(( Ninde'Giliath - Manda
Erunestian - o0 Sephiros Immortal 0o ))
Gil sighed softly, staring rather morosely into a little pool of water he had found. He'd been wandering around on his own for a while now but ... he had YET to find a really handsome boy who would want to stay with him! Everyone just gave him funny looks and they would talk to him, but then they left again. Life was sooo unfair. Why did they do that? Was he not pretty enough? Not interesting..? Did they not like him because he was a hybrid and couldn't have cubs? Maybe... maybe that was it. Sniffing softly, the little cheeton put his head down on his paws. It wasn't -his- fault he was born this way ....
He didn't even know why he was out this far...it wasn't exactly his job to patrol or anything...Erunestian just needed more time to think about the state of things...the state of his life. To tell true, the dark lion felt utterly purposeless. Frowning, eyes affixed to the ground, he trodded along on the outskirts of the pridelands, luckily well-away from the demon side of things. He'd wanted to muse on things...not commit suicide. However, he was downwind from Gil...and when the scent of stranger touched his nostrils, his head snapped up, green eyes instantly alert. Oh...now just who was this? And well...he seemed even more depressed than Eru himself had been... He wasn't a lion either, hybrid of some kind? "Hello..." He called out, voice rumbling softly, "Are you quite all right?"
Gil's own head lifted at that, and he looked at the other through a sort of watery haze... having actually started -crying- without realizing it. Oh ... oh this was SO not ladylike! Sniffing again, he swiped a paw over his eyes and attempted to look more charming - though it wasn't working too well. And this male was REALLY handsome too! Oh why did he always mess it up somehow? "I-I... " he stammered, scrambling to his feet. How in the world was he supposed to explain this?!
Then he had an idea... tell the truth... to get sympathy. Maybe ... maybe that would work, and this one would stay a little while. "Everyone ... always leaves me alone after a while and they think I'm weird somehow, but no one tells me -why- and I guess they dont' think I'm pretty or they hate me because I'm a hybrid and I c-can't have cubs..."
Ah hell, Eru mentally cursed to himsef, why did he have to be such a sucker for tears? This poor little guy looked like he didn't have a friend in the world. Rumbling softly, he very carefully sat down next to the little patch of water next to the other. "Weird?" Well, he seemed to be a little...feminine, not that that was a bad thing, honestly, Eru had had to admit to himself that he rather liked that in a male. He wasn't the first of his siblings that had realized they didn't have sole affinity for the opposite gender either...so Eru hadn't felt a whit out of place. "And just because you're a hybrid or aren't wired to bear children isn't a bad thing either... Many times people are ridiculous, and feel uncomfortable around people who are different from themselves." He'd noticed it, watching his brother and sister...a sad case, but true.
Gil sniffed a bit at that, and gazed at the other with wide eyes. "R-really? You think so..?" he asked softly, edging juuust a bit closer. "I'm not ... -that- different, though..." After all, even though his mother had been a cheetah, he knew there were -other- hybrids like him around. And he was fairly sure all of THEM didn't get avoided and left alone all the time...
Eru tipped his head to the side a smidgen, ears pricking curiously as he deciphered the other's words...or at least made a darn good attempt at it. Nope. Not going to work. "What do you mean, exactly?" What sort of place had the other come from, to not understand that his choice wasn't exactly the norm...and yes, Eru had noticed the way that the other was sidling closer. Not blind, thank you very much!
"What do you mean ... what do I mean?" he asked, clearly confused now. "I-I'm ... different because I'm a hybrid..?" Truly, no one had ever sat down and pointed out what his gender actually WAS. He'd just thought from the start that he was a girl, though maybe an odd one. His sisters had only made fun of him, and no one else had explained....
Eru frowned then, confused, "No...I mean...different because you're..." Now, how to say this tactfully, "...you like boys and you behave in a manner that's not stereotypical for your gender. Not that that's a bad thing, I mean...I don't mind." Oh he was not heating up beneath his fur...oh s**t yes he was. "And I have a brother and sister and well...myself, who are a bit different in that way." Kaimel a bit more in particular behaviour-wise than either himself or Kaimelar, but that didn't need to be pointed out.
Gil frowned at that, reeeeally confused now. "What are you -talking- about?" he asked, ears going back against his head a bit. "I don't act enough like a girl, is that what you're saying..? Well, maybe it's not ladylike to lay around and cry but you've only been watching me for five minutes!!" Upset all over again, he turned and put his back to the other, trying (and mostly failing) to -not- start crying again.
"..." Oh dear. Oh dear. The other seemed to honestly think that he was female...unless it was some sort of crazy act, which somehow, Eru didn't think he was, not with how upset and in earnest the lithe hybrid had been acting. Wincing, ears lying back against his head, Erunestian, in all of his brilliance, simply let the words stumble forth. "But...you're a boy..." Oh well that was just great, he was probably going to get smacked for his trouble. Genius, Eru...you really should learn to be quiet sometimes.
Gil spun around at that, eyes wide as he stared at the other. "WHAT?!" he practically yelled, going from upset to angry in a matter of seconds. Even if he -was- male, his mood swings could very definitely be called female. Oooh yes. "No, I'm NOT!" he stamped a paw. "I know who I am, and what I am and I've -always- known!" Perhaps if Eru had told him that when he was calmer it might have worked, but now...
