Waiting.
Of course this mysterious brown male from the rogue lands would keep her waiting. A frown had found itself firm on D'oro-Moyo's face. He had come the night before but had left shortly after, only telling her a little about his day which had included fending off a young male who was trying to take one of his lioness' kills. As exciting as it was, she was actually just more interested in spending time with him now and was finding herself growing more and more fond him. Sadly she already knew his heart was elsewhere. In the paws of at least three other women to be exact. Her frown became closer to a scowl just at the thought. Her name meant 'Golden Heart' but at the moment, she felt far from it.
Another night of tales from the rogue lands. A sigh escaped Durin's mouth as he wandered back into the Pridelands' border. His movements were heavy and sluggish. Exhaustion was ever present as he moved as silently as his large, lumbering body could allow. It was the middle of the night and the last thing he wanted was a fight with a wary scout who feared he was there to steal cubs or something possibly far worse. Even though the Pridelands were a relatively peaceful pride of lions and other species, they were very family and pride orientated, at least from what he could see, and would readily defend their home.
There! A shadow moving in the distance. Could it be him? Maybe, maybe...Was it worth the risk of having a scout know she was out this late and not in a hunting party? Definitely. Puffing out her chest, D'oro-Moyo called out, though her voice was not harsh due to caution, a name she had learned during his last visit to her. "Durin?" It was a strong name, one that suited him and matched hers nicely, at least she thought so.
Durin's head turned towards the voice, his golden eyes shining in the night thanks to the reflection of the moon that was already high in the sky. "D'oro-Moyo?" He returned the cautious call as he altered his course to move towards the disembodied voice. Slowly the brighter lioness came into view and a smile spread onto his face, replacing the neutral expression he had had earlier. "I told you I'd be back."
"And you're late." She corrected, tapping her paw on the ground beneath it as she glared back at the male. Could she really deal with him going back to the other lionesses every day only to return to her at night? D'oro-Moyo shook her head, breaking her stare in favor of glaring off to the side instead, audibly huffing as she did so.
"Oh come on, I'm not that late. At least I came. Leaving my nice warm pile to come see you and tell you about my life like it was some bard's tale." Durin retorted, his voice a joking one accompanied by a few chuckles that quickly subsided after the lioness turned to look back at him with hurt in her eyes.
"I know!" D'oro-Moyo nearly yelled in reply, her olive eyes narrowed with tears on the verge of falling as she looked at him. "I just...If your life is so hard, why not just bring your family and lionesses here? We could all live together here instead? I'm sure the king would readily accept new members, especially a strong male that could help protect our border. I--"
Durin quickly cut her off with his own simple word, "No." Which was quickly followed by a shaking of his head. "You are still young. Listen to yourself. I have chosen my life as did the lionesses that live with me. We want the freedom that comes with being a rogue. You remember me talking about that, don't you? That freedom is what I protect each day."
"But there's freedom here!" She quickly replied with, her voice growing more desperate. "The Pridelands are big and there aren't many rules. You--"
Again Durin cut her off with the same simple word of; "No. Listen, D'oro-Moyo. You said it yourself, the Pridelands are big, but there are borders. There aren't many, but there are rules. A rogue such as myself would not be comfortable living with such restrictions even if they are few in numbers." His head lowered slightly as he turned away from her. Looking back over his shoulder, Durin actually seemed to have sadness in his eyes. "I am sorry I couldn't share more stories with you."
There was no way she would just let him walk away like that! Quickly the young adult ran after him, putting herself in front of him, her green eyes flared with anger as she stared up at him. "And you're just going to leave just like that? No real goodbye? Fine, I'll just come with you then and become a rogue like you. Then I can just join your pride."
The large male sighed and rolled his eyes before looking down at the adamant female. "You can't be serious about that. You barely know me. Hell, you've known me for like...two days. I'm trying to save you from making a horrible mistake here. You have a good life in your pride and you're used to it. You'd never make it as a rogue. Besides," Durin's voice grew softer as he spoke, his eyes diverting from her intense stare. "My lands could not support another lioness. It can barely support those living on it currently. I'm sorry, but you cannot come with me."
D'oro-Moyo could do nothing more as she stood there, watching the backside of a lion she had fallen for in just two days walk away from her after just coming into her life. It was painful sure, but the fact there was no real goodbye was both promising and heartbreaking. Promising in that there was always a chance since they had parted but were not truly apart. Heartbreaking that he left, possibly with the intention of never returning and did not feel the need to tell her if that was the case. Slowly the lioness sank to the ground and wept.
[Word Count: 1038]
