[PRP] For The Birds [Lakiya x Nomino]

[Avid_RPer18]

Oh-ho-ho! It was on! Kahili had challenged her to chase and to catch. It was a challenge of wit and determination. The vulture could be in the air, in the trees, or hidden on the ground and she could take off if her leonine friend began to close the distance between. Sure, victory could be Lakiya’s, but only if she worked for it. Of course, it was also all a game. In a roundabout fashion, the two were gradually heading towards a pride of possible interest, a potential forever home for the long wandering pair, so why not make the getting there a little more fun than just walking along?

Lakiya had paused her pursuit, head up and eyes slightly narrowed. Where had that bird gotten to? The lioness could practically hear the buzzard tittering cheerfully. Sure, laughing it up from some hidden place in the canopy. It was so, sooo very funny. Hmph! There was only so much more room she could hide. The trees were beginning to thin out in the direction they were heading. The lioness stalked forward with her gaze never straying from the trees. Her scent wasn’t heavily on the ground so it made sense that she’d be trying to hide amongst the leaves. Granted, the vulture’s white butt could definitely swing things in her favor. All Lakiya had to do was keep her eyes peeled and try to walk quietly.

Lithiasaur

Let me know if you need more of a jumping off point. c:

 

[Lithiasaur]

Avid_RPer18

Well I might need reminders about what we're doing! My brain is so bad, I forget everything.

Nomino was not really aware that he was walking into the middle of a game. He had been wandering around, looking for a nice, leisurely home. He had found a pride before, but things there had been much too violent and active for him: call him a wuss, but he was a home body. He wanted to have a den and some cubs in it to help raise and be with.

To him, that was the ideal life. Maybe others thought that was the role of the female, but he did not see why it had to be either or. Females, he felt, were just the same as males, and should do whatever they wanted. In that same way, males should, too.

It was hard to find prides that agreed, sometimes.

He spotted the lioness and tilted his head, wondering what she was hunting, as he could not see any food or anything worth that kind of focus around. He knew better than to interrupt, so he decided to follow her at a short distance, doing his best to keep quiet so he did not ruin whatever it was she was doing. Of course, that made it look like he was stalking and hunting the lioness.  

[Avid_RPer18]

Lithiasaur

Certainly! I don't mind giving reminders. ^^ If you don't recall what this is for, we were going to see how Lakiya and Nomino play off of each other as possible mates or maybe a fling if it looks like things swing more that way. If they do hit it off, they can head Aka'mleli way together.

The vulture had seemed to be heading off in the direction they both of them were needing to go but, for whatever reason, she seemed to stop advancing. Lakiya listened. She couldn’t hear any sounds that might suggest that her companion was hopping or gliding from branch to branch, just the gentle rustle of leaves in the wind. What was she getting at? Was this more of their little game? Or was it over? Surely, Kahili would let her know if the game was done. There were a few moments of silence before the sound of beating wings overhead broke the quiet, back the way they had been coming from. Giving a light titter, she shook her head. “What are you doing?” The sound of a heavy landing shook a branch prompting the lioness to whip around. She made to take a few steps but stopped in her tracks.

What the-? The lioness blinked in astonishment and sat down on the spot. Not a stone’s throw away was a splotchy male looking her way. Casting a glance around before refocusing back on the green and pink lion, Lakiya angled her head. “Ah, can I help you there, fella? I, uh, didn’t realize that we weren’t alone." She hadn't picked up any major sources of scents, so as far as she knew this area didn't belong to any sort of pride or group. No one had approached her yet. There hadn't been any signs of patrols or guards. As far as she knew, it had only been her and Kahili in the immediate area. Apparently she had been wrong. The lioness briefly cast her gaze up to the trees and saw a familiar avian silhouette shifting in the greenery. It seemed that she was going to keep an eye on things. Suit herself. Lakiya cleared her throat. "So...heading our way or just making your own way?"
 

[Lithiasaur]

Avid_RPer18

Thank you!

