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They were close, that much he knew. Their intoxicating scent had been driving him mad for the past couple of miles. For a moment he thought he'd been lucky enough to find a treasure trove of fruit just lying on the ground. But no! They had belonged to some stupid animal who'd made a trail of fruit flesh! Well, OK maybe they weren't that stupid, they'd pretty much given him a direct map to their location. That idea alone was one Tamu could be thankful for. It had be so long since he'd had a good nibble of fruit, so this was going to be pure heaven for him!

His mouth began to water as she stepped foot closer to the scent. It was beginning to overpower him now, this was it.

Frantically Tamu began to flip his head every which way and the other, until he finally found them. A glorious grove of trees, all filled to the branch with fruit! Eyes wide with excitement, he began to prance his way over to the nearest tree, his mind filled with thoughts of nothing more than which fruit would be the most savory.

With his mind so focused on the idea of which fruit would be the most delicious, he had little thought process left, to take notice of the lightly colored lioness standing just in his path to the nearest tree.

As he bumped hindquarters with her, he hardly took notice. Until she reared back and fussed at him, at which point he jumped nearly half a foot in the air and turned his attention toward her, half dazed. "Oh, no no, I wasn't trying to intentionally bump you! I- I uh, wasn't paying any attention. Its my fault i'm sorry." Of course he was embarrassed, that much was obvious! Naturally when you made a mistake the first course of action was to apologize, good he was past step one.

Confused by her second comment, it took him a moment to evaluate it. "Oh i'm not going up there to chase anything. I'm going after something far, FAR better." Tamu licked his lips as he thought of the succulent fruit above. "See that fruit up there? THAT'S what i'm after!"

Tamu could see the look of confusion and possibly disgust on the lion's face, but he was hardly affected by it. Chances are she had never tried the fruit for herself, if she had, she probably wouldn't be telling him not to eat it. Of course fruits weren't a smart dietary supplement to real meat! But he wasn't using them that way, they were just an ABUNDANTLY DELICIOUS snack, that he just loved to bits!

Shaking his head in refusal of her words, he sat down as near to the tree as he could, and turned to lecture the lioness.

"ITS NOT SILLY!

Tell me ... have you ever actually TRIED one? I bet if you did you wouldn't think I was all that silly. Well, I mean maybe a little silly, but not as silly as you think I am now!" Alright, he was starting to ramble, he had to get things back on track.

"I eat them because they are delicious! They are so much different than the meat we eat from day to day, they're sweet and some are even a little spicy. And all around they're just amazing!"

Tamu's eyes lit up with excitement as he spoke of the delicious fruits above, he couldn't believe she didn't understand his obsession.

"I'm not saying they're a replacement to meat! We need meat! But haven't you ever just been in the mood for something really light and delicious?"

Tamu shrugged his shoulders at Zeno's first question, but tried to give it the most sensible answer he could. "Iunno being a silly cub I guess. I just remember finding one on the ground one day, and thinking it smelled really good. I tried it, and it was amazing! It was juicy and filled to the brim with delicious yummy fruit on the inside." Sitting here and chit chatting was nice and all, but it was also taking away from his time with all of this fruit ... but he would be respectful, while this female might not be much older than him, she mentioned cubs so he assumed her his elder. Therefore, he would sit and carry on with her, only going for his sweet treat when the time was right.

"Well there's your problem! Having such a strict diet doesn't do you any favors! You have to allow yourself variety every once in a while. And it isn't really grazer food, anyone can eat it! Think about it, do you really think a zebra could get all the way into that tree to get any fruit? NO It's meant for us!" Tamu's tail began to slide back and forth across the ground behind him, creating a pretty little pattern in the sand.

"Well I don't see why they wouldn't be. The birds nibble on them all the time, yet their young are always well enough to leave the nests. And others eat them once they fall, yet you don't see any sickly prey roaming around everyday do you? They're a natural part of the diet, as long as you don't eat the fermented ones .... THOSE Wow .. those are a different story!" Waving his paw away in digression he laughed at the memory of his first fermented fruit. "Yes nursing Mother's definitely need to steer clear of those."

Tamu wasn't much to argue back with others, though friendly conversation was another matter entirely. So long as this female was up to his fruity discussions, he would stick around near the trunk of the tree, but the second she gave him the boot, he would be up the trunk in a heartbeat.

"Right well, of course they aren't. I didn't mean to offend your cubs or anything, just thinking out loud I guess." He shrugged his shoulders slightly before continuing. "I didn't offend you did I? Sorry if I did, sometimes things just sort of come out." Tamu padded his feet on the ground he stood on, he was getting antsy but manners were manners.

"Really?" To say he was taken aback would have been an understatement, literally just a moment ago she'd been fussing about how fruit wasn't a natural part of the diet - now she wanted to try them! Secretly Tamu's ego grew a tiny bit better, but he tried to hide that fact as he nodded and began to climb the tree.

"Don't worry, i'll find you the best one this tree has to offer!" Allowing his eyes to gaze over the fruit, his mind secretly scrutinized every single piece. Some were too big, while others were too plump. You didn't want one that was too plump, then you'd just have tons of juice! No, no that wouldn't do. As he searched, he tried to make conversation with the female on the ground.

"Hey, I don't think you told me your name! Or maybe you did, I have a REALLY bad memory." He grunted as he tapped his skull with his paw. "And when I say bad, I mean REALLY bad."

"Zenobia huh? I like that name!" He nodded his head, in just the right direction and caught sight of a delicious fruit hanging just within his reach. It was plump and delicious, and looked to be just at the right time for eating.

"Hey Zenobia! Heads up!' He called, giving the lioness a few seconds to prepare herself before he swiped the fruit down from the tree, and shimmied his own way down as well.

"There you go! The best fruit on the tree, go ahead try it! I bet you love it!" Ushering her with his paws, he couldn't wait to see the look on her face once she'd had a nibble, but then something else came to mind.

"OH! And my name is Tamu - Tamu'Jino. Thanks for sharing your name with me."

Tamu was giddy with excitement as Zeno took her nibble of the fruit. His claws were digging into the sand as he tried to contain what excitement he wasn't able to bear. Though it had been worth it as she congratulated him on his tasty find. He hadn't been one to expect much of her, since she wasn't all the excited to try it in the first place. But now that she had, he was glad that even if it wasn't of interest to her now, he had opened her eyes to a future food source.

Nodding his head in appreciation to her, Tamu's mouth began to water at the partly nibbled upon fruit. Before he began to devour it though he managed a small comment of his own. "That's OK I understand, but i'm glad you gave it a try Zenobia. You've inspired me today, to possibly do something I may not have otherwise done ..." The male zoned out for a moment as he tried to figure out something he could do that normally he wouldn't. "I don't know exactly what it is i'll do yet, but i'll think of something." With a quick smile over at the female, he lowered his head and cupped the fruit between his paws.

Time to enjoy the sweet deliciousness that was fruit.