[PRP] See You Later, Alligator [Ainra + Tiruan]

[Chibi Sheepcat]

Tiruan lay stretched out in the shade of a large tree, eyes closed as he napped. He had returned from his hunting trip only hours ago, and was using his spare time as official rest time. It wasn't like he would have to go hunting again for a while, which meant he was free to do whatever he pleased. That really only left him two options: have a nap or seek out Ainra. Knowing that his young companion would probably wish to play a game with him, the lion had chosen the first option. That way when he finally ran into his young friend he would be energized and could play whatever game she threw his way.

She was getting bigger these days, something that shouldn't have surprised the male. He had forgotten that she was just a cub on her way to adulthood, and that one day she would grow up to be a lioness. His mother often told him that he had grown up too fast, and now Tiruan was starting to see what she meant. It seemed like only yesterday she was a bouncing juve. She would be on her way to adolescence, and who knew what that would bring. Hopefully not too many suitors. Tiruan grimaced inwardly at the idea. Whoever decided they wanted to be Ainra's mate would have to talk it over with him first. He wasn't going to let some idiot shack up with her. That would just be plain bad manners.
 

[Kimaria]

It was odd.

She was both sad and excited. Sad to leave her home, the only place she had ever known, the place that made her feel safe and secure. Sad to leave behind memories of mother and childhood. Sad, too, for leaving behind the male who she'd adopted as father - though she'd only known him a short time. It was funny, to think how much Tiruan had changed since they had met. He wasn't half as grumpy anymore!

He was the one that Ainra was looking for. To say goodbye, as sad as it was.

But from the sadness came excitement too. For she was embarking on an adventure with her sister, her wonderful sister who she adored more than anything.

And after fifteen minutes of searching she finally found him lounging in the shade of the tree. "Tiru~!" She chirped, and though she was trying to be cheerful there was something missing. That spark wasn't twinkling in her eyes and her tone was maybe just slightly put on.

Maybe he wouldn't notice.  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

Tiruan would have been glad to know that Ainra thought him to be less grumpy than usual, though he would never admit such a thing. He liked to think of himself as a big burly man, the kind that kept those not worthy of his attentions away from him. And if he couldn't keep them away he could always lie to them about how horrible they looked and that would do the trick. Ainra, however, as different, and the lion tried to be a little nicer when he was around her. She was special.

Brown ears flickered at the sound of his nickname, and the lion lifted his head off the ground to look. He could have sworn he'd heard Ainra calling him... aha there she was! A small smile played on his mouth as he moved to sit up, watching her approach. She sure had grown up in the short time they'd known each other. He had often wondered to himself if this was what it was like to have cubs. You barely got to know them and whoosh! They were all grown up. "Hello Ainra. How are you?"
 

[Kimaria]

"Tiru~Tiru~Tiru~" She called as she tottered towards him, realising too that she had grown. He wasn't as big as he once had been, but it wasn't him getting smaller. It was her getting bigger.

"I'm okay." Only okay? She shook her head. "I mean, better than okay." She flopped down in front of him and looked into his face, moved by the memory of their first meeting.

"Remember when we first met?" She started hesitantly. "That day you found play and the day I found..." She blinked. What was she going to say? The day she had found a father? No...that would only make it harder for her to say what she needed to.  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

Tiruan would have been very upset if he was getting smaller rather than her getting bigger. His mother had never told him about lions downsizing as they got older, thus he was right to suspect that it was just Ainra growing up. After all, that was what cubs did. It would have been easier to tell when Ainra was fully grown, Tiruan mused, if she had been a lion. She would have had a huge mane by the time she was older, whereas being a lioness meant that she just kept getting bigger and bigger. Hopefully she would stop at a decent size.

"Better than okay?" The lion raised an eyebrow, curious as to her good mood. Well, being okay was hardly being in a good mood, but Ainra had said that she was better than that which meant something good must have happened to her. Tiruan secretly hoped she hadn't found a boy that she liked. He wasn't quite ready for dealing with that sort of thing.

Her question surprised him, but he nodded. "I remember it very well. Quite an interesting meeting, and the start of a very nice friendship." Tiruan couldn't really categorize their relationship right now, especially since it was rather unusual. Here he was, playing father (pretty much) to a young female who probably had her own father out there somewhere. Not many males got to do that without getting into serious trouble from the lionesses. "I would not forget something like that so easily."
 

