[PRP] A Ways from Home (Shukura x Emrys)

[SilverLutz]

Wanderlust was a horrible thing. Shukura didn't realize she had it until she found herself stuck in a den with her cubs. Now don't get her wrong, she loved her cubs dearly, but seeing the same thing over and over, not allowed out to do anything other than eat and drink...it was painful. She was so glad when they grew old enough for her to show them around the area and introduce them to their pride mates.

She was also very glad when they matured enough to not need her around at every moment. Their independence was her freedom and, after making sure the nannies wouldn't mind watching the cubs for a few days, she bid them farewell to go on a long walk. It brought her to the outskirts of a few prides, but no one ever came out to speak with her. Not too discouraged, she continued on, pausing at the edge of a rather fertile plain with a very big rock in the distance to lap up a few cool mouthfuls of water.

She curled up under a tree after that, deciding to rest in the heat of the day. The warm ground lulled her into a very relaxed state, and she ended up rolling onto her back, her paws resting on her chest. Shukura let out a delighted sigh and stretched her hind legs, tail lashing from side to side until she settled down.

Depawsit

 

[Depawsit]

Emrys let out a triumphant roar, though one wouldn't recognize it as such - he never really had the lungs for roaring. It was more of a hiss or a yawn maybe. But to him it was a roar all the same! He roared in victory as he pranced his way to the outskirts of the pride, the first time his parents had ever allowed him to do so alone. He'd been grown for quite some time, but even then his parents always demanded he be escorted by Briac or Kimball. 'You aren't mature enough to handle this on your own. Just sit back with us Emrys.'

The male almost spat the distaste out as he walked along, today wasn't going to be a day for wallowing in his many misfortunes - today would be a day for adventure! The kinds of adventures Kimball and he had always planned on, before the sickness had gotten to him. The kind he still planned to do someday ... even if it killed him.

Emrys nodded his head stiffly, but as he did so a rather interesting scent caught his nose. It was a female ... and a bunch of cubs? What was a female doing this far out with a bunch of cubs?! IT WAS DANGEROUS OUT HERE! Didn't she know that?

"No,no,no this won't do at all."Shaking his head valiantly, he raised his nose to the air to try and pin point the exact location of the Mother and her cubs.

The closer he got, the more distinct her smell became, and the more faint the cubs' smell became. It was as though they were here ... but they weren't... this was definitely a strange dilemma.

Finally he spotted the female, a lovely shade of brown lounging out under a nearby tree ... and not a cub in sight! Quickly he darted to her side, heaving over her as though he'd just run a marathon.

"Y-Y-Your c-cubs ... w-w-where are y-y-you're cubss?!"

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Dozing lightly and unsuspecting of her surroundings, Shukura didn't hear the lion approaching until he was nearly on top of her. She opened her eyes and found a brilliant green pair staring right back at her, the lion's large form blocking out what little of the sun managed to get through the tree tops. She let out a startled yelp and quickly rolled over, scooting away from the lion as quickly as she could.

"What cubs?" she asked, finally understanding what the panting male was asking. Her eyes were wide with fear, her back against the tree trunk, paws pushing at the dirt to try to get away from the crazed male. "I didn't bring my cubs! They're with their nannies back home!"

Good gods, was this some crazed rouge? Or perhaps she'd stumbled into a pride's territory without realizing it? It was rather nice here...such a place must have been claimed by now. Oh no, she was so foolish..."I...I promise I'm not going to hurt anyone," she added weakly, ears pressed against her head, trying to appear as small as she could, reverting back to her old, scared ways.

Depawsit

 

[Depawsit]

Emrys hadn't thought about the obvious cons to standing over a submissive female, wheezing, and demanding to know where her cubs were. In fact, he hadn't thought over a single part of this plan ... which is probably why it had gone so terribly wrong. His wheezing was getting worse as he began to panic, realizing just how terrified he had made the female. Clutching his chest in agony, he raised another paw to wave at the female.

"D-Don't b-be a-a-a-afraid ... i'm no-not h-h-here to h-h-hurt you." Now standing as far back from the female as possible he noticed just how scared she truly was. She was apologizing and trying to hide from him? SHE was trying to hide from HIM? He would have laughed at that exact moment if it weren't for the fact that he was hardly breathing.

