Batu woke with a yawn in his throat he shook his head try to get the sleep to leave his mind. Today he was going to have an adventure he had decided the night before last. He had been in the pride he called home since he was young, he could barely remember what his mother looked like or where the place he had called home with her was. It didn't really bother him Eztil had taken good enough care of him but now Batu found a desire to know more. Perhaps a trip out into the rouge lands. He wanted to see what was out there. Perhaps while he was out there he would even be able to find a small token for Delila, he knew she liked flowers so he would try to find the best flower there was while he was in the rouge lands.
The large black and white lion slipped out of his den and looked around, there wasn't a soul in sight. He was up early most of the pride was still sleeping, he prefered it this way he didn't want to explain to anyone why he wanted to go out into the rouge lands, no one would understand it was just something that he needed to do.
Elam was walking ahead he wanted to plan the path that he and Moema would take today. The leopardess that he had claimed as his own was a fragile sort and he hated making her travel over rough lands so if he could help it he would take the easiest way home just for her, even if that meant that it would take a little longer. He had given her a quick cuddle before leaving the den they had slept in the night before, he had told her that he would be back soon and to stay there until he made it back. He knew that she would listen, she wasn't the type to cause problems.
Elam had made it a fair distance now and he knew soon he would have to turn around to head back to the den where he had left his black and green beauty resting. He wasn't sure how his father would feel that he was bringing a leopard back to be his beybanu, after all she would not be able to produce fertile offspring, or at least not many fertile offspring, but Elam loved her and she needed him to protect her that was something that he felt both his parents would understand.
Batu spotted the other lion right away as he made it across the pride's boarders. He knew that he had never seen the lion in these parts before, and he certainly wasn't a member of the pride. Batu had gotten better at watching others, it was after all his job to take in what he saw happening around him and report it back to his father... Eztil. It made him shiver slightly thinking about his father Batu had a feeling growing inside of him that perhaps his father should not be trusted but then again he wasn't exactly in a position to be calling him out on it, particularly because Eztil was the one that kept him alive as a cub, and was the leader of the pride.
Batu puffed up his chest attempting to look large in case this other lion was posing some threat to his pride, his home, his lady. "YOU" he shouted out "Who are you and why are you here?" he asked his voice was deep and manly he was doing his best to appear frightening even though it wasn't in his nature to appear frightening or to pick fights, but another lion this close to the pride's lands could be bad news for everyone.
Elam was caught off guard when the other lion called out at him, he almost stumbled loosing his footing for just a minute. He looked around him to make sure that the lion was talking to him, but there was not another creature in sight. Elam immediately began to get nervous, clearly this other lion was not very happy with Elam's presences, but Elam had no idea what to do.
"I'm sorry if I intrude." Elam offered quickly he was hoping that if he led with an apology that perhaps the exchange between the two lions would go easier. Elam was a bit smaller in size then Batu, but roughly of the same age. "I mean no harm I am simply trying to plan a route home for my mate and I." Batu offered, taking a seated position so that the other lion could see that he meant no harm and would not fight.
Batu sat back for a minute trying to size up the other male. He didn’t want to make any mistakes and let this male go if he was going to come back later on and cause harm to the pride. “Why are you in this area?” Batu asked. He wasn’t sure that this lion would tell the truth if he was out to cause harm, but at the same time he was sure he would be able to tell if the lion was lying after all he had been put on the spot.
Batu stood tall even though the white and pink male took a seated position. Batu was happy that the other male was taking the submissive role; it made Batu feel a little more at ease. Perhaps the male did have a good reason for being here, and he wasn’t a big threat or even a threat at all.
Elam tried to remain calm even though he could feel his heart racing. He had no ill intentions being here but he wasn’t sure that he would be able to convince the other male of this. “I am just a traveler on my way home. I have just set out to plan the path that I shall bring my mate back through. She is of the delicate sort and I don’t want to push her too hard.” Elam smiled as he talked about Moema, he was missing her now and he wanted to get back to here, but he wasn’t sure turning his back on this male would be a good idea just yet.
“A mate?” Batu’s ears perked. Being concerned about ones mate, not that Delila was his mate, but he hoped that perhaps she soon would be. He just had to tell her first how he felt, it seemed to be a good first step. He just had to figure out how to do that. Batu slowly smiled relaxing. “I’m sorry for being a jerk.” Batu said finally taking a relaxed position. He was beginning to feel a little silly for trying to be over bearing and frightening. “You were just very close to my home, my pride, and well I got a little protective.” He offered a tentative smile to the other lion hoping that it would help to ease the tension he had managed to create.
Elam finally relaxed and let out a smile when he saw that the black and white male was a little more at ease. “Yes my mate, I was sent out of my pride when I reached adolescence to find a female to prove that I was good enough, to prove that I was a good male. I found myself a wonderful female, a leopardess, however she is rather delicate and I have just been trying to find her the easiest routes back to my home lands, I don’t want to push her too hard.”
“My name is Elam.” The white and pink lion finally introduced himself. It hadn’t seemed like a good idea to give names earlier on but now that the situation was a little calmer Elam thought it was a nice touch. Though now the white and pink lion was getting a little uneasy, he knew Moema would be getting restless, and he hated leaving her so long. “I again cannot apologize enough for causing you distress it really was not my intention.”
“Well Elam it is nice to meet you. And there is no need to apologize, I was being a little over bearing. I should be the one who should be saying I am sorry.” Batu said a silly grin growing on his face. At very least he could say that his day of adventure had an interesting start, he had protected the pride from a potential threat. He chuckled to himself knowing full well that he would never tell anyone of this encounter as he knew that he made himself look foolish throughout it. “I should really let you be on your way then my friend, you mate must be worried by now. If you do bring her back this way to head home and you run into anyone from my home lands you can tell them that Batu okayed you to travel this way.” Batu added with a quick smile. It wasn’t likely that Elam would run into another lion from Kiing but he just wanted to make sure the white male would have easy travels when he had his mate in tow.
Elam nodded his head quickly. “Thank you Batu, I do appreciate it.” Elam offered him one more quick smile before he turned and headed back towards the den that he had left Moema in. He hoped that they would be able to cover a far amount of land today before they settled in for the night, he never made her travel in the dark, and he would need to hunt for them tonight. He knew that Moema must stay well fed otherwise she wouldn’t be in any condition to bare him cubs when they did reach the pride lands. The white and pink male with a mountain paw trotted quickly back to his mate and the current love of his life. The male he had met frightened him at first but the encounter had turned out to be positive enough in the end.
