A figure moved through the grass.
Once again, here she was on the outskirts of the swamplands, same area she'd been last time. It was night-time, though, and she was, to be fair, rather tired. It hadn't been the best of days, she'd gotten kicked by a wildebeest and was sore all over, but otherwise, she was fine.
She'd told Gharadi she'd come back, though. Avani liked to keep promises, and the lioness now sat down next to a tree, tilting her head and looking towards the swamps ahead. She didn't want to get in during the nighttime, someone could think the wrong thing. Should she just wait till morning? With a small sigh, she sprawled out to rest.
Gharadi yawned and peered at the cubs once more before heading out for a walk. The stars were shining, cubs were sleeping, it would be good time to walk for a while, relax, not have cubs climbing all over him and such. They were so energetic and wore him out most of the time during they day, accept for the minimal time he got to himself, got to be able to wander around without worry of one of the cubs hurting themselves in the process. Yes, tonight was a good night to relax, and have no worries.
He continued along, yawned an peered up at the sky, stars lit bright against the black canvas of the night, he smiled, peering up at the moon, mud covering his paws slightly so as the cool air graced his pelt, it was a lovely night indeed.
Wait.. now that she looked at the swamps again, something was moving in it.. No, she didn't have a view to the whole thing, but Gharadi had managed to pass very near the edge-- the particular edge she had in view right now. She was still. .terribly nearby, and she doubted the swamp ended exactly on the line of the swamp. She might still be in the territory, the lioness had been too distracted to really pay attention.
Okay, avani. Times like this, you scurry out of site! Starting now! Though, the klutz in her striked again, and as she turned, she forgot the tree ride behind her, and slammed in nose first. "AAA-ah!" She started with a bit of a shout, then forced herself to close down. Craaaap.
Gharadi stopped short when he heard a strange noise, quirked a brow and peeked his head out from the draping vines ant underbrush, "Avani?" certainly looked like her, but why had she made that noise? Tilting his head he maneuvered his way through the vines and brush and stood closeby to her, watched her, looked to hte tree, had she stumbled or misjudged where it was? True, even he thought that the swamp moved at night in hte strangest ways. Perhaps she was just as tired as he was. "You alright Avani?" sincerity in his voice, hopefully she wasn't too hurt, that wouldn't ge good, some of hte bark splintered rather easily.
"HOLY-- " She yelped as suddenly something was behind her, and thoughtlessly launched at the tree, clinging to it like a startled house-cat, looking back at Gharadi. Wait, Gharadi? "You have -got- to stop sneaking up on me like that. " She grona,ed releasing her paws from the tree and slumping pathetically to the ground. She hadn't set foot in the swamp yet, so for a moment she was confused by the mud on his paws, then remembered her lived in the swamp. "I was going to wait til lmorning to go in and find you! " She said, then remembered he'd asked a question. "oh, I'm fine. Slamming into trees is my specialty. "
Gharadi chuckled and ran a paw over his mane slightly, blinking, looking embarrased, "I didn't mean to scare you or startle you, I guess its a bad habit now, my apologies Avani..." he said with a nod, sitting back on his haunches watching her. She surely was easily frightened, or he was extreemly scary. Perhaps they met somewhere in hte middle. Either way... "Really? The cubs would have swarmed you then, thats why I'm on a walk, they're sleeping now, the little energetic buggers they are, but I do love them regardless....and I doubt thats your specialty, thouh I've done it quite a few times myself," he said chuckling again. Yes, sometimes vines were tricky things indeed.
"When you're a rogue, you startle easy. "She grinned slightly, stting up and flicking her tail. "Took a walk to take a break from the cubs, ha. " She smiled, stretching out lazly.
Though, now she'd found Gharadi, and much earlier than she thought she would. She didn't really want to go in the swamp at nighttime, so now.. she had hours to kill.
"Well, they are so lively during they day, and I figured, why not take a walk, not a bad idea, least in my mind," he said with a smile, flicking his tail, peering up towards hte stars, the sky. "Besides, on hte brders, you cna see so many more stars, at least...I think so, less canopy of branches out here so, easier to admire the view..." he watched hte sky for a moment, smiled, then let his eyes settled on her form once again. "Do you want to get a tour now, or wait until the sun shines? Or we can wait here for a while, watch the clouds pass by, pick out figures, thats fun too..." games, he loved hte games though, the cubs loved picking out images in hte white clouds.
"I like walking, I do it all the time. " She grinned, nodding slightly and blinking, then looking up at the sky. At night it was hard to pick out shapes in clouds, especially when the sky was.. 'clear', so to speak.
