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 Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2007 3:07 pm
 Ihlo knew it might not be the same if she returned during the day, and despite its impressive coverage by the trees, the area she had dubbed 'Patch of Heaven' would still succumb to sunlight in the day. But she still wanted to see it, to be there again. Maybe it had another sort of enchantment in the day hours. She wouldn't know until she got there.
Which was no easy task. First time round, she had been led by someone who had obviously explored every nook and cranny of these lands, and probably knew the way there like the back of his paw. Thankfully for Ihlo, it had only been a day or two since they were last there, and not only could she pick up a light scent, her own and that of her knight Njozi, but they'd left soft footprints in the darker forest.
Once more, the vibrant white lioness perched on the very edge of the forest, looking in. And once more, she faltered, this time without an escort in whom to place her trust. Ihlo took a deep breath and entered, taking it slowly, step by step until she found the curtain of foliage. A broad smile crossed her maw.
She stepped through, like crossing through a veil. She wasn't sure what to expect really. Its splendour at night was so hard to rival, and it was maybe foolish to think it would be exactly the same. It wasn't, but it was still an enchanting place to be.
Fireflies were replaced with shimmering flies and butterflies instead. The willows still sweeped in the slight breeze. And the sunlight cast dappled patterns across the ground and pool. Ihlo walked to the edge of the pool and gazed down, admiring the new feather necklace she was now sporting.
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Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2007 7:16 pm
Njozi meandered through the forest, having entered it at a different point than he took Ihlo previously. His thoughts were mangled in his pitiful little head, and he was finding it hard to really concentrate on anything besides the beautiful white lioness that he had spent more and more time with lately. He looked a little worse for wear, simply because he seemed to have a bit of trouble sleeping, for she even wandered his dreams. They were pleasant dreams, no doubt, but still gave him little peaceful rest. With so much on his already sleep-deprived mind, he didn't pick up the faint scent of Ihlo that drifted through the trees with the small breeze still able to waft through this section of the forest.
As such, he leaped through the barrier with his eyes downcast to his feet, eyebrows furrowed as he tried to work out at least one thought separately from the rest that were mushed and tangled within each other. Glancing up, he looked right over her and everything before him the first time. On second glance, he froze in his tracks with his eyes widened. It took him a few moments to gather himself up, puffing out his chest a little and holding his head a little higher. Then, just to complete the guise, he put a little lop-sided smirk on his handsome maw.
"That necklace is very pretty on you," he said with a little purr in his voice, walking towards her (though, admittedly, a little less stable than he thought). He stopped beside, her, glancing down into the little pool. Seeing his own bedraggled reflection, he grimaced, and glanced to her prettier one instead. "I'm glad you took my advice."
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Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2007 2:10 am
"Oh!"
It appeared Ihlo was also in a little world of her own, too busy checking how her necklace looked at different angles and with different poses. She blushed a little, wondering how much he'd seen of her being silly with her reflection.
"Thank you. My sisters decided it would look better on me than strewn across the den," she replied with a smile, obviously regaining her composure faster than Njozi could.
"Are you alright?" she asked, concerned, smile fading way to frown. She'd noticed his rough appearance and could see the sleep in his eyes.
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Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2007 5:20 pm
He couldn't help the smile that spread weakly across his maw, amused at the way she was admiring herself in the tranquil little pool. He had to admit, though, that the purple feathers were quite striking against her white fur. As she jumped, he almost laughed, but didn't want her to think he was trying to be rude - that, and he had little energy for it, anyway. Instead, he just glanced down at his own reflection once more, frowning at his slightly tussled mane and the weariness that lurked in the depths of his eyes. He really needed to sleep.
"Well, your sisters are very smart little girls - of course they look better on you," he said with a weak grin, tired eyes turning to meet her own, "anything would look better on you." He smirked and turned his head away, tail flickering. It was her worried words that snapped his attention back up, however.
"Me?" he asked quietly, tilting his head at her with a little frown. Well, he supposed he did look a little rough, but how was he supposed to tell her that he couldn't sleep or eat for thinking about her all the time? He didn't want to scare her away. He sighed, rubbing his paw against the soft earth beneath him, staring at the little trek he made in the grass. "I've just.. got a lot on my mind, and it's hard to sleep like that." There. That wasn't a lie.
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Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 4:15 am
If Njozi's statement was to put her fears to rest, it didn't work. She missed the compliment entirely and her frown only deepened. She hated to think he was worried or stressed about something.
"Do you need to talk about it?" she asked with concern, leaning in as if she were his mother and peering at his tired eyes and messy amne. She was very close to tidying him up!
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Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 5:16 pm
Njozi had always been fairly decent at wiggling his way out of situations, getting himself out of trouble, or smoothing things over with a good old white lie. However, when faced with Ihlo, all those skills seemed to come to a stand still and he was left at a loss for words. Why did she have so much power over him without even meaning to? He sighed and shut his eyes, letting the silence of the clearing sink into his skin. He had come here to think and clear his mind, but what luck! The very deviant of his troubles was standing before him the flesh. The very pretty, amazing flesh. He gritted his teeth and shook the though away, utterly irritated with his wandering mind.
