[PRP] Much needed company (Kuzaliwa'Jpi/Acacius)

[Fairy Snails]

Sweat trickled down his mane as he trained under the hot sun. He wasn't in the mood to spar at the moment and wanted to focus on his form. Thought of his last spar flashed in his mind. He had tied with Zjarr, which was enough to allow him into the pride. However he couldn't help but feel like he could have done better.

Before the spar, he had trained months before he even attempted to fight her. He knew the pride was filled with strong, powerful lions. Despite being accepted in the pride, he didn't feel like he was worthy of it being in the pride yet. He struck the air in front of him with as much strength as he could manage, imagining striking down his imaginary target.

He paused, letting out a heavy pant. How long had he even been training? All of his mussels felt tight and strained. He knew it was unhealthy to push himself too far. There were other lions training around him. Some started before him and still were going strong. It hurt his pride just watching them. 'I'll take a break for now. After I rest a bit, I'll go back and train some more.'

Acacius walked away from the training grounds and looked around for a shaded place to rest.

Tanakako

 

[Tanakako]

Kuza had been out since before dawn training, it was her usual habit, for the area was quieter and the temperature about as comfortable as it ever got in their red desert land. By the time most of the pride's acting soldiers were out for practice, Kuza had retreated from the areas and moved off into the shade of a small collection of bolders.

High above, her falcon familiar Aiolos circled lazily. He had been hunting while she trained and now with a full belly was riding the thermals, keeping an eye on his charge below. Seeing a certain red male leave the arenas, he swooped down to land neatly on her crossed forepaws.

"What do you thinks?" He chirped, bobbing his beak in the direction the red and white male had gone.

Frowning she looked at her old friend, flicking an ear in irritation. "Stop talking in riddles... What are you getting at?" The bird squawked at her indignantly. "Don't get your tail in a twist.. You asked me to keep an eye out for joined lions, didn't your?" He asked irritated, flapping his feathers as a threat, about to launch when she blew out a heavy breath.

"Yes... Yes I did..." She reluctantly conceded, finally remembering the off paw comment she had tossed out some months ago. Why he had picked this moment to remind her of that she had no idea, but she also knew he would not leave the idea alone until she investigated... So with a last long look at her bizzare bird friend, she stood and moved off, following the red and white male's tracks easily across the sandy landscape.

R4gn0r0k IV

Sorry this took a while!

 

[Fairy Snails]

There was a shaded spot a little ways away. The moment he stepped into the shade he could feel the temperature drop. It was such a relief to be out of the sun, even if it was just for a little while. He couldn't help but think of his old pride, where he lived right next to the ocean. On hot days like this he would take a quick swim to cool off after training.

But that was when he lived in his old pride. He should not focus on the past. This was his home now, this pride was everything he ever wanted.

As he was about to lay down he spotted a lioness headed his way. Acacius remained standing in case she needed something. Since he had arrived at the pride and fought for a right to stay, he had felt that he had to constantly prove that he belonged. He did his best to fit in with everyone else. It was sometimes rather difficult though. There were a lot of old blood in the pride who did not like rogues who joined the pride. He did his best to avoid those lions.

Tanakako

I might be on the slow side for a couple days

[Tanakako]

Had she know of his thoughts she could have reassured him that she herself was not old fashioned in her thinking. Any firekin was a good firekin, especially those that joined. Her bloodline was such that nearly everyone she knew was an uncle or a cousin or a niece. Within a pride where most were your family, her mate prospects had always been slim but she had never imagined it would be so difficult. The one male she had fallen for as a youth had up and vanished. Though considering the drought and their various established outposts, he could still be in the pride and she would never know.

Sighing she pushed him from her thoughts. Time healed all wounds, even that one. And her crazy friend had decided she needed to get off her lazy behind and find a mate. So.....

Arriving before the newcommer she had earlier been watching, she gave him a broad toothy grin before stepping past him to flop down in the shade, leaving more than enough room for the big male to join her.

"No need to stand in the heat to talk. I saw you training, you need to cool down or you are going to give yourself heat stroke." Sweeping the shady spot next to her with her tail in invitation she glanced up, watching Aiolos as he rode the strong thermal currents high above them.

"The name's Kuza." She offered after a moment, looking back down at the male with her dazzlingly sun-white eyes.

R4gn0r0k IV

No worries.

 

[Fairy Snails]

Acacius gave her a thankful nod, taking a moment to admire her beauty. In his old pride females were expected to stay at the pride and take care of the cubs and the males when they got back from their adventures. It was one of the many reasons he left the pride. Growing up in a litter full of sisters, he knew that they were just as strong as he was. Here he found that female lions were treated with just as much respect as males, something that made him admire the pride that much more.

He stepped into the shade and laid down. It was much more relaxing in the shade.

“It's nice to meet you Kuza. My name is Acacius.” He said with a friendly smile, looking into her pale eyes.

