[PRP] On Patrol [Maktaba & Samar]

[Lithiasaur]

Maktaba was aware of the state of the pride, even though he and Dearbhail had only recently come to it. The King needed help, and they were trained and ready to provide it. Whether he realized it, or agreed to it, or not. They weren't exactly working with his expressed permission, but they weren't an extension of the castle. They weren't soldiers or knights or governors.

They were Slayers. They would stop any danger, and problems, from disrupting the pride. The Druids, Maktaba could see, were stirring in a violent and dangerous way, and the anger between the Toka and Druid would cause more problems than the King would even see.

Only people living among the problems could really understand what was going on, and try to help.

For Maktaba, that meant walking around the pride, even at night, to see if anyone was moving, lurking, or causing trouble.

He was walking through the Uliacha province tonight, looking around and feeling a little tense. He knew he was just buying in to the warnings any Toka would give of coming to the 'bad' province, but he couldn't help himself. reputations were often earned, at least part in truth. this was where people who had been let out of the Ravine lived, after all. Still, he was trying to be civil, and unbiased.  

[Tanakako]

Samar had been out of the prison for some time now, not that anyone could really offer that little bit of info as fact. The dark coated male was not close to anyone, certainly not enough for any of the locals to remember where he had been at a particular time. Having been a shadow even among his own kind he had become even more reclusive since his release.

Dusk had fallen some time ago and the big male was padding silently through the shadows. he wasn't loitering exactly, though he had no set destination in mind, but he certainly wasn't in a hurry to go anywhere in particular and as a result he was wandering quietly through the dark night, thoughts turned to some inward pondering, leaving his expression distant and some would even say, rather cold. He was not your most approachable lion and he had never found any reason to change that fact. Though many had called him handsome, none had taken the time or possessed the courage to get past the lion's defenses and get to know him. Something that certainly had never bothered the male.

Catching the faint sound of another nocturnal wanderer, he lifted his head slightly, gleaming, pale eyes matched only by the almost shimmering inverted moon symbol on his brow, habitually searched the area.
 

[Lithiasaur]

Maktaba was an older lion, but he was deceptively light footed and clever enough to keep himself out of sight. He knew his scent would give him away, but he moved quickly enough to at least emerge at Samar's side. It wasn't advantageous like being behind him might have been, but Maktaba wasn't anticipating a fight.

He was just curious to know why this dark lion, possibly a Druid, was out so late. It might have been profiling, but it was what Maktaba had turned his training to do: protect the pride lands from those Druids that would cause it harm.

It was a sad truth, but one nonetheless. The Toka were dangerous during the day, for the most part. The Druids moved at night.

He knew better than to think of things in such simple terms, though, and he expected the examples that broke the rules at all times. He smiled warmly at the stranger, though, nodding his head in the dim light of the moon over head.

"You are up late," he said, without accusation in his tone. He was up late, too, after all.  

[Tanakako]

Samar was no hot-blooded youngster himself and as experienced a hunter as the other lion. When the stranger popped out at his side he stepped his hindquarters round so he wasn't broad-side to the toka male, a purely defensive move to keep his vulnerable flanks out of claw reach.

Pale eyes slid briefly over the other male, assessing his strength, condition and age from habit, it did a druid no good to be unprepared even in an apparently innocent situation. Not that Samar did anything more than look before turning his gaze back to the lion's expression. He himself didn't move or change his stance, he had learned at a very young age the fine balance of life one had to walk when a druid in the hostile pride. So when the stranger commented on the time of night, Samar rolled one shoulder in a half shrug. "I suppose. I am always up at this time. Its quieter.." He glanced about them, gaze running over the moon-silvered landscape. He spoke the truth, it was far quieter, and Samar was certainly not your most social lion. He liked the dark shadows and soft silence of the night, and the fact that he could keep an eye on things while enjoying the peace was not to be sniffed at either.

Flicking his gaze back to the other lion, he watched him silently though there was no expectation on his features, no waiting for conversation or struggling to make any.. Samar was perfectly happy with silence and had none of the urges that many seemed to, to fill the silences up with words. Instead, he stepped to the side again, so he was partly facing the direction he had previously been travailing in and glanced at the other male again. Not exactly an invitation, but not a good bye either as he started forwards in his slow, rolling walk. Samar didn't mind of the other came along, not that he would ever verbally offer...
 

[Lithiasaur]

"That it is."

Most of the pride was asleep, and it was almost creepy to be out when the place was quiet. It was so busy during the day, the silence was unnatural. But then, Maktaba liked the night as well. He found himself smiling easily.

In general, he was a kind lion. He tried his best to understand everything around him, and that included other lions. He was a knowledge hungry lion, and cared nothing for power or rank. All he needed was something new to learn, and he would be happy.

Of course, that only applied if people were safe, and nothing wicked or evil was happening.

