[PRP] New friendships to last. (Dooley & An)

[Syrius Lionwing]

He had heard the ruckus earlier in the day, a call from cub whom he knew from sight rather than from reputation or even from talking to her, and now with all the fun and games over he sat and watched as the lions took away their little pups one at a time, clearly they were, happier, than they had been that morning and he sighed a light almost sad sigh.

He hadn't been brave enough to step forwards and try to impress one of the jackal pups in to becoming his friend and he could see in the dimming light the pale lioness and the two jackal pups. He wasn't usually afraid to be around so many lions, but the thought that one of the pups would simply reject him had he tried. Rejection was something he feared probably above all else, even rejection from a little pup.

So gentle blue eyes watched the pale female and he wondered which of the lions whom had tried in the little 'help the puppies campaign' would the pale pup with the black patch pick. Wessex, the lioness had said, it was an interesting name, he wondered who had picked that name for the little black bottomed puppy. Shaking his head he tossed the sandy tuft of fur from his eyes and got to his paws. Time to go, he wondered what it would have ben like to have a jackal pup at his side, he would never know now, he'd been too afraid to try.  

[Mimsey]

An was grinning from ear to ear. Yes, that had turned out marvelously, if she did say so herself. Alls well that ended well, wasn't that right? Now that her work was done, the pups off her paws....! Well. She supposed that wasn't totally true. She still had Milo and Wessex to look after.

"Alright troops!" An remarked, hopping off the rock. "I say that went well!"

She skidded to a stop, kicking up a small cloud of dust. Almost immediately Milo was back to her, attempting to prod her into another wrestling match. After a particularly harsh bite- the little blond cub yelped, and spun around. She grasped the little pup by the back and flung him into the air, catching him with her paws as she fell to her back. He snapped at her even as she swung him about, giggling to herself over the almost ravenous looking antics.

"Hehe, stop, stop!" She groaned, biting the little thing with her own sharp teeth. The bitter match probably would have continued- until An happened to notice something in her distorted vision. She pushed the pup upwards where he continued to squirm and try and continue the match. Most of the lions had left by now- and only a rather sorry looking cub remained.

"Huh!" An said to herself. That was odd, she hadn't seen him earlier. Why was he sad faced? She tossed Milo up into the air, and rolled over to face him. Her bright eyes gleamed with mischief, and she pranced over to the small cub. "Hey, kid!"

Milo chased after her as she moved, yapping about incoherently as he continued the play fight on his own terms. He seemed to have a firm latch on An's tail as she dragged him about.

"What's with the long face?" She asked. Her voice was still harsh, dry from having been speaking for a few hours. "I didn't see you before!"  

[Syrius Lionwing]

Dooley lifted his head and looked almost surprised as the lioness spoke to him. Attempting to reshape his muzzle to look 'happy' just didn't work very well and instead of a greeting smile he was left with a half grimace on his maw. Giving up that particular charade he lets out a heavy sigh. "Yeah no one really ever notices me." He shrugs his shoulders trying to appear none challante, though he doubted he managed this particular manoeuvre.

"I was just watching the uhm, puppy, thing.." He states simply looking at Milo attached to her butt "You have something attached to your a**." He chuckles and tilts his head a little, the pup seemed like fun despite being firmly on the rear end of a lioness that could probably deal him a devastating blow.

His gaze shifted and settled for the merest of moments upon the pale pup that had followed the crazy wrestling pair, he offers her a smile too, his bright, watery blue eyes smiling. "It looked like fun." Clearing his throat he attempts to look perfectly serious "You know I mean uhm, it looked very serious, uhm, does he really eat rats?" he looks away sheepishly, that was the lamest question ever, for sure, she would think he was some dufus.

From behind the cream lioness wessex wags her tail and wrinkles her puppy nose. "I saw him, he was watching very intently." She smiles, her tongue lolling out for a moment as she eyes her crazy sibling.  

[Mimsey]

What a strange thing to say! The blonde cub seemed to pause for a moment, considering it. It was true, she hadn't noticed him but... well, that was no excuse for such a face! "Well- I was sort of busy!" An explained. "But, I notice you now. You should have come up closer. It's not much fun being all the way back here you know."

An listened quietly to Wessex and nodded her head. Yes, he had been watching. Turning her head once to look behind at Milo, who was still practically frothing at the mouth to get her to wrestle with him. "Hah, yeah. He does that. He's a bit...special, but I do love him. He's not a bad comrade!" She looked over to Wessex and indicated her with a wave of her paw. "But, they're not all like that."

