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Morning light woke Kuhesh up. He'd slept in a strange den, and for a long time he lay there blinking, trying to piece together the night before. He was still exhausted for some reason, despite having just woken, and he felt terribly stiff and sore. Had he been in a fight? Knocked out maybe? No...for some reason he felt very very good despite the aches. Fulfilled in a way he hadn't felt the day before. That was when he remembered that he wasn't alone in the den. He let out a pained noise and shut his eyes tight again. Ohhh no.
The feel of warm light on her fur helped in the way of rousing Amuxiahd, and it was with a low purr and a delicate yawn that awareness crept up on her. There was a solid warmth curled against her back and it only took her a scant few moments to remember the night before. Warmth, passion, followed by curling up against Kuhesh's side and falling into a peaceful, dreamless sleep. She was relaxed in ways she hadn't been since she had been young, and it was with a pleased noise that she finally allowed her eyes to open. She smiled contently, shifting to delicately lick at the other's cheek. "Morning."
He was still stunned as he looked over his shoulder and saw just what he was afraid he'd see. "M-morning." He garbled. Oh, he knew why he felt so good. He knew why he was sore in strange places. He knew, and he dreaded knowing. By the laws of his pride he'd just done something grievously wrong. Not one were they unwed, but he was a half-spirit. He could only beget half-spirited lions if he ever reproduced before his brother was slain. What if he...and she...and they! Oh gods. His claws dug into the ground as if he was afraid of being flung into the sky. What'd he done!?
She couldn't hide the amused smile that spread on her face at the look she received, and after a long moment simply enjoying the warmth of his side pressed to hers, she rolled onto her paws. She indulged herself in a languid stretch, digging her claws into the soil beneath her and rolling the sleep from her muscles. Only once she was certain that the stiffness was gone did she turn back to Kuhesh, her lips twitching upwards at the rather blank and slightly terrified look he'd settled on her. "Oh, don't look at me like that. What's done is done, and thoroughly enjoyed, I might add."
Kuhesh stiffly turned to regard the female. She had no clue as to the abominations he may have had a paw in making. Maybe, yes, it'd be better not to tell her. But she deserved to know...but she hadn't been raised that way! She wouldn't understand! If she didn't know then maybe she would love them fully, yes...that was if anything came of it. Better to not worry her. Probably nothing would come, and she would be free of fear or stress. He forced a crooked smile to his lips. "I...suppose so."
After a long moment, the smile on Amuxiahd's face softened slightly, the amusement slowly melting out of her face until there was nothing left but peace. There was an obvious worry on the other's face, and she wasn't about to let them part on such a sour note. She shifted to lean down, delicately pressing her forehead against his. It was an unusual position, and from this angle she could feel each breath he took ruffling the fur of her neck. But she remained there for a long while, nuzzling close to him before speaking. "You needn't worry yourself so much, Kuhesh. Everything will be fine."
For all of Kuhesh's life he'd been different. Pushed away, set apart, ridiculed, tormented, trained to think only of his duty, and never anything else. He'd been prepared to die for his pride, or to kill his own brother. His failure to do the latter was exactly why he'd gone roaming, to try and slay his long lost sibling. He'd never batted an eye at the demands placed on him, or felt the need to go or be anywhere else. How was it that this lioness was making him feel so different? With her head against him, he felt his racing heart slow. Could he just stay here? Hide from the world and his birth pride? Was it possible she really didn't find anything wrong with him? "...Maybe...but...you need to know...why I was out here. Why I got lost." If she rejected him after...well he would understand. He would go on his way, as if nothing had transpired at all.
Amuxiahd simply relaxed against him for a long while, following the pattern of breath in breath out until her breaths had synced up with his. Somehow, just standing there with her head rested against his, breathing in tandem with him felt far more intimate than anything that had transpired the night before. This close, it was almost as if the lines between them had been blurred and she settled back down onto her paws, careful not to move her head away from his. She reached forward, delicately placing a paw over his and allowing her eyes to fall closed. "If you're willing to tell, I'm willing to listen."
This was it. It all would come down to her reaction. He took a deep breath, and began, his low gravely voice filling the den. He told her about his pride's beliefs, and how as an identical twin he'd been thought of as only half of a whole. How he'd been raised from birth knowing he would have to one day kill his twin, or die trying. That his brother had been soft-hearted, scared, and run away at the last moment. How he'd been charged with hunting him down, or dying himself. Not only had he failed to find or kill his sibling, but now he was too lost to even return home and die properly. And he told how as much as he wanted to do what was right, he was secretly a little afraid. He didn't mention that what he was scared of now was her rejecting him. Finished, he buried his face in her flank. Surely she would turn him out...
Amuxiahd remained where she was and simply listening, absorbing his story and keeping her mind open. The beliefs he'd described were strange to her, but she made no indication that she disapproved of them. All prides thought differently, after all, and who was she to say that any one belief was right or wrong, even if it resulted in death. But as he continued, she felt a low ache settle in her chest, and she finally curled her head delicately over the top of his head when he'd finished. She was silent for a long while, simply gathering her thoughts before finally speaking, her voice soft and soothing. "It's alright to be afraid, Kuhesh. But you don't have to face this alone. Even if your pride only considers you to be one half, you will always be yourself to me. I met you as you are, and the lion you are now... That's the lion I felt something with. The lion I would be sad to see exit my life so soon to simply walk to his death."