He was looking around and didn't notice the other lion starting to walk off until he glanced back just in time to see Samar looking in his direction. He made a surprised noise, but decided to follow. He hopped after the Druid, padding lightly.

"I find I know more about the day time than I do the night, considering how much time I spend in it," he said conversationally, not deterred by Samar's quiet attitude. "So to learn more about the night and what it holds, I suppose I should spend more time in it."  

[Tanakako]

Samar didn't hesitate or slow his pace when it appeared the other male wasn't going to follow, it was none of Samar's business if the stranger did or not. But neither did he quicken his steps when the Toka hurried after him, simply continuing in the same gliding walk. Glancing sideways when Maktaba spoke again, the druid male nodded his head slowly.

"Such is to be expected." The large male's deep voice rumbled through the shadows, low and quiet despite the power it clearly held in his broad chest. He certainly was not one for conversation and already he had spoken more to this male than was usual for him. But he didn't begrudge the other lion, he simply found it worthy of note that the male, who was most certainly of Toka blood, was being civil to him, even pleasant, if Samar was recognizing the situation correctly. It was strange enough that he glanced once again across at Maktaba, moonlit eyes unreadable but calm, a faint sense of impersonal curiosity infusing their expression.
 

[Lithiasaur]

Maktaba had an addiction to talking and learning, and sometimes it got the better of him. He could babble a lot and sometimes he forgot he was talking to someone, rather than just talking. he was ridiculous, sometimes, but he liked it that way.

Usually people didn't mind, and obliged him.

This Druid was someone he should probably be nervous around. He was large and he had a quiet danger to him, but Maktaba was doing his best to promote his idea of peace. He could be nice to Druids, as they were just lions, members of the pride, as well. It was when they crossed that line and put others in danger that he became upset.

"Have you discovered anything in the night?" he asked, not letting the quiet deter him, "recent or old? I mean. I do like a good story. You don't have to share, of course. My name is Maktaba, by the by."  

[Tanakako]

Samar certainly wasn't the kind of lion to get annoyed at another for talking. he may not do much of it himself but that didn't mean he wasn't perfectly adapt at listening. He had found out very early on that you learned a lot by keeping your mouth closed and ears open.It was the philosophy that he lived by, listening to and watching over the pride around him.

Samar was a bit of a strange one, born into a minority that was regularly targeted, he had swiftly learned to defend himself and his brethren. By necessity a warrior, yet had he been born in another time and place he may have been more of a theologist than a fighter, but the world had carved him into what it desired and the large male had long ago become set in his ways.

When the other asked a question, Samar flicked an ear towards the other male as he thought. Replying a moment later. "Nothing tonight..." A pause followed, long enough for Maktaba to think no further answer was forthcoming, but then a single word broke the reforming silence. "Samar."
 

[Lithiasaur]

Maktaba blinked.

Well, it had answered his question, but it was an effectively closed answer that did not leave too much room for him to further continue their conversation. Or rather his conversation. He was doing most of the talking, which was not out of the ordinary, but still. He watched the other curiously.

It wasn't offputting though and he smiled, nodding his head.

"It's a pleasure, Samar. I suppose I should be heading back toward my done. I don't think my mate much enjoys my coming out when it's late like this," he smiled, thinking about her, looking a little dopey about it. He could be a very sentimental older gentlelion when the mood took him, which was more and more now that he had found love.

A surprising love, but one that felt destined and true. And they had found a home for themselves, where their skills are useful. That was important, as well.

"I'll leave you to the night, then. Stay safe, my friend." He smiled, taking the liberty to announce them friends, even though he was a Toka, a Slayer to boot, and the other a Druid. There was no reason to make enemies where he didn't have to.  

[Tanakako]

He couldn't claim to be surprised by the other's friendly attitude, but it certainly wasn't the common response when a Toke-born lion met him, especially so at night when others tended to assume he was out for nefarious reasons.

So it was that he turned to study the other male with rather more attention than he usually gave strangers. At the mention of his mate and the slightly dippy smile that accompanied it, Samar simply nodded his head slowly. Yet the action was merely automatic, a responce because it was socially expected during such a conversation, but Samar himself had no idea of what the other male was alluding to, never having had his own mate or felt any kind of inclination towards it. So far he hadn't yet felt the need to create a family and he truly didn't consider himself the home-maker type. Secretly he couldn't imagine a female that would wish to tie herself to one such as he, but he never let that particular thought surface in his mind, let alone speak it out loud.

So when Maktaba bade his goodbye, Samar paused and dipped his head in return. "Stay safe, Maktaba... " he let the words trail off, having no idea what else he could say, yet the lion now stepping away into the darkness was perhaps the first one of the Toka blood to have spent any time with him socially.. and he felt something shift deep inside him, some kind of emotion yet he didn't know it well enough to identify it...

Friendship