It had been rather dull without his new friend, Aureo thought to himself. It had been a couple days since he saw Kyros and he hated to admit it, but he wished that they could have traveled together. It would have been interesting; a cheetah that follows nothing but his ‘destiny’ and a lion that went where ever he thought might have some sort of adventure. He hoped that perhaps some day their paths would cross again.
All of his wounds had healed up, which was nice. It gave him a couple extra days out in the sun to enjoy. He was soaking it up while he could. As he relaxed he felt someone approaching him. He took a quick glance and grinned. Another cheetah. This cheetah didn’t seem like the cheer type that Kyros was. Quite the opposite in fact. He seemed to be in a hurry. He was talking to one of the locals. The local nodded his head in Aureo’s direction.
This must be the cheetah Kyros was talking about earlier, Aureo thought. He stood up to face the cheetah. “Hello there friend. Can I help you with anything?” Aureo asked. The cheetah didn’t seem to satisfied with Aureo. “There is some fruit here that you should try. It is worth it. Trust me.”
“No thank you. I was hoping you could help me find my friend. You see he is lost right now and I need to take him back home. We are really close you see and I am very worried about him.” The cheetah said. “I was told that you had a fight with him the other day. Did he tell you where he was going be chance?”
Aureo thought about it. He was sure Kyros had mentioned it, but it seemed so long ago. Plus he didn’t trust this cheetah. There was something about him that Aureo didn’t like. “Sorry bro. I can’t remember at all. I had so much of this fruit and it sometimes makes my memory a little fuzzy you know? But you should seriously try some. I’ve had a lot of fruit, but this, this my friend is the best. Far more delicious than your average fruit.”
Dhavlen had been traveling for days now. He was tired and impatient. It was a huge relief when he found he had gone the right direction and that the locals had seen him. Of course with his luck the one he hung out with was an idiotic lion. Why would he care about fruit? There were much more important matters at hand.
“As I said I do not want any fruit. Can you at least tell me where he was headed?” Dhavlen knew that if the lion didn’t answer his question he would have to return home, defeated. He did not want that.
“Sorry no can do. Maybe if you just hang here and relax for a little while. I am sure it will come back to me eventually. My name is Aureo by the way.” Aureo greeted. He knew that the cheetah wouldn’t be pleased by his lack of cooperation. He wanted to give Kyros a bit more of a head start before he told the cheetah where he was heading. “There are plenty of pretty girls around to keep you company if you get bored of me.”
Did this lion actually want to test his patients? Dhavlen thought. “Aureo, I don’t think I could get bored of you. You are the one that has my answers. No one but you will have my attention. Now I can tell you are holding back some information. The sooner you tell me the sooner I will leave and be out of your way forever.” Dhavlen smiled wickedly. He had no intention of leaving peacefully. As Aureo said there were pretty females around and Dhavlen had every intention of catching one for his own. Plus he would probably end up beating Aureo because of his idiocy.
“Tell me your name first than I might talk.” Aureo replied.
“Alright friend. I guess I will entertain you. My name is Dhavlen. Now please tell me where I can find my friend. It is urgent I speak with him.”
Aureo was getting tired of the little game himself. He was hoping that Dhavlen would at least play around more. “One more question and than I will tell you where he went.” He had told Kyros before he left that if a cheetah came looking for him he would tell what direction he was going. Aureo was interested what Dhavlen wanted with Kyros though. He seemed obsessed in getting the cheetah. “What do you want with Kyros?”
Dhavlen was waiting for this question. “Oh little Kyros is going to become some what of a brother to me. You see I have a little gang of misfits and I think he would be perfect to join it. I’ve been looking for a personal guard and pack mule for a while now. I have my twin brothers, but to be honest they can hardly put up a fight. Kyros is the perfect addition to my gang.”
“I hate to disappoint you but Kyros won’t join you. He is a lot nobler than that. Plus he has his destiny to fulfill. He wouldn’t let you or anyone get in his way.” Aureo said boldly. “He told me to tell you he went west.”
“Now see that wasn’t too hard now was it?” Dhavlen said. He circled around Aureo with slight amusement. “You know I would have room in my gang for you as well. You seem to be the strong type and if we sober you up a bit I bet you could be quite intimidating.” It wouldn’t hurt anything to have a lion in the group. Heck he loved having any misfits in his group. Plus there was a chance he could attract some pretty lionesses.
“Sorry not interested. There are other things I am more interested in doing.”
“Like what? Eating your fruit? If it is adventure you seek than there will be plenty of it. I promise you will enjoy every moment of your time in the group.” Dhavlen said. He hoped the lion would accept his request or things were about to get a bit more violent
. “Sorry friend, but I have other plans. Now if you excuse me, I am going to finish eating my fruit.” Aureo didn’t want to fight with the stranger. He walked away from Dhavlen.
“I don’t think you are going to get far in that fruit.” Before Aureo knew it Dhavlen had struck him. Aureo wouldn’t let the cheetah get the better of him. The locals watched as the two attacked each other, blood coming out of their bodies. The fight was nothing like the one between Aureo and Kyros. This one they meant to harm each other.
It ended once Aureo collapsed to the ground. Dhavlen stood over him in a mockingly way. “You want to change your mind about joining me now?”
“I have no intention of ever joining you.” Aureo said weakly. Dhavlen laughed as he watched away. He left Aureo bleeding out. The locals had no idea what to do.
WC: 1221
