Albus was liking his new home more and more. It was calm, quiet and, for the most part, friendly. But he imagined it wouldn't always be that way. There would come a time where threats invaded, and he would need to be ready. He was a guard, wasn't he? Even if he didn't think he was a very good fighter, it was the job he had picked. His desire to protect his new home outweighed everything else. He wondered if it was the best choice, but it was the one he felt was right. That mattered more than skill, right? Anyway, it wasn't like he was a bad fighter. Maybe he was just nervous about messing up like he had in the rogue lands. Ah well, that was what he had Haja for. She made sure he didn't make the wrong choices.
She was sitting on his back, perched peacefully as he moved around the boarders of the pride to protect it from threats. He stopped a moment, looking over his shoulder the best he could to try and see her through his fluffy white mane. Sensing his efforts, Haja opened her eyes, peeking back at him with a somewhat annoyed look.
"What?" She demanded of him, flapping her wings lightly as she stretched and woke herself up, "you woke me up."
"Sorry," chuckled the large lion, sitting himself down as she dismounted him and flew around a bit, coming to land in front of him so they could speak without it being a problem. It seemed like he had something to say- she could pick up on that without it being said. They were bonded, after all. Sometimes she thought she could read his mind. Well, maybe their connection wasn't THAT strong just yet. But in time, she didn't doubt that it would happen.
"So what's the problem?" She demanded lightly, "I mean, you don't normally take time out of your day to stare at me like some kind of creeper."
Albus laughed at that, shrugging his shoulders as best a lion could, "Oh, I don't think there's a problem," he assured her, "I was just thinking, that's all. I didn't mean to wake you up from your nap."
"Well, I suppose I can forgive you if you tell me what you were thinking about," Haja informed him rather pointedly. Albus chuckled. He had no intention of keeping secrets from her, so it wasn't a problem for him to answer.
"I was just thinking about how lucky I was to be found by you," he chuckled lightly, "and how you always help me out when I need it. I don't know how I managed to survive with out you." The male smiled lightly, and Haja laughed. She took off again, swooping around for a little while before landing gracefully on his head.
"If you remember, you almost DIDN'T survive on your own," she pointed out, tapping on his head with a claw. He laughed, but didn't attempt to shake her off. She wasn't trying to hurt him- just pointing something out to him.
And she was right, of course. When they had met, he had been in a real mess. She was the one who had given him direction in his life, and had brought him home to his new pride. He really owed her a lot.
"You're right- I really lucked out having you around, you know? I mean, I just want you to know that I really love you and I'm happy you brought me here."
"Aw, you big sap," hummed the bird happily, ruffling her feathers, "I'm happy I'm with you, too. I knew from the moment I saw you that you were the lion I was meant to protect. And I'm happy I was able to help you out so much. I only hope I'll be able to help you out more in the future."
"I don't doubt that," the male laughed lightly, "you're full of wisdom. Besides... I tend to get into a lot of trouble, don't I?"
"Now that's for sure."
"Hey! Don't be so quick to agree with me about something like that," he laughed, faking a hurt voice. Haja laughed and pat him on the head again.
"Don't worry, you know I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it to teach you. It's a lesson, that's all." Albus gave a grunt at that, though he wasn't offended. Still, he got to his feet and started to walk once more, heading back on his path. There was still more boarders to explode, and he wanted to do as good a job as possible protecting the place since he was still new to the job. He couldn't make a bad impression. What if they caught him goofing off and kicked him out of the pride because he wasn't taking it seriously enough? Not that he thought they would actually do that- it seemed like they were a good group of lions, and were a little too kind to be so quick to boot anyone. But he didn't really know the rules. Or not all of them, anyway. In general, he'd never been in a pride before, and it really looked like he was going to have to change his whole way of thinking. Being alone was a hell of a lot different than being with a group of other lions.
Now there were a lot more animals to think about beyond just himself. Like Ke'ala, whom he had met not too long ago. She was a bright, kind lioness and he enjoyed her amusing personality. He wanted to keep her safe, even though she did the same thing he did. She was important to him. A friend? Maybe.
He found himself thinking about her a lot more than he had when they first met, though. It made him wonder just how much she actually meant to him, beyond the friend scope.
Haja watched the distracted lion as he walked, smiling to herself. She could tell who was going through his mind, and she didn't blame him. She was feeling the same way about a certain bird she had met, too.
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