Sukanya blinked, stifling a laugh as she caught sight of Dysi fishing. She was lying on the riverbank, watching her old friend bob his head under the water, trying to catch sight of a fish to catch her for dinner. She wasn’t particularly hungry, it was more to prove that he could catch fish. She’d always been a terrible fisher, so she had never grown used to fish. She preferred land-beasts. They were easier to take down and there was usually little to no risk of drowning while attempting to take them down! That was just such a lovely bonus, Sukanya had always found.
“Are you okay?” She called out, when Dysi finally poked his head up for a moment or two, catching his breath.
Dysi shot her a playful grin. “I’m fine, Suki, don’t worry! I’ve done this countless times,” he boasted. It was true though. Not all of the times were successful, but then again, no hunting trips were ever 100% successful anyway! At least he was trying new things.
“Are you sure you don’t want a hand?” She asked, unable to resist questioning him again. Dysi shot her a fondly exhasperated look.
“Yes, I’m sure, Suki,” he groaned. “With your lungs, you shouldn’t be depriving them of oxygen for any length of time, which is what you’d be doing if you tried to fish like I do! So you just sit back and relax on the banks and let me feed you for once!”
He grinned at her before ducking his head below the surface of the lake, once again on the hunt for fish.
Sukanya, dubbed ‘Suki’ by her childhood best friend before her, heaved a gentle sigh, but didn’t bother to try to help him. He’d probably just yell at her and send her out of the water before she’d done anything to help anyway, so there was no point in trying.
She smiled wryly, and watched him move beneath the water, jumping slightly when he launched himself up with a celebratory noise, a fish wiggling between his teeth. Sukanya couldn’t help but laugh outright at the image he made, sopping wet and clutching to a fish, in the middle of a lake.
“Well done, Dysi!” She cheered him obediently, knowing what he would want. He beamed like a fool, padding his way back to her. The fish was no longer moving by the time he reached her side, so he dropped it by her paws, before plopping himself beside her as well.
“Need me to show you how to de-scale it?” He asked, flicking his head playfully and spraying her with water from his fur.
Sukanya growled playfully back and pawed at him, pushing him down the bank, making his fur muddy instead of just wet. She squealed with laughter, reverting about five years back to her youth at her friend’s disgruntled expression.
“Oh yeah?” Dysi snapped, and launched himself at her, careful not to harm her. He wasn’t a large leopard, but Suki was fragile. Her body had taken abeating in her lifetime, and sometimes he was afraid she’d break apart altogether. Thankfully, she was made of tough stuff, even if her body wasn’t, most of the time.
“No!” Sukanya squealed, wiggling as they play wrestled in the mud, unable to believe that her best friend was back with her. They had lost track so often during their adult years that to have him back again was…just amazing.
Dysi paused in his wrestling, leaning down to bump noses with her, still grinning . Clearly he had been thinking along the same lines as Sukanya, as he murmured, “It’s good to have you back, Suki.”
She smiled, ducking her head, but purring lightly. “You have no idea how good it is to have you back, Dysi,” she murmured back, licking his cheek.
The tender moment was ruined with the face she pulled aftwards. During the scuffle, his cheek had gotten muddy and…well…the mud tasted terrible! Dysi fell off her,laughing loudly as she scrambled to the lake.
“Not funny, Dysi! That’s disgusting!” She continued to complain, not that upset, just enjoying his laughter. Dunking her tongue in the water a couple of times – not even drinking, just trying to wash her tongue – had her happy enough after a while, but she still playfully scowled at him. “Wash yourself off!” She commanded, pointing to the water with her tail.
Dysi rolled his eyes. “You need more cubs, Suki, you’re getting mom-ish to me,” he remarked, as if that was a horrible occurrence. Dysi was the motherly one out of the pair anyway.
Sukanya smiled slightly, tilting her head with a contemplative look. “I do want cubs again, Dysi,” she admitted, drawing a surprised look from Dysi. Sukanya’s last litter had almost killed her, and that had only been one cub.
“You sure about that, Suki?” Dysi asked, trying not to seem too sceptical, but he was. He knew Suki was lonely, but he didn’t think she wanted another litter that much, not so much as to risk her health.
“I’ve thought about it a lot since Makosa left,” Sukanya admitted quietly, staring down at her paws with some nervousness. “I miss being a mom. I know it’s dangerous, after last time, but I really like being a mom.” She gave a nervous giggle. “Now that I’ve made my mind up, I’ve just got to find someone willing to be a daddy!”
“You can’t go to your last fellow?” Dysi couldn’t help but ask.
“I don’t know where he is,” Sukanya said, embarrassed to admit that, however Dysi just nodded sympathetically, as if he understood.
Which, when Sukanya thought about it, he probably did. He didn’t have great contact with the mothers’ of his cubs, though he had tried to keep track of roughly where his cubs were, but that was hard now that there was so many of them.
“You’ll find someone, Suki,” Dysi encouraged her. “Who could resist a cutie like you?” He winked at her, trying to distract her from that sad look that appeared in her eyes at the talk of finding a male.
“Thanks,” Sukanya whispered, before cleaning her throat. “So, show me how to de-scale this fish already! I’m starving,” she teased, and Dysi hurried to show her, glad for the distraction.
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