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Here he was, still here. Why? Why was he so attracted to the lilac female with her heart full of love for everything? She seemed to horde friends to herself and every so often one of them would show up. They had been standoffish of him at first, and rightfully, he didn't want to see them, didn't want to talk to them, but they all crowded around the lioness like they needed one another. It was an odd thing to see all those smaller creatures happy to trust a lion. Now why was he still here?

"Come on slow poke, we'll never find anything to eat if you keep dilly dallying!" She giggles leading the way, Cozi was quite glad her cheetah friend was still with her even though it seemed any day he might up and leave. He was so uncomfortable around her friends yet, he stayed with her acting almost like a protector of sorts. He was protecting her naivete, or so he said, she wasn't really sure what he was doing. It was nice to have a friend and that was all that mattered. If he left, she would be sad but she guessed he would go eventually and she had to accept that.

Gazing out, Mzuka started to fidget as she crouched in the grass. She wasn't hunting, she wasn't stalking, so why on earth had she forced herself into this position? Her elbows hurt, and this was only getting more dirt on her belly. Not that it would be noticed against her pale brown fur.

But her father had told her to wait. Wait and do what? There wasn't anything to do around here, and the adolescent was tiring of the wait more and more with every passing second. She half wanted to chase after her father's pawprints, but she knew she wasn't fast enough. This mixed body of hers just wore out a little too quickly. She had always hated it when playing games with her pure-bred half-siblings, but her father had always told her that inside, she was made of something more beautiful than the others.

Blue eyes flicking up, she rose from the ground, padding forward a few steps, not sure as to what she wanted to do now. If she left this area, she risked missing her father when he comes back to get her. But if she just stayed there, crouching in the grass, she knew she'd be clawing her eyes out in no time. With a small smirk, she bounced forward, wanting to go just far enough so she could say she was doing something other than sitting there, but not far enough to where he wouldn't find her.

Pyaodee stopped mid step as his gaze fell upon something hiding in the grass "Wait Cozi, theres something there." he states walking in front of her his fur sticking up on end as he stopped the female in her tracks. She was larger than him but he had taken it upon himself to protect her. "Who's there?" He calls in a pompous, self riotous voice. "Show yourself, we won't be ambushed." he grows his tail twitching in an irritated manner.

Cozi raises a brow, he was so, paranoid. "Calm yourself Pyaodee, it's only a young one." She whispers, peering through the long thick grasses at the odd youngster." You'll have to excuse my friend here, he is very paranoid." She giggles flickering her tail in a friendly manner. "Please, don't be afraid, we're just passing through on our ay to hunt." She smiles peaceably, her pale eyes smiling.

Flicking her ears up, Mzuka couldn't help but raise a brow at the brightly colored pair. She had never seen anyone so bright, no even in her own large family. Everything was always in natural tones, and she thought that's how the rest of the world must have been. But, this wouldn't have been the first time that she was proven wrong.

"I'm....Mzuka." She stepped closer to the pair, a little smile on her face. She eyed them carefully- a lion and a cheetah together? Well, that was just like her parents. But this male was probably not the flirt that she knew her father was. "It's fine that you're here- I have no claim to this area." Laughing a little, she hoped that she didn't just invite trouble. "And besides, I don't think you're that scary." Swishing her tail, she lightly flicked at the grass around her. It may have been more than a small lie, especially since it was two against one, but she wasn't going to be afraid. No, she was going to have courage, just like her father.

"Tell me...what is a cheetah doing with a lion?" She grinned, wanting to know if they were in love, like her parents, but their relationship seemed to be miles away from the relationship her parents shared.

Cozi laughed quietly moving ahead of Pyaodee she licks his cheek with a sort of friendly affection. "See, silly goose, she's only a youngster." She smiles at the young female and bows her head gently "I'm glad we aren't trespassing, I'm Cozi'kari and my friend here is Pyaodee, pyaodee is sort of my preotector." She giggles at how silly that sounded, she was no small lioenss after all, she had been born in the lands of the kununda and all females there were of large birth, but she was innocent and that was why Pyaodee had attached himself to her.

The large pale blue cheetah snorts and rolls his eyes. "Cozi would get herself in to trouble in a heart beat if I left her on her own." he rolls his eyes, it wasn't the whole truth, he did like her but he knew at some point he must return to his pride and that would mean leaving her alone again. Well that wasn't yet he was enjoying his time with the lilac female. "You seem a little young to be alone, Mzuka." He states flickering his tail though he looked over her and almost down his nose, he'd fully realised just what this youngster was. A half breed. He wasn't sure if he should show contempt or simple acceptance for what she was.

