Asce Kibou - Das Tor
&
Jukwa'Lililokuwa - -_Wish of the Goddess_-



Asce decided he wasn't very fond of the rain. He'd gotten caught in the middle of a surprise shower, quite a ways from shelter, and was now hunkered in a cave...soaking wet. He didn't normally mind being wet, being a swimming lion and all...but there was something about being drenched against your will that just SUCKED. A lot. He grumbled in a MOST un-gentlemanly manner, shaking himself and infinitely glad his Mama was not around to hear him. Not with some of the words he was using.

He froze. But what if she could? She DID See things, after all. KNEW things that normal mortals did not. He squeaked and hunkered down again. And prayed to Mama Asali that his mother DIDN'T See his moment in the cave. The last thing he wanted when he finally got home was a lecture on proper language.



Young Jukwa, a recently grown femme who had quite the taste for the rogue lands, was currently just wandering. Life had been easier lately, what with the fact that, now she was grown, she didn't have to worry as much about....family Not that she'd really had any for quite some time. Her yellow and pink mane flopped in her eyes as rain drenched her pale coat, and currently, she was just looking for a way to get out of the rain.

Despite the fact that she loved it, no Lady wanted to wander around in the rain for long, even a femme who found herself…loving flings. Shaking out her black paws, she made a face at the clinging mud. It was disgusting, quite truly, the feel of the squelch betwixt her paws something she found herself…easily ready to do with out, "GODS HELP ME!" She cried out irritated. She wanted OUT of this mess, for it was the mess that bugged her.



Asce blinked and raised his head up. He could have sworn he'd heard a voice. The adolescent went to the mouth of the cave, looking around outside. And noticed a figure in the distance. Well! Looked like someone had gotten themselves caught in the rain too! He took a deep breath, bracing himself...And then he went out. At least he was used to navigating mud.

"Heya! You looking for a way out of this rain?" He made sure his voice was loud, to overcome the sound of the rain.



Those dark eyes glanced up, and she looked at the adolescent standing there. Blinking once, twice, she walked over to him, smiling sweetly, "Yeah....Just a bit. It's been a long day, and..." She lifted her paws slowly, "It's messy out here..." Looking down slightly the lioness shifted slightly, "Do you know a place to get out of the rain?


Asce smiled and nodded. "That I do! I found it looking to get out of the rain myself, miss." He turned and nodded his head towards the direction of the cave. "There's a cave over this way. It's rather large, so the both of us could fit while we wait out the rain."


She nodded, "That sounds....quite lovely. I'd like to get out of this. As much as I love the rain, mud doesn't really look good on my coat." Shaking a bit of water from her mane, she walked over to stand beside him, "You were fortunate to find a cave so near by! They can be hard to happen upon sometimes."


Asce nodded. "I know. I've been wandering the rogue lands for a few months now and...they're so different from my home." He started in the direction of the cave, careful not to go too fast. After all, it wouldn't do to leave her behind! That would be MOST ungentlemanly. "Like the sudden rains. I don't mind being wet but...it's rather different when you're not expecting it."


She nodded and trotted behind him, "Yes, oft times it is. I've lived here a good long time, though, and managed to get mostly used to it, save for the whole mud on the paws bit.


Asce blinked and chuckled. "I don't really mind the mud. Where I'm from, it's a common occurrence. And it comes off rather easily." Once they neared the cave, he motioned forward with a paw and a bow of his head. "After you, miss."


She flushed beneath her pelt, and bowed her head, slowly making her way into the rather warm cave...Well this was nice. The Rogue didn't oft find refuge, so what little solace she could get felt like....well, like there was a God up there looking out for her after all, "Jukwa'Lililokuwa. Just call me Lili for short." She said with a smile.


Asce smiled and trotted in after her. "Ah. I am Asce. It is a pleasure to meet you, Lili." It was still odd, meeting girls from outside the pride. And he was still amazed by how UNLIKE Kisa most girls were. Not that he didn't like Kisa! It was just...nice, not having to strive for a kind word. "It's a shame caves tend to be cold though. It'd be nice if there was a warm one the could dry the fur." He stood just far enough from her that he could lightly shake himself, removing some of the water.


