Lorne was happy to work on his song. He had been working on it quite a bit recently, and mostly because he had told Tabt that he would make something for her. Boy, did he want to impress her! She was so pretty and nice to him- of course he wanted to show off to her a little bit. No male would just let that kind of an opportunity pass him by!
But his singing had not gone unnoticed, though he thought he was alone. He had been heard by another male member of the pride- a lion named Lalaith. He was a scholar, and tended to roam around hunting down stories and looking for information to share with the newer generations of the pride. He loved to learn, but more than that, he loved to teach. To pass history down through the generations. How exciting for him that he was soon going to have cubs of his own to teach! Not to raise, since he knew he wasn't much of a father, but still! It was kind of the best of both worlds, wasn't it? Meeting someone who wanted a family, but not a mate. He couldn't believe it himself.
And he didn't really know how to react to it, either. Just thinking about the female made him blush. They didn't have a mate relationship, but that didn't make him any less nervous.
His thoughts had been interrupted when he heard someone belting a song through the air. He blinked, looking around a bit before coming across a white male sitting near the edge of the forest. He looked like he was trying to find the right words for his song- it seemed very important to him. While he wasn't much of an entertainer, he did know that it was very important to the Players of the pride. It was their whole point of being, actually. Like his as a scholar was to gain knowledge. So he couldn't really bash the guy for wanting to sing, regardless of how silly he thought it was. He smiled to himself as he listened to the male, enjoying the song. From what he could tell, it was some kind of romance-related song. Perhaps for a female? He continued to smile, closing his eyes to listen as the male continued to sing. He opened his eyes again when the singing seemed to stop, Lalaith surprised to see that the other male was staring right at him. "Ah!" Yelped the male, "I, uh, I'm sorry! I saw just passing through and I heard you singing, so I thought I would stop and listen for a bit... um... it seemed like a very nice song."
"Very lovely indeed!" Another voice called merrily. This one seemed to be decidedly female. Both males turned their heads towards the trees, a pretty lady coming from between the trees. Lalaith felt his nerves getting the better of him again- he was not very good around females. To make matters worse, this one seemed to be a groundling, too! He didn't know anything about the fairies of the pride! The other lion, though, didn't look nearly as concerned. He offered the both of them a bright smile.
"Well, I didn't know I had such an audience!" He laughed lightly, "the name's Lorne- you caught me right in the middle of working on a new song. So who are you two? I take it you don't know each other, since the male looks ready to wet himself." He teased lightly, moving over to Lalaith and offering him a light nudge.
Lalaith frowned, pink moving over his face. Good thing it was hidden by his green fur. "Um, well, no, I don't know her, or you! I'm Lalaith, a scholar. I was just looking to see if I could learn anything new today... and I heard you singing. It sounds like your song is going to be quite nice when it's finished. Whomever you're writing it for will enjoy it."
"What makes you so sure I'm writing it for someone?" Huffed the lion in return, tilting his head slightly to one side. Lalaith swallowed thickly, but continued.
"There's... a lot of emotion in it. And it sounds like something that would only come from a personal experience. Love at first sight- that's what you're singing about, right? I think it's a lovely song. I'm sorry if I was just jumping the gun about it..." He looked down at the ground, his tail wrapping around his back leg as he waited to be scolded. But he only heard the male laugh.
"Wow, you're good at figuring things out! You got it right on the head!" Lorne chuckled brightly, before turning to look at the female. "What about you? Who are you, and what brings you here? Just drawn by my lovely voice?"
"The forest is crying," the female replied, "it's very unhappy. There's something coming... something lurking within the trees... it brings darkness with it. I didn't like being inside such a sad forest, so I came to see the happier beings. Your song was very happy. It made me happy, too, even though the trees are still sad."
"Sad trees?" Lalaith huffed, "that's impossible. Trees can't be sad. Though... I have been feeling a little uneasy recently. They've been saying that lions have been going missing inside the forest... that the groundlings are turning against the pride... but I don't believe it, of course! It's just... a lot of gossip."
"Maybe that's what she means about the trees being sad," Lorne replied, "not everyone talks literally about things, you know. Right, lady? You feel something is wrong and it upsets you. The gossip probably doesn't help the groundlings, does it? Don't worry! I know you're not stealing nobles. They're just making things up."
"But lions HAVE gone missing," Lalaith interjected, "that's not a lie."
"They go into the woods," the female replied, "but Chapeo knows they are not being taken by the fairies. We love the rest of you and wish to live in peace. The trees are not to blame, either. Something uses the forest against all of us."
Lorne and Lalaith exchanged a look, while Chapeo lets out an unhappy sigh. She moved forward and rubbed against Lorne, then moved and did the same to Lalaith. She offered them both a smile, trying to brighten her mood. "But the singing- it made me happy to hear it. You two seem like nice lions. Chapeo likes those who do not hate the forest blindly. There is no reason to hate the forest."
"You're right about that," Lorne replied, "we don't have to hate things just because they're kind of unknown, right Lalaith?" Though it seemed the male was not going to be able to respond to him immediately. He looked shocked about having a female run his fur, even if it had only been in greeting. Lorne laughed at his surprised expression. What a dork- he looked ready to pass out! Wetting himself would have been less embarrassing. "Calm down, guy- she was just saying hi. Hey, I know! Why don't you two help me out with my song. I think I could use your input on how things are going, and you both like songs, right?"
Lalaith snapped from his state and looked at Lorne, offering him a meek nod. "I, uh, I suppose I could hang around and help... what about you, miss Chapeo?" She had said that was her name, even though she hadn't actually introduced herself. She looked from male to male, then offered a bright smile to the both of them.
"I would love to listen to more songs! Perhaps the singing will help make the trees happy again- it could use some happiness right now. The darkness.. it continues to grow."
"Okay, but no more darkness talk, alright?" Lorne chuckled, "we're going to have fun and just get to know one another- we're not going to worry or wonder about what's going to happen in the future. It's not here yet! Today is a gift, right? That's why they call it the present!" He grinned at the both of them, before clearing his throat and getting back to his song.
Chapeo moved to sit next to Lalaith, smiling as she listened to the music. Lalaith, though nervous by the female so close to him, did his best to listen to the words, so he could offer input if needed. That's what they were there for, right? The three of them enjoyed a day together, and Lalaith was surprised he could have so much fun with a groundling and a player. They were not the kind of beings he normally spent time with, but they were a lot of fun all the same! By the end of the day, he had made two friends.
That wasn't something any of them were going to snub. Chapeo was happy to meet lions who weren't weirded out by her, and Lorne was just happy to have lions listening to him. It worked out for all of them, really.
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