Bora:
A soft splash echoed out in the shade of an oasis in the more desert-like part of the savanna and a triumphant laugh quickly followed. Within an area surrounded by tall trees, a large, bulky lion walked out of a crystal-clear pond, a large fish wriggling as it dangled from his jaws by its tail.

The lion was named Bora, a lion caught between youth and aged, with his mother's purple eyes, his father's bulky frame, and his own wandering attitude. His close friend, a leopard named Kinyunya was dozing out of the way, barely hidden between a lush bush and a tree-trunk.

Bora held a grin on his face as he stepped onto the shore and set the fish down so that he could dispatch it and set in next to two others he had caught. Ah, what a day. The weather was pleasant, the fishing was good, and the wanderer hadn't a care in the world. The only thing that could make it better was a sweet female to share it with.

Ili'ella:
Ili'ella was used to walking and too discovering new areas, so she wasn't surprised when the grassy area she had been walking in soon merged into a desert and the wildlife grew less and less. She had been into this area before, but had left rather quickly after discovering little food, but this time, she was content and didn't feel the need to hunt just yet.

Ili'ella's bright colours stood out against the dusty ground as she moved with a fluid ease that came from years of walking. Lowing her head as the sun shone in her eyes, she procected the sapphire blue eyes from the harsh glare. The sun was her friend, she knew, but sometimes it's love, which it gave with it's warmth, was overbearing. Panting a little, she spotted a collection of trees and brightened.

“Shade,” she whispered happily, moving quicker towards it. Her eyes glittered with joy at the thought of being cool once more.

Bora:
Bora looked down at the three fish and nodded his head. Now that he had a lunch there waiting for him, he didn't have to worry about scaring it away into deeper waters while he took a quick bath before lunch. So the lion walked back into the water, deep enough that it came up to his chest and sat down. He dunked his head under and came up singing, an old bawdy song his father had taught him.
Unlike the rest of his male relatives, Bora was quite a good singer, his voice deep and resonating just right. Despite this, though, his leopard friend groaned and put his paws over his ears, rolling over to face his back to the bush separating the two males.
Bora just chuckled at the soft sound as he continued to sing and scrub a paw at his mane, trying to get sand and dirt out of it.

Ili'ella:
Ili'ella breached the edge of the trees, sighing in relief as the sun disappeared off her coat, at least for the moment. She brushed up against one of the trees, rubbing her head against it in thanks for it's shade. “May the rain bless you this month,” she whispered, nuzzling it affectionatley. An odd sight, she was sure, but she didn't mind. It would have been rude to take the shade without blessing them. Moving further into the trees, she could have sworn she heard splashing of water. She rubbed against the trees, blessing them softly as she went.

Pausing when she reached a collection of bushes, she peered through them and, to her surprise, actually found a pond. That was rare but she was glad to see it. It was then that she actually paused to listen, hearing a deep rich voice singing a song she didn't recognize. It was a nice tune though and he had a good voice. She unconsciously began to hum along as she stepped out of the bushes, carefully navigating her paws. She spotted the other male and paused in surprise. Was he...bathing in the water?

Bora:
"And I'll tell her that I love her-" Bora sang when he suddenly looked up and saw a vision of lovelieness with gorgeous blue eyes, all notes dying on the breeze. His eyes widened for a moment before narrowing as he smiled softly, charmingly at her. He ran a paw through his mane again and stepped from the water.
"Well, hello there, dear lady. I do hope my lyricism did not bother you." He actually worked a purr into his words as he walked back onto the bank and lightly shook himself, trying to look charming as he did so.

Ili'ella:
Ili'ella watched him curiously, she was a little disappointed when he stopped singing. His voice was quite beautiful, but she smiled slightly as he moved out of the water towards her. She moved completely out of the bushes, smiling warmly at him.
“Hello there, kind sir,” she responded, her voice soft as it always was. “No, no! You're song was lovely. I must admit, I was sad when it stopped.” She noticed how he moved with a smile, but it was more because of the ease of his movements then the charm he added into it. “Did I disturb you?” She asked, suddenly worried. Perhaps that was why he stopped singing?

Bora:
Bora chuckled and shook his head. No, his song wasn't something that a lady should really hear. His father was a bit of a crude lion and, well, like father like son, at least in the choice of music. His father couldn't sing of course, he sounded worse than a crocodile growling, but that didn't change the male's feeling towards his father. He was a great lion.
"You did no such thing, fair one. I was merely surprised by your sudden appearance. Did I conjure you into being?" he asked with a bit of a chuckle, dipping his head to her politely.

