She was tired. Emerald green eyes watched the ground, counting the footsteps, willing herself on further. Just another one. And another one. Just one more, she kept telling herself. Sweat dripped off of Nafsiari's pretty beige coat, blinging to her aqua hair-tuft. Blue ears were parallel to her skull as she took her another tiring step. She was getting slower, and she knew it. Each step seemed to take a lifetime, and the sun beating down hard on her back just made it take longer. She had to stop.
Collapsing onto the ground, Sia gave a strangled cry as she panted, ignoring the dull ache from the leg she'd crumpled on top of. Her chest heaved up and down, struggling to take in the breaths as she ignored the world around her, just concentrating on ensuring that she got enough air to her lungs to keep her alive. To allow her to continue after this small break.
Looking up beneath half-lidded eyes her tongue snaked out of her dry mouth, the lionness instinctively searching for water. But when she couldn't find any immediately around her, she searched for the next best thing.
"...Cynerubor? Cyn?"
Light purple eyes fell onto the female below her from her perch ontop of a rock she was resting on having just coming back from scouting ahead. She never left Nafsiari's eyesight but she had been gone for most of the morning looking around they area they where walking to find water.
She looked a bit smug as she watched her mate from above. She finally gave in as she stood her shadow over shadowing the smaller female's body. She said nothing for several minutes just letting the sun beat on her back harshly from her dark colors. She never complained though as she gave Nafsiari some well needed shade.
"My my my." She tsked out as her eyes never left her mate's form. She finally jumped down in front of the female smirking a little as she approached her tossing back her blush hair.
"Did someone call out my name?" She teased.
She felt shade cast over her, and instantly a contented purr rose in her voice. The sun was the worst part - she could deal with the walking, if it just wasn't for that horrible sun. Cyn had darker fur than her, but she still managed. But Sia was small and weak - she had less strength, less stamina. And it was only too apparant at times like these. Cyn's teasing tone broke the purr, however, a tired, exhausted growl instead escaping, soon tapering off as she needed to gulp in several more deep breaths.
"I need water, Cyn," Sia spoke quietly, eyes closed as she rested her head on the ground, trying to recover her strength. They had to continue - Cyn probably thought she was a stupid weakling who couldn't even walk a few miles without needing to rest. And the truth was, that Cyn was right - Sia was weak. But she had to show some strength. her beloved deserved that much.
Cyn smiled as she leaned down nosing her mates hair from her eyes before licking her forehead. She then pulled away a little before nudging her nose as she stood moving to pass behind the rock. Cynerubor's strong legs and mind found what her mate needed easily. Course she had found it some time before and was just now coming to get Sia but well that wasn't important at the moment.
"This way Sia." She told her in a soothing voice letting her know it wasn't that much longer till she could rest. "There some shade and a small whole. To small for any predator's." She said mostly talking about the yellow eyed beast.
Cyn's toes finally found the small water pound full of clean water. She looked back with a smile as she nodded for her to come over and drink her fill before she would distract herself and do the same.
Sia whimpered as she felt Cyn's presence leave, opening her heavy lids to look up and around, searching for where her beloved had gone. Cyn wasn't leaving her, was she? Sia was nothing without Cyn. Cyn had been with her through thick and thin, and protected her from everyone and everything. Whimpering a little louder she forced her weary muscles to push her to her feet, and was rewarded by Cyn's reassuring form returning from behind a rock, with news of water.
Sia managed to reach the hole without too much trouble, taking a little longer than normal but eventually collapsing her lithe form beside the hole, gratefully extending her neck outwards, drinking greedily. She drank continuously for several minutes, the only sound being the slurping and gasps as she was forced to break for air. Eventually she was content, though, moving back and resting.
"...Thank you, Cyn."
Cyn smiled as she stretched out on the cool ground beside the small female their size being extremely apparent now as she rested beside her. Cyn let herself finally pull away from worrying over their surroundings to enjoying some well needed Sia and her time.
"Your welcome my Nafsiari." She said before moving just a little bit away as she began to be greedy with the water this time not pulling away till her was full and her face was coated in the water so that when the wind would pass by it cool her fur.
