[FIN] - Shadow Dancing (Mrengo/Szürke)

[Tanakako]

He looked over at her own blob and chuckled softly, the sound slightly hoarse and rough as if he didn't do it very often. "At least your blob has a reason to be a blob... " He watched her smile again and felt his own spirit feel lighter than it had in a very long time. She was a very special young lioness and he was glad he had run into her today. He had needed this distraction clearly.

"I'm not sure I have the skills to become any good, certainly not like yours." But it had proved a good past-time at least so he really didn't mind if he couldn't do it. Pausing his thoughts he blinked at her with that small half smile again. "Horribad?" He'd never heard such a saying but it was cute. "Well... Since you were so kind as to let me play in the mud and make a mess, maybe we could go for a little hunting practice some time? I'm not that bad it it.. certainly far better than I am at these..." He motioned the slowly slumping mud pile with his paw.
 

[Epine de Rose]

Tanakako

"Does it?" Mrengo looked at her blob for a few moments and then shook her head. "Not really, I could've worked on it while you worked on yours," she reminded him gently and chuckled. Still, if he wanted to view it in that light then she was going to let him, she wasn't the type to pick too many holes in people's sentences - not only did it take too long but it also made things uncomfortable...and if there was one thing Mrengo hated, it was confrontation. She'd sooner bolt than stay in that kind of environment!

"But yes...horribad - like really bad but even worse," she explained, her expression a touch haunted as she recalled the days when her blobs had been prevailant in her life. She'd worked for months and months to fix them and it was only within the last few that she'd made progress. "The next step up from horribad is terribad," she added and gave a sage nod. After all, who knew whenever he would next encounter those words?

...Would be mean to leave him confused.

"But practice makes perfect, you'll see!" she continued and tilted her head to the side. It was only when he offered to accompany her on a hunting trip that she perked up considerably. She was so bad at that activity that even her siblings elected to avoid her! Anytime she came, they ended up failing. "Really? You're sure?"

"...But what happens if I scare everything away, then you'd end up super hungry and that'd be bad."  

[Tanakako]

He glanced again at her mud pile and nodded, but it was the rest of the conversation that had his attention now. Horribad and terribad... he wondered if they were idiosyncrasies unique only to her, or if they were prevalent throughout the pride. Either way, he understood what she meant by them.

Chuckling at her evident enthusiasm for hunting lessons, he nodded, finally smiling a real smile for the first time, even if he seemed a little out of practice at the art. "Of course, or I wouldn't have offered. And don't worry about that, I'm a pretty decent hunter, its all I do every day."

Suddenly sunlight slanted across his face as the sun finally slipped low enough to slip through a gap in the trees over head, almost blinding him. Blinking he lowered his head out of the direct rays of light and glanced at the mud creations. Well... at least Mrengo would see just how terribad he was at making mud shapes soon enough...
 

[Epine de Rose]

Tanakako

Her ears gave a wiggle of anticipation at the mere mention of a hunting trip. She might have been clumsy at them but she did like to try and here was a male who was willing to let her tag along! She made a secret promise to herself to practice on her quiet walking before she accompanied him, if only to make it less awkward for him as he taught her - that was the least she could do for him and maybe she'd even catch something this time!

Nevertheless, she wasn't give much time to dwell on this as the sun finally sunk below the tree line and the last rays of light bled through the canopies and gaps within the overhanging vines around them. The swaying vines caused the rays to be sporadic and broken, but this continued flickering had the desired effect as they caught the back of her little models and began to make them 'dance'.

While clearly not made by human hands, the flickering image of a bird, a wild dog and so forth were easy enough to distinguish and from certain angles, they really did seem like they were moving. "Tada!" she announced delightedly and motioned to each with her paw. "I told you that they'd dance!" she continued with a coo.  

[Tanakako]

Completely distracted form their conversation now he watched the sunlight slowly slide lower through the forest branches, shifting a little and then drawing closer to Mrengo as the rays gradually illuminated each of her mud figures. Slowly the shadows lengthened and then, suddenly, he saw them.

