[PRP] You're in trouble now (Ursa and Azar)

[Kimaria]

Okay. He was lame at finding hiding places. Partly not his fault considering there weren't actually that many good hidey-holes in the desert. Mainly it was sand and since it was too hot to duck your head behind a dune he had made for a cool spot he knew well.

His own den.

He had pushed himself tight against the back wall and had covered his head with both forepaws and his tail tuft as if by blocking out the world, the world could no longer see him.

He was about to find out how futile his attempt at hiding was.  

[Kimaria]

She followed her nose.

Ursa two, Azar one.

She was still seething mad by the time she reached the dens, though he had a bit of a head start and night was well on it's way. Struggling to rein in her temper and not having much luck the thought did occur to her that someone might wake up the moment that voices got too loud. Still, she kept going. She had never BEEN so angry and HUMILIATED!

Her growl was plainly audible by the time she found the entrance to his den, red eyes glowing fiercly in the dark.

Storyteller? What storyteller? There was no storyteller standing there, ruby eyes glittering furiously.

"You'd better have a REALLY DAMN GOOD REASON for ditching me in the dunes..." She snarled warningly in at the curled bundle.  

[Kimaria]

The fur on his shoulders rose, not in anger, but in shock. The voice had come from nowhere and it definitely did not sound happy. He was in deep trouble this time.

He was quick to find his paws, quicker still to jump to his defence. He was good at using his mouth this one. A little too good. He didn't stop to think that excuses might make things worse. He was a creature of habit and his was to open his mouth before thinking about the consequences.

"I...I didn't ditch you, Ursa. I tried waking you and you didn't blink an eye so...I thought I'd better head back. Otherwise people might have started getting ideas and I have an early morning training tomorrow. It's important I get as much rest as I can."  

[Kimaria]

She saw red, her embarassment flaring more.

"So you're training means more to you than my safety?! You-- YOU--!!! Do you know how cold it gets out there!? What if I didn't wake up in time?!"

She snarled, advancing quickly on him.

"Did you ever stop to think what might happen if a group of rogues had found me like they did the old storyteller? Or maybe vultures or angry traditionalists stalking near the borders?! Did you even stop to think how I might feel when I woke up and you were GONE after SLEEPING WITH YOU?!" WHACK.  

[Kimaria]

He backed up until he was pressed tightly against the wall of his den. He couldn't escape now. Nowhere to run unless he somehow made it past her angry form. And boy was she angry. He could practically feel the heat flaring from her.

So this was Firekin Rage.

He winced. Did his training mean more to him than her safety? Well...maybe. His training was the most important thing to him. And Uuo, of course. Yes, okay, Ursa was his friend but..but...

OW!!

What the hell? Had she just hit him?! He shook his head to ease the pain of her strike across his head and leaned backwards a little bit further. "What the hell, woman!? With a strike like that, I don't think you've gotta be worried about anyone attacking you." Okay... definitely not the right path to go down. But he had taken the first step and it was too late.

He didn't answer her last question. He was afraid of the answer to that.  

[Kimaria]

You're DAMN RIGHT she was angry! She was FURIOUS! If anyone doubted she had the Firekin spark before they sure as hell needn't wonder now, and sure enough there were those that were stirring from this little spat now. Luckily Kadogo'moto wasn't among them, he was on patrol that evening. Uuo was checking on the rota and a ways off yet, but Yin-li was making her way over, as was Azula (the first).

"Azar, you've always been hard headed, but this is unbelievable! I can't believe you'd... you'd just leave me behind! Was I just some stand in to you?! For her?!"

She set her jaw, clenching her teeth tight then and fighting back the more... hurtful words.

"You're such a jerk..."

And just like that her resolve was gone, she turned, ready to storm back out and not look back this time, and non-existant-Finar-si help him if he tried that pouncing tackle trick THIS time.  

[Kimaria]

He was scared now. Really scared. This wasn't an enemy he could fight. This was an ally. He shouldn't be fighting with an ally! Give him a huge, lathering, mental rogue any day. But not this. This was...scary! He had pressed himself so tightly to the wall of his den that he was starting to lose the feeling in his shoulders.

And then.

A stand in for her? She couldn't possibly know...could she?! No! He'd been too careful. He hadn't said a word. He spluttered helplessly, felt his face heating up and even as he stuttered words of denial she was calling him a jerk and turning away.

Not again.

First she had been leaving thinking him a creep. Now she was leaving with a lot worse words on her mind. And he was supposed to be her friend. Well, hadn't he known this was going to happen? Hadn't the thoughts about spoiling their friendship fluttered briefly before he'd given into impulse? Dammit. Damn it all to hell!

He tore after her, exploding from the den in an attempt to pull in front of her and cut her off. (No, definitely no pouncing this time). "Wait Ursa." He panted, embarrassed, scared and desperate all at the same time. "This isn't all my fault you know. You could have said no."

Ugh. When are you going to learn to shut your mouth, Azar?!  

[Kimaria]

She stopped cold, not sure if it was more because of what he said or more because he was in her way, but what he said definitely struck a chord.

This time she roared, springing forward and slamming her body into his, aiming to tackle him onto his back, glaring down at him and trying not to betray the hurt in her eyes. He was right, she could have said no, but... if he just KNEW...

"... Just leave me alone." She finally ground out, moving off of him with that, brushing quickly past Yin-li and Azula both.  

[Kimaria]

Finally defiance died. He lay there in the coming dusk, on his back in the sand, held in place by an angry female. No, not angry any more. A second ago it had been anger but now...now it was something else. It chilled the embarrassment, the irritation and turned it into something else. Guilt perhaps. No, not even that was the right word to describe this feeling.

And then she spoke.one.

...Just leave me alone.

Then she was going and the moment the pressure of her hold was gone, he rolled onto his stomach and pushed himself up onto his paws. His mouth fell open again, perhaps trying to apologise. Perhaps to call her back. But his eyes fell upon Yin-Li and Azula and his jaw swiftly clamped up again.

His eyes darted back to Ursa's disappearing form. She was going. And he was going to let her. He was a coward.

With a growl, his eyes darted across the forms of the adults and then he turned and padded off in the opposite direction. He didn't know where he was going. Just away. He needed to be alone to think.  

[Kimaria]

When she heard him scramble up, first she thought he might follow, she even wondered if he might call after her, apologize, ask her to stop, follow her to talk somewhere private and just explain. It wasn't that he didn't return her feelings, well, not entirely, but even from Azar she might've hoped for a better answer than "I had training in the morning!". She DID wonder what might have happened if she hadn't woken up when she did, but more than that...

Where were they going to go from here...?

/fin