“I suppose we should start on our way…”
Kiroja was loathe to leave the lovely little oasis they had been occupying for the last half a day, but she knew that the longer they stayed, the harder it would be to leave. It was already nearly impossible, as she had found herself wanting to take care of Dalki and make sure he was set for a good and fulfilling life. Maybe she had some mothering instincts she had not quite addressed yet, as she was still rather young herself, but she just wanted him to be happy and to find some others to live with. Being alone out here… it just did not seem like a fair lot in life for him. He should be able to have friends, because he was a kind leopard. Once he got over his bashfulness and his quiet nature, and if he was shown a little patience and warmth, he blossomed beautifully. She knew that he was going to find a fair lot in life somewhere, and his kindness would not be wasted, but she was worried about him in the here and now. If she could just help him on his way… if she could just be sure that he was not going to stay hidden in that little jungle den of his… she would be able to rest a lot easier.
Dalki, as well, as sad to see them go. He had made his first two friends since he was a cub, and he was very glad for it. He was not used to making friends, though, and of course, had even less experience with saying good bye to them. They were, after all, his first companions and it seemed almost unfair that they had to now leave him. The worst part about it was the fact that he likely would never see them again. If he was just saying good bye with the assurance that they would return, he did not think he would be this slow to do so. The fact that these were the rogue lands, and no one stayed in one place for too long, made it much harder to let go of them now that he knew what he was missing by staying alone all the time. Leopards, by nature, seemed to be solitary creatures, but this one suddenly found that he did not want to live that way all the time. He had the motivation now to leave his comfortable little patch of trees and go out there, take the risk, and see what he could find. Maybe, if he started walking too, he would end up finding where ever these two ended up.
Angava was glad to be heading back out, always one for walking, but his nap had been lovely and he was happy to see Kiroja in such high spirits. If he were a jealous lion, he might have thought that her happiness came from a bit more than a new friend, but he was not a jealous type. And any way, they were not a mated pair, so what did it matter even if she did like the young leopard that was clearly way too young for her and had no experience with the real world and could probably not hunt or supply her with the kind of life she was accustomed to? He certainly did not care, one way or the other. He was, however, very happy to see her smiling, and his understanding of her and how she acted told him that this was just another display of her generous capacity for love and friendship. He was also glad to have met Dalki, as the leopard had been very kind to them, and allowed him to nap all day long without being disturbed or kicked out, or made to repay any favors. Of course, if he had been asked… Angava would certainly have done something in kind to make up for the time they spent there. He frowned, wondering now if he should have offered…
“Well, I guess we should be on our way,” the male lion said with a nod of his head. Kiroja looked at him, realizing that it had been a good long pause since she said almost the exact same thing, and he was trying to get them to actually move this time. He nodded his head at Dalki and offered a lopsided grin. “It was really nice meeting you. You’re not so bad, for a leopard.”
He laughed and Dalki grinned.
“And you’re not so bad for a lion, Angava. You’re welcome here any time, though I’m not sure how much longer I’m going to be staying here. A few more days, maybe, but after that… I think I want to head out and explore the plains a bit more, too. Your constant traveling seems to net you a lot of interesting stories, and I want to be able to share some of those as well, in the future. You know, for when we run into each other again…” He looked unsure for a fraction of a second before a smile lit up his eyes and he decided to believe himself. Stranger things had happened than two wandering parties finding each other again in these lands, right? He was sure of it, so their chances could not be as bad as they seemed.
“That’s a good plan,” Angava said with a nod. He looked at Kiroja, who looked a bit misty eyed. Nudging her with his shoulder, she offered him a radiant smile and then moved over to Dalki to nuzzle him affectionately. It was a quick but meaningful gesture and the leopard seemed to understand everything she wanted to say, but likely would not be able to get out. They had bonded quite a lot in their short time together, and she was just worrying about him. In a lot of ways, she reminded him of his mother and siblings, and her care was deeply appreciated. It was nice to find that kind of concern in others, and it made him feel like he still had a little piece of his first home with him. And if he had managed to find it so easily here, maybe he would be able to find it again out in the rogue lands. Or something else, something more.
“You be careful out there, when you do go,” she said, looking pleased to know for a fact, or as close to one as she could get, that he was going to start his life and leave his lonely little den to explore more. It would be so good for him, and she hoped that he would be able to find something to make him happy. She chuckled at the idea of him settling down with a lucky leopardess, and the beautiful tailed cubs they could make. Such pretty fur! It was what had first caught her eye, and it seemed about right to be thinking about it again. She backed up a bit and stood next to Angava, her rock, leaning against him a bit as he stood tall and smiled warmly at their friend.
“Thank you both for being so nice to me, and giving me the idea to go out a bit more. I appreciate it, and I’m going to miss you both. I’m sure we’ll see each other again, though, and maybe we’ll both have families to share with one another by then, eh?” He grinned, purposefully implying that Angava and Kiroja were one unit. Angava either did not catch the joke, or pretended not to expertly, just smiling blankly as Kiroja balked and shook her head slowly.
“Alright, see you again soon enough, I’m sure,” Angava said, making the first profound effort to actually leave. He turned away and paused to look back at Kiroja expectantly as she hesitated. She joined him, though, after a moment, and the two began to pad off into the distant, walking slowly but more assuredly the further they got. Dalki sat and watched them go until he could not see them any more, then stayed for a while longer until he could not even pretend to see them any more. He smiled to himself and looked around, though his smile faded a bit as he noticed now, more than ever, how profoundly quiet it was when he was alone. With a heavier heart than he wanted, he picked himself off and walked back into the den of trees that had become his home, returned to where he had spent the last day relaxing with the duo of lions. Sitting down, he could still smell them in the air, with the water of the lake and the fresh trees around him. He thought about it, and realized there was no reason to stay here all alone, when he could at least start his journey in the same direction they were going.
With a laugh, he took off out of the grove, running in the direction he had seen them go.
Word Count: 1,511 in Word.