"I'd rather stay here-- all sore from getting kicked today. " She said, rolling onto her back to lok up at the stars. "There aren't many clouds.. but wanna play with the stars instead? I do that a lot. "
"You got kicked?" Gharadi asked, eyes somewhat wide at her statement, getting kicked hurt, a lot, a lot more deending on what hte heck kicked you in hte first place. Standing nad moving closer, Gharadi flopped onto his back as well, laying next to Avani in hte night, peering up at hte stars, a smile on his maw. "Sure..." connecting stars was fun too, so many forms to be made. His eyes searched the sky as his mane fluffed out around him as he lay back. This was calming, soothing, and Gharadi felt ....it was hard to explain, he felt as if he mattered somewhat.
"Yeaa, wildebeest. I'm just glad it wasn't a buffallo! " But no lone lioness would dare hunt a bufallo-- they were simply too deadly.
"Look, over there I can see a gazelle! " She said, though trying to describe what stars she was connecting was hard. But that reminded of something she'd thought about.. "What do you guys eat here at the swamps? "
Gharadi's eyes looked to where he thought her eyes were, but he just couldn't see it, and his ears folded back, "Which ones, does it start with one of those bright ones or am I a bit off?" he asked with a chuckle, raising his paw to point with his white toes. Eat? What they ate? "You'd be surprised what prey beasts get lost in hte swamps and get stuck in the vines, its quite easy to pick out a antelope or gazelle now and again, and wildebeast usually congrugate over there a ways," he said pointing out to a distance, "Its not hard to find a suitable meal here at all," he said with a smile. Yes, food was good here.
"The bright ones. Youcan see the tip of its horns over there. " She said, pointing with her paw, then blinking at him. "Really? " She tilted her head. "Thats so bizarre! Why would they walk into somewhere so dense? " She smiled, looking to the male and flicking her tail slightly. "That sounds much easier than chasing stuff down, though. "
"Ohhh, I see it right there right?" Gharadi asked moving his paw closer to her, his almost touching hers in hte slightest most gentle way. Gharadi nodded and smiled to himself, "I think that they search for hte mud adn water source in hte swamps, hte mud is softer and helps keep them cool in hte sun, acts like a screen in a way, but their feet, get so easily caught, you think they would stay away..." but they didn't but that was better for them. "I do what I can to hunt, chasing or finding one caught, either way, their plenty of food around to keep everyone healthy and satisfied, much better pickings then in hte roguelands lately," he said with a nod. Yes, much better pickings indeed. "Oh look, there, see the snake there? Looks like it has two heads though..."
"Huh. Suicidal prey, what will they think of next! " She chuckled, pulling her paw back once he seemed to find the stars and resting it on her chest, tilting her head at the idea of the snake. "Yeah.. it does. Maybe we can make another snake out of that. " She smiled, and began to point out a few stars. "See, like thats its two snakes rolled up together! "
Gharadi chuckled, rested his paws on one another on his mane and looked to where she was pointing, it did look like two snakes curled together, and he smiled, "It looks like a cute couple don't you think?" he said with a smile. Letting his eyes peer around some more, and rest on the moon. He couldn't remember the last time he did this, and with a friend, it felt so...nice. "You know...you're the first one of my friends that has like...come back to see me," he said turning his head a bit so he was looking at her, head turned to the side, "Most of them, I only see once....I haven't seen them since...its nice."
"They do! As far as.. snake couples go. They don't look cuddly to me. " she stuck her tongu out, batting at one of his paws.
At his next comment, she tilted her head. "Really? You're a really nice guy, I don't see why no one would come visit you. " She frowned. "Don't worry, I'll come visit you! I don't have any home to go to, but I can always make room to visit a friend! "
Gharadi smiled, felt warm, comforted, like someone cared. It felt so nice, this feeling, but how she worded things, made him wonder, "Why don't you stay here, with me," and then he looked to the stars, "and well, everyone else too. Its nice here, and, you'd have a home, and could visit me whenever you wanted. You don't have to say yes, or say yes now or at all, but...the offers open...and I cna show you around before you say anything of course," he said with a smile, turning to look at her again, flicking his tail, "What do you think?"
She blinked, perking an ear then sitting up. Stay..? "Stay-- I can't! " Okay, she didn't have a huge reason not to stay, but she'd never thought about it. "I.. I wasn't supposed to stop till.. " She found someone? She'd never really thought about why she travelled,she just did. Avani was lonely, but she didn't want to sit in a pride and know something, or someone could be waiting out there for her. "But I will visit? "
Gharadi smiled, and nodded, peered up towards the sky for a bit longer, silence ringing loudly in his ears, "Thats alright, would be lovely to see you again, and I can show you around when daylight comes again," he said with a smile, a never ending smile. Even if she didn't stay, he had a friend, someone who he would see again, she said she'd visit, and her word was good to him, and made him feel great. Rolling over onto his stomach, he stretched his forelegs and shook his mane, leeting it fall somewhat decently back into place. "I should head back before one of hte little ones wake up, but I'll see you again soon, and I'll give you the grand tour," he said with a nod confirming his words. Then he turned, and fell back into the mass of hte swamplands, a bit of a bounce in his step and he hummed to himself. Avani would be back, he'd be waiting until she would return. (end)
