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Txur's mood was foul, and the day had started out so promisingly. He'd woken at his usual time, maybe even a little later, and he'd tried to wake his sister Atan'tsyal so that they could catch up on what was going on in each other's lives. Since reaching adolescence and beginning their apprenticeships in their respective crafts he'd seen very little of his siblings, and he'd thought it would be pleasant to talk. Atan had been a perfect brat though and they'd fought and nearly come to blows. Hours later, Txur was still in a foul mood.

"Petra," he called softly as he sat outside of the den where she and her brother lived. He didn't know whether she'd be there, but it was a good enough place to begin searching for her. Usually spending time with her made his day better, even if there was always that underlying attraction he felt for her that he didn't dare speak of.

"Are you here?"

She felt that being the advisor to her brother was a tough but fair job to do. She worked hard and proved without a shadow of a doubt that she was fit to be his advisor despite her coat colour. Occasionally though someone said something that just hit her the wrong way, that made her stomach lurch but rather than displaying her anger in public she went to the den and let her emotions out in private.

Her temper never really got very far usually stopping as soon as she let out a single scratch on the walls, leaving long gashes in the proverbial paint work. Usually the first scratch lead to tears and she would curl up in a corner and remember why she was here. She was brave and strong and her brother trusted her above anyone else. They had survived together in the world, they had cared for their mother and together they could care for this place. At times like this though her heart ached for the simpler life when her coat wasn't called in to question, when only her muscles were under stress.

Txur's voice interrupted her pity party and she wiped at her eyes, brushing away the tears she knew dampened her cheeks. She didn't want her friend to see her in any sort of state that wasn't smiling and being the strong confident advisor. "Y…ess" Her voice cracked and she cursed inwardly, she had to sound confident to everyone even to her friend, she sniffs and takes a deep breath. "Come on in Txur." She manages her voice sounding dryer than usual, she could at least hide in the shadows in here so he couldn't see that she had been crying out her anxiety.

Txur was relieved that she was there. His mood was such that the idea of having to hunt all over the pride for her could only have darkened his mood even further. He probably wasn't fit company for her now, but by that time he almost certainly wouldn't have been fit company. He always tried to avoid being in a bad mood around Petra, who he figured had plenty to worry about without him adding to her burdens.

Forcing a pleasant expression, even though he couldn't manage a real smile, Txur entered the shadowy den, his very pale eyes adjusting quickly to the increased dimness. Living beneath the jungle canopy, Txur rarely saw anything in full sunlight, and so his eyes were better accustomed to darkness than most lions from beyond the Iknimaya might have been, though within his pridal family his vision was no better and no worst than most.

"I didn't quite expect to find you here," he confessed. "But I'm very glad I did. It would've been quite a chore to have to look everywhere for you."

The young lioness smiled lightly and gave a forced chuckle. "Well I have to rest, can't spend the whole day looking after my brother." She snorts and hiccoughs, swallowing hard to cast away the tear that threatened to roll down her cheek. She didn't want to upset her only real friend here. Well her only real friend that wasn't her brother. She knew plenty of lions in the pride and considered teem her friend, but no one was quite as friendly as Txur, no one accepted her quite as well as the young male.

"I haven't seen you for a few days, how is your apprenticeship going?" She smiles in to the shadows. He had been busy, She had been busy too, perhaps if she had, had time to search out her, well her best friend she wouldn't feel in such a rotten mood. She wanted some comfort, but she always felt she had to be stand-offish, aloof even, she was an advisor she was supposed to be sensible not silly and girlie. She was certainly not supposed to crack under the pressure or go to the deep blue males arms and cry out her aches. He was her best friend but she was an advisor, she had to stay strong and not let the cracks in her perfectly smooth facade get any wider. "I'm glad to see you." She whispers, and she was, her heart felt lighter seeing Txur there. He always made her day so much better.

