Okay, she was going to do it. Tonight.
The dark lioness moved through the dusty lands, towards the watering hole where she'd bathed with her sister earlier in the day. It had been a nice afternoon, spent laughing and giggling with her sister like they were young again, without a care in the world. Eva'raja's feet were quick, her heart thundering against her ribcage at the thought of what she was about to do. Was she right in doing this? She should be concentrating on other things, helping Nawiri, checking that the cubs she'd visited this morning were still healthy...
No. Damn it, she wanted to do this one thing for herself tonight.
The moon cast a milky shadow over the water, Eva out of breath as she reached the watering hole's edge. She hadn't been running, only a quick walk, she shouldn't be so out of breath... Sea-blue eyes cast themselves into the water, her reflection staring back at her. She wasn't going to chicken out, definitely not.
Now all she had to do was wait.
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Gold eyes cast upwards, gazing at the heavens high above. Thoughts chased theselves behind that gaze, round and round his head until he thought he would get dizzy from it. The words of his Queen returned to him. Both startling and dfamiliar now, having heard them wihtin his own ears so many times in the last few hours since she had called him to see her.
What was he to do? Of course, he was going to do as his Queen bid. There was no thought of disobedience. It was the dark, graceful shape of a certain lioness that filled his mind and brought the confusion that now plagued him. He was fine with going, understood the nessecity of it, fully agreed with why he had been chosen. But every time he thought of the outside...she appeared before him, a misty figure within his mind.
Taking a deep breath, he realised the night was passing, and he had promised to meet her on his rounds. Turning back to the path he padded quietly down it, the ghostly movement of his white forelegs and the darker blurred shape of his blue markings the only sign that he even passed. For such a big lion, he was surprisingly silent in his movements. Soon enough he scented the water, and padded round to come at her from the correct direction. He varied out patrol every night, to avoid bordem and to muddle any scout from some rival pride looking to plot his routine, but for her, he always circled round to approch along the path she would expect him to follow.
He had to tell her.. tonight.. while they had time to talk about it without anyone else around. He was due to leave in the morning... and some small part of him dreaded it, not the actual journey, but.. leaving her.
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She heard him before she saw him.
Eva'raja's whole demenour changed when she heard him approach, her head lifting to greet his appearance with her wide, bright eyes. She was suddenly relaxed, no longer the queen's sister and a Master Healer - no, she was just Eva'raja. And she was happy. Happy that she was here with Sliabh, the one lion other than her sister who seemed to understand.
She padded forwards to meet him, eagerly touching her nose to his with a gentle purr - a greeting that was so simple, yet made her heart swell in such a strange way. She wasn't herself when she was around Sliabh, but at the same time she was - around Sliabh she felt like she could really be herself, and let go of all of the worries and stress that held her back. He was special, they were special...together.
"I missed you," she whispered, unable to stop a chuckle at how ridiculous she sounded. She'd seen him not a day ago, but it was getting to the point where every minute she wasn't with him seemed like an eternity. If only she knew.
"How were your patrols?" the dark lioness inquired, sea blue eyes gazing into amber, Eva tilted her head to the left with a warm smile. She was genuinely curious, it wasn't small-talk.
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And just like that... his tension evaporated. The sight of her, her warm gaze, that gentle, tender smile and the way she always moved forward those last few steps, as if she couldn't wait for him to arrive beside her... A deep, contented sigh escaped the large male as she moved close, the soft rumble of her purr sliding through him, warming him from the inside. She was ... warmth, like the sun, but a sun that was aimed solely at him. Or the call of the birds that was sung, just for him. When she looked at him, it was as if all was right in the world. It was scary as hell andyet he nevr wnated to loose it, that look she held for him alone, how she made him feel .. home.
Catching himself with a warm blush of shy embarasment, he rumbled a low,soft purr in return, taking that last step and arching his muscular neck over her far mor delicate head, tongue drawing slowly across her dark fur, smoothing down one ear. A deep, contended sigh escaped him as he let his chin rest against her neck, simply standing a moment in conctact with her as if he needed her touch like he needed food, or air. That moment of quiet stillness where she made him feel whole and right.
Eventally he lifted his head and smiled softly down at her. "Quiet... just a few jackel tracks and two of our scouts came in. Noting to report though. All seems quiet for tonight." He loved this... being able to just talk without being stared at or whispeed about. She seemed to understand him and the duty that had been given him. he knew she felt that same weight of responcibility, as once-heir and now her sister's guide.... he had more to look after than he did, but then, she was far more capable. He admired her, her spirit, her strength, her dedication to the pride.
After a moment he droped his gaze, muzzle lowering to rest against the dark fur of her neck, breathing deeply of her scent as if he could carry it with him on his journey. "I spoke to the Queen earlier today...."
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His deep purr practically vibrated through her whole body, shaking her whole being. It was a wonderful feeling that warmed her to the very bone, made her own heart beat faster still. This feeling in her chest, it was threatening to explode, just expanding and expanding like warm air was constantly being pumped in. It was wonderful, but horrible at the same time. She had to let it out.
His tongue against her ear, and chin against her neck, halted her thoughts, Eva unable to stop another gentle purr escaped her maw, her eyes fluttering shut as a content smile stretched her lips. This was what she looked forwards to, every time she knew she was meeting with Sliabh. It added an essence of mystery, a feeling of the whole relationship being forbidden, that they mostly met in secret like this. Although it was nothing of the sort, and they were most certainly permitted to be together...Eva didn't want her sister knowing just yet.