Keeping her eyes on the two, it became clear to Mzuka that she shouldn't be afraid. At least, not of the lioness. She was sweet, at least she seemed to be. "A protector?" Glancing to the side, she couldn't help but wonder what that would be like, to be protected, even if you didn't need it. It seemed like it could get annoying at times, but she knew that the thought behind such an action had to be good.

"A little young?" Mzuka almost scoffed at his comment. "I'm of age to leave. And besides, my father says...." Stopping her sentence, she clenched her toes. It hadn't been too long since her father realized what the difference was between her and her litter mates- she could have cubs. It seemed that as soon as he knew that fact, Mzuka had been watched a little closer. It was annoying, but who could blame her father for wanting the bloodline between him and his mate to be continued?

She couldn't help but glare a little at the blue cheetah. She had always hated it when adults thought she was too young for something. Mzuka had always been an independent female, ever since she was little.

Cozi smiles lightly nudging Pyaodee lightly she rolls her eyes. "Surely you can see she is a young adult Pyaodee, don't be rude." Se giggles quietly settling in to a seated position, it seemed there would be a nice conversation before they went on their hunt."You are a very pretty yon lion." She smiles, assuming that the tuft on her tail made the female a lioness, even if she was a slim one.

Pyaodee coughs. "She isn't a lion Cozi, she's a half breed." He sounded almost annoyed by the fact that she assumed she was a lion, well at least Cozi hadn't thought she was a cheetah, he would have been upset if she had. "Don't very often see half breeds about." He snorts, he heard they were infertile or had a high mortality rate.

The lioness looks at Pyaodee surprised. "Oh! I have never seen a half breed before!' She smiles an excited smile. "I thought you were just a slim lioness." She giggles happily her tail flickering.

As the lioness mentioned that she was a lioness, Mzuka's ears flattened back. She wasn't going to correct her or anything, but it was just...

Turning towards the cheetah, she felt her heart become heavy as he said what she was. She had always known it, but it seemed that no one every wanted to say it out loud. "It's....it's fine." Smiling back up at them, she tried to move the conversation along. "I mean, I can do whatever a lioness can, and I look more like one, anyway." Her smile becoming smaller, she thought that maybe it'd be nice to thought of as a lioness. As long as she could have cubs, no one would question it, right? It'd be better than the freak that she had been told she was when she was younger.

"No, I guess there aren't many of us out there. Nature's played a cruel game towards us, huh?" She laughed again at the misfortune of the hybrid population. Maybe it was a hint that they weren't supposed to be there. But Mzuka couldn't believe that, not when she had been given her gift. "But I can help my breed live on." The thought made her happy. It felt almost like a burden, but she loved the feeling of being important, of being special.

The lioness looks at Pyaodee and shakes her head before turning back to Mizuka "Oh it's a wonderful gift to be between two worlds, I bt you're faster than any lion in the world." She smiles padding closer to the young female and licking her on the forehead. "I often wish I could climb trees like a leopard, oh can you imagine if you could eat grass like a klipspringer?" She giggles happily, inventing creatures she could be half, or part of. "You're very special. Between you and me, I think you're much more special than old grumpy pants over there." she whispers a smile broadening her beautiful smile.

Pyaodee rolled his eyes, really she was obsessed with making others feel better, he supposed it wasn't a bad thing but there was just something wrong about half breeds to him. He just didn't know what it was."Oh, you are fertile? I hear all half breeds were mute." He states, feeling a little taken aback, could the little freaks breed? Well this one could obviously the dice had thrown her a good hand in life.

"That's what my father says." Looking over towards the cheetah, she puckered her lips. "You know, my parents are like you two- my mother's a lioness, and my father's a cheetah." While she didn't assume that the two were involved, she at least wanted to make them imagine what it could be like. "Sometimes...it's hard to someone like me, though." Mzuka could easily recall the taunts, the threats- her father had always come to the rescue, with his sly tongue and nasty temper. "But it's not my fault for being what I am." If only it were that simple to explain to others that if they want to hate someone, they shouldn't hate her. It wasn't her decision to be like this. Not that she wanted to direct any anger towards her parents.

"But you're not like them." Grinning at the lioness, she felt rather comfortable as long as she was here. Her imagination was a bit wild, but it was fun.

