[PRP] Stranger tides (Kari x Aspros)

[Tanakako]

Kari paused, looking back over his shoulder. Was this the right path? The mountain mostly looked the same to him still, even after living there for a season or so. And while the local pride had welcomed him in easily enough, he still felt incredibly out of place… Sighing softly he resumed his walk, hoping that this particular path (which looked just like every other path in this place) led him to where he intended to go… namely Maisha’s den. He hoped to speak with the lioness again, even though she had already told him everything she knew about the father of her litter. A firepoint rogue called Fuuenken.

Kari’s mate.

Loneliness speared through him again, such a familiar feeling that he welcomed it. He always missed Fuuen when the large male roamed. But since the last time they had seen each other their pride had broken apart, leaving nothing but desert and memories behind. With that anchor gone, Kari had discovered that one lion alone couldn’t easily survive in an environment as hostile as the Tuait desert. Not only that, but loneliness and a far longer than expected gap between visits from his rogue had forced Kari out into the no-mans land of the Savannah to seek out his lover.

A rumour and the insistent nudge of instinct had drawn him eventually to the mountains of the Jini, who had apparently only just relocated there. A blessing for Kari as otherwise he doubted he would ever have heard a thing about the secretive pride and the even fainter rumour of a litter with a firepoint cub. How many of those could be around? And as Kari had possessed no other leads, he had set out to discover the truth of it all. What he had found was a female with a an adult litter slowly returning from their adventures in the bigger world. A pridal tradition apparently.. But after so long he finally had his first break in luck. She had known Fuuen, and the litter had been his. A couple of the cubs were already in the pride when he arrived and one, a female more like her mother in colouring, had seemed to take a shine to him.

Though for now Kali was off somewhere probably terrorizing a rogue as was her duty… while he sought out her mother to ease his loneliness with more memories of their shared acquaintance. If he couldn’t talk to Fuu himself, at least he could talk about the male with someone who had known him.

It was the best Kari could do for now.  

[Kathryn Dragonna]

Aspros Fotheea was glad she had been late to go on her pilgrimage now that she returned to the prides new home. She had had time to learn the pathways of the mountain before going out into the big world. She was not sure she would have wanted to try to learn these unmarked paths after all the adventures she had out in the bigger world. Of course, she was debating if she wanted to go back out and explore more. She had taken forever to come back with a name, and yet, she felt the itch in her paws to go back and wander more. She was sure her siblings did not have such thoughts and desires. They were all happy in the pride just like she should be.

Aspros sighed and flopped at the entrance to her den. It was nice to finally be home, though she guessed she should be looking for a mate and such. She could do that in the roguelands right? Maybe she would make that her excuse to go back out. It was a good reason. She doubted any male would want to stick with her, but she would use it as an excuse to go out and wonder about again. She was bad luck afterall and the pride could use another break from her she was sure..

The lioness heard someone coming down the path and looked up at the path. She did not know who the male was that came down the path to her den, but she stood up and greeted him anyway. If he was here, he must be one of the pride, perhaps someone that came in while she was off on her pilgrimage. "Hello, sir." She settled into a seated position at the entrance of her den and pushed out a bowl of water to the stranger. "You look a bit lost... have some water, maybe you want something to eat?" She was nothing if not a friendly lioness.  

[Tanakako]

The light voice scattered his thoughts with a jolt. Golden eyes dropped, meeting the pale blue of a young female a little further down the pathway.

A flamepoint female.

Hope surged as the tall, willowy male picked up his pase, jogging the last few strides before stopping infront of her, for a moment almost speachless before finally managing to respond. Though he looked slightly shaken and inexplicably happy.

"Hello.. Hi... You must be Adimu.. or were.. Umm.." Flustered he finally stopped talking and looked down at the bowl, visibly struggling to regain some mediocum of control over himself. "Ahh.. thank you... I'm ok. Well, I am lost, but only trying to find a friend. But now I've found you." Closing his maw quickly before he made an even bigger fool of himself, the tall, svelt and usually calm male blushed.

"Sorry, you must think me some raving lunatic.. I am Kari, or I suppose, Kari'hiken now. I know your father." Still stood where he had stopped he gazed at her, a kind of wonderment on his features. For all his travels, all the doubts and half-heard rumours, she was real, and he had found her.  

