Sihiri:
"An' you won't believe it, I swear. You know what he said to me? You know what he said? He says, 'There are plenty of ladies out there what be clambrin' to jump my bones, so what I need you for?' an' you know what I says to him? I says, 'Honey, I don't even wanna jump your bones,' and I left him there with his mouth all hangin' open like a 'potamus!" Gales of feminine laughter rang out from just beyond the borderline of Shujaa's territory. The Golden Bird, Sihiri, rolled on the ground as she laughed at her guest's story. Nerissa was a wandering leopardess with rather risque tastes in pastimes. But that didn't bother Sihiri much, she loved the hilarious stories of Rissa's many beaus and if she was to be honest with herself, the young lioness rather liked to live vicariously through the older leopardess. She had never even met another male because the Tree Shadow and the Huntsman, and neither were available to her. Sure, Rissa talked about having trysts with lions and a cheetah once, but she just couldn't see herself being attracted to anyone but a strong, kind lion. And the Huntsman was already mated, even if she had fancied him.

Nerissa:
Nerissa chuckled good-naturedly as she watched the young lioness display her amusement. She came to the jungle every once in a while to spend some time with the lonely recluse of a leopard that lived in this jungle full of lions and half-breeds. Not that she had anything against them, far from it. She just sort of knew Kije preferred the company of a leopardess and yet is seemed like she was the only constant one in his life. Which was really a horrible thing to think with the way he carried on his flirting.
She liked Sihiri. The girl was clever and good-hearted. If she had a daughter, she would rather like one like this girl. Though, she did have a daughter... But she had left her cubs with their father long ago.

"So, met anyone lately, dearie?"

Raynah:
Raynah was bored. Things were going well for her, and she was rather enjoying her new life. She could hide all she wanted from the outside world, and the only one who ever saw her was Shuuja it seemed. He was a sweet guy, though mysterious, and her feelings were him were somewhat obvious. More obvious than she would have liked. She couldn't help herself though, spending the night nestled safe in his arms was a good past time. He was her first friend, her only friend, and she would have gladly spent all her time with him. But when she woke, he was gone, and the furs she lay on weren't warm. He had been gone for a bit. She was sure he had left her there, afraid of being closet o her and she supposed she couldn't blame him. She was a stranger after all, and it gave her a little time to explore. Though part of her wondered if he was up in the tree tops, watching her and seeing what she would do. It was cruel fate, to be cheetah and lion, both without the proper claws for climbing well. Such a sneak, he was.

Her thoughts were interrupted, much to her dismay when she heard the voices. Knowing there was no way she could sneak away from them, because her curiousity wouldn't allow it.. She started to follow the sounds. It didnt take long for her to find them, a golden lioness chit chatting with a leopardess. She stayed silent, hoping none would see her, but she wasn't exactly the sneakiest of the group she knew.

Sihiri:
After her encounter with her horrid grandfather, Sihiri's mother and father had worked very hard making sure their children knew how to know when someone was coming. So when she heard paw-steps coming closer, her laughter died and her ears perked up. She turned towards the sound, frowning with her eyes narrowed to a squint. Not angry-narrowed, the kind of narrowed where you couldn't quite see something with your eyes wide open.

When she saw it was a creature smaller than her (As she was a rather large lioness, like her papa and sisters) and one that smelled like a female, she relaxed a bit.
"We've got a visitor, Rissy," she said, turning a smile onto her friend.

Nerissa:
Nerissa turned serious as soon as she saw Sihiri stiffen, though her face showed none of it. A girl with her interests needed to be on her guard at all times, one never knew when there would be some scoundrel who'd rather take a piece of you than a... bit of your time.
But when the lioness relaxed, so did she, following her friend's gaze.
"Ah, seems we do. Come on out, dearie, we ain't gonna bite'cha," she said with a kind smile.

Raynah:
Damn it. She really needed to take lessons from Shuuja after all in the arts of sneaking. She frowned, shaking her head at herself, but stepping out of the bush shadows that were hiding her. Her bright white pelt was a stark difference between the other females, and hse felt she stuck out like a rather sore thumb. She sat awkwardly, her tail twisting out behind her as she looked between the two. Using her front paw to brush out a stray piece of mane fluff from her eyes, she cleared her throat.
"Uh...hi.."

