Malik: (12:53:14 PM): Malik hated evenings. The warm, cozy sun had fallen down below the horizonline. The chill of the night was quietly settling in on the landscape, the dim moonlight began stirring the insects once more. At first an occassional chirp echoed here and there. Malik groaned, rolled over to his other side, and flopped a heavy paw over his eyes. In time, the entire grassland had errupted in hims and chirps.
He swore under his breath, cracked an eye, and slowly pushed himself up to a sit, stretching his back out. A series of pops sounded from the base of his back all the way to his shoulders.
Huruma: (12:57:14 PM): Huruma watched her new friend with an amused smile as she lay on her stomach, head resting on her folded paws.
"I take it you don't much like night sounds?" she asked with a small giggle behind her words. Chepe was off doing... whatever it was when he left for an evening. Maybe he'd gone off for time alone, or to find a companion for the night. Huruma wasn't naive. She knew Chepe was an adult male and sometimes had to go off and fight some other male to win a female's affection simply to satisfy his ego. Or was it his libido? She inwardly shrugged. What mattered was that he'd left for the night, leaving her with Malik for company.
Malik: (5:27:09 PM): "I dun like wakin' up..." The large lion muttered as he shifted his stretch around. His rump rose up as his front paws streched outwards, flexing his claws out into the grass as his mouth fell open into a long, lazy yawn.
He righted his posture, sat upright, and dropped his head, "Night bugs aren't helpin much edah...."
Huruma: (5:31:35 PM): "Mmmmm, waking up is nice when it's slow and I like the night sounds. Sorry you don't like them," Huruma required with another giggle and rolled over onto her back so that she could stare up at him in a different fashion.
"Do you sleep a lot during the day then? I haven't so much noticed."
Malik: (5:42:00 PM): "I sleep all the time durin' th day... 's when you're supposed tah." He slowly rose to his paws and rolled his tongue around in his mouth. Another downside of waking up- dry mouth. Dry throat...
He shook his mane out, relieving himself of the bedhead he'd developed during his long nap. "Ya hunt at night. Travel at night. 's cooler. Too hot durin' th day to do much else but sleep."
Huruma: (5:49:51 PM): Huruma nodded at this. She understood what he meant. For the most part, she did the same thing. But every so often, she would give her friend a night. She hoped Malik understood.
"I'm sorry we have to stay here until Chepe gets back. I mean... Thanks for not... Thanks," she said with a bit of a shrug.
Malik: (6:00:45 PM): "Eatin' em?" He yawned as he reached a forepaw over to scratch at his shoulder, "Well whatevuh... 's not much meat on 'em anyway. Only make 'bout a day's worth o' food." He blinked hard and looked over to her, "Jus' wonderin'...why ya hangin' round somethin' like dat anyway? It's... kinda weird."
Huruma: (6:05:15 PM): "I was thinking more tolerating him being around, but that too," Huruma laughed and looked off. He was right, after all. She knew it was weird. But he was her friend and she'd made a promise.
"I was young when we met and I made him a promise. We're friends. 'm not gonna break that trust."
Malik: (6:07:05 PM): "You're not gonna make nothin' easy on th' both of ya... know that right? His kind'll smell a preditor on 'em, jus' like I smell lunch on you. Ya might have tah pick between a pride an' yer friend one day, or yer own skin an' his for that matter. Just isn't natural, lions n' their food. I've seen lions n' leopards an' cheetahs- even -dat's- weird..."
Huruma: (6:16:32 PM): Huruma's ears drooped and she rolled over again so that she was back on her stomach, sighing a bit.
"Yeah, I know... Chepe was our guide, 'cause he knew places outside my old pride and I didn't. When Akin and I grew up, I kinda thought I might tell Chepe it was okay for him to leave if he wanted to, but then Akin and I parted and..." She glanced down at that and shrugged again. "I guess I didn't want to be alone is all."
Malik: (6:48:12 PM): "Alone's not so bad." He shrugged, "Been alone for a while.. dere's a lotta freedom to it. Can't always live for others, ya know? Gotta live a bit for yourself or you're not really livin'. Anyway, would hornhead be upset if we went an' got some water while 'e was out? I'm parched."