"Err..."

Okay, this was probably weird. He had been watching her because he thought her hunting tactics were strange and interesting, if that was, in fact, what she was doing. He had just wanted to get a good look at it, and not actually get himself spotted. Surely she would think he was a weird creeper, or something worse. He meant no harm to her, of course, unless she gave him reason to defend himself.

And even then, he would not really want to fight. That was just not his thing.

"I uhm. I was just walking in this direction, and I saw you... and I was wondering what you were doing. I didn't mean to uh... follow you. I'm not weird. I mean. I know it's weird to say that, but I... hm."

He sighed, straightening himself up and trying to gather his wits.

"I was wondering what you were doing? My name is Nomino, by the way."  

[Avid_RPer18]

Lithiasaur

Oh, anytime! It's never a bad thing to keep a dialogue going. ^^

It was okay. She could wait. As far as she figured, his stammering meant one of two things. Either he was guilty of something sheisty or he was as much surprised at her noticing him as she was about spotting him. For now, she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt until some clarity came her way. She could handle herself if need be, though she wasn’t really the sort to go scrounging up scuffles wherever she went. Kahili was her eye in the sky, or the branches at least, so not only did she have extra help should she need it, but there was another perspective to watch for any behavior or activity that might lead them to harm. No. For now, she would play it cool. Her posture was straight and she held her chin up, simply listening to him.

The more he tried to get the truth out, the more she had to hide her growing amusement. Surely she wasn’t that scary. She had seen and encountered far more frightening folk in her comings and goings. It wasn’t long before an easy, crooked grin spread across features with a mirthful twinkle in her eye. So, he had simply come across their little game and was wondering what in the world she was doing. Fair enough. Lakiya could imagine she did seem a bit out of the ordinary, wandering along, looking not where she’s headed, but more or less skywards.

“Heh,” She chuckled softly as she began. “I guess I can understand your curiosity, Nomino.” The female said, nodding her head to him when speaking his name. “I’ve been traveling with a friend of mine and she suggested we play a game to help pass the time as we go. She’s got an unfair advantage in that she can fly, hence the tree gazing.” Rising to her feet, she continued. “It’s nice to meet you, Nomino. I definitely prefer calling you by name rather than ‘fella’ anyway. My name is Lakiya and my feathered friend up there is Kahili.” She looked once more into the trees and huffed at the slight retreat her companion gave. “Oh, at least poke your head down so he can see you. Pretty sure the curious Nomino doesn’t mean us harm. Consider the game on hold,” The lioness chided lightly.

The vulture did more than that. After grumbling a, “Oh, well then,” she hopped down a few branches before flapping down to land on Lakiya’s back. Giving herself a shake, the bird spread a wing in a slow sweep outward. “Greetings, ah, Nomino. What brings you to the neck of these woods?”

Lakiya gave a rather satisfied looking smile to have her companion join her. “Are you traveling alone? Where are you headed or is there no set destination?”  

[Lithiasaur]

Avid_RPer18

Nomino needed to make up some ground here. He really was not a creep, as far as he knew. Though it occurred to him suddenly that maybe he was exactly that, and he just did not realize his behavior was creepy for others to witness. Like he was oblivious to anything he did, because it was normal to him, but it was strange and scary to others.

He certainly hoped that was not the case!

"Fly? Oh, I see! So you were looking for her in the trees. That makes much more sense than what I was thinking. Mostly because I... had no ideas to go on. Maybe looking for a way to climb up to avoid something dangerous on the ground... though if that were the case I probably should not have stopped to look..."

He sighed and shook his head, his fluffy pink mane poofing out a bit as he did so. His mane could be a little staticy sometimes, but he had learned to just ignore it and let it do whatever it wanted. he was a very clean and put together lion, and he kept his fur immaculate, so it was a bit of a bummer that he was cursed with this fluffy, unruly mane. He tried not to dwell on it too much, though.

