Aliura had never been to this place before. She was known for wandering around a lot, as she didn't really have a place of her own. She tended to just flit from place to place with no real direction, just following her paws wherever they took her. And this place was certainly different. She had seen lakes before, but never ones so big that she couldn't see the other side of them, and she'd never come to one that tasted as bad as this one did. The issue was, she had been born and raised inland. Where she had come from, no one had even heard of the ocean before. Needless to say, she was completely without a term for it, not that she would really tell anyone about it. She didn't like to talk. Talking meant the possibility of stuttering and she didn't want to risk that in the company of others. As jovial as she was, stuttering was something she was terribly embarrassed about and she didn't like the uncomfortable feeling.
It was getting late in the afternoon, so the sun was warming her back as she stared out over the water, watching as the light sparkled over it. It was such a pretty sight.
That was certainly a pretty sight.
Levi had been taking a nap in one of the trees close to the shoreline. He had gotten back to the pride a number of days ago, relating his report back to Smargad as soon as he'd gotten home. Of course, he always felt like a bit of a heel, spying on his captain's daughter like that. The girl wasn't that bad of a fighter. Sure, she needed help sometimes and she wasn't the strongest, largest lioness out there, but she was young, still learning, and her speed, cunning, and willingness to use anything and everything to her advantage made her skills nothing to frown at. Not to mention she was merciful and ruthless at the same time. Really, her father should be proud of her. But his old friend was far too cautious and possessive for his own good. It would always be a problem between them, for his wife, too.
So the lanky male had been dozing in the tree, just sort of watching the world through half-closed eyes when something moved into his field of vision. Another genet, a female, moved across the sand towards the water, her body language telling him she was curious about the water. He watched her move towards it, stopping when she got to the darker, more compact sand. The waves came up slowly, washing over her paws as she stared out over the vastness of the ocean. At least, that's what it looked like she was staring at, his vantage point was only showing her back.
The water rose around her paws before retreating back into the sea. Levi wondered if she had ever seen the ocean before. He immediately found out she hadn't when he watched her dip down and try to drink some of the water. Almost immediately she scrambled back, sputtering on the salty mess. He smiled at her, it was really kind of adorable even if it was something he should feel sorry about. He should go down there and help her find a freshwater spring. Or even take her home with him to share some of the drinks the consorts made for the pirates. Sure, he didn't get to have them much because he was not really considered a real pirate by most of them, but he'd be able to get some. Especially from Makena. His captain's wife, she spoiled the hell out of him and all of her real children. It was why he sucked up to her so much, really. Smargad liked him for his willingness to please and his mischievous attitude, Makena liked him for being such a sweet-heart.
He should have helped the female, but he couldn't bring himself to move towards her as she walked back into the path of the waves and sat down. She was sunning herself, letting the water cool her no doubt travel-weary feet while the sun worked on her back. It was definitely a pretty sight and one he didn't really want to interrupt.
But something drew him out of the tree, something pulled him down out of his dose and had him walking quietly towards her. No doubt any other time, the coins hanging from the red pelt on his back would be clinking, making enough sound to alert his presence. But the sound of the ocean was too great, she wouldn't be able to hear him coming even if he was yelling out her name as he approached. He had no idea what had come over him, but when he finally reached her side, instead of making a sound to announce himself or anything like that, he instead curled his body around hers, rubbing his side against her as he moved toward her front.
Ali had been considering going back up, out of the reach of the waves, and lying down for a rest. She was just about to stand up, having sat down on the beach, when something came up behind her and rubbed itself against her back and side. Her heart skipped a beat as she jumped up and side-stepped away, turning to look at what it was.
A male genet stood there, his eyes hooded in his pale face. It made him look a little tired, but there was a brightness in his eyes that said otherwise. He seemed like an alert male, and one used to smiling by the cheerful grin already on his face. He looked like a nice sort, but he'd surprised her something fierce. He was all darkly colored except for on his face and a little bit of his belly. And he had brown eyes, just a shade lighter than her own. He didn't say anything to her, he just watched her for a moment before looking away, back from where she had come from, away from the water. His attention returned to her, his head jerking in the direction he had looked. A female used to body language over speaking, Ali smiled at him, understand what he had said without words. He was asking if she wanted to go with him. She wasn't sure to what extent, if he just wanted to walk with her or if he wanted to take her somewhere, but she didn't mind. It would be an adventure and maybe she would make a friend, too.
