[PRP] A Well Earned Welcome [Iroh & Rellik]

[Lithiasaur]

The creamy maned lion was feeling a bit guilty. It had been far too long since the last time he came to the borders to look for his friend, and to see how she was doing. He remembered where the den he had helped find for her was, but she hadn't been there. After nosing around the pride, he learned that she had won her way into their lands.

So now he had to apologize to her, and congratulate her. Feeling like a poor friend, he padded toward where he thought he might find her.

Not much for investigative work, he didn't know if he was on the right track. He would find her eventually, of course. He rarely looked on the down side of things.

How long had it been? Long enough, it seemed, for his mane to grow in fully and more muscle to replace his pudgy fat. Of course, he was still rotund as he never stopped liking his meals, but his physical work seemed to be having an affect. He was solid, impressive, even if his eyes were soft and his whole demeanor completely disarming. Just because he was strong it didn't mean he had to act intimidating.

So as he walked he was humming a pointless, silly little song.  

[DragonsRage24]

Rellik stood upon the dunes on the very edge of the borders a little farther than the den was, and looked out to where she had come from, where she had been an outsider for so long and now the time had come, after so many nights of waiting, healing and resting she had finally fought her way to a home, her way into where she felt welcome. five long duels, scars and aches later she was truly a firekin, truly home, and truly a warrior of the sands proven her way in.

Five, it took five.

Though after all of the heartache and wonder, battling that red female, that large male, and then the red male, she felt like she had proven her worth not only to the pride but herself as well. "Home," she whispered to herself, she was finally home. But now she had a more serious thing to attend to, a more serious matter, friends, friend, more specifically, Iroh. She smiled when she thought of his name, his demaneor and spirit, he was the only one through her life that made her feel somewhat appreciated, and now, she wouldn't have to feel as if she was violating the sancitity of the pride by staying within bounds to be closer to him.

Did her know yet? Would he be happy? How long had it been, had he changed?

So she waited, and watched, turning finally from the roguelands beyond the borders, leaving those days behind her.

She was Firekin.  

[Lithiasaur]

The large, white male made sat down and sighed. He felt like he was on the right track, like she was close, but he couldn't find her. He had even circled back to the den. He sighed and looked back over his shoulder. It seemed like the least likely place to find her, since he had already checked everything that was behind him, but, of course, there she was.

He grinned and bounced to his feet.

"Rellik!" he called, padding over quickly. He butted his head against hers in greeting, excited like a cub and grinning broadly. His big fangs and large, powerful body were all moot points when he wore such an innocent and playful expression.

"I heard you won you last duel! Congratulations, my new Firekin friend! I hope you've found a warm home here? I'm sorry I wasn't around earlier to congratulate you."

He smiled at her and sat down in front of her, grinning and purring his strange, broken purr.

"Are you happy? How are your wounds?"  

[DragonsRage24]

While leaving the past and open lands beyond the borders behind her back, looking up her silver eyes fell onto the familiar sight of the only friend she could truly say she had, Iroh. A smile broadened upon her maw and as his forehead met hers she closed her eyes for that one moment of connection and breathed deep. She felt like she mattered.

"Thank you Iroh," she said softly, watching him, he seemed so excited, was that excitement caged in her? Was it because she had failed so many times? No matter, now was a time for realizations and knowing of the future that was here laid before her paws. "Yes, yes, it took me five tries, but now, it all seems worth it. There's so much to do, so many more to meet, and to figure out the names of those I had dueled before the male I had won against," their markings she knew, and their eyes. "I need to find a new den as well, the sand keeps pushing into the one you found me, but perhaps it is a sign of fortune, leaving behind what once was a time of uncertainty and moving forward with the tides of the dunes."

His broken purr made her laugh, and she sat before him, looking at him. "You've-grown, so much, look at you now!" his mane was full, muscles showing through now, he was an adult, it seemed so fast that time had passed when she felt like she was stuck in a neverending cycle.

"Yes, of course I'm happy, happy to see you as well, its nice, to know that after everything, I still have my friend here to make me feel welcome," her fur fell into her eyes somewhat as she tilted her head slightly, and looked to her shoulder where it was once torn horribly. "Everything had healed pretty wel, a soreness lingers when I wake, but it goes away in time, it will heal," just like her memories, someday, those would heal as well.

