[PRP] Fireflies

[demonstration_evil]

Ilori was sneaking away from work, again. Though he was putting a good attempt into trying to be a more... what was the word his parents had used? 'Contributing' member of the pride, he was far more interested in exploring, and trying to find lost treasures. It wasn't as though the vultures were on their doorstep... well, alright, to be fair, technically, the stupid birds were in their temple, which did mean 'on their doorstep'... but they weren't planning an attack any time soon, so for Ilori, that meant time to relax. He could be warrior-like and brave when he needed to be. But honestly, whenever he could, he liked to be as he always had been. Lazy.

Still, it was getting late... but that didn't bother him so much. The fireflies would be out soon, and even though he had only recently really stopped trying to capture them... he still loved to look at them. Regrettably, they were harder to find when he was in the desert, and more were around the Oasis... but if he went back there, then someone was bound to try and make him do something. Like guard duty.

"Blarg..." Ilori muttered to himself, as he made his way to the top of a sand dune, where he usually saw the fireflies that didn't hang out at the Oasis. They reminded him of less stressful times, when all he and his parents had done was travel. And they reminded him of his older, smarter friend, Sepoko... who, despite all the friends he had made... still seemed to stand out in his mind as the lion he missed the most. All through his childhood, he had hoped they would meet again.

He was still holding out, on the inside, that through some miracle he would see his friend again... but a little voice, which he made a habit of kicking into the back of his mind whenever it stated it's unwanted opinion, said that he would probably never see the other lion again.  

[underthered]

Sepoko felt very strongly that he was starting to grow paranoid. He was hearing voices everywhere. Of course, that was the whole point--he was supposed to be out here learning to hear the voices of the world. He didn't think this is what the king and queen had meant, though. This... this was freakiing him out. Little hisses and whispers... like he whole world was leering and jeering at him, trying to pick him off like a scab. Reminded him a painful lot of growing up with Ajabu, but worse, because at least Ajabu had been there.

God, Sepoko was quickly finding that he really hated being alone.

But he continued along, wandering up the seashore and now into the desert, determined to find his muse if it very well killed him... which it just might. But he wanted nothing more than to become part of the Kizingo'Zaa family now. He wanted to belong, and to be able to truly belong to this world as well.

And he could swear he heard one of the whispers hiss, "Look." And he did. And there, lo and behold, was the company he so desperately saught. The coat patterns were immediately familiar to him... like he could ever forget this open-hearted young boy who had so inspired him.

"I... Ilori...?" he stammered, scarce being able to believe it.  

[demonstration_evil]

Ilori nearly jumped out of his fur when he heard someone stammer his name. He jumped to his feet and spun around, not knowing the voice instantly, for it was far older than the one he remembered from his childhood... but the eyes and the pattern stood out instantly. Even though he now had a mane, and was much larger than he had been before, Ilori would remember those eyes anywhere.

Wierd that he had just been thinking about his old friend.

"Sep...Sepoko?" Ilori asked, almost not believing it himself, at first. Realisticly, he could have been dreaming. He could have fallen alseep on the sand dune, and not realized it. Which would have been very stupid, and not very guard-ly of him. But no. No, this couldn't be a dream. This had to be him.

"Sepoko..." He said again, making himself accept it, "Sepoko is that really you?" More excitement, which had always been there despite his more recent hardships (mainly growing up), began to surface as everything snapped into place. "Sepoko is it really you!?" His whole face lit up, his good-nature swooping into place as he realized that this was certainly no dream!  

[underthered]

For a moment Sepoko only stood, staring, becoming a statue, a photograph of this moment of shock. Even his breath became caught in his chest. Here... here was Ilori, no question, in the flesh. He had Ilori's fur and Ilori's bright, lively eyes, and Ilori's voice, though somewhat deeper than it had been. And for so long Sepoko had been resigned, convinced he would never see the boy who so captivated him again. After all, that was just the way things worked in Sepoko's world; people he cared about left and never came back again. Thus it was no surprise when he grew up never again seeing the cub he had spent that late night with.

And yet, here he was, and Sepoko found himself refusing to believe the sight, because nothing... nothing this fortunate ever happened to him. But when Ilori spoke, Sepoko was forced to believe it. "Yes, it's me Ilori..." Sepoko sighed out, letting out his held breath all at once. He didn't quite know what to do with himself.

No, no he did know. And no longer could he contain himself. A couple rogue tears rose at the corners of his eyes as Sepoko, in a moment of forwardness that was far from normal for him, he bounded forth and, almost in an instant, threw his paws around Ilori, pulling him in close.  

[demonstration_evil]

Ilori was a little suprised by the sudden show of affection, which he wasn't especially used to, but that didn't make him any less happy about it, as he threw his own paws around Sepoko, catching the older lion and grinning, not sure whether to cry, or laugh, or do both. He had hoped, though never expected, this to happen! And it was Sepoko! It was Sepoko, and he remembered Ilori! And he was glad to see him! And that made everything okay. Any doubts, any fears, they were gone in an instant because something that seemed so impossible had actually happened.

