Bunikee had a lot on her mind since running into the lioness who looked so similar to Xerxes and so different from him.She was trying to sort out everything in her mind but now there were red lions wandering through it more prominently and she didn't know what to make of any of it. She seemed suddenly much farther from where she needed to be than she had been just days before.
She had been walking for much of the day but eventually she came to a stop when she found some more shade to rest in. The sun was setting and she was happy to get some rest.. or try to.
That was a benefit with being muddled up like this, it was hard to really keep track of everything so she didn't always feel so flustered.
Since Xerxes had left the company of Antallian, he had not really stopped fuming about all the questions he had been asked and the sensitive confessions he had been forced to make. He was more determined now than when he had set out. Once he'd been set in the right direction, he rested only as necessary.. but earlier in the day, he had spotted signs of Buni and, following her scent, he refused to stop. His legs ached as he tired but he wasn't going to stop now until he found her.
The sun was nearly set when finally, after weeks of searching without any idea of where to go and only days of having any guidance.. he spotted her, resting in the shadows of a small group of trees. He came to a sudden stop and he just stared for several minutes before he came to his senses.
He'd found Bunikee.
And then he was running toward her.
Buni was dozing, catching glimpses of visions and letting her mind wander through the mixed realities she was being exposed to. She expended little energy trying to exert any control over it, and she might have stayed there like that for some time but very suddenly her physical being cut in. Her ears twitched, alerting her to the sound of someone approaching- very quickly.
She opened her eyes and turned her head, in time to see the familiar form coming right at her. Her eyes widened, knowing who it was immediately, and she pushed herself to her feet.
"Xerxes?"
Exhaustion and frustration peaking and getting the better of him, Xerxes did not stop running when he was spotted- or even when he reached Buni. He was angry with her, angry for leaving him behind, angry for being so stupid as to wander alone, angry for stopping like this somewhere to obvious and leaving herself to vulnerable. He was just angry.
With gritted teeth, he growled and lunged at her when he was close enough to make contact.
It didn't take Bunikee long to realize what was going to happen, the look was unmistakable. She was on her feet very quickly and bracing herself. She wasn't unfamiliar with fighting, she wasn't even unfamiliar with fighting with Xerxes. They were old friends, this was what the cubs did around the Outlands.
"Xerxes!"
She couldn't stay on her feet when Xerxes pounced her, but when she fell to the ground she twisted herself around and pushed back on him with her backlegs.
It helped his aim when she stood up and it definitely did not change his resolve. He wanted to yell but he didn't know what to say so he settled for violence. The fall to the ground jarred him just enough to give Buni the advantage in kicking him off- but he stayed on his feet and was headed for her again, still growling.
Buni was in the process of getting back up to her feet to defend herself again when Xerxes moved for her again. Without thinking, she growled and pushed herself up to her feet and back at him. They collided with surprising force- but luckily she had momentum on her side and she sent him to the ground.
"Xerxes! What the hell?" she snarled.
When Bunikee flew at him, Xerxes was ready- but he wasn't expecting her to get the advantage and sent him backward. Gritting his teeth and finally falling silent, he pushed at her with all four of his legs as hard as he could.
With a yelp, Buni flew backward. She rolled herself over and pushed herself up to her feet, but she was too slow turning around and launching an attack and Xerxes kept the advantage this time.
As soon as he pushed Buni, Xerxes jumped up to his feet. It seemed they both reached all-fours at the same time but Xerxes' maneuver had him facing the proper direction and that gave him just enough time to pounce.
He pinned her down but then he only growled, he didn't know what else to do now.
Once she was pinned, there was nothing else Buni could do. She still wasn't facing him and she could hear him growling in her ear.. but he wasn't saying anything now that he had won whatever this fight was. There was a tense few minutes of startling clarity despite the growling and confusing situation she had suddenly found herself in before she finally struggled beneath him, twisting herself around to look at him.
"What are you doing here?"
As the minutes dragged on, Xerxes' growl died down until finally there was just silence- but he stubbornly refused to free her or speak. Now that he had found her, he had to face up to why he was here- in a much more dangerous way than just implying the truth to a stranger who was ultimately helping him.
First he resisted when she struggled to turn around but he loosened his hold enough so that they were face to face. He had no immediate answer when she asked what he was doing here.
"Xerxes?" she murmured quietly.
"You left!" he snapped finally, breaking his long silence by starting with the very basic reason he had followed after her-- though it became very apparent very quickly that this could be a very short explanation if he kept going. He cut himself off, choosing instead to glare.
Bunikee did not respond immediately, she simply stared back at him as he angrily pointed out that she had left. His tone- and the fact he was still holding her down as he yelled at her- said more than the words he decided on.
"So what?" she asked shakily.
Xerxes snorted at the response he got and he bit back a snarl. She was being so stupid! His tail waved furiously behind him as he fought back the urge to attack her- he still had her pinned down, it wouldn't be hard.
"Look how easily I overpowered you! What are you doing, sitting out where anybody could just come up and attack you?" he asked, anger rising in his voice, "What if I wanted to hurt you?"
Then he did growl, trying to find another outlet for his frustration.
"I'm fine! I can take care of myself!"
Evidence to the contrary be damned, now she was feeling defensive. So far she had met plenty of rogues, none of them had attacked her. It was Xerxes, someone she knew, who came and started any trouble. She was content to cling to that excuse rather than admit she had put herself in any danger.
"Obviously you can't or you wouldn't be pinned to the ground right now!"
"You're the only jerk I've seen out here," she snapped back, "And you're supposed to be back at home!"
Now they had come back around to the big question- why was he here now. He couldn't have just come all this way to attack her to prove a point and yell at her for leaving. He'd always been rather pushy and stubborn when they were little but this was ridiculous.
"What are you even doing here?"
"You left!"
"You said that already!"
"You left," he repeated, growling before continuing, "You didn't tell me. You just left!"
The pain was beginning to overtake the anger he was feeling- and the adrenaline of finding Bunikee and fighting with her was wearing off. Despite his desperate desire to keep her pinned down, his grip was loosening.
"You left without me."
When Xerxes' push on her loosened, Buni had half a mind to push him away and get up- but she was distracted by his words. It wasn't the same anger at being left out of games from when they were little, or being ignored in favor of other companions.. he was hurt that she had left without him but they weren't cubs anymore.
"You care?"
It was a simple question, and there were a couple ways to take it but there was just the one way his mind jumped to immediately. No matter how Bunikee meant it, there was only one way Xerxes could take it.
"I care about you," he said.
Finally, his body relaxed and he pushed himself off of her. His legs shook as the exhaustion of a day filled with walking and a fight was finally allowed to settle in.
Buni was stunned by his choice of words and, even once she was freed, she stared at him from her twisted position on the ground. Finally, observing his shakiness, she pushed herself up to her feet.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly, overwhelmed by emotion as she realized why he was here and what state he was in because of his journey here. Without another word, she walked up to him and buried her face in his mane, leaning gently against him.
Xerxes stared back at her, almost forgetting to breathe until she was on her feet and murmuring an apology. He sighed and breathed, closing his eyes and leaning back against her when she nuzzled into him. He'd found her, they were together again. Now he could rest.
Fin!