Txur was a fairly empathetic young lion. It was one of the reasons the priesthood suited him so very well, even if he was one of the few males in training. So it wasn't difficult for him to observe that his dear friend was unhappy, and putting a brave face on it. Probably for his benefit, which made him feel guilty, but he also wasn't going to call attention to it if she didn't. If she had wanted him to know about it, she would have told him and he wouldn't pry. Even though he couldn't help entertaining fantasies wherein he comforted her and in the process confessed his adoration for her and she said she felt the same.

"Is he really so hard to look after? It must be a sibling thing. Mine are hugely annoying." There was a twist to the corner of his mouth which might have betrayed some bitterness there if she noticed it.

"It's actually a relief, the apprenticeship. I'm really enjoying it, even though there's a lot of memorisation and ritual to learn. The really hard part is that I'm not supposed to practice any of it where I can be seen. And doing it incorrectly, even in practice, could have bad results." He made himself laugh. "Apparently one wrong word or gesture will bring Eywa's wrath down on us."

They'd both seen Eywa since she returned to the pride, probably Petra more than him, despite his calling, and it was difficult to imagine Eywa being wrathful because of a mistake. Just the same though, he was always very careful about his training. He didn't want to be the one who brought out the mother goddess's dark side. That would probably make everyone very unhappy indeed. And be hugely embarrassing. As if his half-grown mane wasn't embarrassing enough.

"I'm glad to see you, too. Why else would I come looking for you?"

Petra couldn't help but laugh when he mentioned his siblings annoyance. "Perhaps it's different if you grew up the way we did. My brother is .." She smiles inwardly "He is a good brother but he needs to be looked after. It's my responsibility to make sure that he isn't used or misses anything." She laughs, her brother was smart but she would always watch his back, that was her job as his sibling before it was her job as advisor.

"You'll make a wonderful priest Txur." She had a good feeling about the young male, a good feeling that made her stomach flutter and a smile raise on her lips. Taking a breath she shuffles out of the shadowy corner and settles close to him leaning on his side she keeps her gaze turned away, avoiding his eyes but still wanting the contact, his closeness making her heart feel lighter and her soul less weighed down with the insults she heard whispered.

"Do you think we could find a patch of sunlight? I think the shadows are starting to get to me today." She wasn't really referring to the darkness under the canopy, she enjoyed the permanent twilight of the canopy, more, the shadows that lurked around and made her feel hurt and more tired than she really wanted to. Time with Txur always made her feel better though and he always knew where things were.

Well, Txur's siblings hardly needed him to look after them. They barely even wanted to talk to him it seemed. Not that he'd been such a joy lately, but they weren't exactly easy to get along with themselves. Not recently. Their whole family seemed to be a bit at odds, and it didn't help that their father hadn't been around much. He was the commanding warrior of the pride, an important position, but he seemed to spend a lot of time outside of the pride. It was strange and it irritated Txur. Like everything else.

"He's lucky to have you then. But it's probably a lot of work looking out for him all the time. No wonder you want to take a break from it now and then. He'll have other advisors when he becomes Consort, won't he, or will the whole of that fall on you?"

He thanked her for saying so. Her confidence and compliments made Txur's adolescent heart soar delightedly, but it was nothing compared to the way he felt when she leaned against him. True, she didn't look at him, but he didn't look much at her either. He was afraid that if he did his eyes would give himself away. She had so many burdens to bear for the sake of the pride, he didn't want to add to them with an unwelcome declaration of devotion.

"We can try," he said with a smile. "I'm a bit sick of darkness, too."

"I think he will have others." She had never thought about it before, she was her brothers advisor and she would take care of him forever. Se smiles wanly "It's my job to take care of him though. We've stood side by side since the beginning. It is an honour to be his advisor but he is my brother first and foremost."

The soft brown and white lioness nudged the young blue male with her butt and clambered to her paws, stretching her limbs out. She needed some sun, a little time in the bright light and the companionship of her friend would wash away all of her worries. "Lead the way, you always have a nose for these things." She smiles softly finally letting her gaze fall upon her deep blue friend, her eyes still watery her cheeks mostly dry now having manages to quell any more tears from falling.

