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 Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 2:15 pm
 Hmm...
...Feidhlim found himself standing on one or other of the bluffs within the pride's lands. The ever-present mists swirled around his feet and tickled his chin and nose. They made it impossible to see, to know just where he was...he felt light though. Happy, and calm. There was safety in the mists.
Something niggled at his mind. Where were the cubs? He always was watching them, it was his job. They could get lost in mists, they were too young to know better...He'd best find them. A smile jumped onto his face as he set off to find said children.
Somehow or other he was on the banks of one of the creeks next he knew. At the moment it didn't seem important how he'd gotten there so quickly, or that there were no cubs around, or that he needed to find them at all. What DID matter was that he thought he could make out the figure of someone else, just across the bank. For some reason it felt suddenly terribly important that he found out just who it was. "Ah..." He lifted a paw and tried to get a closer look.
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 6:11 pm
But this wasn't reality. This was dream. He was still misbehaving, however. He sped through the enshrouding fog, just steps ahead of her. She bounded after him, seeming to eternally be just out of reach. The shifting earth-bound cloud sometimes hid his fleeing little tail, and othertimes let her get a peek. She was growing more and more agitated at this bad little boy for making her run through her dreams after him like she had to during her waking hours. What right had he to infiltrate and invade her quiet time with herself like this?
She heard the laughter of a brook ahead and put on a burst of speed. Surely the rocks and water would slow his small clumsy paws! Sure enough, a form could be seen just beyond the water, and with a surge of her hind legs, she leapt the stream and landed squarely atop the form. "Gotchya!" she practically crowed, though it still only came out as a soft and joyful exclaimation. She spent a happy moment in exultation before realizing that whatever she'd pounced, it was not cub-sized. In fact... she scrambled off and backed away from a full sized lion, mane and all. She stared at him in shock, trying to remind herself that this was only a dream, only a dream!
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Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 6:35 pm
Feid's gentle leaning towards the form quickly was reversed as she (she?) leapt at him, knocking him backwards. He sprawled in the dirt, not trying to resist the fall. It was the same as when the cubs pounced him: resisting could hurt them. Of course he realized this WASN'T a cub...it was a lady. One he'd seen before even, but from a distance. She was like him, he recalled, quiet and adoring of the pride's youth.
As she backed off and watched him he rolled to his feet. The mists seemed to fold and part around them, twisting to create a private world for just they two. A white-walled world of fog...He cleared his throat and offered a timid smile. "I hope...you aren't hurt, my lady?" He dipped his head. He was certain he'd been sure to make the fall gentle, but it was the proper thing to do, to ask. And he was a proper gentleman.
Or he'd thought he was. "Forgive me my lady, I have been rude." He drew himself up, trying to look both upstanding and not entirely intimidating. He knew somehow that she wouldn't run, but he still wanted her to be comfortable. "My name, I suppose, I owe to you. I am Feidhlim, my lady. Forgive me for impeding you? It seemed as if you were chasing something..."
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Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 12:06 pm
Her head came up in surprise as he addressed her not only formally, but as if she were a lady of some import! She continued to stare at him as he straightened from a bow (a bow! to her!), wondering what sort of strange dream this was! It felt strange to have someone speak to her with such deference. In reality she was nothing more than a cub sitter, often taken for granted that she'd always be there, always fulfill her task, always remain as she was, where she was, and practically invisible. She had to admit, it was a nice feeling to have someone see her this way, even if it was only in a dream.
She then tucked her chin shyly at his asking after her well-being, and introducing himself. And wonder of wonders, he apologized for being in her way! She was so flustered she couldn't find words properly, simply standing there breathlessly. Well, it was a dream after all, why not enjoy it? Her mind had produced a rather handsome male, paler than the mists about them but warmer, softer, more substantial. She smiled, feeling even shyer than before. What would a dream care if she admired him? Still, even in this surreal world, it felt odd to have a surge of flirtation rise within her.
"I-I'm fine," she finally whispered, her voice barely audible. "You make a soft place to land," she added impulsively, immediately mortified for having spoken it. She flushed, all the more flustered. "I'm sorry. I was chasing a cub.. and, well... I thought you were him." Her ears folded back in dismay at her own inept conversation, and her chin tucked even closer to her chest, tipping to one side to angle her face away from him. She had just told him she thought he was cub-like! Oh, even in dreams she was a failure at finding a mate! This was simply ridiculous. She set her upper fangs against her lower lip as a surge of melancholy rushed up to swallow her. Would the dream care if she cried? "It seems I am the rude one. You should not apologize, as kind as you have been to me," she managed, a touch of sadness and bitterness tinging her voice.
