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 Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 7:39 pm
With an up-beat bounce in his step, his childish outlook came out. He was sure he was going to find Safuma today. He was skipping out on his morning run and was already heading toward Pride Rock. With the moon slowly falling to the horizon, he doubted Safuma was awake by this time. Zeki looked into the sky as stars faded one by one.
In his heart, he hoped that the last ones were you-know-who.
A soft smile came to his maw as he firmly believed that the last two that did go out where in the pride's beloved king and queen. With a soft prayer and thanks, he continued on his way.
It was indeed a strange behavior for one such as himself, but as of late, he was wishing for his father's safe return and thanks for the gift they had given the Pride Lands.
Peace.
Reaching the bottom of the dirt trail that led up to Pride Rock, Zeki surmounted himself upon a lone boulder that wasn't too far off, but one could not miss him if they descended the path. Here he would wait for Safuma.
... Assuming he doesn't fall asleep by then.
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Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 8:31 pm
Typically, Safuma was the first up of her litter. Or at least, she tried to be. Occasionally one sibling or another woke before her, but she did her best. Today, she had been up before everyone else, and meandered to the tip of Pride Rock where she could watch the sun rise.
Unfortunately, that hadn't worked out as she had very soon fallen back asleep. Perhaps she had gotten up before her body was ready after all. Nevertheless, her crimson eyes soon opened and she looked around her somewhat blearily. Who knew what had woken her? No one seemed to be immediately nearby, so she merely flicked her tail from side to side and stood slowly as she stretched one limb after another. Moving so as to stretch out her back and shoulders, front paws splayed out infront of her, she opened her mouth in a wide yawn that rounded off into a soft noise that was something like a muted roar.
Feeling a bit more alert, the adolescent lioness shook out her pelt before turning to leave her rocky home. She wanted to set out and maybe find Wahabu or Intombi or one of the other many lions she had met. As she made her way down the dusty path that led to the flat earth below, however, her eyes fell upon a lion who rested on a lone boulder not far from where she was walking. Tilting her head side to side, it took her a few moments before she was able to recognise the male, "Zeki?"
It was a tentative greeting, unsure if she had the right lion. He certainly looked like her childhood friend and yet, different. Or maybe just she was different. He certainly didn't seem as big as when they had last met.
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Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 8:50 pm
His eyes cracked back open as his golden ears flicked at the sound of a voice calling out to him. A female's voice. With a soft smile, he raised his head and looked before him. Before he could get out as much as a word, his jaw slowly came undone as if the bolts were loosened an inch or so. Crimson eyes fell upon a form of a young lioness. She must have been close to his age. Dazzling crimson eyes like his own and golden fur too. She was obviously a Pride Lander and what more, very attractive.
However, as his eyes moved over her body to take in her features, they fell upon a spot upon her thigh. That spot, he knew it well.
"Safuma?"
He questioned, looking at her a little confused. Was this dazzling, gorgeous, beautiful female his oldest, closest female friend? Was this the little rough-play Safuma that he loved to play around with? Was this the same princess of the Pride Lands that always sought adventures? He could only stare at her trying to convince himself that perhaps this girl is not the girl he was looking for this morning.
On the bright side, he wasn't here panting and sweating after a good run.
"Good... morning to you?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 9:01 pm
It was as if she knew what he was thinking, watching as he went from a sort of heightened interest that was typical of the boys her age, to surprise and then disbelief until at last his expression shifted into some sort of confusion and joy, or at least she hoped he was happy to see her again. Hell, Safuma didn't care whether he was happy or not to see her, but she knew she was happy to see him. She felt that familiar knot tie in her stomach as she watched him open his eyes and slowly recognise her.
She didn't speak again until he said her name, and even then she only laughed boldly and nodded, "Yeap."
