"That's the end of this discussion." Gebali said curtly trying to feel like he was in control, he'd never taken such a harsh tone with his mate before. It was the spirits, they were talking to him again and they wouldn't leave him alone. They haunted his sleep, he could no longer be still without hearing them roaring in his ears. This was leaving him restless, angry, and confused, and although the pale lion would never have done it before, he was taking it out on his mate now.
"I'm leaving..and I will be back, it's for the best I promise." He looked at her brown eyes seeming to look past her. From the moment the pair met they were in love, and now he was acting so irrational, so cold.
"But, you haven't explained why you want to leave at all...just..just that it needs to be done." tears were streaming down her face, matting the fur around her nose, and she could barely make out his figure through the blurry tears in her eyes.
"What's wrong, Hewa, what's wrong my love?" She held back a near wail thinking that he was so ready to run away from her.
Gebali hadn't wanted to startle her, but it seemed he was far past handling the situation in any way that was normal.
"I don't know, alright," he sighed and the end nearly came out a wheeze, "I know I have to go, I know that..that the voices want me to go someplace because something is wrong, and I need to be there to fix it. I can't allow you to go." He was concerned for their children, but even telling her that he only thought there was something wrong would send her into a panic, he merely wanted to protect her.
"I can see that place in my dreams, I hear about it while we are silent at night, it's real, and I know that I have to go. I wont be hurt, but it's something..something." he stepped forward wondering what it was he could do to comfort his mate. It seemed all of their most important discusses took place at night.
"I will leave tomorrow, and that. Is. That."
She wanted to shriek at him, he had no right to tell her that he wouldn't allow her to come. Lalakesha had traveled far away from home, not because he'd said to, but because she'd wanted to. She did not need his permission to do anything. She let out a low growl, a warning, not of violence, but one stating he'd crossed a line.
"Gebali'moyo, you have no..no..authority over me. You and I have been partners since the day we met. We will continue to be, do you understand me? If you leave, and do not take me with you, I will never forgive you."
"You, you're willing to throw away our entire life together because of the voices in your head?" She knew what the voices were, they were visions, he was a seer..but they came from his ears and not his eyes. She also knew they had come in handy, the pair would have never met if Hewa hadn't followed his ears.
Unfortunately the voices had been so very insistent that he go alone, and he was so out of his right mind that he was willing to listen completely.
"I would never throw our lives together out, you and I are meant to be together. There are other things at work here, that's all..and I will be home returned safe to you in no time at all."
"I will follow you."
"You wont."
"I wont leave you alone until you get this ridiculous idea out of your head. You wont be able to chase frogs without me attached to your side." She couldn't see him now, she was clenching her eyes shut so she didn't have to look at him, even if it was just the outline of his pale form.
"Don't..test this, Baridi'ini" he never called her Baridi'ini, even after naming her, he used her true name only to convey things were of the utmost importance. Even then, Gebali'moyo only used her name to reassure her, to talk about their children, their love. Never had he used her name as such a slur; it felt sour on his tongue.
That was it, her name had broken through to her.
"I." She stopped and opened her eyes. Baridi took three steps forward and buried her face in his chest and mane. "Just make sure that you are safe, and if you don't come back to me..I'll make sure that you truly are haunted by spirits." Her voice trailed off muffled by wails and sobs. The cream colored lioness did not understand why he had to go, or what exactly drove him to do so. But he was set, and she might as well give some sort of blessing.
"C-come back to me."
He blinked shocked as she burrowed into him and wrapped one front leg around her the best that he could pressing his body into her warm body. He'd officially hurt the only lioness he thought he could ever love and that would fully understand him. She gave birth to his four beautiful children, she took care of him when he was being crazy. Baridi'ini had left her life as Lalakesha, brought her sister with her, and become Baridi'ini just for him. And now? He was harming her by acting completely irrationally.
"I will always come home to you. Always, this is our home, you are my life. I need to make sure everything is alright. You know they wouldn't ask me to go if it wasn't important." he wouldn't hear the future and be guided by them if it was something that could be dealt with any other way.
Baridi'ini wasn't so sure of any of this, and his reassuring words were not helping much, the lioness would rather have gone, but at least this way she was on board with his idea, she could spin it to herself that she agreed with it.
"How long?" she murmured into his chest.
"No more than a few moons, I promise."
"Only if you swear an oath to me. Swear on my life that you will be home, and nothing will go wrong. Only then can you go." She leaned back so that she could speak clearly to him.
"I swear on my life, and on yours, that I will be home within three moons, no more. I also swear that once this is over I will never leave you again." He was sure of it, he'd never leave the swamps again after returning home from his crazily misguided adventure.
"Fine, alright." she exhaled the word and it turned into another low sob.
"I will leave in the morning." And that's all he said, Gebali'moyo held her against him praying that he was doing the right thing, but also knowing he could not help leaving if he tried. He was too driven, too willing to listen to the strange voices.