Huruma: (6:52:36 PM): Huruma shrugged. Sure, she liked time to herself, but to be traveling, adventuring alone? It was a daunting thought. She stood with a nod and a smile.
"Nah, I would do that sometimes, or go hunting," she explained and started walking in the direction of a lake they had passed.
"Having time to yourself is nice and all, but... I wouldn't want to be alone all the time... Do you?"
Malik: (6:55:38 PM): "Learned a long time ago dat dere's really a fine line between wants an' reality. Ideally- no. But'cha learn to make th' best of what'cha got. Bein' alone's not so bad. I got a pair o' good friends livin' up in th' mountains, but it wasn't my kinda place. The land of th' painted an' th tiny. Not my deal." He shrugged and trudged after her. His steps were still fairly clumsy. His paws curled and dragged along the ground- still warm from the day. He tried- and failed - a few times to bat a few of the noisey bugs from the air as they flew up in his wake. Damnable things.
Huruma: (7:02:36 PM): "I guess keeping Chepe around is my way of getting what I want, then," she mused as they walked. She glanced back at Malik, catching him batting at bugs and giggled at the sight. He must really hate those bugs!
And yet, she couldn't help but fall back into the previous subject. The giggle died slowly.
"I suppose it I got into a pride or something I might... How did you let your friends go? I mean, you said you didn't like it there, but they were still your friends. Didn't it hurt?"
Malik: (7:33:00 PM): "Yeah it hurt...but she started a family. She had her own life... we grew up together, was fun, lotsa fun but...we were cubs n' all dat. I'm big now, she's big now... she has her mate. Cubs... lotsa cubs. There was no room for a friend no more. She don't got the time, ya know? I need tah find my own family n' such."
He shrugged, "Hurts, but goes away. I don't think much on it."
Huruma: (7:37:44 PM): Huruma smiled softly, getting a better idea of it.
"Akin and I were like that, but... we just kinda slipped apart I guess. He went one way, I went another," she explained, feeling a bit that she should. He told her, she figured it was only fair that she explain about her friend.
"Well, you've got a friend in me now, right?" she asked, glancing over at him as they finally reached the water.
Malik: (7:49:19 PM): "I guess." He glanced over and smirked, "I'm kinda a brute though, dunno if you wanna stick 'round long. Reh and I always got intah trouble. She tried to go huntin' once... an-" He stopped himself.
"Not important. Hey- ever go swimmin? Dere's fish in th' water sometimes. If there's a lake, there's a river, if there's a river, there's a meal." He licked his chops. "NOt very fillin' but a good starter for th' day."
Huruma: (7:53:08 PM): Huruma laughed and nodded.
"My mother taught me how to fish. Apparently there was something with her and my dad over fishing, so it was her favorite way to hunt. I kinda like catching land things, but fishing is rather fun," she replied and stepped into the cool water. She bent down to take a drink and decided to be cheeky. She swiped a paw in the water, sending it towards Malik.
"I like a bit of adventure. Chepe's constantly keeping me out of trouble."
Malik: (7:58:20 PM): Malik was halfway through another yawn when a pawful of cold water slapped against the side of his face. With a yelp he jumped back. He looked around, half expecting a croc or some sort of water creature to be responsible. The damp paw and the smirk on the smaller females face brought a sneer to his.
"Oh das how it is." He took a few steps back, ran forward, then launched himself out at the water. A little trick he'd learned from his father.
Huruma: (9:56:22 PM): "Ah!" Huruma gasped when a surge of water hit her from Malik's jump into the water. Soaking wet, now, Huruma growled and lunged at the larger male, intending to dunk him in the water. Of course, it was probably superfluous, considering he'd just jumped into the water. But that was irrelevant. All that mattered was getting back at him. Plus having fun, of course!
Malik: (9:58:49 PM): Malik smirked at the female's squeal. He might have been a little up-tight much of the trip, but he'd never forgotten how to have fun. Strange as it was for a cat to even touch the water- he loved it.
As she made her charge, Malik turned to her, tensed up, and threw out his chest. Let her hit him! She'd bounce right off. Rehema -hated- that.
Huruma: (10:07:19 PM): When he faced her, Huruma tried to stop from crashing into him, but it was a losing battle. Sending water flying from her attempt to stop, she barreled into Malik and fell backwards, sending more water flying. She blinked up at him through the water dripping into her face, a look of surprise plastered there. She just sat there for a moment, enough to take a couple of breaths...
