The moonlight was beautiful tonight, exactly what Atreyu had been hoping for. With a soft smile, the lion made his way gently through the wet foliage around him, careful to make sure that the bunch of flowers in his mouth stayed relatively unscathed. It wouldn’t do for his gift to get ruined before he could even give it. Flowers were fragile things, and these lilies especially were difficult to pick, let alone carry safely. He was determined though! It had been a while since he and Aurra had gone out on a little date, just to enjoy each other’s company, and he wanted it to be perfect.
Dark eyes seemed to brighten as he walked into the clearing and found the familiar white and blue coat of the one he was looking for. Aurra was wearing the pelt she had won during the fishing event, and it matched her nicely with it’s swirly streaks and bright cool colors. Her fur was even more immaculate than normal, showing that she’d cleaned herself up more than usual, and that was saying something, as the lioness was normally stingy about her fur on a normal day.
He appreciated the effort, even if he thought that she looked beautiful regardless, and he hoped that she in turn would notice the bit of tidying up he’d done to himself too. Granted, he usually never really bothered, but he was willing to try and clean himself off if it made her happy. The slight mud on his paws was something he couldn’t get around, but he’d scrubbed off the excess everywhere else.
Trotting closer to her, he was almost unsurprised that she didn’t even jump at his approach. She was a perceptive one, and no amount of sneaking would make her not notice him. Of course, she had been expecting him too, so maybe that had something to do with it.
Making sure to come up from behind her, he thrust out his maw full of flowers so it appeared beside her head.
Aurra raised an eyebrow at the sight, having been expecting to see him instead, but a sweet smile grew in her face at the sight. Trust Atreyu to want to be romantic. She couldn’t say that she didn’t enjoy being wooed though; it was largely what drew her to him in the beginning of their relationship. It was odd to think of how long they’d known each other now. Time seemed to pass by so quickly, but perhaps that was a sign that she was enjoying her life. It always seemed to go faster when one was happy.
Still, she had begun to think that things were a little too calm, and perhaps... perhaps it was time to think about expanding their little family. She had yet to bring it up with Atreyu, but given his love of playing, she imagined that he would love the idea.
That wasn’t something she wanted to bring up now though. Maybe later tonight, once their date was done. Now was the time to feel like a young and enjoy her time with her mate.
With a soft chuckle, Aurra leaned to the side to nuzzle at the male beside her, nose sniffing at the flowers as well. “Why, Atreyu, you shouldn’t have.”
He looked amused at her words, knowing full well that yes, he should have and she enjoyed every bit of it. After all, Aurra was one who enjoyed being doted on.
“But why wouldn’t I?” He lifted himself up slightly to tuck the stems of the flowers under her pelt cape, making sure to keep the lilies themselves visible by her neck. It gave her a very exotic look, and he looked her over afterwards with the eye of someone very pleased with the sight.
“Someone of your beauty deserves the best of things, after all.”
She let out a laugh at his words, ears pulled back in a way that showed that she was flattered and embarrassed. Pushing her head under his jaw, Aurra nuzzled against him, listening to his heartbeat for a brief moment before sighing in contentment.
Still, she gave playful pout and muttered at him, “You’re late, by the way.”
Atreyu hummed in response, “Not that late. The night is still young, my dear.”
She scoffed, paw lifting to nudge at his chest. “I expect you to make it up to me regardless.” And then she lifted her gaze to eye him, waiting to see his response.
He regarded her for a moment, before a smirk grew on his face. He could tell that she didn’t really mean it. This was all a game to her, and one he enjoyed playing as well. It was part of what made them work.
“And how would you like me to make it up to you?” Atreyu took a step back before bowing his head, gaze lidded as he looked up at her.
Aurra would be lying if she said that the look didn’t make her heart skip a beat, but she wasn’t one to give up the game too early. A paw raised up to two at her chin for a moment, and then she sent him a coy look. With a quick swipe of the aforementioned paw, she whacked him gently on the nose before turning tail and twirling away.
“You’ll have to catch me all over again! Maybe I’ll forgive you if you do!”
With a laugh, the lioness bounded away. It was a game they had partaken in many a time before, and so she knew he would not only give chase, but likely catch her in the long run. Largely because she let him, but nonetheless. It was a fun and a great way to start off the night.
Atreyu’s nose scrunched as it was tapped, but he shook it off with a grin. “A chase, huh? Dangerous of you to suggest - you know I’m not one to lose a good catch!”
His tail flicking playfully behind him, the dark-pelted lion took off after her.