Sitting on his haunches he tried to regulate his breathing, one paw on his chest to keep himself in rhythm.

"Y-y-ou smell li-like c-cubs ... f-forgive m-me." The male dipped his head apologetically before looking back up at her with sorrow in his eyes.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

As the male continued to wheeze, Shukura lifted her head just a bit. Perhaps he hadn't just run from a long distance to attack her...was he ill? Her ears lifted in concern as he bowed his head, and she relaxed a bit, although she didn't move from her spot.

"That...that's okay. You just startled me," she said with a weak smile. "I do have cubs...you must have a very good nose," she added, not wanting him to feel so badly. "They're just...not with me right now. I didn't want to bring them into the rouge lands....they're still a little young for that. Are you all right?"

She shifted her weight by this point to move to stand once again, rather than sitting on her haunches. The wheezing sounded rather painful, and from the looks of it he was having a hard time getting a breath in. The poor thing...

Depawsit

 

[Depawsit]

Nodding his head in understanding, Emrys wanted to do little more than bow his head in failure. But he had manners to attend to, he was in the presence of a lady, and he needed to respect her properly. He also needed to ensure his safety as best he could, because she was in no shape to be out here alone ... the rogue lands weren't the nicest of places sometimes.

Emrys' ears perked happily at the mention of his nose, and he tapped at it proudly. "O-one of m-my best f-features!" This time he managed a small chortle, his breathing was beginning to regulate finally. "I s-see, that w-was a g-good dec-cision. It c-can be dangerous out here s-sometimes." Again Emrys merely nodded at the female and patted his chest gently.

"J-Just a little o-out of breath i-is all ... a-are y-you OK? D-Did I scare y-you o-or harm you i-in any w-way?!"

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Curious, and also a bit concerned, Shukura moved forward a few paces to bring herself closer to the other lion. She tilted her head as he spoke, wondering if the stuttering was from his breathing or a speech impediment. Either way, she had to smile just a bit. It was endearing in an odd way.

"Oh no...just startled me," she said reassuringly, her heart now back to beating at a normal rate. "Nothing that isn't easily overcome." Ever since her stint with Mlinzi and saving him from the rather scary lioness, as well as having three cubs to care for, her confidence had grown incredibly. She was still shy and a bit timid, but she no longer felt as though she were powerless and helpless in any situation.

"Are you sure you're all right? I...well...technically I'm still in training to be a healer, but I've learned quite a bit already," she said, tilting her head to the side. "I'm Shukura, by the way...gosh...I'm sorry, I should have told you sooner than this!"

Depawsit

 

[Depawsit]

Emrys watched as she approached and wondered whether he should take a step back. It wasn't that he himself was scared, but that he had already overstepped her boundary once, and he wouldn't dare do it again. But she stepped forward once again and by then he knew she didn't want him to move. He could tell by the way she was looking at him, it was almost like she was diagnosing him. It was very similar to the looks he'd received as a cub by the many medics who'd tended to him through his sickness. It sent a shudder down his spine, and as he shook it off, he noticed that his breathing ha finally come to a calm once again.

"Oh, I am very glad to hear it. I didn't mean to startle you, honestly I didn't. I merely caught the scent of a female and her cubs, and well as I said this isn't the safest place for either of those things." This time he laughed freely, though just like his roar, it came out as more of a hiss.

As she once again asked if he was alright, the male could do little more than sigh at her. She was a healer huh? Well that would explain why those looks were so very familiar to him. "I'm positive I am. Or at least, I am as alright as I will be. I caught the rough end of some type of virus when I was a cub, and it made its way into my lungs and did a fair bit of damage. That's where all the wheezing came from. I'm not meant to overdo it, and I guess I did just that didn't I?" Wiping a paws across his face to hide his own shame, he tried to smile as he pulled it away.

"Ah my name is Emrys, its nice to meet you under such strange circumstances Shukura!"

Pausing for a moment, he looked around before digging his paws into the dirt.