Before she burst out laughing.
"You're harder than a rock!" she cried out among her laughing.
Malik: (10:12:32 PM): Malik didn't escape the assault unharmed. Water had splashed up to soak his face, chest, and much of his sides. Red mane fell around his face and eyes, though it left his maw perfectly exposed for her to see the large smirk.
"Ya. Faddah was a firekin. Mum was related tah a king. Dat an' I been workin' out." He rolled his shoulders and tossed his head back to clear the mane from his eyes. "S' what'cha get when ya start a fight."
Huruma: (10:19:06 PM): Huruma ran a paw over her face, though it didn't do much as both were rather wet, but at least she could see now.
"I take it the Firekin are big?" she asked, curious of what she assumed was a pride. She'd never heard of them, which wasn't surprising as she had been kind of isolated in her own pride as a youngster.
"It wasn't a fight, I was just playing," she added, pawing at him with a smile.
Malik: (10:21:00 PM): "Biggest dere is." He smirked, "An' my old man was a prince. Good blood, eh? Big n' bad. No one messes wif my family." He shook himself off, ultimately spraying the little female down with another onslaught of water.
"An' pretty good at fightin' too."
Huruma: (10:24:39 PM): Huruma stood and shook herself, spraying him with more water before walking back towards shore. It was still cool out, so being all wet would get annoying fast.
"I bet that comes in handy when you run into unsavory characters, huh?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder at him. It made her feel better to travel with him. If someone bad came along, she didn't think she'd be very good at fighting it off.
Malik: (10:29:18 PM): Malik gave himself a second shake out and kicked his feet off as he stepped back onto the bank. "Only met one. Took 'is eye out...", his expression hardened slightly. "Didn't enjoy it one bit though. Things never should hafta come tah dat. S' not how things are though. If you gotta fight, you fight."
Huruma: (10:44:15 PM): Huruma's smile faded with the joking mood.
"Sorry... Let's talk about something else..." she replied, giving him a small smile. She looked around and flicked her paw in the grass. And spooked a couple of fireflies into the air. A true smile brightened her face as she watched them fly about and flash.
"Chirpy bugs may not be so great, but fireflies are really pretty. Hmm?"
Malik: (10:46:08 PM): Malik gave himself another large shake-out. He still hadn't actually gotten his drink of water so he turned and walked along the bank to find a less disturbed spot to drink in. The fireflies flickered on and off, darting accross his face and around his paws.
"Guess so.. if ya like bugs dat think they're stars."
Huruma: (10:55:19 PM): "I've never really thought of them that way..." Huruma mused aloud as she watched them fly around Malik, her head tilted to one side.
"I kinda like associating them with stars," she added, sitting down to run a paw over her face again.
"What do you like, Malik?"
Malik: (10:59:02 PM): "I never really thought to much of 'em. They give some light when it gets dark, buzz in yer ear when yer tryin' tah get some rest... can get old once in a while." He snorted one away from his face- a perfect example of why he wasn't overly fond of them.
The second question froze him mid-step. "...well...depends. Whaddya mean?"
Huruma: (11:06:34 PM): Huruma shrugged.
"Well, so far, I've told you I like fireflies and fishing and adventuring and I think a number of other things. But I haven't really found out anything that you like. I mean, it sounds like there are some things that you tolerate, but I've yet to pick up that you like something. So...?" she asked with a wave of one paw. She couldn't help but wonder why that question made him pause like that. Had he thought she meant something else?
Malik: (11:12:33 PM): He flicked an ear and frowned. What did he like....that was a question he'd really never thought about. He settled himself down beside the water and helped himself to a few mouthfuls of water before answering.
"....well I like...sleepin'. I like eatin'. I like... swimmin' sometimes when it gets hot, an' fish. I like knowin' where I am an' where I've been to." He looked over and lifted a brow, "Dat answer yer question?"
Huruma: (1:00:14 AM): Huruma didn't really think that answered her question, but... Well, it was better than nothing and she didn't wan to press him on it. So, instead, she simply nodded and curled up to watch her new friend.
"She was out like a light not two minutes later.