Eru backed away a couple of steps at that, ears almost disappearing into his pastel mane. "Ah...you are male...do you even know...how to ah...tell?" Oh great, now you're calling a distraught and high-strung male ignorant, he just seemed to be full of bright ideas today. "And like I said...it's not bad...you're still...who you are and all that!" Dammit! He hadn't meant to offend the other, but somebody needed to tell him!
"What do you mean, how to TELL?" he asked, growling now - his claws flexing into the dirt a bit. "I know how I feel, and what I -like- ... I like BOYS but they never like meeeeeeeeeeee..." That last word faded off into a wail, aaand now he was crying again - back to depression mode.
The dark male swallowed hard, grimacing again at the tone in the other's voice. Damn, had no one ever really sat down and talked to the poor fellow about this? "Like uhm...boy parts and girl parts...?" Obviously it was easy to tell a male lion at but a glance, they had impressive manes after all, but if no one had ever explained the other differences? All right, perhaps a touch confusing, especially if everyone avoided him due to bafflement. "And boys can like boys...I mean...I like boys..." Wow, that was about only the third time he'd ever admitted that aloud.
"W-what parts...?" Gil asked, sniffling again now. "I mean I ... I k-know I have longer hair, b-but I'm -not- a lion ... it just... I always thought it was just -longer- and it made me prettier than my sisters..." But they'd made fun of him for that... a lot...
Slooowly sitting down, he cocked head to one side and then gestured with a paw, "I mean...down there parts. Girls have all their parts inside, but boys you can tell from the outside...you do know what I mean, right?" He was trying to keep his tone from sounding at all demeaning, not wanting to talk down to the other. Just because the boy didn't know some things...well it wasn't his fault.
Gil's eyes widened a bit at that, and he glanced downwards. "Down... there?" he murmured, then sat down and -looked-. Oh... -that-? That meant he was a boy? "You ... you're serious aren't you ...? N-not teasing me or lying or anything?" He frowned. Why.... had no one ever TOLD him this..?
Eru nodded, completely straight-faced (which admittedly had been a bit difficult at several points in this conversation), "Yes...as a matter of fact, it does...but that's about all it means. You can be and want anything else you so wish to be...at least, that was what my mother always taught to my siblings and I." Oh! Oh goodness, he'd been rude this entire time and hadn't even introduced himself! Smiling carefully, he took a step towards the other, "I'm Erunestian, by the way...but friends and family call me Eru..."
Gil was staring at the ground... still trying to figure out the WHY of this ... not telling him thing. Everyone ... this whole time... must have just thought he was stupid or something. And really weird, probably... Blinking, he looked up at the other, and smile tremulously. "I ... I'm Ninde'Giliath, but Gil is easier to say ..."
"Well...it's nice to meet you, Gil...I'm sorry if I offended you at all..." Because, well he'd admit it, the other was cute and decidedly attractive. It was almost adorable in some strange way that the hybrid hadn't realized that he was a male. Gods, but he must have had some peculiar family to be raised that way...which made Eru thank the stars a thousand times for his own relatives. Strange at times, but very comforting.
"N-no ... I ... 'm glad that someone finally -did- tell me..." Gil replied softly, head hanging a bit. He was a boy ... really a boy, and not a girl at all. From what Eru said it didn't make that much of a difference, but to -him- it was ... really weird. "I just... don't know what to do now..."
Very gently, he leaned over and bumped heads gingerly with the other male. "Well...you could get to know me better..." He suggested lightly, "And perhaps I could show you my home. You'll have to be careful around here, though...there's a whole pride of demons not too terribly far away, and they're a rather vicious and territorial bunch." A shiver went down Eru's spine at just what they might do to someone who was as small and sweet-natured as Gil seemed to be.
Gil's eyes widened at that little bit of info. "Demons...?" Oh -that- sounded rather scary, really. He didn't want to mess with demon, nooo way. "But ... I ... if you really want me to, I could stay around..." How could he pass up the chance to get to know Eru better?
"I wouldn't mind getting to know you, Gil." He replied honestly, "And I think you'd particularly like my family..." Rumbling softly, he nudged the other again. "So let's head back, shall we? It's a little bit of a walk, but not terribly far, and if we see something tasty on the way, I might hunt it down to bring back..." Mother would be so pleased if he'd brought something for dinner...and Eru had been away for several hours, but it was always safe to take extra time. Mother had been looking at their father with those eyes.
Gil smiled at that and nodded. "A-all right... and I could probably help you hunt, too," he admitted a bit shyly. After all, he'd -had- to learn how to do that, since he was on his own a lot. Not that he'd ever hunter very much as a partner with someone else. But ... it couldn't be that difficult, right?
Eru grinned widely at that, mood absolutely lifted from its previously dismal state. "Then let's go!" And with that, he sauntered off at a trot, knowing that the other would follow him. Good gracious, he'd have to keep an eye on this cute little fellow...before something ate him or otherwise snatched him up. Even his ignorance of before only served to heighten Eru's protective instinct. Perhaps now, he had a smidgen of an idea as to the way Ka felt about their mother in that way. Perhaps. Maybe. They would have to wait and see.
