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 Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 6:07 pm
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Ah... how long had it been since she had gotten familiar with the warmth against her side? It was strange how they were almost inseparable now, Elea and Ufunuo. Slowly she had come to terms with the truth that she did feel for the dark lion, a whole lot more than she had ever felt for anyone else. Ufunuo was turning out to be everything she needed, far more than just a companion. He never failed to cheer her up, and just their small touches brought her happiness. When they touched noses, when their shoulders accidentally brushed together when they walked side by side... everything about him was fitting into her life.
Lately they had taken to wandering off together, to their own special spot that was delightfully bird-free. Nadra teased her more and more lately, would flash her a knowing smile, as if she expected that something had already came of the budding relationship... Elea woke up, her body sore, but the warmth at her side was soothing. Blearily she glanced over her shoulder and to the dark lion behind her. Ah, Ufunuo. He was still sleeping, and Elea did not mind spending the first few minutes of the morning staring into his face.
Had they really spent the night here? Usually they went back to their respective bondeds before it got dark... Why hadn't they left last night?
Her cheeks flushed with the memory.
Oh. That was why. There cuddling had led to something more... and now she was sure the second she saw her vulture Nadra would know. Oh gods, she was never going to leave this spot! She had what she needed, Ufunuo, and so there was no reason to face Nadra. Not now, at least. |
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Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 7:27 pm
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How much time had passed since that first night? How many days had then stolen away from their bondeds to spend along together? The days had gone by in a blur, blissful afternoons, peaceful evenings.
Well, mostly peaceful evenings. Peaceful until each night when he and Elea parted company and returned homed with their bondeds. Daga was merciless! When he wasn't teasing Ufunuo to the point of his ears and nose turning bright red, he was probing him with questions, demanding to know how the day had gone, what had happened, what had been said. And when he wasn't doing that? He was giving advise, advise on what to say and do, lines Ufunuo was sure Elea would not appreciate. He should clean his fur, he should take a bath, do this, do that, take her a gift. Really, the bird was -not- helping at all.
Ufunuo liked Elea, he cared for her, cherishing every moment they spent together, each touch, each look. The warmth of her lying next to him, the softness of her touch, the sound of her voice, it filled him completely. That was all he needed to know, and though he knew Daga was only trying to help, he really wished his bonded would just stop.
No, he didn't just like her, it was more than that. It was...
The warmth at his side had shifted, stirring him from his own dreams, a paw twitching in the last few moments of sleep. Eyes slowly opened to the light of morning, a maw parting in a yawn. He smiled, looking to the pale lioness laying next to him.
"Morning."
Was it really morning already? |
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Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 8:09 pm
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Ufunuo was just beginning to stir, and despite her embarrassment at what had happened the previous night, she smiled. It was so easy to smile when he was by her side. Elea had something to look forward to each day... and she had to admit, there was something distinctly pleasant about waking up with Ufunuo by her side. She wondered if they would take to doing this more often, spending the night together. But, ah, maybe that would be moving too fast. Elea wanted to take care with this relationship. It was too valuable to her to mess up. Maybe they would fall into it like they had fallen into so many other aspects of their relationship. Right now, it was not a topic of conversation that she would bring up.
"Good morning," she purred softly. Thoughtlessly, she leaned down to nuzzle fondly into his mane. Really, this was how she wanted to wake up every morning. It made her never want to leave Ufunuo's side. She knew she'd have to eventually, and the moment she did Nadra would be on her like a... well, like the vulture that she was. The bird liked to know what had happened, how things had gone, so then Nadra could try and push Elea in the direction that she thought she should go in.
She was very much like Ufunuo's Daga.
"Did you have a good rest?" Elea didn't seem quite ready to get up for the day. She had lifted her head for a few moments, and then with a soft sigh lazily flopped into Ufunuo. He was so warm, so nice to lay against. Like this she could doze off, could waste the morning away. Most of the time Elea would be up and about by now, meeting up with a few of her friends in the pride, or much to her preference, hunting. Mornings and nights were the best time to hunt, the prey would be sleepy and groggy during those hours.
But, hunting wasn't even on her mind now. Now it was Ufunuo, and only Ufunuo.
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Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 8:36 pm
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His own purr, head dropping to nuzzle his cheek against hers then lightly licking her nose. He would have been content to just stay there at her side all morning, through the night and into the next day. If she would let him, he would happily spend every night with her as they had the night before, just the two of them, together as one.
"I did, you?"
Before they had met, Ufunuo had spent most of his time with Daga, practicing hunting, tracking down old Hifadhi or his father for lessons, teasing his sister, but that all seemed like a lifetime ago. Things had changed, he had changed, and his thoughts turned more and more toward Elea, counting the moments until their next meeting. With her at his side he felt more, he felt complete.