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Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 8:46 am
Feidhlim felt almost a little ashamed to have so obviously embarrassed this lady. The way she tucked her chin so demurely made him feel all the more inclined to be courteous and kind to her, but it seemed to make her shy...and strangely he hoped she wouldn't be shy. Part of him had realized this was a dream, and thus certain liberties could be taken, that he could relax and take some time with this lady who he'd run into...or been run into by.
Her smile, when he spotted it half-hidden on her face, was simply dazzling. He felt his breath catch in his chest, and he felt a queer surge of both light-headedness and warmth rush over him. So struck was he that he nearly missed her faint whispers. Thankfully the vast emptiness of the dream-place and the thick mists served to preserve her voice and amplify it through contrast tot he otherwise stark silence. Even the stream it seemed had gone quiet in deference to the lady.
He sat in silence the duration of her speech, ears forward to catch each word, each phrase, how gently her voice flowed. By the end he was aware of her distress, and slightly dismayed by it. Had she thought she had insulted him? He would set her swiftly to rights then. "I'm glad you think so, the cubs often like to play, and I'm always afraid I'll hurt one if I fall to hard." He offered a reassuring smile to her. "I'm sure you understand that worry though. And my lady, you haven't been rude at all! I shouldn't know why you would think you had been." He crouched a bit, tilting his head to try to see her face better, to get her to look at him and see he was not lying, was not offended. "Dear lady, please don't be upset. It would hurt my heart far more to see someone so lovely in distress than the harshest insult ever could."
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Posted: Thu Mar 04, 2010 10:35 am
She shuddered as suppressed sobs strove to emerge, almost drowning out his explination about cubs and falling. But when he tipped his head to the side and peered up at her, she nearly choked on the lump in her throat as a strange bubble of laughter tried to get out. Her lips twitched as she gulped hard several times to try and remove the lump of sorrow from her throat, the giggle still pressing to get out. She flicked her gaze to his eyes, gazing up at her at such an amusing angle.
But as his words rolled over her, she found her cheeks heating sharply. Her mind couldn't seem to decide whether this was time to attempt to find a mate, or to be shocked at a male being so romantic. Mentally she reeled, and though she turned her head to the side to hide her blushes, she also couldn't help letting a smile finally curve her lips, though the teeth set in her lip helped keep the silly giggle inside. Now what could she say to that? She felt so dizzy, she almost couldn't remember what it was they were discussing. Insult? What insult? Oh dear, she felt so warm!
"I-I-I," she murmered, stumbling to express herself and feeling dazed. "I'm fine," she finally repeated, risking another look into his eyes. This did not help the strange and fuzzy feeling, the twirling in her head and the shivering of her heart. Her breath caught in her chest this time instead of her throat, and she spoke softly without meaning to quite. "This is a dream, isn't it?" There were many nuances to her voice, soft as it was. There was hope, sadness, disappointment, and a strange mixture of longing. The longing was both that this not be real so that her actions wouldn't matter, but also that this was real, so that someone might see her as he seemed to. It was possible her face was comical in its confusion and welter of emotions, but inwardly it all spun around one central feeling that had eaten her up inside for so long now.
Loneliness.
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Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2010 5:53 am
For a moment Feidhlim was worried that he'd managed to only make things worse. Goodness, that would be a shame. His spirit drooped a moment and he sat back, inspecting his paws...A glance up won him the sight of her lips curved upwards. She...she was smiling! He felt a great swelling in his chest when she looked back at him. He couldn't explain what was happening, but it seemed like whatever it was, she was feeling it too.
A few thoughts raced through his head. What should he do? He felt so strange around this female, but...no one had ever told him how one went about admitting those things! He knew well enough that it was only right to be kind and courteous to all, but especially females...that didn't help when it came down to admitting that you had fallen in love at first sight. What if she didn't feel the same? But she'd blushed...
Taking a bigger risk, perhaps, he inched closer, lifting a paw to just barely touch her cheek. Her question took him a back briefly, but after looking around, he seemed calmed. "This place...Yes, it is a dream." He paused, watching her. "But it is a dream we're both having.
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Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2010 9:38 am
His soft, tender touch shocked her. Her eyes flashed to his in startlement, though she froze in place. Her heart hammered in her chest as she held as still as possible. She didn't dare move and break that moment, that tentative touch. Surely she was going to shatter the spell! But his answer to her unintentional question did not seem to alter his mood, nor his touch. She sucked a slow, deep breath, eyes wide and dialated.
"Surely not a dream... it must be heaven." Again, her heart spoke before she could stop it. Perhaps it was because this was a dream. One seemed to have less control in dreams. Things happened in them that never would in reality. She refused to let that thought lead to its next logical step, which was that this would never happen to her in reality. She clung to the dreamstate, willing it to not end, not to be woken from this blissful non-reality. Now that she knew it wasn't real, she couldn't bear to hold to her life in the waking world. Let the dream last forever!
