Her paws flew over the ground, jungle plants smacking her in the face and on the sides. Now and then, gold eyes looked back, trying to see if she was being followed. Assured that she was finally alone, the lioness slowed down, sides heaving as she came to a stop. For the first time since the attack on the pride and her flight to escape imprisonment, she looked up at the night sky. For the moment, she was thankful for her dark pelt, hiding her in the darkness from danger. But at the same time, it created the problem of help finding her. Swallowing, she found somewhere to hide, opting for the former blessing of her dark coat. Quietly, she willed the moonlight to not reflect on the star specklings on her feather.
As he picked through the trees, Dongo kept a warry eye out. The area he was passing through, word told him, wasn't a safe zone for a male to walk alone. On either side of the tiny strip of 'prideless' lands were prides run by lions he didn't want to tangle with. All he knew was that they could be formidable. Climbing over a log, he had to stop, looking around. Something had moved in the trees near by... But from the sound of it, it wasn't something intent on harming, or they wouldn't have made noise. The same curious streak his mother had shone through as Dongo carefully stepped off the log, heading for the source of the sound.
Huddled in the undergrowth, Huong listened to the jungle around her. After growing up there, she'd gotten used to the sounds of it. Everything that didn't belong stood out to her ears, and there was certainly something there that didn't belong. As she peeked out, gold eyes met a pair of blue eyes. In the moment before shock set in, she saw curiousity and no ill intent reflected in the eyes, but a pure sense of... Something. And then shock hit as Huong let out a scream, stumbling back and tumbling over a tree root.
Eyes were NOT what Dongo had expected! There was no time to read into the gold eyes the stared back at him before the owner screamed and stumbled away. The adolescent male could only let out his own yell, falling back the way he'd come. Diving behind the fallen tree, he tried to catch his breath, eyes quite wide. He was glad Amadeus was off doing whatever hares did instead of here to see him panic! If he panicked, the hare would panic... And that didn't create for a good situation.
Slowly peeking out, Huong's sides heaved. She didn't see the unknown lion.. Or whatever it was. Had it run? Was it afraid, too? Ever so carefully the lioness stepped out. Each step was carefully made to avoid making noise. Her nose twitched as she took in every scent, ears moving to take in every sound. She could hear breathing, and rustling... Whoever it was, they were on the other side of the log. She crouched down, tail twitching, as her predatory kicked back in. For a moment, she forgot the males invading the Antianeira lands.
When he'd recovered, Dongo peeked out. He didn't see whoever it was... Clawing his way up onto the log, the male looked around, tail curling underneath him. He let out a sigh, shaking his head. Whoever it was, they were probably gone by now... Which he should be, too. Turning, he started down the log, paws moving steadily. One wrong step and he'd fall off, which wouldn't look well... Not that anybody was watching, anyway, right?
Jumping up onto the log, Huong began to follow. Now that she saw what it was, she was now... Curious? The strange male didn't appear to be like the others she'd met. He was almost aloof. His gate was relaxed, as if he didn't have a harsh thought to him. The golden pelt was interesting, too. Every lion she'd ever seen was blacks, reds, a few purples and blues and the like... But never gold. She tilted her head, watching him move.
Stopping at the end of the log, Dongo's ear flicked back, followed by the other. When he turned around, he saw a dark lioness following him, marked by a long pink stripe down her back. He stared for a moment, before it clicked that hers were the gold eyes he'd found in the bushes. Slowly, so as not to fall, he turned around to fully face her. "Hey... Um... Sorry for startling you like that..."
So far so good... He wasn't attacking her... Yet. Huong eyed him warrily, ears moving back. "You snuck up on me." It wasn't a question, but it also wasn't accusatory. She acknowledged that it wasn't all him. "Why are you here, in these lands...? You shouldn't be here..." She glanced back, lost in thought for a moment. "Maybe I shouldn't, either..." Turning back, she tilted her head. "Who are you?"
He bowed his head. "I'm sorry about that... I'm just passing through. I'm on my way north-east of here, to a new home. Or I hope there's a new home..." He eyed her, listening to her words. "If you shouldn't be here... Why don't you come with me? You don't look like you're all too happy to be here right now." His ears flicked, as he remembered his manners. "I'm Dongo." There was another pause. "It means Bumblebee.." Not that it mattered to him.
Was this some form of fate? "I'm Huong... It means Rose..." She glanced again back at the lands she'd been raised in, where her sister and the lioness she'd known her whole life as her mother were. And the invading males... She shivered, then turned to Dongo. "If I go with you, you had better behave. Or I'll kill you." Since they were both adolescents, it would be easy... For now. She started walking, jumping off the log. "And if you keep that way... You'll run into a dead end."
Somehow, he didn't doubt her threat... Jumping off the log, Dongo followed after her. "Okay... And.. Thanks for telling me that." He looked at the sky, spying the stars above. He hoped bringing her with him wasn't a mistake. But a bumblebee finding a rose... That seemed like fate, didn't it?
