Dalki was not much for company. Or rather, he had never had much company. Growing up, it was just him and his small family, and though he knew he was loved and they were all taken care of very well, there was not much else. He was taught how to fight by his mother, and she took great care to make sure all her cubs could defend themselves if they needed to. Some learned better than others, and Dalki liked to think he was one of the most apt students she had. He applied himself, he listened. He watched and learned even when she was not teaching him directly. Everything could teach him how to grow, and he was a very interested and thoughtful young leopard. Now that he was older, he had not lost his love for learning about things. It was just different now, because he was on his own, and he had to find his own ways to experience more, without the help of his family or any guidance. Sometimes he felt like he was letting his mother down, wandering around and doing nothing with his days. He wondered if she would be proud of him anyway, as she always said she was, but he doubted he would ever see her again. He had come too far.
For Kiroja and Angava, life was simple. Two lions who traveled together, enjoying what the world around them had to offer. They were friendly with each other and with others, always happy to meet others and learn about their stories. Angava was a bit of a coach to others, helping those that needed hunting tips with what knowledge he had. He was not the best out there, of course, but he liked teaching and helping others enough that he knew, even his comparatively limited knowledge would be useful to some. Kiroja was a very generous soul. Though she was very prissy and hated to get her fur messy, always worrying about how her mane looked, she was never one to turn away someone in need. Whatever the problem was. She always seemed to surprise others with that attitude, as her need to be clean and proper often made it seem like she was self absorbed or some sort of a brat. That, however, was just not the case, unless she was in a really bad mood, or given a reason to be snippy with someone. Most of the time, she just wanted to be friends, and offer that friendship freely.
“Oh, look, Angava!” Kiroja said jovially, spotting the tiger colored leopard from not too far off. He was languidly draped in a tree, something Kiroja found to be absolutely endearing and sweet. She was happy to see him, as she had not had much experience with leopards so far, and they fascinated her in their beauty. They seemed so lithe and beautiful, and their fur! It had a special kind of silky look to it, and she was terribly jealous of how fine and smooth it appeared. At least from the few she had run in to so far. Things like that were not lost on her, and were generally the things she focused on. Not so much their teeth or claws, or how strong their jumping legs were, and how much damage they could do if they were cornered.
Angava, a bit more mellow and reasonable as far as real danger went, regarded the leopard when she motioned toward it. Nodding his head, he did not bother to ask if she wanted to go over and say hello. Of course she did. And he was sure she was going to be particularly delighted by this leopard, as it had an appeal coat color and markings. She had a thing about pelts and colors. And tails.
“Well, let’s go say hello, but don’t get too close, okay? Some leopards don’t really like lions, and I’m sure two of us barreling into his territory will not be the most fun experience for him.”
“Then smile, Angava! And be nice,” she flashed him a bright smile in example, and then moved toward the tree, lifting her head and calling out jovially. “Hello up there! My, aren’t you handsome! I do hope I’m not interrupting your rest, but I just could not resist coming over here to say hello!”
Angava watched and shook his head, wondering if she even knew what caution was, sometimes. It seemed like she thought everyone wanted to be friends, just as easily as she did, and while that was a very nice and innocent way to look at the world, he was sure it was going to get her into trouble one day. He was mostly hanging around just in case that happened, and she needed some muscle to help her out of a tough situation. And maybe there were a couple of other reasons, as well.
Dalki looked down at the two lions in wonder. He was, of course, very nervous about the duo, but so far they seemed rather friendly, at least the female did. He nodded his head in a small greeting, swishing his tail down and it swung in front of her face. She saw it and her eyes seemed to light up at the beauty of it. She had such a soft spot for tails and beautiful designs, and leopards hard the largest canvas for designs of all the cats she had seen out in the plains. After all, lion tails were thin and had that puff of a mane on them. Cheetahs were lithe, and their tails long but thin. Leopards had the best of both worlds. Their tails were thick and sturdy for balance, and just beautiful.
“Oh my! Your stripes are so lovely! I’m so sorry, I must sound crazy, but I think you are so handsome.”
Dalki frowned at the lioness in wonder, then looked at her compatriot, who was wearing a very silly smile on his face. Clearly, this lion had seen her up to this sort of thing before, and he was silently apologizing for her while acknowledging that her behavior was odd. He was not stopping her, though, and Dalki wondered if that would just be a wasted effort. This lioness, though very friendly, seemed to know what she liked and what she did not like.
“Thank you,” he said, his voice a deep, rumbling baritone. It made Kiroja tremble and she let out a giggle. “You two are not from around here, I take it. Or at least, you’ve not seen too many leopards, where ever you’re from.”
“You’re right about that! Though we’re not exactly from anywhere. Kiroja here, the crazy lady babbling at you and I like to wander around. I’m sure we’ll find a place to settle down, some day, but not right now. Er. Not together, I mean. Just. Together. Like. Friends. Anyway, my name is Angava.”
“And is he not just a wordsmith? A true artist with the spoken language,” Kiroja teased lightly. She did not seem fussed about his jumbled words, though, and she was not embarrassed in the slightest. Or if she was, she hid it like a master. Angava sputtered and looked down at the ground, shuffling his front paws sheepishly. Dalki, despite himself, smiled and even let out a low rumble of a laugh.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you both, Angava, Kiroja. I can’t say I’ve seen too many lions around this particular area, but that might be because there are not very many creatures at all. I like the quiet, but I like the new company, as well. Would you like me to show you around the forest here?”
“Is it lovely in there?”
Dalki’s chosen resting spot was a small grove of trees that surrounded a lake. The grass all around them, for miles out, was green due to the sparse trees all around. This area was just more dense than some of the others. It was a lovely little hide away, and he was fond of it, though he was not completely tied to it. If he had the chance to leave and find somewhere else, he would certainly take it. But for now, it would do just fine for his needs.
“I would love to see this place! Thank you very much for the offer, ah… I’m sorry, I did not catch your name.” Kiroja smiled warmly at him, swinging her tail behind her and tilting her head thoughtfully.
“Oh, it’s Dalki. I should have said before.”
“Well, then, Dalki, please lead the way.” She smiled and chuckled, and watched with bright eyes as he leaped down the tree and nodded his head at the duo, turning to walk them into the trees. Angava hesitated for a moment, looking at Kiroja.
“Are you sure this isn’t some sort of trap? What if he eats lions?”
“No, not at all. And if he does try to eat me, you just eat him first, hm?” She chuckled at him and swished her tail at him, batting his front leg before she walked away and followed Dalki into the trees. Angava watched where they had gone for a long moment, then sighed heavily as he followed up at the end of the line. He supposed he was interested in seeing what this little grove was like.
Word Count: 1,562 in Word