Sihiri:
"My goodness, Rissy, I think you've made her shy! You shouldn't be, really, Rissy's just a little bit odd. You must be new here, you can call me Birdy, everyone around here does," Sihiri said, pawing at her friend in a slightly chiding manner.

Nerissa:
"Oh, pish-tush! I'd do no such thing an' it's quite horrid of you to say such!" Rissa shot back with a cheeky grin. She was blue from head to toe but for a large creamy patch from her jaw to her belly and white whisker-marks below her dark gray eyes. Her head tilted a bit, also not recognizing the new female.

"I'm Nerissa, but you can call me Rissy if you like."

Raynah:
Well weren't they odd. She found her eyebrow arched without meaning to do it, and she nodded her head in greeting. She was at a loss of what to say, but she supposed she should start with her name.
"I'm Raynah.. I'm kinda new here. I've been staying in that old hollow tree you just can't miss." She grinned at that. It was true that the tree was massive, bigger than any she had seen. But these ladies probably had seen bigger trees.
"Its..Uh, good to meet you, Rissy and Birdy." She said with a soft smile.

Sihiri:
"Big hollow tree?" Sihiri asked, turning to Rissa with a mild look of confusion. She didn't know of any big, old, hollow trees in this area, thought she supposed she hadn't been everywhere. There were certain places she wasn't allowed to go. At least two of the inhabitants of the jungle hated trespassers. Oh, dang, if she was in the Huntsman's territory, things could get really bad really quick.

"Which direction is this tree in?"

Raynah:
Raynah noted the look of confusion, and she meant to arch her eyebrow this time. She turned in the direction of where she had come from, and pointed a blue tipped paw towards it. "Uh, I think its that way. I could be wrong. Like I said, I am pretty new here." She nodded, feeling rather bashful. She felt like she was completely stupid and suddenly she wished Shuuja had been around here.

"I believe its Shuuja's home.. If you know him?" She asked.

Sihiri:
Sihiri's eyes widened when Raynah pointed.
"No way..." she said softly, a small look of surprise on her face. She looked to Rissa, who looked equally surprised at the thought they no doubtably both had. No. Way! The Ghost had a guest? And a lady guest at that? And this female had seen him, on top of that? No way! No one had ever seen the Ghost! Sometimes Sihiri wondered if he even existed, but then sometimes she would catch his scent fresh on the borders of their territories, or sometimes she would find a small packet of flowers and herbs that didn't grow in her part of the jungle. The Huntsman was always straightforward with his "gifts" to her, the packets had to be from the Ghost.

Nerissa:
Rissa looked to her friend and felt a grin growing on her face.
"You don't suppose... The Ghost has a lady friend?" she asked Sihiri, only to receive a shrug and a smile in response. She turned back to Raynah, then, smiling broadly.
"You've met the Ghost? Shujaa? That's his name? Oh, gracious, child!" All of what Rissa had heard about the Ghost had come from Sihiri and Kije. He'd been born in the jungle with his brother and sister, but his family had long since moved on. No one had ever seen the younger son, at least not anyone that lived around here. They knew he existed, but he was really no more than a phantom to them.

Raynah:
She looked at them as if they were crazy, but she was so confused. She looked between the two, listening to their dialogue. They were surely the most odd creatures she had ever met.
"Uh-Huuuh.." She said, drawing out the words. Though one word caught her ear. What was that? Had they said Shuuja was a ghost? Surely they were mistaken, for he was very real, at least to her.
"Im.. sorry, but..Ghost?" She asked, her face taking on a confused look.
"W-Why do you call him that?" She questioned.

Sihiri:
Sihiri shrugged. How was she supposed to answer that question?
"Because he is? Everyone knows where the Ghost lives and we do our best to avoid it. No one's ever seen him, but you can almost always feel when he's around you. My mother swears she's heard his whisper in the trees on some nights," she explained, creeping herself out just talking about it.

Nerissa:
"I've never seen him. I didn't even know he had a name until now, did you?" Rissa asked, receiving yet another shake of the head from her friend. Her near-black eyes turned back to Raynah then.
"I've heard, though, that if you go into his territory, you might feel something touch the back of your neck or hear something behind you, but when you look back all you see are pawprints in the mud."