[Kathryn Dragonna]

Aspros had seen the kind of reaction the male was having before, but never directed at her. She wondered what caused it. Was it that he thought she was pretty, or something else? She did not have long to wonder on that before she started wondering on the fact that he knew her cub name and her father apparently. How he would know the second, she could not fathom, but the first was easy enough to explain. He must know someone in the family or one of her friends. They would all know her cub name and would not have had time to inform everyone of her adult name since she had been back so short a time.

"I was Adimu. I am now Aspros Fotheea..." Aspros laughed a bit. "It's a bit of a muzzle full, rather like your name... How about you call me Aspros, and I will call you Kari? I met a raving lunatic in the roguelands, and you act nothing like her. If you know my family, any part of it, you are welcome here, though I am afraid if you know my father, you will know him better than I." She made herself comfortable, and prepared for a long visit. She figured this male likely would have a lot to say, but she could be wrong.

"Take a deep breath, Kari. I can help you with the being lost part... I was able to learn all the paths before I went on my pilgrimage, I would be happy to help you find your way around. I know the paths can be very confusing at first." Aspros could not help but smile softly at the male. He seemed very nice, though the look of near awe on his face was a little embarrassing to the lioness. She was not sure WHY he was looking at her like that, but she was starting to wonder again if he didn't think she was pretty. "If you look at a female like that too long, she will turn to puddle of nerves and start tripping over her own tongue..." Her smile turned teasing as she spoke this last to the male.  

[Tanakako]

Finally managing a smile, he took a moment to calm himself as he listened to her. He couldn't begin to imagine what she must think, with a strange male rushing up to her and claiming he knew her family. At least she seemed only slightly puzzled and not scared of him. Though how anyone could be scared of the slim male was anyone's guess as you didn't have to be a mind reader to tell he was the passive type. After all he had been a nanny in his home pride, though that tidbit wasn't exactly obvious just by looking at him.

"Aspros it is then." He smiled warmly, bobbing his head in a small bow to her in greeting. Albeit a rather late one. Moving to sit back on his haunches, aware that he was kind of towering over her, he finally settled. Now that he had found her he could relax. Though he had not yet found Fuuenken, this felt like a step towards his goal. He could at least breathe a little, metaphorically speaking.

"Yes, I have met your Mother and some of your siblings. Kali has been showing me about the pride." That was one of the darker sister's adult name, one of the first to come back from their pilgrimage. "Not that it's helped much, I am afraid I am not a mountain native." In truth with his short, fine hair and sleek mane he was far more comfortable in the desert of his homeland and it showed. He was always cold and while he had always been slender, he was looking thin though it was not from lack of hunting. Too many other stresses had taken their toll on the displaced male.

Her comment surprised him and he blinked before offering an appolagetic smile. "I am sorry... It is just that you are the spitting image of your father. I have been traying to track him down and it was you who led me here, to this pride. Or rather, rumours of your birth." He clarified, hoping he didn't sound like some crazy stalker.  

[Kathryn Dragonna]

Aspros tilted her head to the side. "Oh, I look like him? Huh. That is sad for him, since I am the bad luck cub in the litter." She nods and looks back at her den. "You know we cannot have you getting lost all the time, and you look like your fur is not heavy enough to keep you warm. Are you staying with one of the family? Mother of one of my siblings? If not, we will have to put you up here in my den." She goes into her den and starts clearing space for the male. She had things all over the place because she was trying to practice some crafting skills a rogue had taught her. She was not good, but she was trying to learn.

"Kari, I was not a mountain native either. We used to live in the swamps, so I had to learn everything about this new area before I left... I SHOULD have went on pilgrimage before we moved... but I was late going... and it was bad luck for the whole pride, I'm sure." Aspros was rambling as she cleaned up the den. She had pretty much assumed that the male was going to stay already, without him answering. "I am sorry you have yet to find my father... I have not seen him, so I really don't know that I can be any help to you... but at least you found some friends in the process... We'll take care of you until you find him."  

[Tanakako]

He opened his maw to reply but she had already vanished into her den, leaving him sat outside. Chuckling to himself and knowing just who she reminded him of, he stood back up and padded to the entryway. Poking his head inside he watched as she bustled about clearing space, and still chatting away.