This is not to say he had stopped those things he had always enjoyed, that he did not still train daily, that he had forgotten his bonded, his family, or his pride. But there was more on his mind now, more on his heart. When he was with Elea, nothing else mattered, together they had the whole world. |
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Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 9:04 pm
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"I did," she responded smoothly. Even in the silence of their morning, she found she was enjoying herself. She liked to hear Ufunuo's voice just as much as the soft sounds of the wind and the animals. Just like this, and she was perfectly content. Elea's mind drifted back to the night before, when they had cemented their growing relationship, in a way. At first she had been embarrassed, but reflecting upon it now... it had been natural. It had been the right moment for them. It wasn't too soon, and definitely not too late. How strange it was that everything seemed to fit perfectly with him.
She rolled over to face him, and put her head just underneath his chin. Elea was becoming more and more awake, and with that, she begun to think more. Maybe it was time to talk some things out. But... she didn't want to press. How was it that she could be so nervous around him sometimes? She was so sure in everything else but... him. Him. Ufunuo.
"I think that Nadra and Daga are going to start to conspire together," she mused with a slender smile. "Soon enough the whole pride will be under the suspicion that we're inseparable..." Which was quickly turning out to be true. They had started to spend more time together than apart. "I've tried to get her to close her beak, but gods, you should hear what she says most of the time."
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Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 9:31 pm
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"I'm glad."
That warm gentle smile as he rested his head on hers with a contented sigh. He might have blushed at thoughts of that night, a flush of warmth racing through him, or maybe it was the warmth that had grown in him with each passing day they had been together. It had felt so perfect, so right, like it had always been meant to be. He felt that his place was here, at Elea's side, and hers at his.
"What if they already have?"
He gave a small chuckle at this. Daga and Nadra sitting in a tree plotting behind their backs, or at least sharing the stories they had pried from their bondeds, it wouldn't have surprised him. But as he thought about it, did it really matter? What is a bad thing if they pride knew about them? No, at least he didn't think so. He would have happily proclaimed it to the world!
He liked her, a lot, he really -really- liked her. No, it was more than that, he didn't just like her, he...
"I...love you."
He had whispered the words in her ear, quiet yet from the heart, he truly meant it. Did she feel the same? |
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Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 9:45 pm
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"Well, then..." she spoke before she thought, and while she was trying to place together a proper answer for her lover, the words spilled from Ufuno's lips. Her world froze, trapped in that one instant. Others would view it as a cage, experiencing the same moment over and over again. But to her... it was enlightening, it was what she wanted to hear. She could still feel the way his breath washed over her ear, how his voice caressed the air around her. Even now she was more tuned into to even the warmth against her side, the gentle flick of her tail against his.
The moment was frozen in every possible good way that she could imagine. She could hear those words over and over again to her heart's content. There was no way she wanted to leave these precious few seconds and return to the present. But, the way he said it... it sounded like a promise of more to come. Releasing the breath she had unknowingly held in, she was drawn back to the present.
He loved her. He loved her!
Her gaze locked with his, and slowly she leaned forward to lick his chin. "I..." oh, the words were just on her tongue, had been on the very tip of her tongue for so long, "love you too. You are... everything I need. You make up for everything that I lack." She wasn't usually very good with words - Ufunuo would know that by now. She wasn't one to speak from the heart first, but right now... it was different. She didn't need to think to know what to say, or to do what she wanted to do.
Ufunuo had taken the first plunge, and she was diving into those depths with him.
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Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 8:28 am
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Time stood still, an eternity passing in that moment. A paw reached out, his foreleg wrapping around the lioness in an embrace, as if clinging to her, hoping, praying with all his heart that she felt the same. If she ran, if he hurt her, he could have never forgiven himself, the thought of losing her would have been too much to bear.
But she hadn't run, she had stayed at his side, answering with words as sincere as his had been. She loved him, as much as he loved her, his heart soared at those words. Oh ecstasy, how light he felt, the warmth exploding in him, it seemed there was nothing he could not have done in that moment.
Absolute joy in his rumbling purr, he pulled Elea close, his forehead laying to rest against hers. He wanted to stay like this forever, to never leave her side again.
"I want to stay at your side forever. Together, we will complete each other."
They belonged together, always, he believed that with all his heart. |
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Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2010 5:15 pm
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Elea, right now, was a lioness that few rarely ever got to see. Never was she so care-free, never was she so doting upon another. But... this was different, Ufunuo was different. He brought out sides to her that she had cast to the back of her mind for years. He seemed to unwittingly know when to encourage her to drop the serious attitude and play. Ufunuo was simply what she needed, let alone what she wanted.
She smiled as their foreheads touched, eyes locking with her lover's for a few tender moments. Then, with a small sigh of content, she rested her head into his mane. It wouldn't hurt to stay here with Ufunuo for the day. Sure, Nadra might get concerned as to her bonded's whereabouts, and then start to look for her (and inevitably find her), but Elea didn't want to do anything more than stay in this spot with her lover.