Raynah:
She shivered, hearing what the ladies said about Shuuja. They looked at her as if she was insane, telling ghost stories. She took a deep breath, and frowned, backing away slightly. There was no way he was a ghost. None. But these women. .They made it sound like he was dead, and a figure that haunted your dreams at night. Was he dead? Was he following her and able to seem to be weightless, silent, hardly seen because he was.. not alive?
"T-Thank you ladies.. You were a great help." She wanted to ask more, she had a hell of a lot of questions.. But she knew that asking questions right now, would not be wise. She was a bit too upset.. She tried to give them a quick smile, but her paws turned her around rather quickly and she slunk back into the shadows, ready to curl up in the tree..Or not depending on whether she was spooked enough to leave or not.
"No way.." She said to herself as she walked.. "Theres no way. Theyre crazy is all."

Sihiri & Nerissa:
Both Sihiri and Rissa frowned when Raynah made a hasty retreat.
"Odd dear, isn't she?" one asked.
"Perhaps we spooked her," mused the other.

Shujaa:
"Who's crazy?" Shujaa landed behind Raynah with a soft thump, licking his maw as he watched her through relaxed gold eyes. He had hated getting up and leaving her that morning, but he had rounds to take care of as usual and once that was done he was starving. He had returned to the den with a good bit of gazelle to find her gone. He'd taken it up into the trees to keep it from most other predators before looking for his missing guest, he still had the taste of its flesh and blood on his lips and teeth and tongue.

Raynah:
The last creature she wanted to see was Shuuja, and she made a squeak, wheeling around whenever she heard him behind her. Her eyes were wide as she stared, and she gulped. She forced herself to stay in place, forced herself to not run in terror. Why in the world had she been the only one to see him?
"I..I might be." She said, and she felt her heart pounding deep beneath her chest. It wasn't so much that she was afraid even.. But somewhere deep down, she didn't want to know. She didn't want it to be true. She could smell the blood on him, and she gulped again.

"You left.." She replied, keeping her breath steady.

Shujaa:
Shujaa gave her that mild little smirk of a smile at her response.
"Who gave you that idea?" he asked, a bit of a chuckle in his voice as he approached her. But there was something different, his smile fled and he stopped in his tracks, head tilted as he looked her over.

"I have marking to do in the morning... And I got us something to eat. Is everything okay, Raynah? You seem... different," he said, not moving from where he stood. What had happened while he'd been away? She seemed... spooked.

Raynah:
She was torn between outright asking him, or dwelling on it. But she knew that dwelling wasn't really her style. She needed to get it out in the open. Best to know than wonder right? She took a deep breath, but took a little step back after he spoke. Maybe it was to give herself a bit of time to run, and then again maybe it was just instinct. She wasn't sure.
"I meant some one today. Two someones.. Both of which." She took another deep breath. Oh hell, just get it over with!
"Shuuja, they said you were a phantom. A ghost that no one ever sees. Are they right? Are you...dead?" She asked after a bit of hesitation. She looked over his features, trying to see the flick of an eye, the odd twitch, anything to give her clues.

Shujaa:
All she got was an eyebrow raise.
"So they really do call me that, huh? And here I thought it was just that old leopard making things up about his neighbors," he said with a huff and then a shake of his head, his smile back as he snorted over her final question. Rather than outright say it, though, he stepped to her quickly and nuzzled against her, breathing in her scent.

"Do I look dead? Smell dead? Do I feel dead, Raynah?" he asked smoothly in her ear, a purr rumbling softly in the back of his throat as he moved against her.

Raynah:
She had to admit his reaction was calming, and when he stepped closer to her, she closed her eyes, and breathed in deep. He smelled of that soft musk that she had grown to know was all him.. And he felt even better. She let him rub against her, and when he purred in her ear it took everything she had not to shiver and if she could have had goosebumps, she would have had them.

"No." She said firmly, eyes slowly opening and nuzzling her own head against his neck. She wanted to make absolutely sure. But then again.. who was to say you couldn't feel a ghost?

"You don't feel dead, at all." She said, deciding to believe him, even though her mind still reeled. Would he tell her the truth? She believed he would..

