The sun was just rising as Soleil stepped from the den, stretching out in the growing light. It was a wonderful time of day, when the desert wasn't too hot and shade was still plentiful. She was glad that the sun rose in the east, but she sure wished there was more rock to the west to shade the dens further in the evening. The crimson lioness padded along the sand, not accompanied by her usual companion, Hinata. The snake was elsewhere, probably sunning herself to wake back up. Soleil envied reptiles a bit for that... They didn't worry so much about the heat, since it gave them energy. It sapped the desert mammals and birds of it. She stopped, closing her eyes and taking a breath of the cool morning air, letting out a pleasant sigh right after.
In the early morning hours, Feuerblute liked to relax on a rock. Jaeger always flew off to hunt, finding some desert animal to feed upon. Snakes, bugs... Small desert mammals, if there were any... Well, besides the jackals, however few there were. The black-maned lion stretched, letting out a slight yawn, before movement caught his eye. He looked over... And smiled. Ah, Soleil... He slid off his rock, walking over. "It would appear the sun has risen twice today! And both suns are lovely to behold..."
One white ear flicked, before the other, and the crimson lioness sat down, looking over at the male. "You either aim to flatter... Or aim for a smack on the nose." She shifted ever so slightly, nose now in the air. "What do you want, Feuer?" The way he seemed to be aiming for flattery... It made her think he was hitting on her! But her father had instilled upon her the idea that she was as a princess, a royal, and thus carried the air about her. Her poise, even as she sat, was perfect, her coat carefully groomed. Not a bit of it was out of place, not a bit ruffled. Everything about her spoke of the elegance of being one who could one day be a queen.
As the former rogue approached, he stopped near her and gave a sweeping bow. "Oh, I aim to flatter, of course!" He then rose and, taking a seat in front of her, motioned between them. "I was hoping to talk, though. You see... I've noticed that you are QUITE the strong lioness... And beautiful, at that. Good pedigree, as well!" He gave another bow, his paw on his chest. "I look at you and feel as though I am beholding a queen, a rare and beautiful flower in a sea of fire-red grass." He was really laying it on... And the whole time, her mother's threat sat in the back of his mind, angrily reminding him to NOT screw this up.
A white-tipped paw delicately lifted up, sand shaken away before it was placed upon her chest. "Oh, you DO aim to flatter! Quite a CHARMER!" She then reached up, grabbing his cheek quite forcefully and yanking him over. "But you are PRATTLING and your PRATTLING is BORING me. Get to your POINT or go away!" She let go, forcibly shoving him away to rub his bruised cheek. If that was all he got away with, he'd be very lucky. She had a feeling, though, where he was going with this.
The male rubbed his cheek, glaring for a moment at the lioness. Was this even worth it? A pause in his thoughts told him that yes, it would be worth it. It would HAVE to be worth it. "My point is that I, too, am quite a strong lion, but I have an advantage over many other males in the pride... I'm not related to anybody. So..." He put his paw down. "I have a proposition. We have some cubs together. Strong, healthy little cubs..." It would increase the distance between her children and their furthest relations within the pride... Instead of narrowing it further.
At first she was taken aback. He was so foreward with what he asked of her! She lifted a paw, ears momentarily folded back as she prepared to smack him. Then she stopped. Not too many males in the pride WEREN'T related to her. She had some cousins and second cousins who weren't SO picky about who they had children with... So some had turned to Kidondo's line. And as her father had taught them, Kidondo was like a traitor to their own pride's beliefs. There was changing things to make it easier... And there was changing it to make something new entirely. This male, while unrelated to any Firekin... Was also unrelated to any Firekin. Finding one that WASN'T related in some manner was far too hard a task to accomplish, and the opportunity to be a mother was sitting right in front of her. She rubbed her chin in thought, eyeballing the male. "You DO have the advantage of being new blood and unrelated to anybody... Plus you're strong. And most of the males who join from outside either get snapped up, vanish into the sands, or they're related somehow and finding their way back to the pride from outside blood." In a word, it was frustrating.
He cringed in preperation for the smack, but it never came. He peeked, and could see the water trickling from a drip to a waterfall of thought in her head. His ears shifted foreward as she expressed approval. "Then we are in agreement, we would make wonderful cubs! With further distance between them and other relatives..." Come to think of it, had ANY of Kosuke's children had children? There might have been one, but he wasn't ENTIRELY sure... He then motioned with his paw. "I know a private place... Not many lions would pop in on us..."
One eyebrow went up, before Soleil stood up and, smacking his nose with her tail, walked off. "First you need to talk to my father. I'm sure he's got some words to have with you..." She was well aware that she had two litters worth of half-siblings in the pride. One litter was even cousins! Which impressed her, on a level.. "I know an outcrop not far from here... I'm sure you can find me when you're done with my father."
Feuer wiggled his nose a moment, frowning. "Some words... With..." His ears folded back as his eyes widened. "Your father..." He glanced at the dens, worry welling up in him. Oooooh... Shula had been scary. What would Kosuke be like? He got up and started after Soleil. "Wait, but waht if he tries to kill me?" The look she gave him made him stop, letting out a sigh. Well... He'd only know if he went to talk to him. The promise she'd certainly made, though, at least brightened the moment. As long as he got past her father... This was a done deal. Strong cubs to train! He could hardly wait!