"I wouldn't peddle off something that wouldn't be of use to people, after all." She reached around behind her, and pried off the pup. She sat him down in front of her, ignoring the gentle snapping of the little boy's teeth. "They'll eat rats, and just about anything. They can travel the desert as good as any lion, and they tell the very best stories."

She released the pup, who went back to his headbutting and ravaging. "But! I think they're pretty spirited. 'Sides, I helped save the mother, so that sort of makes them my responsibility. There's no good helping someone if you're not going to carry through with it. You should have come seen the other ones! I had quite a little army earlier but..."

Her voice trailed off. For now, at least, the three pups she had sought to rehome had been placed. But maybe she'd started this off wrong. "I'm An! This is Milo, and Wessex." She explained, her ears sliding forward. "And, next time you aren't noticed, you should make sure to make a ton of noise! That's what I do. Always works, hasn't failed yet."  

[Syrius Lionwing]

Dooley shuffles his paws a little "Well not everyone wants to see a Huria." He clears his throat, trying to make that simple phrase sound off the cuff was quite difficult, especially since what he actually meant was his father didn't want to see him. Licking his lips he nods at the pups "Yeah, they seem like fun, but, well yanno, you seemed very busy I didn't think any of them would like me."

"It's very kind of you to take them in and make sure they get looked after, I'm Dooley, I'v seen you before." He states, more to confirm that he had seen her around even if he had never spoken to her. "So what's wrong with their mother? I thought Jackals were pretty hardy and stuff, yanno, indestructible." He grins sheepishly, perhaps he had heard wrong, but the little balls of barking fluff seemed to be fairly unbreakable, especially Milo, he seemed to be getting the run around from An.

"If you don't mind me asking of course." He glances once again at the pale pup with the black bottom patch, "I guess, I was just too nervous to speak up with so many around you." He coughs trying to hide the embarrassment at being caught out.

Wessex wags her tail and moves forwards sitting next to An "It's a shame he didn't speak up An, he seems nice." She yips chocolate brown eyes smiling and her nose wringling in a doggish grin.  

[Mimsey]

"Not want to see a huria?" An balked, spreading her paws. "Why not? Who said that?" She might have pretended to be surprised, but in truth, she wasn't. There were members of the pride who liked to turn up their noses to their odd colored brethren. An sucked in a breath and puffed up her chest. Ridiculous! Inane. They were born the colors they were because they had been chosen to go off into the world! And that was no easy task.

"Well," she started. "That's nonsense anyways. The color of your fur doesn't change who you are. We're firekin. And they'll look at you all you want! And anyone who says otherwise you should give a good clawing to. Huria have claws." Something which An had already knocked into her fair share of younglings.

Taking in another breath, she got off her soap box for a moment. She looked down towards Wessex and Milo, and then back at Dooley. "Well, it's uh...sort of a long story. But, you'd better believe they're hardy and stuff! You see my face? I mean, I know it looks pretty bad you don't have to ignore it or anything." Most girls might have been troubled by marred looks. But a grin stretched across An's face as though it might have been just a smudge. "We fought eagles and sand, and a whole bunch of stuff. Their mother helped me just as much as I helped her. Truthfully... the real reason I wanted the pups looked after is there are a pair of eagles that are sort of really miffed at us at the moment."

"We may or may not have killed one of their eggs." She remarked. Actually, it'd been Hakkari who had dropped the egg. But An had been planning to do much the same, so she wasn't afraid of taking the blame. She doubted a pair of eagles were about to be ballsy enough to attack a firekin cub, anyways. Well. Not again anyways.

But she wasn't a braggart or a liar. She laughed nervously and rubbed a paw against her cheek. "I won't lie, they probably nearly killed me, but we managed to get out of there alright."

"It was an adventure!" She concluded, not wanting it to seem more severe then it had to be. "And, you don't have to be nervous. They're just lions. And I'm just An."  

[Syrius Lionwing]

Dooley sighs heavily and shakes his head "You know, it doesn't matter much, he just doesn't want to see me, that's fine I'm getting along just fine on my own with my storyteller mother." He nods his head trying to make light of the situation once again, it hurt that his father wouldn't accept him but he couldn't admit that.

"Seems you used your claws to their optimum then." He chuckles looking at An's face without any sort of worry or fear, she was clearly hard core, she wanted to adventure, he knew one day he would have to leave and see the world but that wasn't today and he was quite happy to see with the story teller and listen to her words and absorb the knowledge of the firekin and the worlds beyond the borders.

