a thorough search. No way someone or something could abandon their scent in their sleep. A newfound sense of confidence came across the werewolf's face.
"Let's get back ti' Ranulf nd' check thee' caves." Steele suggests, as if he's suddenly leader again.
"No I'm not a real lion." Seth answers, "I'm a shapeshifter."

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"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh." Eli gawked in amazement at Seth. He jumped down and looked him over with new eyes. Gabriel chuckled, it was coming...

"So what is it like to be other animals all the time?! If I ate you now would you taste like a lion or a human or a zebra? Is it strange to walk on twos? Do you fall in live with animals when you are an animal? Do you like being a lion best? I bet you like being a lion best!" Te small cub bombarded Seth with questions and Gabriel held back his urge to roll on the ground in a fit of lion laughter!

"Come, we shall return to Ranulf." Gabriel agrees and begins to walk alongside Steele. Eli follows but keeps his attention on Seth.

[Seth]

Seth was overwhelmed by all the questions Eli was giving him, while Steele was annoyed by them.
"Uh-uh well..." Seth tried to tackle on the questions as best as he could.
"It's pretty cool being another animal sometimes, like a hawk for example." Seth had been able to shift since he was eight, he was so used to it by now he never actually thought of what'd it'd be like not to be able to shift into anything.
"You can't eat me, you're allergic to all humans." Seth lies and then looks at Gabriel nervously. He didn't want another grown lion, this time with less control, traveling with them in a few years.
"I'm used to walking on two's and fours." Seth proclaims.
"Likewise." Steele adds.
"Hey, WHO'S getting asked the questions here?" Seth tells Steele as if his self-worth had improved.
"Bah!" Steele scoffs.
"I don't fall in love with other animals, no, that's a misconception used by racist kids in Paineston who bully you when you're just trying to mind your own business. I didn't touch that cat! I was eight!" Seth rants. "Uh...I mean, no. A shifter's libido is very low, making love is the last thing on our minds most days. It's a chemical balance and a safety system so our hormones aren't raging everytime we turn into something...and yes I do like being a lion. In fact."
Seth shifts into Eli, showing off.

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Eli stares at Seth as he rambled off a very technical reason for why he didn't fall in love with other animals.
"Soo.... Do you fall in love with them or not?" He asks again quite confused.

Gabriel continues to walk with Steele, payin little attention to his boy, he would let Seth handle the questions. He hardly saw Seth look at him. He was tired of walking for nothing, and was anxious to get to Ranulf so that they could finally get somewhere on this hunt.

Eli gawked at his own image as Seth shifted into it. "Woah! That's me! When you are me am I me?" He asks and begins running around in a circle very quickly, trying to see himself.

[Seth]

"Of course you're you." Seth says to the lion cub who was half confused and half amazed.
"All I did was shift into you, I don't have your actual brain you know." Seth states.

"Are ye' two done?" Steele asks annoyed by their constant chatter.
"Ah' think ah' can track it doon' as soon as we get ti' thee' cave." He states.
Seth grins to Eli and then shifts into Steele, "Oh I think I can track it down as soon as we get to the cave." Seth mocks him, "Yeah right."
"Ye' callin' me a liar?" Steele turns and growls.
N-no.." Seth quickly says, "I don't like this wolf, he can read minds." Seth whispers to Gabriel and Eli.
"Ranulf!" Steele calls as soon as they get back to the pond where Ranulf laid on the ground, just off the shore, fast asleep.
"Hrup-huh what?" Ranulf quickly snaps awake startled and then relaxes when he realizes that it's Steele,
"Ye' lazy oof'! Were ye' asleep!?" Steele asks.
"Uh-no friend, i was just resting my eyes." Ranulf says.
"With slobber doon' yer' face?" Steele chuckles.
Ranulf quickly wipes his drool off the side of his face.
"I take it you didn't find anything?" He asks.
"Not yet', but no' we got an idea of where it is." Steele says.
"Nd' who's that little guy?" Ranulf asks about Eli.
"Just a straggla'." Steele answers trying to stay on subject and not have Eli hog all the attention. "C'mon we din't kno' if its moved yet, it could be a sittin' duck rite' no'." Steele says.
"I can fly ahead." Seth suggests, still shifted as Steele.
"Uh.." Ranulf found it very odd, the sight of seeing his best friend twice, right next to each other.
"Absolutely not, we stay tigetha', ah' din't want ye' scarin' thee' dam' thing off." Steele barks.
Seth sighs, "Werewolves..."
"Nd' what's that supposed ti' mean?" Steele growls.
"It's whatever you want it to mean." Seth says shifting back to normal.
"Shut yer' trap." Steele says rudely.
"Well your the one who gets his trap literally shut in the future so.." Seth proclaims after having another vision.
"What!?" Steele barks.
"Guys, stay focused. I haven't much time before I have to get back to Gwilym and Chase. Last I saw the boy was nearly setting the camp ablaze. I'd rather not have this be a complete waste of time."
"Any ideas Gabriel?" Seth asks. "How do you think we should do this?"

