Xochipepe watched the sky darken, smiling to himself. With the rising moon, even if a sliver, the flowers that favored the night opened up, lit by what little light the moon cast. The gold lion sniffed each, ever-smiling, before he gently picked one that whispered to him. As he sat down, he noticed his company. "Hello, one who speaks to the sky! The flowers are singing tonight, don't you hear?"
Uli stepped into the clearing, eyes dancing as she watched the flowers. "They glow, Xochi... They're so lovely... Like the sky lights come to Earth!" She leaned into one, inhaling the rather pleasant smell. Closing her eyes, she exhaled slowly. After a moment, she started to him, finding some tune in her mind.
Xochi's eyes lit up as he listened, before he began to poke at various flowers. As if a part of the illusion created by the pride's lands, they seemed to light up with each touch. "You would not believe your eyes, if ten million fireflies, lit up the world as I fell asleep!" He jumped to the side, landing with a hard 'whump', sending a shower of insects into the sky, each seeming to light up a different color. "'Cuase they'd fill the open air, and leave teardrops everywhere, you'd think me rude, but I would just stand and stare!"
Uli's eyes opened as she watched, attention transfixed to the insects. Turning, she crouched, before jumping at them. A dark paw stretched out, just missing what looked like a grasshopper, before she landed, sending a whole new shower into the air. She turned, watching them all, grin lighting her face as she laughed.
"I'd like to make myself believe, that planet Earth turns, slooowly..." He crouched, jumping after the insects himself. Unlike Uli, though, he didn't try to catch them, instead moving through them. "It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep.. 'Cause everything is never as it seems..." When he landed, a new spray went up.
Uli let out another laugh, before stalking and trying to pounce a bug. But just as quickly as it had lit up, it went dark and seemed to vanish. She let out a displeased sound, before turning to go after another. One after another, they went dark, before she spotted a moth, dancing in the air with a shower of light. When she tried pouncing, it dissolved in the air, while she landed and sent a new shower up.
This time Xochi laughed, watching Uli. As the new shower of insects went up, he shot into the air through them, some seeming to stick to his mane. "'Cause I get a thousand hugs, from ten thousand lightning bugs, as they tried to teach me how to dance!" When he landed, he skid on the ground, shooting into the air another direction.
Watching Xochi a moment, Uli shot after. "A foxtrot above my head, a sock hop beneath my bed, a disco ball is just hanging by a thread!" When she landed next to him, a new wave went airborn. "I'd like to make myself believe, that planet Earth turns, slooowly.. It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep, 'cause everything isn ever as it seems, when I fall asleep..."
As the insects vanished into the air, Xochi went and prodded some flowers. "Leave my door open just a crack..."
A little frog seemed to bark, "Please take me away from here"
"'Cause I feel like such an insomniac..." Xochi turned, looking at the frog.
The frog seemed to light up as it barked again, "Please take me away from here..."
Paying attention to the glowing frog, Uli leaned in. "Why do I tire of counting sheep?"
"Please take me away from here..."
"When I'm far too tiredd to fall asleep!" The frog looked at Uli, then turned, hopping off. She let out a low laugh, though it wasn't as rauchus as the laughter before. "To ten million fireflies, I'm weird 'cause I hate goodbyes, I got misty eyes as they said farewell..."
Turning back to the flowers, Xochi touched several as they seemed to glow and sing out to the song. "But I'll know where several are, if my dreams get real bizarre, 'cause I saved a few and I keep them in a jar!" He jumped to another patch, touching them in turn. "I'd like to make myself believe, that planet Earth turns, slooowly... It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep, 'cause everything is never as it seems, when I fall asleep!"
Turning and watching the flowers, Uli felt dissapointment as they started to dim. "I'd like to make myself believe, that planet Earth turns, sloowly... It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep, 'cause everything is never as it seems, when I'm asleep..." She let out a sigh as they went dim, no longer glowing. Now she felt sad...
Xochi ran a paw under a flower, smiling at it. "Sleep, little flower... It's a good night to sleep..." The flower seemed to shiver, before the petals folded together and it seemed to go to sleep. The gold lion rose, smiling at Uli. "We should sleep, too, no sense staying out late!" He turned, walking towards his own den.
Starting for her own sleeping place, Uli looked back at the flowers. Maybe she'd forget this strange sight, maybe not. Who knew. She just knew she looked forward to other such sights here. It was a magical place, and she loved the way it worked with their minds.
Climbing towards his den, Xochi looked back, smiling to himself. Shaking his mane out of his face, he hummed a bit. "I'd like to make myself believe, that planet Earth turns, slowly... It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep, because my dreams are bursting at the seems..." He let out a yawn, before turning in for the night.
The cream lioness paused, turning back. Had she just heard Xochi? After a moment, she shook her head. No, she hadn't. Letting out her own yawn, she headed into her den and turned around a few times, before laying down. Tomorrow would be another day of excitement after hunting!