"Always for you." She commented before moving back to rest beside her as she began to groom the other female purring deeply. "Rest...I think this is a good place to stop for awhile. Maybe later I can find some of that heard og gazelle I saw earlier. How's that sound?"
As Cyn rested beside her, the smaller female shuffled over, so their bodies were as close as they could be. Resting her head on her beloved's shoulder, Sia purred deeply at Cyn's groomings, nuzzling her nose into the other female's fur as a sign of affection. It was all these little signs of affection - nuzzles and kisses and purrs - that made it all so special. It made the relationship so special, and it was what Sia loved most.
Her purrs deepened even further at Cyn's words. My Nafsiari, she'd said. Sia was hers - she'd known that for a long time. But Cyn speaking it just reaffirmed it, even though Sia knew it already. Sia was Cyn's, utterly and completely. Being told to rest also aroused a grateful mewl, Sia stretching out a little, eyes closed contentedly.
"Oh...I can help too. I feel better, now," Sia was quick to speak, quietly as always. It was partially true - she did feel better. Not quite well enough to try and catch a gazelle, but she couldn't let Cyn leave. Cyn might get hurt...or she might. What if a male came along? A visible shudder ran through the lionness just thinking about it.
Cyn smiled as she licked her mates cheek before looking over large grass near a rock. "Think you can hide for me I shouldn't be gone long." She said as she stood moving to make sure there was enough room for Sia to hide as well as be in shade.
"I wouldn't fall asleep though. I don't trust this area." She said looking around with a small glare she had been hearing things and was a bit worried but didn't act or draw attention to them not wanting to startle Sia.
Nafsiari's eyes were opened wide at last, emerald orbs gazing onto her mate in a somewhat fearful way. She didn't want her to leave, and this was only all too clear as she forced herself to stand as her beloved did, staying as close as she could. Her eyes sparkled and her limbs twitched, but as Cyn spoke she tried to stop herself. She couldn't look so pathetic.
She gave a shaky nod, tembling as she moved over towards the tall grass, sinking down into it. It wasn't perfect, but her beige-blue coat camoflagued her somewhat well. She looked up to Cyn again, watching her longingly. "...Please don't be long."
Cyn smiled nuzzling her nose a little before giving her a link as she pulled from the grass. "I won't just give me some time atleast before you wander off to find me." She teased with a smile before running off into the Savanna.
It didn't take her to long to get her kill no what took her the longest was bringing the kill back to Nafsairi. But she didn't mind of complained no she perfered to eat her kill near water anyways it was a quick clean up.
Sia gave her beloved one last long gaze before ducking her head under a paw, trying to still her quivers as far as was possible as she listened to the heavy footsteps of her beloved Cyn running off. ...She really hoped she was back soon. The occasional caw from a crow caught her attention, but the lionness was mainly focussed on any rustling grass. What would she do if a male came near!?
All of a sudden, a rustle almost directly to her right set her off. With a terrified cry she was off, scrambling to her feet and racing through the leaves, not even looking back. It was a male, she just knew it! Tears streaming down her face, too scared to stop running incase 'he' was chasing her, a dark shape inn the distance caught her attention, and that was it. Sia reached her beloved in record time, but in an utter state as she cowered behind her, almost colapsing onto the ground again in a mixture of utter fear and exhaustion from the long run, too confused and distraught to string together a sentence.
Cyns eye's widened as she saw her mate running up to her as she was quickly to drop her kill as she meet Sia in the middle as she let the female colasp into her as she curled around her a ltitle confused but didn't say anything she knew it was easy to set the female off at times. Though that didn't stopp her from looking around to make sure they where safe. She began to snuggle and lick on her mate hoping to calm her.
"Shhh Nafsairi." She whispered softly into her ear before guming the small furry half circle. "I'm here." She said after pulling away to rubb her cheek again hse mates.
Cyn met her in the middle, and suddenly everything seemed a little better. Her soothing words in her ear calmed the trembling the lionness, as she slowly regulated her breathing, stilling her trembling limbs a little and allowing her to think, words tumbling out of her mouth
"I...There was a rustle! I-it was a big one and I just...I-I was scared, Cyn, Really scared." Sia whispered hurriedly, nuzzling her face deeper into her beloved's fur, feeling safer there. Cyn would protect her. She was safe, now.