"T-talk about i-it?" he stammered, his eyes suddenly flinging open and staring at her in a mingled mix of confusion and horror at the thought. Why would he want to talk about the feelings she was producing with her. He had come here to get away from them, and she only reminded him, and now she wanted to talk about! Of course, there was no way to know that she had become his own personal (very attractive) demon, but she was his demon none-the-less!
With a sigh, he shook his head, glancing away feebly and shifting his feet in his sheepishness. "I don't.. think I should talk about it with you, Ihlo," he muttered, nearly inaudibly, and slightly ashamed. "I don't want to run you off, and this would just make you think I was crazy." He frowned, glancing to her with those large, tired, sad eyes. It was the truth though. He didn't want to chase her away, no matter if he needed to get away from her to think properly. He liked being around her, but she was tangling and tying him up more and more with the more time he spent in her company. Oh, but it was a dilemma!
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Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 3:03 pm
Ihlo was getting increasingly concerned, and even a little frightened, at Njozi's failing confidence. It must be something pretty big to have knocked him this badly! He was fidgeting, he was nervous, he was tongue-tied. Had she been the type, she probably would have pursued the matter until he confessed all.
But she wasn't the type. She was a natural mother-type, and couldn't bear Njozi to be in such a state.
"...okay...I can understand," she said slowly and softly. She leaned in further to give him a gentle nuzzle as if to reassure him that she wouldn't pry. "Besides, I already think you're crazy."
She giggled and lightly bopped him on the nose.
"You obviously need some rest, lay down for a bit and I'll keep watch," she said, getting up to strut and prowl around as if she were some kind of bulky guard.
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Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 1:19 pm
As Ihlo leaned in and gave Njozi that nuzzle, his entire body froze. His heart stopped immediately and then began to beat in over drive. For a few long moments, he couldn’t say anything or even convince his body to cooperate, sort of standing there in a wide-eyed zombie-like state. Finally, however, he managed to laugh (weak though it was) and gave her a shrug that he hoped came off as unconcerned. Oh, but this act was forever getting harder to keep up!
“Alright, you keep watch then,” he said quietly, moving to lay down in a patch of rather thick clovers, finding comfort in the springy bed. Still, as comfortable as this bed was, he was finding it hard not to watch her stroll back and forth in front of him. He had slept very little for having her roaming around in his head in a very similar manner, and to have her doing it right in front of his big, ruby toned eyes did not help the matter in the slightest. What was he going to do? He couldn’t sleep for thinking about her when he was away, and he couldn’t sleep for watching her when she was near. He groaned and lay his head down on his paws, forcing himself to shut his eyes.
After a little while of trying to get some rest and failing miserably, he finally opened his eyes and glanced back in her direction. For a moment, he sat there, trying to work up the courage to say her name, his mouth hanging agape and giving him a rather comical image. He did, however, convince his mouth to finally work, and managed to call out a weak, “Ihlo, I think I.. need to talk to you.”
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Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 5:19 am
She wasn't exactly the image of a scary bodyguard, but she did as she promised and kept all intruders, big and small, from Patch of Heaven. She padded about quietly, often stopping to watch as dragonflies or butterflies floated past, even chasing them on some occasions. And it was during one of these playful games of chase that Njozi stirred and called to her.
"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't disturb you did I?" she said apolgetically, creeping over with soft eyes and a concerned furrow of her brows.
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Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 8:40 pm
“Of course you didn’t,” he said quietly, his brilliant ruby-toned eyes gleaming as they glanced up to meet her own. However, he almost immediately shied away from them, as if staring too deeply would allow her to see the thoughts running through his mind. How was he supposed to admit these things to her when he couldn’t even look into her eyes? He found the situation to be endlessly confusing, resulting in him more or less just chasing his tail. However, this had to be done, and the longer he avoided it, the harder it would become. It was time to just suck it up and get it over with, for better or for worse. She wouldn’t appreciate it any more later than she would now.
“Sit down,” he said quietly, pushing himself up from the laying position that he had adopted whilst trying to force himself into slumber. He tossed his head, attempting to clear his vision of the annoying tuft of mane that always hung in the way. In truth, he was looking for reasons to procrastinate the conversation that was about to start between them. Sighing, however, he finally forced himself to look in her direction. “Ihlo, I need to tell you something,” he said quietly, his eyes shining with something one could only describe as fear, or worry, “and I don’t know what you’re going to think of me after I do.” Of course, that particular statement made the entire situation sound much worse than it actually was.
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Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 3:39 am
The playful smile on Ihlo's muzzle dissolved into a mixture of worry and fear as he continued with what sounded like a grave piece of news. She couldn't help wonder what it was that troubled him so...could it be something he'd done in the past and she needed to know? Could it be something to do with his family? Could he know something about HER family that she didn't know yet? She felt guilty for feeling scared of what might come next.
