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Being old was a pain in the a**. A really big pain in the a**. He couldn't run from all the shadows around him, couldn't hunt properly and had to put up with a big fat old baby in his den. It was embarrassing really having the chubby blue female in his den. Didn't she know she had to change her name? Hadn't he told her that? He racked his brains as he thought about it, yes he had, but perhaps she hadn't understood the seriousness of being considered a child in the pride! Well he was going to straighten that out today.

His joints creaked as he walked in to his den. Things had changed in here, it was more comfortable just lately, more, homely, it was strange and new and he didn't all together like it, not that he disliked it either though. It was far easier to sleep when the ground wasn't hard and warmer with another body in there and even the extra food was going down a treat. Still that was no excuse for her to be a baby still!

Settling himself slowly he grunts quietly "You here?" he snorts blinking through the darkness in search of the lioness whom resided in his den.

Ecaterina had...adjusted to the pride. She had hunted, and been rather pleased with the little changes she had made to Rai's den, almost without him making a fuss about it. She thought, being so old and unsociable, that he would have kicked her out long ago but no, he had been rather nice (if you could call it that) and let her stay in his den. Of course, she would have stopped bringing him food if she had been kicked out, and she figured he didn't want that.


Towards the back of the den, she half laid, half sat, fussing with the dust that had collected in the back of the den. Really! It seemed like everytime she cleaned, more dust and sand built up and filled the den. It was a loosing battle, because Rai seemed to bring it in with him everytime he came in but she had to do something to keep herself occupied. She wasn't used to the pride enough to make friends, yet.

Raising her head when she heard Rai's call, she looked half-amused. “No, I'm not,” she called back, dryly. Where else would she be? She didn't move towards him, figuring that he would know where to find her, since there was only one way in and out of the den.

With a grunt the old rickety lion marches towards the back of the den. Really she had to make him move didn't she? "What are you doing? dust was here before you." He snorts sitting slowly in front of her his black eyes looking her over. Why was she so very fat? Shouldn't she be more like him, slender, in good health because he wasn't weighed down. he pondered how she moved and let the thought drop. there were more important things to do here!

"You need to change your name now." He states simply, blinking owlishly at her his filmy eyes making it quite difficult to see in the dark, even though her coat was a very bright, aqua blue. "If you're staying here, and you ARE staying here." He frowns a little, was he demanding that she stay or asking her or just stating the obvious? he wasn't sure himself, that would have to be thought about more in detail at a later date. "You have to change your name, you can't be the same name here or you're just a baby and you're too old and fat to be a baby so change your name."

He snorts and raises both brows expectantly, yes, he expected her to change her name on the spot. "Make it short, it's a pain in the tail having to remember your big long name all the time. Something like EF, EF is a good name, I could remember that quite easily." He nods an affirmative his scraggly mane falling over his eyes though he didn't really notice thanks to the darkness of the den and the dusty film which covered his eyes.

Ecaterina glanced up when he sat in front of her, interrupting her cleaning. She huffed a little. “Well, if you want me here, then the dust will have to go,” she announced loftily, waving a paw at the piles she had formed of dust and sand. Eyeing him, she knew she could just work around him, he was so skinny he barely took up that much room.


She blinked in surprise at his comment, and a confused look passed across her face. Had she shacked up with a crazy person? Alright, she may have known he was a little...odd when she followed him back but what was he talking about. “WHAT?” She squawked indignantly, ignoring his demands that she was staying with him. “Excuse me? Did you just call me OLD, FAT and a BABY?” Her eyes narrowed, hoping that she had misheard him but not believing it.

“Why do I need to change my name? I like my name. My mother named me!” If she had been in a better mood, she would have taken his words into consideration but due to his rather horrid comment of before, she muttered, “ I'll have to chose a really, really long name, just to annoy you. EF? What kind of name is that?” She snorted.

He glances at the sandy, dusty heaps and shakes his head, "Finefine..You can play with your dust if you want." He huffs moving to lay down on the comfortable floor. It was quite good having the blue lioness about, she made his life comfortable, she even filled his belly. "it's sort of kinda good having you here. If you must be here." He mumbles his voice muffled as he settles his chin on his paws. Walking was hard work on his muscles and bones he needed a break.