"Not sure if I'd be brave enough to face an eagle, aren't they kinda big, as birds go?" He raises a brow curiously, though there was certainly an admiring light in those big blue eyes.

"Perhaps I should scratch my father to get him to look at me." He mused blinking owlishly as he looks back at An. "Maybe I can come on your next adventure?" He hazarded, trying to change the subject away from the lion that wouldn't even look at him let alone accept him as his son.

Wessex's chocolate brown eyes fell on Dooley and she made a little whining noise "I'll bite him if you like! I have sharp teefs see" She bares her tiny milky fangs and flicks her little black tail "ask An, we have sharp teeth we can get anyone's attention!" She yips taking a little shuffling but crawl towards Dooley, she wanted to help this cub get his fathers attention she decided, now it was in her head she wanted to bite him really hard and get him to look at her and the brown speckled cub.  

[Mimsey]

An frowned, not sure who the 'he' was in Dooley's scenario. But she decided not to press the issue. She'd be on the lookout though, and her blue eyes glinted. She wasn't about to let anyone get pushed to the side. She might have just been a cub- but she was getting bigger. It wouldn't be long now before she wouldn't need to howl and yell for attention. She'd be a force of nature. A piece of the Motoujamii itself.

"Heheh! Maybe not eagles this time!" She laughed. She wasn't about to tempt fate. At least, not until she was at least slightly bigger. The only thing that had saved her in that encounter had been a combination of her own will, Preta's ferocity, and Hakkari's bizarrely switching loyalties. Speaking of, she hadn't thanked Hakkari since the incident... but she had an odd feeling the bird might not even remember having saved them! "But, of course! Adventuring is not any fun at all without someone there to come along."

She looked down to Wessex and grinned. "I don't know if I'd suggest that either! But, trust me, their teeth are sharp indeed!"

Milo let go of An's tail, and looked up. He grinned, showing off his small tiny teeth. "My teeth are stronger then rocks!" He said, and as if to show clamped back down on An's tail.

The cub jolted for a moment, before absorbing the rough attention. "Haha...well...nearly, anyways. Actually, I was about to take these two back to see their mom. Not much of an adventure but...you're certainly welcome to come! Preta might be a little...bitey though." She warned, holding out her paw. There were still healing marks on her wrists. "Hehe, she bit even me before we turned out to be pretty good friends!"  

[Syrius Lionwing]

Dooley looks deeply thoughtful, wondering if she was serious about him coming with her, also the thought of being bitten by a larger jackal, who's teeth, were apparently hard as rocks, didn't exactly sound pleasant. Still, it sounded like a little adventure and he felt he would like to meet preta, she sounded like an interesting creature. "Yes, I'll come with you." He smiles, a genuine smile and flickers his tail glancing between An, Milo and Wessex.

"Do you always hang about with Jackals?" He looks at the two puppies, quite pleased about being a part of this little group. He could tell An was a huria too, but she seemed less concerned about it. She had been greeted nicely by an elder firekin, he had seen that, perhaps her family didn't see her as something ugly unlike his, well his mother didn't but she never really came to see any of his siblings for any sort of time, his father recognised the bulk of his siblings though, he was just an outcast.

"doesn't that hurt when he does that?" He tilts his head at Milo and chuckles. "you're gunna end up without a tail."


Wessex chuckles and shuffles over to Dooley standing next to him, waiting for An to lead the way, a soft, happy, glassy look crossed her face as she smiles up at the young brown splotched cub, she liked him.  

[Mimsey]

"Naah, I prefer lions." She thrummed, dragging Milo along behind her. "But, they aren't bad. I like to keep busy. Jackals, lions, danger...! It doesn't matter to me. I help my cousin Ea out in the ward. She's protecting that lion who nearly died from murderers and assassins and all that! So, I go and keep watch too." Although, An had a feeling her post at Ea's cave was more to tend to her own face wound then it was to help fend off danger.

"It sort of does," She admitted. She spun around, grabbed Milo by the side, and flung him into the air. The little puppy yelped as she grasped him in her mouth, and the two started wrestling for a moment. They seemed rather rough with one another- but despite all the yelping and grumbling, there were smiles on their faces. Once the little fight had concluded, she launched the little black pup back into the air, where he landed with a puff of dust in the sand. "But, I think we're pretty similar!"

"Most of the time though I hang out with my sister Seide, and my other brothers and sisters. And my cousins! And sometimes, we go harass my aunt and uncle." She wasn't above name dropping No and Kidondo. "What about you? You don't always hang around on the wayside, do you?"

