[PRP] That jealous streak..(Tili & Lory)

[Syrius Lionwing]

He had a present. It was the best present he could possibly think of as far as presents went. Lor'dah had never been a good hunter and it showed in his frame, he had grown up on his own hunting for mice and going without food, time had taken it's tole and now Lory, as his friend called him, did not need to eat as often so though he was tall as a normal lion his frame was slim and lanky, his legs seemingly longer than they should be. He found it hard to eat any sort of large meal, he found it very difficult to eat often so he ate, well, like a bird, which often amused his bird companion.

Today though he had a present and for once he had hunted well. He wouldn't tell Tili that he had almost stood on the young warthog, and that was how he had managed to catch it, but he wasn't hungry and he wanted to give Tili a gift. The gift of suckling pig. He knew young pigs were very succulent but the thought of eating it made him feel queazy, it was a great gift for Tili though and he carried it towards the den with his head held high feeling vey proud of himself.

From the sky fai's blue wings caught the light and she soared down to land on Lor'dahs head, her permanent perch, she had watched him catch the young hog and it had amused her that he had just stood on it more or less. Still she wondered why he wasn't eating it himself until she realised where they were going. Back to the den, back to Tili. She didn't bother speaking to the slender lion, he had his mouth full after all, still she managed a satisfied little click of her beak. Things were going well.  

[MoonRazor]

Up above the den in question circled a dark vulture, whose brilliantly feathered tail shimmered lightly in the warm afternoon sun. His bright wings beat almost lazily against the rising wind, and from far above, his ice-blue eyes caught a welcome sight. Pisha angled his wings, tilting downward to ride a falling air current back to the ground. He swept gracefully into the shaded den to land almost noiselessly onto the cool ground, tucking his wings neatly to his side.

"Ka, are you awake, dearheart?" The vulture strutted carefully to his bonded's side, holding his head proudly. He rarely slouched, which was more than he could say for his fellow vultures as well as for Tilifika, and was often the very picture of proper posture. If there was anything that Pisha could have taught the world, it was how to look impressive.

-

"Not anymore..." From within the den came a slow grumble as Tilifika opened her eyes. A small sigh slipped from her mouth when she spotted the bird, and reluctantly, she lifted her head to fix her gaze upon him. "Why?" Pisha always wanted something after all, even if those somethings never had much to do with himself. It was usually about her, and her dire inability to present herself properly. Well. It wasn't Tili's fault that she had never had a mother growing up. It was true that Pisha was as good a stand-in as any when it came to that, but Tili had always felt as thought there was something missing. Much as she loved the vulture dearly, he was hardly a replacement for a lioness.

-

"Well, if you were asleep, I could almost forgive your poor posture," Pisha said with rolling eyes. But honestly, it had been something else that had brought the vulture down here. "Your..." He paused, struggling to find the right word. He wasn't her brother, or her father, or her cousin, or any other kind of legitimate relation, but he was apparently still her family. There really wasn't a right word, Pisha decided. "Lor'dah is coming back."

-

"Oh. Well, good." A smile. "Glad to have him back, of course." She said genuinely, though there was a flatness to her voice.  

[Syrius Lionwing]

Trotting up to the den with his head held high the king marked lion dipped his head slightly to enter through the dens mouth. He proudly marches up to Tili his tail tilted at a slightly quirky angle, showing how proud he was of his catch. Placing the piglett down slowly he grins widely, a big, goofy child like grin spreading his lips. "I caught this for you." His smile slowly falters and a frown creases his brow.

"Whats wrong?" his ears flatten in to his mane, Tili looked upset, which was something he never saw. She was always smiling, always happy, always pleased to see him. "Are you sick?"

Fae clicks her beak looking down at the bright pink lioness, she was obviously upset. She knew that would confuse Lor'dah no end and she cast a glance at Pisha, a curious look crossing her gaze.  

[MoonRazor]

Tili shrugged and shook her head. It wasn't really something she wanted to burden her friend with, and she knew that comforting others was uncharted waters of some sort for Lory. And he had looked so happy. A wave of guilt washed over the bright lioness as she watched his grin fade.

"Nothing much, really," she said carefully, plastering a smile across her face. It didn't quite reach her eyes, but it was bright enough that it might seem to an untrained eye as though she was simply being moody. She hoped that that would be enough, but a part of her understood that this was still Lory they were talking about, and no matter how awkward he could get in social situations, he still knew her better than anyone, Pisha excluded.

"That pig looks delicious," she added, hoping to change the subject. Really, Lory deserved his moment in the spotlight for his rare capture.

The dark vulture quirked an eyebrow at his bond's uncharacteristic desire to keep her troubles to herself. Tili tended to wear her heart on her sleeves, and growing up the youngest in a group of travelers had made her more self-centered than she might otherwise have been. She was young still, with the capacity for change, but most days, she was more concerned with telling the world what was up with her than with listening to others.

So it must mean something for her to give up the spotlight, Pisha decided. Something about family, maybe, though he himself was not the best vulture to go to for such matters. He had only Tili, after all. She was his family.