Rolling his dark eyes the bone thin male sighed heavily. "It is a rule of the pride, I thought I told you this already? Until you change your stupid long name to something more suitable you will be classed as a baby." He sighs heavily a long, exasperated sigh. "Really you should KNOW these things. It must be all the fat clogging up your brain." he grumbles quietly, she would take a long name just to irritate him? He knew she would if he kept pushing it.

"Call yourself what ever you want, it was just a suggestion I like the name EF." He grunts twitching his tail in a quietly irritated manner, why was she so stubborn? he was telling her the way it was, it wasn't his fault she was a fat old baby.

Ecaterina cocked her head, her ear tilting towards him. “What was that? Almost a compliment from you, Ra-Ra? Why, I'm touched.” She smiled, this time it was only a little mockingly, the rest was pleased. As much as she liked annoying him, she didn't really want to annoy him to death, just...partially there. Something to get him back for all the fat comments towards her.


She frowned. She didn't mind changing her name. She was starting a new life, away from her baby and from the memory of Neculai, it made sense that she take a new name. “No you did not tell me. You haven't told me anything about the pride, except the directions you gave me for the hunting grounds so that I could fetch you food.” Her frown deepened and she worried to herself that all this frowning would make her look old. She hadn't frowned nearly this much out in the rogue lands, but then again, she hadn't had someone quite as frustrating as Rai out there either. “How about you tell me the things I should know? Y'know, be helpful?” She asked, sounding a little annoyed.


What was she going to change her name to? Her parents had named her, so now she had rename herslef? It sounded ridiculous. She paused. What names had she thought of for Ili'ella and her sisters? Perhaps one of those would be appropriate. Oh dear. She'd have to tell Ili'ella of her name change to. That wouldn't be a fun conversation. She sighed. Wonderful.

Mumbling quietly the skinny lion shakes his head "I only said sort of nice." he huffs, he wasn't sure if that was a true statement or not, he was starting to like having the bright blue lioness about,s he made his days easier and it was actually nice, yes NICE, having someone to talk to even if she was just a chubby baby.

"Well that is all you need to know really. It's the prides one big rule, that and don't HURT anyone else." He grumbles looking up at Ecatrina his dark black eyes looking her over. "Just change your damn name already, it's not that hard you just find something you like and change it to that." he rolls his eyes impatiently. "You stay here with me you can't be a baby forever it's an embarrassment, need to keep up appearances you know?"

With a low grumble he puts his head back on his toes "Do actually want you here for the most part, you could stand to lose some weight and such but you're pretty alright to have around. Make the place comfy..and things, just change your name.." he trails off his voice a permanent quiet mumble, admitting he liked her there was not something he truly wanted her to know but he did want her there even if it was just because she kept him fed and made his den tidy. She was good for a conversation and she wasn't scary to be around either, of course that was because she was old. Her shadow would be much less scary if she wasn't so fat but she was old enough that her chubby shadow was weak any way. "Used to know a blue girl called Oue..meant water..kinda you're blue..just a suggestion, do what ya want..just don't stay a baby, very annoying."

Ecaterina shot him an amused look. “'Sort of nice' from you, is practically a glowing compliment,” she said, her voice almost a purr. She hadn't tried to really 'flirt' with him much, mostly because she knew her usual seductive looks and soft voice wouldn't work on him. She was more interesting than the boys who fell at her feet anyway.

“I wouldn't hurt anyone,” she muttered, but was curiously thinking of a new name. She snorted at his comment. “and we mustn't embarrassed you.” She rolled her eyes, but had her head tilted to the side. She smiled a little at his comment of actually wanting her around. She got to her feet, sweeping the piles of dirt into one main pile towards the back of the den, before walking over to him. She laid down at his side, close to his side. She had slowly been getting closer to him when they were sleeping, so it didn't feel so odd to laid down pressed against his side. “Oue?” She mused, before crinkling her nose. “No that won't do.” She rested her chin on her paws in front of her, pondering her name.

