A Different Point of View

[Kopa]

Believe it or not, Kopa was in a good mood. Or at least, the mood than you could get when you were Kopa. However, Kopa was still quite on edge. Especially with the Gourmand. Something about that creature always unsettled Kopa, not just because he was gruff, but because Kopa just didn't trust him, and he didn't know if he ever would. However, Kopa had been formulating a dangerous plan for a while now, though, of course, he never ever told anyone. If he did, he'd probably get punched in the face, before being berated. This idea may have seemed stupid to many, and probably was. But Kopa was set on it. He didn't know quite why, yet.

Kopa sighed, settling down in what seemed to be a quiet spot, though Kopa didn't know for certain. Kopa yawned, taking in the sun. His red mane blew lightly, the wind soft, and breezy. It was quite a beautiful day, Kopa had to admit. Though, how long that lasted, Kopa had no idea.

[The Gourmand]

Most merfolk thought the idea of eating other fish was taboo: basically the same as cannibalism. The Gourmand was not most merfolk. He'd recently just finished a (second) lunch of a half dozen large salmon. The river fish tasted different than the ocean fish-- more sweet, less salty. Though the beast was on land for quite some time, his discovery of different food continued to delight him.

As the Gourmand’s current focus was almost completely occupied by his meal, he was presently more or less unaware of his surroundings. He wouldn't be for long though, because he was working on his last fish. A sudden ripping sounded as the Gourmand tore the scaly skin away from the pink flesh: slowly, relishing the moment.

Though, he paused midway, apparently aware of a disturbance. He leveled his head, evil red eyes glaring directly forward.

[Kopa]

Kopa stiffened immediately, freezing, his fur starting to crawl. Now he wondered, who that could be? He seemed to switch his gaze from the ground to two red evil eyes, that seemed to be staring at him, though he wasn't sure. Nor could he ask. He decided to ignore the red eyes, who he knew was the Gourmand, and went back to what he had been doing prior.

Was he unsettled? Not in the slightest, he shrugged it off. He was focused on something else. His plan. Was it incredibly stupid? Most likely. Why was he doing it? Was it even worth it? Did it seem worth it? Kopa's arrogance said Yes, but another part of him said HECK NO! YOU'RE GONNA DIE! Kopa decided to ignore his better judgment and relaxed. He had almost forgotten about the other creature there.

[The Gourmand]

The Gourmand’s eyes came into focus and he recognized the figure. Oh. Him. Well, the Gourmand hadn’t had any interactions with the young prince personally, but from what he heard, he was surprised he wasn’t met with some kind of snarky comment. For not knowing Kopa well, the Gourmand already didn’t trust him. There was a certain way he carried himself that the sea beast felt was worrying. It was a similar feeling he felt with one or two other members of the pride -- what phrase did he hear once? “Lions over all”?

He certainly hoped that wasn’t the case, but he didn’t like the chances of a royal not feeling at least a residual sense of entitlement. He was almost tempted to pity Kopa for being a victim of his upbringing, but then he remembered what he heard happened between him and Shani. No. There was no pity for him.

While he was thinking about it, a memory of the Freedom Fighters hit him. He couldn’t help but feel excitement at it; the foolish queen and him singing a taunting little song. Nothing seemed to get under the skin of oppressors like song. The warlord also remembered something else, further back, when he was nearly done in by his rulers turned enemies.

“ I’m waiting in my cold cell when the bell begins to chime,

Reflecting on my past life and it doesn’t have much time,

Cause at 5 O’ clock they take me to the gallows pole,

The sands of time for me are running low ”