[PRV] Return to Innocence (Kohpi/Ezeoha)

[Andranis]

The sound of thousands of hooves from the wildebeast herd thundered in her ears, but she made no move to run. From the tree she'd found herself in, Kohpi could only watch the animals run around the trunk as they fled a hunting leopard. Tail curling, she let out a soft puff of air.

As the last of the gnus went by, the lioness jumped down. As the sun struck her snowy pelt, the gold and orange wing markings stood out clearly, practically dancing as her muscles rippled under her pelt from trotting away. She was a decent hunter... But she didn't touch gnus.

It had been a few days since her constant companion, the green hare Darshana, had gone off for... Something. She had no idea what, though. Pacing into the lands more, red eyes scanned the horizon. She wondered... Were there new friends out there for her to meet?  

[Krysin]

Ezeoha was staying clear of the wildebeast stampede, though he knew it wouldn't last long. As soon as one of them were brought down the herd would come to a stop and go back grazing, and if one was not brought down they would run themselves out of the Pridelands. So long as they didn't run in his direction, he was perfectly content to watch them go by. He wasn't particularly hungry, even if the opportunity presented itself to him he would not hunt. Ezeoha wasn't fond of wasting meat, and with no cubs at the den he had no one else to feed but himself. It was a little desperate... which perhaps was the reason behind Ezeoha taking up with so many females lately. He wanted more cubs, though unfortunately he hadn't made any from the last females he had gotten with. The time would come, though, and until then he would be patient. Ezeoha was highly family-oriented, and his current lack of family was beginning to take its toll on him.

When the wildebeast finally cleared the area, Ezeoha stood up from his seat upon a large rock, jumping fluidly off of it and landing gracefully on the ground. Something moved out of the corner of his eye, and turning his head he expected to find a stray wildebeast. But, instead he found something that was a whole lot more to his liking. A beautiful lioness, with a snowy white pelt with orange markings. They even looked like wings. Better yet, though, the lioness was alone, and he had not seen her before. If she was alone, and he had not seen her before, she was likely not from the Pridelands. She was a rogue, and that meant she was travelling alone... and perhaps would not mind some manly company for a night.

With a confident smile upon his face, he strolled casually over to the mainly white lioness, though he was certain to stop a little bit away so that she would not become uncomfortable. "Hello, I'm Ezeoha. I certainly haven't seen such a startling beautiful lioness like yourself before. In fact, I fashion that I have never witnessed the sight of a lioness as simply gorgeous as yourself before. Not in my few years of life." A good few years of which he spent manipulating females, flirting with them, and having a bit of fun with them.  

[Andranis]

She first noticed the scent of another, making her look up. As she looked over, she saw the male approaching. No fear emenated from her, though, only a sense of innocence. Even having another come at her with claws and fangs at the ready had done little to taint her pure mind.

Almost dancing, she offered a wide smile to the other lion. "Hello, Ezeoha! I'm Kohpi!" She paused, one paw lifted. She was gorgeous? HER? It brought a blush to the lioness' cheeks as she put the paw down. Tail curling, she could only blink before her mind caught up and kicked in. "I've never seen a lion such a nice shade of gold before, either..." Or had she? Flattery was an easy way to a lady's heart, and it was obviously an easy way to throw Kohpi's mind for a loop.  

[Krysin]

He could feel the innocence radiating off of her in waves, and Ezeoha had dealt with the innocent before. They were the type that seemed to be most attracted to him, though women who were as flirtatious as he was came as a close second. The lioness who had given him five cubs had been innocent, but then again, she had left him with the five cubs to raise on his own. Generally he avoided those of a more innocent disposition, but he was lonesome for some female company... and not quite ready to turn down an opportunity like this. It was so rare that one presented itself to him, and so he was unwilling to let Kohpi move on without attempting to flirt with her and coerce her into actions that were more primitive, but essential to life. So, seeing that she did not mind his presence, he walked a little bit closer to her, sitting down a foot or so in front of her. His tail curled in against his side, and he shined to her one of his more impressive, and slightly-seductive smiles.

"Ah, a simple name for such a simply beautiful lady. It's a pleasure to meet someone like yourself." An amused glint entered his eyes as she seemed overwhelmed by his compliment, or simply shocked silent by it. He swore he could see the blush growing underneath her white-covered cheeks. For him, that was a good start. Obviously she took kindly to being complimented, and so he would only do it more often in hopes that it would get her to open up futher to him... and give him a bit of an opening for more intimacies. "There are many with my golden shade. If you stay longer you'll certainly see a few like me. I just hope that I can stand out to you more than any of them could." It was cute, almost, how she was trying to compliment him back, and most certainly amusing. He could feel a chuckle building up in his throat, a warm, pleasant sound.  

