[PRP] Dance of the Fireflies [Kimanda + Kitambi] - FIN

[Chibi Sheepcat]

It was an odd request, now that Kitambi thought about it. Come out with me tonight into the woods near the mountains. I have something to show that'll help. One could even consider it romantic, had the request not come from the stone-faced cub. She made it sound more like she was inviting the cheetah to come with her on a mountain hike or down to the store. Regardless, it was up to Kimanda whether or not he decided to show up. He could either benefit from this experience, or go find Nsundu and look like an idiot.

The cub had left a trail of shells for Kimanda to follow, deep into the thicker woods near the division between the two allied prides. What he would find at the end of the little path Kitambi made for him would have been the cub, sitting quietly (as usual) in the center of a little clearing. It was not quite dark yet, but even so, little lighted bugs were beginning to fly about.  

[soutou]

Kimanda was getting used to Kitambi's odd requests. Sure, she was a cub and sure, they sounded totally random at the time, but somehow, she always made it make sense. Total, complete sense, actually, and despite everything, she managed to help the cheetah with something. He was actually beginning to respect the twerp, no matter how much he didn't trust her in all her cubbliness. Or the fact this sounded like it should be romantic. (Was Kitambi trying to tell himself something? Highly unlikely. Laughable idea, almost.)

He stepped down the path slowly, light-footed as usual. Hopefully being quiet right now was allowed. "Kitambi?" he asked softly right before he noticed Nsundu's daughter sitting silently. He padded over and sat next to her. "So. What are we to do today, teacher?" It was a bit of a pet name, and he was certainly a little sarcastic about it, but it was really only to hide the fact he actually meant it a little. It was very humbling, being taught everything by a cub.  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

Extremely laughable idea. Kitambi? Trying to tell you something romantic? Kitambi didn't have a romantic bone in her body, cub or not. It was doubtful she would have even invited someone she liked to this place. This was a help session for a not-really-incompetent-anymore pupil, nothing more. With Kitambi, you could always trust that there was no hidden meaning in what she said. She was straight and to the point.

The cub looked up when her name was called, acknowledging Kimanda with a nod of her head. Her eyes smiled when he called her teacher, having become quite accustomed to the title. While Nsundu believed that nobody could ever stand up to the teaching methods of Isithunzi, Kitambi believed that she was getting rather close. This cheetah would be her first success story. Yes, this would be a good story. "We're dancing tonight. You get to think about all the other stuff we've talked about and dance," she paused as a firefly landed on her tail, "with the fireflies."  

[soutou]

Kimanda glanced down at Kitambi thoughtfully, tail swishing. He tried to hide it, but he couldn't help but smile back when he thought he saw a small smile in her eyes. (He couldn't tell, but he imagined if his poker-faced mentor could smile, that's what it might look like.) "Dance with the fire flies?" he wondered aloud, looking around at all the little blinking lights. Curious. He didn't remember so many of them when he got here. They must be waking up now. Would they scare them off with talking? He certainly hoped not.

"So, what does dancing with bugs do for us?" he asked, completely serious. He couldn't even fathom a guess, but he was sure Kitambi had an answer. That cub was practically an Oracle, always having answers. He'd have to make sure to come and visit her in case he ever had a crisis, as weird as the idea was. He shook his head to himself, swishing his tail again. "Or could this possibly be just for fun?" he teased with a wily grin. He couldn't help it. Kimanda would always have a penchant for friendly fun-picking.  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

Kitambi nodded when Kimanda repeated her final words, giving her tail a small flick to relieve it of the bug. Dancing with fireflies was hardly something most lions would consider a vital lesson. The Nchi, however, were a very closely knit pride. Doing activities together, no matter how silly they seemed, was very important. Whether Kimanda learned to dance amazingly by the end of this or not was only the icing on the cake. If he could learn the togetherness of Rhythm, and the deeper meaning, he would have done very well in the eyes of the Nchi pride.

"It's their courtship time. Once it gets dark enough they'll drift around, flashing their lights to call to one another," the cub explained, watching as some of the fireflies began flashing already. She chose to ignore both of his questions, simply giving him a look that was probably amused, coming from Kitambi. "I don’t know. What you get from this is up to you." For a moment, the corners of her mouth flicked upwards in a semi-smile. Then, she dragged her paw through the bushes, releasing the hidden fireflies. As easily as if it were second nature, she began to thump her paws against the ground in a steady rhythm.