Quiet? That was good - perhaps the terrible luck that had plagued the pride was finally lifting. She hoped inwardly that a few quiet nights wasn't leading to the warriors letting their guard down - but she knew better than to mention such a thing. She had every faith that Sliabh was doing everything he could, paying as much attention tonight as he had last night, and the night before. It wasn't her place to say, regardless.
He started speaking, mentioning her sister, but Eva hushed him with somewhat eager sounds. It was time, she had to tell him now. She was suddenly out of breath again, and opened and closed her mouth a few times with no words coming out. "...I have something to tell you," she eventually managed, clearing her throat a little.
Eva'raja had imagined a wonderful, sensual speech where she'd recounted their history, their best moments. Instead, it all came out at once, the lioness unable to keep her feelings at bay any longer. "Sliabh...I...I love you." Her eyes were wide, like a deer caught in headlights, but she suddenly jerked forwards, rubbing her cheek against his as if to reinforce what she'd just said. "So...so much."
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Her gentle purr feathered along his body, like a ghost-caress, making his pulse speed up just a little bit. She had been able to do that to him for a while now, distract him just being being there, brush against his body with only her voice. It was amazing and a little nerve wracking at the same time, that she could affect him so. And yet.. he loved it.. the feel of her against him, her warmth, he slight frame compaired to his much larger one. He was used to being bigger than most other lions, there were only a few, like Jozo, who could match Sliabh for bulk, but where as usually he felt too big, too ungainly... with her it felt, right. As if she was just small enough yet was not too small that he was afraid to hurt her.
The quiet of the evening was a welcome relief to the Guard, though if she had voiced her concerns he could have honestly reasured her that the guards and warriors were not slacking. If anything, they were on even higher alert than before. For they knew what may be out there and the utter lack of movement beyond the boarders unnevered the males who were so used to fighting and defending their home. It felt toom uch like the quiet before the storm for most of them to relax, though of course, that was mainly their nerves talking. One could only live so long on the front line before he developed a kind of pre-expectation for violence.
Yet, with her close, fighting was the furthest thing from the large male's mind. Her soft voice silenced his on, he news of his orders coud wait, he could see Eva as unusually agitated over something and for a mment, his heart sized up with worry for her. Yet she was smiling, flushed... surely whatever she wanted to say wasn't bad.
The moment the words left her Sliabh froze, amber eyes widening, an almost matched xpression to her's crossing his features. Then, she was pressed against him, her warmth, her cent, enveloping him like a favoured blanket. Taking adeep breath of her scent, he burried his muzzle into the soft, dark fur of her neck, one muscular foreleg lifting to curl over her shoulders, drawing her close against his chest. For a long moment he had no voice, he could only hold her close, face pressed against her warmth, his grip tense, and yet so very gentle of her. All that muscular strength held back by the infinate gentleness and care as he cradled her close.
Finally his voice croaked out, thick with emotion and that awkward shyness that had cursed him so often in the past. That made him stammer and stutter when embarassed or trying to speak of his feelings or of something important to him.
"Eva...... "
That one word held all the emotion and feeling that the large male possessed for the graceful, dark lioness. The love, new and uncertain, too young to be sure of itself. The shyness that caused the word to catch in his throat, thick with emotion. The almost desperate need to protect her, to live up to her expectations of him. All of it carried in that one whisper, more potent for the large male's typically reserved nature.
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She held her breath, almost afraid of what he was going to say. What if he didn't feel the same? What if she was just being silly, and this was all just a stupid little game to him? She believed with all of her heart that it wasn't, and that he loved her back...but she couldn't help but be afraid.She was truly terrified, eyes wide and heart beating what felt like a-thousand-and-one times a second as she awaited his reply.
Her head was resting in his mane, and when she felt him move her first thought was that he was pushing her away. She let out a small, vulnerable sound, not one the usually-composed lioness would normally let someone hear. It was a cross between a mew and a whimper, but as she then felt his paw around her shoulders, and his face in her neck, she exhaled deeply - she hadn't realized she'd been holding her breath.
This was it. This was perfect. This was the moment she'd dreamed of as a cub, when she'd slept with thoughts of a happy family and perfect future. Things hadn't worked out quite as she'd originally dreamt, but this was what she wanted. Eva choked out a happy sob as she heard her name, not even caring that he wasn't returning her words. She knew he felt the same way, any doubts she'd originally had were swept away by the light breeze. The world almost stood still around the two lovers.
Eva'raja didn't want this to end.
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That one sound tore him apart, that he had caused that much fear in her, had caused any distress at all, it struck him at his core. That tiny, pained sound only made him draw her tighter against him. Hugging her close with one muscular limb wrapped round her slender body so that she was pressed flush against his chest and the thick darkness of his mane. His own nose buried in her coal-black coat, breathing deeply of the scent of her, her warmth, just her.
For a long time he held her close, simply enjoying the warmth of her against him, the soft sound of her breath and the rightness of her. He didn't want to think of the orders he received only hours ago, of the fact that he would soon be gone on the journey his Queen had given him expressly. It meant leaving Eva behind, and while it had made him nervous before, now... it felt simply wrong. He didn't want to leave her, and yet, he knew he had his duty to the pride to fulfil. He could only hope that she would forgive him and that she would wait for him to return.
Eventually he shifted, drawing her closer for a moment before relaxing his grip, though he didn't release her, keeping his foreleg curled around her, nose gently nuzzling against the soft warmth of her cheek.
"Eva'raja.... " He whispered softly, voice tender, shyly adoring.
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