It was good to have green around him again. They had spent so long on the dry arid savannah that Jani had almost forgotten what it was like to lay in a real tree. The boughs of the tree he had decided was currantly home stretched below him, thick and heavy able toi hold his weight and another tonne or two more. He'd forgottenwhat it was like to sleep in a real solid tree, he didn't miss the wippy trees of the savannah with their dry foliage and dead scent. This place, this little oasis of beauty it reminded him of the place he had grown up.
Deep, dark green jaws split in a yawn revealing a soft pink tongue which lapped accross his lips. He liked this place though he would begrudge staying here if Sukari did not wish to. It hadn't been long since their family had virtually 'flown the nest' and he and his mate had been alone again. He had admired her for her strength for her size, he adored everything about her. Even the fact that she let him sleep in this lush green place.
Getting to his foot paws the dark green cheetah stretched out on the branch he was perched uponr evealing those strangely deformed toes, toes which let him skid through tree tops like an acrobat, though they left him disabled upon the ground. Looking down he scaled slowly down the thick trunk and sat at the bottom waiting. Sukari would be back soon enough, he never liked to force her up the trees, he would always greet her upon her ground.
As much as Jani loved the jungle, Sukari didn't quite feel at home, but just like he made the sacrifice of going out in the open when she needed him to, she followed him into the deeper foliague when moving wasn't necesary. Moving across the bushes, the lioness grimaced; here, SHE was the disabled one. The noise, the scents... everything left her looking over her shoulder. As a lioness that had grown up in open savvanah, this place made her feel like a trap. Amusingly enough, she put up with it; in a way, it strengthened her to be able to survive there, she knew, and that little, tiny amount of strength was enough to keep her there, as much as her mate. Her visits to the pridelands had gotten more usual; she spent part of her day there, and part here. The on goings of Pride rock interested her as much as Sarafina herself intrigued her;
it was good to have something to do, now that the children were gone. It kept her mind off of the fact they were in fact, no longer there, "Jani?" she lifted her head, hooded gaze peeking throught the foliague, "There you are," she spotted his form as soon as she noticed his scent, and finaly stepping out, she offered him a nuzzle, "I'm entertained," it was a rare event too.
Jani'esquillo smiled as Sukari came through the greenery to greet him, his ears percked forwards and he got to his foot paws. Taking a few steps forwards it was desperately clear why the big green cheetah spent his life in the trees, on the ground he hobbled and almost danced accross the land, this of course being due to the fact that he had adapted to the high flying life of the trees. He greeted her with a rough rolling puur, rubbing his cheek against hers and nuzzling her neck.
"Entertained?" He smiled and a gentle chuckle rolled over his lips, he liked it when she was happy, though while she was around him he had barely ever seen her sad, or angry."How so my love? did your fworet go well?" He smiled his icey green eyes adoreing though questioning this rarest of moods.
"Entertained," she murmured back at him as he asked, comfirming the notion with the ghost of a smirk; it haunted the corners of her maw, making her eyes gleam in the odd light the jungle offered, "First time too, since long ago," of course, the 'long ago' wasn't all THAT long. But as far as Sukari was concerned, the birthing of her children had ocurred long, long ago... it was a matter that was still raw and she addressed it not. Slaves had entertained her once, before she'd somehow come to lose the few she'd 'owned'. She'd decided they made her weak, and thus the idea of keeping any more any further had been dispelled, "I found something," she spoke almost as if she'd found a trinket.. a treasure, "Something's going to happen. Soon. And I'll make sure we're standing right smack in front of it all,"
she stomped her foot on the floor, rustling the leaves below herself as she narrowed her eyes.
if anything it was obvious she was pondering something, "I met someone in my small strolls near that land; Pridelands, they call it," she sneered, "They've got hardly any pride though."
Tilting his head curiously the large male cheetah raised a brow, it was indeed rare for his Sukari to be so amused by happenings around her. He indeed knew that their cubs leaving was a sting in her side, he hated they had all gone too, but cubs grew and wished to find their own way in the world. Their cubs were no differnt, except that they were of two different worlds. He knew at least one of his sons smarted at the fact that he was neither lion nor cheetah, but something in between. Shaking the thought mentally from his mind he listened to Sukari's words.
"Pridelands?" He looked out over his chocolate mates broad back remembering the lush lands they had passed through to come safely in to this little patch of paradise. "Enlighten me." He whispers his pale green orbs meeting hers. He would always and forever follow Sukari in to what ever endacour she wished him to. He was no coward despite his obvious defaults, if she wished him to help her in some sceme in this land, he would, with every breath in his suple body.