“Next time I will have to wake up a little earlier to get here before it gets this hot. Where I used to live, it never got quite this hot, so I never worried about it.” He explained. The last thing he wanted was to faint from the heat in front of everyone.

Tanakako

 

[Tanakako]

Shifting as he settled beside her she watched him a moment before returning her gaze to the landscape before them to avoid a crick in her solid neck, watching the lions still training relentlessly in the swiftly increasing heat of the day.

"It's good to meet you Acacius." She returned, glancing back at him with her toothy smile still in place. "Where are you from?" She asked, honestly curious about lands beyond her desert. Though she had been on several trips through the red sands of her home, and indeed visited the Boneland pride on many a stint of guard duty, she hadn't been much further though and was interested in hearing about something new.

"The earlier you can train the better once the sun starts to rise. Though before that it's almost too cold. The nights here can be as brutal as the days." She wasn't sure how long he had been within the pride and he might not know just how cold the winter nights could get.

R4gn0r0k IV

I typoed her name, It's Kuza. Lol sorry!

 

[Fairy Snails]

“I'm from a pride called Maestros Del Mar. It's a beautiful pride, next to an endless ocean.” Acacius explained, with a small smile. “It was much different then this pride. But I am glad I am here. I feel like I I traded ocean for sand though.”

His mother had been supportive of his departure. He had to tell her that he was leaving, knowing that if he had just left without saying a word she would be heartbroken.

“What about you? Are you from this pride?” He asked curiously, knowing that most of the pride members had ties within the pride.

His attention went back to those training, admiring their dedication. “So I will have figure out the exact right moment to start my training.” He hadn't woken up early enough to feel the cold. “At my old pride I used to get up before the sun rose in order to practice. It was the only way I could get some training in before one of my siblings could bother me.”

He laughed thinking about his siblings. In some respects he did miss them. His sister Levigis had traveled with him for part of the way to Motoujamii-Simo, though they argued and bickered most of the way. Out of his siblings, she was the only one that he felt had the determination like he did to make their own future.

Tanakako

>.< I should have noticed that! I fixed the post.

 

[Tanakako]

Kuza listened with avid interest, ears pricking forwards as he mentioned the ocean. Glancing about at the sand-swallowed landscape all around she squinted, looking slightly puzzled. “I have never seen the ocean… what is it like?” She looked back at him, clearly fascinated with the notion. After all, the biggest body of water she ever saw was a river or a watering hole.

Nodding at his question she looked back at the training lions. “See those two there..” She motioned to a sibling pair sparring. “Those are my sibling. There were thirteen of us in my litter. Granted, that’s not usually the case.. Finding someone not related to me is more difficult than locating family. I’m descended of two of the pride’s most prolific bloodlines.” She huffed, crossing her paws one over the other. “It certainly makes finding a mate rather awkward..”

“Dawn is best, not too cold that you are too stiff, but also before the heat starts.” Smiling she chuckled, a surprisingly deep, husky sound for a female, though considering her blood, her pride and her physical stature, maybe it wasn’t so strange. “Siblings can drive you to the ends of the desert and back. But I miss those that left.” She sighed softly, looking down. “I had several hurai siblings. I doubt I will ever see them again..”

Falling silent for a moment as they watched the pride members about them she flexed her claws idly, drawing random patterns in the sand without looking. Finally she looked back at him. “Want to join me on a hunt?” She asked, out of the blue but with a smile.

R4gn0r0k IV

 

[Fairy Snails]

“Well the simplest way to describe the ocean is that it's like the desert, where it looks like it's endless. It is a beautiful site though, especially on clear days, when the ocean and sky come together and it's hard to tell one from another.” Both his parents talked about the ocean with joy. He had not inherited their love of it, however he could still recognize its beauty. “If you ever get a chance, I do recommend seeing it, even if it's just once.”

Acacius looked at the siblings sparring, taking note of their form. “Thirteen.” He said astounded, glancing at her with a grin. “I thought I had it bad. I have five siblings and a couple half siblings who used to hang around the pride.”

It had never occurred to him that the bloodlines in the Firekin could mesh together to make it difficult to find a mate. “Well if you ever feel like you need a mate, I am available.” He said with a lack of romance in his voice, though he did add a small smile at the end. “Of course only if you can't find a more suitable mate.” He was still new. There were probably more suitable males who had been in the pride longer that could catch Kuza's attention.

He made a mental note to be sure to train at dawn. “I haven't been away from my siblings long enough to miss them yet, but I am sure the feeling will come with time. My half-sister actually traveled with me part of the way. I was very grateful that I had company while I traveled.” She would have been a hurai if she had been born in the pride. “I bet they are having fun exploring the rogue lands.” He said optimistically. If it had been one of his siblings who was forced to leave the pride, he knew that he would miss them terribly.

His ears perked up when she invited him to the hunt. “It would be an honor to hunt with you.” He said with a small genuine smile.

Tanakako

I am terrible I have no idea how this rp escaped my attention for so long!