[PRP] I'd Do Anything [Dhoruba'Kali x Nema]

[Rennekae]

Depawsit

[x] My last post in that one ORP, if you need to refresh your memory. c:

Dhoru smiled after his niece as she raced away to her parents, his forelegs still warm from her hug - his heart even warmer. A deep, rumbling purr started in his chest as he reflected on his love for his nieces and nephews. It deepened to thunder as he remembered that Nema and he planned to have their own litter, and he swung his gaze to his white mate.

Leaning close, he brushed his muzzle against hers. His delighted purr began to fade, dying out as his thoughts fell to the grave warning the two strangers had brought. What would he do if anything happened to his family?
Pulling away, he turned away from the dispersing group and nudged his shoulder gently against Nema's in an invitation to follow before padding away. He set his paws on a path that led deeper into the trees.

"Are you hoping that the danger might disappear if you can get far enough away?" Hasi queried. For once, her tone didn't contain even the hint of a taunt. He assumed that he sensed his tension, and realized how seriously he was taking this.

"We should be so lucky..."  

[Depawsit]

Nema's heart soared as she watched Vanellope hop off after her parents. It was hard to believe how much the little lady had grown in such a short time. One second she was a little bitty thing, and the next she was on the cusp of adulthood! My how the time had flown, and yet her and Dhoru still didn't have the family they so desperately craved. In a way, she couldn't help but think that was her fault, but she would never speak of it to Dhoru. He would only convince her it wasn't. She knew that because, well .. he was quite good at being convincing. That's sort of how she'd come to be his mate, he had a way with his words.

Finally, she managed to snap out of her own thoughts as Dhoru gently brushed up against her. She shook her head for a moment, to free herself of those thoughts, then offered a loving smile to him. Before feeling him pull away and walk ahead of her at a brisk pace. She couldn't prove it, nor would she try, but she had an aching feeling that something was wrong with him. He was a bit quieter, and his affection was hardly present. Something was definitely bothering him.

Picking up her own pace, she jogged forward to catch up to him before nuzzling against his furry mane and smiling. "So where exactly did you have in mind for our little stroll?" She whispered into his ear happily, a slight hint of a purr hidden within it.

Rennekae

 

[Rennekae]

Try as he might, Dhoru couldn't stop the grisly pictures - Nema, battered and bloody, whimpering in pain as the pride fell apart around them; shadows of lions with glowing red eyes tore through the pride leaving the bodies of his loved ones in their wake; the mournful yowling of his pride mates filled his ears, rising to an almost deafening roar. He couldn't stop his fur from spiking and his claws from extending a slightly.

Dhoru padded on in silence for a few more steps, so enveloped in his worries that Nema's words didn't register until a few heartbeats after they tickled his ear fur. Her purr broke through his terrifying visions and they fell apart, like a wave breaking on the shore. He twitched his ears in an attempt to banish the last remnants of the tide of fear.

"I wish it were that easy.." Hasi whispered solemnly.

Shaking out his mane, Dhoru forced a smile to his maw and his thoughts to a destination. Originally, he had planned to take Nema to his 'secret place' - theirs to share, now - but he decided against it when he remembered his meeting with the rogue female a few days earlier. The stranger had seemed oddly terrified; he didn't want to stress her further by bringing Nema there, and possibly giving her the idea that he was ambushing her.

"How about that little grove with the lilac tree? I've always liked that tree." he stated, trying to sound casual. Still, Dhoru was unable to meet Nema's gaze; he felt dishonest, acting like there was nothing bothering him. But he couldn't tell her.. the thoughts were too gruesome. And he needed to be strong. He needed to protect her.

Depawsit

 

[Depawsit]

The silence seemed to swirl around them, and it began to eat away at the small bit of resolve Nema had built up. She didn't want to pry into his thoughts, because she knew if they were for her to hear, he would tell her. But his silence was beginning to eat away at her! Worry filled her every thought, and she began to wrack her brain for anything she could have done to upset him. Which could be a very long list ... she wasn't the brightest lioness around sometimes. But none of the quirks had ever bothered him before ... why would they start now?!

A gentle cooing could be heard coming from behind the two, and Nema turned to glance back at her family. All of them giving her gentle nods, and small words of encouragement. Perhaps she was thinking too far into things ... her family had never steered her wrong before.

Finally, Dhoru spoke up and the thick fog around Nema seemed to vanish if only for a few moments.

"Oh .. I like that place a lot! It always smells so nice there!"

Nema's squeaky, excitable voice piped up once more. Her tail swishing around in excitement, as she pranced beside her one and only love. Her smile soon faltered though, as she noticed that yet again her mate had become distant. Her tail's excitement faded, and soon wrapped around her leg anxiously.

"I - Is something wrong Dhoru ... you don't seem like yourself ... I'm worried about you ..."

Rennekae

 

[Rennekae]

Dhoru's ears flattened against his head. He hadn't meant for her to notice, but of course she had. How could she not? Something that was bothering him this much couldn't simply be hidden, especially when he didn't truly want to hide it. He didn't want to keep anything from Nema.

He sighed, trying to find the right words. He wanted to tell her what was bothering him but he didn't want to frighten her.
"I'm fine. Don't worry. I'm just... I feel like there's a storm coming, and I'm afraid I won't be able to protect you when it hits. I feel powerless. And I hate that."

His honesty lifted a weight from his shoulders, and finally he met her gaze, his eyes shining with fear and a love deeper than the ocean that crashed upon the shore. He had always known that he would die for Nema; now that it was actually a possibility in the near future, he was worried that even his life wouldn't make a difference.

Depawsit

Retag, as you requested c:

 

[Depawsit]

When he finally allowed his eyes to meet her's, she could see that there truly was honesty in his words. Though she had no idea what he truly meant. A storm, protection. powerless? How could the two ever be afraid of a storm, they had such a lovely den that would hide them from even the toughest of storms! Though she knew he likely wasn't talking about a literal storm. Which meant, he knew something she didn't. She wanted to pry, and poke, and get her love to tell her everything. Because she knew he would, he had always done everything she requested of him, no matter how ridiculous. Why, she could likely ask him to lie down and let her walk all over him right now - and he'd oblige her in an instant! She was after all, referring to the same lion who had jumped off off a cliff at her request.


"Dhoru what has gotten into you lately? You aren't making any sense! How on Earth could you not protect me, have you not noticed how large and muscular you are? I'm quite sure you're capable of taking anyone you choose down." Nodding her head matter of factly, she felt herself moving closer to her mate as their side collided into one another. "You are in no way powerless my love, we'll weather this storm you're speaking of and we'll go on to weather many more. Just the way we are now, happy and safe."

Rennekae

 

[Rennekae]

Nema's touch soothed him, as it always did, but it couldn't completely destroy his worries. Thoughts still swirled through his mind, crashing like ocean waves breaking against the shore, only to draw back and recollect to come surging forth again. He gazed into Nema's eyes, offering a long affectionate blink, and the certainty he found there helped to harden his resolve.
No matter what happened - come Hell or high water - he would protect his family.

A low purr rumbled in his chest as he butted his head gently against Nema's. He held the position and allowed his mate's scent to fill his nostrils, relishing in the warm familiarity as their manes mingled together, cool black within stunning white. He focused on the brush of her pelt against his, how he could feel her heart beating through her flank in time with his own.

"You're right, my love. Of course you're right. I'd do anything for you, and this is no different." Dhoru finished by brushing his chocolate-and-tan muzzle across Nema's cheek, the love in his heart almost too much to hold.

Depawsit

I finally got to it! I'm so sorry. >.<;
These guys need to be priority. <3