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Ceto had never been good about being quiet, even when he tried his best. It was even harder to be quiet at night. The last thing he wanted to do was wake up someone, especially someone who might attack him. His attention kept drifting around, looking for some place to rest. He had spent too much of the day chatting with different creatures.

As he looked up toward the trees, he felt his paw snag a overgrown root. Caught off guard, the young lion ended up tripping forward right onto his face. A loud thump echoed the area when he landed. He laid there in a mix of pain and embarrassment.

When Ceto heard the question, he let out a pathetic grunt. He was perfectly fine, other than his loss of dignity. “I am fine.” He finally said, not wanting to cause any more of a scene than he had already. Slowly and carefully, he got himself out. The only issue was that his leg was slightly sore from hitting the root.

He glanced in the direction of the lioness and gave a weak smile. His night vision wasn't the greatest, so he couldn't see much of her. 'Why do I always have to embarrass myself in front of lionesses' He thought as he brushed himself off.

“Looks like I lost the fight with that root.” He said, trying to make lite of the situation. “I am sorry that if I disturbed you.” It was late, he wondered if he waked her up. She didn't sound that tired to him.

“Meltem, that is a lovely name. It is a pleasure to meet you.” He said. “My name is Ceto.”

It was a relief that he hadn't disturbed her. “You know I might someday. Maybe after some intense training.” Ceto responded with a grin. “I'll make that root think twice before tripping a defenseless lion.” He made a small jabbing motion with his front paws. When he stopped and put weight on his paws again, he felt a small sharp pain hit where he had hit the root. His grin, turned into a grimace as he tried hardest to hide the pain.

He took a moment to look around for some place to lay. When he spotted the leafs gathered up, he thought it would be the perfect spot to rest, at least for the moment. “I think that root got the better of me. It doesn't hurt too much.” His paw felt much better when he laid down. He was certain it wasn't a serious injury.

“So what is a lioness doing in the forest so late? Isn't it dangerous?”

“If a rematch happens, you will be the first to know about it,” Ceto promised with a laugh.

He stretched his paw out. “I don't mind at all.” He had absolutely no knowledge of healing. When he was living with his mother, she would do what she could to fix his bumps and cuts. He never bothered paying attention, because he thought she would always be around to fix him up. “You will have to share some of the tips with me. I won't always have someone around to patch me up.” He said with a grin. Ceto was grateful that Meltem had shown up. More than anything, she had cheered him up.

He gave her a look of surprise. “Nocturnal really?” Never before had he heard of a pride like that. He couldn't imagine staying awake at night and sleeping during the day. “Wouldn't it be easier to gather during the day? Or is it too much fun to scare lions like me?” He said with a playful wink.

Running into anyone in the dead of night would be frightening. If he had stumbled into Meltem instead of the root, he was certain that he would have made an even bigger fool of himself than he had already done.

“I strive when there is an audience.” Ceto jested in return.

He remained still while Meltem looked at his paw. “I would be grateful for the assistance.” He replied when she offered to make something. It didn't hurt terribly bad. So far it just hurt when he put weight on it. However, he knew that he couldn't just stick around the forest until it fully healed.

“I will take your pridal secrets to the grave.” He said with a grin. “Though seeking you out would be much more enjoyable, I will admit.” As he watched and listened to her he nodded his head. “I couldn't imagine many creatures would want a fight at night, especially against an enemy that is used to being awake at night.”

Looking around at their surroundings, Ceto was certain that if he were to gather plants at night he would end up with more injuries than plants. “You are amazingly talented.” He stated. “Not only can you identify what plants you need, but you can find them at night.”

Ceto made a circular motion with his paw. “Will do. No fights or races for this lion.” He said with a nod. Just a nice day of relaxing to look forward to, he thought blissfully. “I really appreciate your help. I probably would have eventually died of embarrassment if you hadn't shown up.” He rested his paw back down and gave her a smile.

“Do you know any where around here I can rest? Preferably somewhere I can be safe at?” He asked. The last thing he wanted was to be a nuisance for Meltem or her pride.

His smile widened when she told him he could see her again. “What a relief. If the only way I could see you was to be hurt, well I feel like I would be more inclined to take risk.” He gave her a joking smile. “But I would be delighted to stop by to visit you.”

He nodded at her pride explanation. “Secrets are a valuable thing. I can understand why you would want to keep them protective.” He replied.

The thought of getting to spend more alone time with Meltem was tempting. It might be interesting to check out her pride, he thought. However, he knew that he might not get a chance like this again. “It is probably best to go to the cave. I will feel safe having you nearby.” Ceto responded.

He had been enjoying her company. It was strange to run into someone that wasn't annoyed at him and shared a similar taste in humor. Overall, he was having a pleasant time with Meltem and he wasn't yet ready to have it end. He knew that he would have to keep this area in his mind in order to return to see her again.

“I never thought about that.” He said after she talked about being too secretive. “But I guess that makes sense. Not everyone would want to be a part of a pride they know nothing about. Though, to be fair, mystery and secrets can be quite alluring.”

He carefully stood up. The pain in his paw had dulled and he felt like he would be able to walk as far as he needed. “Looks like I will be good to walk. Feel free to lead the way!” He said with a wide grin.