"Oh!" He breathed in stunned appreciation as the little figures flickered and dances across the leaf litter. Lifting a paw he blocked the light from one, fascinated by the effect of the shadows. Dropping his paw again he glanced over at his own and winced. It was kind of shaped... but whether it was supposed to be a lion, a buffalo or even a cheetah was simply... not clear. Huffing faintly he glanced sideways at the young female, hoping.. well, he didn't really know what he had been hoping.. she certainly wouldn't be able to tell what he had tried to make... which considering his failure, was probably a good thing.

Ignoring the urge to squash his attempt at modeling Mrengo herself, he turned his back on the failed lump of mud and watched hers dance. "You really are good at this." He murmured softly, almost as if afraid that speaking too loud would break the spell of the sunset dance.
 

[Epine de Rose]

Tanakako

"Practice makes perfect," Mrengo murmured agreeably and offered Szurke a gentle smile. Luckily for him, she wasn't an individual who lacked in such consideration that she would make fun of his failed attempt. Frankly she was so surprised to have company that she didn't give it much concern! It was the thought that counted and Szurke had certainly put a great deal of effort into that - it wasn't his strong point, but that hadn't stopped him...kind of like when she hunted.

"I don't like the play the same games as the others, art is way more fun," she announced with a firm nod and then sighed. Unfortunately, while Mrengo liked to live in her own little world and play her own games, there was one piece of reality she couldn't quite escape and that was her mother. This wasn't to say that she didn't adore her mother, but at this age, the juvenile definitely had a curfew.

"But I should go," she said after a few moments of silence and giggled, "Momma will get mad if I'm late home again!" she announced and then leant in secretively so that no one could overhear her. "She said if I was late again she was going to box my ears - I don't even know what that means!" she whispered with urgency and then leapt away again. Giving her rump a slight wiggle in appreciation for the company he'd given her, she waved her paw and bounded off towards home.

"Goodbye Mister! I'll come find you again so you can show me how to hunt - I promise to be quiet too, quiet as a mouse, you'll NEVER know I was there!" she called out, though there was a certain irony to this promise given the circumstances and manner in which it was addressed...  

[Tanakako]

Epine de Rose

He was so absorbed in watching her little models come to life that he nearly missed her words, but looked over with a kind of startled, guilty expression. He was supposed to be a role model wasn't he? As an adult in a pride, or at least that was what he assumed adults in prides did in general... but he was hardly being the shining example of composed experience right at that moment. Blinking he gathered himself back up, though did manage to catch her smile despite his troubled thoughts and felt himself relax a little. She didn't seem to mind his rather fumbling approach to pride-life, so maybe he hadn't messed up as badly as it felt he had...

Pushing his thoughts away he listened to her instead, head tilting slightly. He was glad she found something she enjoyed so much, and she was very good at it too. Suddenly she announced that she had to leave and he finally, and rather belatedly, realised the shadow dancers had fled and the night was truly coming up through the swamps around them... Nodding he stood, though dipped his head automatically as she leaned up to whisper to him. Startled by her exclamation he could only stand and watch her race away, leaving him behind with the little clay forms and the thickening shadows.

Only once she was long gone, the loud sounds of her running feet faded away into the darkness, did he suddenly allow a small but real smile to cross his maw. If that was her normal noise level for transport, he seemed to have his work cut out for him the next time they met up. Turning towards his own den he felt a lightness in his paws for the first time in a long time... He now had a goal to aim at, that of teaching the young and rather loud young female how to hunt in stealth. His life had once revolved around finding his sister, but he had done just that, discovering her here in the swamps, and with her safe if unaware of his presence, his life had become one long grey tunnel, drifting from day to day with no real purpose... but now he had something to focus on and it lifted a weight from him he hadn't even realised he had been carrying.

With a far lighter spirit, he returned home.