With that in mind, she turned her face to lean against his paw, nuzzling it just barely. If this was a dream, there could be no consequences for her offerings of affection. Noone would scorn her, nor would he ignore her small gesture. This was a dream, which meant it should go as smooth as she could ever have wanted. It would just drift along happily like this before disappearing into the mists of her mind as she woke. She chose to savor it while she could get it.
"Can't I just stay here forever?" she whispered longingly, turning her eyes once more to his pleadingly. "Can't I stay with you? Noone out there would care, I know they wouldn't!" She waved a paw back the way she'd come, indicating the real world. "I'd be happy here. I...," she trailed off, stopping before she said her next thought, lowering her eyes sharply to hold in the darkness. This was no place for her real feelings!
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Posted: Mon Jun 28, 2010 7:09 am
Though Feidhlim was perhaps more aware of himself in the dream, things were still not how they would normally be. Usually he didn't run into heavenly females cavorting in the mists, ever so dainty and sweet. He took a breath when she leaned into his paw, begging him to maintain the dream, as if he had the power to do so. He couldn't deny that he wished this could go on as well. Her fervency in requesting made him smile sadly and shake his head though. "I am sure many lions would miss you. Had I one such as you to lose, I would weep for their return night and day..."
Growing bold, far more than he would normally, he stood and slid towards her. He brushed against her side, supporting, warm, surprisingly substantial in the otherwise misty and shifty dreamworld. He gingerly butted his head against hers. "Dreams never last, especially once you realize they are in fact dreams..." Even as he spoke the world began to fade and dissolve. The two lions remained solid a bit longer, him still pressing his head to hers. "I am sure when you wake there will be someone waiting for you. If you stayed here they would sorely miss you..." His tail had begun to fade away with the world, his dream-form swiftly unraveling as he started to wake up in reality. "I will miss you too though...Perhaps we will be lucky enough to dream together one day..."
He smiled reassuringly as the dream ended, his form fading entirely from the lioness' view. Almost as an afterthought he asked, "What is your name? You never told me..." before finally he was gone.
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Posted: Mon Jun 28, 2010 7:44 am
Her eyes darkened from within as he insisted someone would miss her. She knew better. Perhaps some of the cubs would, but overall she doubted it. Most certainly noone like him waited for her in the waking world. She tried to protest, to assure him that noone would, but he seemed unable to hear such a thing. It both made her shiver in despair as well as heat in pleasure.
It was to her frantic alarm that she realized that the world was fading. He was too right. The dream was ending, and taking him away from her. She cried out in alarm and gentle anguish. The waking world would be such a cold place after this dream! She gasped and tried to wrap her paws about what little of him was left as he faded, but her paws swiped through mist only, and then he was gone. His last words fading with him meant nothing to her. What were names in dreams, when they did not exist in the real world?
She gave a whimper and hunkered down in the mist, feeling bereft. She was dimly aware that she was thrashing in her sleep, limbs reacting to her subconcious distress. Oh, but she did not want to wake up! Tears wet her cheeks, and she bowed her head, waiting for the inevitable to happen, sweeping this wonderful experience into cobwebs and fog.
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Posted: Mon Jun 28, 2010 8:19 am
In another place, just as misty as the one he'd left, Feidhlim stirred in his grassy bed. It felt important not to wake up, to think, remember...what'd he just been thinking? It felt so important, and he ached strangely, in his chest...
A dream...he'd had a dream.
It came back to him in bits and pieces, and he lay still with his eyes closed to try to focus on it. He'd met a lioness seemingly woven of the mists herself. So shy and beautiful she'd been, like a flower newly bloomed and hidden, unused to being viewed. What'd been her name? She'd seemed so familiar, so...something. He sighed as the dream became like water in his paws, beading and tumbling away into nothingness. Shame...it'd all seamed so real...and he'd known it was a dream, hadn't he?
He stretched and sat up, blinking at the faint light that was yet enough to make him feel blind. He'd enjoyed the dream, but the lioness had been right. He felt a bit sad to be back in the real world. Ah well...
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Posted: Mon Jun 28, 2010 12:08 pm
The sounds of birds rousing with soft peeps in the dawn's gentle light pentetrated her awareness, and she came awake with a wide yawn. She blinked blearily, feeling moisture in her eyes, and an odd warmth on her forehead. She put a paw to the place on her head, wondering what in the world would have lain so close as to leave the spot of warmth there. She caught the faint echo of a dream, something pleasant that made her tingle, but she could recall nothing of it.
At least it had been a kind dream, rather than the empty, lonely plains she'd been more likely to see in her sleep-state. The glowing spot on her forehead faded and she rose to her paws and stretched. She arched her back, claws extended into the damp soil. It was time for another day of cub tending and... well, very little else. With a resigned sigh she gave herself an cursory bath, somehow finding herself humming while doing so. That must have been some dream!
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