He was eager today...happier than he had been since...well...since he had met Ekun, actually. It seemed only fitting that he go looking for his friend, and share with her his good news! He hardly knew where he was going in his search, save that...it smelled right to him, and with the confidence of a growing youngster (though a blind confidence it was) he barrelled along as fast as his paws could carry him, turning head from side to side in a haphazard sort of scan.
Ekun had been hanging around the borders of the pride lately, ruby eyes scanning for any sign of her old friends...Especially Usiku. She couldn't wait until she was grown and could go Seeking...Then she'd never have to be separated from her friends! The wind brought a familiar smell with it...not the scent of salt from the ocean that bordered one side of her home, but another scent. And this one belonged to one of those she'd been keeping an eye out for. She smiled brightly and bounced a bit, trying to see him, as well as smell him. Usiku was here! And once he finally came into her vision, she called out. "USIKU! OVER HERE!"
He skidded to a halt, dust flying as his own brilliant red eyes widened and he grinned foolishly at her as he screeched to a stop, only to turn and patter in her direction. "Ekun!" Well, luck seemed to be with him today, as he'd found her after all. How very delightful. "I was hunting for you!" She was, after all, his very best bestest friend.
Ekun barely had her excitement contained, as her tail swished about behind her. "I was keeping an eye out for you too! I can't go far now, not until I'm bigger...but it won't be long!" She purred and moved to nuzzle him once he was close enough. "I've got SO much to tell you!"
He made a happy, rumbly sound, laughing in sheer delight. "So do I! We'll both be bigger soon! Isn't it grand?" Usiku pranced about her in a circle, utterly gleeful. "What's your news? Ladies first!" It was teasing and playful, as he fondly nudged her with his head.
"Yeah! And then we can make our Mamas proud!" Nothing seemed to be able to hold down her cheer at this point. And with his words, it all came loose. "I'm part of a pride now! But...it's great, because the grown-ups are allowed to wander whenever they want! Because...it's all about LEARNING! And we can't just sit here all the time when there's so much to find out out there!" Ekun's voice took on a sing-songy tone she got when she was really excited. "And my brother Dakarai and my sister Shai are gonna come with me when it's time to find our Papa! So...so you'll have two more pairs of eyes to help look for your sister too! Nothing will keep us from finding her and my Papa!"
"That's wonderful!" He crowed, eyes going wide. "I'm so happy! You must be having lots of fun! You'll have to introduce me to your brother and sister soon then, if we're to go on our hunt together!" The more they talked about it, the more confidence he had that they really could find her papa and his sister. "And guess what? Guess what!? My momma found her mate...and he's said he'll be my dad! My momma is happy!" He seemed thrilled with the news, as that had been his goal for so much of his young life.
Ekun nodded. "Yeah! Shai and Rai DEFINITELY gotta meet you! I think you'll like 'em! Rai is silly but he's really nice! And Shai likes learning things...like I do!" At his news, her eyes widened and her smile turned to a grin. "That's perfect, Usiku! Absolutely perfect!" She bumped her cheek against his. "I think that's all we really want...for our families to be happy...not just us." For Ekun...as long as her loved ones were happy, so was she. And she would do her best to make them happy.
He bobbed his head in enthusiastic agreement. "Yes...I...want everyone to be happy! You, me, your mom and my mom and everyone else too!" Tail flicking to and fro behind him, his eyes sparkled with inner pleasure. "And my mom should meet your mom and when I get my sister back she'll meet everyone else and we'll all be friends!" To create a perfect, contented family...that was really what he wanted, just...he wanted to incorporate Ekun and her family into his own on top of everything else.
Ekun nodded. "That would be awesome! One giant family!" Like her pride...like Sewelo's family was a giant one that wasn't all related by blood...but by spirit. "And once we get your sister back, nothing'll separate our families again. Not age or distance or words...once we're all together, we'll stay together in spirit, not just in body!" From the way Usiku talked about his mom, she had a feeling her Mama would like her a lot. "The perfect big family! As it should be~"
"Yes...just like that!" He was rather impressed, and thought that she had voiced it better than he ever could have expressed. "Then none of us will have any reason to be sad!" Usiku wanted to abolish sadness, it had no place in a warm, loving family...and especially not in his mother's eyes.
