Daddy wasn't around at grandpa's den, and while she had been invited to play a game with her aunts, Fyulisi wasn't looking to play with anybody her own age. She had her sisters if she really wanted to do that, after all! They could be just as much fun as her aunts (and uncle) but nobody was as fun as daddy was. So she was trying her best to find him, never imagining she was very unlikely to find him-- she just wandered looking for the familiar blue-maned brown lion. That was all she had to do, she'd find him somewhere.
Fortunately for Lisi, and for Manny if he didn't want to get in some kind of trouble just because he was the one the pale girl was out looking for, Manuku had dropped by his father's den shortly after Lisi had come by and was out looking for her. Being an adult and a hunter- and actually having an idea of where to go and a trail to follow- he was closing in on her quite fast. He could see the fur on her head bouncing along as she walked.
"Oh, Lisi," he muttered under his breath and picked up the pace to catch up with her.
Having no idea she'd been found or was being approached, Lisi bounced along cheerfully. She hummed to herself, keeping her eyes out for any signs of daddy- but only looking in front of her. She didn't see him anywhere but that didn't bother her- and it wouldn't bother her unless she was out here until the sun was setting. Then mama would definitely start to wonder where she was and, well.. then she'd have to go home.
"Lisi, Lisi, Lisi," he murmured more, being as quiet as possible as he snuck up on her. She didn't look like she was paying enough attention to notice him anyway, if anything gave him away it would be his shadow. But he didn't do anything to prevent that, just walked right up behind and reached out a paw to step down on her tail.
"Lisi!"
Occupied, she didn't notice the shadow looming over her until it was too late-- and then a paw was down on her tail, someone was shouting her name and she screeched. She tried to jump around but ending up tripping over her own paws, held down by her tail. Her look of panic was quickly traded for one of delight when she realized who it was.
"Daddy!" she cried, "I found you."
"Yeah, something like that," he said, chuckling. She could say she found him, that didn't really matter to him. Or, he knew better than to argue with her anyway. Lisi was too stubborn to want to argue with about something silly.
"I heard you were looking for me," he informed her, releasing her tail and dropping down onto the ground so he could be at eye level with her instead of making her talk up to him, "Didn't want to stick around with the other girls? I suppose I am much more fun than they are." He winked at her.
When she was released, she turned her whole body around and took a seat. She was sitting almost nose-to-nose with her father, she was distracted for a moment as she uncrossed her eyes and stifled a giggle about it.
"Yeah, they were just going to play hide and seek or tag or something," she agreed matter-of-factly with the statement that Manny was more fun, "We can find something more interesting to do, right, Daddy?" She looked up at him hopefully. He would have a better idea.
"Oh, uh, yeah! Of course," he agreed hesitantly, not thinking fast enough to come up with a game for him and Lisi to play. There were so few things they could play, they could play follow the leader or copy silly actions or whatever but she probably wouldn't be terribly interested in that now, she was getting a little big for it. Maybe. He wasn't really sure how to judge it.
Then it struck him. He was an adult, he could offer one thing that the other little ones couldn't. They could go for a walk, going far from the den without worrying about worrying anybody. That would probably be fun.
"We could go exploring," he suggested with a grin.
It really didn't matter what Manuku said, Lisi was going to agree to it and have fun doing it. After all, she was more concerned with spending time with him than anything else. And there was the belief that anything daddy said or did was right.
"OK!" she said, jumping up and prancing in a circle around Manny, "Where are we going to go? How far can we go? Do you think we could down near the elephant graveyard? Or we could go over by the river!"
Manny chuckled, pleased with her enthusiasm. He thought about her suggestions. He didn't think he could get away with showing her the elephant graveyard without causing some trouble for himself- Tzila probably wouldn't be very impressed, then there was his dad, Kafara.. well, he would just really have to sell the river as the place to go!
"Well?" she demanded, hopping from one foot to another and then just about charging her father, headbutting him in the leg excitedly, "Where are we going to go? Can we really go that far away?" It was very exciting to the juvenile, no matter how silly it might seem to her father. The farther away, the better. It would be so exciting to go way far away and see what Pride Rock looked like from a really good distance and to see where the rogues lived. And Kinya, Tiki, Zungu, Tokwe, Demani and Ronjo.
He smiled at Lisi and lifted up the paw she headbutted, letting her get out here whine before speaking up- something she'd been too impatient to let him do as he thought about the options she offered him.
"As exciting as the elephant graveyard would be, I think we ought to go to the river," he said brightly, "You never know what you'll find down there." A lie, but it was the best way to go, really. At least, that's how it was for him and that was what mattered.
She laughed but waited patiently (sort of) for Manny to decide where they would go, staring up with wide red eyes. It really didn't matter what he said, again, because he was the one who said it.
"OK!" she said, jumping around and looking around eagerly, realizing she couldn't remember which way the river was in, "Where is it?"
"Not that way, kiddo," he said with a chuckle as she faced the opposite of the direction they would need to go, "Turn yourself around and you're on your way." He nodded, then turned himself around as well, glancing down to see if she got into position too.
"This way," he said, grinning when he suddenly got an idea, "Wanna race?"
"Oh!" she squeaked, hopping herself around so she was facing the proper direction, smiling up at her father. She made a face when he challenged her to a race, though. It wasn't a fair game, she had shorter legs than him and didn't know exactly where they were going.
"But- but-" she protested in a whine, "I don't know the way!"
"Oh, stop whining," he said, giving her a little push and jumping over her to start off on the race. She didn't need to know where they were going, he wouldn't let her get too far off track. At least, he wouldn't if he didn't get caught up in winning the race. Sometimes he did.
"Come on!" he cried, starting at a jog.
"But- but!"
She frowned first, stumbling forward at the push and then putting on a determined face. She would just run this way and see where she went. She could beat daddy, even if he wasn't playing fair. Boys never played fair. Scrambling, she followed after him.
"There we go," Manny said with a chuckle. He let the smaller lion get a bit of a head start while he jogged along, watching her go. Once she was really going, he picked up the pace and chased after her.
"Better hurry!"
Fin.
