For once it seemed Ame wasn't bugging her. That was SO STRANGE. Elpis had become so used to the energetic young lioness tagging along with her or making her go play or hunt or SOMETHING, that having her not be there any more was just...odd. Maybe her muse had told her to suddenly avoid her? But that didn't make sense. Sure, Ame was very devoted to the words her muse told her--Elpis suspected she'd be reborn as a perfect muse in the next life, for certain. But she was a good friend too, and wouldn't just abandon the usher now that she'd finally gotten her to break through her anti-social shell. Would she?
Usually the white lioness wouldn't care. Wouldn't go looking for someone that she'd thought of more than once as a pest. Friend or not, there had been times that she'd been glad to ditch the red lioness. Of course, they'd grown closer recently. Elpis was actually having some FUN. She'd even planned to go digging for shells today with Ame. Probably she'd end up running in the surf while Elpis dug, but it was a good time to do the digging and she wanted to look around before anything the storm had made wash up was dragged back to sea!
She went nosing through the brush, past trees and rocks. Eventually she even came upon a grasshopper. Ame's muse. She stared at it for a moment, and it hopped away. Some help it'd been. Still, maybe it meant Ame was around. She kept on looking, in all the places they'd usually hang out or run into each other. Nothing. It was as if she'd just vanished, gone from the pride as a whole.
Trying to shrug off her disappointment (since when had she minded being alone?) she turned away from the patch of flowers that Ame had first dragged her to the day the two of them had met, and headed back. She must just be busy, or sleeping. Even that energetic ball of fur had to sleep sometime, right? Probably. Maybe. She hadn't seen it happen yet. But yes, certainly that was the issue. She'd just spend the day relaxing alone, go dig up those shells and see what the storm washed up, and enjoy the quiet for a change.
She was smiling, completely prepared for a day alone even by the time she found Ame. She'd been passing by a stand of trees that was near the edge of the pride, aiming for the very edge of the coast that was theirs, and she heard voices! More than one, but one was most certainly her friend's. That was odd. The other voice was male. For some reason Elips had assumed that Ame didn't have a mate, or any prospects. Probably because at first she'd been so put off by her attitude. But she was a nice lioness, and there were plenty in the pride who were more crazy than her. The more she thought about it, the less she was surprised. It did however make her a little unhappy. She herself was older than Ame, and had no prospects at all. Not that she wanted cubs. Just. Well. She wanted cubs. And someone to hold. Maybe. It would probably get in the way of her job though. That thought made her frown. Family, or fate...it was a hard choice. And one she didn't have to make now, thank goodness. She had no suitors, and that bridge would be crossed when she came to it if she ever found one.
Satisfied now that she knew what had become of her friend, and understanding why it would lead to her being stood up, she prepared to continue on her way to the beach. Curiosity niggled at her brain though...maybe just a peek. See who'd be getting in over his head if he chose to stick with Ame. She liked the sound of that idea and nosed forward through the brush. Best not to be seen or heard. She didn't want to be caught being nosy!
To her surprise, it wasn't anyone she recognized. She didn't know the whole, pride, but she was pretty sure this male wasn't a part of it. He was sandy colored, like the beach, with intricate darker swirls and lines in his fur. His mane was like gold, and at first she thought he was blind. His eyes were a milky blue, and it was hard to tell where he was looking...but he seemed alert. He was listening intently as Ame rambled on and on about what a muse was. Yes, he couldn't be a member of the pride. Even cubs knew what muses were. Maybe he was a joining rogue? Those were somewhat frequent to see these days.
She couldn't make out what he said after that, and she slunk back out of her watching space shortly after. It wasn't good to pry on your friends. Maybe he'd come to join the pride, and if that was so, she'd meet him soon enough. If not, well at least she knew where Ame was. She got back on the path to the beach and half walked, half ran down it. A frown tugged at her lips. She was thinking about mates and family again. She wasn't ready, probably. But it did seem nice. That stranger had been very handsome. But looks didn't make a mate. They had to have your values, your ideals... She spied a sparkling shell and let her thoughts drift away. If it was meant to be it'd come, she was sure.
For now she'd just do her job, enjoy her time with her friend, and maybe once she had enough of these shells she'd make a necklace out of them and some grasses. She wasn't an artisan by any stretch of the imagination, but it'd give her something relaxing to do on her days off. She spotted another good shell and tugged it free of the sand. The hermit crab that had been living inside reached out and pinched her on the chin, making her yowl. She swung her head about, shaking the crab free. It flew through the air and landed with a 'plop!' in the surf. Her chin still stung. That probably was a bad sign.