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Eli stopped and looked at the new werewolf, his fur was white! Just like his! For the first time he had seen someone who was similar to him. He wasn't the outcast, he wasn't the odd one, at least not the only odd one. Eli sat down and looked up at Ranulf with his eyes huge and curious.

Gabriel sighed, all this arguing was growing to be quite annoying. But Ranulf had the right idea at least, it was time to truly get things going.
"If we all go in one way and it is within, no doubt it will escape from another access route, it would be best for us to split. Seth could scout from the skies as soon as we enter so to see if it exits any other way while one of us remains outside order to chase." Gabriel explained. At this time of day however, they would probably only find a scent, but it was better to be prepared rather than lose the hunt altogether.

[Deleted]

"Whatever we chose, we should act quickly. The Stone Lion will have known we are in its territory by now." Gabriel said as he stressed the importance of acting soon.

[Seth]

(Lol months later)
"Caves, end of story." Steele ordered that, not asked. It was an instinct from his time living with the pack, he who leads, owns.
Seth rolled his eyes and shifted back to normal while Ranulf lazily yawned, a lack of sleep evident on his face.
It would be a good fifteen minutes of traveling around, the two werewolves always being sure to scan the area for clues as well as for food. Seth grew more comfortable around Gabriel and Eli since he knew Gabriel trusted him enough with his cub who excitedly went up to each one of the group trying to play fight with them. He nipped at Gabriel's tail, jumped on Ranulf when he wasn't looking, bit at Steele's footpaw, and clawed at Seth's pants. Seth didn't want to say anything to Gabriel, it would've been bad enough to criticize his parenting if he were human, but it was rather obvious to the shifter, who'd studied animal behavior, that Eli probably didn't play a lot with his siblings. Did they outcast him a lot because of his color? They were, afterall, smarter than average lions, and youth was always a trying time.
Eventually they got to the front entrance of the cave and after sniffing around for a good minute, Steele's golden eyes lit up and he gave an eager hunter's growl, getting on all fours.
"I think he's got it." Ranulf says to Gabriel, who was the closest thing to talking to an adult there.

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Gabriel smiled his lionly smile as he watched his son play. He, bing the leader of the pride, was not often around to see his cubs play and enjoy life. Something he was trying to get better at. It warmed his heart as it would with any father, but he could see the slight annoyance beginning to build up in everyone. Once they reached the caves, while Steele and Ranulf began to scout it out. He placed a firm paw on his head before speaking to him in lion.
"I think they have had enough for now my son, give them a break a moment. We will play plenty when we return home."

Eli pouted and stopped for as long as his dad was watching, like any boy. Once Gabriel had lost focus. The cub began dancing around and playing with a butterfly, trying to catch it. It landed on a bush and the cub readied himself for a pounce.

Gabriel turned to Ranulf. "Really? Good. Let's make quick work or the tracking then." He stated and immediately after Eli pounced into the bushes. The butterfly flew over his head and safely away while Eli smacked into something that was not a bush...

[Seth]

Seth quickly turned to Eli and got into a battle stance before shouting, "STONE LIOOOOON!"

Ranulf was slow to react but Steele didnt' waste anytime and tried to pounce at where he thought the lion was, which turned out to be just a bush...