It was a shy, nervous moment when two childhood friends suddenly realise that they're not children (or cubs) any more. And yet, they were certainly not quite adults and that was where the awkwardness possibly stemmed from. Safuma wasn't quite sure what to do with the feelings so had for him, so, in her typical fashion, she did her best to ignore them.
Arching a brow at him, she let her hind legs fold in a single graceful movement so she could look up at him better, "Good morning to you, as well, Zex. Are you going to come down here with the rest of us mortals, or shall I have to come up there to get you?" She grinned. The boulder wasn't all that high, but it was entertaining to use it as a means of breaking the ice.
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Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 9:11 pm
He was still staring at her. . . Why was he staring at her? Why was he staring at his best friend!? But no one can deny her physique had become one to admire. He gulped down a knot and shook his head. He should not be staring, no, she was a Princess, she was a female, and she was a friend. She deserved respect! Staring was rude . . . and. . . and. . . He was staring again.
Shaking his head, he looked at her eyes again and smirked a charming smirk before raising to his large paws. It was obvious that he was growing faster than Safuma was and into a much more male position and body. His paws were growing, almost as big as his fathers the last time he remembered. He was growing taller, now he was still a bit taller than Safuma. His shoulders were broad and his body was becoming taunt with muscles. He only trained into them to attract females, that was what he was told. Naturally, females sought out the best male for their genes. He was strong, charming, and well. . . who wouldn't want his genes? Unfortunately for them, he had other things on his mind than mating.
Zeki hopped off his boulder and padded, or rather strutted a bit, toward Safuma. With a bow and a smile, he spoke again.
"My, you've grown a bit, Safuma. Look at you, all pretty princess," he chuckled and sat himself down so he seemed less intimindating or bigger for that matter. At least keep himself to her level, she was royalty after all. "And why would I ever make you walk to me? Hah! Give me some credit."
He let out a breath.
"I heard you had a boyfriend, chasing after a male, are you?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 9:30 pm
She found the staring amusing. Safuma had grown up used to people looking at her, and nowadays she was quite aware that she was growing up beautifully, every inch her mother's daughter even if she were gold as opposed to a deeper hue. She was very much assured in the confidence she had in herself, and so she often merely shook her head and laughed when boys took to staring. Besides, any cubs in the area knew her only as the rough and tumble tomboy that she had been as a cub.
As much as she wanted to laugh at Ezekiel, she only smiled coquettishly and flicked her tail in some half-hearted flirt. She didn't laugh, and she didn't make fun, though she wanted to. She wanted to very much because she wanted to pretend like it didn't matter if he thought she was pretty or not.
But he had his revenge unintentionally anyway as she felt her heart flip following that little smirk and his strut off the boulder. She kept her wits about her, however, and didn't blush, though her smile faltered slightly as she let her crimson eyes trail quickly over his form. It was a flip of her head and nothing more, almost completely unnoticable but she slowed the movement just enough so he would notice. She was flirting, and she couldn't stop herself, not matter how loudly she chastised her disobediant body.
"I've always been a pretty princess," she purred with a broad smile, "No fault of mine you never thought to notice."
She didn't comment on him walking to her. She knew him well enough that she did, indeed, know he would never cause her to exert extra energy. He was a gentleman, she could give him enough credit for that. At his inquiry, she managed a light hearted chuckle and shook her head, "A boyfriend? Honestly, couldn't you give me more credit?" She batted her eyes at him subconsciously before scoffing, "I'm suprised to see you are toting around your own significant other by now, actually. No luck with the females, Zeki?"
She was teetering on a fine line between flirting and her normal behavior, and it was confusing her.
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Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 9:42 pm
Oh this... he had seen this many times before, what she was doing was nothing new to him. However, what was new was the one doing it. Never before did he have a close friend flirt with him like this! He knew both sides of flirting. How a female flirts. It was how he was able to distinguished somethings from others than just guessing by actions and body language. He knew their ways, well, some of it. He knew the male's way of flirting and he did it quite a lot but in a subtle nature. He smirked and nuzzled her softly.
