The sun was set at its highest point in the sky, and consequently Rakesh had given up on moving at all. Anyone who was out roaming in this thick heat was doomed to waste too much energy and be miserable for it. Na'an had the brilliant idea of taking shelter in their makeshift den, but his company was beginning to wear on her. So, Rakesh made his smartest move of the day and vacated the den in favor of laying underneath a shady tree. It wasn't really a step up in the world, but it was good enough to make do. He'd rather be a little hot than have Na'an nagging his ears off. It wasn't that she was really all that talkative when upset... she just had this beautiful way of being passive aggressive that he couldn't stand.
Sometimes he wanted more pleasant company, but he wasn't willing to give up on the pale lioness. She was rather interesting to him, and he had developed a lingering fondness for her. Though, that didn't quite stop the young lion from taking interest in anything else that crossed his path. He just always seemed to come back to Na'an instead of wandering off. Once this heat spell was over, he'd make his way back to the lioness and try to pretend that he had done something useful or significant.
Of course, she probably knew he was laying in the dirt like a miserable bum. He just didn't have to come right out and say it.
