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After Ame had told Elpis all about her adventure meting a rogue, Elpis had decided to see if she could do the same. The rouge had sounded interesting, very calm and well-worded. Elpis liked that. She wasn't one to usually flirt, but seeing her friend wooing someone while she, the older of the two, was left alone...well it bothered her a little. She deserved some attention, didn't she? True just days ago she'd been clinging to her solitude, but that was all behind her now. What ever funk she'd gotten into was gone and done with. She was still young. Maybe she didn't want a family yet, but darn it she wanted some attention!
The sea...
He'd heard of it in rumors and stories from passing rogues. An endless body of water, stretching to the ends of the earth. Some said that the forever-lands stood at the other side. The lands where the dead lived without pain, sorrow, or anger. A place of endless peace.
It was one thing to hear about such a place and another thing entirely to actually see it with his own eyes. Standing on a small over-cropping of stone, just a stone's throw from the sands of the beach, Zaphod stood in shocked silence as he watched the waves froth against the shoreline, hissing as they swept back and forth. The male was small, almost pitifully so, with a thin, dirty mane and a lean, almost sickly frame. He lived the life of a scavenger, picking at long dead corpses and scrapping with vultures for his next meal. His stomach's constant gnawing had become a sad but familiar part of his life. The sea, however... it was so peaceful. So calming...
Of course, there was no one at the borders for Elpis to stumble upon. No handsome stranger to sweep her off her paws. That was about typical. She sulked, heaving up her bulk and making her way, head down, back to the shore. The day'd started there, plucking shining shells and stones from the shifting sands, and apparently she planned to end it there, watching the sun sink past the horizon. Her head hung low, and she entirely missed the blue lion for several long moments. He was so thin and waifish, and he blended in with the blue sky and sea above and below. She went right past him, trudging up to her knees into the surf. Ahhh. The sea was always so nice, so peaceful. Wait...hadn't there been...? She looked back over her shoulder. Was that shaggy scraggly thing a LION?!
Zaphod's dull red eyes watched the sea dully, so it came as very little suprise to his nerves when a lioness trotted out and waded into the water. He hadn't smelled pridal markers but then again- he hadn't been looking for them. It didn't matter anyhow...nothing mattered after Kenna.....
As the female turned, twitching in suprise he only stood with a dull, quiet look on his face.
What did she want?
Yes, under that matted hair and even with that scrawny figure, that was a lion. He looked about ready to drop dead at any moment. Obviously a rogue, even the pride's dreamer lions were taken very good care of. Had he not noticed the border? In the state he was in she wouldn't be surprised. He seemed to have noticed her noticing him, so he wasn't totally gone. She started to wade back towards him, little splashes and waves erupting from near her high-stepping paws. "Are you okay? You don't look too well. You know you're in a pride, right...?" The wind picked up, ruffling his mane. Gosh he really was thin, wasn't he? This wasn't the kind of rogue she'd intended to find, but it was the kind she knew how to handle. All her life she'd been trained on how to comfort the dying, after all. Maybe this one could be saved, fed and strengthened... "Are you in need of anything? A place to rest? Food? We are a friendly pride, I assure you."
A pride... so he was.
He shrugged a shoulder and took a slow sniff at the air. Thanks to the salty sea air, he couldn't scent the markers. Perhaps he was standing on the boarder, or just severely upwind of them.
A friendly pride?
"Just a place to rest for now I suppose... food I can find on my own." He looked back to her, his brow creasing. "Why?....did I intrued? I won't take your hunting trails."
Hm. Well he seemed sensible and together. she didn't think she quite believed him when he said he could get his own food though. He was all skin and bones. She'd been taught that when the body became too weak to hunt, often at first the lion would refuse to accept this, saying they would be fine, they could manage. Inevitably this led to them starving somewhat, and only becoming weaker. "Well maybe you can, but I know where the food here is. Come with me...you can rest in my den, and I'll bring you something." She moved closer, trying not to seem threatening, being pushy without seeming pushy. This wasn't the kind of rogue she'd wanted to find at all, but when it came to practicing her calling, she didn't care. She had a duty; either to make him well enough to fend on his own, or to ease his passage. Despite his looks she figured he'd be recovering...he sounded far too stubborn to drop dead just yet.
Zaphod seemed more confused than anything. Why was she offering him help? Females, all that he'd ever known, had been short-tempered, demanding, and dominating. This one...was gentle, quiet, and giving. All aspects that he had only ever seen in the innocense of cubs.
Making a small noise in the back of his throat, he stepped down from the rock and padded her way. "Thank you..."
Ah yes, just as she'd thought it would happen. He came quietly. He did look very tired. She nudged him gently and led him along. "It's not far. Just this way." And thankfully it wasn't. Once she was sure she'd shown him the way and gotten him settled she slipped back out. The hunters always left food around to be eaten at the dreamers' leisure...she'd just grab some of that. Wit ha haunch of something tender in her maw she came back, and placed it before the scrawny male. "Are you sure you're alright?"
Zaphod shuddered as she touched him, nudging against his shoulder gently. Confused, almost haunted eyes tracked her every movement following the casual, friendly touch. Why...was she being so nice?
He settled himself on the ground and laid his head down onto his paws. His head hurt... his paws were aching, and his stomach continued to growl and gnaw at him. Black flooded his awareness as the lioness took her leave. When she returned, the rogue woke with a start. Eyes wide, he took a few deep breaths to calm himself and gave a short, single nod. "I'm fine."
Uh huh, sure he was. She eyed him and set the meat down before slowly, showing that she meant no harm at all, she sank to sit beside him. Not touching, not yet, because he didn't seem cold, but she was silently assessing him for injuries or signs of weakness. "Eat all that, okay? Slowly. You look like you haven't had a good meal in a while. Your stomach might turn if you go too fast. If you need anything...more food, water, you let me know, okay?" Her tail twitched. This sort of thing, this was what she knew. What she was good at.