"So what's first? What shall we do?" she jumped forward to touch her forehead to his adn lept to the side, playful, grinning, "Where shall we go?"  

[Lithiasaur]

"Well, of course you need a new one! That one was outside the borders, anyway. Not too good for a member of the pride, now is it?" He laughed, his smile so wide it made his pudgy cheeks hurt. He kept his eyes closed, perfectly content to be talking to her without that air of defeat hanging over her.

She had a lot to do, and a long way to go, but at least now she was accomplished. She had something to be proud of. And he was proud of her for that.

He blinked when she commented on how much he'd grown. Maybe he had! He was never good at noticing changes in himself, save for his mane. He still felt like the Iroh he had always known, and that was important. Older, wiser, and definitely bigger, but in the scheme of things he didn't think any of those changes were all that profound.

Iroh nodded slowly, looking at her scars and the marks that would take some time to fade, if they did so at all.

"Ha!" He got up and crouched, wagging his tail in the air and looking more like a cub than an adult as he playfully responded to her bounding, "I don't know! Do you want to go look for a den? I'm sure there are still a few around." He laughed.  

[DragonsRage24]

Such innocence, strength adn honesty couldn't exist this great in one individual could it? As she thought to herself her words made her feel old, she wondered sometimes who truly was the elder at times like these and other moments, Iroh seemed to have a wise, old soul, a good heart, but that wasn't a fault, or vulnerability. It made him different, stronger than others would ever be able to recognize if they did not search deep enough.

"Den, running, anything, anything but a duel," she laughed. Five, it had taken five! "Unless its a play fight, I don't know how soon I can have a true duel again," and she smirked.

Rellik jumped forward at him then, trying to push him over, softly but like a shrugging motion and she jumped back, as if playing the game the cub she knew played, tag, was that it? Kili, yes that was her name! Kili liked tag.

She wondered where she was now.

"You're not going to let me push you around are you?" she baited him. Looking for a den could wait several more moments, laughter, she wanted laughter now.  

[Lithiasaur]

Iroh let out a laugh when she butted her head to him, wobbling on his big paws and sinking a bit in the sand. He grinned at her, half challenging, half broken by the irresistible urge to burst out in hysterics. He hadn't been able to play in a long time.

If there was one thing he liked just as much as eating and learning, it was playing. No one was ever too old for it, and it always did a body, mind, and soul good. Plus, it was fun! So what other excuse did he need?

"I certainly am not going to allow it!" He chuckled, bounding up to her once he regained his footing and butting his big meaty head into her shoulder with youthful exuberance. He pushed against her, trying to shove her over instead of bump and go.

"We'll see who can shove whom around," he said, putting some effort into it. His tail was swinging behind him, agitated because he was focused on this game.  

[DragonsRage24]

As he pushed his head against her shoulder she dug her paws into the sand to keep herself from falling but it was no use. She felt her side touch the ground with one swift motion and she laughed reaching out to paw playfully at his face. Such life and energy in him, her tail tried to grab hold of his by coiling like a snake but on the ground she was at a disadvantage.

Rellik pushed herself up and butted her head lightly against his chest under his chin trying to push him back, "Oh, are you mighty and strong today?" her laugh reverberated in her mind, an echo and she remembered the faint face of Kili and it shook and shattered again into nothingness. Kili had had Rellik around for a while until she was taken, Rellik had none when she was abandoned.

Trying to grab hold of his of his ears, trying to push him down playfully Rellik couldn't help but wonder why couldn't Iroh have been there earlier in her life?

Frienship, what she had none of then, friendship.  

[Lithiasaur]

He pulled his head back to avoid her paws, though he felt her swipe his nose. Huffing, sand, or the dust from it, tickled his nose and he wrinkled it in an effort to keep from sneezing. It was a useless effort, and he turned his head to sneeze, his creamy mane puffing out as he shook his head and sighed.

Grinning, he looked back at her, right back in the game.

He had missed her moving to get up, so her effort to push him back worked. He reared back on his haunches, not giving up his position, but having to do something with his heft as she shoved him. Sitting on his butt, balanced upright with his front paws in the air, he wobbled a bit precariously, but grinned at her regardless.

Safe from her attempts to tug him down by the ears, he hefted his big self at her when she ventured too close, slumping over her back like he expected her to carry him, though he was much too big for it. Instead he pinned her to the sand under him. purring his broken oddity of a purr all the while.