[Kimaria]

"Uh huh." She flopped down beside him and leaned her head against his shoulder. She nodded as he spoke about their first meeting, thinking back to it. It seemed like only yesterday, but really it had bene a long time ago. She'd been so small, so...

Well she hadn't really changed. She was bigger, yes, but not any less playful or innocent.

"Me either. I'm glad I met you Tiru. You taught me so much, much more than anyone else has, even more than mother!" She hesitated. "Tiru, I came to tell you something. Two somethings actually, but..." She sighed. "I'm afraid."  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

The lion gave a soft rumble when she leaned against him, and moved to fix the small tuft of fur on her head. He was most certainly not the mothering type, but that didn't mean he couldn't be fatherly every now and then. Besides, from this angle it looked like her fur was a little messed up. He could always use that as an excuse as to why he had fixed it.

Tiruan's ego got a very nice boost when Ainra said that she was glad that she had met him, and inflated a little more when she said he had taught her more than her mother. "Well, I am glad that you have learned a lot from me. Your mother and I probably teach you things in different areas, so it is good to listen to both of us." A male for the male-things and a female for the female-things. That was how it should be. His ears perked when she said she had something to tell him, and he tilted his head to listen. Afraid? "What do you have to be afraid of, Ainra? You can tell me anything."
 

[Kimaria]

She sighed and looked at her paws. She felt so comfortable with him. But there were some things that were hard to say, even to a lion who she cared about dearly. "It's hard..." How could she start? Her heart was being torn in two places and unless she split herself in two then she had to decide.

And splitting herself in two was...probably not an option.

"You've..." She paused, drew in a breath, then continued. "You've been like a father to me, Tiru." And it was true. "You taught me so much about growing up, what the world is like..." She trailed again. "I hope my mother wouldn't be mad at me for thinking of you like that. I never knew my real father...but if I did, I hope he'd be like you."

Though she doubted he was.  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

Tiruan waited as quietly as he could for Ainra to speak, fearing the worst with every passing minute. But what exactly was "the worst?" He really wasn't sure. What could she have done that she knew would upset him? Had she found a boy who she didn't think he would approve of? Well... while he supposed that he would be upset if she found a lion that wasn't well suited for her, Tiruan didn't think that Ainra would be too shy to tell him. No doubt, if she liked the boy, she would be introducing him to Tiruan and bouncing around them. So that ruled that out. What was she going to tell him then?

The lion was quite floored by her next words, and if he had been a human he would have probably turned red. She thought of him as a father? It made Tiruan smile to himself, very pleased that she looked up to him as he had his father. He was quite surprised when she said that she didn't know her real father, something that he hadn't known (or perhaps realized). So he was like her father then? "It is an honor that you think of me so well. I am sure that none of my daughters will ever be quite as amazing as you. But this isn't what you have to tell me, is it?"
 

[Kimaria]

She purred, rubbed the side of her face against him and then sighed deeply. She couldn’t get anything past Tiruan. He knew as well as she did that there was something else, something else that wasn’t so nice.

“No.” She admitted then, turning her head to watch the slow flick of her tail. How could she say this? It was so hard to give bad news. So hard to do something that she knew might upset him and her! But she had to. And besides, it wasn’t like they’d never see each other again. Shisi had said they’d be coming back to visit.

No, Tiruan wouldn’t get rid of her that easily.

“I’ve been speaking with my sister.” She replied slowly. “She wants to leave the lands on an adventure. She wants to help people.” She forced herself to look up into his face. “I’m…I’m going to be going with her.”  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

So it had to do with her family. Though Tiruan knew about them, he had never had the chance to meet them, mainly because of his own shyness. He would have probably choked up and started lying the moment he laid eyes on Ainra's mother, not to mention he wasn't sure if Ainra's sisters were like her at all. Thus, he had stayed away from the family, preferring to associate only with his young friend. After all, he wouldn't want to give them the wrong impression about him or make them think poorly of him. Besides, meeting with her like this made it easier to believe that she was his daughter, and he could momentarily forget about her other family. It was nice.

He listened quietly while Ainra explained, though her final comment made him stare at her, wide-eyed. She was going to leave? He could understand her wanting to go with her sister, but leave? Tiruan wasn't really sure he liked the idea of her going off on her own. "An adventure to help people? Aren't you a bit young?" It wasn't like he could forbid her to go, but the thought wasn't very appealing. She wasn't even a full grown lioness! However was she supposed to go out there on an adventure? He hesitated a moment before asking, "Will you be coming back?"