It'd been two days since they'd parted ways, and he had talked to someone about his trouble. Of course, he was still anxious. If she liked him, why not say so? Why just hint at it? Frowning a bit he padded around the Swamplands, looking for Kile, looking for that blue fur of hers. "Stupid females," he grumbled under his breath.

It was raining, well, drizzling. His white fur now looked like a shade of gray, and he just looked miserable all together. "Kile, are you around?" he called out, ears twitching for any signs other than the pelting of rain.

Bekile lifted her head hearing someone call her name. It didn't sound like her brother so that could only mean.. "Vestip?" She frowned getting to her feet. The rain had turned her blue fur almost black, her paws and belly brown with mud and sludge of the swamp.

He'd heard that voice and moved towards it. Seeing her, his heart thumped in his chest and he moved closer, moving to nuzzle against her fur. He was getting himself muddy, and he didn't care. With a little sigh, he shifted to start grooming her fur, not purring, not seeming happy about it. "....Well... I'm sorry.. for what I said. ...To make you mad, I guess. I mean... I just answered truthfully.."

Her violet eyes colsed as she leaned against him ."It..it wasn't you Vest it was..." She sighed drawing back and smiled sadly , "Come with me. I know there there is a dry cave and we can talk."

He nodded and moved to nuzzle her again before following where she went. His pace was sluggish, paws seemed to drag and then he sighed hard. "I... don't know why you freaked out like that.. But, I mean... I ...do think I could protect you and cubs as well as any pride.."

"Wait and we will talk about this once we are inside." She quickly headed for the dry cave that she had found, shivering faintly as she crawled through the narrow rocks that opened into a large cavern.

He followed her in and shook himself once he was inside, shivering at the warmth against the chill from the rain. He didn't worry that his mane now looked dreaded, or that he was dirty. Sitting on his haunches, away from her, he studied the female, seeing how sad she was.

"It was nothing you had done Ves it..." She sighed softly stretching out on the stone floor. " It was something I did."

He stayed where he was, just watching her, ears down, flat against his wet mane and then frowned a little bit more. What did she do? Did this have something to do with her pride? It was things like this that made him not want to join a pride. It made a person worry, made them crazy and all of that other stuff. "Kile...."

"I was born in the grasslands. My brother and I. We never met our father but it was ok, we had our mother." She looked at the floor her ears pinned back, her tail tucked tight to her haunches. "Our little family grew when my brother took a mate."

He smiled at that and nodded a little. That seemed like a good thing, it growing. But she still looked sad. Moving over towards her, not able to resist her pull, he nestled beside her and started grooming her, drying her off in order to give her some kind of comfort. "Go on..."

"Then mother feel ill and died so it was the three of us. She told us about our father, that he lived here but..we still had each other and there were cubs to come." She leaned into the comfort of his body.

He nodded and continued to dry her off, his eyes softening before he frowned a little and nuzzled their cheeks together. Vestips brows furrowed before he wrapped their tails together and frowned. "....So... That's why you're here..?"

"No..not quiet yet." She sighed softly. "My brother went out hunting as she was near her time and I wouldn't leave her. He made me promise to protect her. But...there was a noise outside. She begged me to go see if it was him coming back. I followed the noise but.."

He paused in all his grooming and nuzzling and moved to pull her against him, paws across her own. ".....Something bad happened..?" He murmured. He guess she'd died, just like the cubs to be. So she'd lost part of her family. That was extremely sad.

"It was a trap, an animal lured me away while a rouge slipped into the lair. He slaughter her and the cubs." Her eyes closed tigthly as she huddled against the floor of the cave shivering. "It was my fault. I was suppose to protect them and I failed."

He would have pulled her closer if he could, but they were pressed together pretty tightly. His brows furrowed and he rested his chin on the top of her head, trying to offer her plenty of comfort and warmth. ".....I won't let that happen...." he murmured softly. "I can't... say I'd be around all the time, but the only time I'd leave... is.. for hunting. And even then I'll stay close.."

"If, if we had been with a pride she would have been safe, their babies would have been safe...and he would still love me."

Vestip was sure her brother still loved her. All siblings loved each other despite how mad they got at each other. He offered a rumbling purr and then nuzzled the top of her head softly, messing up her headfur. "Ssssshh... Kile... I... I'll join a pride if you really want..."

She pressed her face against this neck making a soft mewling sound like a kitten. It was heartbreaking to hear such a soft weak sound from someone who was always so strong.

He could only offer her his gentle affection, soft noises and licks, even a n** or two to her ears as she let it out. To Vestip, it seemed Kile bottled all this up in her for so long. And that sound made his chest clench uncomfortably. "I'll join if you want, Kile.... I will, ok? Don't worry..."

It was quiet awhile before her tears subsided. She had kept all her fears and anger at herself inside for so long that once it was acknowledged there had been no way to stop it. When the emotional storm had past, she was still tucked against his side, limp from the war that had ranged inside her but calmer than she had felt in a long time.

He licked her again once she calmed down, nosing at her cheek and neck, lifting her head to press their noses together affectionately before letting her rest again. "Go to sleep, Kile... It's alright... I'm not leaving," he murmured softly. He wasn't sure about joining a pride, but if it made her more comfortable, perhaps he could. If nothing else, he could leave if he wasn't comfortable in that pride.
She smiled at him gently, " I don't expect you to join the pride Ves, but...it makes my heart swell to know you want to be with me. " Looking up at him, her violet eyes seemed to glow faintly.


He leaned down and licked her cheek quietly before nuzzling against her again. "Yeah... Well, you understand me, so.." With a little sigh, he gave her chin a n**. "Go to sleep, ok? We'll talk more later.."

"Ves?" She perked her ears foreward as she smiled up at him waiting til she was sure he had his attention. She licked his chin gently before laying her head on his forelegs. "I..I think I love you."

Vestip's brows furrowed at that before he smiled and licked her head again, grooming softly. "Me too..." he murmured. It felt weird to say the words he didn't think he'd be saying, but there he did. He said them, and there was no taking them back. He rumbled softly and then closed his eyes, his head resting on her neck.

A soft content purr rumbled from the dark female as she cuddled closer. This is what she had always envied her brother for. Someone to love and care for you.