"Sepoko... I'm so glad to see you! I missed you so much!" He said, without realizing that he was crying with happiness as well, "I knew it! I knew it! I knew I would see you again!" He laughed, so happy he couldn't believe it.  

[underthered]

In this moment, Sepoko found himself learning the meaning of "all choked up", as he was repeatedly finding himself unable to conjure up speech, or even breath. He just clung to Ilori for a little while as though his life depended on it... or, more likely, as though Ilori might disappear again if he let him go. Poko simply could not let that happen. He'd waited far too long to see Ilori again to let go of him once more.

But he had to let go, had to draw back so he could look the younger male in the face and speak with him. He fixed his gaze with Ilori's damp, overjoyed eyes, and spoke in disconnected disbelief. "I missed you too," he managed to say. "Every day. Every month." He gulped a bit, swallowing up the feelings which were overwhelming him. He couldn't let himself get overwhelmed. After all, he'd only met Ilori once... what was it about him that got to him so? Sepoko sighed a little. "Ilori... Ilori... how have you been?" He needed to know. He wanted to know what had kept Ilori going along all this time... because now, Sepoko wasn't so sure how he'd kept going himself.  

[demonstration_evil]

"I... uh..." Ilori was shocked to find himself in one of those very, very rare moments when he couldn't think of anything to say. So he shook his head, and smiled, shrugging, "Well... I... I stopped traveling, with my family. We came here, to the Dawnwalkers... and it was kinda scary at first, staying in one place all the time..." He left out what his main problem with stopping moving had been, Thinking I might never see you again... "But I like it now... everyone here is really nice... and I mean... we have our problems... but it's nice here. One big family, kinda..."

He looked back at Sepoko, wanting to know everything he had been doing, all at once, since he had left Sepoko that night, which seemed so long ago now... "What about you? What have you been doing?" He asked, whiping the tears from his eyes, unable to stop smiling to the point where it almost hurt, but he didn't really care.  

[underthered]

Sepoko sat back contentedly and allowed himself a rare grin as Ilori stammered his way through his story. The older lion didn't mind that the younger was so flustered; in fact, he found it endearing. He listened fondly, taking in every word with genuine interest. He chuckled a bit for a moment, and interjected. "Oh, believe me, staying put is one thing I've been longing for. Of course, by the time I finally got desensitized to moving all the time, mom finally decided she wanted to settle down." He laughed aloud here and launched into his story. "The Kizingo'Zaa. They live south of here. Mom found the place and fell in love with it and it's philosophy. And I think she wanted to make it up to me for making me travel so long. But those guys are... crazy. I mean, they're nice, but they're crazy. They hear voices and talk to the ocean. But... mom's got her heart set on it, and she's already in. I don't know how she found her muse so fast, but..." he scoffed a little. "Well, mom's always been crazy. Now I've gotta find my 'muse'." He made the quotation marks with his claws. "I don't know how I'm gonna pull it off. I just don't know." Now the worry began to creep into his heart a bit, and he hunched down, staring at the ground. "So I decided that... maybe... it would be best to be on my own for a while. Away from mom, and the pride. To find myself, I guess..."

With a sigh and a shrug, he willed a smile onto his face again for his old friend and looked up. "So, these Dawnwalkers... what are they like? They treating you well?"  

[demonstration_evil]

Ilori sat down and listened intently, which gave him time to calm down. He never usually babbled like that, but he was just happy to see Sepoko again. He was glad that his friend's mother was alright, he had been quite fond of her in the short time they had known each other. And this new pride that Sepoko was interested in sounded... well, like he had said, a bit crazy, but at the same time, it did sound fairly fun. He wondered what it would be like to have a muse... something that talked to you all the time. Yeah, that would be enough to knock someone off the deep end a bit... but still, it wouldn't be so bad. At least you would never be alone.

Ilori smiled and leanded forward, putting his face under Sepoko's and smiling up at him, "Don't worry. If you want to find your muse, you will. And if you need help, I'll do whatever I can to make sure it happens, if that makes you happy!" Then there was the Dawnwalkers... "They're great though, the Dawnwalkers. I mean, they're tough, like my mom, but they're nice too. They're trying to win back their land... some vultures moved into their old place, when they were away. My mom and dad... well, they're in the fighting too." He sighed a little and shrugged, "And now that I'm old enough, I will be too. I don't mind that though... they're going after something that's worth fighting for. Plus, the vultures are jerks."  

[underthered]

Sepoko sighed a bit when he was done. It was good to get all that off his chest, even if it did simultaneously remind him how worried he was about the whole situation. But if there was one thing Ilori was good at, it was assuaging his fears. The older male smiled weakly at the younger as he made his sweet reassurances and promises. Sepoko blushed. He wanted to believe in them. Normally he would doubt such promises, but... well... he'd doubted he'd ever find Ilori again. And here he was. That must mean something. "I appreciate the offer," he told him, "But I think this is something I'm supposed to do for myself. Y'know, a self-discovery sort of thing. It's very personal." He glanced about, scanning the scant, sandy scenery. "Although... if you could give me a place to stay, I'd be awfully greatful." His eyes met Ilori's again. "If it's not too much trouble, of course."

