Moose: Travelling from the lush forests surrounding the Suka’Fumo to the harsh mountains had been a dreaded transition for the males. Where Akarui walked with his head held high, sternly assessing the situation Susumu hung behind, wheezing with almost every climb. Every time he would try to speak to the other male or raise a paw to gain his attention Akarui would begin to walk once more. It was a never ending cycle.
Finally the larger of the males circled a marking post and stopped for his brighter partner to catch up. He looked about him, squinting against the mid-day sun. “We’ll have to go around.”
Susumu blinked, his mouth dropping low to gape. “Around?! That’s at least…what, another days walk? Why can’t we just go straight through?”
“You would be walking straight into a pride,” Akarui stated bluntly, sighing in sympathy when Susumu hung his head on a tired groan. “But I suppose we can rest here for the night.”
nessiaing: Kokuro loved her new mountain home. It had been quite an adjustment when she had first gotten here but she was still young so she found not to bad to adjust to her new surroundings. The orange accented lioness had taken to exploring the different pathways that lead up and down the mountain sides, there was much to see her.
She had however learned to stop sticking her nose's in caves, there tended to be other creatures in there that were none to pleased to have lion's coming and intruding their space. She had already had an encounter with a bunch of bats and she wasn't keen on repeating it ever.
Moose: Even after convincing his brighter counterpart into the shade of a nearby brush patch Akarui still felt that their position was too open to truly be safe. Especially with Susumu huffing every few moments about a burr in his fur, or a new ache in his legs.
“Can we agree to disagree about going back to the Suka’Fumo? They sounded like really nice lions, Rui, and it was a lot cooler back there.” That had been a lovely experience. A nice lioness to talk to, all the water he could have asked for, and most shady trees than a lion knew what to do with. Here everything was shriveled, as if it wasn’t getting enough oxygen at these levels to sustain much vegetation.
“You’re going to like the ocean once we find it.” It had become a sort of mantra; something that Akarui found he needed to tell Susumu less and himself a little more of. This adventure was turning more and more into a hopeless journey by the hour.
nessiaing: As Kokuro was walking along she paused positive that she could hear the whispers of another close by. She wasn't sure who would be outside of the pride, she had wondered for quite sometime and hadn't noticed anyone out here. For a brief moment Kokuro was scared, perhaps wondering out here alone hadn'tbeen the smartest idea.
"Hello" she called out. It may be a dumb idea to call out when she didn't know who might be there, but at the same time she was curious and wanted to know who was out there.
Moose: The males exchanged a surprised look that ended with Susumu sheepishly grinning and Akarui pinching the bridge of his nose. He rubbed his temples as Susumu shifted to no doubt go talk to the approaching visitor. Why wouldn’t he, after all, since they were making den calls to spread friendship and warmth?
Poking his head out around the bush, Susumu motioned for the lioness to come closer. They weren’t exactly hidden, but the angle make it hard for him to talk to her. “Come and have a rest with us. It’s too hot for a dark gal like yourself out there. The sun will bake you.”
When he settled in once more Akarui noticed that he had left space between the males for her. No doubt this meant that Akarui was supposed to be social. Lovely
nessiaing: Kokuro took a step back when a head popped out from behind the bushes up ahead. It wasn't as if they bushes were that thick but yet she hadn't notcied the two males sitting behind the bushes. After getting over her initial shock she found a smile growing on her face, the situation was mildly comical.
"Oh hello" she greeted them as she made her way around the bushes and came to sit with the two males. She noted that she had definitely never seen thembefore. "My name is Kokuro" she told them. "Thanks for offering the shade" she said as she looked up at the skies, it definitely was quite hot in the mountians, and it was a dry heat compared to the hot heat she had grown up with in the swamps.
Moose: Susumu smiled, his orchid eyes as bright as a Spring flower. “No problem at all, Kokuro. It’s probably closer to being your land that it is ours, so really, we should be thanking you.”
Akarui snorted, and turned his head away. When he had agreed to rest for the night he did not sign up for needless chatter. He was always wary of pride goers, and though the last female that they had spoken to had been nice, who was to say that this one would be the same way?
Frowning, the blue male shook his head of his companion. “The grumpy gills is Akarui, and I am Susumu. We’re travelling entertainers!”
At the look of sheer horror on Rui’s face when he turned to look at Susumu, the brighter lion had to laugh. “Well, not exactly, I guess, but that look is a lot better than that frown you had, mister. Be nice.”
nessiaing: Kokuro couldn't help but laugh, this was quite the duo. Clearly one was a lot friendier than the other. None the less it was nice to see some new faces.
"Where is it that you two are travelling." she assumed only the entertainer part of the statement hadn't been true. Although she did find them to be most entertaining. "If you are looking for the Jini-msemi you don't have to look any further."
Moose: Frowning, Akarui shook his head. “I’m sorry, miss, but I thought the Jini-msemi were in the swampy low lands?” Had the pride moved since the last time he had been through? “In any case we’re searching for the ocean, which if what we’ve been told is correct, should be over these mountains.”
Susumu sat back and placed a paw on his aching back. “Ahh! It would be too much to hope for that we could just drop off this mountain into a nice, cool patch of water. Just fall like a raindrop in a storm.” Grinning he shook out his lustrous mane. “So – what’s the Jini-msemi? Is that the pride you’re from, Kokuro?”
nessiaing: "We moved, not to long ago, we couldn't stay in the swamps. We call the mountains home now." she told the males. It had been quite the hike for all the lions to make but in the end they had made it.
"Jini-msemi is indeed my home, born and raised. I've only left to find my true name and then I came right back." she told them Kokuro was very proud of her home she couldn't imagine living anywhere else.
"Well I can't say I've ever been to the ocean but I've seen a big body of water not far from here on the other side's of the mountian. Plus if you keep going this way there is a great spring of cold water that runs down the mountian side that ends in a cool lake at the base. You should pass it on your way to the ocean." she told them with a nod. She felt like she was being very helpful.
Moose: The larger of the two males nodded. That seemed to make a good deal of sense, since he hadn’t thought it wise to live in a swamp to begin with. Though, he had heard something of a Goddess that had protected them there. Would she still be with them here?
“That’s a relief.” Looking at the bigger male, Susumu gave a smile before turning back to the dark female. “We’ll get started tomorrow and see how close we get. Lake or ocean, cool water is cool water and I plan on soaking in it.” He chuckled.
“It should go unsaid,” Akarui began heavily, “that it would be in our best interest if you didn’t tell anyone that you saw us here.”
“Yes, I’m afraid he does have a point.” Susumu frowned. “If we can get a night of rest we’ll be gone by morning.”
nessiaing: Kokuro nodded her pride was an accepting one, of lions anyways, they wouldn't harm these males but she understood why they may feel intimidated or scared.
"No problem your secret is safe with me." she looked up into the sky noting the movement of the sun, "I should be getting back before someone notcies me missing."
"It was nice meeting you both." They had been kind enough to her and they had entertained her to boot. She rose to her feet and gave them a quick nod before she turned and headed back towards her home.
