The lion and the lioness could not hide the fact from each other that they had grown closer over the time they spent together. They were living together in her den, without ever mentioning Raruo staying there with her. He did not stay there without pulling his weight around. He hunted for her, and always gave her the best bones that she liked to chew on so much. He continued to train her in fighting techniques, and he simply kept her company.
She liked that best of all.
Raruo was fully healed, and Nusura was sure he was contemplating leaving. There was no trace of weakness in him, no limp, no lingering remains of the illness that had nearly claimed his life. From the look of him, with his scars and his endless memories of battles, nothing could kill him.
But there was still a sadness in him, and it seemed to be growing. He never spoke of his past, but she knew it was tied in with that. She could see it more and more with each passing day. A weight on his shoulders, that made it impossible to learn more about him. He had a wall up, and she was not the one to break it. He would have to take it down himself. But she could help him, make him feel safe. She was his friend.
They were laying by a small river near the den, the cool evening settling into night. He was resting next to her, and she was all but lounging on top of him. She looked up at him and he smiled at her, then his expression shifted and he looked away.
He did that a lot.
“What is on your mind, Raruo? I’ve been trying not to ask.”
He looked at her again, and now his eyes lingered on her. He looked her over slowly, and then got up. She flopped off of him, watching him go. He moved away from her, then turned around and padded back. He looked at her, opened his mouth to say something, then turned around again and padded off once more. Again he came back to her and looked at her.
“I had a mate. Cubs. They were adults. They were cubs but… well, obviously. But they were my children. Grown up or not, they were my children. I never thought I could love anyone, but I did. She might be dead now. They all might be. But… I find myself… I look at you and I see…”
“Her?”
He shook his head and looked angry for a moment, then forced his expression to be calm. He moved up to her again, stopping his pacing and moving to her with purpose. He looked at her keenly, standing right in front of her. She looked up at him. He was a large male, with a thick mane that seemed refined and orderly, though it was scruffy and flecked with grays. His ear was damaged, and he had scars that she could see under his fur, where it had failed to grow back in. he stood proud, straight, head high. But he looked at her helplessly.
“No, not her. I see… I see nothing that I know. My pride is gone. My family is gone. Everything I knew is… gone. And possibly forever. But I find I do not want to find it. Because I’ve some how managed to find you. Is that a ridiculous thing to think? Or are you feeling the same way I am? I don’t know what to think any more. I see you and I see someone who risked her life to save mine. I see someone who has been taking care of me, and who I now want to take care of. I haven’t mentioned leaving, though I know I should, because I don’t want to.”
She listened to him, her expression set in wonder.
Then she smiled and got up, moving forward to meet him and rubbing her head against the thick of his mane, up his neck and to his face. She nuzzled him once their muzzles met, then looked into his red eyes and shook her head slowly.
“You silly thing. A big, grumpy, silly thing.”
He watched her, perplexed by this response. She pressed her nose to his and he closed his eyes, lowering his head with her until their foreheads met. They stayed like that for a long moment, each one breathing slowly, each one taking in the moment quietly. He sighed heavily, and pulled back to lift his head to speak, but she beat him to the punch.
“You’re falling in love with me. That’s what has you so confused. Which is fine,” Nusura saw his confused expression, the worry leaping into his eyes when she just said it was fine. She found him so cute, suddenly nervous and unsure of himself when he seemed so proud and sturdy, “because I’m falling in love with you too, you big goon.”
Raruo had known this, before he ever heard her say it. He smiled at her, nodding his head slowly. It was good to hear it out loud between them, at least. For some reason, he had imagine that it was just him, that he was the only one feeling these things stirring inside him, confusing him. He knew it was not so easy to forget a whole life, even one that had come so late in his own existence. Now he was having yet another chance, and he was scared by it. But he was not going to shy away, not now. She was feeling the same things, and he had no idea about her own past, either. Was she battling things, ghosts, like he was?
There was only one way for him to really find that out, and that was to spend more time with her. Let their feelings grow for one another. Let the falling continue, as it were. He nodded at her, as if giving permission for that to happen, though she could not read his mind. She smiled at him regardless, laughing and shaking her head at him. He really was a big goon.
But she could love him for that. She had already begun to.
(Word count: 1,044 in Word)
