[PRP] New Place In Life (Faraji, Ng'arange)

[Talencia]

It had been a longer trip home than he had taken out, surprisingly. He would have figured it would be faster home, since he'd wandered so much. However, they had taken their time, allowing her to heal up. Even after she had, though, they'd taken their time, spending a lot of time talking about their homes, their childhoods, and him trying his best to convince her that his home was a good place to be.

But that time turned out to be well spent. As they had stepped into the pride's lands, he had felt distinctly different than he had when he'd left them. A change had overcome him, settling him down into being more diplomatic, more quietly confident, and more... full of the joy of life, really. It was hard to put into words. But here he was, home once more and a full fledged Pad, with a banu at his side.

They had met with the border guard, and even stopped by his parent's den to introduce his new mate. However, all that had chafed at Faraji. He wanted to take that next step, to choose their own den, where his new life would begin. Turning to her as they padded through the dens, he spoke softly. "Well, my Ng'y, we are home. But we have no home for ourselves yet." He smiled fondly at her. He had grown very attached to her in the time they'd traveled together, and now he couldn't imagine his life without her. "We need a den. Will you help me pick one?" He rubbed cheeks with her and looked about him, searching for evidence of an empty den.  

[Talencia]

"Most claimed dens have things visible in them, or out front of them." He pointed his nose towards one near them, which had a pile of bones out front, ready to be carted off. Another to the right had a neat line of rocks along the front of it. "Those that don't usually are unoccupied. The dustier they are, the more likely they are empty." He nodded his head towards a tiny den that had thick dust with no pawprints in it. "That one looks like a eunuch's den, much too small for us."

He padded onwards, pointing out the dens of those he knew. Most of the dens here were taken, however. "Should we look out further, where there are fewer large families?" he asked her quietly, keeping his voice down so that their conversation and decision stayed private, just between them. "There are available dens here, but not very many. Which do you prefer? Closer in with everyone, or further out?" He smiled down at her, clearly open and willing to go with whatever she chose.  

[Talencia]

His eyes grew distant as he envisioned banu, kajira, cubs... all one big happy family, with him presiding over it proudly. He shook himself back into the present quickly. Here he was, with one banu, imagining such a large harem! Hopeful thinking, to be sure, but not yet a reality to bank on. What a fool he'd look if they took a massive den and ended up with just the two of them and a handful of cubs!

So he decided to play it sensibly. "We can always move into a bigger den, if we need to," he began slowly, leaning his shoulder into hers in familiar affection. "I am hoping to obtain one more banu, but no more than that for now." There, that wasn't so bad of him, was it? Eventually he hoped to rescue other females from their imprisonment, but not right now. For now, Ng'y and his pridal banu, whomever she ended up being, would be his priorities. Establishing himself as a fair and gentle Pad was enough for him. And perhaps... raising cubs of their own? The very idea gave him the shivers of excitement. "So enough for the three of us and.. some cubs, I'd guess?" It felt funny to be so shy about something as normal as fathering cubs, but it was a new concept, and one he hadn't thought on for long. It gave him a strange sense of... well, being grown up!  

[Talencia]

He cast her a very pleased look. "Medium to small, somewhat near and not too far," he half-chanted, eyes glowing with a sudden surge of happiness. With a laugh, he cast the seriousness of the situation aside. "Let's run," he said suddenly, dancing in place. "Let's just run together, and when something leaps out at us, we can stop and look." His tail lashed and a deep bubble of laughter erupted from him. "This doesn't have to be so somber and worrying. We should enjoy finding our home together, don't you think?" With that, he took off down a random pathway, angling away from the densest area of dens, but not off into the boonies. He charged along at a playful lope, tipping his head back towards the sky and the sun, or back over his shoulder to watch her follow him, hopefully as delighted as he was to be choosing a home to share. Life was good! They should be enjoying the experience more!  

[Talencia]

He finally ran out of breath. He flung himself to the ground right in the middle of the pathway, reaching to pull her down next to him with a laugh. "Ah, maybe we'll just live in the open, like the giraffes." He grinned at her, eyes sparkling, just happy to be with her. He hadn't known this sort of happiness was what love was like. He had known love could be a part of the banu/Pad relationship, but he hadn't counted on it. And now... well, now he had high hopes for much love and much happiness.

But beyond Ng'y, he caught sight of a messy den entrance, clearly in disrepair. Soil and grass tufts had fallen from above the entrance, laying in lumpy piles at the mouth. Dead bugs and an occasional small bone littered the floor inside, before it faded off into darkness. He sat up and looked closer, squinting his eyes and imagining away the ugliness. It was a nice sized entrance, not huge but not narrow either. The ceiling was a comfortable height, not low enough to cause him to have to duck his head. With a quick lick to her ear, he got to his paws and padded in, ears and nose aquiver with interest. "Ng'y, come look!"  

[Talencia]

It split into several chambers further back, one of which had a break in the ceiling that let in light indirectly. He paced around the rooms, breathing in the dust he was stirring up, but seeming to see another world. It felt right. He could imagine where he'd sleep, where cubs could be sheltered and raised, where their litter of bones and leavings could go... it was all right there. It was still on the smallish side, but for now, he was very content with it!

With a bound he was by Ng'y's side, eyes shining. "What do you think? After we clean it up," giving himself the chore right along with her, not disdaining "woman's work", but considering it for them both, "we could really make this very homey, don't you think?" His tail waved excitedly behind him. This could be it. This could be home! But only if Ng'y was happy with it. "We can keep looking if you want," he offered quickly, eager for her approval. "But if you like it... we can start right away!" He meant cleaning it, of course, as opposed to... well... stocking it with cubbies.