Most vividly among the memories of his childhood Oddmund remembered his early encounters with females. Those born in the pride rarely gave him a second thought, he couldn’t understand it anymore. He’d been an awkward teenager, all legs and attitude. But he’d grown up, he’d matured, surely it was a misunderstanding. Maybe he’d have a better shot with this odd stranger, she’d already given him more time than they usually did. He stared down at his paws, fumbling with the odd assortment of shells he’d gathered while waiting on the beach. She’d think it was stupid, he just knew it. Useless to try and change who he was, he might as well pack it in for the night and head home. She wasn’t going to show.
Davke considered her options, watching the male from atop the cliffs. Her coat was brushed down with flowers, a trick she’d learned from her mother. It gave a hint of allure, enough that she might hope to confuse him if things strayed from how she hoped they would. Although in truth she wasn’t quite sure yet what she hoped. She’d heard nothing good about this Oddmund, few seemed to know anything at all besides that his family was involved in some strong fermentation. While the male himself hadn’t appeared intoxicated at their last meeting, she thought it might be beneficial to keep the knowledge in the back of her mind when she formed her own opinion of him. She had told herself to give him at least some chance, after all he’d done the same for her. Strangers it seemed were valued here for their ability to fight their way in. Her entry had been less graceful than it was simply lucky, some had not taken so kindly to the battered lioness who spoke little and understood less. Sighing, she took stock of herself and leapt down the rocks, landing nearby him in the sand.
Startled by the burst of sand that rose up around her, Oddmund kicked the shells aside. “I was, ah,” he stammered, finally putting on a sour face, “Took ya long enough, one more second and I was gonna take off. Leave ya all a-“ His eyes fell, tracing the line of her body. She looked smoother now, her fur beginning to take shape around the scars that now seemed almost purposeful on her back. “Aw I ain’t gonna do nothin but wait till the sun came up,” he admitted, pressing his mane back out of his eyes. The bones he used to decorate his braids clattered as he did, distracting him from a moment from how nervous he was. He’d always liked bones, and dirt for that matter. He couldn’t see himself giving all that up for any wife.
Unprovoked, but then Davke could tell that her appearance had made him nervous. She stepped to the side, a wry smile playing across her face. “I am to wait?” she asked, a hint of mischief in her voice. She had no intention of leaving his company, but she enjoyed feeling like she wasn’t the most awkward one in the conversation. It was refreshing, given how rarely she managed to converse at all. “Where is de tide?” She was actually serious about the endeavor, having never seen anything larger than a lake in her lifetime this phenomenon seemed exclusive to oceans. That he felt it beautiful enough to share with her made it all the more a curiosity.
“Well it ah, comes an goes,” he stuttered, looking out toward the horizon, “I reckon we can watch it comin in if we get up on the rocks.” That would afford them a nice view of the last of the sunrise too. Heck if he were trying any harder it’d be one of those grand romance stories they tell to cubs at their mother’s side. He was just about a storybook hero. The thought renewed some of his confidence and Oddmund placed a paw on her shoulder, directing her toward the outcrop he was referring to. It stretched out just under a hundred yards from the shore, falling off into smaller cliffs and crags as it went. Beneath there was a wide section of tidal pools, the perfect place to pick off an easy meal if his traps came up empty. But this was no time for a meal, he doubted she’d be keen on eating anything he provided.
Davke flinched away from the touch but gradually felt herself relax into it. He wasn’t trying to harm her, just show her the way. She was innately conscious of how close behind he had followed, swishing her tail in a way of creating a barrier between them. It was as they ascended the slope that she became aware of just how much larger the lion of this pride were. Even with the foot of height granted to her by the slope he still seemed to tower over. Were the situation different she realized she might feel intimidated, but in the moment she found it almost comforting. “You watch often?” she asked, trying to sound personable despite her reservations about agreeing to this meeting.
“Me?” He laughed, stifling it after a second when he realized she might misunderstand and think he was mocking her, “I uh, no I don’t. I live way down in the forest.” In fact he rarely ventured to the water’s edge at all unless he was looking for a quick meal. There were those that dreamed of grand adventures, Oddmund had once counted himself among them, but that had been a long time ago. “Here’s best,” he told her, settling himself on the edge. He made a point to sit just a little further forward than she did, finding himself feeling a little less confident than he usually did. There was something about the lioness that he found exotic, certainly different. She hadn’t mocked him or made jests against his family and he enjoyed time with her, even if they rarely spoke more than a few words to each other.
The lioness settled beside him, letting her body rest a little closer than her gut told her was wise. In truth she enjoyed feeling the heat radiating from him, being close to another living being. It didn’t bother her how haggard he tended to look, in her home it was the mark of one truly committed to their work, and often the bones worn were those of other lions. Compared to what she had been exposed to as a cub, Oddmund seemed almost ordinary. But he wasn’t quite, and that’s what she found herself attracted to. As the waves began to crash closer to the shore, salt spray coming up to touch their faces, Davke leaned in to touch him, breathing deep the smell of stale forest litter that clung so tightly around him. It made her feel grounded, home. If staying in this place meant spending her nights like this, then maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.
Oddmund stiffened as he felt the lioness press against him and he opened his mouth to speak. The noise that came out was strangled, he thought better of it. If it was a mistake then he dared not correct her and if not then he worried he’d only ruin it. He was happy just leaving well enough alone. Instead he leaned back slightly, pointing out to her the fins of creatures on the horizon and beginning to regale her with the stories of grand sea monsters he’d been told in his youth.
Word count: 1259
