Ahe yawned as he stretched his limbs slowly and carefully, extending each one with a precise amount of movement to ensure that he would get the most out of the daily waking ritual. He blinked sleep away from his eyes, swallowing and licking his chops twice before pulling himself to his feet and moving slowly out of his den. A smile slowly extended over his maw as his bright eyes roamed the horizon, the sun was giant and beautiful as it sunk further into the horizon. It painted the land the same colors that extended from his mouth to his stomach, the world bathed in the magical light that he loved so much. Sunset was the perfect time to wake, and the perfect time for a fresh stroll. His tail flicked as he started doing just that, his feet carrying him at a leisurely pace away from the den he had made his home. He liked to watch different families in the pride as nighttime started to arrive, most of the time feeling completely content. Some sunsets though he could not help the twinge of jealousy over the happy families he saw. Of course he still had his mother, who he’d always gotten along better with than his father, and all of his siblings, but it wasn’t quite the same. He enjoyed seeing the likeliness of cubs running at their parents paws, playing rough and tumble with their own siblings. It stirred something deep inside him, and not for the first time he thought he would like something much the same for his own.
He had had no luck in that department, unfortunately. He was too often by himself, finding his own company most pleasant. He found trying to woo females cumbersome, and often was left wanting in the way of conversation. He gave up too quickly after meeting those of the fairer sex, he knew that much and had long since forgiven himself for it. Life went on, of course. The sun rose and roamed the sky in a similar path each and every day, and eventually it sunk to slumber. It followed much the same pattern as his own, though they just seemed to be moving in opposite directions. The stars would soon be kissing the sky, speckled through the inky blackness in what he would consider a poetic manner. He could find a quiet place to sit and watch, the same way he found a secret spot each and every night. He would watch them twinkle and sparkle, and if he was lucky he might see one or two zip from it's stationary spot in the dark and soar somewhere equally secret.
He started to hum as he tried not to think too much about his singular life, deciding that he was at least a small part of something much bigger. He was a Pridelander, after all. He was part of a large pride, a booming pride that was mostly happy and doing well for itself. It would be nice for other things to come to him in his life, but he could not constantly dwell on it. He would do his duties for his pride, help feed the hungry mouths of those who surrounded him. After a while the grass was tall enough to brush playfully against his shoulders and he sighed contentedly, slowing himself down and eventually deciding that this would be his spot for the evening. The sun had since said goodbye to the sky, no longer visable. The first of the stars were peaking through the murky darkness, not yet an inky black. More like the depths of a very deep watering hole, still quite blue. He smiled to himself as he flopped over, shifting and snuggling into his grassy spot. He very much enjoyed the changes the sky went through at this time, so many and so quickly. It was always beautiful, and even though it usually went much the same way... it was also always very different. There were always special colors to pick out, different stars that showed up first... sometimes the clouds filled the sky endlessly and sometimes there was not even one single cloud in sight.
He hummed softly to himself, eyes focused in one spot as the night time seemed to get deeper and deeper, more tiny specks of light dotting his vision. The stars were always so beautiful, he liked how they seemed to dance around the sky as time went by. He even laughed lightly as little warm glows of yellow blinked on and off, much closer above him. Little fireflies, which was a treat. The flitted in and out of the tall grasses, trying to compete with the beauty of the stars. He raised a paw up lazily, waiting calmly for only a short while before a little bug landed down on his white toes. He was delighted as it's little light blinked slowly on then off a few times before it flitted away again. This was exactly how he enjoyed spending his evenings, when it wasn't imperative that he join in on hunting activities. There was something so calm and serendipitous about spending his evenings like this. It was easy to hide the worries that edged his mind and his thoughts, easy to remember that there were definitely things in life that he was thankful for and happy for. Quiet nights that he spend with the stars and with the little fire bugs were some where high up on that list, admittedly.
He rolled to his side and let out a deep and relaxed breath. Yes, he could be happy going on like this for the rest of his days... even if he often felt that twinge of jealousy over the little family units he also witnessed each evening. He could, couldn't he? He very much wanted this to be a truth etched deep down into his soul... but each beautiful night that passed seemed to have him more and more unsure about that fact. Perhaps it was time to try his paw at socializing with females once again... it had been quite some time, after all. Maybe things could be different this time around...