[SRP] Let Me Be Lonely (Anu-sok/Faraja)

[Meepfur]

Not for the first time, and almost certainly not for the last, Anu-sok wondered why she had let Jaza talk her into this. In theory, joining a pride had seemed like a good idea; after all, there was safety in numbers, from other predators and during hunting, and she had sort of missed 'her own kind,' as Jaza put it. In practice, however, it was downright terrifying. Anu had had very little to do with anyone except for Jaza, lion or otherwise, in a very long time. Not since she'd fled her home as a juvenile had she experienced anything other than a brief encounter with another feline. She had usually run from them, straight back to Jaza every time.

But now that she was grown, it wasn't practical for them to live alone anymore. She had never had more than the rudimentary, simple hunting lessons fit for a cub, and it was not within a falcon capabilities to teach a lioness how to hunt. When she'd been small, he'd been able to provide enough food for the both of them, but she needed far more food than he could gather now. She had never gotten quite enough to eat in her adolescence, and it had stunted her growth a bit, rendering her smaller than average at her full growth. And she had only gotten thinner, and thinner, and frighteningly unhealthy while he managed to do little more than keep her alive.

It had broken his heart, and he had desperately followed rumors of the lion pride blessed by Hestia herself. The rumors had finally led them to the Aka'mleli, and for all her doubts, Anu-sok was already better off here after little more than a fortnight. She was still much thinner than she should be, he could still count her ribs, but they (and her vertebrae and various other bones) were less prominent than they had been. It hurt less to look at her.

They should have come sooner.

She was officially a scout, but not doing much scouting yet. She was just beginning to learn the lands while she recovered, but she would get there. Eventually. At the moment, she was resting at the end of the day, lying in the sunlight to warm herself before it faded away.  

[Meepfur]

A month had passed since Faraja had, in a not unimpressive coincidence, met his father. He had been restless and agitated and altogether not himself, but the intensity of those feelings had finally faded somewhat. There was still a little urge to wander rooted there in the back of his mind, but it wasn't the maddening compulsion it had started as. He could ignore it now, pretend it wasn't there at all, and get on with his life. It was a rather ordinary life, by most standards, but it was his and he liked it, and that was what mattered.

He had gone out with a hunting party in the morning, and after that, the rest of his day had passed uneventfully. He'd napped, then managed to convince Amini to play hide-and-seek with him, then napped some more. Now he was awake again, Amini was off doing whatever she did when she wasn't with him, and he was on the lookout for a friend to chat with.

Maybe even a new friend! There was a new lioness around, one he'd been meaning to meet, but she'd looked...rather dreadful, to be honest, and he hadn't wanted to bother her. She looked in a bit better health now, though, so maybe she wouldn't mind some company? And so Faraja sought her out, looking to welcome and get to know the patchy-coated lioness. Finding would have been easier, if Amini had been around to help, but he came across her eventually.

"Good evening!" He announced his presence in friendly tones, accompanied by a bright smile. "Or afternoon, I guess. I've never really been sure when exactly one stops and the other starts."  

[Meepfur]

Had it not been for a heads-up from Jaza, more awake and more attentive than she, Anu-sok wouldn't have noticed the stranger until he spoke, and been very startled as a result. Fortunately, the falcon nudged her out of her doze with a wing and a whisper: "Someone's coming, Anu. You might want to sit up."

And so the patchy lioness did exactly that, sitting up with her forepaws pressed close together and her tail curled around herself, as though it could protect her from the world. If only!

Her gaze flicked over the vividly striped lion who was much larger than she, and she reminded herself - again - that there was nothing to be afraid of here. They'd already been more than kind to her, and she had no reason to be uncomfortable around anyone. Aside from her own awkwardness, anyway.

"Hello," she returned in a soft voice, with an almost imperceptible smile. "I don't know, either, so I suppose it's whichever you want it to be."  

[Meepfur]

"I kind of like the sound of that," he said with a chuckle. "I guess it doesn't really matter which it is, as long as it's good."

"Anyway, I don't want to bother you, or anything, but I at least wanted to say hello. Welcome you, you know? My name's Faraja, and if you ever need anything, either of you, I'm happy to help! Amini would say she is, too if she were around. She's, uh, the eagle I'm bonded to, black with orange and a bunch of speckles. I think she gets a little tired of me sometimes," he joked, "Probably because I talk too much."

Or, in her words, didn't 'know when to shut up.' Close enough.  

[Meepfur]

"It's...alright. You're not bothering me. Not really." Making her profoundly uncomfortable, but that went without saying, and wasn't any fault of his. She just wasn't used to being around other lions. "I'm...my name is Anu-sok, and this is Jaza." She nodded to the falcon, favoring him with a much warmer smile than she had Faraja.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Faraja," Jaza put in with a polite nod. "And that is a very kind offer, one we may take you up on. You wouldn't happen to be a hunter, would you?"  

[Meepfur]

"I am!" Faraja answered cheerfully. "Is there something you need? I can't really take down anything big by myself, but I can get you something small, if you want. Do you?"

His tone made it sound like there should be a 'please' at the end. This was so exciting! He loved to be helpful!  

[Meepfur]

Anu shot Jaza a quick look, self-conscious about asking outright for someone to bring them - her - food, but she was hungry, and the question was already half-asked, so it was too late for her to protest anyway. She remained silent and let the falcon make his request on her behalf.

"Anything at all would be most welcome, if it's not too much of an imposition on your time, sir hunter," Jaza answered, sweeping out his wings and leaning forward in a little bow.  

[Meepfur]

"Not at all! I can definitely find you something!" It was a small errand, but his enthusiasm for it was great. There was nothing better he could spend his time on than helping someone, especially someone who really needed it. "It shouldn't take long. Do you mind staying here so I can find you again?"  

[Meepfur]

"Staying put is the least we can do, isn't it, Anu?" Jaza looked back to his charge, who agreed with a nod. "We'll wait here, and look forward to your return."  

[Meepfur]

"Then I'll be right back!" he said eagerly, but was quick to correct, "Well, not right right back, maybe an hour or so, but I will be back, I promise!" With that, the striped lion beamed another smile at the pair and bounced off, determined to complete the favor asked of him. Then Anu-sok and Jaza would be happy, and so would he!