She was so amusing at times. That tom-boy that he had grown to love and play with wasn't this one here, at least not entirely. This one seemed more girly than the usual Safuma. It seems time changed lions and princesses were no exception to that. She still had some fight in her. Especially her sharp tongue.
"I have noticed, however, pretty does you no justice at all," he rose to his feet and started to move about. "Beautiful. Dazzling. Gorgeous. Breath-taking. Amusing. Cute. Adorable. Precious." he listed off before turning back to her with a habitual suave smile.
"Well, believe it or not, I almost assumed your poor brother Akida to be your boyfriend the other day. Though, I was just a little concerned for my best friend, I mean, your mate to be has to know your friends right?" He quizzed. If not, then he would be hurt! Not to let her mate know her closest male friend... "Credit? What credit is there? Credit for not having a boyfriend? Well, usually... it's credit for having one." The batting of her eyes made him laugh.
"Me? Trotting around with a female? Well, that would be interesting, however, I am doing quite fine in that area. I have met a lot of females out here in the Pride Lands, especially some Goddesses believe it or not. However, no significant other, nope. I promised myself that none of this mate stuff until I had a full mane. No ands or buts about it," he gave a stern nod and chuckled that soon ended into a yawn.
Crap he was tired.
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Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 8:42 pm
The nuzzle wasn't a lost movement. She knew it was nothing more than a greeting between old friends - cubhood friends - but her stomach did an unfamiliar flip nevertheless. Her nails extended to grip the ground briefly in annoyance, but her facial expression betrayed nothing as she returned the nuzzle as well as any friend might. She was a princess, after all - she knew how to be on her best behavior and not let other things get in the way.
Even if she didn't always act like it. As he began to trail off a list of adjectives, she fixed him with a bemused smirk and quirked brow as if he were ridiculous. And he was, attempting such a half-hearted line on her. She was no cub, she knew he was kidding. So, she took a half-hearted swat at him with her paw outstretched, not really aiming as she did so and not minding if he hit him at all, "All that and more, I thank you, but it's been said before."
She scoffed at that, the very idea that Ezekiel might be her mate-to-be. Outwardly scoffed, anyway. That might not have been the best description of the somersaults her stomach was doing at that moment, but she held her ground as she retorted, "Mate to be? What've you been dreaming?" It was not said cruelly, but with a sort of open ended twist that neither denied nor confirmed the accusation. It was still left open to tease with, "And who said I hadn't one? I merely said I hadn't merely a boyfriend. I entertain many."
Feeling a bit of jealous frustration welling her chest at the idea of Ezekiel getting along 'quite fine' with many other females, she barely disguised the angry swat of her tail by hauling herself to her feet. She caught his yawn as she walked by him towards the rock he had previously occupied, running her tail beneath his chin as she did so in a flippantly playful gesture. Leaping atop the boulder, she turned and lay across it so that her head and forepaws hung towards him. "Oh? Exhausted by the hunt, Zex? Are the females too much for you?" She smiled, innocently prodding, though her temper was still flaring. If she were any younger, it would've bested her already.
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Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2008 8:40 pm
Zeki appreciated the nuzzle, even if it was from any other female, this one felt different. This was from his closest female friend since he had known since cubhood. He felt no other feeling than that sudden flutter but not much else, however that flutter was something different. It felt like his paws fell off teh ground... or rather floated.
Was it just him or did Safuma like to hit him a lot? He could only scratch the area where she hit him idly.
"Me? Dreaming? Hmmm..." This was going to be amusing.
"you and I, together at my den tonight, sleeping side by side. And then one day, cubs were running around everywhere. Whilst you nursed, I did absolutely everything else to allieviate the load. I would watch them, bed them, take them places.... and then out of the blue, a Goddess will come into our den and take all away and make me into an antelope and you into a gazelle! What a dream, huh?"