[Andranis]

A shiver ran up her spine, the blush under her fur only growing worse. For a moment, it was the same shade of red as her mother's own pelt. Ears flicking back, she offered a shy smile. "Thank you..." Somewhere in her mind, she remembered not only her mother's, but Darshana's, warnings about males. Then again, had she listened last time she'd met one? Nope.

She looked at him, seeking something about him that would stand out. Her eyes settled on what she figured to be distinctive back markings, memorising them in her mind. Looking back up, she seemed to get lost in his red eyes. Red like her own... And yet not quite. But she was drawn back to his pelt, such a nice shade of gold. It caused her to move closer, sitting almost right in front of him. And realise how much smaller she was. It didn't bother her to look up, though, as she was used to having to with her mother. "I'll be staying a long while... I finally found my sister here, and I don't plan on leaving her vicinity."  

[Krysin]

Ah, now he was certain he could see her cheeks redden underneath her fur. "No problem, I'm only speaking the truth. When I see beauty, I know fully how to appreciate it," he replied with another easy smile. He tossed his head slightly, sending his dusty brown bangs away from his eyes, so that the red intensity of them could stare down at the smaller lioness. Hmm... she was certainly a gorgeous creature, a creature that he wouldn't mind getting to know a little better. But in order to do that he had to be tricky, he had to be sly, and she definitely had to be attracted to him. So, it was time for him to show off his finer points, such as his bright red eyes, his white teeth, his perfectly conditioned pretty-boy body. All of these were factors that played to his favor... if she managed to take notice of them. Ezeoha was really hoping she wasn't so innocent that she couldn't desire a handsome male when he was sitting right in front of her.

An eyebrow arched delicately as she moved closer to him to inspect him for whatever reason that played in her mind, but the action also brought a grin to his face. He liked being close, and he liked the fact that she was willing to get close to him. It called for some... accidental touches. Ezeoha's tail moved subtly, seeming to try and curl around his body when instead it extended to brush against her leg, twist sensually around her tail briefly before curling back at his side. He leaned closer to her, a subtle movement that she might not notice. In fact, it only seemed as if he had moved closer to hold some sort of intimate conversation with her. His voice came out in a deep, throaty purr next to her ear, a seductive tone... because that was what he was centered on, seducing. "It pleases me that you're going to be staying for a while. I would love to be able to see you more than once."  

[Andranis]

Her whole body seemed to get flush, creating what could be described as a beautiful effect as the red of the blush melted into the natural white of her pelt, matching perfectly to her orange and gold markings. Kohpi was surprsied, but she didn't lean back. Instead, her ears lifted a bit. In some long-locked piece of her mind, the male's words processed just right to get her blood running.

Tail seeming to gain a mind of its own, the tuft twitched before practically seeming to leap towards his. It only made it as far as his paws, though, tickling at them gently. It then danced away, curling against Kohpi's body to act as though it were well behaved as it should be. And Kohpi was none the wiser.  

[Krysin]

He grinned as his eyes caught sight of her wandering tail. He felt the tuft tickle his toes, and it only served to please him. She was responding to his touches in her own way, which meant she was interested - or, at the very least, it meant her body was interested. It wouldn't take him too long to have her convinced that her mind and soul wanted a night with him as well. He would still have to play his game carefully, and he would still have to be the vision of handsomeness and perfection. He had to woo her completely and entirely, and so that was what he set off to do. "Kophi, do you realize how gorgeous you become when you blush? It's absolutely... hypnotic, seeing that blush score across your cheeks." His voice was soft, coaxing, and he leaned even closer to her so that his breath came hot against her cheek. Of course, the move was hidden as an attempt for him to get a closer look at her blush. Truthfully, he was pulling out all of the stops in trying to get her to desire him.

"Do you have a place to stay tonight?" It seemed like an innocent question, and what came next would seem just as innocent if not for the fact that Ezeoha was very much far from being innocent. "I would gladly offer my place to you for the night, if you need one. It's a cozy den, and it's not too far from here. I don't have any cubs, so it's perfectly empty and waiting for you. I can even sleep outside if that would make you more comfortable." Oh, but he knew she would invite him in at some point. He knew she was too sweet to make him sleep outside. He also knew that she was naive enough to accept his advances. So, from his point of view, things were going quite his way.  

[Andranis]

Her mind questioned everything, but her body was telling her 'yes'. It didn't take much for the mind to give in and agree with the body. All that escaped was "Okay..." before she found herself leaning closer. After a moment, she flicked her ears, looking up. "You don't have to sleep outside... It's getting too cold to sleep outside." She blinked, then offered a small smile. "We should get there before it's too dark..."  