“Hmmm.” She was trying to remember names that had good meanings. “What about-” she paused, not wanting to choose a name that he didn't like. Why his approval was important to her, she didn't know, and she would deny that it was. “What about, Lari?” She suggested. “It means moon, which controls the ocean. My daughter-” she hadn't spoken much of her little girl, she realised, “-has always loved the sun while I like the moon better. Appropriate? Less-babish?” She asked, quirking him a look. Of course, she'd add onto it, probably with Laf, which mean radiant, simply to make it sound prettier but he'd probably dislike it because it was too 'long', so Lari would do.

"Yeah well, yanno..stuff.." he grumbles watching her movements,s he was actually very nice to look at despite being a bit chunky, he appreciated having a womanise touch about, not that he didn't deserve to have her there, he was old after all and needed to be looked after, he deserved to be looked after,s he clearly respected him for who he was, he liked that she was looking after him, as it should be.

He looked at her in a surprised, almost amazed manner for a moment when she lay next to him. She was warm and his old bones liked the warmth especially inside the cool den. Well this explained why he was waking up cozy in the morning instead of cold and arthritic. He contemplated giving her an insult for putting her fat butt nearly on top of him. If she rolled over would he be squished?!? Well she hadn't rolled over yet and she had clearly been using his side as a prop for her butt, well he wasn't about to start an argument, though he settled his head back on his paws, it was convenient for HIM for her to be sitting there that was why HE allowed it.

Listening to her contemplating her new name he purses his lips and tilts his head sideways to look at her, licking his lips he nods. "I'm sure you could control the ocean with your bulk." he snorts "own orbit." he chuffs laying his head back on his paws, this was as complimentary of her name as he could get "Yes, Lari is much less babyish and at least I can remember it. Stupid long names just get lost in the air. You know the shadows like longer names." he mumbles closing his eyes. "it'll do you be Lari from now on, s'bout time you changed it, really, can't believe you waited this long, it's embarrassing having an old baby in my den, you're much too OLD to still be classed as a baby." He snorts opening one dark eye to assess her, and even shuffling ever so slightly nearer to the bright blue lioness, she was at least comfy to lean on, like a pillow made of fur and fat.

She was pleased when he made no move to move her away or to leave himself when she settled at his side. She hadn't done it when he was awake before, but it was nice. She enjoyed the comfort of another person by her side, it was nicer than sleeping alone. She was used to a big family, but Rai was still nice, even if he was a bit too bony to be comfortable. His hip bones dug into her hips painfully if they slept too close together, so she often left a little space between them, so she didn't get jabbed by his skinny barely covered bones.

As nice as it was that he was next to her, she just wished he would learn to just shut his mouth. She scowled at him, and faced away from him, her back to him now. “Well thank you!” She said, sarcastically. “Glad you approve of my new name. Now that I'm no longer a baby does that mean I get to have my own den instead of getting 'babysat' by you?” She didn't want her own den but she hated being called old and a baby at the same time. It just...shouldn't have been possible and it was still insulting. She felt him shift closer to her, and didn't push him away. She didn't really want to leave, but she couldn't let him insult her all the time and get away with it! She had some fight in her still, 'old' or not.

The slender male lifts his ragged head looking her over, his dark eyes looking thoughtful. He didn't want her to go, far from it, he liked having her here, just because her name changed didn't give her the right to just up sticks and leave his den. "if you want to." he mumbles, a slight pout on his lower lip "don't owe me nothing.." he scratches his claws on the den's floor, feeling frustrated that he couldn't just say 'stay please'.

How was he to convince her to stay now he'd said that? He smiled inwardly a flash in those old dark eyes as he rests his chin over her shoulders, his nose touching her ear "You know you don't look half as fat as you did yesterday, maybe primal life is doing you good and now you're not a baby any more you can stay with me and be an adult. Isn't that what you want?" He whispers, his voice still rough, almost sarcastic and dripping with untruths, or at least untruths to his ears, he was perfectly willing to tell her a lie to keep her in his den. She was fat as ever but he wanted to keep her here.

"it's a really, nice, name you picked, you're shiny..like the moon..yes..shiny, not at all round like it…" He coughs, clearing his throat, he was having trouble keeping up with this little charade already and he would always think of her as 'the moon' round, fat, huge and able to cause great big watery swells.

