Shida gazed up at the slowly rising moon, a contemplative look on his usually expressionless face. It had been a few days since he had bumped into Tayny and had gone hunting with her and he couldn't quite get the interaction out of his head. No one had ever gone out of their way like that to make him feel...well. Normal. It was strange in a scary but exciting way and he replayed the very simple interaction over and over. They'd been successful in their hunt and shared a hare for a snack before they'd gone on their separate ways, Tayny calling out that she promised she'd find him again and they could hang out.

Shida gave a little snort of amusement. Hang out. Like friends. He was still a bit wary of the offer of friendship from the lioness but he was hopeful at the same time. Usually he just had his siblings to look to for companionship or his mother but they weren't always available. Usually Shida found himself alone more often than not and that was fine, but there were times he wished there was someone else he could spend time with. Was Tayny his chance for a normal relationship with someone that wasn't part of his family?

"Hey! There you are!"

The voice caught Shida by surprise and he turned quickly to its source, trying not to smile as he saw Tayny emerge from the trees. She bounded over to him with a few quick strides, all smiles and clearly excited.

"I was looking for you! Glad it didn't take too long to find you. You really blend in at night, you know? How've you been?"

The onslaught of words and the questions made Shida's mind spin and it took him a moment to sort it all out, during which Tayny stood beside Shida smiling patiently. He was an odd one but she supposed he had a right to be. She got the feeling no one went out of their way to talk to him, only interacting if they had to and even then keeping him at paws length. Well, was he in for a surprise! Tayny was dead set on becoming his friend.

"Ah. Yes, I suppose I do," Shida said, looking down at his own dark blue fur. Black was considered the color of darkness and shadows but to truly blend in with the darkness a deep blue or grey or purple would mesh better. "I've been fine," he added, lifting his gaze to look at Tayny once again, his expression still just a bit guarded but far more open than it had been the first time they'd met.

"Good! Glad to hear it. I've been good too. I'm glad I managed to find you, I've been itching to go for a walk out along the edge of the forest to get a look at the sky." The moon was even more full than it had been the other night, the Great Lion almost opening his eye completely. Shida nodded slightly as he rose to his feet, less hesitant this time to follow the bubbly lioness.

Tayny led the way out of the trees, weaving through them as she made her way to the edge of the pride. She knew Shida really shouldn't leave the border but they could walk along outside the trees and be fine. Once they were far enough out from the canopy of leaves she paused and looked up, taking in the millions of stars along with the lone moon. Shida followed and sat beside Tayny, the two silent for a bit while they took in the vastness of the sky.

"Makes you feel small," Shida said, finally breaking the silence. His voice was a bit forlorn and caused Tayny to glance over at him, her ears pressed down in concern. Shida didn't look at her, instead keeping his eyes trained on the sky, eyes moving from star cluster to start cluster. Weighing on what to say, Tayny was quiet for a bit before she leaned in to nudge her shoulder against Shida's. The male turned to look at her in surprise, bright eyes blinking in the darkness.

"Makes you feel lucky," she finally said with a small smile. "To be alive. To be here in this pride. There's so much history here in the Mwezi and we're living through more of it that cubs ten generations from now will be told about."

Shida snorted softly and looked away again, his head hanging just a bit.

"Yeah. About the time the Great Lion turned his back on the pride and the cursed cubs that were born during that time." Tayny bit her tongue to keep herself from denying Shida's words because it was true. Cubs would be told about Shida and the other litters that were born during the dark time. But they'd also be told how the Great Lion returned, how things settled down, how the Queen made a new decree about the Lords and Ladies.

"And about how the higher class all need to pitch in to help the pride instead of picking a rank where they used to just lay about?" she added with a little giggle. "And about how the cursed cubs grew up to be contributing members of the pride where the Lords and Ladies hadn't? Maybe that's why the queen changed the law." Shida glanced back at Tayny hesitantly though he did have a more hopeful look on his face now. That was true...things were changing in the pride. Perhaps for the better. He had a friend now it seemed, the queen was doing things to change the polarizing nature of ranks...maybe things were looking up.

"A better way to look at it, I suppose," Shida murmured which drew a chuckle from Tayny. She leaned in to bump her shoulder against his again before standing and she motioned with her head to indicate they should continue walking.

"Come on, let's keep going. I think this is just what you need, Shida. Someone to show you the bright side of things." Tayny trotted off along the treeline, leaving Shida behind for a moment before the male stood and followed. Maybe this friendship was what he needed after all. He picked up the pace to catch up with Tayny, his heart feeling a bit lighter, his entire being feeling a bit less small.

FIN
WC: 1067