He did take note of her name, and smiled. Lakiya was a nice name, and not something he had heard before. Not that he knew everyone in the whole plains, but.

When the vulture fluttered down, Nomino looked very surprised. That was not the kind of bird he was expecting to see, thinking it might be something small and friendly looking. This was, however, a larger and scarier bird than he anticipated.

"It's nice to meet you," he said to Kahili, smiling and nodding his head again in greeting to the vulture, "and you, Lakiya. I'm not heading anywhere in particular. I am mostly just wandering through, I guess. I have nothing better to do, anyway, and no real home."  

[Avid_RPer18]

Lithiasaur

Any doubts as to Nomino being a creep or no seemed to be banished from her mind. He appeared to be nice enough. He was certainly polite.

Lakiya chuckled softly and cleared her throat. "I don't blame you for your confusion and I'm sorry to have caused it. I was trying to be sneaky, hence the not calling out her name or otherwise drawing attention to myself. I bet I was a bit of an odd spectacle." She made a thoughtful humming sound. "Huh. I would hopefully notice if there was something dangerous around. I mean, I'm not worried about snakes or anything and we hadn't seen or smelled much in the way of traces of any sort of group or pride around here so I was kind of taking it easy and just enjoying myself." Flashing an easy grin, she simply shrugged. "I'd like to think I'd do okay if something came up. As for tree climbing, that...ah, isn't exactly a specialty of mine. At least, not on trees like these."

She blinked when he shook his head, his mane floofing out a bit when he did so. The rest of him looked well groomed and laying where it ought to. Were unruly manes a common problem, she wondered. Most of her wanderings had her alone with Kahili, with only brief encounters with others, be they female or male. Regardless, it was kinda cute, the complimentary contrast between orderly, well groomed fur and wild, fluffy mane. Very nice. Lakiya endeavored to stifle a smile.

"Oh," She began at noticing Nomino's surprise at Kahili's appearance, or size, or both. "You don't have to worry any about Kahili. She's a great ol' buzzard to have around."

"I'm hardly old, Lakiya," The vulture chimed in. She was quite firmly in her prime, thank you very much!

The lioness grinned and wiggled herself to make her avian companion have to balance herself. "I know, I know! I mean it with nothing but affection." She continued her explanation. "Not long after I set off on my own, I ended up getting hurt. I quite badly strained a muscle or something, but running and walking were very, very painful so I wasn't able to really hunt for myself. I started getting really thin. Kahili found me and took pity on me. She helped me out when I couldn't help myself. She brought me small things to eat until I was able to get around a little better. When I started getting better, we hung around and we helped each other out. She's my eye in the sky and I help her be able to have ready source for meals if she gets hungry. She's a great friend to have." Kahili fluffed out her feathers and made a show of preening her flight feathers, busying herself at the attention.

"You too, huh? For the most part, that's been our lives also. Kahili picked up word of a pride that sounds like it might be interesting to check out. They've got the blessing of a goddess and, if word is correct, part of her boon is that members are paired with an avian companion." She smiled. "Traveling with Kahili has been great, so I don't doubt that living in one place with her will be just as enjoyable. Plus, plenty of other birds for her to interact with too. It's the Aka'mleli. They sound like they're worth checking out." Lakiya gave a little bob of her shoulders. "I mean, I haven't minded the rogue life, but I'd like some place to settle down, to eventually have a family, to be able see the same faces day in and day out, you know? I won't mind having a job or duty within a pride. I doubt it'd be anything I'm not already doing." She bobbled her head side to side. "Of course, I'd have to feel things out first. I don't want to go into anything blind."
 

[Lithiasaur]

Avid_RPer18

Nomino felt his life was fairly mundane and his travels often resulted in nothing at all. There was once, when he was walking, that he passed a lady and a pride he thought he might want to stay with, but they had turned out to be too rough and violent for him: he was not built for that kind of a life. He needed some place more peaceful, really.

