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((This is for you, Shane.))

"What?" The question was posed at last by a dark face in the black of night. Golden eyes caught the light just enough to expose their narrowed suspicion, and they did not waver. If Meshindi could see him fully, which he might have been able to, the black lion would have noticed the tiniest hint of interest hidden behind a callous look.

It was so very tiny.

Somehow, Gepeto knew this would open a door for Meshindi. The male knew that despite all of their efforts to never pry or to never reveal too much, the weight in the pit of his stomach would soon be made heavier. The answer would not set him free, and as soon as all of these factors became aligned he began to feel the heat of anger. Releasing a low groan out of disappointment in himself, he averted his gaze to the bone that had been his focus in the first place; wrapping his large jaws around it.

Their relationship was built on trust, no matter how a third party would view it. It was primal, down to the very core of each, and from the start did not require much more than a name to be had. But Gepeto could not hunt, sleep, or even breathe in Meshindi's company if the tension of this answer were to remain. Something had been on the other lions mind, and whatever it was...whatever Meshindi needed to say, he needed to say it now.

"What is it?" He pushed again, only this time muffled by his obnoxious gnawing habit.

And so the point he feared had come. Meshindi's roundabout way of organizing the thought only furthered Gepeto's annoyance, lessening the interest he had only just developed. Still, he had bothered to ask instead of avoiding things altogether. There was more to be said of that than met the eye. Holding onto the silence that followed, tending to his hunger first, Gepeto gave the remark some thought.

And then Gepeto cut through the silence with a resounding "No". Whether it was the prey, the territory itself, or something beyond all of that...Meshindi would get over it. At least Gepeto hoped so.

But...did he really not want to know what else went on in the lion's mind? A part of him still seemed curious, glancing toward Meshindi to read his expression as best he could, but an even greater part, and the one that showed the most, was staying no. Not really. They were doing just fine and had been for a while; he hoped Meshindi wasn't about to ruin it.

Home?...Home? The large silhouette stiffened like a board in the darkness. On the outside, his features twisted. On the inside, they burned.

What was more of a home to Meshindi than this? The two made their own claims of 'home' wherever it was their paws took them. They were independent, even of each other at times, with an entire world at the sharp end of their talons. Home...He knew what it meant, and it infuriated him to be so aware.

Did he truly want to be caged? Did he want to be surrounded by strange faces? To force Gepeto into that sort of life, knowing it was not where he belonged?... The Meshindi he thought he knew would never settle for that...But...That was just it! He did not know Meshindi. Not completely. They were friends with secrets, and up until now that was exactly how they liked it.

Slowly, Gepeto brought his head up and looked toward Meshindi, all cloaked in the shadows. This setting seemed to fit the mood as well as their entire relationship. He strained to see the look on the others face. What was at this home that made him so bold? Staggering up to his rear and digging his claws into the soil, Gepeto held his tongue for a while longer.

Instead, he grunted in that way that seemed amused but was clearly not. The rest of him rose before Meshindi after a few moments time, neck tucked between his shoulder blades in both laziness and, once again, suspicion. He treated Meshindi like a brother despite their differences. Despite their secrets. And so easy was it to fly off the handle sometimes. To break out in a fit of rage, especially over such an idea being brought out into the open, let alone being birthed within that skull. But he liked Meshindi. Enough to try and remain calm.

Try...to remain...calm...

"Why...?"His voice trembled. Soon the rest of him began to do the same. "Why risk everything?" Home was where the heart was, after all.

Unable to think clearly did more to upset the lion than anything else. He had to let the other male speak freely, to not interject, otherwise...Temper tantrum. This seemed to give Gepeto enough time of his own, as well as an energy that was spent trying to relax more than listen. But, even as Gepeto fell into a rather neutral state of mind, he was still waiting, uncharacteristically patient, for the moment when Meshindi would crack. Because Meshindi would crack. He always did.