Zeki mused to himself quietly. At least not all of it was false.
He looked at her, her tail always gave away her emotions. Everytime something bad happened, her tail would swat or when she was mad. He could never tell which one was which or if it was just an intentional swat of her tail. His crimson eyes watched her as she jumped up onto the rock he had taken and what more.... SHE DID WHAT!? She ran her tail along his chin, a very flirtatious gesture for any female to do, leading males on. He knew that gesture... how could she do that!? He stampered a bit, blush taking florid rule.
"N-No! I am not tired, I am simply tired because I have been looking everywhere for you to tell you that I have a new den situated just further than my father's den and what more, I wanted to talk to you is all. Besides, I haven't spoken to a female other than you since the day after the last. But I guess I won't have to ask my bestest best friend to come to the den for a nap then, huh?"
He gave a defiant scoff and glared at her.
Trap was set and bait was casted.
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Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 7:41 pm
She did like to hit him quite a bit, but what was that old belief? Boys were especially mean to girls when they had a crush on them? Who's to say the saying wasn't the same for tomboyish Pridelander girls? Safuma, however, would never in her lifetime admit to such a thing. Her brow arched as she watched him prepare for whatever it was he was about to say. He seemed to be very pleased with himself and then when he spoke, her eyebrows shot to the heaven as she reached out to swat him smartly on the nose.
"Cubs? You've really been dreaming, Zex. Did someone slip you something?" The swat at been half-hearted, but if only because she was distracted by a little turmoil of something or another in the very depths of her belly. Truth betold, cubs with Ezekiel didn't seem all that bad. Neither did sharing a den tonight. "Strange how lions turning into preybeasts was the most normal part of your entire dream sequence."
She did, however, recieve her revenge in his reaction to her little flirtatious gesture. It was a bittersweet victory, however, as his question caught her completely off-guard. A nap at his den? Friends, they were just cubhood friends, of course they would do such things. She frowned, tail swatting the boulder as she lifted her head to shoot him a mockingly suspicious look, "Only a nap, hmm?" Inwardly, she was churning, "If you try anything, Ezekiel, I'll have to sick my father on you and who knows what will come of having the entire pride at your tail at my mother's command."
Nevertheless, she took the bait with a soft, defiant lift of her chin. "It's a date, then." Revenge! Sort of. "Are we to go now?" Truth be told, she could use one. The sun was high enough in the sky that the heat was making her drowsy.
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Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 4:09 pm
"I get a lot of weird notions in the middle of the night. Should have been there for when I thought my father and my uncles were all rabbits and their children were wild dogs and then theirs were lions. It was so weird . . ." he chuckled softly as he continued to pull from her swats playfully. Zeki knew she liked to hit him, for a while, he knew she liked to do something to make him wiggle and squirm. Most popularly; nibbling on his ear. Over time, he got over it but he still squirmed and whined to give Safuma her satisfaction.
Zeki cocked a brow at her.
"Do you expect me to willingly turn by back against the pride and do something like that? I still have my Codes to follow and that one is directly affected by one. Mind you, I have a lot to live for, like you, before I finally settle down with someone, y'know?" He questioned. Surely she had the same dreams and plans for the future as he had. They were young for so long before they become adults. As much as he planned to have cubs in his life and settle down with a wonderful female, he wanted to do so much more as an adolescent.
"Only a nap. You'd be surprise how lonely it gets when you live alone. I just wanted to show my best friend where I live now, otherwise you won't be able to visit me. And besides, it's nice to know my best friend is there too," he purred, nuzzling her softly before jumping off teh rock.
"Call it what you want, Safuma," he smirked before gesturing over his shoulder.
"Come on."
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Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 6:54 pm
"Jeez, you're wierd." She chuckled after staring at him for a few moments, trying to determine whether or not he was serious. In the end, it didn't matter. He was wierd either way and that was the end of that issue. She watched him pull from her swatting, finding it quite easy to slip back into the old routine when around her best friend. Cubs or no, they got along and that was all that really counted when it came right down to it.