[Krysin]

He had her, and with a grin that held some immeasurably degree of wickedness that knowledge came to him. She was completely willing to fall head-over-heels in love with him, if just for one night. It would be long enough for Ezeoha to satisfy his desires, and for Kophi to satisfy the desires that had not yet made themselves known to her. He smiled reassuringly at her as she leaned closer to him, and oh... he could feel the warmth of her body now that they were so close. He could feel her breath against his chest, hear her throbbing pulse, and it made him want nothing more than to be intimate with her. He was a male lion, but instead of taking the path and settling down with a good girl, he took the other one. It was a path of many women, many desires... but not all of them would end up satisfied. Love. That was what he truly desired, but he would not find it with this lioness, no matter how pretty she was.

"Thank you, it's kind of you to offer. I just didn't want to make you uncomfortable. I know it must be a little frightening to come to a new land and barely now a person living in it." He nodded his head then, turning around and beginning to lead the way. "Of course, follow me and we'll be there within a couple of minutes. It gives us enough time for you to get settled down and comfortable for your stay. Though, I think our departure from one another will be a sad one." He carried on in a conversational matter, a grin tugging at his lips.  

[Andranis]

She could only really nod, getting up and following him. A gentle breeze, cool to the pelt, signaled the end of the daylight hours. But she barely noticed. Her blood was on fire, and she could only feel the heat radiating off her body. When she moved to walk next to Ezeoha - Something of a feat for her due to her undersized stature - she didn't feel extra warmth from him, but something of a shared warmth. She looked up at him, not noticing the smile. "I know my sister and mother... And now I know you..."  

[Krysin]

"And I hope to be able to get to know you more," he responded in a smooth voice filled with unspoken amounts of lust. Ezeoha doubted that she would catch on to what he meant, because he had taken her for being a naive sort of lioness, naive and innocent. For some reason he was attracted to women like Kophi, but it was always women like Kophi that Ezeoha was driven away from in the end. He for some reason could not hold a lasting relationship with them, for reasons that were beyond his comprehension. It was women like himself that he was attracted to on a greater level, but in the end they ended up using one another and going their separate ways. So, it was lions like Ezeoha that ended up with no one in the end. He would have someone from time to time, but no one to stay by his side through to the end of his days. Most of the time he tried not to think about that, but he usually did when there were no cubs at home. And right now there weren't.

He led her through the Pridelands, his pace set in languid steps, and as the sun began to settle down beneath the horizon the pair made it to Ezeoha's den. The Pridelander stepped to the side, allowing Kophi to enter the dwelling first and make herself comfortable before he entered. It was only polite. "Here we are, make yourself at home and I'll come in in a few minutes." He wanted her comfortable, he wanted her ready for his subtle advances. No way was Ezeoha going to chase her off now.  

[Andranis]

Red eyes glanced around the den, taking in its details. Settling, she flicked her tail, smiling at him. "You can come in now." Some piece of her mind went to Mkorogo, and his words about most lions, but she opted to ignore it. After all, he had a dark view of everything. Such a silly leopard he was! Such a silly lioness she was, to think everybody was of pure intent. But she didn't think on this, it didn't even grace her mind.  

[Krysin]

Ezeoha wasn't pure intent, but he was a very potent mixture of intent and good will. It was clear, though, that intent outweighed the goodness in his heart. He wanted her, and he would have her, and there was nothing that anything or anyone could do to deter him from his goal. Once Kophi signaled that it would be all right for him to enter the den, he came in. His den was certainly large enough for the two lions (seeing as he had to fit five growing cubs in there at one point). Then den was mostly stone, but scant sources of vegetation covered the flooring and walls. Even a flower or two that thrived on little sunlight could be found in his den. When he had cubs in here, though, the flowers were either plucked or squashed by many tiny bodies. Right now he was rather glad that flowers had grown in his den. It made it appear more homey... more inviting to a female lioness.

"Hmm, are you tired?" He seemed to ask this for pure conversational needs, but that too was untrue. If she was tired enough to lay down, he'd either have to hold off his advances or hurry them up. Ezeoha would much prefer to hurry them up. He settled himself then on the cavern floor, patting the spot next to him with his tail. It would bring her closer... and with her closer his advances could once again be made.  

[Andranis]

She looked around at the den, admiring the flowers. Leaning over, her delicate pink nose twitched as she sniffed, admiring its simple yet complex beauty. At Ezeoha's question, she looked up, ears perked. "Not entirely, no." She shifted, unconciously pressing against his side. Red eyes looked to red, seeming to convey a need. He liked the ladies... And she missed having cubs following her(Even if the last two DID squabble a lot...). As she burried her face into his mane, it seemed to silently ask him the question she didn't know she wanted to ask.