She waved a paw, almost as if dismissing someoe; probably a thought, "I don't have all the details, but what little I do, I find interesting enough to warrant a small stay here," she never asked if he was okay with this; never asked for permision either. She knew he was alright with it, and if he weren't, he'd speak on up; never once had he done so though, and Sukari phantomed he never would. He was content with letting her wear the metaphorical pants of the relationship, "Pridelands. Something about the royal family. Split down the bloody middle," she told him, sneering somewhat, as if something had left a bad taste in her mouth, "Two brothers, one gained the throne, the other was pushed away, death caught up with him. The descendants of that brother grow bitter. Something'll happen soon,"
her hooded gaze moved towards the side, peeking uot the distance; she could hardly see the border of the jungle, but she knew it was there, and her eyes seeked that particular spot, "It'll be interesting while it lasts," a pause as her gaze returned to her mate, "I met a kindred soul; someone that very much reminds me of myself. A friend, I dare say," she mocked the very word with a drastic change of entonation; she'd never had a friend, but truthfuly, the idea of seeing Sarafina as one, was a welcome one, "An ally. It should be interesting, watching what she does. For now, we watch. If she needs help though, I'll aid her."
Jani listened intently to her words and a slow smile came to his lips as she mentioned a friend. The word escaped him, he had never heard it come from Sukari before and he, well he had grown up alone outcast by the leopards of the jungle he had been raised in. There were few whom he even spoke to until he met Sukari. Their bond had always been something special to him, he loved her unconditionally and frankly, he was happy to not be ther dominant in the relationship they shared.
"I know little of prides, though what you say sounds very intersting, do these sort of things happen often?" Truthfully Jani knew little of lions, of prides or coalitions, cheetahs were loners, as were leopards unless they had cubs, so living as he did now with Sukari, always with her with the intent of joining a group of other big cats, mostly lions, often left him a little baffled. He knew of course that it was the natural way of lions and he knew he could never leave Sukari but such a group still confounded him. He knew little in the ways of 'community' living.
"You know I will always walk at your side Sukari but you must be aware, I cannot loose you because of some other lions feud." He looked at her a worried glimmer shimmering over those icey orbs.
Again she waved that paw of hers, the other having come to rest against her maw as she stroked it and thought. Seated down on the lush floor, she narrowed her eyes, "I've never been a pride lion; I was raised by my mother. Hardly raised, but that's beyond the point; as far as I know, it's like a civil war," the smirk was back, sadistic, glimering in her eyes, "Interesting at least; and no. As far as I know prides are usualy quite stable. It's only when s**t happens tha they're mildly interesting," she turned her large head towards the side again, seeking unknowingly that far away point she knew lay in the distance, "It's a herarchy," she arched a brow, having tried to explain this to him several times. She couldn't. It was hard to understand unles the instinct was present,
and as far as she was awae, cheetahs lacked the need to form prides, "Hardly," she sneered at the thought, "There's no one that would ever be able to take me down. That aside," she offered him a small touch of her forehead against his, "I'm just gazing from the sidelines. I will aid Sarafina if she so asks, but she's a smart one. She'd not ask for a bloodbath, and neither would she risk those she cares for. She also knows that I would question anything I don't feel up for doing." another pause, a smirk, "There's your herarchy again," she whispered as she leaned in, her breath against his ear, "And me... I'm at the top."
His ears tilted forwards as she spoke, she always spoke of this hierarchy, of this top of the chainof command. He understood it in it's basest of corms of course. Some lion was in charge, but the polotics of a pride, feuds, civil wars, battles for land, females cubs, status, escaped him, he didn't understand the point of these things so usually his mind put it simply, someone was in charge.
Jani was far from stupid, he understood her words, what she wished to do, that this bloodless coo, would only be viewed and attended to in a purely obsevationary way. Still, he worried that she would be dragged in to some scrap that would leave him alone once again, in a cut of jungle.
He met her gentle headbutt gladdly closing those soft green orbs. A smile graced his maw and he let a slow chuckle escape it, yes, she was always on top, it was her way and her right to be there, he knew that, he respected that. "Just be careful." He nuzzled the base of her ear a soft carress that only she had ever felt from him. "I will come when this thing happens. I won't be left behind unknowing."