Baa ba-ba baa ba-ba baa

"Dance, Kimanda."  

[soutou]

Kimanda watched the little bug zip away from Kitambi, blinking the entire time. Huh. That's how they find mates, by blinking? What strange creatures. Wait, wait, wait! What was that? Did he just see Kitambi smile just now? An actual smile? (As small and stunted as it may be.) He couldn't have been imagining that. But the cheetah decided not to say a word; it was a rare creature, that smile, and it wouldn't do to scare it away. He just grinned instead, watching the cloud of insects disperse and flash, flash, flash. It was kind of-

Dance? The spotless cheetah got to his feet. It would do him no good to question the cub, this was putting what she's taught him to the test. Dance to the Rhythm, Kimanda. He took a moment to listen to the Rhythm. Baa ba-ba baa ba-ba baa. Dance to the Rhythm. Let it flow in and let it flow out through dancing. And so the cheetah began to move, long legs floating over the ground. He didn't forget to put his paw down with a 'thump' however, he had to work with the Rhythm. He could do this.  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

Kitambi let her eyes slip shut as she let the Rhythm she was beating take over. It was nice to be able to do something like this. For all the days she had spent fighting with her sister and trying to achieve perfection, it was nice to be able to relax like this. While most would look at the Nchi'mahadhi as more of a summer camp than an actual pride, Kitambi had always taken things more seriously than the majority of her fellow pride members. Thus, one night of simple dancing and Rhythm was a relaxing change. She found she kind of liked it.

The cub only opened her eyes when she heard Kimanda dancing, continuing her beat as he danced. Yes, that was much better. He seemed to have really gotten a good hold in the Rhythm. The cheetah was even adding stomps to help with his Rhythm! Sure that he had got a feel of the Rhythm, Kitambi joined him in his dance, mimicking the moves that he was doing. It was fairly common for Nchi pride members to dance together, mimicking the moves that the other did, with their own twist.

"Looking good."  

[soutou]

He could do this, couldn't he? Pride swelled through Kimanda's chest like a great wave, greater than any wave he'd witnessed in the lake, and practically poured out of him. He had to contain it, though. The moment he got too cocky, the cheetah knew he'd blow it. It always happened that way...especially with his little teacher around. Speaking of his little teacher, had the beat stopped? The male glanced over, not really surprised she stopped once she led him in. What was surprising was to see the cub dancing beside him!

The spotless cheetah's face split into a wide grin. He just couldn't help it. As much as he distrusted and disliked Kitambi in the beginning, he found himself looking for her approval more and more. Did her joining his dance mean she was accepting him? He could only hope so. "You look pretty good yourself," he replied, teasing. The cheetah was bit breathless when he spoke; he needed to really concentrate on his Rhythm and his dancing. Sure, he was pretty decent at it now (he might even risk calling himself good), but it certainly wasn't easy. Not by a long shot. He needed to focus.  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

Kitambi's eyes reflected her amusement at the apparent surprise in her pupil. Aaah, did he not know that dancing was a group activity? He had only barely learned the basics from her mother, but he had yet to really experience it. Now that he had lived in the pride for a few days, subject to the music and her teaching, he looked like he had a better understanding. Like she had told him before, you had to let the Rhythm flow through you and out through your dancing. Otherwise you were just flailing around.

The cub seemed quite pleased with herself as Kimanda grinned, glad that her joining in hadn't screwed up his dancing. She didn't need him going all shy on her. Then again, he had come to show off his dancing, and what better way then to dance with the pride's heiress? It was a win-win situation. At his compliment she gave another semi-smile, before she began to chance her dance steps, hoping he would take her lead and follow. It was a bit more fluid than what he was doing, and a bit faster. "Don't think too much about where your feet are going, just hear the Rhythm."  

[soutou]

Kimanda wasn't really paying attention when Kitambi started to change the dance, not until she was speaking, anyways. He was too focused on exactly what she told him not to be. Ug. It was too hard not to focus, he didn't want to trip and make an idiot of himself? Unless trying too hard was going to do just that? The cheetah shook his head, looking over at the cub. He began to follow her lead, trying to keep up with her quicker pace. Don't look at your feet, Kimanda. Just trust in the Rhythm.

"Hey, teacher. Anyone ever tell you you're pretty good at this?" he joked, slowly feeling more confident in the steps. Besides, talking made it easier to stop concentrating on his feet and made it a little easier to focus on the Rhythm when his voice silenced. (He couldn't talk too much, even if he liked it. That threw his Rhythm off too.)

