They had been walking together for about an hour. The younger male was full of stories about his home pride which Maisha had been quizzing him about. She had never heard of the Gypsies and thought they sounded interesting. Yet she was more interested in his family. He was one of four cubs, a middle child with an older brother and two sisters, one older and one younger. He was younger than she herself, but older than her own litter. She liked the sound of his mother, though her story made Maisha’s chest ache in sympathy. The other female had not had an easy time of it, from all that Jamal had told her… But Jamal was a well rounded male, intelligent and certainly handsome. But what caught her eye was his view of family… he didn’t mind not having a father figure, having managed perfectly well under the tutelage of his mother’s best friend’s own husband. Gathered up with the later’s own cubs and educated along side them. Though Jamal confessed that there were some lessons he and his siblings had been excluded from, and weirdly none of the Auditore family would explain why or what happened in those lessons. Eventually he had gotten bored of not receiving an answer and forgot about it.
The strangeness of these private lessons tipped Maisha’s curiosity, but unless she was willing to leave her home and head out to this land of the Kizi, she would never know the answer so she tried to push it from her mind. The attempt inevitably led her to the last consideration she had been dwelling on ad she turned to look at the male with an interested gaze. Yes, he was particularly handsome, and had a good temper. He was physically fit and healthy. Plus he wasn’t a local… he would go back to his pride or the roguelands and quite possibly she would never see him again…
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Seeing his new acquaintance preoccupied he paused in his retelling of a particularly silly incident during his cubhood that involved himself, Ezio and a very large rodent, to study her in turn. She was a little older than himself, with an adult litter, though they were younger than even his baby sister. Yet she intrigued him. She was worldly and experienced. Her knowing gaze pierced right through him, making him feel like an awkward adolescent all over again, experiencing his first crush.
That was a strange idea, and yet he was interested in her as he had not been in another female since the disastrous flirting he had engaged in not so very long ago. Tipping his head he was then forced to shake the thick bangs from in front of his eyes, making Maisha laugh softly.
“I don’t know why everyone in my pride is so hairy… we live next to the ocean, you would think we would have less hair in all that heat…” But then, winter could be very bitter on the coast, and he was always incredibly grateful for his thick mane during the winter storms that swamped their bay with icy winds and salt water.
She laughed again and nudged his shoulder with her own, as they had been walking side by side for some time now. The contact made his fur stand up and he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. He was far from experienced at this game, but it did appear that she was inviting him to play.. Grinning, knowing he possessed a certain rakish charm (It appeared to run in the family), he flicked her rump with his thick tail. This earned him another laugh and a playful swot to the back of his head.
Yes, she was playing.
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Maisha rolled her eyes at the smug smirk he wore. He knew very well just how handsome he was, and yet he was also a very genuine male. His stories often had himself as the butt of the jokes. He was humorous and yet humble, witty yet sweetly inexperienced about certain things. It was clear he had not done as much as many young males his age, but she was impressed by his character. He was one of those ‘good guys’, the type that would fight to protect a damsel in distress, would feed an abandoned cub he found or risk his own safety in any number of ways to aid someone in peril.
She felt the odd urge to protect him herself, to keep that sweetness intact. Even though she knew it was a hopeless wish and wholly unwarranted. She also knew he would never desire such a thing. She thought of her own twin boys and hoped they were as well rounded as this young male. Though she hadn’t seen either of them since they left for their pilgrimage.
The flick to her rump made her laugh and she eyed him speculatively. Yes, he was interested in her…. Good, she might have just found the answer to her earlier problem. Though it would take a bit more careful manoeuvring to find out if he was amenable to her terms and not so inexperienced that he would start professing undying love for her just because they shared a den.. Though she didn’t think he was the type, he seemed too level headed.
Still, it never hurt to be thorough.
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He caught her looking at him, the playful light still in her eyes but a question there as well. Tilting his head he studied her in return. He might act young, but he was a fully grown adult of several seasons, he could tell that something had occurred to her.
“What is it?” He asked softly, shifting just slightly closer, head lowering to meet her gaze.
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The concern in his eyes roused her from her thoughts and she leaned forwards, butting her forehead against his own lightly. “Just thinking…” She replied, her tone softer now, suited to their more intimate posture. For he was still bent low, making her realise for the first time just how very large he was. Not as big as Szürke but certainly much larger than Asante. Still studying him she suddenly knew, without a doubt, that he was the male she had been hoping for, maybe even waiting for… A tenderness touched her inside as he looked at her. His rich, dark gaze suddenly so very understanding, as if he knew what she was thinking before even she did.
For the first time in a very long time she thought about her own family. Her mother and father, her siblings. She wondered where they were, if they were safe and happy. Looking up at this big, sweet male before her she felt the first stirrings of something else… something she had never experienced before…
Swallowing at the sudden rush of confused, fearful emotion flooded her she struggled to push it away. No, she was happy here, her life was exactly what she wanted. Her cubs were amazing and now starting their own unique lives as fully graduated members of her beloved pride. She didn’t need anyone, didn’t want anyone else trying to tell her how to live her life… She just wanted cubs, sweet bundles of fluff and unconditional love.
Turning from him she resumed their walk, her emotions tangled all up inside. She knew what she wanted, didn’t she?
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The sudden switch from playful to withdrawn startled him as she pulled away and resumed walking. Stepping out to stay with her he settled into an easy stride, though kept one eye on her as he ducked the low hanging branches. Her sudden shift confused him and yet he felt as if there was some underlying reason for it that wasn’t entirely his fault.
Walking quietly he let his flank brush against her, a silent, supportive presence while she battled whatever thought troubled her.
(Word count = 1,319)