But now worry etched itself into the lines and furrows of Sepoko's face. Fighting? He didn't like the sound of this. He couldn't imagine Ilori as a fighter. Not the playful boy who had chased fireflies in the woods with him. Sepoko shuffled his paws uncomfortably into the sand. "Well... just... promise me you'll be careful." He stared down at the sand below him. It was golden-bronze. It suited Ilori well...  

[demonstration_evil]

Ilori listened to Sepoko and nodded back to him, "I'd have to talk to our King... but I'm sure it would be fine. He's a nice guy, he let me get away with avoiding a lot of work when I was little..." He laughed a little, remembering how much the monarchy of the pride had put up with his oh-so-many attempts to get out of doing anything that might have been deemed productive. He still sorta-kinda-really liked to avoid doing said work, though he didn't skimp on his guardian duties. Then he grinned brightly, "But I'd love for you to stay! even if only for a little while... or however long it takes you to find your muse!"

He saw the look on Sepoko's face when he mentioned fighting, and then he smiled a little, "Don't worry, careful is... okay, no, avoid work as often as possible is kinda my motto... but don't worry, I'm really careful. I honestly don't like fighting all that much..." he looked back over at the Oasis, "It's stupid... silly... but sometimes you have to do what you have to do to protect the lions you love, right? Besides, I can't very well let my mom prance around out there! She's getting old, and dad would be awfully upset if something happened to her. I've got to keep her safe."  

[underthered]

Sepoko bit his lip and nodded. He'd have to groom himself up a bit to make a good impression. Despite Ilori's usual confidence, Sepoko was anxious about meeting the king of the lands. He didn't want to impose, and he wasn't accustomed to dealing with royalty. Well, he'd met Hadithi and Misae, but Hadithi didn't act particularly... kingly, and Misae was rather maternal in her own way. But he didn't want to concern Ilori too much with his own worries. So he smiled, even blushed a little under his rusty fur. "Thank you," he said. "Thank you so very much." He hoped he could find his muse soon and not have to be a bother for too long... but this business was seeming trickier by the day.

He couldn't help but chuckle a bit though at Ilori's "motto." Yeah, that sounded like him. The boy hadn't changed a bit, so far as Sepoko was concerned. Yeah, he'd calmed down a little... but that was for the better. All the qualities Sepoko had so admired in the younger lion still reigned prevalent. In fact, what Ilori then said resonated so deeply with Sepoko that it struck him into silence for a moment. ...Sometimes you have to do what you have to do... "Yeah," Sepoko muttered. "That's true. That's really true." Going blank, he stared at Ilori for a moment and tried to sort the racing thoughts in his head out, thoughts of family lost and present, thoughts of pride and pridal loyalties and freedom, thoughts of love and war... and the perplexing growing closeness he felt to the lion before him.  

[demonstration_evil]

Ilori tilted his head towards Sepoko, sensing a little bit of worry from Sepoko, but he knew it would be alright. Every time he and his king had spoken, it had been as equals, and he was sure that taking in a lion who needed a place to stay wouldn't be a problem. Honestly... Ilori wanted Sepoko to stay. For as long as... lionly possible. He had friends there, sure... but none of them had ever been as fun as Sepoko. None had ever left the same impression that his old friend had. He had missed him.

"Don't worry Sepoko! I'll take care of everything, I promise." He said with his trademark happy-go-lucky grin. Then he tilted his head a little, watching Sepoko slipping into deep thought, "Sepoko? Are you alright? You look kinda... day-dreamy..."  

[underthered]

Sepoko sighed and tossed his head back, soaked in disbelief, feeling it wash over him. Ilori had a special talent, he did. He'd always known, but didn't know how much he really needed it in his life. Honestly, when Ilori was around, he just didn't feel quite so... neurotic. "You just always know what to say, don't you?" he said, joining eyes with the younger male once again. He wished he was like that, wished he could always say the perfect thing.

But then he had to glance away, embarassed. He'd noticed. He didn't want him to see him thinking, because Sepoko himself didn't quite know how to comprehend what he was thinking. How would he explain it to Ilori if he didn't understand it himself. It was a strange, overwhelming feeling of just wanting him... around. He didn't know what name he was supposed to give it. So he just shrugged. "It's nothing," he said. "Nothing really." Meekly, he smiled at Ilori and glanced at him from the corner of his eye. "I'm okay..." But he wasn't so sure.  

[demonstration_evil]

Ilori offered his own nervous smile as he blushed furiously after Sepoko said he always knew what to say. He knew... every member of his family would probably say something much different, probably about his rampent laziness, and unyeilding need to avoid doing anything productive. But the fact was... he cared about Sepoko, and what he wanted... as much as he cared about his own family. Maybe even more, though that was funny... and a little unnerving. He was calm and lazy, as always, but inside he was caught up in a wild frenzie, which caused him to pick his every word all the more carefully.

He quickly did his best to hide his blush, but as he was not proned to them, it was a little bit of an odd thing to attempt. He then smiled again, and tilted his head, managing to pull together his more care-free face-attire, "You sure you're alright? It is the desert, sometimes it's harder to adjust. Especially for darker lions... like my dad and my brother, they're both black, it was terrible for them when we first got here!"