Duo Makkusuweru - Truth.Be.Told
&
Kairi - Das Tor
Kairi had taken to the border of the jungle for a bit, searching for a flowering bush she KNEW grew along it. It would be in bloom, about now, and the flowers were perfect for little cubs who wanted to feel all prettied up, like the grown-ups who had necklaces and the like. The last time it'd been in bloom, the season's batch of cubs had had a great deal of fun with the flowers.
The red leopardess hummed as she moved through the trees, finally moving to the ground as the trees grew farther apart.
Duo had gotten a case of wandering paws. And...well, he figured it was best to take care of it before G dragged him and Shini off to do what they'd been trained to do. So off he'd gone, and now...he was in totally unfamiliar territory. Very pretty unfamiliar territory, but still very familiar. The lion sat down at the jungle's edge, curious. What sort of place was this? Definitely smelled inhabited. And as varied as home. Well...more so. Home was mostly lions. This place didn't have much of a lion-scent to it.
The sound of humming caught his ears and he perked, curious. Ah hah! An inhabitant? He made his way over, and grinned when he saw the leopardess. "Hey there!"
Kairi froze, humming stopping and blue eyes widening a bit as she looked over to the source of the voice. Now...she was normally a very friendly leopard but...well, you never knew sometimes. The lion that she saw, however, didn't seem to be a threat. He actually looked very friendly. She relaxed and returned his grin with a smile. "Hello. Is there something I can help you with?"
Duo noticed the female's momentary wariness, but the friendliness in her smile ate it away. He still sat a good lion-length and a half from her though, in an effort to keep her from being wary of him again. She had nothing to fear from him. AND she was pretty. "Maybe. I'm wandering for a bit, y'see. Gettin' it outta my paws before some stuff I gotta do comes up. Was wondering where 'here' is, since it smells like a buncha creatures live here."
Oh damn. The lion had to have noticed her hesitation. Then again...wouldn't be hard to. Kairi wasn't exactly adept at hiding her emotions. But at least he seemed to be nice about it. "Oh! This is the Achana." She sat as well, tail curling to rest at her side. "It's a good thing I found you, instead of one of the guards!" She giggled. "They can be an overprotective lot, but understandably so. There's those out there who don't approve of our existence."
Duo blinked, raising a brow and tilting his head a bit in questioning. "Why? Place that's the home of such a pretty gal can't be bad." Maybe it had to do with all the different species he'd scented? There were those who had issues with non-lions.
Kairi hesitated a moment, again, thinking on whether to tell him or not. Then nodded to herself. He seemed nice enough. If he turned hostile...well, there was a tree nearby, and she had no problems 'fighting dirty' if needed. Riku and Sora couldn't always be there to protect her, after all! "We're a safe haven for hybrids and those full-breeds who parent them or care for them."
The chestnut-maned lion nodded. "I see...Yeah. I can understand why your guards would be overprotective." He chuckled and winked at her. "I personally have no problems with hybrids! Got some nieces and nephews whose Dad is a leopard. Nice guy, bit conflicted though."
Kairi couldn't help but breath a sigh of relief. "Oh good. It's always nice to find others outside the coalition who are like-minded." She drooped a bit. "I'm afraid there are many who do not like us." Her head shook, blue eyes closing. "It's a shame, too. I mean...one of my best friends is a cheetah. And there's a lioness who's like a big sister to me. And I have a hybrid son myself." She smiled at the thought of her no-longer-little Silas, eyes opening again. "He's my little sunshine."
A...kid? Ah crap. Figured he'd run into a girl with a kid. Probably a mate too. "Sounds like you've got an interesting circle to hang out with. How old's your boy? Who's he take after?" Best to take advantage of the new line of conversation!
Kairi giggled. "He's all grown now. And bigger than me! But he's a gentle boy. And...in all truth, I'm not sure, certainly not his mother though. I adopted him, because his mother couldn't take care of him properly." She made a noise of surprise. "Oh! How rude of me! I totally forgot to introduce myself!" She smiled brightly. "I'm Kairi!"
Adopted? Awesome! Maybe he did have a chance! He made a dramatic bow, the grin on his face showing he was being playful. "Duo Makkusuweru! I may run and hide, but I never tell a lie! And it's a pleasure to meet you, Kairi."
Kairi giggled. "A pleasure to meet you too, Duo!" He was such an odd lion. But he seemed fun. He certainly had a sense of humor. "Why don't you walk with me a bit? I was on my way to get some flowers for the cubs I look after." She stood, and motioned in the direction she'd been going.
Duo nodded, getting up to stand beside her. "Sure. And uh...outta curiosity...do y'think it'd be okay for me to stay in the area for a bit? Rest up, before heading home?" Maybe get to know Kairi better...She seemed like a really nice girl, on top of being pretty. And damn if that tended to be a rarity outside of home.
Kairi blinked, starting towards the bush again. Then looked thoughtful. "Well...I'd need to ask our leaders, but I don't THINK there'd be a problem, as long as you don't cause trouble. We're a peaceful lot." She smiled at him. "Don't like trouble."
Duo nodded. "I may cause trouble, but not for those who don't deserve it. Don't push me or those I care about, I don't push back." He followed her, keeping more of an eye on her than his surroundings.
Kairi nodded. "Good. Would be a shame if it was otherwise. Since you seem like a nice guy and all." She smiled brightly, holding back a giggle. It would be nice if he did stick around for a bit. Another friend to make!
Duo laughed. "Well it only makes sense that nice-seeming girls like you attract nice-seeming guys like me!" Yup~ He was definitely going to stick around for a bit.