He was a gentle heart, though he could be stiff sometimes. He just was not very well learned, as it were, about the world. About how others conducted themselves, or, really, how he was expected to act around others. Especially when he walked through prides: he always felt like he had to be careful, as he had no idea what would be considered weird or abnormal.

"Well," he said, looking at the vulture and smiling, nodding his head as respectfully as he could. He was not about to call her old, as well, "you seem very lovely, and it's nice to meet you!"

He did not speak to birds much. He'd never thought about it before. Looking back at Lakiya, chuckling.

"And you, of course. I'm sorry to hear you were hurt! It's really lucky that you found someone who could help you take care of yourself. I'd probably be out of luck, I've never really paid much mind to birds before. I mean. Uh. I just... have never really considered speaking with them... though I'm sure they're all nice... but ah, yeah, it's a good idea to check things out before you decide on anything. I think I'd like to see this bird place, too, I've never heard of anything like that. Would you mind if I walked with you?"  

[Avid_RPer18]

Lithiasaur

Kahili shook out her feathers, briefly looking all ruffled before smoothing herself out and settling down. "Thank you, Nomino. It's always nice to make the acquaintance of a polite, respectful individual, such as yourself." Her leonine perch tittered softly. "Your own manners aren't bad, but you forget them sometimes."

"Aw, come on now, Kahili. Not all that often. I do try to catch myself if I start deviating." Try being the key word there. It just wasn't in her to be quite so straight laced all the time. Casual, easy, friendly demeanor was at her core. Lakiya couldn't even stay angry for all that long. She simply just didn't like having a ball of anger in her system. She preferred to forgive and forget. Of course there were limits, but there had yet to be anything or anyone to reach them.

Refocusing back to Nomino, she smiled and shook her head. "It's quite alright. I got better, thanks to Kahili's assistance. I was fortunate, yeah." She sniffed and straightened herself up a bit. "You might be surprised giving chatting with birds a chance. They certainly have a different view on things. This one, here, has been a treasure. No doubt they're as varied as we are, so I guess conversing with them is no different than picking up a conversation with anyone else." Lakiya paused, flicking an ear when a thought came to mind. Boy, she hoped like she wasn't sounding as if she was selling something. It was just that she was grateful for her vulture friend's companionship. Of course there were times where the two of them would butt heads or get frustrated at the other, but Kahili was always there when something had gotten her down or generally upset, and she for her. Though she hadn't ever said exactly, Lakiya got a kick out of when the vulture would attempt to preen her fur in quiet, still moments or when the lioness wasn't feeling well. It made her smile and kind of tickled. She gave a content like sigh at the thought before Nomino's question broke through her fond reminiscing. "You-You want to come along?" Lakiya beamed. "Well, sure! I wouldn't mind at all. I-We would love it if you tagged along, Nomino. It'll certainly help the time pass with another soul around to converse with. Besides, another opinion on the pride we're headed to could be valuable. You are more than welcome to join me."  

[Lithiasaur]

Avid_RPer18

Nomino wondered about having a friend with him at all times. Clearly they were close, and it was sweet to see, but he had never thought about birds as anything other than... well... birds. Things that were sometimes fun to chase but he could not say he had ever talked to one before. it turned out, they seemed rather nice.

He smiled at the duo, feeling a little wistful as he wondered if he could find a bird for himself. It seemed strange to think of it that way, though. he could not just go out and catch a bird and tell it that it was going to be his friend from then on. That would not really create the best relationship. He would have to make a friend with a bird, and hope it wanted to journey with him.

The more he thought about it, the more difficult it seemed to be.

"Thank you! I'm glad to come with you. I've never been in a pride. Near them, sometimes, but I've never had a home, and even if I don't settle there, it would be very nice to see how the other side lives, so to speak. The ones that don't wander all the time. Thank you for letting me come along! I'll even do some hunting and earn my keep."

He chuckled. He could hold his own, looking for food, considering he had been alone out here. He was looking forward to being able to repay a little of their kindness in letting him tag along by getting them a nice meal.