"Yeah! Being sad sucks!" She made a face. "I dun care if it's supposed to make the good times better...I think we've all had enough 'sad' to make having 'happy' the rest of our lives just fine." She practically stomped her two front feet with the last two words of that statement, to emphasize her point. "Our Mamas deserve a happy life. They've done so much..."
"They have...I know my mom has been through a lot...and she's lost some of her babies. I have an older brother and sister who I never got to meet because my brother disappeared and the sister went looking for him and hasn't come back." His ears flattened back against his head. "Maybe when we go searching, we'll meet them too." He flashed her a shy smile. "I don't think I would have ever thought to have a great big traveling adventure like you suggested. It seems more exciting and fun that way."
Ekun giggled and nuzzled him. "It will be a great adventure! And...if we run across your older siblings, we'll have lots of stories to tell them! Just like we'll have lots of stories to tell your sister!" She wanted to see her friend smile brightly again...like he did when they played. "Even...even if we don't find them the first time...we can keep looking, until both our families are all together!"
Her words had the desired result, and he grinned back at her. "Yeah! It will be wonderful! We'll practically be heroes if we can do all of that!" It was with a child's enthusiasm, of course, as he had no qualms that they'd be able to accomplish such a feat. So long as Ekun thought they could do it...well, by golly he'd believe it too!
Heroes...that was a wonderful sound to Ekun. She chuckled. "We'll be the best heroes ever!" And there was certainly no harm in recording their story for all to one day hear. It was what she was supposed to do as a Little Kifuko, right? "We'll make every we love happy...and that...that'll be good enough for me." She'd be a little hero though...she didn't want to do things too big.
He laughed softly, "Well, I don't know about the best, but we'll be our family's heroes...and you're right." Usiku nodded slowly, as though he'd deliberated over her words for a long time. "That's all that matters." Or perhaps not...what if someone else needed their help? That was something else entirely. "Well unless we meet someone who needs help. We can help them too, right?"
Ekun giggled and nodded. "Course we can! Long as it's something we can help with." She puffed up rather proudly. "Like I'm good with knowin' stuff! I've kept EVERYTHING I've learned in my head! And always will! It's hard sometimes, but it means I won't get caught off guard if someone needs to know somethin'!"
"And my Dad is teachin' me how to fight!" He responded with proper enthusiasm right back. "And I'm getting big and strong so I'll be able to protect everybody!" Prancing about, he was strutting just a little bit, beginning to grow into large paws and long legs, just now getting to the point where he wasn't tripping over himself constantly. "We'll be the most awesomest team there ever was!"
"Yeah!" He and Rai would be the strength, she and Shai would be the smarts! It was perfect! "Hey! If you've got some time...you wanna meet Rai and Shai? I bet I could find 'em REAL quick! And since you're nice, you're allowed to come on the pride's lands!" She loved her home's 'open' policy! It meant they didn't strangle the information they gathered or shun the friends they made outside!
Beaming, he nodded so hard he thought his ears might pop off. "I'd love to!" He replied, having never met the other's siblings, only Ekun's mother, who was most assuredly a very nice lady. In truth, he was already starting to consider them kind of like a set of cousins or something, so friendly they all seemed.
Ekun grinned and danced in place a bit. "Then follow me! I bet they're both near the beach." She wondered if Usiku had ever seen the sea...If not...well, he was in for a big surprise! After all, there was nothing like the ocean! With a laugh, she started towards the beach, making sure Usiku was never far behind.
With a whoop of delight, he scampered after her, keeping just behind her, by her hip. Wide-eyed, he contented himself with browsing the landscape, seeing just what Ekun's home was like. He'd never been this close to the ocean before! What fun it must be to live here! Grinning like a fool, he padded his way towards the first start of their bright, exciting adventure.
