It was a brilliant, cloudless night over the Mwezi’Johari lands. That was why Dareia, ever the nightwalker, lie in the grass just outside the den area, eyes gazing upward at the moon. The whole sky seemed to be sparkling, dotted with stars of all sizes, only serving to highlight the beauty of the night. She was on her back, glad for the easy vantage point with which to stare at the sky. It was a favorite pastime of hers, dating from even before she heard about and sought out the Mwezi lands.
Typically on guard duty in the wee hours of the morning (or night, however you chose to look at it), Ki’jivu was on a different kind of mission tonight. The past few shifts he had were better than he ever could have imagined – all because of one beautiful lioness named Dareia. She had stumbled upon him during a recent shift, and the two hit it off right away. She was sweet and so easy to be around – Ki’jivu couldn’t keep her off his mind. He knew he was still a young lion, and naivete followed youth around quite closely, but something within him told him that she was it, and his heart swelled at the thought.
Free for once, he was on the hunt to find the lioness. Though some may view the act as a little creepy, it didn’t feel weird at all to him – after all, she had sought him out the past few nights, why wasn’t it time for him to do the same to her? He had already covered the bordering river and found nothing (save for another lion completing guard duty), so he immediately headed back to the dens. Perhaps she was hanging out around there.
Peeking throughout the dens, he realized she was not around. As a hail Mary, he skirted the lands outside the dens and spotted her quickly. Although, she didn’t look quite the same – flopped on her back, staring up at the night sky. A smile placed itself upon Ki’jivu’s face as he slowly, carefully padded over to her – not making a sound. Once he drew close, he approached her head, craning to put his face directly in her line of sight. “Having fun?”
Dareia was lost in thought and thus hadn’t hear the other lion approaching, which is why she yelped when the lion obstructed her view. “Hey!” she shouted, startled, before she realized it was Ki’jivu and she dissolved into girlish giggles. Rolling over, she gathered herself and stood up, shaking out her fur for any dust it may have gathered. “Sneaking up on a defenseless lioness, tsk tsk,” she jested. Even though she could still feel her heart pounding from the small scare, she felt it swelling. He sought her out. That must mean something, right? “Want to go on a walk?” She asked, hoping that he meant to spend more time with her.
Ki’jivu laughed at her response, enjoying the sound of her own giggles. He really loved making her laugh, he thought idly, before returning to their conversation. At her question, he shook his head and planted his rear end on the ground. “We’ve been doing a lot of walking lately, maybe we could just sit here and enjoy the view?” He gazed at her intently with his dark gray eyes, not sure if he meant “the view” to be the moon and stars or her face. Either way, he knew he’d enjoy simply sitting and chatting with Dareia.
The lioness smiled when the other before her sat down, and she shuffled a bit, moving slightly closer to him, before doing the same. “Even if we’re not walking, I think I’ll still enjoy your company,” she said with a smile. “You and that starry mane of yours,” she added, staring at the sparkling nature of his fur. It was truly beautiful, she thought, and she could stare at it forever.
Perceptive as he was, it naturally didn’t escape Ki’jivu that she scooted closer to him. He appreciated it, but only wished it would go one step further – he was curious what her body would feel like resting beside his. He hadn’t had the joy of another lion’s touch since cubhood, really, when he would cuddle with his mother, and he missed it. Although he was sure Dareia’s touch would feel very gratifying – but in a much different and new way. He blushed a bit, his skin growing hot, at her comment about his mane. He really was proud of it – he was like the ideal little Mwezi, something that hadn’t escaped much of the litter in which he had been born. It was a blessing, to say the least.
“You, ah,” he started, feeling bashful for once. “You don’t have a mate, do you? I never… I never got around to asking, but I’m… curious.”
Dareia could feel the male staring at her and fought the urge to lower her eyes and dip her head away from him. She forced herself to revel in his gaze, taking it as a signal of attraction – one that she was more than happy to accept. This was only reinforced when he opened his mouth, stumbling over his own words. Before she decided to respond, she scooted closer and extended her head, nuzzling her muzzle into his soft mane fur. She took a deep breath, enjoying the scent of him, before removing her muzzle and smiling broadly, enjoying the look of shock on his face. “No mate,” she stated matter-of-factly before continuing, “Yet.” She smiled a sly smile and waited for him to respond.
Ki’jivu had never been so caught off guard. When Dareia moved forward and nuzzled into him, he felt all the tension in his muscles relax. Except for his heart – that started pounding like crazy. In response when she moved away, he merely nodded, feeling a bit numb. “If, uh,” he continued stumbling, still taken aback by the brazen act of affection. “I’m yours if you want me to be,” he said, feeling a bit lame with his response. He had been avoiding her eyesight in the past few moments, but finally felt brave enough to look up and meet her emerald eyes.
