It was a wet evening, the fog cleared only slightly from the downpour of rain, and it left the tan male in a bit of a melancholy mood. He wasn't too sure what he was feeling down about, but it was there nonetheless. He wasn't in the mood to work on any scrolls, nor did he feel like finding food or researching anything. Which was a strange thing for him indeed.
No, Renshu really only felt like sitting beneath the outcropping of rocks that overlooked the ocean, staring out at the churning waters with a glazed expression. He doubted that anyone would be willing to bother him right now, given how out of the way he currently was, but for the first time... he desired some company.
Hm, perhaps he was getting better at being social. At the very least, it was probably a good move in the right direction.
Sighing, the lion curled his paws underneath the fluffy fur on his chest, using his mane to warm them. It was chilly too, and he should probably head back inside the caverns to avoid getting sick... but he just wasn't ready yet.
As it stood, while there were no lions or other felines in general around him, there was another creature nearby.
Tiny paws scrambled against the rocky ground as the little jackal raced to find shelter somewhere. Anywhere. Oh, how had she gotten caught up in this?
... Right. She'd been following a scent. It was faint, almost non-existent, but when she'd found Ren's scent along the borders of this pride, Mángguo knew that he had to be close! She'd spent the last few weeks - months? She wasn't sure anymore - searching for him, and only had word of mouth to go on. But finally, finally, it had paid off.
At least... she hoped it had.
With a whine, the jackal dove beneath a bush in an attempt to hide from the rain, but it was no use. Even with it's leaves, she still felt water soaking through her fur. The urge to cry welled up then, and she hiccupped as she seemed to curl inwards on herself.
Eyes slipping closed, Renshu listened to the pattering of the rain and crashing of the waves, letting it calm him and empty his mind. It was relaxing, in a way, to hear such sounds. He was glad his pride had settled here.
Then, whimpering broke through his revere. Ears flicking up, he opened his eyes to look around, wondering where that noise could have come from. It sounded like a small animal, maybe even a cub, and nervous as he was at the thought of someone nearby, he couldn't just ignore someone in distress. Especially if it was someone young.
The noise seemed to be coming from a bush situated a few feet away from his shelter. Whoever they were, they clearly hadn't noticed the superior shelter literally feet away from them, but he could excuse that. With the rain and fog, they may not have noticed it, or they could be nervous to be around a lion.
He briefly debated whether to brave the rain and his own awkwardness, or slink back into the caverns while they were non the wiser to his presence - but again, he couldn't ignore them if they needed help.
.... He would just need to suck it up. With a deep breathe, Ren uncoiled himself and began tiptoeing towards the bush. He still couldn't see who it was, despite how close he was getting, and with the rain, he couldn't smell what they were either.
Deciding that there was nothing for it, the lion pushed his head through the leaves-
And almost jolted back in shock. He would recognize that pelt anywhere, but what on earth was she doing here?! The last he'd seen of her had been as he was leaving the Tianxia, bidding her to stay and await his return.
.... Oh, he was a horrible friend. He'd forgotten to go back for her. Though he honestly wouldn't have wanted to return to the Tianxia anyway... That still didn't excuse leaving her like that.
Now she was here though, and soaked to the bone. He needed to get her somewhere warm and dry.
Mángo felt frozen in place, despite the shivering that she was sure she was doing, and her eyes slipped close to try and block everything out. Of course, that really only made her focus more on the wet and cold, but she was beginning to feel tired.
The jackal didn't notice someone hovering above her, nor did she register the very familiar voice speaking, but she did notice when she felt herself being lifted up by the scruff of her neck. Eyes snapping open, she glanced up with panicked eyes, thinking that she was in danger, before seeing the soft blue eyes that she had grown to care for.
"R-Ren!" It came out as more of a stuttering squeak, but she didn't really care. The jackal, hanging in the air, tried to curl herself closer to that warm, fluffy brown mane. Finally! She had finally found him! Braving the storm was worth it now, in her eyes.
She watched as he rushed them into a cave, the sound of the rain drowning out in the face of an enclosed place, and just let out a happy growl at both the rush of warmth and the knowledge that she had succeeded.
As he dropped her to the ground and began licking at her back to try and dry it, Mango couldn't contain herself any longer, yipping and hopping about his legs. "Ren! Ren! I've been looking for you everywhere!"
Guilt swept through him again at that, the lion's ears flattening against his head. "What are you doing here?" He fumbled, "Not that I'm not happy to see you, b-but this is a long ways from... from the Tianxia." He faltered at almost calling it home. It wasn't, not anymore, and he worried that she might try to coax him back there.
"You didn't come back," she pouted, "so I had to come find you." The jackal puffed out her chest, "I told you I'd come looking for you if you didn't come back, didn't I?"
"I suppose you did...." He trailed off, throwing a glance down the cavern. Thankfully, there was no one here this late in the evening, and they likely wouldn't be disturbed.
He... he needed to just come out and say it. Mango had come all this way to find him, and she deserved to know that he wasn't going back.
"Mangguo.... I...." He bit his lip, "This... this is my home now." He stumbled nervously over his words, "Th-this is the Mirilli'tavari. They... they took me in while- while they were still trying to find a home.... And... and..."
Honestly though, she really didn't care where he settled, so long as she could stay. So as he spoke, she smiled softly and then cut him off, "Really? I'd love to meet them!" She cast a look down the cavern, "Are they down there? Let's go see them!" And then she began trotting away.
Which left Renshu staring wide-eyed after her. He probably should have known that she'd choose to do that. Unlike him, she wasn't afraid to walk right up to others. Regardless, though, he wasn't sure he was ready to just jump right into that!
With a whine, the male scrambled after her, yelping at her to slow down.
