Welcome to Gaia! ::

Zephyr hadn't known a time when she and her dear mate weren't perfectly in sync. Today as she walked around the border she knew what it felt like to be in a true relationship. They had been fighting a lot lately. A lot. Over stupid things mostly, but it was a power struggle that hadn't gotten any better. Through it all she knew she loved him and had no intention of leaving, but she had thought...was this a good choice? Would she be left behind like her mother?

She looked at him from the corner of her good eye and sighed. "Are you going to keep giving me the silent treatment, Kou?"

"If I have something to say to you, then I will." Came the large males short reply. He was aggravated with his mate. Koukakala loved her with all of his heart, but she had been selfish and stubborn over the course of the past month. It was stifling not to be able to go out and work for fear of her showing up to chew him out. He knew she did it out of love, since most of his work was in stormy weather and she was worried, but why couldn't she just trust him?

They had thought a walk might clear the air, but so far it hadn't helped much. Maybe they would find a rogue to speak with? Or cubs wandering away from their parents? Anything was better than this tension.



Zephyr was so lost in her misery that she hadn't noticed when the leopon was right on her until...well, she was right on her. Her eyes widened in shock, and her paws froze mid step. She had heard of them, of course, had even seen one at the Mummer's Ball, but this was a rare sight indeed!

"Your eyes are absolutely gorgeous." Was her expert reply as she moved in to get a closer look. Of course her own were gold as well, though one was covered in a patch with scarring around it.

Koukakala had watched the other females approach with respectful quietness that was inevitably broken by his mate. Of course, he couldn't fault her for it, though he wished she would give the poor girl some space. "You are on the border to the Bahari'mtoto and the ocean itself. Are you lost?" She certainly seemed it.

Perhaps they should go to find a Guard? Or at least someone who could show her the right way.



There was a smile on her maw when Zephyr stepped back, though she was careful not to stand too close to Kou. "You've come a long way then, your poor dear." She couldn't imagine being lost from her own mother. If all else failed the limpy lioness would be tracking her down, and then Zephyr would feel terrible.

At least the leopon didn't look any worse for wear. She was healthy, which was always a good sign in the lost.

Koukakala motioned behind him to the sounds of waves breaking on the beach. "You're more than welcome to stay with us until you gain your bearings, assuming you mean us no harm." He didn't think she would, but one could never tell. "Though we can do much about finding your mother we can help see to it that you are well rested and fed before you go out again. Searching for a loved one is a stressing affair."



"Of course. Feel free to take as long as you need." Koukakala turned to start the path back towards the pride. "If you'll follow me I can show you the way, Zurione. My name is Koukakala, though please, call me Kou." She was so gracious that it was like a breath of fresh air compared to the rough waters he had been treading with his mate recently.

Zephyr fell in step behind Koukakala so she could be closer to the newcomer. "My name is Zephyr and...I'm Kou's mate." There was a hesitancy there, almost as if she weren't sure on the word herself after so long. "There's no need to thank us; we're happy to help. Give a little, take a little, huh? I'm sure if we were in your paws you'd be as happy to help."

Or so she assumed. Who wouldn't? It was just natural to help out. "So..is your mother the lion, or was that your father?"



Zephyr grinned. "How cool is that! I've never really met a hybrid before, you're my very first, and I have to say, you're pretty awesome. I gained my spots from my mother, but most of my coloring is from my father, too." She walked with a little bounce in her step now. "Though, you said you were only looking for your mother. Does that mean that your parents have split?" In her world of bonded lifemates that was an uncommon thing, but something her own parents had gone through only too recently.

"Let her breath, Zephyr." Kou reprimanded softly. He could only imagine the frown that she was giving him, but he didn't want to shock their guest into feeling uncomfortable. He maneuvered around a set of stones, moving closer to the beach where the trees became sparse. The ocean was fully visible now to them, as were several lions milling about on it's shore line.



Zephyr shook her head. "Never. I've seen one once before, but it was a long time ago." It was if she were talking about mythical sea monsters. To a lioness born in a pride of strictly lions it could have been just that. They had a leopard to join a few seasons ago, but she had yet to speak to him, so she supposed he had only been a story as well. "Then you're the same as me then. I'm sure you'll have much better luck at finding your father than I, in any case. Maybe he'll be with her?" She hoped so, for her sake.

Koukakala smiled when he heard her gasp. He had been the same way when he was younger, all of those years ago. "It's magnificent, isn't it? And you're right, you can't drink the ocean water, but there is a spring not far from here that I can take you to later." Or his mate, since she liked to spend her days lolly gagging around. "We're a peaceful pride, Zurione. They may look at you oddly, but they did the same to me when I joined. I suspect that you'll make quite a few friends before you leave here."