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 Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 7:24 pm
 She had actually been avoiding him studiously the last few days. Her feelings had become a tangled knot that it was impossible to work out while still spending time with him. She had hoped he hadn't noticed, that she hadn't hurt his feelings, for she was realizing to her dismay just how much his feelings meant to her. She had stuck to scouting for the time being, for it allowed her that time and space to think, even if it was terribly lonely. But with all that time to untangle her feelings, she'd come to some very startling and intense conclusions.
She loved Hashiel.
She had to! It was the only explanation for the crazy nonsense going on in her head when he was around. Her distraction with how his fur looked, her fascination with his eyes, how much she longed to lean against him and never move again. It had to be love! That was all she could conclude. So if this was love, then she had to DO something about it, right?
So she was.
With her heart in her throat, she was now combing the dens, searching for him. She'd take him up on the hill and confess her feelings. Just thinking about it made her legs weak with fright and hope both, but she had to be brave, and had to do what was right! It was time to 'fess up and hope against hope that he'd have her.
Now WHERE was that infernal boy?!
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 7:29 pm
 The boy in question was heading towards the overcrowded den his family lived in after a long day with the cubs. Not that he minded kids - he loved them - but sunrise to sunset was a long day and he rarely wanted more than to collapse with a nice juicy haunch and then sleep it off. He could see someone moving around in the dimming light, moving around as if they were looking for something. Or someone. It would only be polite to head over and see if he could lend a paw. With any luck, he couldn't help and would then be able to go home. To his surprise, the shape resolved itself into a leopon. A familiar female leopon. "What's up Divy?" he asked, amusement in his tone as he resigned himself to not getting back to the den quite yet.
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 7:36 pm
She was so relieved and so anxious upon finding him, that her first response was nearly to pounce on him. "You!" she said sharply, eyes wide and tail faintly fluffed. She could hear the edge to her voice, though, and immediately looked contrite, ears folding faintly and a blush heating her cheeks... again. "I've been looking for you," she said more softly, tail-tip swishing behind her to reveal her remaining anxiety. Now, how to get him to come with her? He clearly was tired out, and probably didn't care to listen to a silly girl dither on. For a moment she wavered, her expression reflecting how torn she was between two actions.
In the end, though, her resolve won out. Sounding almost strangled, she managed to squeak the words past the knot in her throat. "Can you come with me? I want to... talk." In truth, she looked quite desperate, and very nearly as if she would fall apart if he refused. If he didn't come with her now, she was certain she'd entirely lose her nerve to tell him how she felt, and then where would she be??
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 7:38 pm
Green eyes widened in surprise. She'd been looking for him? Then reason asserted itself. Of course she'd been looking for him. They were friends. Not that there weren't others in the pride, but they were particularly close, and he didn't think she had any other friends in this section of dens. So logically, she had to have been looking for him if she was in this area.
"Of course we can talk," he replied, wondering what was up. Divy was usually all smiles and laughter. It wasn't usual for her to be so tense. Whatever she wanted to talk to him about, it must be very important. "Just lead the way."
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 7:44 pm
Lead the way she did, heading up the hill as the sky darkened. No fear of cubs being up here after dark. They'd have it to themselves, and good thing too. Divy had the mad notion that she'd either be ashamed or mortified if anyone else saw her telling Hashi her feelings towards him, especially if they were adults. The whole way her tail twitched erratically, once even nearly smacking him. Chagrined, she ducked her head and choked out an apology, mumbling something about it having a mind of its own, while inwardly agonizing about how stupid that had to sound!
All too soon they'd reached the top, with a fitful breeze pushing the grass this way, then that. She sat down, grabbed a bit of grass, pulled it up, and fiddled with it distractedly. Alright, she had him here. Now what? She gulped, nearly bit her tongue, and finally looked up at him helplessly, appearing for all the world to be scared out of her wits. "Hashi?" she squeaked, pupils enlarging to mask all orange from sight.
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 7:48 pm
As they went, Hashiel watched Divy. He'd learned that body language could tell you an awful lot about what was going on in a person's mind. She was...well, she had a lot going on. The younger leopon had nearly whapped him in the face with her tail! This was not the girl he was accustomed to. She really had something heavy on her mind.
But he felt a flush of satisfaction that she would trust him with whatever it was that made her so nervous, worried, upset and generally off-balance. That was what friendship was really about.