Ili'ella:
She smiled at him when he chuckled, the sound almost as nice as his singing. He had a nice laugh, she decided, enjoying it while it filled her ears. Some people knew how to laugh and others just...sounded awkward.
She laughed softly, at his question, amused at the idea. “No, you didn't conjure me. Why? Where you thinking of someone like me?” She teased lightheartedly, before answering properly. “I was walking in the sun and spotted the trees. I thought a moment in the shade would be nice.”

Bora:
Bora decided not to be too forward, didn't want to scare her away or anything, so he stopped a few paces from her and nodded.
"A lovelier lady I couldn't imagine. I was just thinking how this day could only be better with a bit of feminine company. I caught some fish earlier, would you care to join me for some lunch, miss...?" He paused there, gesturing from the fish to her, giving her a questioning look as he "fished" for her name.

Ili'ella:
Ili'ella watched as he moved closer, not scared at all by him. He seemed like enough and non threatening, so she had no doubt that he wouldn't hurt her. She shifted in pleasure and slight embaressement at his comments, though she couldn't deny that she was pleased at them. “Fish?” She asked, sounding surprised as she peered at the food. She had had a bird earlier, but that wasn't particuarly filling. She had been planning to hunt later, but the offer was tempting. “If you're sure I'm not intruding,” she said softly, hoping she wasn't because they looked delicious.
Hearing the trailing 'miss' she realised they hadn't introducted themselves yet. “Ili'ella,” she offered, “my name is Ili'ella. What do I call you?” She questioned, moving over towards the fish.

Bora:
"Not intruding at all," Bora replied and lead her to the food. He smiled a bit more at her name and glanced at her, turning that charming smile of his back on to her.
"Simply Bora. My family wasn't one for lengthy names," he replied with a chuckle as he sat down beside the fish and nudged one towards her with his paw.
"Ili'ella is such a lovely name. Do you travel often?" He had leaned down to eat, one paw already on one of the other two fish, but paused, glancing up at her in questioning.

Ili'ella:
She sat down beside the food, smiling all the while she was led towards it. “I like your name, Bora,” she responded kindly and she did. It suited him, in an odd way. “My mother used to choose our names on meanings, not length,” she remarked, almost randomly but in some way related to the conversation.
She placed her paw over the fish he pushed towards her, smiling her thanks. “Thank you, Bora,” she said, for both the fish and the compliment. She laughed softly at his question. “Travel? I don't remember a time I haven't been travelling,” she announced, and she didn't. Her family had travelled when she was younger and she had simply continued on without them when they had broken apart.
Lowering her head, she used her paws and teeth to cut into the fish with ease, despite the rare times she actually ate the food.

Bora:
Bora ate a bit and smiled.
"We do too, sometimes," he replied on the subject of names and glanced at her, intrigued. Traveled all her life? That was interesting.
"I used to live in a pride, when I was young. When we reach the threshold of adulthood, the males go out into the unclaimed lands to find a mate. I went with my cousin and a few other young males, but decided that I rather enjoyed wandering about. Told my fellows that I wouldn't be returning to the pride with them. Sometimes I go back to visit and bring more members back, but I generally just wander about with my friend, who's sleeping over there in those bushes."

Ili'ella:
Ili'ella listened to him speak as she ate sparingly on the fish that he had given her. She didn't want to finish it too quickly, because she rarely had a chance to sample such a nice tasting meat. She spent little time around water, so she never really ate it. “That is good that you return to your pride occassionally,” she noted, though she couldn't possible imagine why anyone would join one. Peering over her shoulder at the bushes, she squinted trying to see his friend.
“Oh, doesn't he want some fish too?” she asked, curious and worrying that she had eaten his friend's portion of food.

Bora:
Bora chuckled and shook his head.
"Nah, for a leopard, he sure has odd taste. He'd rather go out and hunt something down than eat fish. Kid's really partial to birds, though I can't imagine why. All those feathers," he said, making a face. He chuckled again and finished up his fish, knowing he was being hypocritical. Scales were just as difficult to deal with sometimes.
"I mostly go back to visit my cousins. My parents have been dead for a while, but my cousins live on, quite well, too, last time I checked." Last he was home, one was a Vizier and the other the Emir, heir to the pride.

Ili'ella:
She finished off her fish not long after he did, not realising how hungry she was until she'd started eating. Pushing away what was left of the fish, mostly the scales, she licked around her mouth to dispell any blood that had spilled out and into her fur. She took great pride in her coat and hated when blood stained it. “Birds can be frustrating, to catch and to eat,” she said, smiling, though she ate them alot, “but they usually plentiful wherever you go. What does he eat then?” She asked, rather curious. She rarely ate much else other than bird, for she couldn't hunt anything bigger.
“I'm sorry to hear about your parents,” she said softly, “but I'm glad to hear your cousins are still well. Have you seen them recently?”

