[PRP] What do the Stars Say? [Atmago x Umlindi]

[oo Ded]

He wasn't really used to walking on the sand, yet. Every once in a while, a paw would slip farther than he thought it would and the lion would do his best to keep both his cool and his legs directly beneath him. He felt like an idiot. This place was hot, dry, and the locals were... well. Fine for the most part, he supposed, though a few were rough around the edges to say the least. Atmago couldn't really fault them for it. Living in a place like this all your life, he could see how the Firekin got its reputation. And besides, the few individuals that he had known throughout his life would say that he'd fit in like a pea in a pod.

It was night, because of course it was. A few moons ago Atmago Atmago would never have fancied himself a night person. It was almost eerily quiet, and you could never really know what was just around the next dune.

Still, it was night. Which meant the stars were out. Which probably meant she was out.

He found himself looking at them more, now. The stars. He tried so hard to piece together shapes and stories, but that felt about as native to him as the sands beneath his paws. But he never doubted that it was worth it. Everything about this whole thing--the stars, the journey, her--it tugged at his chest in a way that he couldn't put into words.

Hopeless, he scoffed at himself silently. His parents would scold him for how much his heartstrings sung. Still. His legs moved him through the sands to what he thought was an good vantage point to stargaze, towards where he thought he might find her, and he was doing nothing to stop it.  

[mouselet]

UMLINDI

A lioness did not present a typical silhouette when lying on her back, gazing up at the stars. This was obviously the best way to stargaze, as it hurt one's neck the least after some time. Not to mention, Umlindi thought as she wriggled a little in the sand, that sand was much more comfortable than hard-packed earth to lie on. Oh sure, there were rocks in both, but there were a lot less plants to conceal them here. If she was really serious about lying like this for most of the night, it was only a small bit of effort to dig around long enough to remove the rocks and stones from her small bed.

Another advantage to the desert was the sheer expanse of sky that was visible. Umlindi felt she could see much farther here, that there were fewer obstructions to work around. Oh sure, she had always been capable of getting up and moving, but the point was to stay put and make observations, not spending all your time moving around the obstacles that were just tooooooo tall to be able to be easily avoided.

On the other paw, the downside to stargazing in the Motoujamii lands was that she seemed to have fewer clear messages to decipher since she and Atmago had arrived. That was...unfortunate. Still, she wasn't about to give up any time soon. If the sky wished to withhold its secrets, she would still try each and every night because who knew what vital information she might miss otherwise?  

[oo Ded]

"Is that comfortable?"

Atmago had done his best to calm the flutter in his chest that he felt when he first saw her up on the hill. Something about the way she had been positioned there in the sand was endearing. It was… cute? Was that the right word? The dark red lion shook his head silently at himself.

The sand slipped beneath his feet as he moved, but he did his best to make his way towards the lioness that had become his travel companion. How long had it been now since they had initially met? He couldn't say for certain. He was terrible at keeping track of this sort of thing. He got more distracted by the content of the days than the number of days hat passed.

The dark lion sat nearby with a slight 'oompf.' "So," he started. "Anything interesting up there?"

Still, there was the pitter-patter in his chest. He'd yet to tell her how he felt. How he had felt about her since shortly after they had first met. Atmago was never very good at words. Did she already know, he wondered? Had he been obvious about the affection he held towards her? Had he done a bad job of hiding the stolen glances and little smiles? Hard to say.
 

[mouselet]

The lioness smiled at the familiar shadow looming nearby. Her green eyes were only barely visible in the darkness, but that was more than could be said for Atmago's, which were several shades darker.

"Of course," she answered happily, wiggling back and forth in her sandy bed for emphasis. As he sat down, Umlindi moved her tail and a paw to be in contact with him as her attention returned to the sky.

"It's all very interesting, but it's not very clear," the lioness continued. "A journey, but not for us, which isn't surprising given the talk in the pride." Her voice faded away as the lioness continued studying the sky above, seeking the slightest hint of insight.  

[oo Ded]

At the feeling of contact, he would had sworn that his hard was attempting to leap out of his throat.

In an effort to keep his cool Atmago focused his attention onto her words. Though he might not have admitted it, when they were first meeting he had only really be interested in her star-speaking because it was her speaking. It took some time, but the crimson lion was becoming more and more interested in the stories that the stars were saying.

"A journey, huh? I head some of the others talking about such a trip." He stretched his paws out before him. His tail twitched and came in contact with hers—a deliberate and thought out motion. "It feels like we just got here, though. I can't say I'm too eager to go out there quite so soon." And besides. She was here. Not out there.

The lion rolled onto his side. "What about that? What's that?" He asked, pointing to a cluster of stars in the east. The question was partially out of curiosity. Partially out of the desire to hear her speak some more…
 

[mouselet]

"Mhmmm," Umlindli agreed. Their own path here had not be short, and she could almost feel blisters still on her paw pads. She'd rather let the memory continue to fade than add to her weariness.

Although the stars and moon were the only light, she could make out the darkness of his foreleg blocking out some of the tiny pinpricks and so, knowing where it must connect to his body, she could follow the line towards the object of his question.

"That is...potential," the lioness said slowly. "It can be for good or ill. Depending on the configurations around it, it may mean a sudden and unexpected event. At other times it indicates new beginnings. Tonight it is simply building, waiting, biding its time."  

[oo Ded]

"Potential," the dark lion repeated, his eyes narrowing towards the cluster of stars thoughtfully. "What do you think it's referring to?"

Atmago hadn't really been a lion drawn towards the elusive mysteries of life. His parents raised him to value what he could see in front of him. Brute strength was something that existed in the tangible, physical world. With his present fascination with the mysticism of the stars, he could only imagine that his father was rolling in his grave.

He didn't seem that concerned about it, though.

The large lion stretched out his legs, still laying on his side. His eyes did his best to trace over her outline, taking advantage of the darkness of the night to shamelessly stare. Even when he could barely see her, the sight of her made his heart pitter-patter. Potential. A sudden and unexpected event. New beginnings. It was somewhat vague, but he couldn't help but hope that if referred to some future between them.

His father would be rolling in his grave, indeed. Atmago could almost hear his voice. Hopeless.