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 Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 6:21 pm
Letting his eyes linger on that green face for a few more moments, he eventually moved on to their surroundings. They had been resting in the shade of a large tree, surrounded by rustling savannah grass. He sighed a little at the sight of them, obviously pleased. The music here was so warm and familiar, he couln't help but close his eyes, gently bobbing his head to it. The birds chirped merrily, creating a sort of harmony to the already provided melody. He even started humming to it, although a bit quietly in an attempt to not wake the sleeping female beside him. It was good to be home, that was for sure.
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 6:32 pm
Sleep came much easier here, home in the savannah, than out where the ocean was. Perhaps it was simply that she had been born here, and had lived here her whole life, and the music of the leaves had become one of the things that she could never live without. She herself had been surprised at the swiftness with which she could now fall into slumber, and how long she could spend sleeping without caring for what time of day it was.
Perhaps one of the reasons was Juke. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw his face as clearly as if he were standing right there in front of her, she heard his music and she saw his music, his dancing eyes. Everything. And every night it was under this image that she would fall asleep, and dream of Juke and the savannah. Occasionally, if she was feeling particularly happy, her dream might even incorporate the ocean beside which they had lived the past few moons of their lives, the ocean on which her love for Juke had become more than a mere shadow.
The gentle humming penetrated her sleep, and her eyes fluttered open. Grass. She lifted her head slowly. Grass? It took another moment for her brain to connect everything: Grass, savannah, home, and Juke. She blinked twice before the sleep began to leave her eyes and she realized that it was Juke that was humming. She turned toward him, reaching out and bumping his cheek with her muzzle. "Well hello to you too."
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 6:44 pm
Juke's eyes opened quickly at the light bump, his head turning to catch the lioness in a small hug before she got to pull away. He was pleased she was awake, though he was a bit worried it was his fault. His humming might've been a little louder than he had thought, stirring her from her peaceful sleep. The thought of disturbing Jiza wasn't a very nice one, but her tone didn't seem too upset. "Morning, sleepy head." He smirked a little before pulling back from the hug. He couldn't have been happier with their situation. While residing by that paradise of an ocean, he hadn't really realized just how much he missed home. Sure, he had known he was home sick, and he had expressed that to the lioness so that they would go come back here. Yet, he hadn't realized just how much he loved the savannah until they had gotten back and spent a little time here. Now that he was lying peacefully beside his love and surrounded by what he had grown up with, he realized that leaving this place to go to a pride hadn't been such a good idea after all.
Of course, he didn't know what his and Jiza's love status would be if they hadn't gone to the pride together. Perhaps they would've bumped into eachother a few more times, but there was no telling if they would end up here, resting beside eachother. So maybe it hadn't been a mistake to spend that time by the sea. Turning back to the green lioness cheerfully, he decided to express these thoughts in words. "I've been thinking... it's a good thing we went to the beach. If we hadn't, we might've not ended up together in the end." What would be the fun in that? It would be like a song with no beat: the whole thing just falls apart.
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 7:01 pm
"I'm sure you were just humming in your sleep," Jiza said with a quick roll of her eyes, grinning. She was so much happier here than she had been at the sea. There was something about the rasp of the grass that the sloshing of the waves hadn't been able to replace. It was that feeling. Every time the grass waved, she could almost hear the word 'home' floating toward her on the wind, a whispered reminder of where she was.
The beach had not been home, that was for sure. Although now that she thought about it, it didn't matter where home was. Wherever Juke was, a little part of home followed and that way she knew she would always be happy, so long as Juke was there with her.
"I think so too," She said with a smile. "If we hadn't gone to the beach, you would have gone somewhere alone and met someone else inside the pride." She added, remembering what Juke had told her so long ago, at their first meeting.
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 7:18 pm
Juke had hoenstly forgotten his intentions of joining a pride and making a family there. He was mildly amused by this, which came out in his expression easily. It seemed like the exact opposite had happened, since he was once again a rogue and didn't seem to have a family lined up. Then again, he'd be plenty happy with just Muujiza in his life. He didn't particularly need little ones climbing all over them and pulling at his ears. Actually, at that moment, the thought was somewhat unpleasant. He wasn't sure he'd be a good father, either. After all, he had left his mom at a young age, and hadn't known his own dad all that well... he had no example to follow! For all he knew, the best thing for a father to do was leave the mother to care for the cubs the way she deemed fit, but that just didn't sound appealing at all. He was in love with Jiza, he certainly didn't want to leave her.
"I don't think the pride life is right for us now." It was a little ironic that he said that, since it was he who had first suggested it. They had given it a test run of sorts, though, hadn't they? And it hadn't really worked out, they had missed their home too much. It seemed that he was lucky he had traveled with Muujiza. Otherwise, he'd be in a rather unhappy situation. "Good thing I didn't go off and meet someone else, though. I wouldn't be having nearly as much fun." He meant it, too.