Turning towards the cheetah, she decided to address his awkward statement. She was still young, after all, and didn't really like discussing things like this. "I am." Nodding, she took in a deep breath. "It makes me so happy to have this gift. I think most pure-breds take it for granted, just going around having meaningless, emotionless cubs. Cubs should be a thing of love." Thinking about it, it was true for her, that she was a cub made of love, but not for most of her her half-siblings. Her father just didn't have the capacity to love like normal guys did.

Cozi smiles a sweet gentle smile. "It is indeed a gift." She looks at Pyaodee, they weren't involved but she did have some feelings for him, he was sweet and kind when he wasn't around others, he just hid it behind this stiff upper lip resolve. "Oh, thats wonderful, I had no idea tat chetahs and lions could even breed together!" She looks at Pyaodee and chuckles "Did you know? Oh of course you did you old clever so, n so." She rolls her eyes. "Don't mind him dear, he's full of the grumps, he hasn't had breakfast yet." She chuckles getting to her paws and nudging the pale blue male. "be nice." She whispers.

Pyaodee sighs heavily and rolls his eyes "Finefine." He looks at the little hybrid and flicks is tail "You're very lucky to be able to have such a gift I am sure your parents are very proud. "He looks at Cozi for confirmation that his words were 'kind' enough though he sounded overly sarcastic.

She chuckles and shakes her head. "It'll do." She whispers licking him on the cheek. She looks back at Mizuka. "You're very lucky to know your parents. I only knew my mother as a cub, no idea who my father might be."

"I guess anything can happen in the world." Smiling, she didn't know that someone never knew that lions and cheetahs could breed. It was the norm for Mzuka, having grown up being the product of such a thing.

"I think my father's more proud than my mother." Laughing, she wondered if her mother even knew. She had never spent much time with her, having such vast differences. Her mother was odd to Mzuka, but she was family. Mzuka would've much rather trailed after her father, but he wouldn't have it. His long trips were always so secretive, and she wondered sometimes if maybe he had another family somewhere.

"Yeah. I just wish that I could have spent more time with them, I guess." With a huff of laughter, she thought back to her cubhood. It was hard for her mother raising fifteen or so cubs, and Mzuka had never made much attempt to get attention from her. And her father had wandered off soon after she was born, only returning just recently. "Just your mother, huh?" Her father must have been like Mzuka's, only she was on the other end of it. Mzuka got her father, but she knew that there were plenty of half-siblings that he left. If must have been hard for anyone to be raised with just a mother, and with less siblings than Mzuka had.

Cozi smiles softly and nods a gentle not at the little female. It must be so strange, she thought, to be in-between and so much fun. She didn't know of any prejudice in the world, after all she was perfectly happy just to be friends with everyone.

"I was raised in a female dominant pride so there were lots of females there, sort of having lots of mothers and aunts about all the time as well as a few uncles. I don't regret not knowing my father but he must have been ver colourful." She chuckles, her siblings were all colourful too it always made her smile.

Pyaodee sighed lightly. "We should get going Cozi, food isn't going to catch itself." he states raising a brow at the little hybrid. He wasn't sure still if he knew what to say to her. He wasn't sure if he wanted to look at her properly even. She was something strange and a bit, away from him, something he almost feared.

Cozi nods softly and smiles at the little cheeton. "Yes, we should get on. It was nice to meet you miss Mzuka. Perhaps if we come back this way again we can see one another again." She smiles wistfully, she wondered what it would be like to have a litter of cheetons but didn't air these thoughts to Pyaodee, he wasn't her mate after all. "Good bye, take care f yourself now, won't you?"

"Oh, I see." A pride with dominant females? She had never heard of such a thing, but the ways of lions were totally unknown to her. She hadn't even heard of prides until she heard her father talking to her mother about one once. And now look at her, heading off to a pride herself.

"Oh, I....I'm afraid we won't." Frowning a little, she had really enjoyed this little meeting, even though it was...odd, to say the least. "You see, I was just waiting for my father. He's taking me to a pride where he thinks I'll be happy." Smiling, she really couldn't wait to go. She had half-siblings there, as well, so she was anxious to meet them.

"But maybe some other time. If fate wants it." Laughing, she twirled on her toes, swishing her tail to the side. "And I will! I would say the same, but...it looks like you've got plenty of protection!" Smiling, she looked at the odd pair once more before heading back to her waiting spot.. They really were quite bright, weren't they?