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 Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 10:40 pm
- THE MORNING OF DAY SIX - Apries woke to the sound of sea birds calling and waves beating at the sand. There was a gentle breeze to ease the harsh heat coming down from the sun, and as it blew towards him there was a smell mingled with the brine of the ocean.
He opened his eyes and blinked in the light, then looked sideways to see Lani-Ai next to him. At some point in the night they'd moved closer together so that they were actually touching. The sight brought a smile to his face, and the glimmer of color he noticed under Lani-Ai's paw lent a touch of wonder to his mood. Really, he'd never met such a kind, gentle, passionate woman before.
He sighed softly, looking back towards the ocean. Apries himself had changed from meeting her. He had felt it by the second day, and it had only grown more pronounced as the days passed. It awoke a sense of duty within him that he knew he had to fulfill, but...
Apries had to go back to Kemet. He had left like a coward, unable to handle the pressure of being the eldest that had been put on him. His excuse for traveling had been that he was looking for something he didn't think he could find in Kemet, something that would help him to become the man that his family had expected him to be right out of the BCR. Well, excuse or not, it had kinda happened that way. Anyway, he knew now that he couldn't just leave things as they were. He had to go back and settle it with his family, and Horus. He was fully prepared to rejoin what he had left as a young adult and prove himself.
But as his eyes shifted back to Lani-Ai, he felt himself growing sad. He knew he had to leave, but he wished, oh how he wished, that he didn't have to. It would be so horribly selfish of him to ask her to follow him though, when she'd only just begun to escape the ties that another male had so cruelly slipped on her. So, for as long as Pri dared to, he kept his breathing slow and muscles lax, feining sleep so he could watch Lani-Ai for as long as possible.
When the sun was high enough to signal late morning, Apries began to stir. He sat up slowly, still watching Lani-Ai. He was determined not to just leave her like that, gone while she slept. Even if it hurt, she at least deserved a goodbye.
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Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 10:59 pm
Lani-Ai's eyes opened slowly, the heat of the sand near her and movement causing her to awaken from her slumber, blue eyes flicking to her paw before taking in anything else. It was still there. Smiling softly, she noticed that Apries was not laying down beside her, but standing. Offering a gentle smile up at him, she sat up and began to rub sleep from her eyes.
"Good morning." She mewed, breath stopping. She knew Apries well enough to see that he was not happy. He was sad, she noticed the lines around his eyes and her heart fluttered for a second, her paw touching his quickly.
"Are you okay?" She asked, eyes widening at the touch she had given Apries, paw retracting, blushing. It had been so natural.... as if she was meant to do that. Her eyes looked at the ground, biting her bottom lip. Before she could apologize, her mouth opened to blurt:
"Can I come with you?" Her tail flipped to cover her mouth, shocked by bother the outburst and her boldness, looking nervously at Apries. Oh, she was being selfish! He was sad and here she was... but... but what if she could make him happy? "I like being....being...being near you A-Apries. It makes me smile and happy a-and feel a way I haven't felt in a l-long time. You helped me realize I was living a life that didn't hold meaning for me. I wasn't attached... I was just sitting there, unsure what to do anymore..."
Her blushed darkened, looking away from him. "I-I don't want to be here anymore. I don't want to be alone anymore. I want to b-be near you." She wouldn't meet his eyes, instead clenching the shell tighter, heart hammering.
What if... What if he said..No?
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Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 11:10 pm
For a second Apries wondered if his ears had decieved him, if it was all an illusion based on wishful thinking. Seconds passed in silence while he just stared at Lani-Ai, absorbing her words. Then, as if to make up for the period of silence, his heart began to pound at double speed and his face burned with the power of the blush that appeared.
Slowly and carefully, so that Lani-Ai could pull away at any moment if he stepped over a line, Apries leaned forward so that he body was pressed against hers, and bent his head down to tenderly nuzzle the female he now held so precious.
He pulled back after a moment, smiling softly. "I'd love for you to come with me. But-," his heart fell for just a moment, but he had to make sure Lani-Ai was aware of her choice, "-I plan to return to my old tribe, to make amends with them and my family. If they'll have me back I plan to rejoin. It's in the desert, with a climate a far cry from this one that you're used to." Apries watched Lani-Ai carefully. "Are you sure you wish for this?" Yes, although she could potentially break his heart Apries would not lie to this wonderfully trusting and forgiving vixen. He would not make her promises he didn't intend to keep.
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Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 11:21 pm
At the nuzzle she blushed, leaning into it slightly. Was this acceptance? Her smile faded when he said "but", fright appearing in her heart. But? But? Then he finished his sentences and she stared at him, thinking it over carefully.
The desert. She had never been there before, never experienced it before. Never visited before. He was also joining a tribe, a tribe where he had family, family that could reject her. Family that she did not know of. She was risking everything if she said yes, but... But it was okay. It would always be okay with Apries. She knew he'd protect her, and even if his tribe disliked her she'd work hard for them just to stay by his side.
Anyway, the desert sounded new. She could do without any cliff's for a long, long time. Her smile returned, nodding softly. "Yes, as long as you're there I'll follow you anywhere, because no matter what I'm happy just by your side."
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Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 11:34 pm
Apries smiled softly at Lani-Ai's words. He leaned forward again and lightly nuzzled her, hoping to make some of that worry in her eyes vanish. He could certainly sympathize how big a change all of this must be to her, because he himself was reeling from it all.
"Don't worry, I'll be there," he said softly. "I'll keep you safe in the desert until you know it as well as the ocean. And if my tribe accepts us I'll be at your side until that life feels natural to you." His gentle smile was a bit rueful. "I'll need your help myself. It's been a long time since I've seen my old family, I'm sure I'll seem like a stranger to some of them as well."
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Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 11:43 pm
Her smile widened at his words, licking his cheek nervously, blushing even darker. "T-Then I'll always be here to support you." She whispered, looking up at Apries.
Apries. A man that had taken her from a life of imprisonment. Her life had been based around a forgotten promise that held stubbornly due to her desire to never break a promise. However... this man had opened her eyes, had held her above the life she had created around her.
And now this man she'd never leave. She'd support him like he supported her. She'd protect him as best as she could, and she'd never leave his side.
As the two left to start their new life together, Lani-Ai didn't turn around to look at her cliff one last time. She didn't need to, she didn't need that life anymore. All she needed was Apries at her side, and only Apries.
He was her new life.
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