Gremio:Gremio had become more and more serious in the days following his talk with Safi concerning Neclord. Every hour or so, he'd peek into the dens to insure that the cubs were alright then lope off for the boarder for a patrol. He was relentless in his patrol, chaising after every movement and shadow.
Morning was rolling around and for the fourth day in a row, Gremio hauled himself home and dropped at watcher's rock. His paws were swollen from his long travel and his aging limbs were starting to ache. No sign of Neclord... whether that was a good or bad thing, he wasn't sure.
Tembezishaha:"You look like you've been running yourself ragged, son," a deep voice rumbled and the Troupe's bard walked into view. Safi's father was a large lion, mostly in bulk rather than height, he came from a long line of large, usually battle-hungry lions. And Tembezishaha had his moments, he'd lost it on the night his cubs were born, almost killed the scavenging leopard who had given him the scars across his face. But baring those extremely rare lapses, he was a calm, friendly individual who cared deeply about his family and friends.
And that was why he was here right now. Safi had talked about wanting a family of her own, had started telling this male her problems instead of coming to her father anymore, had even left the day before to find a seer who might be able to answer her question of whether she could even bear cubs. And Shaha wanted to see if the male was really worth his little girl's attention.
Gremio:
Gremio sat himself up, the blaze of war returning to his eyes for a brief moment. Over the last few days, he'd been tensed and ready for a hostile confrontation. His posture, however, relaxed as the elder made his way over.
He sighed and hid his swollen paws under him. "Yes I suppose I have been pushing it these last few days..." He looked out, his ears rolling forward to listen. "One can never be too careful."
Tembezishaha:
Shaha's fur didn't even quiver at the younger male's reaction. It wasn't that Gremio wasn't an intimidating lion, it was just that Shaha trusted him not to actually lash out. He wouldn't be in the Chokwe if he would.
"Quite right. Especially when our families are involved," he replied, sitting down in a position that faced Gremio. He wore a soft smile, though it seemed something more formal than a true smile.
"Safi told me about the lioness, though nothing of the details."
Gremio:
He regarded the other male with something closer to his meek, soft-spoken self. Perhaps he was worried about Safi...worried about the cubs?
"I won't let anything into our boarders... that liones, whomever she is, might have been one of his agents. I won't... let anything happen. To anyone."
Tembezishaha:
Shaha's smile grew ever so slightly and he nodded.
"I'm sure you will, son. According to my daughter, you're rather dedicated to protecting the pride." He paused there, raising a paw to look at it for a moment before idly shaking some dust from the fur.
"I hope her absence the past couple of days hasn't added to your work at all," he finally said, the way his head was still dipped down set his mane in his eyes, making it unclear if he was still looking at the claws on his paw or if the eyes that were nearly identical to Safi's had returned to Gremio. Which they had, in order to judge the warrior's reaction.
Gremio:
Son... it was a little odd to have anyone else talk to him like he was a youngster. If only... to be reckless again. There was such freedom in it- and often freedom and danger held the same company.
He cleared his throat and looked away. "...well yes. I wish she would have allowed me to come along. Protect her..."
Tembezishaha:
Shaha chuckled a bit and shook his head.
"She probably didn't tell you about it because she knew you would have wanted to escort her," he replied and the smile finally reached his eyes. He was looking of, lost somewhat in his own thoughts.
"She actually used to do that often as a cub. There was always someone watching, someone nearby, but she liked to go off away from everyone else. Regardless, this was something she had to do on her own, I think." Think, yeah that was a lie. She wouldn't have been able to do this if someone else came along.Telling him had probably been hard enough.
Gremio:
Gremio brought two paws to his temples and slowly began kneeding them. He could feel his heart rate increasing and his breath growing sharper.
"...right after she reports danger on the boarders...right after... heavens I should have gone after her....but then who'd watch the territory? But she's alone...maybe I should ask Leknaat for a reading..."
Tembezishaha:
"She'll be fine, she should be back in another day or two, she said the seer she was going to see didn't live far from here," Shaha replied, focusing on the concern he saw. He let out a sigh and moved a bit, repositioning himself slightly with a roll of his shoulders.
"What is my daughter to you?" It was a straightforward question, but he was done hedging around the real reason he was here, talking to Gremio. It wasn't a harsh tone, simply curious.
Gremio:
"There's that...that...creature out there... she doesn't understand. Few members here do. Neclord...we thougth he was dead." He brought his paw up to his face again, his breath increasing. "Twice! We killed him twice! Or should have.... heavens."
The second question had his whiskers flaring. "I...we...I well..." He cleared his throat and set his paw down. "I...really care about her."
Tembezishaha:
And now Shaha knew why Safi hadn't gone into detail about the lioness. He wouldn't have let her go if he had known the lioness had told her about an evil creature that had survived Gremio and his friends on two occasions. Red colored the edges of his vision, but he blinked once, dumping water on the fire within, sending it back to barely glowing embers.
The bard raised an eyebrow as he watched Gremio flounder slightly, trying to find words to answer his question.
"Yes, but from what I've seen and heard, you really care for most, if not all of the Troupe." His tail swished on the ground behind him a couple of times.
Gremio:
Gremio, unaware of the male's inner cauldren boiling over, looked something between sheepish and uncertain. His paws fiddled with a bit of grass inbetween them, his eyes refused to raise up off the ground.
"Well..y-yes...wh...why do you ask?"
Tembezishaha:
Shaha chuckled a bit, a small part of him taking some measure of delight in watching the other male squirm.
"Curiosity, I suppose. I'll admit I'm a little jealous that my little girl has taken to sharing her worries with you before her papa," he replied. It did hurt him a little, it felt like his Safi was being slowly taken away from him. Where was the little cub who would chirp and giggle at him, who'd climb on his back only to jump off again? In the blink of an eye, she had grown up and wandered off to ask a seer if she could... if she was able to...
He sighed and shook his head, trying to clear his mind of the ache that was growing in his heart.
