[PRP] Two Opposite Souls [Jasiri`Ka/Saharan]

[ShinosBee]

Dad probably wouldn't like her to be out this far from the den, but hadn't he and mom repeatedly told the cubs that within the pride they were safe? That no one there would hurt them, or let anyone else hurt them? So what was the harm in a little exploring? Saharan had managed to stay awake when all her siblings curled up for a nap, and after faking sleep long enough for mom to go back to doing whatever she did when she wasn't with them she'd taken off, slipping away through the sand and the trees.

Usually her path of exploration brought her to the shore. In fact, in never wavered. But for some reason today the surf seemed rough and wild, and had crept further up the beach than the little cub liked. Today, she would explore the jungle. She noted with interest how the sand slowly gave way to a wetter but firmer sort of ground-dirt-which was much easier to walk on. It took less conscious effort to balance on. There were lots of plants too, huge trees and small grasses...Oh how she wanted to stop and look at them all, but she wanted to get as far from the den as she could to start. Then she'd have longer to look around before mom found her! And she could always look closer on the way back.

She went on a ways, eventually and unknowingly reaching one of the nearer borders of the pride. Youthfully unaware of the invisible line that marked the lands off as 'theirs' and 'not-theirs', she bubmled about, weaving in and out of the Simbafutajimi's land. This was far enough, she decided. Further out the grass got long, and she was afraid mom wouldn't be able to find her in there.  

[Dragain]

He had decided to walk through the jungle from the sea; after all, if he takes the same path every single day, it'll eventually bore him. If he is going to stay here for the rest of his life, he might as well get used to the surroundings first... He had already explored most of the beach near the pride lands, but not the jungle. In fact, he had only entered the jungle a few times in search of a meal.

That will change today.

Jasiri'ka sighed happily, contented that he was actually getting used to being in familiar surroundings; in the past, he would rather his surroundings change every two days. His legs seem to have a mind of his own, and everyday was a new adventure; maybe now he just want to settle down. Maybe even start a family... The male chuckled softly to himself.  

[ShinosBee]

Saharan paused, hearing something moving in the brush not too far off. Mom had found her already? Aww...That wasn't any fun! She'd only just found a wonderful any hill to observe...She hunkered down beside the hill teeming with insects, determined to get as good a look as she could, for as long as she could, before mom undoubtedly would scoop her up and haul her home.

Of course one could imagine her surprise to catch a glimpse of tan and brown and orange through the trees, not the red she was expecting. Someone new? That was far more interesting to the cub, though she didn't run right up to them. No, she was far too timid for that. Instead she just held her seat on the ground, peeking out of the corner of her eye at the whatever-it-was. If she could see it and it couldn't see her, then this was perfect...  

[Dragain]

Jasiri'ka chuckled softly as he walked, some patches of tall grass tickling his tummy when they brush past it. He made a turn, then froze as he sniffed the air, the smell of possibly another lion on the wind caught his attention. Turning to the direction the wind was blowing from, he headed in that direction, his eyes filled with curiosity and caution; you never know if its an unfriendly lion.

Blinking as he stepped out of a bush, he smiled when he realized that it was just a cub. However, what was a cub doing out in the jungle alone? Was she lost? He approached the lioness, stopping just in front of her. He blushed a little, feeling nervous for a second; he didn't want to scare her... He tried to relax, then gave a smile. Lowering himself to the cub's eye level, he nodded, and spoke, his voice soft and gentle,"Hello there... Are you supposed to be here by yourself?"  

[ShinosBee]

Hu oh, he'd smelled her. She knew that face, it was the same one Hadaya made when he realized they were going to pounce him. Well she was still hidden-she ducked back a bit more behind the anthill, though was still eagerly peeking out. She blinked when he came over, and mentally scolded herself for being more curious than cautious. What if he'd been a bad lion?

Well maybe he wasn't new...He knew she was supposed to be napping, oops! Momma must have sent him then. Maybe he was a secret guard who lived out this far to watch for little cubs that went exploring! She stayed half-hidden, excited but not open about her new 'find'. "Hello...momma didn't say I couldn't be." Not specifically any way.  

[Dragain]

Jasiri'ka looked awkward for a moment, not knowing how to respond; did he scare the little one? He paused, peering at the cub who seemed to be deliberately hiding from him, even though it was pretty clear they can see each other. He frowned a little, noticing that the lioness didn't look like she was frightened. Taking a deep breathe, he sat down on his haunches, and let loose a smile, hoping he don't look or sound too nervous, "Well... Then you must be out on an adventure?"  