"Ah ha! Mighty and strong indeed! I'd like to see you get away now. That's a lot of fa... muscle! to try and wiggle out from under." He laughed, turning his head to look at her over his shoulder. It was a bit difficult to see her face from this angle, unless she turned her head, but that was okay. He was having fun!  

[DragonsRage24]

He moved too quickl and was indeed larger than she was. Playfighting was fun and she had no need to be attentive and hostile, or on the defensive. Fun and games, laughter, she heard that some believed laughter healed the soul and lightened the heart. Rellik sometimes wondered if those words truly were-true.

"Alright, alright you win," she writhed and wriggled beneath his weight, trying to push up but his weight was too heavy for her to lift alone. She was a strong lioness, good for attacking, fighting, but she relied on her stealth rather than hard continual blows and pure muscle.

Males had it so easy sometimes, she believed.

"So, winner, after you get off of me, what do you want as a prize?" she smirked, it seemed fair he should get a prize, but what did she have? She could find something she supposed.  

[Lithiasaur]

Iroh nodded his head in triumph, wiggling a bit just to squish her some more before rolling his rotund frame from atop her. He had never lost his shape, even as a cub and despite all the training he did. Though he was made of harder muscle now, and his legs and backside had marked evidence of his solid build, he was still pretty round and chubby.

It was just a part of who he was. He liked it, anyway, so there was no problem.

"I didn't want a prize," he said, sitting down next to her now that they were laying in the sand. He grinned at her, still purring, "I wasn't trying to win at all. I think in a game we can both consider it a win, right?"

He nudged her.

"I'm just happy you're here now. I guess I won before it started? Though, you did too. Now we can share these lands together, and I think there was the promise of learning from one another. So I'll call my prize you're continued friendship." He grinned at her.  

[DragonsRage24]

"Oh sure you didn't," she stuck her tongue out at him, poking fun. Teasing wasn't off the agenda of what games to play afterall. Share these lands, her home, it seemed so surreal, though as she stretched her arms forward and pulled them back to rest her head upon her paws she could feel the stretching in her shoulder where her wound had healed over, but the line of fur no longer sat equal, a rift in the flow.

"Its so strange, to think of this place in this way," in the past, the one Iroh did not know and she doubted he would ever know, she stalked from area to area, seeking out who or what another had paid her to find. Paid with shelter, protection, food, immunity when passing through the lands. Iroh was full of light and peace and though she was trying to heal herself, in and out, Rellik knew she would never be pure, a gray slate, plagued by the darkness of her past.

"Oh listen to you, getting all warm and fuzzy and mushy," she pushed her paw against him playfully, teasing again, though she knew his friendship was more valuable than any of the things she had in the past.

"I'm too tired, to go look for a den now," she said with a yawn, curling up but laying next to him so her side touched his. She let her tail lay next to his, though the temptation to make her tail coil around his was lingering. "Lets do that later, hmm? Maybe after food and water," there was still so much to do.

"Iroh," she spoke softly, and she wondered if he could even decifer the words, I don't know if you'll ever know what these moments mean to me-" she closed her eyes and snuggled her back against his side, her head by his mane. Times like these, they couldn't be spoiled.  

[Lithiasaur]

Iroh laughed and shook his head.

"I'm not being mushy! And if I am then I don't mind it. I think it's perfectly acceptable. I'm glad you're here, and I can be mushy about it if I want to. At least now I don't have to travel all the way to the borders to find you. Saves me some strain on the paws." He huffed, like that was the reason he was happy. So he could be lazy.

He knew she wouldn't believe it, so he didn't mark it as a joke. He listened to her say she was tired and he nodded, a bit sleepy himself. It was nice out, and the sand was calming. Now that he was laying down he didn't really want to go anywhere.

"Later is good," he said, putting his head down on his paws. He tried not to move too much, letting her lean on him. A nap wouldn't hurt anyone, right? They could get right back to their plans after a quick break. He closed his eyes and heard her speaking, smiling and turning more toward her, but not saying anything in response, besides his purr.

He didn't really think he needed to. He might not know exactly how much it meant for her to have someone being kind to her, but he knew she needed it. And she deserved it. He liked her and wanted to see her happy, even if he didn't know all about her past and what her troubles were.

END