She nodded, and moved a bit away from him, shaking out her fur, which, thankfully, was shorter than most in this region. The water came off easily, and she was relatively dry....were it not for those damn muddy paws! Laying down, she purred, "So where are you from, if you're not a rogue? I don't recognize your type at all."


Asce felt better once a good chunk of the water was off of him, sitting near Lili. "I'm from a place called the Jini-msemi. It's quite a ways from here...but I know my way back." He chuckled. "I'm out finding my adult name, so I can go back home an adult."


She nodded slowly, "I've heard of such things. They're strange to me...but...fascinating. I myself am just...well, me. I've been a rogue for my whole life, wandering alone since I was an adolescent..." A tiny, wry smile crossed her lips, and her tail flicked, "I don't really know...it's just who I am, I suppose."


Asce nodded. "I've know there's lots of lions out there who like being rogues. What's it like? I noticed the weather is kinda...weird. Unpredictable. And there's a few lions that....aren't friendly at all." He wrinkled his nose. "It's rather sad."


"It's unpredictable, and troublesome, and oft times, I find that the world that I live in gets harder and harder, but I love this." She smiled softly, "I have...many..... MANY friends...and...otherwise." That was a purr of darker, more...sensual proportions, but still.


Poor Asce didn't get the undertones to the purr. Though he thought she had a rather nice one. "That's good. My friends are back in the pride unfortunately. Though I'm supposed to be meeting up with a friend who is also traveling later."


She nodded slowly, and canted her head, "What about mates? Do you have one?" No ulterior motive, she honestly just wanted to know, because he was indeed lovely, if not young.


Asce blinked. "I...not really." He ducked his head. "There is a girl back home that I really like but...I'm never entirely sure where I stand with her. She's really strong-willed and stubborn and kinda contrary but...when she smiles, it seems to wash away anything bad she might have said." He really did love Kisa. He just wasn't sure how she felt back.


She nodded slowly, "That's really cute." Lili purred softly. It really was. "I've had....no mate. A fling or two, sure, but...I don't think a mate's my thing, you know?" Her tail flicked again as she crossed her forepaws. Laying her head on those paws, she gently shook off a little bit of mud, letting out a disappointed sound.


Asce nodded. He knew there were more than a few members of the Jini-msemi that never took mates, simply taking comfort when they saw fit. "It's not a new concept to me." He stretched out a bit. "Everyone has their own way of managing their hearts. But it doesn't harm the spirit beside it."


She purred and nodded, "This is the truth. You're wise. for a kid." That was teasing, and she gave him a grin to say as such. She felt like teasing someone, and Asce just happened to be her current target. He was cute, younger than she...Hey, she couldn't help it.


Asce stuck his tongue out childishly, not helping his case. "I'm almost full grown." He posed. "I'm bigger than my Mama now!" He was! He....wasn't sure about his father, since he'd never met him. And there was no way he'd ever be bigger than his 'Uncle' Fleance.


She chuckled, "But you're still an adolescent, sweetie. I'm a big grown up~" She said, flicking a paw in his direction. A bit of mud splattered and she giggled, watching it stick a bit on his fur. Of course, he was darker, so it mattered less, especially since Jukwa was a pale lioness...


Asce chuckled, raising a paw up to try and dodge the incoming mud. He rather failed though. "Yeah, I know." He grinned, then perked up at a lack of sound, looking to the entrance. "Hey....the rain stopped!" He looked back to Lili. "Shall we wait here a bit longer, to make sure the downpour really is gone?"


Her nose raised to the air, and she stood slowly, moving to the mouth of the cave. The scent of rain was still heavy, making her dubious to even set foot outside the cave, "The smell's still too strong to tell...Mayhap we SHOULD wait, Asce. It might prove to our benifit."


Asce nodded. "Well..." He settled himself, smile on his maw. "I'm certain we can find something more to talk about. Or rest for a while."


She yawned softly, pawing her own muzzle as she lay back down. "I think rest sounds...nice." She'd been wandering for days now, and the only sign of it was when she turned up her paws. That revealed slight bleeding on the pads, and chipped claws....life was roungh on a young adult, after all.


Asce nodded, weary himself. It wasn't often he got a chance to really rest in the middle of the day. Usually, he was meandering the whole day or more, trying to find that experience or meeting that would define him. "Rest well, Lili. May the spirits bless you."