Only when she paused to look back at him did he finally have time to reply and he gave her a warm smile, golden eyes twinkling. "I will have to disagree with you. It is certainly not a sad thing, as he one of the most handsome males in the Savannah. And that makes you one of the prettiest." He didn't touch the bad luck comment, getting the feeling it was more than just a throwaway remark. Though he intended to dissuade her of the notion as soon as he could. No one deserved to hold such an opinion of themselves. He suppressed the shiver a certain memory invoked. No, he wasn't Fuuen, to set someone straight, but he could talk to her about it. Once they knew each other better.

Putting his mind back on their conversation he shrugs a little. "Kali has let me stay with her, as has your mother, Maisha." Truthfully, he hadn't done anything about finding a den of his own, possibly because sleeping held such little appeal for him.

Following her conversational loops was a struggle when his own mental thought process was circling, and his general tiredness didn't help matters, but he nodded. "Some very good friends, and family too." How to explain that she was part of finding Fuuen? He didn't quite know how to so he left it alone for now. "Thank you. I know I will find him eventually." Or rather, he was hoping Fuu would find him.

"So, you only just got back from your pilgrimage?" He wanted to get to know her, but there was so much to learn, he figured he'd start with the thread she had offered him.  

[Kathryn Dragonna]

Aspros reached out and poked Kari's nose at his compliment. "I am sure he is handsome, but it would have been better for one of the others to get his good looks. He had bad luck in having his looks passed to the bad luck lioness of the family." She pulled a mostly finished cloak out and eyed it and then Kari. "I will have to finish this, then you can be warmer. I am sure you need it with that short fur." She put it asside away from the other things that she had stacked nicely in one corner. She put out some furs in a corner to make a second bed in the den and then examined her work.

"No need to bother the others, you can just stay here with me. I have no mate... no plans for one any time soon. There is plenty of space here for you to stay as long as you like." And that was true. She had managed to get a very big den because it was out where nobody else wanted to be. It was a bit farther from the main pride so it was not a prime choice for anyone to claim. If she ever decided to go hunt out a mate and have cubs, she certainly would not need a bigger den.  

[Tanakako]

The poke prompted Kari to wriggle his muzzle, fighting the urge to sneeze. What he couldn’t fight however was her reference to bad luck a second time. “Why do you keep referring to being bad luck?” he asked gently, padding further into the den as she made room. Watching as she seemed to consider the cloak before putting it away.

“Thank you..” He dipped his head in acknowledgment as the chill mountain air had not agreed with him and he still hadn’t adjusted. He doubted he ever would.. Moving towards the bedding she prepared for him he let his gaze roam the den before returning to her. “Thank you for going to all this bother. I do appreciate it.”

Tipping his head to study her for a moment he couldn’t help the tug to the chest her words caused. A perpetual bleeding heart and a romantic, Kari felt that everyone deserved happiness, and a loving mate at their side. After all he knew what it felt like to be without your other half… the ache Fuu’s absence had caused was as fresh as the day he left, joined now for a long time by worry for the rogue King and fear that he might not return. After all, Kari had left their old home just to survive, and for all that Fuu was a superb warrior, he was still a lone lion in a big world… Kari’s deepest fear was of Fuuenken coming up against an enemy he couldn’t beat.

He wondered why she seemed so against the idea of a mate and wondered if he might be able to help change that…. He would have to keep an eye out for suitable males around the pride.

Kathryn Dragonna

 

[Kathryn Dragonna]

Tanakako

Aspros shifted a few things and avoided meeting the male's gaze for a bit. He was obviously newer to the pride, how did she explain it to him? She guessed she should try at least, since he asked. "Because I am bad luck. I procrastinated going on my pilgrimage to help the pride. I should have been gone before the fire, but I was too busy trying to prepare EVERYTHING I thought I possibly would need outside the pride. It was silly, and stupid, and well, one or two of the others had said that if I was't so caught up in silly things I would have been out like everyone else... and maybe the fire wouldn't have happened."


"I angered the spirits of the swamp by not going when I should have." Aspros looked away again and sighed. Even if she wouldn't have believed that before there were other things from later that helped cement it. "And how many lioness' get followed half way across the world by a male that is convinced they brought him bad luck?" That had been sad, scary, and a little funny really. Aspros had no idea what happened to the male in question. She had met him twice, once when he said she brought him his bad luck, and another time when he caught up with her to inform her of that and demand his good luck back.  