Bora:
"Usually small or slow hoofed prey, birds, monkeys, hares, things like that. Pretty much anything he or the two of us can catch that isn't fish," Bora replied and licked one paw, cleaning his mouth. He smiled and reached out, running it over her cheek to clean a spot she missed.
"I do miss them, but it was time. I haven't been back for a while. I'm sure my cousins all have little brats running about, keeping them busy," he left off with another one of his chuckles, imagining his poor cousins dealing with several litters of cubs. He knew he would have had some trouble with that, even with a gaggle of ladies around him, helping out.

Ili'ella:
“Monkeys?” She said, sounding faintly surprised, though she became more so when he wipped across her cheek. She looked a little embaressed at the action, shifting a little but didn't protest. It was a sweet gesture. She smiled at him and continued to speak as if it was a normal thing to have happen to her. “I wasn't aware you could catch monkeys.”
She watched him as he spoke about his family. “You don't like cubs?” she asked, noticing the 'little brats' comment. She would have thought, with his kind attitude to her, that he would have been a kind father. “I'm can't imagine being a pride,” she mused outloud, and she couldn't. Not yet at least. “I like travelling too much.”

Bora:
Bora outright laughed at that.
"Of course I do, but if those cubs are anything like my cousins and I were when we were young, they most certainly are little brats, at least the boys are. I'm sure the little ladies are sweet little things like their mothers," he replied, his laugh still in his voice as he sat back a bit, grinning. He looked down at the third fish and tilted his head.
"Would you like any more, Ili'ella?"

Ili'ella:
She smiled slightly at him. “You were a little brat?” She asked, “I can't imagine that, not someone as sweet as you.” She laughed quietly and glanced down at the fish. It was tempting, because there was a very high chance that she wouldn't get to eat it again any time soon but she was full from the bird earlier.
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Thank you though. I had a bird before I found the desert.” It would be rude to eat it when she wasn't hungry, it was taking food from him that he could need later or now.

Bora:
Bora nodded and gobbled up the last fish, rather quickly. He wiped his face clean again and shrugged.
"A brat in my own way. My father used to say I'd never learn anything if I didn't stop chasing the little girls with my cousin. Certainly seemed to annoy our fathers, but then they'd laugh together over it," he explained with a smile. There was rustling in the bushes and the sound of bones popping and a loud yawn.
"Heh, sounds like Kin's up. It'll be time to set out again soon," he paused there, glancing at Ili'ella. "Would you like to accompany us for a little bit? It would be nice to have the company of a female for a bit longer. I doubt Kin will mind."

Ili'ella:
“Now that I could see,” she said, with a smile. Bora being a brat was hard to imagine, but Bora chasing females and irritating his father? Yes, that sounded plausable. She could imagine it still happening, had he still been within the pride and his father still being alive. She glanced over at the bushes when they rustled and watched to see a hint of his travelling partner, but it didn't seem he was ready to show himself yet.
Glancing back at Bora, she hesitated. It would be wonderful to travel with him, but..she had things she had to do. “I shouldn't,” she said quietly. To be honest, she wondered if she travelled with him, if she would be able to leave again on her own. He was fun company and it was nice being around someone else like him. “We have seperate paths, I think, but maybe will we meet again? I'm sure the paths will cross again,” she said, smiling somewhat sadly.

Bora:
Bora's smile turned soft, somewhat sad when his offer was turned down, but he kept it when she meantioned that she hoped their paths would cross again.
"I'm sure they will. Fate had it that they would cross now, I'm certain fate has it they will again. Until then, travel safely, sweet Ili'ella," he said and leaned forward quickly to touch his nose to her cheek before standing. He walked from her, sighing inwardly over the fact that it would still just be him and Kin.

The pink leopard, a smaller male than him, walked from behind the bush, rubbing one ear where he had lain on it earlier in an attempt to drown out the larger male's singing. The leopard glanced at Ili'ella and inclined his head toward her with a sweet, if mature and polite, smile before following his friend. The males left the oasis, discussing the new destination.

Ili'ella:
Ili'ella got to her feet as Bora walked away, sad to see him go and that she had upset him by turning down his offer, but it was the only way. It just wouldn't have worked out, no matter how much fun it would have been, but she was determined they would meet again, one day when the fates told them they were ready for it. She smiled at the pink leopard warmly, returning the nod. She didn't call out to them as they left, but whispered under her breath, “may the sun watch you at day time and the moon at night, travelling safely under the stars guiding light.” It was a minor blessing that was meant to be said upon leaving to travel and Ili'ella thought it suited them. Smiling sadly, she left the oasis too, but she walked away from them, not with them, hoping her blessing would keep them safe.