Naida could list all the mistakes she made with the fingers of her paw. She could brag that she hardly ever made mistakes. It just wasn't something she did too often. The mistakes she did make always seemed big though. When she was younger she had gotten in a fight with the chiefs son, resulting in the son getting seriously injured. The chief was so upset with her that he kicked her and her family out of their home.

That was her first mistake she could think of and it was probably her biggest one. It was her main reason for being so loyal to her family and sticking by her parents even after her siblings had left. There were a couple smaller mistakes here and there, but her next big one was Ceto. She knew that she should have been more demanding of her son, that she shouldn't have been so easy on him, but she couldn't help but baby him.

Her newest mistake was right in front of her, she thought as she slowly woke up. Caelius was still sound asleep in front of her. They started sharing a den. Most of the locals started whispering, but it didn't bother her. Let them talk.

That said, she could feel herself getting... attached. It had been two weeks time since her and Caelius had shared their first kiss. They kept their relationship at a steady pace, while keeping their limited time in mind.

To be fair though, Naida had no idea that it would be this long. By now she thought the cheetahs would return to this area. Caelius would get his information and they would have a tearful departure. At this point, when it was time for him to go, she wouldn't want to see him go. She was sure that she could convince him to stay with her. But she couldn't do that to him. He had a journey a head of him. There would be excitement and adventure for him. And she wouldn't want to stop him from finding his father.

She slowly got up and looked out of the den. It was a quiet morning. She took a deep breath of the cool area. Behind her Caelius started to stir. “Good morning.” She greeted quietly.

He rubbed his eyes as he looked at Naida. Every time he woke up and she was there he filled with glee. Part of him had always expected that he would open his eyes and she wouldn't be there. But there she was as beautiful as always when he woke up.

“Morning,” he said as he slowly got up. She had always gotten up sooner then he did. He had a feeling she didn't want him to catch her sleeping in. Every morning she was quiet when she got up, making sure to let him continue sleeping. However he was a light sleeper and when she stirred he usually started to wake up.

They were a good match, he thought with a small smile. She was everything he wanted in a mate. Sometimes everything can be perfect except for one thing and in this case it was time. If he had met her after he met his father, this would be completely different. He could stay with her as long she could put up with him.

He could feel his time slipping away though. The group of cheetahs hadn't arrived yet. And as much he would enjoy just waiting for them, he knew he had other things to take care of. He could always come back and check to see if they came back or not. But he couldn't wait too much longer.

“Does the group of cheetahs usually take this long to come back?” He asked as he walked over and stood next to her.

She brushed the dirt off his cloud white fur. “No not usually. I thought they would be here by now. They enjoy trading with us and telling us about the stories they've heard.” Naida explained. “They're never gone this long. I wonder if something happened to them.”

The group was a tad shadier then the usually locals. They were allowed in the area because they brought interesting objects back with them. Naida had always had a feeling that they were stealing some of the objects, but she never had any proof.

She didn't mention her thoughts on the group to Caelius, because she hoped they could help her.

“I might have to go without getting any information from them.” He said slowly, trying to choose his words carefully. “I'm afraid of waiting too long for them. I don't think I should be here for too long...” What he was trying to avoid saying was that he didn't want to get to the point where he felt like he had to stay out of duty for her.

“I might go look else where for information, a lead, anything and then come back here in a couple weeks. Do you think you could talk to them when they have arrived? Maybe just tell them a little about me and my father?” Caelius asked. It was a lot to ask for he knew. But he hoped that his relationship with her would be enough for her to do that for him.

“Of course I will Caelius. The moment I see them come through I will talk to them.” She said with a smile. “When are you planning on heading out? Not right away right?”

Naida wanted him to stay just a little longer. A quick departure might be best for the situation, but she wished that he would stay just little longer. Just so she could say goodbye.

“I should leave now.” He said with a serious tone. His tail wrapped around hers. It was amazing how little size difference there was to them. He was used to lioness towering over him, but they were about the same size. Truly a perfect match. 'wrong time, wrong place.' he thought.

“But I'll wait and leave in the morning. I'd hate to leave to abruptly. And maybe with some luck, they'll show up to night. One can always wish.” He said with a weak smile.

Naida rubbed her face against his. “Thank you for staying, even if it is just one more day. I promise it will be worth it. You have defiantly kept me entertained these past few days. I've enjoyed having company outside the locals. It has been a blast.”

She didn't want to get too sentimental.

The rest of the day they kept close to each other, going on a short hunting expedition, then enjoying each others singing after they ate. Then they went to Naida's den to rest.

By the time she woke up Caelius was gone. There wasn't even a sign that he had been there. She felt a tinge of coldness swell in her. This wasn't how she wanted to say goodbye. 'It's for the best,' she thought as she turned over and tried to go back to sleep.

Caelius knew if he saw Naida in the morning he wouldn't be able to leave. He knew he loved her. And he knew he wanted to stay there with her. But she deserved to much more then him. There was only so much he could do. She deserved to find a mate who could be there for her and stay by her side. He had to find his father. The sooner he found his father, the sooner he might be able to find someone like Naida, or even have the chance to become part of Naida's life.

If the gods approved of them, he was sure he would meet her once again, in the right time and place.

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