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 Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2012 5:53 pm
Rio rinsed out her mouth in the watering hole they were sitting next to, tiny flecks of dirt and mud floating away as she spat into the pool. When she had said that the lion had needed a lot of kindness, she hadn’t meant this much. It was ridiculous. The lion was practically made out of mud and dirt. He must have gone months without so much as touching his fur for it to have gotten that bad. The leopardess sighed and turned back to her patient, surveying her progress.
Most of the grime was off now, only a thin layer still clinging to the coat. Colours and markings were beginning to show through now. However, Rio could also see matts underneath the remaining dirt. Those would have to be bitten off or clawed out. Either way, Rio knew by experience, was not a pleasant process. “Hey now, get up and take a dip, yeah? The rest of this should wash off.” Rio ordered, tail swishing impatiently. “You know, amigo, you never told me your name neither.”
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Maua’s ears pricked forward as Rio asked him to stand. As he got to his feet, the lion noticed that he felt slightly lighter than he had before, though it could have just been his imagination. The pink male brushed past Rio and slid into the watering hole, wading out to the deepest part in the middle. The water only reached up to his shoulders, and so he was forced to crouch down so that his entire neck was covered up. Taking a quick breath, Maua sank his entire face underneath the surface, quickly popping back up.
The lion turned around and made his way back to Rio, water and dirt running off of his fur. “It’s Maua,” he answered finally, shaking off the excess water. He stopped in front of the leopardess, waiting for further instruction.
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Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2012 5:57 pm
Rio’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head. The lion was white. With a pink mane. She could hardly keep herself from fainting! If she could get all of the matts out of his fur, then she would have one gorgeous looking male on her paws. “You have nice colour, Senor Maua. You must stop hiding it under dirt.” She scolded. “First I think you brown lion. Now I see you white, like snow.” Rio mused, walking around Maua.
“Let’s get these matts out. I warn you, is very painful.” The dancer let her claws slip out, ready to start picking the matts apart. “You sit down right there, on rock.” She gestured towards a flat boulder close by. “That way you won’t get dirty again. Why you let yourself get dirty in first place?”
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He felt his ears heat up at both the compliment and the teasing. It wasn’t every day that females told him he looked nice. Maua padded over to the rock, plopping his rump down as instructed. As Rio began picking at some of the matts, Maua answered. “I was traveling in the jungle. I never really thought it important to take care of my fur. Plus the jungle is a very dirty place. If I groomed one day, I would just get dirty the next.” He mused aloud, staring at colorful sky. The sun was beginning to set, meaning that Rio had been working for quite some time now. He should have known it would take this long, but he still couldn’t believe….
“Ouch!” Maua yelped, flinching away as chunk of fur was ripped out of his coat. The lion glared at Rio, who held a clump of white fur in her mouth.
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Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2012 6:00 pm
Rio yanked a particularly difficult matt out of Maua’s coat, jerking her head back as Maua flinched. She didn’t want to get clawed accidentally. The leopardess spat the fur out onto the ground, raising an eyebrow at Maua’s offended glare. “Don’t give me that look, Maua. Is your fault you let your fur get this way.” She pointed out, moving on to the next matt. “You know, my mother, she always say that a dirty coat lead to a dirty heart. If you don’t groom yourself, you end up feeling bad and poor. I am thinking that you are maybe this way, no?” She paused for a moment, giving the lion a knowing look before continuing. “But if you keep yourself looking nice and pretty, then you feel nice and pretty on inside as well.” The dancer advised.
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Maua scowled. This leopardess really had him all figured out. Then again, he supposed it wasn’t all that difficult to see that he was going through a bit of a rough patch, especially considering how cheerful Rio seemed to be. He hissed as another matt was torn out, claws scraping against the rock underneath his feet. Unable to give her a reply, Maua hung his head and let his thoughts wander as Rio continued to groom him.
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Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2012 6:03 pm
Rio clawed through the last matt, licking over it to make sure it separated properly. It had taken her a few hours, but she was finally done. The leopardess took a step back and took in the sight of a freshly-groomed Maua. His fur was fluffier than she had originally thought, and his pink framed his face quite nicely. Two flower markings, one on each shoulder, had revealed themselves in the grooming process, now sticking out in stark contrast against his bright white fur. All in all, Rio could safely say that Maua was a good-looking male. Her chest puffed out proudly at the thought that she had uncovered this diamond-in-the-mud. “There we go, see? Much better. You take away dirt and mud and grime, and we have a very nice looking boy.” She smiled kindly, head tilting to the side. “Now don’t you go ruining Mama Rio’s work. I want promise that you will groom yourself at least every other day.” The dancer teased, winking at him.
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Maua stretched, relieved to finally be able to move after so long. He quickly trotted over to the watering hole and stared at his reflection, mouth hanging open slightly. His mane had finally come in. He looked like an adult now, like a pink version of his father. He looked good.
He felt good, too. Maua definitely felt lighter now, and he seemed to be able to move more easily and comfortably. He was refreshed, like he had just woken up from a long, restful nap. Maybe Rio was right. Maybe if he kept his coat in shape, he would start feeling better all of the time. “I can’t thank you enough, Rio.” He said sincerely, dipping his head in respect. “I promise I’ll try to keep my fur looking good.” Maybe, just maybe, things were beginning to look up for him.
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Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2012 6:05 pm
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