Even in the heat of the day, the swamps were a beautiful place. Others might have found it dreary looking, with the moss and other things growing. But in such a place, flowers were almost as ever-present as in a jungle, and birds sang everywhere. Joining the chorus were soft words, floating through the trees. "Dreeeaaams to dream... In the daaark ooof the niiight... When the world, goes wrong.. I can stiiill maaake it riight..."
Mle's ears perked, as the white lion stirred from his sleep. Slowly rising, he looked around, orange eyed filled with curiosity. He slowly moved through the trees, following the sound until, eventually, he found Nenetl, plucking flowers. He smiled, going over to her to watch, standing next to the brown lioness. "Are the flowers singing, too?"
Nenetl stopped, looking at Mle and smiling. "No, but the singing makes them happy, I suppose." Her attention returned to the flowers, gently cradling each one in her paw. After a moment, she started working the flowers into Mle's mane. "You should sing, too! It makes things better!" The smile on her face seemed to light it up as she tilted her head. "Even when you're feeling down, sing a sad song and you feel better!"
"Oh, I don't know any songs... Not any you haven't sang before, though..." He offered a sheepish smile, then glanced at the flowers. They seemed so... Bright... And feminine... They made him think of Nenetl, with how gentle she could be. Reaching over, he carefully picked one, cradling it in his own paw. Against his pale white coat, it really stood out.
"Surely you know SOMETHING.. Even a little diddy..." She watched the male curiously, staring at the flower as well. After a moment, she stuck her tongue out, going back to the ones that hadn't been picked. She didn't pluck these ones, instead tending them as she'd seen the humans do when she and Meztli had been held captive by them. As her paw reached for one, she paused, watching a bee land on it. She avoided that one, not wanting to either disturb the pollinator, nor get stung.
Looking back at her, he frowned. "Nope, not even a diddy.." He watched her for a moment, tilting his head. She seemed to enjoy doing that... "What are you doing, exactly..?" Mle had never seen a lion tending to flowers in such a manner. Most didn't even bother with them, or wore them, as she'd woven them into his own mane. "Is it something special...?"
She hadn't even realized she'd lost focus from the male to the flowers. "Oh! I'm tending a garden of flowers!" She smiled at Mle, as if this was a perfectly normal action for a lion to take. "I saw some humans do it once..." At his confused look, her ears twitched. "They're like tall skinny baboons with no tail. But I saw one doing this once, and I thought it was nifty... So I tried it myself!" She turned her attention back to the flowers, carefully removing any grasses and non-flowering plants from the patch.
He could only imagine what a tall, skinny baboon with no tail looked like... It was odd, at the least. "You've been at this a while... They're so big..." He gently pawed at one, then smiled at Nenetl. "You know, you're like the flowers... Soft and gentle..." He looked back at them, finding a golden-looking flower twined around a white one. "You've got a heart like a flower..."
Thinking on his words, Nenetl paused, then went over to a little rock near the water's edge. When she moved it, water flooded into the little channel that had been dug out, soon surrounding the flowers. After a moment, she rolled the rock back with her paw, before smiling at Mle. "Where I come from... Or I guess where my parents came from... We had a word for that... Xochiyotl means 'heart of a gentle flower'..." She went over, sitting next to the white lion.
"Then you must be Xochiyotl, no longer Nenetl... For you do have the heart of a gentle flower..." He smiled at her, then leaned over, licking her cheek. "As I was once Zimwi, the little spirit... I became Mle'tonoka, as I regained my strength within..." She had, after all, taken fast to the pride's ways. He'd taken so long, but she seemed to take it easier. She also had a drastically different personality, though...
The lioness let out a giggle, blushing under her fur. "Mle..." The smile was still there, though, gold eyes dancing. "You're right, though..." She moved closer, settling next to him. Letting out a light, almost humming sigh, Xochiyotl looked back at her flowers, admiring them, before leaning on Mle. Her tail draped on his, before their tails seem to curl together. Today was a good day...