Hey! This really wasn't too hard!  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

There we go. That was much better. Kimanda was getting all locked up in technique rather than just letting go. It wasn't a competition. It was about dancing and moving to a beat that you could feel throughout your body. Some would even say it was about fun, and Kitambi was starting to believe it. She had thought of dancing as technique for the longest time, but here with Kimanda it was easier to let go and just dance. Yes, this could definitely be fun. If only she and Waseme would be able to do this.

Kitambi shook the thoughts of her sister from her head, focusing on her dance partner instead. He was a better friend than her sister had ever been. She was lucky her mother had made such a friend, and luckier still that he had come to find the pride. Kitambi's eyes smirked at the joke, as she added a tail flick to her dance to see if she could throw him off. "All the time. I'm the heir, you know. If I wasn't good at it..." She'd let him finish off the sentence. "You're getting better at this too. You're not flailing anymore."  

[soutou]

Yes. This was fun, this was definitely fun. Now that Kimanda knew what he was doing, and beginning to relax (shock!), this dancing with a friend was really turning out to be quite a good time. The cheetah decided he could safely call Kitambi his friend, even if she was just a cub. (A bossy, know-it-all of a cub.) She would grow up eventually, right? Right. And she would be a very good friend then. She was Nsundu's daughter, after all.

"I suppose I do owe you thanks, teacher." Kimanda smiled. Now that he was dancing well and now that it was fun, it wasn't so hard to admit she knew better than him. She was the heir, after all, and he was the only cheetah to dance like this. So it made sense. This all made sense, and it was much more okay now than it was a few days ago. "You know, I'm glad I found you instead of your mother," he said, most honest. It was probably one of the luckiest things that ever happened to him.  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

Kitambi had decided that she could call her pupil her friend, even if he was a silly little cheetah with too much pride. She really shouldn't be talking about anyone else's pride, seeing as that was what her name meant, but it hardly mattered. Kimanda was fun to be around, once he had gotten over his initial hesitance. Now he was easy-going, even playful, something that Kitambi really enjoyed.

The cub blinked at the thanks, nearly missing a step in her dance. Thank you? This was a first. She had never been thanked for everything. It had always just been expected of her, or she had assumed it had been expected of her. To think that someone was actually thankful for her help... it was nice. While she would never be able to get her face to express her gratitude, her eyes would do the job instead. "I'm glad I got to meet you, Kimanda." She hesitated, before she said, "You'll eventually have to leave and go back to where you came from, but you'll come back here, right?"  

[soutou]

Kimanda blinked, nearly stumbling himself at Kitambi's last words. She was asking him to come back? Honestly, he never expected her to say something like that. It didn't occur to him she might actually, really care. She always seemed so stony and cold with just small smiles and occasional jokes. Sometimes Kimanda wondered why she was stuck like that, but now he was wondering of that was actually how she was. "Of course I'll come back!" he said, tipping his head. "I'm part of this pride now!" He paused. "Sort of." But that was good enough for him.

He stopped his dancing, feeling this was serious and he needed be able to talk without the worry he might fall down. (That ruined his dance anyways.) "I'm glad you are my teacher and I'm glad you didn't get rid of me when it would have been easier. And I'll definitely come back, because friends come to visit their friends." There. He said it. She might be a cub, but she was his friend now. At least, Kimanda certainly hoped so.  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

As stony and cold as Kitambi came of, she was still just a cub. A cub that had been given a responsibility and a place in a pride that asked a lot of her. She was ranked among adults in the Nchi'mahadhi pride, and to make matters worse, she fought constantly with her only sister. It was not surprising that she acted the way she did, but in the end she still was just a cub. Kimanda had managed to get a glimpse into the cub that Kitambi might have been had she not been heir to the throne. He was lucky, in a way.

Kitambi stopped her dancing when Kimanda did, feeling slightly reassured that he would return when he declared that he was part of this pride. That he was. He was as official as members got at this point. Sure he hadn't learned how to sing, but that wasn't important. He understood Rhythm and he knew how to dance. That was enough for Kitambi. She listened quietly while Kimanda talked, her face quiet rather than emotionless.

"I'm glad you were willing to be my student, and I'm impressed at how far you've come. I look forward to seeing you again, Kimanda, next time as a friend."

And in her heart of hearts, Kitambi knew that the cheetah would keep his promise, and come back.