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 8:24 pm
She remembered that Juke had wanted to go join a pride so that he could start a family with which lucky lioness he came to love, and she realized that the moment they had left the Bahari'mtoto and their chances of joining the pride, they had left any family plans Juke had had behind. That didn't seem all to pleasant to the green lioness. Her thoughts drifted off slightly to images of tiny little cubs clambering all over Juke. Oh well, they could have a family out here in the savannah, where they would live and love the very same lands that she and Juke did. That didn't sound all too bad.
Jiza laughed at Juke's words, her eyes sparkling. "Oh, really? And I thought you were the one who wanted to be in a pride." She grinned, batting at him with a paw. Although, now that she had seen what pride life was like, she had decided that it wasn't as bad as she had originally thought it would be. She would be more open to ideas about moving in the future, she knew.
"Hah, you bet your furry blue behind you wouldn't be having nearly as much fun!" She said with another laugh. Being back home in the savannah was really getting to her. She was just so much happier.
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 8:43 pm
It was true he was still open to the idea of pride life, as he had been before. For now, though, he wanted to relax at his original home. One thing was for certain: if the pair ever did join another pride, he wanted it to be somewhere in the savannah. For a few moments, his thoughts lingered on the idea of raising a family out here, but he didn't stay on it long. His confidence wasn't very high in that department, after all. He was sure Jiza could raise a brood just fine, but he was also as equally sure that he'd do awful with them. What could music do for a mere cub? And what if they didn't even /hear/ the music? What could he possibley share with a youngster who couldn't enjoy what he enjoyed?
His mood was noticibley sour for a few moments, but flipped instantly when Jiza joked around. "Might not be as much fun, but y'know, I'm sure there'd be loads of lionesses just dying to dance with me on a beach. And probably some less weird ones, too." He smirked playfully, pushing his furry blue behind in the air and wiggling it a little before pouncing at her. He knew Jiza was different from other lions and lionesses, and some might say a little odd at times, but that was one of the things that made her so darn attractive. She was just special.
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 8:53 pm
She could always tell when Juke was feeling down by his expression. That, and his tail might stop swaying to the beat. But she could always see that little pout that could have just been her imagination, but her instincts always told her that whatever she had imagined, she was right. She could tell something was getting to him, but the moment he brightened, she let the thought banish itself to the back kof her mind.
"Oh, yea, because less weird ones would want to dance with the likes of you?" She said with a cheeky grin, swatting at his tail the moment before he pounced on her. There were days when she would stand and push back, but today she let his momentum knock her over and the two of them tumbled through the grass. She grinned waving her paw at his face, as if trying to give him a good slap.
Yes, it was undoubtable that life was good, and on such days, Jiza would forget that they lived in a world fraught with danger and hunger. Because Juke was there.
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 9:09 pm
As they tumbled, Juke was happy that they were alone and without a pride. They'd have too many repsonsibilities if they had stayed at Bahari'mtoto and had become loyal to their leaders. They might not even have time to play like they were now. He couldn't imagine living like that, at least for right now. He was enjoying the time he had to spend alone with her. Seeing as they hadn't been able to catch much down time while living at the sea side pride, he had a lot of catching up to do. Once they had stopped tumbling and came to rest in the whispering grass, Juke managed to keep himself slightly ontop of Jiza's chest, resting his heard on her and listening to the steady rhythm of her heart. He closed his eyes for a few moments, listening to the unique music that could only come from the green lioness beneath him, her heart creating the obvious beat. He had never really thought about it before, but he now assumed that every lion's song started from the heart.
"You're right. I'm a pretty lucky lion." There was a sincerity in his voice this time around. Even though the mood was still somewhat playful, he couldn't help but let her know just how lucky he felt. He didn't think he would ever come up with a reason for her to stay with him. Sure, he was nicer than some of the other males out there, but he certainly wasn't as exciting. There were some real dare devils out there who knew how to keep a lioness like Jiza occupied. He didn't know how he had ever competed with them. "I've got you, your song and a whole savannah right here. Couldn't be luckier."
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 9:22 pm
She could feel her own pulse against Juke. A feeling of peace crept over her as they lay there, mindless of the rest of the world. She let her paws rest against Juke's shoulders, reaching up toward him and nuzzling his cheek - what could only be counted as the feline equivalent of a kiss. There was no way to express fully how much she loved Juke, how much he meant to her. She knew that if anything were to happen and she had to go back to living without him, there would no longer be any meaning in the world that she could see. She would survive something like that, yes, but she couldn't see why life like that would be worth fighting for. Simply by imagining life without him, Jiza could almost feel her heart break a little.
"Juke," She began, feeling the need to say something, to somehow try to express how she felt, although somehow she could tell Juke understood. "There's a lot out there, and a lot could happen. To us and to the rest of the world. I just... I could say that I can't live without you and everything, but I won't. Because it's not true. I can live without you. But... I just don't want to." She didn't know how it sounded. It didn't sound like it had come out quite right.
