Welcome to Gaia! ::

(( set a bit in the future, after Mufasa's death ))

Out of sorrow, there often arises joy, and sometimes even after the greatest of tragedies, new life and happiness can arise. The pridelands had lost it's king, but amidst that loss, two young ones had found something, they had found each other.

The young male stood under the stars, his light fur illuminated by the moonlight, the sound of the river lapping at his ears. He took a few paces, his tail flicking, something grasped tightly in his maw, a gift for his dearest friend and companion.

The young lion smiled, a faint purr rumbling in his chest as he stepped toward the dark lioness, greeting her with soft brush against her shoulder.

"You think so? I just thought the night sky was pretty, it matches your coat."

His voice was soft and sweet, albeit a touch slurred by the object he had been holding in his maw. Realizing his error, and perhaps remembering the object after the form of the dark lioness had made him briefly forget it, Juhudi lifted his paw to claim it.

"This is for you."

Holding out his paw, he offered the object to her. It was a necklace similar to the one he had worn since cubhood, made of simple leather with a few beads made of bone flanking a larger one that resembled a tooth or talon. It was something he had made himself, spending a great deal of time and care fashioning, a symbol of the love he felt.

He nodded at her question, purring happily that she had liked it. He took the last step toward her, his cheek against her neck, his chest against hers, their pendants touching each other with a barely audible click.

"I'm glad you like it, now you have a part of me with you always, as I do of you."

A beat of his heart seemed to emphasis his words, a truth spoken from the heart. He really wasn't sure how long it had taken him to make it, he hadn't kept track, time having been the furthest thing from his mind. He had only thought of the heart that he put into it, the heart he shared with the one who meant so much to him.

The young lion's eyes closed, his rumbling purr made stronger by the echo of the lioness',a grinding sound that seemed to flow from the both, that echoed and surrounded them in it's warmth.

A shiver ran down his spine, his mane ruffled at her touch, a slight heat rising to his face. It was unexpected, startling, but pleasant, something to be cherished, a touch he would forever hold dear. Without much thought, his own tounge flicked from his maw, licking her ear, words spoken in a soft whisper.

"And I love you."

Juhudi's heart skipped a beat as he exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Though he had been certain he felt the same thing from Mosi as he felt for her, perhaps there had been a part of him that was afraid. Hearing the words from her and knowing she meant them made him love her all the more, as if the final floodgate of his heart had opened.

His ear twitched in her grasp, that same shiver running down his spine. Her touch suddenly thrilling, itoxicating, a surge of something deep within rippling through him as their bodies brushed. It was new, unknown, but at the same time so natural, something that told him this was meant to be.

Ducking his head, he brushed his mane against her chest, strands of red mingling with black and white, one paw raised to bat at her affectionately, his tail flicking, seeking out hers almost of it's own accord.

The subject of cooties and his mane couldn't have been further from the young lion's mind, and if he had thought of it well, it wouldn't have mattered.

His ear flicked, playfully elluding her as her tail did his. But there was no avoiding her pounce, and caught off guard, he toppled over, falling prey to the lioness, but the grin on his maw showed he didn't mind, perhaps even that he had enjoyed it.

His maw parted, a laugh barely heard over the thumping of his heart ringing in his ears.

"Are you sure of that?"

He smirked, his weight shifted in an attempt to move the leverage in his favor, his intent to flip her over and pin her instead.

She was strong, as strong as he was, and though he had won the struggle in the end, he could have guessed that on another day it would be she that was the victor.

he grinned, blue eyes meeting hers, a soft purr in his throat as he lowered his head to lick her neck.

"Do you really want me to?"

He somehow didn't think she was really objecting.

He purred against her neck, the mischevious smile obvious in his voice.

"Yeah, I know."

His tail flicked, the tuft brushing against hers, entwining itself around hers almost on its own. Startled by the kiss, his eyes widened for a brief moment before a soft and loving smile crossed his maw and he leaned in, returning the gesture with his own.

So this was what love was, sharing your heart, body, and soul with another, to become not seperate halves, but one. It was a passion and love that he would hold onto forever, that he would cherrish in his heart as he cherrished the lioness beneath him.