[ShinosBee]

Oooh, it looked like he'd bought it! If he was a guard she'd have to tell momma later he wasn't very good at it. Seeing as she'd gotten him tricked, she peeked her head out a little more, smiling a teeny bit. "That's right! An adventure far far from home!" Well not really. But this was the furthest from the den she'd ever been, so it counted, right?

"I'm an explorer, and I'm looking for treasure." Of course to her treasure was anything interesting. A funny shaped cloud, a new friend. "I was gonna go out there..." She nodded at the long grasses that grew outside the pride's borders. "But I don't know...If I found a big treasure it'd be hard to bring it back from there."  

[Dragain]

"Far far..." Jasiri'ka muttered to himself, wondering if this cub belonged in the Simbafutaji. Blinking as the cub went on, he nodded briefly, chuckling softly at the image of the cub dragging home something twice her size. Relaxing a little, the male stood up and looked around, "Well, I think that when you're out on an adventure, some times, the best treasures are not those you can touch, but those you keep in your mind. Memories."

He surprised himself with that sentence, but tried not to show it, his attention returning to the cub, "I'm Jasiri, what's your name?"  

[ShinosBee]

Hm! This adult was really smart! "Memories are good. And things like friends." She looked him up and down. "You're nice, Jasiri. I'm Saharan, and I think you're my treasure today." Talking was making friends, right? And friends were treasure. So Jasiri was treasure, but she was pretty sure her mother would be mad if she brought him back.

"Are your from far far away too, Mister Jasiri? I'm from a pride! Mother says some lions don't have prides. I think it sounds lonely that way."  

[Dragain]

Jasiri'ka was surprised at what the cub said; although he hadn't really thought of it that way before, it was true... Friends really are like treasure. Maybe he was just too used to being alone, scared of settling down in any one place when he was searching for his father... But now, friendship is so important to him. He let out a chuckle and grinned, "And you're my treasure today, Saharan!"

The male then proceeded to nod, "Yes, I came from far away... I started wandering when I was a little older than you." He gave a slight smile as he shook his head, "It does get lonely back then, and I didn't make a lot of friends due to the constant moving, but thinking back, most of my journey was worth it... Besides, I'm waiting to join your pride now, so I'll never be lonely again!"  

[ShinosBee]

The cub cracked a tiny smile. She got to be treasure too? That was nice! She was used to being the one finding treasures, she'd never thought about being one herself before. Of course Jasiri's next words made the cub think. He'd gone off alone when he was her age? She knew she wanted to see the world, but of yet she was still too timid. How did one take care of themself?

But her new friend wanted to move into her pride! That was big enough news to distract her from her worries about living alone. "Really Jasiri? You're gonna live in my pride?" He could be her friend-treasure then all the time, instead of just a friend-treasure-memory.  

[Dragain]

"Yep! I'm going to be an official member soon! I'm excited about it; its been ages since I actually stayed in one place instead of moving around, so it'll be a huge step in my life." Jasiri'ka chuckled softly, his ears twitching, "Then maybe I can go visit you whenever I wish to... Or you can come visit me. I don't think your parents will mind if its within pride territories."

The male grinned, tilting his head a little as he looked at the cub, "After all, I wouldn't want to lose such a precious treasure!"  

[ShinosBee]

Saharan smiled and, showing a more cub-like side, pounced onto Jasiri. "And I don't want to either!" Time would show her to be a bit of a hoarder, and the type to break rules if it meant she could find treasures or learn about things, but for now she was merely being playful.

"Will you live by the ocean maybe? Or in the jungle parts?" She wanted to be sure she could find him later. "We live between them, on the edge of the forest. Mother and Father still don't like if we go in the ocean too far." She frowned. They'd never said why, and she wanted to know! Maybe they had something hidden out in all that water...  

[Dragain]

"Your parents are wise then!" Jasiri'ka laughed, trying to avoid the cub's pounce. He quickly tried to jump back, but it was too late; the male chuckled as he stopped struggling, giving Saharan a 'I give up! You win!' face. "If you go too far into the water, there are strong currents that will pull you into the sea. Especially since you're still a cub! When you're older, you'll have the strength to resist the pull... I think that's why they disallow you to go into the ocean too far."  

[ShinosBee]

Saharan gladly sprawled atop Jasiri, tugging at bits of fur with her teeth playfully. "Really? I've never seen one...Is a current a kind of fish?" She imagined a big red fish swimming up out of the water and gobbling her up. Somehow she giggled, almost knowing that wasn't right, and thinking it funny.

"I want to go now though," She complained. "I want o know what it's like in all that water!" Honestly she wanted to know what everything was like...overly curious, she wanted to see everything she could, and balked at being told no.