"What is it Divy?" he asked once she had settled herself and clearly plucked up her courage.
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 8:01 pm
She sucked in a slow, deep breath and very nearly just blurted it out. At the last moment, she stopped herself, just as her mouth opened and the first sound had started. "I.....," she stopped, closed her mouth again, and took another deep breath. Better to do this carefully. Oh why hadn't she thought to ask one of her sisters how to do this? Surely that would have been less embarrassing than sitting here now, facing him and not knowing what to say!
She began again, more calmly this time. "I'm sorry I've been acting so weird lately," she said carefully. Heavens knew it had felt terribly awkward and weird on her end, even if he hadn't felt it. "Something has been on my mind, but I just wasn't ready to tell you." She was hedging! Oh, she knew she was, but it was so hard to figure out how to come about to the point! "The truth is... I think... I'm..... inlovewithsomebody." The last came out all in a rush, the words stumbling over each other. The instant it was out of her maw, she blushed brightly and dropped her eyes to her paws, sitting absolutely stock still. She hadn't said who it was yet... but his reaction to this news might help her decide to tell him. Or at least, she hoped so!
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 8:05 pm
Hashiel waited patiently. It was clear that whatever the matter was, it was very near and dear to Divy's heart, and thus quite difficult to give voice to. So all he could do was sit attentively and wait until she managed to spit it out.
He was surprised to hear the end result, a mangled rush of words saying that she was in love. She was still young, even he was not yet an adult! But...maybe that's just the way it was. There were those (not many, but they still existed) who had children as adolescents. Maybe some people just matured faster. Anyway, love was good, no matter the age.
"That's wonderful Divy!" he told her. "Have you told him yet?" The leopon assumed that his friend had fallen for a male. He supposed, on reflection that the lucky cat in question could be a female, but Divy just didn't strike him as that sort of girl.
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 8:17 pm
Tongue-tied all over again, Divy raised her gaze agonizingly to his before dropping it immediately again. Oh drat the male, why did he have to be so dense and make this so hard?! "Well... n-no, n-n-not yet," she stuttered, shaking like a leaf. "I'm... working... on it." Again she flashed her eyes up to his, fearful, pleading, and terribly vulnerable. Was she going to have to say it? She clamped her jaws shut and looked around frantically, anything to avoid his gaze. What was she going to do?!
She gulped past the boulder in her throat. She would. She'd just have to do it. She looked straight up at the stars that were beginning to come out, searching and hoping for strength. She sucked in a deep breath and slowly said, still looking up at the stars, "The male... I love.... is you." Her chest froze, and she closed her eyes tightly, stuck in a whirlwind of emotions, the moment seeming to last forever as she waited for his reaction.
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 8:26 pm
Stuttering now? She'd never actually done that before in his experience. This was really very important. The male leaned closer. Perhaps if he treated this as a secret that she was confiding? Maybe that would help her get this out?
She spoke again and Hashiel stared at her, trying to comprehend those six words. "The male" she'd said. And "I love". And..."is you".
Wait.
She'd meant him? Divy loved HIM? The male in question gaped at the leopon before him. She'd...said that. Aloud. No wonder it had been so hard and taken her so long to spit it out!
"You...you do?" he whispered in reply. Oh great. Now he was as tongue-tied as she was. But how did you react to something like this? What was he supposed to say or do? Words weren't forthcoming to him. Finally, Hashiel simply moved himself so that he was curled around the younger leopon, resting his cheek against hers.
"Mom says it's good to be friends with someone you love," he said at last. Which was kind of weird since he didn't think his parents were friends. Especially since Hantan'gang didn't live in the pride. But Hashiel didn't think now was a good time to mention that.
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Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 8:37 pm
As he curled himself around her, rubbing affectionately cheek to cheek, she did the most unromantic thing possible. With a choked cry, the turned her face into his neck and burst loudly and wetly into tears, bawling as if the world had gone all wrong instead of all right. She was sobbing so much, she didn't even hear his comment about his mom and loving friends. No, she was lost in the torrent of strong emotions she didn't understand and couldn't contain a moment longer. Heedless, she dampened his fur and let it all out. Beneath the cool stars, the darkness dulling her worries, her tears washing away the fright, she leaned into him and let him make it all better.
Tomorrow they could worry about what to do next.
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