His response was exactly what she’d been hoping for, and Dareia’s heart soared for it. “Then consider yourself mine,” she said simply, smiling as she leaned in and planted her muzzle on his neck once more. It was soft and, she noticed, it felt like home.
Typically on guard duty in the wee hours of the morning (or night, however you chose to look at it), Ki’jivu was on a different kind of mission tonight. The past few shifts he had were better than he ever could have imagined – all because of one beautiful lioness named Dareia. She had stumbled upon him during a recent shift, and the two hit it off right away. She was sweet and so easy to be around – Ki’jivu couldn’t keep her off his mind. He knew he was still a young lion, and naivete followed youth around quite closely, but something within him told him that she was it, and his heart swelled at the thought.
Free for once, he was on the hunt to find the lioness. Though some may view the act as a little creepy, it didn’t feel weird at all to him – after all, she had sought him out the past few nights, why wasn’t it time for him to do the same to her? He had already covered the bordering river and found nothing (save for another lion completing guard duty), so he immediately headed back to the dens. Perhaps she was hanging out around there.
Peeking throughout the dens, he realized she was not around. As a hail Mary, he skirted the lands outside the dens and spotted her quickly. Although, she didn’t look quite the same – flopped on her back, staring up at the night sky. A smile placed itself upon Ki’jivu’s face as he slowly, carefully padded over to her – not making a sound. Once he drew close, he approached her head, craning to put his face directly in her line of sight. “Having fun?”
Dareia was lost in thought and thus hadn’t hear the other lion approaching, which is why she yelped when the lion obstructed her view. “Hey!” she shouted, startled, before she realized it was Ki’jivu and she dissolved into girlish giggles. Rolling over, she gathered herself and stood up, shaking out her fur for any dust it may have gathered. “Sneaking up on a defenseless lioness, tsk tsk,” she jested. Even though she could still feel her heart pounding from the small scare, she felt it swelling. He sought her out. That must mean something, right? “Want to go on a walk?” She asked, hoping that he meant to spend more time with her.
Ki’jivu laughed at her response, enjoying the sound of her own giggles. He really loved making her laugh, he thought idly, before returning to their conversation. At her question, he shook his head and planted his rear end on the ground. “We’ve been doing a lot of walking lately, maybe we could just sit here and enjoy the view?” He gazed at her intently with his dark gray eyes, not sure if he meant “the view” to be the moon and stars or her face. Either way, he knew he’d enjoy simply sitting and chatting with Dareia.
The lioness smiled when the other before her sat down, and she shuffled a bit, moving slightly closer to him, before doing the same. “Even if we’re not walking, I think I’ll still enjoy your company,” she said with a smile. “You and that starry mane of yours,” she added, staring at the sparkling nature of his fur. It was truly beautiful, she thought, and she could stare at it forever.
Perceptive as he was, it naturally didn’t escape Ki’jivu that she scooted closer to him. He appreciated it, but only wished it would go one step further – he was curious what her body would feel like resting beside his. He hadn’t had the joy of another lion’s touch since cubhood, really, when he would cuddle with his mother, and he missed it. Although he was sure Dareia’s touch would feel very gratifying – but in a much different and new way. He blushed a bit, his skin growing hot, at her comment about his mane. He really was proud of it – he was like the ideal little Mwezi, something that hadn’t escaped much of the litter in which he had been born. It was a blessing, to say the least.
“You, ah,” he started, feeling bashful for once. “You don’t have a mate, do you? I never… I never got around to asking, but I’m… curious.”
Dareia could feel the male staring at her and fought the urge to lower her eyes and dip her head away from him. She forced herself to revel in his gaze, taking it as a signal of attraction – one that she was more than happy to accept. This was only reinforced when he opened his mouth, stumbling over his own words. Before she decided to respond, she scooted closer and extended her head, nuzzling her muzzle into his soft mane fur. She took a deep breath, enjoying the scent of him, before removing her muzzle and smiling broadly, enjoying the look of shock on his face. “No mate,” she stated matter-of-factly before continuing, “Yet.” She smiled a sly smile and waited for him to respond.
Ki’jivu had never been so caught off guard. When Dareia moved forward and nuzzled into him, he felt all the tension in his muscles relax. Except for his heart – that started pounding like crazy. In response when she moved away, he merely nodded, feeling a bit numb. “If, uh,” he continued stumbling, still taken aback by the brazen act of affection. “I’m yours if you want me to be,” he said, feeling a bit lame with his response. He had been avoiding her eyesight in the past few moments, but finally felt brave enough to look up and meet her emerald eyes.
His response was exactly what she’d been hoping for, and Dareia’s heart soared for it. “Then consider yourself mine,” she said simply, smiling as she leaned in and planted her muzzle on his neck once more. It was soft and, she noticed, it felt like home.