"Okay," she said to his request to sit. She was reluctant in everything she did now, honestly feeling quite apprehensive.
And that only got worse as Njozi continued.
"Njozi, whats wrong...?" she pressed for more info, fear creasing her normally soft face.
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Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 12:42 pm
As Njozi saw the worry and fear lingering suddenly in the depths of her eyes, he couldn’t help but feel a great deal of guilt for it. He was making her feel that way, taking away that happiness that always made her so beautiful. The joy that he saw in her was what made him adore her so much, and taking that away from her made his heart feel like lead. That was one of the only reasons that made him go through with this. Perhaps, in a way, if he told her, she could at least stop worrying about it all. Perhaps, if he told her, he could bring back a little piece of that beautiful glow.
“Well, I,” he said, faltering over the words as his throat threatened to tighten up around his vocals. He knew this was going to be hard, but he didn’t think it was going to be physically impossible. Taking a deep breath, and working the lump that had settled in his throat, he glanced back at her once more. In a way, looking at her made everything that much harder – she was just so beautiful. He sighed and glanced away in a hurry, staring down at his own reflection instead, worried that looking at her might impair his words yet again. He needed to get this out.
“Ihlo, for a long time,” he started, pausing after every other word or so in his nervousness, “I haven’t been able to sleep, or eat, or even function at all normally.” His voice had become little more than a whisper, and the unsteadiness was unusual for the confident male. “All I can think about is... you.” His throat froze for a moment, and he shut his eyes. This was a lot harder than he had thought it was going to be, but he still had to get it all out. “I can’t sleep for dreaming of you, and I can’t concentrate for thinking of you all the time.” He sighed, opening his eyes slightly and staring down sadly at his own reflection, “but I’ve been so scared that you wouldn’t understand this. I don’t... even understand this.” Poor boy, he had no idea that his mild obsession was a new growth of love.
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Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 7:48 am
It wasn't certain what hit Ihlo the hardest - Njozi's revelation that she had indeed had a profound effect on him, or the fact he was thoroughly miserable because of it. He was tired, he was scruffy, and he was hungry. Because of...her...
Was this what love was supposed to be like? She'd never felt it before, and although she'd seen it, it was always something beyond her grasp of comprehension. But this...sounded dreadful for poor Njozi, and all Ihlo could do was wince and feel utterly ashamed of herself. She watched him struggle with the words, an equally pained expression on her pure face. And an aching in her heart.
Now she faced the daunting task of trying to articulate words into a response. Only she seemed to possess more confidence. Whether it was her naivety or childish outlook in life, she didn't know. But it made her very honest in the best kind of way.
Although she knew it would further his 'suffering', Ihlo scooted close to Njozi and sat beside him in a reassuring gesture. She cast him a smile, breaking through her own pain and hoping to break through his.
"You don't...have to understand it...just roll with it. And you shouldn't have been scared...you can talk to me about anything...you can tell me anything," she began. "I want to be there for you."
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Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 12:04 pm
Njozi didn’t know if this was love, or he was just going crazy. Given the amount of mental illness in the family, he supposed it was a high possibility, even if it seemed entirely different from the usual symptoms. After all, he had never met anyone that made him lie away for hours, dreaming and wishing that he could just be near them for a little while. He had never met anyone that made him feel so lonely when they were gone. He had never met anyone that made him wish only to hear their voice, so that perhaps he might have a little rest in comfort. He had never met anyone even remotely similar to Ihlo, and she was the only thing that made him content these days. Was it love, or was he just mad? He couldn’t decide either way, because he had never seen love in it’s true complicated form.
He had been expecting her to look at him in horror, or disgust, and leave him right where he lay. He hadn’t expected her to scoot closer to him, or to try and comfort him in this hour of need. Still, even if her reaction was somewhat better than he had anticipated, his little heart still sunk. She was only concerned with making him feel better, and had said nothing even remotely similar to his feelings. What if she was just doing this because she thought he was crazy? For the first time, he realized that Ihlo may not love him at all.
He smiled weakly, though his heart felt like it was going to break clean in two, and buried his head softly against her neck. Her smell, her scent, it was all enough to drive him crazy – but now it just filled him with a sort of empty sadness. Why did he have to suffer so? “I know you’re here for me, Ihlo,” he said quietly, though he felt his eyes almost brimming with tears. Why had the pretty lioness broken down the confident and beautiful Njozi? He could have dealt with anything or anyone else, just not her.
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Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 1:24 pm
She wasn't quite prepared for Njozi to sink into her, but she counter-balanced well and rumbled against him. It felt quite nice like this, to feel so supportive, to feel like she meant something to someone whom she felt strongly for too. Like a snake eating its tail - a never-ending circle.
"Good. You're not alone, y'know," she said softly, like a sigh of wind.
But he still felt somehow heavy, like there was something weighing down on them both that wouldn't lift.
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