Lari hadn't really intended to leave, just tease him a little but when he was just going to let her go, with no fight at all, she had to feel a little insulted at that. Really? Wasn't she worth fighting for a little? She had cleaned his den! Well, mostly. It was hard to keep it clean. Damn dirt and sand. It was everywhere. She was sulking a little, refusing to respond to his calm declaration of 'leave if you want to'.

She started a little when she felt his chin rest on her shoulder and shivered a little with his nose touching her ear. Wow, he was close. He hadn't voluntarily gotten close to her before, it was usually her breaching the distance between them at night. Close wasn't a bad thing though, she thought, a purr working from her throat. Was he...trying to charm her? It was an amusing thought, but mmm, it was working. She let him spill his whole compliment, wondering if she should take 'shiny' as a compliment? Well, at least he hadn't called her round like the moon.

She lifted her head, carefully dislodging his chin on her shoulder after he had finished talking. Tilting her face back towards her, she made sure the amusement showed in her eyes. “You don't really mean a word of that,” she purred, eyes sparkling in her delight, “but you know, that...staying with you? Being an adult and sharing your den? That part sounds nice.” She nudged her nose against his cheek impulsively, drawing back almost immediately and looking embarrassed. Why had she done that? Goodness. She felt silly. She coughed, clearing her throat and shifting, perhaps a little nervous of his reaction to her 'kiss' on his cheek. “If I'm staying here now, try not to track so much sand and dirt into the den, would you? It's hard enough to keep it clean without you carrying whole sandhills in by yourself,” she muttered, motioning to her piles of dirt which she still needed to take out of the den.

He looked almost afraid that she had just granted him a 'kiss' and his old heart skipped a beat. "I mean them a little.." He realised in a moment of pure clarity that she was looking after him and more than that, he actually liked her more than a servant girl. He coughs and looks up at her with a slight smile on his maw. "You know, despite being fat and you know taking up room and moving my dust about you're very.." he paused and searched for a word that he could use to express what he felt at that moment "Nice, to have around. I like it." He stares at her in a meaningful manner, was that enough of a declaration for her? Nice, he knew was a very luke warm sort of word to use but what more did she want from him.

"Thats a slightly foolish request, you really think I bring sand in on purpose?" he huffs settling his chin back on his paws.

"Go to sleep. I'll see you when you wake up." He grumps closing his eyes tightly though he knew sleep was a hundred miles away from him he fiend a snore so she couldn't comment on his declaration of his 'like' for her. Was it just like? Was something more happening here with every moment that she was with him? Was her dedication and now adulthood something he could express a greater feeling for? Foolish, foolish, foolish, she was a fat old lioness who cleaned his den and fed him nothing more, even if he did LIKE her more than he felt he really should.

Ecaterina blinked in surprise at his declaration, her jaw actually dropping a little. Well, it wasn't exactly a declaration of utter love or anything like that, but it was better than disliking her, like she half feared he might. She closed her mouth firmly and tried to think of how to respond to what he'd said, but soon he was moving on, talking about other things and telling her to sleep. It gave her a little longer, to consider her respond to such an important statement.


She lowered her head, shifting close so that her paws were next to his, so that her cheek was close to his, even though he was 'snoring', she smiled a little. “I wouldn't put it passed you to bring in the sand on purpose to annoy me,” she told him quietly, in case he was actually sleeping. If he was sleeping, than she would just talk to herself and if he wasn't, well at least he'd know.

“For an old grumpy bag of bones-” she shifted a little, cuddling up again him, “-I like...having you around too” He wasn't 'nice' to be around sometimes. Not when she was getting insulted every other sentence but still, she enjoyed having him around. Sort of. She smiled a little. She was used to flirting, getting her way and knowing exactly what to say to win a guy over, but with Rai, she knew none of it would work. He was different...whether it was a good thing or a bad thing she wasn't sure yet. She unconsciously cuddled closer, sighing pleasantly as her eyes closed. She didn't go to sleep though, busy planning all the things she'd bring into the den to make it more 'homely' and nicer to live in. Perhaps some animal pelts for a bed? So they weren't forced to sleep on cold ground. Flowers, of course, to brighten the place up.