"You always find the best places Txur." She whispers touching her nose to his shoulder in a friendly nudge. "It must be your priestly ways, you always seem to have a sixth sense." She giggles, trying hard to lighten her mood. She wanted to have a nice afternoon with Txur and forget all of those..those..she had no word for them, they just hurt her soul so she would stop thinking about them and just be with her best friend.

Txur's stomach turned over and his breath caught briefly in his throat when she bumped him with her hindquarters. It was a sort of exquisite torment to him to be so close to her but unable to be as close as he wanted to be. But he would be friendly and casual, acting as if it was nothing. It wasn't easy, but she was his friend and she deserved to have things made easier on her, not harder.

What she said about finding sunlight was true enough. Txur was pretty good at it. His father joked that it was because he was such an agreeable person with such a sunny disposition, the sun just called to him. Txur wouldn't have put it that way. He just knew the jungle very well and he knew where the breaks in the tree cover were located. But the sun wasn't his first love or favorite place. That was still a grotto behind a waterfall.

"Nothing like that," he said laughing. "I spent so much of my cubhood escaping my babysitters and exploring the jungle that I probably knew it better than most of the hunters. For what I wanted anyway. I still couldn't be a hunter."

He thought for a moment after they left the den and then decided he knew where he wanted to take her. It was a place he'd not visited in a while, and he wasn't sure he'd even been there with Petra. Maybe she'd like it. It wasn't too far away, this break in the canopy, and the sunlight made it so that there were many very brightly colored mushrooms and fungi growing like flowers.

"So I guess it's been kind of a rough day for both of us?" he guessed.

The soft brown lioness gave a nod. "Yes, but made better by having you here Txur." She smiles softly and grabs his tail tuft between her teeth giving his tail a little tug before following him. She laughs and flickers her own tail. She used to play this game with Peitr before he got too busy. She could follow him where ever he went by keeping hold of his tail tip, of course, it usually degraded in to a game of pull the tail. It reminded her of simpler days.

"You know, I still think you have a radar." She smiles walking closely beside him, so that every step she took her shoulder grazed against him. Her friends closeness washed away all of her sadness. He was there, like a crutch against the annoyances of the primal life she and her sibling had chosen.

"You always know the best places. I don't think anyone else could have found the waterfall after all. You have a gift. It suits your profession." She glances sideways at the deep blue male, his mane was coming in nicely and now they were out of the den she could see it more clearly. He was going to have such a handsome mane when he grew a little more, he would steal some poor girls heart just like his father did. She swallowed hard, the thought made her a little sad, after all she would probably lose her best friend when he fell in love. A knot tightened her stomach for a moment but she quickly brushed away the tense feeling. Today they were best friends and there was nothing between them and a spot in the sun.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, startled. It had been a long time since he'd played any sort of cub games with anyone. He was an adolescent and a priest in training. It wasn't dignified to play games like that. Or so he'd told himself. But if Petra wanted to play, well, he wouldn't mind looking undignified for a bit.

"Do you sharpen your teeth or something?" he asked with a grin, relieved when she released him and joined him in walking beside him. "Or is that just a special talent, like my finding places?"

He was only teasing her, of course. It made him happy to hear Petra compliment him, think he was special in any sort of way. He picked up the pace a little so they could get to the place with the brilliant plants a little faster. He wanted to see how she reacted to it. He hoped she'd like it. He certainly liked all the colors.

"This way a bit," he said. "And you'll want to watch your head here. The vines hang a bit low." It hadn't been a problem when he was younger, but being bigger made it more of a challenge to get through without garroting himself accidentally. Up ahead he could see a bit of sunlight.

Picking up her pace so she could keep close to Txur, Petra chuckles lightly. "A girl has to keep her secrets you know?" She winks playfully, following his instructions. Her smile widened whens he noticed a lightening in the canopy. He really as magical. She sighed gently, who ever grabbed Txur as her mate would be a very looking girl indeed. He was just so talented.

Ducking through the hanging vines she playfully pats at the drapery, feeling younger than she had for a very long time. Out, being young and carefree with her friend. He certainly seemed to be getting more serious as he got older. She wished he would be happy and care free, it seemed a shame to her that he was becoming so starched.

