[PRP] Loving Pad (Roz x Suri)

[Kathryn Dragonna]

Roz was oh so proud of himself. He had gone out into the roguelands to find the perfect flower to bring back to Suri. And not only did he find a beautiful red one, but he had been smart enough to dig up the plant to bring back. He had put it and a bunch of soil around it's roots in a bag, kept it watered, and slowly made his way home with it. He wasn't sure if it was a measure of how awesome the flower was, or how good he was getting with plants, but the thing had survived the journey with him. He could not wait to show Suri what he had brought her. And of course, she didn't even know he was home yet, so he could surprise her in two ways.

Roz had camped himself out at Suri's flower patch the night before, making sure the flower was tended well in it's little bag until morning. He'd slept guarding it, and had only taken time to eat and clean himself up before he set himself beside it and waited for his banu to come to tend her flowers. She ALWAYS came to tend her flowers, every day, so he knew his wait would not be in vain. When he finally caught sight of her, the yellow male sat up a little straighter and grinned at her. "Good Morning, Suri!" He was sure she would notice the flower standing proudly beside him, ready to be planted.  

[one over three]

Suri rose with the sun then set about preparing the den for Roz. Every morning it was the same routine whether or not he was there. Find and clear out any bones she'd missed the night before. Beat the dust from the pelts used for bedding, then fluff them. Pull the wilted flowers from the small pools where the clippings where kept, then refresh the water to keep the remaining buds vibrant longer. Finally she'd head out, going down to her garden to tend it and clip new buds for the den.

It didn’t matter that it was still a few days before Roz was expected to return. He had always been kind to her, and he didn’t deserve the gossip she knew would fly if she became lazy the moment her Pad was away for a week.

She was so certain that Roz wouldn’t be home for another few days that when she spotted him sitting amongst her flowers it took a few long moments for who to recognize just who it was. When he did finally click though, her face lit up and she bounded across the field like an exited kitten.

“ROZ!” she called as bounded through her flowers, ever careful not to trample them. The moment she was close enough she pressed the top of her head against his chin. “Roz you’re home! Oh my Pad. I missed you so.”

The flower had gone unnoticed.


 

[Kathryn Dragonna]

Roz had no doubt in his mind that Suri was making sure the den was tended. She was very attentive to things like that. It was one of many reasons he wanted her to have anything she desired, like new flowers for her garden. The sight of her coming made him smile a bit, but when she started to bound toward him like a cub, well, he started grinning like an idiot. He nuzzled her as soon as she stopped and licked the top of her head. "I missed you too, Suri, my love. It is so hard to leave you for my trips, even knowing you have two other wonderful banus to keep you company while I am away."

Roz nudged her away just enough so he could lick her nose, and then pushed her cheek so she would look at the flower he had brought home. He wanted her to see his fine work of keeping the plant alive for her! "Look at thiiiiiiis." He grinned like a cub when he got her gaze on the red flower. "It reminded me of your eyes... I went out to get you a flower, and decided this one was perfect." He had not told his banu what he was leaving for. He had figured it did not matter really, besides his family made sure they were well kept while he was away.  

[one over three]

She continued pressing herself against him for as long as he allowed it. Nuzzling and announcing her affections the whole while. When he finally pried her away and turned her attention to the flower she gasped.

“Oh! Protea,” she cooed. “The last time I saw one of these I was a tiny cub, and I’ve never seen such a bold shade of red! Do my eyes really look like that?” She slid a claw over one of the thick petals, “Oh~ Where did you find it Roz, my love? Was it in the sun? The shade? Some place wet? I’ve never had the pleasure to care for one before. I’m afraid I don’t know what to do with it!”

Then something else clicked in her head, “You haven’t really been gone all these days just to look for a flower for me, have you?”  

[Kathryn Dragonna]

Roz grinned at his banu. "I found it not too far away... a week or so journey outside our pride's lands. It was not shaded at all, and I brought some of the soil along it had been in. It was not much different than what you have here. A bit drier perhaps, but I have managed to keep it alive with watering it every day on the way back." He was still very proud of the thing not dying on him. "Yes, your eyes are that color... and I would suggest planting it, myself. I think it would appreciate being outside the bag I have it in." He nuzzled Suri's cheek affectionately. He loved how excited she was about the flower. It had most definitely been worth the journey.

