[PRP] News! (Mawi and Aapep)

[Kimaria]

For once, Aapep was not merrily dancing along. He was running as fast as his young legs could carry him. He was in limbo now, leaving cubhood behind to enter another stage of his life. His legs were getting longer, his body losing the cubbish fat that he had been burning away with his endless energy. His face was slowly but surely gaining mature lines that would leave him a very handsome male when he was an adult.

He was growing, perhaps faster than he realised.

But all around him youngsters were growing, including the girl he sought.

“Mawi!” He called, “drum princess!” He had news!

He’d been searching for her earlier that day to tell her that he might be moving on, but after meeting Jiza he’d decided to try and convince his mother to stay put for a little longer. He couldn’t leave yet, not when he had just been offered the chance of a lifetime.

“Where are youuu?”  

[Yin-Bug]

'The Drum princess' herself had also been growing. She was taking her place close to the adults, learning everything under her mom. Her and her sister were still close how ever and so was their group of boys, and to tell they truth they were all growing.

Mawi Mai flopped her tail behind her and let out a small yawn as she laid out under a tree, she was just hanging out with her sister, and from romping around she was slightly tired, but it didn't last long. It seemed a spark of energy sparked through the adolescent as she heard her name called, and it was a familiar voice.

"Aapep?" She called back, pushing herself up to sit. Her ears flicked and she waited to see the younger lion.  

[Kimaria]

And then he crashed into view, veering clumsily towards her. His eyes were bright, ears alert and as he skidded to a halt he had to pause to catch breath. He'd never run so much in his life and though it made him feel all shaky it was good too. Maybe he should do more running.

"So this is where yah've been hiding." He grinned, noting that she did indeed look bigger than last time. He laughed, shaking his fur. "I thought I'd never find you. I've been searching alllll morning." He sat, curling his tail loosely around him. "Actually, maybe that wasn't a bad thing, see, I've got news!"

He puffed out his chest proudly. "More than one bit of news actually."  

[Yin-Bug]

Mawi Mai chuckled slightly. "Look at that you've grew some." She smiled and sat back on her haunches shuffling the drum between her paws. "News?" Her ears perked up slightly. She loved hearing new... unless it was bad then of course who liked bad news.

Then she processed that he had been looking for her all morning. "Oh, my bad, I was daydreaming a bit." She smirked and sat back as far as she could on her haunches. "Well if it turned out good I guess it is good!" She laughed and smiled at the younger lion.  

[Kimaria]

"Uh huh." He nodded, sitting back too. "You grew too, more than me by the looks of it. Oh, do you think I'm gonna be...like, a midget or something?" He blinked. Silly boy. He should enjoy being young, being able to enjoy life with such innocence. But for him he'd been a cub long enough, he craved to be a little older.

"Yup, yup. Very good." He chirped. "I was looking for you, just like wandering around and then I came across the green lioness. I never saw no one with fur like that. Her name was...well I can't remember her full name but her nickname was Jiza. You know her, yeah?"

He was rocking back on forth on his haunches, finding it difficult to stay still when describing this amazing event.  

[Yin-Bug]

Mawi Mai smiled before giggling at the small cub. "I don't know, maybe you would." She smirked and sat back on her haunches thinking. "I think I do know her, or atleast seen her around, I know I've seen her children." She nodded trying to think back, she was one hundred precent sure she had seen the lioness before but not so sure if she had met her. She then looked up flipping her hair out of her eyes. "What about her?" She asked arching a brow wondering what happened with his encounter with the lioness, nothing bad thats for sure Nchi lions were friendly.  

[Kimaria]

He blinked. Would staying small really be that bad? Maybe being smaller and lighter built would help him dance easier, or maybe it'd just make him feel silly. Either way, it wasn't something he could prevent and in fact, unknown to him, he was probably the average build of a lion his age, he was younger than anyone else he had met after all.

"Well, I was just on my way to find you, dancing along as I do, when I saw her. First I thought I was gonna be in trouble but you were right about your pride cats. She was real nice, didn't even seem to care that I was trespassing or nothing." He beamed. "So we were talking and then I found out that she's a dancer too, a proper dancer who knows all the proper ways and everything."

He bounced back to his feet. "But here's the really good thing, right. She said she'd teach me how to get better. I'm meeting her for a lesson tomorrow morning." It was clear this was the best thing that had ever happened to him in the whole of his short life.  

[Yin-Bug]

Mawi Mai looked surprised for a moment. "Really?!" She stood up quickly and bounded over to him then pawed at him. She was still a cub at heart. "Wow Aapep! That's wonderful!" She giggled and pranced around him slightly. "That's great! So your gonna be around! You should meet my sister..." She looked at him with a wide grin. "You gonna be sticking around?"

She flicked her tail behind her and sat down at her drum placing a paw on it with a smirk, she looked at him. "You want to practice some? I play the drum if you dance?"  

[Kimaria]

He giggled as she pawed at him, rolling on his side to fend her off playfully with his paws. "Uh-huh. To think! If I practiced enough and got taught enough I could be a proper dancer one day." The thought of it warmed his heart. "And then maybe..."

He paused. "Sister? What's your sister's name? Does she look like you?" He wondered if he would know her if he met her, or whether they looked different. He'd been born alone so he had no idea what it was like to have a sibling, though it would have been nice to have someone to play with if his mother was too tired - which she occasionally was at times.

"I'll be sticking around for a little bit I think..." He replied after a moment. "Atleast until mother says otherwise. Actually...I'm going to try and convince her to stay a little while. I was thinking about mentioning the pride to her...to see what she thinks of it. Jiza said that every lion has musical talent, that every lion could learn. Maybe she can too."