"I'll race you." She clips bouncing off ahead of the blue male with her tail whirling around like a propeller as she bolted for the sun light.

"Fair enough," he allowed. "But I'll remind you most of my siblings are girls. There aren't a whole lot of secrets left to keep."

Sometimes they would confide in him or ask him to make introductions to people since he knew almost everyone in the pride, so he really did know a lot about what went on in female minds. At least in the minds of his sisters. Sometimes. And other times they completely baffled and bewildered him, like Atan had this morning. Goddess, she could be such a pain.

He wondered what made her sigh, but focused more on her smile. He had caused it, probably, and that was just wonderful for him, so when she proposed a race he was happy to oblige, though didn't waste any breath to say so. His running to catch up to her (and maybe pass her) ought to give her some idea that he'd accepted her challenge. Knowing the terrain better helped him, since she was a little older and therefore still about the same size he was. He'd grow bigger than her someday though.

He drew to a halt when the sunlight splashed over his face and sat down abruptly, nearly losing his balance in the process, but he wanted to look up and see how the colors were presenting themselves today. Given how the day had started, he wouldn't have been surprised if they were all dead. Fortunately, the usual riot of colors was present and when Petra looked up it would be like looking at a kaleidoscope with the sun at the very end.

The slender lioness raced after him. She laughed happily as they galavanted through the trees, she shook her head as he over took her. He was going to be a big boy, like her brother. She was hardly any size really, about average for a lioness, maybe a little smaller, but slender, despite her big attitude and intellect.

Skidding to a stop, her side resting against Txur, she blinks owlishly looking around the bright light dazzling her eyes. Her side resting against Txur, she laughs "Sorry, I guess my breaks aren't working." She smiles not moving herself as she looks up to the bright brilliant colours that danced through the air. She closes her eyes.

"You really are amazing Txur, how do you find these places?" She sighs shuffling away from him slightly so she could lay down and allow the colours to play across her fur.

Txur tried not to smile too widely at Petra's nearness and her smile, but it was a challenge. He was really very happy that he could do anything to make her happy, even if it was something as simple and silly as showing her interesting places around the jungle. He suspected that she didn't often have much time to go exploring, being busy learning to be an advisor for her brother. As he had more free time, it only made sense that he would find these places and share them with her when she was in the mood to see them. And maybe someday they could be special places for the two of them.

"It's nothing," he said, though it was unclear whether he meant that her failed brakes were nothing or whether finding these places was nothing. Both, really.

"I was surprised that there was fungi here when I first found it, because of the sun, but then I figured that it probably got more direct rain, too, and so it got wetter, and when the sun wasn't shining they had more chance to grow. I don't know much about plants though, except which ones not to eat." He shrugged. "By the way, I wouldn't eat anything growing here. I don't think it'd kill me, but it would definitely be unpleasant."

He moved a little farther away from Petra and flopped onto his side in a bit of shade. The sunlight was pretty, but after spending so much time in the jungle's darkness it took his pale eyes a while to adjust and until they did it was painful to look at the sunlight, even filtered as it was.

She felt so, relaxed laying there in the sunlight, the soft rays. She sighs gently and rolls over finding herself pressed against Txur. She sighs gently, comfortable against Txur. "You really are magical." She smiles feeling herself drifting off in to a dream, the warmth of the sun on her lulling her in to a pure, relaxed situation.

"You'll stay won't you?" She wishers dreamily, cuddling up closer to Txur, her stresses and strains melting away as she rested against her friend, her best friend in this magical place.

Being called magical by Petra was, well, magical. Txur couldn't suppress the grin which spread across his face when she said it. And to have her curled up beside him, well, it would be impossible for him to put into words how happy that made him. The day had improved significantly since he came to see Petra. He should have done that hours ago, he reflected, though he had been in a wretched temper at the time, and so things might've gone differently.

"I'll stay," he assured her, settling with his chin across her shoulders. It was unlikely he'd be able to sleep with her so close, but he would enjoy every moment of wakefulness, storing them up against future unhappinesses.