[PRP] Two of the Same (Salix and Kani)

[Kimaria]

He lay in his favourite place, under the heavy foliage of one of the large trees that grew in the lands. Here, listening to the sound of the ceiling rustling above his head, he could conjure the notes and rhythm and play them out slowly on his drum.

He lay on his belly, the drum placed between his forepaws and experimentally hit the top with his nose. The sound was so quiet that none but those who were close by would hear it. Slowly, he tapped out a rhythm, listening to its gentle sound and giving murmers of approval and disapproval.

After a moment he gave it a break and set the drum aside. It was still difficult, but with inspiration it was far easier than it had been.  

[Syrius Lionwing]

Why was it so very hard to find that much needed sound? Her mothers gentle smiles and encouraging looks just weren't helping at all,s he was thoroughly stuck! Why was it that her mother found it so easy to break in to a tune when she just couldn't find any sound that fit her. Sometimes she wondered if it was because she wasn't really a lion. her mother had explained that her father was a leopard and that she was special because of this. Especially untalented it seemed.

Letting a heavy unhappy sigh escape her, her ears suddenly perked and she slipped forwards through the brush listening to the quiet tapping of someone on their drum.

Hiding silently in the undergrowth for a moment until he stopped playing, she slipped forwards and smiled gently, tilting her dark teal tinted head. "Don't stop it was a lovely sound." She purs looking up at the older leopon before her.  

[Kimaria]

The voice startled him and it took the hybrid a moment to gather his senses and turn towards whoever had spoken. Oh, a female member of the pride? She had unusual markings and wondered how he'd never noticed her before. Compared to the earthy colours that generally resided here, her pelt was a strange breath of fresh air.

"You...you liked it?" He peeped, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

"Sorry for being rude but...I don't recognise you. I'm Kani'noe. I got back from my drum quest about a week ago. I've still got a long way to go but...but I think I'm starting to get it now."  

[Syrius Lionwing]

Salix smiled brightly and nodded a most enthusiastic nod towards the soft tan coloured male. "It's very nice, very soothing." She whispers feeling a little embarrassed herself, she'd just interrupted him without even introducing herself properly.

"Oh, I'm Salix, my mother is Vinca and my grandmother is Vinya'nyota, I guess I'm three generations in." Se giggles nervously, she was so bad at telling jokes or trying to break the ice.

"Your drum quest?" Her ears perked at those fateful words. "What was it like? I'm so frightened I will be sent on mine soon, I just don't know what I'll do.." She blurted all of this out, truly without even thinking, she was after all young and a bit reckless, but this male before her, he seemed almost like a kindred spirit, like he was special in some way, special like her.  

[Kimaria]

"Nice to meet you Salix." He nodded, pulling himself up into a sitting position. "You have pretty markings. You get them from your family, too, I guess?" He glanced down at the drum, feeling it was a part of him and proud that they were starting to harmonize together.

He lifted his eyes and nodded again. "That's right." And his face brightened. "You're going on your quest, too? That's brilliant!" He knew how she was feeling. He remembered it all too well. The nervousness, the excitement, the not knowing what was going to happen. "It's difficult, isn't it? Waiting for the time and not knowing what's going to happen when it comes around. I was so excited but absoloutely terrified at the same time." He wondered whether he should tell her more.

"I'm glad to be back, though. How do you feel?" He sensed she was nervous.  

[Syrius Lionwing]

She smiled at his compliment though she shook her head at his question "Sort of, my mother is fairly plain coloured but my father was apparently very brightly coloured and covered in beautiful markings. My mother says I inherited my markings from him."

She listened intently to his words her tail twitching almost nervously, she was worried about her own drum quest but he seemed so keen and interesting. Her ears flattened and she looked at the ground when he asked how she felt "I'm worried I won't be good enough and that i will dishonour my mother, she is such a good singer, I just can't seem to find my place. It's so hard not knowing if you'll be good enough, you know?"

She looked up hopefully at Kani her ears twitching a little. "You...You seem more like me, my mother just can't point me in the right direction...but maybe you can help?" She whispers her eyes pleading, she hardly knew this male but she felt a strange bond to him like they were the same in some way.  

[Kimaria]

"You didn't know your father either? It seems to be common around here...I never knew mine. But no matter. I still have mother and my siblings and the pride, so that's more than enough to keep me happy. It's nice, though, to share his markings, so you have an inkling of what he looks like. That way, if you ever came across him, you'd know who he was!"

Odd, perhaps, that he'd never really thought much about his father? No. Kani was content with living a simple life and there wasn't much curiosity in him.

He nodded, stilling himself to listen to her. "Dont worry, Salix. I know how you feel. When I was younger my brother and sister took to music within a couple of weeks, leaving me behind. I felt awful. I felt like such a dissapointment. I was sad a lot. But then I met Mawi, a lioness here, and she brightened things."

He wrinkled his snout a little. "You know. I think the worst thing I did was try to find music. I tried so hard that I almost missed it. Then, when I least suspected it, it came to me."