“Come on, Ninniach,” hummed Hathel, moving along the rocky mountainside as she explored the area around her pride. It had been a while since they had been back home, and she was happy to see that the place was looking as good as ever. Well, better, really. She had remembered the place looking dark and gloomy, though maybe that was just her mind’s eye adding a mood to the sad memories. In any case, she was glad to see that such images didn’t exist in her mind anymore, and she doubted her new memories would have such a dark filter over them.
She looked over her shoulder, smiling back at her mate, Ninniach. The black lion moved sluggishly behind his love, frowning deeply as he looked around the mountain. “I don’t know about this,” he commented lowly, “we’re still getting used to the pride again. Should we really be exploring this mountain beyond the boarders? Something might happen…” The male gave a bit of a frown, worried that they would get into some kind of trouble with no one around to help them out. If something were to happen, if would be just like when they were out in the rogue lands. Or maybe he was just being worried about her because he loved her so much. Normally, he was not a paranoid lion. Recently, though, it felt like something had come over him, making him more and more concerned about stepping into the unknown. Was it because he was so content with being back? Suddenly, he didn’t want to live the rogue lifestyle in any way? Or was it something else?
Honestly, he had no idea.
“You worry too much, we’re not that far from the pride. I just wanted to explore the mountain a little bit.” Hathel sighed, though she wasn’t annoyed with the male. He was only looking out for her, and she understood that he was trying to figure out how he was supposed to be feeling right at that moment. She was a little confused by everything that had happened, too. To go from worrying every day, to knowing you were in a safe place was a little jarring. More than that, it was a place still laced with bad memories. The feeling that things could return to how they once were in the blink of an eye had kept her on edge at first. But she had met the kind. She knew he wasn’t a bad lion, and that she was going to love being back in the pride. If only she could get her mate to relax as well. That was the point of the whole trip- to explore and help him feel more at ease. Like they could have fun again.
The two progressed up the mountainside, heading up to the top on the most inconvenient path they could find. Why? Because it seemed a better option than trying to take the easy way up. What was the point of exploring if you didn’t go all out?
They were already there- it was time to make the most of it.
“Do you remember when we were living in the rogue lands? We used to climb mountains like this just to put distance between us and the pride. Now we’re back where we started, but everything is new and exciting again. I never thought such a thing would even be possible. We are very lucky,” Hathel observed as they climbed. Ninniach frowned, but he wasn’t upset by the thought. Just a little confused. “What do you mean by lucky?” He asked, letting her explain herself. She stopped, waiting for him to catch up before she explained herself. She would need to give him a good nuzzle to warm him up to her line of thinking. After the cuddles, she smiled.
“Lucky because we have the rare second chance. And it’s not just making the same thing work this time around- it’s a real second chance. Don’t you think that’s lucky?” She asked, tilting her head slightly to one side. Ninniach sighed.
“You’re right. This is our second chance. I just want to make sure it stays on the right path. I guess you’ve noticed, huh?” He should have known- she knew him better than he knew himself. When she giggled and started to move on, he knew he hadn’t been wrong about his thought. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to be a sourpuss or anything. I am happy for the second chance. I’m just…I don’t. I’ve been feeling very protective of you for some reason.”
“That’s okay. I like when you’re protective of me,” giggled the female lightly, “but… don’t start to loose sight of the fun, okay? You have to be happy, or I’m not going to be happy, even if I am safe.” She laughed and continued on her way again. She knew he was following her, so she didn’t feel too inclined to look behind again as she clawed herself up to the top again.
Ninniach followed, smiling faintly. He clawed his way up as well, getting to the top of the mountain alongside his mate. There, the two saw the falling sun, a orange glow spreading over the horizon below them. It was quite beautiful, and Ninniach couldn’t help but notice how beautiful Hathel looked with the light glowing all around her. If he didn’t know any better, he would say that she looked like some kind of Goddess. She was his Goddess, that was for sure. She was someone he wanted to keep safe, no matter what. Still… this hadn’t been a bad day. Maybe she was right in lightening up a bit. Enjoying himself. He didn’t mind the idea, he was just protective. He wanted to have a family with her, so she needed to stay safe. Wait, was that the whole reason why he was being so weird? He wanted to have cubs with her? It was something he hadn’t really been thinking about, but apparently it had been on his mind the whole time. As he sat down beside her, he looked at the sunset, frowning thoughtfully.
He wanted to have a family. What a mind-blowing concept. When was the last time he had wanted a family with someone? There had been other females at points, but no one like her.
This was the real deal.
WC: 1,061