"I am not supposed to go hunt for pretty things for my banus? I have brought other things back for the other banus before... but it is hard to find flowers you do not already have to bring back.... and I thought you would like it better than more jewelry." Roz had to be given credit for one thing, and that was that he was always trying his best to make his banus happy to be HIS. He treated them well, perhaps spoiled them a bit, and gave them a say in what they did rather than dictating what they were to do. Heck, he let them pretty much run the den and lavished them with affection. He was one of the good Pads in the pride and his girls knew it.  

[one over three]

“Only a week!” she laughed. “As though a week is such a small thing. I will plant it near the setting sun. It is difficult to carry water so far and so the flowers there must go longer between having their roots wet.” She sighed, leaning into Roz as she petted the protea’s petals. “I do hope it lives. It would be such a same if it came so far only to fail to take.”

If it wasn’t for her thick fur Roz would be able to see that her face nearly matched the bloom in colour. Suri was glad for these gifts, but the jewelry she never wore unless Roz was home to appreciate it. Somehow the thought of anyone seeing her wearing the glittering strands and shells made her anxious.

“Once it’s established I’ll cut the largest blooms and bring them back to the den for my arrangements.”  

[Kathryn Dragonna]

Roz just licked his banu's cheek at her comment about time. A week was not such a long time to put into something nice for her, at least not to him. "I hope it lives as well... but I managed to keep it alive, so you should do wonderfully with it, Suri." He picked up the bag in his mouth and carried it over to where the other flowers were that she spoke of, the ones that were not watered as often. When he set the bag down he started digging a hole. His idea was to put everything from the bag in the hole. It seemed a good idea to give it the same type of soil as he had taken it from afterall. "I will dig the hole for you, Suri."

Roz hated making Suri work more than she already made herself work. The female did so much around the den as it was, and he just did not see a reason for his females to work so hard. He had once or twice insisted on hunting with them just because, and he often cut in to do heavy work like this so they did not try it on their own. "I know your flowers make you happy, my love... and that is what matters to me." He stepped back from the hole he had dug and carefully digs the plant from it's bag, giving it to Suri before dumping part of the soil into the hole.  

[one over three]

"You'll be home for a while now, right? We've all missed you dearly," for her at least it was true. "Don't misunderstand, I adore my new protea. So long as it thrives here I will be sure to propagate it. Who knows. If it's as hearty as you say it is then perhaps it will thread through the lands."

Despite his offer to dig the hold on his own she got down next to him and started pulling the soil back along with him, "It's quite a large plant, I we'll need a hole as deep as your forearm is long? That ought to be sufficient." She paused for a moment then added, "And water. I will have to bring a basket of water from the river."

This wasn't any sort of complaint from her. She adored tending her plants, even if the work was hard. When they finished the hole and she took the plant from him she looked it over, "Once we have it in don't pack the dirt down hard. It will need to put it's roots out into the new soil. It won't be able to do so if we've packed it down."

She set it down into the hole, "Whenever I come tend to it I will think of you, my love."

 

[Kathryn Dragonna]

"I do not plan to leave for a bit, can't have you all forget what my goofy face looks like." Roz gave one of his playful grins and watched Suri go off for the water. He should have insisted on carrying it, but he was finishing busy with getting soil arranged for the plant. He did not pack anything down around it, but he did make sure it was surrounded by the soil it had come from so that it would not be as much of a shock to the little thing. He hoped that his grabbing it's own soil to transport it was part of what had kept it alive. He really didn't do much else to it besides watering it on the way.

When Suri returned with the water, Roz stood back and let her water it. "When I look at it, I will think of you, Suri. I know you miss me when I go wandering about, perhaps one of these times I will take you along outside the lands. There is a nice den I usually stop at that I can show you... would you like that?" He was allowed to take his banus on a trip or so, and as long as he didn't take them out of the pride all the time, nobody was going to say anything. Maybe he would start taking each of them out once a year give them each some time away from everything. It was an idea.  

[one over three]

She listened to him speak as she gently tipped the vessel, spilling the water out onto the new proteas. When he reached the portion about bringing her outside the pride's lands she jumped, flipping the vessel and spilling the remainder of the water on the small plant.

"You would take me with you?" her eyes were wide, flower forgotten for the moment. "I'd," her expression softened, "I would really like that, Roz. I've never been any further away from my home than I go on my hunting trips."

She freed the flower from the vessel, then turned to nuzzle Roz again, "I'm so glad you're home~"