She slinked out across the plains, the dying sun casting striking red shadows across her back and down one slender cheek. Aryiola was an oddly marked female, her patterns deriving from her father - the god of arts - however, she adored her appearance for those who set eye on her never forgot her. Especially males who often did not escape without spending some 'special time' with her.
The young seeress was without her seeing rock today - having left that back in her den - however she seemed to be going at some pace, apparently eager to get somewhere and get there quickly. If anyone knew her family situation they would know why. Aryiola's mother, Ainra, was a worrier and she hated to see her 'precious, innocent' daughter too far away from home.
Either way, Aryiola was not about to let that stop her. Instead she pushed into the thorny undergrowth, ducked her head into the clear space just above the ground and appeared again by a watering hole, lit starkly by the setting sun. Here, a moment, she paused and then moved on towards the shallows, lifting one paw to set in its depths.
Taku was bathing.
It was a hot day. Too hot for his liking. His twin sister had wandered off again, and he hadn't seen her for a few days. But he wasn't worried. He knew she could look after himself. But he did hope she was alright, and that he'd see her again soon. He'd been neglecting her lately, what with Kari always being busy. She wasn't leaving, not right now. But he didn't quite understand why, why it was taking so long. They'd admitted their feelings...he was getting frustrated by the time it was taking her to act on them. Taku had always been an impulsive, rash lion.
He rolled about in the watering hole, blissfully unaware of the creatures around him. He gave a loud, contented, rumbling purr, rolling over, enjoying the feeling of the icy water over his fur. He wasn't a dark lion - a chocolate brown, predominantly. But he still got warm, and the easiest way to cool off was through a nice bath...just like this one!
Aryiola paused, listening to the sound of splashing water. Was someone...was someone else here, too? She cast a glance along the reed bed of the far side and spotted him bathing. A male. A handsome male, from what she could tell. Nothing could have stopped that smile crawling onto her face at the sight of him. And, even as her mind began to imagine how she could flirt with him, she was slipping into the water, kicking out with strong strokes of her paws.
Her heart beat warm and fast in her chest as she drew closer and she let herself drop lower, her whiskers resting against the water's broken surface. And, only when she was close enough to speak in a voice that didn't mean her shouting, did she stabilise herself on one of the many rocks at the bottom of the pool and call out.
"Why, hello there." She purred, water dripping from her chin. "You look like you're having fun."
He didn't hear the strokes, as the lionness drew nearer. Only when she spoke up did he rise out of his daze, crystal blue eyes flickering open as he blinked one, two, three times before finally setting his eyes on the lionness, eyebrows furrowing slightly in mild confusion. When had she gotten here? And why was she looked at him like that? He couldn't see much of her, since the water obscured most, but she looked fairly normal. No weird limbs or anything.
Taku stood up to his full height, no longer bathing as he looked down on the stranger, only looking more confused as she purred. Was she...flirting with him? Seducing him? Amanzi had warned him about these girls, only after a good time for a night. But with Kari and all the frustration there...perhaps that was what he needed. She'd never know. He didn't want to hurt her, but he had needs too. It was just so tedious, all this waiting.
Besides, two could play at the flirting game.
Replacing his frown with a rather charming grin, he raised his eyebrows suggestively, "And you look pretty gorgeous, hotstuff."
He needed to work on the chatup lines.
Her grin widened and, with a flick of an ear, she waded back out to the bank, shaking her fur off as she emerged from the pool. Bathing was something she adored. It kept her fur clean and when it dried it always seemed to gleam ever more beneath the rays of the sun.
"Many have said so." She replied softly, turning her eyes back to him. "It makes us quite a good match then, don't you think? Me being gorgeous, and you being as handsome as you are." She purred and set her paws squarely, lifting her head a little higher.
"Males like you don't happen by all that often." She continued smoothly. "And I have been ever so lonely here by myself. Have you been lonely, Handsome?"
She lifted her nose to aid the dripping water on its path and renewed her smile, tail twitching. What could she say? She adored attention more than anything.
As her grin widened, so did his, Taku obediently following her out of the water, purring happily as he felt the sun on his back. With the icy water cooling him down, the sun was pleasant, rather than the burning heat it had been lately. She shook himself off lightly, being careful not to get her wet as he did, stretching his front paws out to loosen his muscles. His charming smile remained, however, stretching wider to a grin as she replied.