He nodded. "Okay, I need all the practice I can get. And then, when I've had some lessons and gotten better, I'll dance for you properly." He smiled and got to his feet, shaking each paw in turn as if to loosen himself up.  

[Yin-Bug]

Mawi Mai grinned just about bouncing around. "And when you do learn to dance more you could join me and my sister! We have this big group of guy buddies and we love to play around with music, and dance and sing!" She grinned ear to ear.

She shifted back on her haunches. "Yep! I have two sisters, one doesn't live here..." Her voice trailed but then she pushed her self back onto topic. "My sister that lives here is awesome, she's my best-est friend. Her name is Jua-na Taka. But we call her Taka." She giggled a bit. "She is a darker tan and her markings are white she also had two stripes on her rump." She then ruffled her brow for a slight moment. "I really hope you mom saids yes, it would be awesome if se stuck around."

Mawi sat back slightly and put her paws on the drum. "Alright." She started beating on her drum with a smile watching him, keeping at a steady beat.  

[Kimaria]

Nothing would have made Aapep happier. He realised then that with all the wonders of rogue life, nothing could compare to the life offered here, here with all these kindly people. His heart swelled and words could not describe how much Mawi's kindness meant to him. To be a part of a group of friends, others he could trust, others he could truly connect with.

He knew then, that no matter how far he went, he'd never forget that offer, that when he grew and the time came to leave his mother he'd return - if she didn't want to stay, that was.

"Taka, right, I'll keep an eye out for her. If she's as nice as you then I sure want to meet her." He flicked his tail, nodding, hoping desperately that his mother would agree to stay - if just for a while longer.

And then the drum beat started and he closed his eyes, feeling for the steady beat that thrummed gently through him. He'd never tire of that sound. It was inside of his soul, a part of him. He was meant to be here, he knew that every time he heard her playing.

"This is the dance I'm going to do for Jiza tomorrow. Tell me what yah think, yeah?" And after another moment the music drove him and it was as if he became a part of it. He did not dance along to the music, he danced as a part of it. It was as wonderful and necessary to him as oxygen.

And beneath him, on the rocks, he moved his paws, dancing slowly at first, but then gathering his speed, two steps to each beat of the drum. His claws clicked against the hard-packed ground, adding it's own beat to merge with Mawi's own.

His dance - the dance he had conceived completely by accident - was reminiscent of tap-dancing. It was all about the feet, about moving them in time, tapping his claws as he moved. With time, those steps would become more intricate and fasted, but for now it was just evolving, at it's first stage.

And the sound of the drum filled him, intoxicating him, driving him on. And it was clear that every part of him was filled with love for this gift. For the dance.  

[Yin-Bug]

Mawi Mai smiled when he explained that was how he was going to dance for Jiza. She felt honered that he was going to show it to her. She smiled watching him dance for a while but then he leaned back on her haunches. The longer she watched him dance the more her smile grew.

Finnally she closed her eyes felling the music in move in her. She smiled and listioned to both her drum beats and the pitter patter of his steps. She was glad she might have just got another guy to join her and her sister's group. She felt proud.

Then her paws slowed down finishing her song. Then opened her eyes with a smile.  

[Kimaria]

Out of breath, but happier than perhaps he had ever been, he opened his eyes and moved towards her, flopping down beside her on the ground. Then he sighed, deeply and contentedly, flicking his tail in the dust.

"I hope Jiza likes it." He said after a moment.

Then with a grin, he rolled on his back, curling his forepaws against his chest so that he could get a good look at the sky. "You play the drum well. I think I could listen to it all day. You really are a drum princess, right?" He grinned. "I'm a little nervous about tomorrow, actually." He was very open as far as his feelings were concerned. Emotions, he'd been taught, were to be embraced, not surpressed. Maybe that's why he found music so easily.

"I keep thinking she might not like my dancing." Even though he knew that wouldn't happen. She'd already seen one of his little jigs and had liked that. Why wouldn't she like this new idea?  

[Yin-Bug]

Mawi Mai watched him and then chuckled. "She will, not many outsiders even know what dancing is. Nor music, you won't belive how many rouges I had to expain music to." She then laughed at his next comment.

Mawi swished her tail around thinking about that one. "I really am not sure about that one. My mom is incharge of making the drums and she is really high up in rank but I wouldn't call myself drum princess. Nsundu's daughter is more of a princess, she is to be incharge if somthing happens." She sighed and pawed at the ground slightly in thought.

Mawi Mai frowned at the cub and leaned over and licked his forehead and sat up with a smile. "I think she will, your still young, not everyone is perfect at first."  

[Kimaria]

“I’m still only young, but I can’t imagine life without music. When you play your drum, when I watch Jiza dancing, when I listen to the birds sing, I feel complete.” He shook his head. “Life wouldn’t be worth living without it! I’m just thankful that I met you. If I hadn’t, I’d probably have grown out of dancing and just continued wondering rogue lands for the rest of my life. I’d never want to do that now.”

“Ah well, maybe one day you can take your mother’s spot. That’d be way more fun than ruling the pride. Can you imagine how all the little cubs would be looking up to you? They’d be far more excited about seeing you than the leader, cos you’d be helping them make their drums.” He replied. “I’ve still got a lot to learn about the pride, but I think the drum is one of the most important things for the lions here.” He prrumed happily. “And really, if you were in charge of the drums, you would be the drum princess, or queen by that point.” He curled his paws up against his chest, cat-like, and lifted his face so it could be warmed by the touch of the sun.

And then she licked him and his eyes flicked open in surprise.

Did friends do that, then? His mother washed him, or had when he’d been really small. Now he was in charge of cleaning his pelt – which he did only when he was tired from dancing around. And then she spoke, briefly dispelling his thoughts and he nodded hopefully, curling his tail around him.

Then, “sorry, did I have dirt on my face?”