Her face fell. If he did, well. They were going to have to fix that!  

[Syrius Lionwing]

Dooley listened intently to her words, danger adventure, lions jackals, that was her normal day to day life? She was very clever it seemed, she knew the ways to be a real lion. "I sometimes play with my brother, but he doesn't do much so I spend a lot of time on my own. My correct siblings often spend time with my father. I don't mind though" He shrugs "It's probably for the best, I have to leave when I get older after all." He smiles a weak smile and follows An watching their wrestling match with a grin.

"Do you have many siblings, that are Huria?" He questions, his bright blue eyes eternally curious "I only have one brother who will leave at the same time as me." He sighs, he was leading a lonely existence, he just didn't know it.

"I heard about that assassin thing.." he pauses and looks at An "Our story teller kept us close, she said it was dangerous times, especially to be a cub." He nods sagely looking down to the little jackal pup that walked at his side like a loyal dog should. He smiles and licks the pup playfully. "Maybe I can come and play with you more often huh? I'd like to go on adventures with you and your siblings, my brother is sorta boring and the new cubs are too young to wrestle any.." He looks ahead and clears his throat "Maybe I can uhm, yanno, get a jackal friend too." he glances sideways at Wessex, maybe she would choose him, he had heard An say she wanted to choose her own keeper.

Wessex wags her little black tail and barks at Dooley when he lick her, she smiles a puppy smile and walks closer to him, almost pressing her shoulder to his haunches. "Can I keep this one An? " She yips her chocolatey brown eyes looking hopeful.  

[Mimsey]

An looked over her shoulder. Correct siblings? Her nose crinkled. "Half my family is huria. If you count my father." There's a pride in her voice as she speaks those words. Nothing could make her love and respect her firekin heritage any deeper- but she found she held her father's lineage to be just as important and crucial. And just as eager as she is to name drop her reagent relatives, she's as quick to point out her father's role. "My father was a slave to the firekin, before the rebellion. He fought against 'real' firekin and proved himself the better. He might not be correctly colored, as you say, but his contribution to the war granted him a home here." Her tail flicked as she moved, and added just a bit of swagger to her step.

"So you see, there's nothing correct or incorrect about us. We just have a different life ahead of us." And any father who was embarrassed of his son was a coward. But she kept that part in her head. Kaanga might have let her daughter live like a little barbarian, but she knew her manners. But she made a note to herself to mention it. But perhaps to lighten the conversation, she swayed and looked away. "When I get out of here, I'm going to travel the world. See things most firekin never get to see. Fight in more wars then firekin get to be in. Meet more lions and monsters then will ever call the Motoujamii home!"

And marry a prince. Preferably magical, but this she was willing to fudge on a bit.

"But, don't worry about assassins! My mom says the new lion, Kimacho, and Kenna are investigating it. I can't vouch for that new guy, but my aunt says Kenna will get to the bottom of it." Although, No had said it in somewhat of a cranky tone. She got the feeling the two females didn't get along. Or at least, enjoyed not-getting along far too much for their own good. "I'm not afraid of anyone! So, you can come on adventures anytime."

She looked over to Wessex, who seemed to have at long last made her choice in the matter. The blonde kitten grins, and she skips a bit. "Sure! If he's who you want to look after. I'm sure Preta will be happy to hear all of her pups have someone looking after them now!"  

[Syrius Lionwing]

It made Dooley smile that she wasn't ashamed of who he was, he had never felt truly ashamed, it was just that his father was ashamed of his colour. She made him feel better about himself, a lot better about himself.

"The whole world?" Dooley looks deeply impressed at the thought, she was going to see the whole wide world? "Wow, that sounds amazing, the whole world, seeing things, fighting things.." he blinks owlishly taking a breath and finding the nerve to ask "Can I come? I won't be a burden, I promise and I'll help." He puffs out his small chest, he would one day be a firekin of size and strength, only his fur colour would see him leave the pride.

It was then that he heard the little puppy question An, she wanted to look after him? It sounded funny, but awesome, she wanted to care for him and he wanted to care for her. "Oh yes, yes please I would love to have you with me wessex." He wriggles his tail happily and licks the top of the little jackals head again. "I'll take care of her an. I promise."

Wessex wags her tail and wriggles her tiny ears wrinkling her nose in a puppy smile "I'll watch over him An. I'll tell mother I have found someone to care for." She nods and licks Dooleys nose.