"She's just upset because somebody is doing a rather fine job of ignoring her," he said finally, catching Fai's glance.  

[Syrius Lionwing]

It made him uncomfortable t think that Tili was upset a shiver of distress rolled down his spine and despite her changing the subject he leans edgily towards her and nudges her cheek. The contact felt right but he pulled away quickly and nudged self consciously at the piglett he had brought for her.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" He mumbles looking at his toes. he hated to see Tili upset it hurt him all the way down to his toes at the thought that she wasn't perfectly pleased to just be alive. Which was her normal state of being.

Fae flicks her wings in a surprised manner, the little bird surprised that Lor'dah had closed the gap without much hesitation. She knew he loved Tili he just hadn't quite gotten around to saying the words yet. Still it surprised her how he willingly touched the young lioness without much worry though she felt his shiver through her claws. The soft blue bird moves her claws in his mane letting him know subtly that she was there for him.

"Maybe I can help." The king marked lion mumbled looking up from under his silky mane at the bright lioness. "T..Try some of this pig it looks good." Maybe a full belly would solve all of her problems though he doubted it and it made him feel extra awkward that he wanted to talk about Tili's problems, but he would do anything to make her feel better. Anything.  

[MoonRazor]

In her state of depression, she barely noticed how swiftly and easily Lory had come to her side. Any other time, perhaps, she would have made note and thought how lucky she was to have someone like him around. But not today, and as she felt the comforting nudge against her cheek, she sighed and shrugged her shoulders despondently.

"Well... not really..." She mumbled, both uncomfortable and embarrassed that Pisha had leaked her secret out into the open. Much as she trusted Lory and Fai, some things seemed better left unsaid.

"Actually," Pisha cut in. "He's not ignoring her so much as not responding. That's what it seems like, anyway, but you know this one. She expects the same hyper reactions as the ones she gives, and... well, you know what he's like, Tili. Not like you, to begin with. Not as..." He paused to find the right words. "Let's say, in touch with his emotional side."

He eyed the bright lioness carefully. She said nothing, but frowned as if in consideration of his words. Yes, Pisha was rather observant like that.

"I want the pig," Tili said finally, breaking rather abruptly out of a long silence, and she scooted herself over to dig into Lory's present. "And," she added, between mouthfuls of the tasty creature. Not the most ladylike of behaviors, but it was an instance that Pisha seemed willing to forgive. "Maybe that's a problem. Maybe it's like a mental problem, if he can't... be emotional." The world according to Tili, after all, was a very, for lack of a better word, emotional one.  

[Syrius Lionwing]

The slim male raised a brow curiously, at the word 'him' a shiver ran down his spine. Of course it was a male that had upset Tili. He had never felt jealousy before but there it was making his toes ache his claws seeped out past his toes for a moment before he pulled them back trying to calm himself.

Gritting his teeth he spoke levelly. "Him...Who?" He managed though he obviously already had his suspicions, he had to ask. He felt only one person could upset Tili this much and it sent unhappy angry shivers through his slender body.

Fai clicks her beak as she watched Tili eat the pig. She turns her gaze on Pisha an signals him with a twitch of her slate blue wings. She raises a brow and shakes her head, letting an obvious sigh roll over her beak. She had never seen Lor'dah be jealous, but he most certainly was and she was trying, hopefully, to convey that to Pisha. Clearing her throat she claws gently at the slim lios head and runs her beak through his silky mane. "Calm" She whispers making it sound like a whistle though her intentions were clear. She doubted that Lor'dah would escape this conversation unscathed he would be crushed that Tili liked a male enough to feel this upset. She didn't know what to do she just had to watch.  

[MoonRazor]

The pig was, indeed, quite delicious. Even in her upset state, Tili could see that, although perhaps that wasn't saying much; Tili always had room for more food. She chewed rather thoughtfully on the tender flesh, as if considering how to answer.

"Nobody important," she said finally. "Just that Chewy." She supposed that it was time she got herself over it. Tili wasn't much of a pessimist, but even she had to admit that she had spent enough time with the gray lion that he could have done something long ago if remotely interested. And she supposed that, since he hadn't, that meant that he wasn't.

And there were plenty of other fish in the sea. It was stupid to think that she had to hinge all her hopes and dreams on stupid Chewy, especially if he didn't feel the same way. But then... who was Tili to say? She didn't know what he was really thinking...

As a vulture, Pisha had learned to keep a watchful eye out around lions. Not all of them were friendly to scavenger-type birds, and it was always just... smart to know when there was an angry lion around. So, in accordance to this usual watchful behavior, he noticed the slight p***k of claws that showed through on Lor'dah's paws, that brief flash before they were gone again. Hmm.

He glanced over at Fai, whose sigh seemed to confirm Pisha's very suspicions. An interesting development indeed. The dark bird had always been appreciative of the lanky lion's companionship to Tili.

Still, that didn't mean that his instinct to hover and get himself involved with the bright lioness' business didn't still kick in when something like this happened. He made a mental note to look further into the whole claw thing.  

