As per her usual, Uli stalked in the undergrowth. She enjoyed it, what could she say? If it had been any other land, she'd call it scare tactics. Here, she just called it good fun. Now, she stalked a flash of red-brown on gold, moving through the jungle near the beach's edge. Like the night before, the moon was but a sliver, not casting near enough light to see by non-feline eyes.
He was aware she was there, it was just a matter of acknowledging the fact. So Xochi had meandered his path toward the beach, where she'd have nowhere to hide. Stepping away from the trees, he moved more into the open and onto the sand, feeling it under his paws. Sea sand was very different from the sand of the desert... He prefered it, really.
Uli let out a low curse, ears back. Oh, he wasn't giving in that easy, was he? But she had no hiding out there... So she stayed put, at the edge, only her yellow eyes shining out. As she hunkered down, she heard a light hum coming from him. Just what was he up to out there, anyway? A swim by next to no moonlight? There was insane, and then there was stupid.
Now and then a muscle twitched, before Xochi seemed to sway with to his own song. He closed his eyes a moment, letting out a sighing, moaning tune. With the near-lack of moonlight, and the surf below, it was a haunting sound. He took a few steps away from the jungle, his paws sinking into the sand. "Open your eyes.... I see, your eyes are open... Wear no disguise for me... Come into the open..."
Her ears lifted as she looked at him in surprise, then stood up. Okay, yeah, he was a strange lion. Uli stepped out of the trees, onto the sand. It shifted a bit under her paws, as she padded her way down to him. "Okay, Xochi, what are you up to?"
Green eyes opened, before he looked at her. "When it's cold, outside... Am I here, in vain?" He crouched down, as if to pounce. "Hold on... To the night... There will be no shame!" He tagged her with a paw, grinning and taking off down the beach. Maybe it was just a game of tag, maybe not.
Uli let out a surprised sound, before taking off after Xochi. The sand under her paws felt odd compared to the feel of the jungle's ground. She found her stride, though, stretching her body with the movements of running. With sand flying behind her, she started to gain ground, getting closer to Xochi. Oh, she would catch him!
The gold lion let out a laugh, looking back at the cream lioness. Oh, so she WAS chasing! It was time to spice the game up. "Always, I wanna be with you, and make believe with you, and live in harmony, harmony, oh love!" He jumped over a bit of drift wood. "Always, I wanna be with you, and make believe with you, and live in harmony, harmony, oh love!"
While shock showed on her face at his song's words, she kept her pace of chasing. His tail was almost in range, just where she needed it. If only she could get a little closer, she could clamp her teeth on it, then she could sit on him! When he jumped, she jumped, anything to keep pace.
That look she'd had... It was almost worth it. But at the same time, it tickled him to have her still chasing him. To him, this was acceptable affection. "Melting the ice for me, jump into the ocean... Hold back the tide, I see, your love in motion!" Now if only he could word this better WITHOUT singing... Damn Nenetl for her infectious singing!
Oh, that was it! She found a last burst of speed, tackling Xochi to the sand. As the tumbled, she felt the rather hard impacts of the sand. Who knew something that felt so soft could be so HARD? And HURT! She used no claws, finding that unfair in the sand.
Getting away from the tangle of limbs, Xochipepe sat down on the sand, sides heaving. Running took a rather lot out of him! He then grinnedd at Uli, face alight. He still had the energy to sing! "When it's cold, outside.. Am I here, in vain? Hold on... To the night... There will beee nooo shaaaame..."
Uli stood, watching him for a moment. Her mind struggled to process his words, likely as much as her own mother's had with her father's words. But then, her mother had been a Seer, she was not. She had no visions to guide her, only the here and now. "Xochi..."
He tilted his head, ears pricked forward. "What's wrong, Uli?" It made sense to him... Then again, he sang with flowers by slivers of moonlight. "Always, I wanna be with you, and make believe with you, and live in harmony, harmony, oh love..." It was simple enough, wasn't it? She sang so perfectly with him, as if the sky lights gave the flowers color.
Uli shook her head, ears folding back. She couldn't... She couldn't... She couldn't what? She couldn't wrap her mind around this. Somebody showing such emotion for her, of all lions... She shook her head more, before turning and fleeing from the beach and into the jungle. She needed to breathe, to get away for a bit.
Xochi let out a sigh, watching her go with a bit of sadness. "When it's cold... Outside... There will be no shame..." He shook his own head, before slowly rising. "Maybe...." He looked to the sky, before turning and padding off along the beach. The ony sound to pierce the night was the sound of the waves crashing on the beach. Now and then, he looked up, as if the sky would light up with color to give him some answer, but nothing happened the whole way back to his lonely den.