Levi had been ecstatic when the lady had agreed to join him. He smiled even more at her nod and led the way, walking close to her but not touching. She in turn walked close to him, her head about even with his shoulders so that she could be at his side but still letting him take the lead to wherever it was they were going. He wanted to talk to her, he really did, but it had been so long since he had said anything that he wondered if he even knew how to anymore.
You see, Levi was kind of a strange male. He had a habit of trying things out to see how long he could keep them up for, if he could perfect his art. Once, about the time that he met Smargad, he had decided he would try his paw at communicating without speaking, just through signs and expressions. It had gone well, so well in fact that everyone just started making assumptions about why he never talked and it just made him do it all the more. He had been living as a pirate for as long as Smargad, ah Captain Nemeios, had. He'd become the lion's sort of pet before they'd even learned of the pride. But more than pet and owner, the two of them were friends. Levi liked to amuse Smargad and he reveled in the fact that by having the lion for a friend, he was protected should he need it.
They were certainly an interesting pair to say the least, and yet no matter how close they were, Levi still never talked to him. He should talk to a female, he hadn't seen another genet in so long. But as they continued walking, getting into the trees that separated the beach from the savannah, he couldn't find anything to say to her. And it seemed as if she didn't have anything she wanted to say to him, either. It wasn't like she was trying to speak to him, she stayed as quiet as he was.
Aliura was wondering the same thing, really. Did the male expect her to say something? Then again, he hadn't said anything when he had come up to her, nor had he said anything when he "asked" her to come with him. Seemed to her that he was just as non-talkative as she was. And she was perfectly happy with that.
They walked for a while through the trees before finally coming to a small pond. It looked like the deepest part would only just barely come over her head and the water was ridiculously clear. It was really just a big puddle, considering they weren't very large creatures. He stopped a few paces away from it so that he could look back at her, tilting his head in a questioning motion. The look was brief, though, for he turned away and left her side to walk to the pond, dipping his head down to take a drink. Ah, so this one was okay to drink. She wondered what that big thing was, why it tasted so horrible. But that didn't matter, now did it, since this was obviously safe to drink. She followed him to the water's edge and bent down to take a drink herself.
As she lapped at the water, she felt his gaze on her. It was hard not to look at him, but she didn't want to, it might chase his attention away from her. So to get her mind off of it, she straightened and stepped into the water. It was cold because of all the trees shading it, but the weather was so hot, the cool water felt good. He was still watching her, she could feel it as she moved forward. She walked as far as she could, the water coming up to her shoulders. She took a moment to dunk her head under the water, turning back to shore as she did so, before coming back up, shaking the water from her eyes and finally setting her eyes back on him.
He was staring intently at her, the casual, good-natured look about him had fled him. His eyes were still hooded and yet she could see the conflict on his face, in his posture. He wanted to follow her but something was holding him back. Did he not like the water? Maybe it was too deep for him. She moved forward a few paces, the water only coming up to her belly now. Was that shallow enough for him? Her head tilted to one side, her banded tail waving back and forth as she raised a paw and beckoned him.
Levi couldn't take his eyes off of her. He knew it was rude to stare, but she was such a fetching creature and honestly it was difficult not to. Watching her walk into the water, he was drawn to follow her and yet he didn't like water. Smar never asked, but Levi wasn't a good swimmer. In fact, he barely knew how to. Getting a drink or taking a bath wasn't difficult, he didn't have to submerge himself. But this female, she was going to far, he wouldn't follow her that far no matter how much he wanted to.
As if she saw his concern when she turned back to look at him, she shook the water from her eyes and moved forward, her tail swaying and body waving back and forth with every step. Emboldened by what seemed like her understanding, Levi moved from where he stood at the water's edge and met her halfway, pressing his dry cheek to her damp one in a nuzzle that she returned.
"Levi," he finally said, his voice surprisingly low pitch for the sounds he normally made and with a soothing timbre. Apparently he did still know how to talk.Now only if she would give him her name.
A purr found its way into her throat when the male came to her and nuzzled her cheek with his. Ali was just a bit taken aback when he said what she had no doubt was his name. She was equal parts pleased and worried about it. She should tell him her name, but what if she stuttered? Would he laugh at her? No, no, she just had to be confidant. She could do this, she could...
"Aliura." She managed it without getting nervous and botching it up! He pulled back to give her a smile that said at the very least he liked the name. His cheek was back against hers almost immediately afterwards, nuzzling her even more than before as he returned her purring.
Oh, yeah, this would be a great adventure.
WC: 2,501