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 9:37 pm
For a few moments, Juke didn't say anything. He simply nuzzled Jiza's neck a little, letting her words fully sink in before he chose his own. What she said was baisically the way he felt. He could live with out her, if he really had to. He might not find a happier way to live, but he could do it. The thing that he found important, though, was that he didn't want to, not in a million years. He wouldn't be as happy without her, and the music wouldn't be as sweet. Without her, he might as well travel around listlessly to find something that might make him only a fraction as happy as he was at that moment. That future didn't sound at all appealing. Pulling his head up so he could look into the green lioness's eyes, captured by their shocking beauty for a little while. If they did ever have a family, he hoped the little ones would have her eyes.
Softly, Juke smiled at her in a sort of lionish way. "I can't imagine a life without you in it, Jiza. I know I could stick it out if I had to, but it wouldn't be enjoyable and it wouldn't sound nearly as beautiful. I don't ever want to have to go down that road." With that, he nuzzled her softly again, and let his head rest on her chest, listening to her heart again. He was content with leaving the topic if she wanted to, and to talk of other things... like their future, whatever that may hold. Or really, just about anything. Just as long as he was talking to her, it didn't matter.
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 9:45 pm
She smiled, nuzzling the top of his head. She let her muzzle rest there against his mane, breathing in his scent gently. That same feeling of peace was still there, as if it had stretched into a bubble around them, so that the worries of the world simply passed them by and they were left in that moment of blissful joy that they were in now. As if the heavens were giving them a chance to relish in their newfound love.
She let the moment go on, without saying anything, to simply watch the clouds float by lazily about them, to feel the warmth of Juke against her, to watch the occasional bird wheel in the sky. It was the peace that she loved when she was with Juke.
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 10:12 pm
For a little while, Juke let the moment slide without any words. he was content with simply laying there, resting his eyes and listening to his mate's heart beat. It was like a little slice of paradise right there in the savannah. Nothing at the beach could top what he had right then and there. Even if he didn't understand why Jiza was willing to spend her life by his side, he sure was stinking happy about it. Since they had arrived at the savannah, the music had been a bit more cheerful than he had remembered. It was still familiar and warm, of course, but there was something more to it... something that could only be described as his new attitude. He had always been a happy fellow, of course, but now that he had Jiza for always and ever, there was certainly more bounce in his step.
After a little while of simply enjoying her company, Juke decided he wanted to chat. Leaving his head comfortabley between Jiza's chin and chest, he sighed contently before starting. "The birds are circling somewhere nearby." He watched them overhead, wondering if he could scavange a meal from them. They were great for marking out the location of fast food, that was for certain. Of course, where there were buzzards there were hyenas. "I wonder if they've got something good..."
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 10:22 pm
(( xD Full page in four hours. Mwahaha. ))
She followed his words to where the buzzards were circling in the sky. Scavengers. She almost scowled at the thought of them. Birds and hyenas, those were the two worst ones. She had never enjoyed the sight of them, no matter what they meant. Food, yes, but still.
Of course now that she thought about it, following buzzards to a quick and easy meal more or less branded lions themselves as the occasional scavenger. The thought interested her. Lions, the great hunters of the savannah. Lions, scavengers. She almost laughed aloud at the hypocrisy of it.
"Maybe they do," She said, her eyes following the circle of the birds high in the sky. "I doubt they'd still be circling if the lions were gone, though," She said after a moment's watching. She wondered who might be there. A pride, perhaps? She didn't want to chance upsetting any pride or group. There were only the two of them, herself and Juke.
But then again, perhaps it was just another adventure she and Juke would take part in.
((We could end it here? Or keep going? Either way I don't mind. I'm gonna mark it as finished in my journal, though, in case. But I can always change it if we feel like continuing xD))
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 5:03 am
((ehh, for the sake of closure, i figure if we both get one more in then we're good. i can't beleive we pulled this off. XDD))
Muujiza did have a pretty good point there. The birds wouldn't be circling if the food was just up for grabs. Perhaps there were simply more birds at the scene, or just a couple of jackals. Something like that would easily be scared off by two full grown lions. The chances for a free meal were so tempting, the scavenger deep inside Juke couldn't help but at least investigate. He wasn't starving or anything, but he was hungry enouh t eat. Plus, if they ate now, they wouldn't need to hunt later. Slowly, he pulled himself off the lioness and the ground, shaking out his mane and muscles as he did so. If there were birds at the carcass, he should at least have a flufed out mane. Then he'd look bigger and scarier.
"Well, we can take a look. If there're more lions there, we just won't get too close." He really didn't want to have a fight with other lions if he could avoid it, as Jiza well knew, so he was going to play the finders keepers game that day. After stretching out his legs and wiggling his tail, he smiled down at the lioness and motioned with his head towards the birds circling in the sky. Even if they didn't get an easy meal, one thing was for sure: this day was going to be a good one.
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