"A purrrrrrfect match, I'd say," he chuckled, purring at the right moment. Cheesy, yes. But that was Takuma, through and through. Lonely? His grin faltered for a moment. Not lonely, persay. Kari kept him company and he loved it - they laughed and giggled. But she was with her pride, in the lands, and he was forced to wander in the meantime. So he supposed...yes. Yes, he probably was. The grin returned. "Like me, hmm? I suppose I have, yes. Why do you ask?"
He walked towards her, coming up right next to her, rubbing his side down along hers in a suggestive manner as he brought himself level.
She leaned against him as he made that contact, the rate of her purr increasing at the tingling sensation it brought. She loved being close to others. Loved being in the company of others, particularly males. If only she could keep a male for longer than a day, perhaps her antics would not be considered so shameful. But she couldn't help it. She was a rogue, a traveller. She met many males and felt her heart join to every one of them.
She turned to glance at him, adoring the sound of his voice and loving even more how he was playing along. He was just as much a flirt as she!
"Two lonely cats out in the unclaimed lands all alone..." She continued, her voice soft. "No rules. No eyes watching. Two lonely cats could do anything and no one would be any the wiser. Loneliness is a terrible thing, Handsome, a terrible thing. Yet, it is something easily cured. Not like disease or a terrible wound."
She turned to follow him, pressing her head firmly against his shoulder as she herself brushed past him. "If I cure your loneliness, you could cure mine. What do you say?"
The contact sent a tingling sensation through the male, firing up his nerves with excitement. This was exciting - it really was. He loved Kari, but this felt so vigorating, made him feel so alive. He purred loudly, still grinning in that charming way only Taku could manage. She seemed to enjoy his words, enjoy his actions. He felt the need to make her happier, make her smile more. She had a pretty smile. Something in the back of his mind reminded him it wasn't as pretty as Kari's, but he didn't listen to that.
Anything, none the wiser? He chuckled, that was just what he needed. She pressed her head firmly against his shoulder and he purred deeply, reaching over to lick her cheek in an intimate manner, pressing his nose to hers momentarily before beginning to move. "I'd say that sounds wonderful. I know of a nice den, not far from here..."
Oh, so the day was looking up after all! It had been strictly average from the moment she had woken up until the moment she had come here to bathe. She purred at his attentions and felt herself incredibly lucky. Who would have thought it? A nice, handsome, flirtacious male, bathing here in the pool as if waiting for this very occassion!
She eyed him expectantly and nodded, her heart drumming maniaclly against her chest. "Then, I say lead the way! I have to say." She continued as she walked slowly alongside him, her fur still terribly damp from her bathe. "That this is a great stroke of luck, Handsome. Besides keeping our loneliness at bay, once the sun dips away, our damp fur would have put a chill into our bones." She pressed against him again. "But not now."
She leaned up to nuzzle into his neck, licking his chin and smiling all the while.
"Perhaps you were spying on me, waiting for a chance to cross my path..." She mused out loud.
Her purrs made his heart beat a little faster, his smile widen a little more, become a little more genuine. The den wasn't far, he could see it now, just before the horizon. It was fairly small - but hey, that wasn't going to be a problem, he felt.
"This way, m'love," he purred, nuzzling his cheek once more as he set a quick, steady pace, eager to get to the den as quickly as he could. The sun was setting, it would be dark soon, and they needed each others warmth, as she said. This was unbelievable - what were the chances of meeting such a lionness as she? Just the girl he needed to take his mind off of things, and give him some excitement in the process. Her musing made him chuckle, Taku indicating the den they were fast approaching.
"Mere coincidence," he assured, slowing as they reached the den's entrance, "I hope this is suitable."
She spotted the den and found herself moving faster, too, matching his pace as best as she could without losing her breath. Her eyes fell to him again, tracing the lines of his handsome, proud face. His beautiful eyes. His flirtacious smile. She certainly was going to wake up feeling happy after having this male all to herself!
"Coincidence, or fate?" She whispered, not reall expecting an answer. It was something she dallied on often, being a seer and a specialist at peering into the future.
"Very suitable." She said agreeably as they drew closer still. She lifted her head and scented the dry earth inside of the den.
She paused at the entrance and cast a glance at him. Then, with a flirtacious smile and a flick of her tail, she slipped into the den, allowing the shadow to consume her form from the fading sunlight.
He missed her whispers - he quickened to match her pace, but was too busy thinking about the fun he was going to have tonight to listen properly. When she spoke up, confirming the suitablity, he grinned, feeling quite proud. He'd found this himself - Amanzi had left to wander and he'd decided sleeping out on the open savannah wouldn't be the same without his sister's warm body beside him.
She grinned seductively, and Taku gave a somewhat sloppy grin, quickly slipping in after her. Now this should be fun.
/fin.