"Yeah, me too," which seemed oddly inadequate in comparison to Ufunuo's words, and the ones she had spoken earlier. She blushed a little underneath her fur, and ever-so subtly turned her face into Ufunuo's mane to 'hide' the blush (though no one would be able to see it anyways). She let a few minutes of silence reign, taking simple pleasure in being with Ufunuo, feeling his warmth and his breath against her cheek.
This was... so nice.
But, then something struck her mind, though it had rather been sitting at the forefront of it for a while now (she was just too preoccupied with cuddling with Ufunuo to pay attention to it). "This makes us mates, then, right?"
Wait... that had sounded smarter in her head. With an audible groan, she moved to cover her head with her paws. How embarrassing, again! Ufunuo was so much more skilled with language than her.
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Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2010 5:37 pm
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Had he not already been laying down he may have fallen over. It had been so unexpected, though Elea always had been blunt with her words, it was part of her charm that Ufunuo had fallen for.
A faint chuckle, a warm smile, his head turned to nuzzle against hers, pushing her paws away as if to reassure her. There was no need for her to be embarrassed or sheepish with him, no reason to ever feel ashamed. He loved her for who she was, wholly and completely. The things she did, the things she said, the sound of her heart, her breath, everything about her, he would have changed nothing. He loved her, and nothing would ever change that.
"Yes, I think it does."
As if to emphasis his thoughts, he raised a paw, lightly thumping her on the nose, a playful gesture. Another time the gesture might have been followed by springing to his paws and encouraging a quick game of chase. But right now he was far to content to simply lay at her side. |
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Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2010 5:46 pm
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The gesture of Ufunuo nuzzling her was oddly comforting, though she still thought herself stupid for putting things in such a blunt manner. It wasn't as simple as being mates, what they had was far more than that, though Elea wasn't really capable of putting it to words. It had been silly of her to ask a question with such an obvious answer, and she wasn't used to it. She wasn't used to a lot of things, it seemed. Love was definitely something new... though she enjoyed the experience far more than anything else in her life.
The small thump against her nose drew her out of her own thoughts, purple eyes blinking and staring almost owlishly at her lover. He had just...! Oh, really, he should know what that invited - retaliation. It was easier for her to play than for her to express her feelings with words. Yet, she fought the urge to lightly hit him back and dart away. It really didn't feel like a time to play. Maybe later, when it was no so early, and when they were not discussing their futures together.
Even so, she nipped playfully at his nose, a 'punishment' of sorts for bapping her nose. A grin slid onto her maw, "I don't think I'm quite ready to tell Nadra this. She'd insist that just being mates was not enough." The bird had seemed to particularly aim for furthering their relationship. Elea saw it as pesty, Nadra, on the other hand, knew that it was what was best for Elea.
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Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2010 6:10 pm
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Eep! Oh no, his nose, his greatest weakness! He feigned defeat for a moment, and then (hopefully) when she least expected it...bear hug! Grinning, he licked her cheek, tail flicking happily. He was so happy, he could have never expressed it in words, how it coursed through him, filling his heart, soul, every part of his being. If he could have sung it from the mountain tops right then he would have, but even that would not have been enough to express how he felt.
"What if she already knows?"
He had the sneaking suspicion that both Daga and Nadra knew everything, and if they both didn't already know then one would soon be telling the other. It certainly wouldn't have been the first time he'd caught Daga spying on them. The eagle had become rather a busy-body since he'd met Elea, but Ufunuo supposed he only meant well.
It didn't matter though did it? He and Elea together, forever, always, that was all they ever needed to be. |
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Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2010 7:19 pm
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Despite what amount of self-control she had, a laugh burst from her lips when Ufunuo caught her up in a tight embrace. Ah, sometimes he was just too lovable, and so she didn't fight him. Rather, she flopped helplessly in his arms, letting him have the victory for now. It was not so bad when she lost to him. "Hah, if she knows, I think we should still keep quiet. Let's not give her the satisfaction of us acknowledging her craftiness."
Elea could not pass up the opportunity to torment her bonded in return, rare as the opportunities came. Despite how they seemed to be at odds from time to time, Nadra and Elea were dependent upon one another. They had a bond that ran deep - Nadra had been there for her when she was feeling the most down. Nadra never lied to her, and though the truth hurt, that was how she preferred it.
After musing for a few moments, she tilted her chin up and licked Ufunuo's chin. "I've realized I don't want to talk about Nadra right now," she murmured softly. Breathing in his scent, she rested her weight against his body. "Let's stay here for a little while longer, I want to be with you. No birds, no pride, not right now. Just you." Ah, yes, they would spend the rest of the day together, talking in soft tones, occasionally getting up to roughhouse, but always coming back to the same spot to lay together, to simply enjoy one another's company.
What a life.
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