[Tanakako]

Kari waited quietly as she continued to clear the den, listening attentively as she spoke. Finally he tipped his head, not fully understanding what she was trying to tell him. Nor did he understand the hold these 'spirits' had over the native pride lions. For him, though he believed wholly in the gods, he also knew a thing or two about how things worked and fire was no mystery.

"Maybe you did and maybe you didn't.. I like to think that those of such sight and knowledge are more benign than that. I could understand if you suddenly turned cannibal... but just wanting to be prepared? That seems like serious overkill for them to evict the entire pride." Padding closer he caught her busy paws with one of his own, stilling her and gently turning her to look at him.

"Bad luck happens to all of us. Look at me for example. But I don’t believe your luck is any worse than anyone else’s... We all take a chance in life, luck, or the lack of it, is simple chance. Sometimes things go the way we want and sometimes they don't.... It is how you handle yourself in such a situation that dictates who you are, not any perceived notions of good or bad luck."

His voice and expression had been serious the whole way through, and now those golden eyes studied her calmly. There was a gravity and honesty to the exotic male that gave his words more weight than an average lion possessed. He had travailed all over the rogue lands, lived in one of the harshest desert areas in the savannah, and met his fair share of madmen and killers. While not as wise as his missing mate, he possessed experience a plenty.

Kathryn Dragonna

 

[Kathryn Dragonna]

"We had our ways, our traditions, for a reason. I was dragging my paws on the most fundamental of our traditions, one's naming quest. That is not a trivial offense. I am sure there were other things to anger those above as well, but my transgression was a factor, I am sure." Aspros settled down on her own bedding in the den and watched the male, curiously. He seemed very convinced of his opinion, but she was sure he was wrong when it came to her even if he might be right in general. She just hoped her bad luck did not rub off on him while he was staying with her.

Aspros busied her paws again working on the cloak she had put to the side earlier. He had finished speaking, so she could distract herself again without seeming rude. She also changed the subject because she did not want to upset her guest. "If I finish this cloak, will you wear it? It might take me some time, but I do believe I can do an acceptable job on it." So long as it stayed on him, kept him warm and didn't look too awful, she was sure nobody would say anything bad about it. Nobody important would say anything awful about it anyway.

Tanakako

 

[Tanakako]

It was obvious that she was not going to change her opinions easily, or maybe at all, but he assumed he would be with the pride for some time to come so he would have time to speak to her further about it. No one deserved to hold such negative opinions, the least he could do for her was to tr and show her she didn't need to bear that kind of weight.

Letting her change the topic he settled down where she had bid and smiled, the expression warm and easy. "I would be very grateful for it." He assured her. "I am not used to this mountain cold." He didn't care what it looked like, he was simply grateful for the thoughtful gesture.

Kathryn Dragonna

 

[Kathryn Dragonna]

Aspros got a few things and started working with putting a clasp on the cloak. She had gotten the clasp made for it but not attached to the piece. That should not take her too long, she just had to make sure it would hold. Making sure it would hold was the tricky part really. She was not a crafter by trade, but she had learned a few things. She hoped that with the practice she had been putting in, she could make this work. With a few moments work and a little grumbling to herself, the lioness was able to get the clasp into place and gave a small smile at the victory. "You do not look accustomed to cold... hopefully this will help."


Aspros did not wait to see what the male thought. She just draped the cloak onto him and clasped it into place. "That should be better. It really does not look like much, but it works. That is what matters at the moment." The lioness stepped back and looked him over. It might be a little big on him, but then, she knew she had made it over-sized for herself by a long shot already. It would work for the moment, and maybe she could make a better one for him later. She WAS having him stay with her, so she would have time.

Tanakako

 

[Tanakako]

As she had worked, he had watched silently, content to let her do so in peace. The quiet of the den and the warmth of simply being within its shelter, made him drowsy. So when she finally stirred, throwing the Cape over his back, he made a low sound of appreciation.

"It is very fine and will d quite nicely." He replied, twisting his head to catch the cloth in his teeth, tugging it a little higher up his back even as he settled deeper into the bedding.

Smothering a heavy yawn he smiled at her. "It is truly a most thoughtful gift, Thank you Aspros."

Kathryn Dragonna