Shujaa:
"You're right, I don't," shujaa purred in response before moving away, quiet as ever.
"Come on, I got you something to eat, if something hasn't gotten to it by now," he added, heading back towards his, their home. It was so weird to think of it like that, that he was sharing his home with someone. Someone who didn't judge him for his heritage, someone who was like him, someone who would let him hold her while storms raged outside. It wasn't something he had before. And he liked having it now.

He was becoming attached. Who knew what would happen if he lost this.

Raynah:
As attached as she felt, she was still feeling that there was more that needed to be said. Besides, she wasnt exactly hungry. She took a deep breath, and spoke up.
"Wait. Shuuja.. If you aren't dead." She started, trying to find the right words. Her eyes took on a serious gaze, though that gleam of curiosity caught hold in there too.

"Why do they call you ghost?" She asked, unmoving from her sitting position. She wanted to go with him, and she probably would.. But first she wanted to know why they believed him to be the phantom of the forest.

Shujaa:
Shujaa paused, looking over his shoulder at her. He sighed and turned back around, moving around her again. His pawsteps were quiet as he moved to her back and nuzzled at her neck.
"We're not friendly, my neighbors and I. I don't really know any of their names, and none of them know mine. Over time, we grew to calling one another things. By the sounds of it, you ran into the Golden Bird, didn't you? Her mother is the Healer, not a healer, the Healer. With the way I act, keeping out of sight, silent yet protective of my lands... Wouldn't you call me a ghost, too?" He didn't move from her back as he spoke, his breath on the back of her neck, trying to convey just how he frightened trespassers away.

"Now do you understand?"

Raynah:
When he explained it to her, Raynah found herself thinking. She supposed that made a lot of sense in the grand scheme of things. They didn't call him a ghost because he was dead.. They called him ghost because they had nothing better to call the creature they saw as an apparation. He was silent, yet there, and his presence was known. She blinked, and the longer he stayed pressed to her side, the more she felt her heart pound deep in her chest. It was going to explode out one day, she knew it.

"I met someone who wanted me to call them Birdy. Is that the Golden Bird? I didn't see her mother, but I met.." She paused as she was thinking for the name, and once it came to her she spoke rather quickly. "Nerissa?"

Shujaa:
Shujaa snorted again.
"So you met the Golden Bird and the harlot who sometimes comes to visit? No wonder you're put off, I only ever seem to hear gossip on the winds when they're together," he replied with a shake of his head as he moved back to facing her. A paw rose to stroke the pads against her cheek.

"Better now?" he asked, the lazy expression back on his face, though there was something in his eyes. He had been afraid. Before she had brought up what was bothering her, he had worried that it could have been any number of things. Any number of things that could make her leave this place. Leave him.
Too attached.

Raynah:
She grinned at the name he called them, and a little sound of amusement left her throat. She pushed her face into his paw, enjoying the firm feel of someone who actually gave a damn about her. Or at least.. she thought he did. She was happy just thinking he did though, that was good enough for her for now.

"I think so." She said with a nod, looking into his eyes and feeling a bit sad at the look there. She couldn't place it, but if she had to, she would have said it was worry. Had she planned on leaving? She was almost positive that she wouldnt have done it, but she couldn't have promised.

"I wasn't planning on leaving." She said, nosing her nose against his cheek and inhaling deeply. Sure, she didn't say she was sure she wouldn't have. But he didn't need to know that bit. She wasn't going anywhere.

Shujaa:
She said that and Shujaa felt a shudder pass through him. Her face was pressed against his, she couldn't see his eyes when they squeezed shut. Had he been that easy to read?
"Come on, Raynah. Let's go home, I don't want to be out here anymore," he said softly, wanting nothing more than to spend the rest of the day curled up with her if he could.

Raynah:
She felt the shudder, but she pulled away and shouldered him gently. "Okay. I suppose we want others to keep believing in that ghostly fairy tale. Maybe they will leave you alone," she grinned, her violet eyes glittering. She had been wrong about him, and she felt bad for even believing it.

"C'mon, lets go." She said, moving her paws forward. If she had anything to do with it, they would end up curled on the pelts, warm and happy..and she hoped it stayed that way..for good.