[Syrius Lionwing]

Chewa? The fur on the back of his neck bristled, what was he supposed to say to that? Did he actually want to discuss the fact that Tili had, for a long time, had a crush on the grey lion?He felt stumpped and angry. Angry that Chewa had scourned Tili, and upset her so much, though there was a little part of him that celebrated. If Chewa didn't love Tili, perhaps he had a chance? Still, he had to say something.

Taking a deep breath he moves to lay beside Tili nudging up beside her. "He doesn't deserve you Tili, he's too..Boring." He smiles in an awkward manner trying to see the funny side of it, hoping that Tili would cheer up. "Why don't we...Go on an adventure hmm? Forget about old stinky grey butt?" He raised a brow, trying to regress to when they were young was hard but except for when he found Fai, the past playing with Tili was the best time of his life.

Unbelievable, Fai clicked her beak and shakes her head, how the heck had he managed to splurt all of that out at the bright pink lioness? Clearly seeing Tili upset brought all kinds of things to the surface that Lor'dah didn't usually say. She didn't know if that was a good thing or not. What if Tili rejected her bonded? It was a hard thing to watch but she had to just let it be, they might eventually work something out or Chewa would turn around and decide he wanted Tili? She wasn't sure which was worse, straight out rejection or rejection because she chose someone else? She would have to ponder this further, maybe even speak to Pisha. Perhaps he would know what to do about the clearly oblivious lions?  

[MoonRazor]

Well, if Lory put it that way... Tili hadn't really had the chance to realize that Chewy was really boring compared to some other lions (herself excluded, of course, because Tili was... a bit of an anomaly, she thought; or it could simply have been that males were boring and females were not... after all, she had spent her formative years in a small traveling troupe, so how was she to know anyway?), but now that she thought about it, maybe Lory was right. Maybe Chewy was too boring for her, and would she be happy with surly old Chewy anyway?

... Well. She wasn't too sure about that either. She hadn't ever really tried it, now had she? But suppose she wasted her life waiting for a chance to do it? And passed up some other proper, happy lions in the process? The questions came non-stop, running through her mind and disappearing before she had had the chance to answer them. It was all very confusing, in any case, and she decided that there wasn't much to do about it but to take solace in the fact that she was eating a very good pig.

"Nah, we might run into him," Tili said somberly, in a tone that was quite reminiscent of the occasional sage comments she had made as a child. It was a real enough possibility, anyway. The fact that the chances of running into anyone were quite high if they were but to step outside of the den didn't quite seem to occur to her.

"Well, you cant just hole up in here for the rest of your life, now can you?" Pisha interjected, shaking his head and emitting a tchaaa sound that seemed to question the decisions that youngsters nowadays were prone to making. Avoidance wasn't the right solution in this case, and indeed, it seemed the wrong option in many cases. He could appreciate that Tili didn't quite want to deal with poor Chewa, but that didn't mean she should avoid leaving her home for fear of seeing him.  

[Syrius Lionwing]

The slender lion smiled gently and rested his chin on his paws. She was a little messy fromt he pig but that made her all the more sweet. She was an innocent female who needed his protection and right now his understanding.

"Well, I think I found something very interesting, you know, something, dangerous, but you wouldn't be interested in that now would you?" he grinned and stretched out his limbs getting to his paws and flickering his tail. "Definitely something boring old Chewy wouldn't want to do, no reason for him even to be in that direction. He mumbled innocently heading for the mouth of the den. "It really would be far to dangerous for one lion alone but maybe if i had a great pink adventurer with me who's tail is definitely attached to her butt I might come back alive and unscathed!"

He looks back at her as he steps out of the den, his rear in the den his fore quarters in the sun. "Now where could I find such an adventurer?" He mused, waiting patiently his duel coloured eyes looking back at the pretty young lioness whom he would do anything for. He just wanted to make ehr smile again.

Fai clicks her beak and whistles spreading her wings out. She guessed Lory didn't have any clue where he was going but just the promise of a dangerous adventure would hopefully tempt Tili out of her doldrums.  

[MoonRazor]

Tili quirked a brow and shot him a sideways glance. "Well..." She began. The invitation to go for an adventure was definitely tempting, even if she hadn't been feeling quite in the mood for one to begin with. And she supposed she could continue to mope outside... Deep down, she knew that wouldn't happen though. If there was anything that could get her spirits up again, it would be some good, old-fashioned fun.

"As long as my tail stays attached to my butt," she finished, pushing the half-eaten pig aside. Catching Pisha's tut of disapproval and warning stare, she wet her paw with a lick and hastily passed it over her face, cleaning off some of the blood that she had gotten herself covered with.

"There. Let's go, Lory!" She added, sprinting past him and out into the open before her bonded could say any more about her decidedly unladylike appearance.

"Tchaa!" The dark vulture snapped as the bright lioness fled out of reach. "How are you going to make it anywhere with your face looking like that??!"

But she was long gone, and, it seemed, so were the thoughts of Chewa.
/fin!