Nibbling his ear was something she didn't think her adolescent stomach could handle, if she thought about it. That was just leaping over a line that she wasn't all too willing to cross just yet. She watched his sudden serious turn with a slight upturn of her lips, generally amused by the change in demeanor brought on by her tease. He wasn't exactly solemn, but he was definitely not joking. "Zeki, you should've been born royalty with an attitude like that." Leaping off the rock to join him, she bumped his shoulder with her own idly, "I was only kidding."
So she thought. She'd been warned of Ezekiel by her mother sometime ago, but she had been young and not understood a word of it. Still, it left her with some doubt where her parents were concerned. With Ezekiel, those doubts washed away and she was left with nothing but that uncomfortable black-hole in her stomach.
"Alright, lonely soldier, onward and outward. Lead the way." She purred, stealing her stomach for that awkward twist that accompanied his nuzzle as well as any other close contact that passed between them. There was plenty she was going to have to get used to or get over.
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Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 7:54 pm
"You noticed this . . . now? Come on, how long have you've know me, Safuma?" He had no idea where he was going with all that but she seemed to find it amusing enough to poke fun at it. The way they still played, her swatting at him while he tried to get away, dodging them, was still how they were while they were cubs. Cubs, adults, it did not seem to matter, they were the same best friends from the day they met.
"If I was born a royal, Safuma, I would never be able to get around without being called "Mr. Ezekiel" or "Prince" or something. And you know how much I hate my full name . . . but I don't think I am even worthy of being directly related to the great Mufasa or his lovely mate, Sarabi. I know your parents will do a fine job taking care of all of us, I just don't think I would be worthy of being part of that side of the family . . ." He replied honestly as he began to walk. It was hard for him to admit it but it was true. He would love to be called a Royal and not have to explain how he wasn't entirely a royal... His true tie was back to Mohatu and Ahadi.
Nipping her chin playfully, a counter for her nibbles to his ear, "No you weren't, admit it. You really do think I am weird, with all my codes and stuff."
"Yes, m'am, I shall escort you safely to our destination. Paws, tails, and head remain on the path and stick close to your lonely soldier," he laughed nuzzling her softly. It was obvious that he was just playing along as he usually does with her. He strut his way down the path playfully before darting off.
"Make sure you can keep up!"
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Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 6:15 pm
"Apparently I hadn't been paying attention to just how wierd you were." She mused back at him, resisting the tempation to swat at him once again no matter how tempting it really was. Sometimes the adult side won and she kept her paws to herself. Sometimes.
She listened to his tirade about being loyal, feeling a tingle at the reminder that they were distantly related. There was no explanation for the tingle, but she suddenly thought of her mother. She wished she could talk to her more often and discovered why she had been warned against Ezekiel, but without explanation, Safuma saw no need to heed the warning so she would simply go on as she was. She wished she were like him, no longer a royal so that she didn't have that stigma of being a model Pridelander. Didn't have that burning reminder that she had been born first and looked over for her rightful position in the pride as Heiress. Still, she supposed she didn't miss something she had never been and thus her stolen title only brought a dull ache to her heart now that swiftly passed in the presence of friends.
Looking him over in a brief bit of confusion, and distracted by the n** to her chin, she pawed at him half-heartedly before retorting, "I think you're wierd for your dreams, I was kidding about my dad and pride ripping you to shreds for inpropriety." She chuckled, shifting her legs as she moved to follow him with a steady prance before darting after him to keep pace. She didn't feel like racing so merely kept pace behind him instead of passing. With a laugh, she retorted, "I'll keep up so long as you're going so slow!"
Leaving Pride Rock behind as they made off to her friend's new lodgings, Safuma felt significantly lighter now that she was off on an adventure with an old cubhood friend. Nothing else mattered for now but fun.
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