There was a lot of information for any lion to take into consideration, even in so few words spoken. Some might suggest doing it for the best of the brotherhood. Meshindi would do the same for Gepeto, no? Perhaps not. One could never tell...But the brown lion's convictions were too strong to let go of, and while there was a growing curiosity, in the recesses of his mind, Meshindi would need to fight harder in order to persuade.

There! The crack...

"Meshindi...My love..." Gepeto cooed in a tone most threatening, cutting into the conversation despite his previous attempts not to. Something about the way he said it also seemed to carry sympathy; or, rather, a mockery of it. "What is it that you want, really? To feel a sense of honor that only they can provide? Do you dream of becoming a knight in their army? How long has this tainted idea plagued you, hmm?" He was frozen in place, staring still into the darkness. "What difference would it make to you, go or stay? Tell me, what good is a home you left once already?"

His questions were soaked in a facade of sarcasm, face twisted in a way that would only further the belief of such a front. However, there was an underlying intrigue that could not be denied, not by the brown lion himself. Gepeto wanted to know the answers to these questions...no, he almost needed to know.

Because this would change everything.

This was a wound he had not meant to reopen. The secrets...they were starting to spill out. Soon they would be drowning in all the truths and hardships of life before friendship, revealing more than what either of them had ever wanted to. The pact of silence was shattering...

It would be Gepeto's luck to encourage all the feels; unintentionally, of course.

But in some round-about way, this was the answer he had been seeking. Meshindi had daddy issues. Not something worth crying over, and personally Gepeto might have done the same--but what he could understand and what he did respect was his friends desire to prove his worth. It swayed him, ever so slightly.

He did as Meshindi asked and listened. Sinking back onto his rear end until the other paused, at which point he broke through.

"Don't talk about it be about it! But you, what?"

He grumbled something incoherently, turning his attention off to the side. There was no use trying to peer through the shadows, and at this point Gepeto had no desire to see what was on Meshindi's face. Whatever emotion, or lack thereof, the male could keep it to himself.

In the mean time he scratched claw marks into the soil, puncturing holes and roughly moving grains of sand about. Best friends. That was exactly what he would call it, although never to anyone out loud. Meshindi was his only friend, and had been...and probably would always be. While the brown lion knew very well they had a strong relationship, it was good to know that the feeling was mutual.

But there was always that 'if'. Foreboding and threatening to come through. If something bad could happen, it would right? "And if it doesn't work?" More to this needed saying, but Gepeto couldn't bring himself to utter it. What if Meshindi's father accepted him again, but the life of a pride member did not suit Gepeto. What would happen then? Would Meshindi leave as well?

And if not, who would do all the hunting? And cleaning and cooking?

A long, drawn out pause followed as the male contemplated many things. "I will not stay just to satisfy you and your needs."

For a long while Gepeto sat silent. The complaint was noted while a conflict raged within the other lion. He no longer wished to see the frustration on Meshindi's face, but it was felt nonetheless. As if it were tangible.

Words that Gepeto nearly forgot he said had struck a chord. To pinpoint which would take too much effort, but for whatever reason Meshindi was now short with him. Onward, he proposed. See what it is like, and then leave if nothing suits their fancy. Leave without a fight, without begging to stay.

This was a promise he would not forget.

Gepeto had cracked, and anger once again warped his thoughts into something vicious and personally threatening. Meshindi knew he would buckle soon enough, just like how the brown lion knew his companion would; it was only a matter of time. Yet, assuming that was on his mind from the get go, and thinking that Meshindi could have been so clever as to manipulate him into conceding, made Gepeto belligerent. He muttered a continuous stream of jumbled phrases, all harsh in nature and barely in a language even he could understand...before rising to his feet. He growled into the night, frustrated himself, before slowly turning and disappearing into the bush.

There was a time to talk with Gepeto, and then a time to let him be. The damage was already done. The decision was already made. They would go as soon as Meshindi was ready.
In the mean time, Gepeto would rage somewhere off in the distance.