"Pardon me for asking, but you don't seem very familiar and you say your cubs are with their Nannies ... do you live near here?"

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

As the male's stammering eased away with his breathing, Shukura knew it was a symptom rather than a disability. She smiled just a bit as he went on and, at the face he made when he explained about his lungs, she knew not to impress herself on him too much. She was sure he'd been at the paws of very capable medics as he grew up and, still being a novice, she knew she was in no place to offer suggestions. Anything she could think of had probably already been done.

She bobbed her head in agreement. These were rather strange circumstances to be sure, but it was working out well now that they had both settled down and caught their breath. The question made her shake her head, though, and she sat down once she started to reply.

"I live a day's walk from here or so, without rest. I was traveling in this direction when I found the pride I currently live with and was always curious as to what I might find should I have walked a bit further. But now...it's home," she said with a tiny smile. "Although this place looks very lovely."

Depawsit

 

[Depawsit]

A days walk without rest? Ha! He'd never be able to make that trek, and if he did, it would take him at least four times the time it took her and that was WITH rest. Boy it sucked to be him sometimes, but he wouldn't burden her with his troubles. They were his burdens to bear and he'd done so quite capably so far, or so he thought. "Ah I see, so you're a traveler then? That's lucky of you. This is my first time having ever even been this far!" He grinned sheepishly feeling embarrassed to even have to admit to it.

"I uh ... I don't get out much .. as you can probably tell .." There was a twinkle in his eye that he couldn't hide, it was an unmistakable sign of his pride for finally getting past those borders alone.

"Oh this place? Oh! You mean the Pridelands! Yes, I love my home, its magnificent! If you'd like ... I could take you for a tour!

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

The lioness nodded sympathetically as the lion spoke. She could only imagine what life was like for him, limited by his own body. In a way he reminded her of Mlinzi, blinded and unable to see much more than vague shapes. Her heart went out to those less fortunate than she and she counted her lucky stars for being healthy.

"I have a bit of wanderlust...I traveled as a young cub with my father, but have been in this pride most of my life. I like to see new things and meet new people and that's a bit hard in a pride...so...I decided to take a little vacation," she said with a smile.

The offer to see the pride surprised her, and her ears rose in interest. "Oh...that would be lovely! Are you sure it's allowed?" The lands beyond looked incredible, and she certainly wanted to explore new places. She knew some prides were very secretive about their homes, though...

Then again, Emrys was a pride member and he certainly knew the rules. "As long as it's okay I'd love to see a little bit of it," she continued, golden eyes looking up at the larger lion. "It's already quite beautiful from the little I've seen from here."

Depawsit

I smell a second RP >w>

 

[Depawsit]

"Wanderlust huh? My parents used to talk about that, they would tell me and my brother we were full of it when we were younger. But after I fell ill, they never mentioned it again. I guess I sort of understand why now that you've used in a context I can understand." Emrys raised his head to the sky, allowing the slow cool breeze to flow through his mane freely. It was such a lovely day, he really hoped she would take him up on his offer. It would be something she wouldn't regret, especially with this wanderlust she spoke of.

"Oh yes, we are quite the welcoming pride, visitors are free to come and go as they please. You won't even be questioned if you're with me!" The excitement began to build and his tail swished back and forth like it did so many times while playing with his brother as a cub.

"Well then, you better prepare yourself! You see that big rock off in the distance? That's Pride Rock, just wait til you see it up close! Its breath taking!"

SilverLutz

Me thinks I smell it too o3o

 

[SilverLutz]

Shukura smiled and nodded as he spoke. This would be a fun adventure! And then, once her cubs got older, they could come and see the pride as well. They were growing up to be quite the pawful, and she was sure a bit of adventure would suit them well in their later years.

"It's got a name? That's lovely," she said as she moved forward, tail flicking in excitement. "Lead the way, then. I'll follow!"

Depawsit

Last one from me! Wanna start a second?

 

[Depawsit]

SilverLutz

I'll get something up and tag you in it!

And oh goodness, I never even thought about the cubs coming to visit in the future! They have a lot of family here owo

2 whole litters + Ghubari & his mate + his soon to be litter !!!