[Private] Love Will Tear Us Apart

[YFWE]

The dusty ground below his paws, Kweli sighed heavily, for a moment feeling himself overcome by nostalgia, as he often was these days. And how could he not be? Sometimes it was the only thing that kept him sane. He was spending a lot of time alone these days, having taken over from Hiroshi on border patrol. Though company was often found in the form of Rafiki, the mandrill shaman that lived in the giant baobab tree a little ways away from Pride Rock, Kweli would only be able to visit the monkey for brief periods of time, as he had to make it back to their usual spot in time for his friends' nightly ritual.

He spied Kito and Hiroshi ahead, already having taken their places at their usual spot. There, however, was no sign of Ari, which unnerved Kweli, to say the least. It had been well over a day since the lioness had left on her first hunt, and still she had not returned. Granted, gone were the days of being able to find prey within walking distance of Pride Rock, but her absence was still disconcerting, given that anything could have happened to her. She could still be searching for prey on one paw, but on the other... well, Kweli did not want to think about that right then and there, although it was something that could not be avoided for much longer. Rafiki seemed to to believe that she was still fine, and he trusted the wise shaman. Still, he had a feeling that his fears would not be quelled until he saw Ari, back safe and sound, for himself.

Finally reaching his two friends, he gave a quick, curt nod to the both of them as he found his way over to his normal, premeditated spot in the rundown that he had held for many seasons. There were many things that had changed, both in the Pride Lands and in the four young lions, in the moons since that fateful evening when they returned from Paradise to find their living quarters tampered with and realized that Ari was in possible danger, but many things had also remained static, and Kweli's place inside the group of friends--as well as their own places inside the hierarchy of the group--had remained constant and unchanging.

"Evening, guys," Kweli greeted his friends in what was now a much deeper voice than before, though as he was still a small lion compared to the norm--and especially Hiroshi and Kito--it was by no means a booming, commanding voice. "Sorry to be running a little late; I tend to lose track of time sometimes."

He glanced around before slowly lowering himself down onto the dusty, barren land. "Though it looks like I didn't have to worry about being late anyway. Hear any word from Ari?"

He did not have to wait long for a response. A short time later, approaching them from the side opposite of where Kweli had met up with them, was a slender lioness, whom Kweli recognized, once she was close enough for the lioness's features to be distinguishable, as Ari.

"Well, isn't this a sight?" came Ari's cool, calm voice, acting at first as if she were completely apathetic at the sight of the three lions before her before breaking into a wide grin, running the final few steps to the group, bumping heads with Hiroshi.

"I'm so sorry it took me so long," she apologized as she turned to face Kweli and Kito as well. "Things didn't exactly go as well as I would've liked. In fact... as you can see, it didn't go well at all," she sighed as she slumped into her normal spot on the ground, burying her face against Hiroshi's long frame. "One kill. And guess what it was?"

She raised her head, first looking over at Hiroshi, and then over to Kito and Kweli, urging them to guess.

"A warthog!" she blurted out finally. "And I mean 'a' as in 'one.' Just one. And I would've brought it back but I hadn't eaten in two suns, so what was I supposed to do? Had I not found that little thing, I probably would've been so zapped of energy that I might not have made it back here before collapsing."

Taking another deep breath in before sighing pronouncedly, she smiled pleasantly. "So! How have you guys been? Still alive, I see. And Kito's fat as ever. King's still fueling your gluttony, aye Kit?"

[KiarasMate]

Hearing the sounds of paw steps coming from behind where he was positioned, hoping that it might be Ari returning, Hiroshi turned quickly as his eyes fell upon the sight of another male approaching where he and Kito stood, the last amounts of remaining sunlight beaming over the smaller male’s light brown mane as a fond smile worked its way over Hiroshi’s muzzle. While being slightly disappointed that it wasn’t Ari, Hiroshi smiled in earnest as he waved a large fore paw in the general direction to which the lone male was traveling, addressing him in a cheery voice.

”Good evening Kweli. Glad to see you tonight. Hope your rounds went smoothly.”

Noticing Kweli’s presence now, Kito wasn’t quite as endearing to the smaller male as his friend had been, merely giving the smaller lion a nod of acknowledgement as he watched Kweli taking up his usual vantage point among the group. Blowing a bit of his mane out from over his face, Kito glanced over at Kweli with a smug expression as he spoke up to him in a quizzical tone.

”I sure hope you stopped by The Main Den before you came here Kweli, to give your report to Scar? I don’t want him chewing my ass out for you being forgetful again.”

Resuming his nervous pacing, Hiroshi twitched his ears as Kweli’s voice reached him. Turning to face his friend, Hiroshi shook his head as he was about to speak up in response that they hadn’t heard any news about Ari’s return, when an all too familiar voice broke through the silence, causing Hiroshi to whirl about. There, standing several hundred paces away from where the trio of males were gathered, stood a stunning young lioness. Upon first glance, Hiroshi’s eyes seemed to light up as he could feel his tail swaying excitedly behind him. Feeling an overwhelming sensation of joy and relief sweeping over him, Hiroshi could barely restrain himself as he stayed put, waiting for Ari to close the distance before meeting her in a friendly gesture of head bumps and nuzzles. Purring happily to once more, see her pretty face and to be able to take in her alluring scent, Hiroshi listened intently to Ari as she filled him in on the results of her first solo hunt. Drooping his ears slightly from the outcome, Hiroshi nuzzled her reassuringly as he spoke up in a proud tone.

”Hey, it’s better than nothing Ari and you still should be very proud! You know we all are proud of you and we’re happy you’re back.”

Listening to Ari’s story about her hunt, Kito sported a coy smile as he heard her comment that was directed towards himself. Huffing in a bothered fashion, Kito sat proudly and acted as though her words meant nothing to him. Waiting for Ari and Hiroshi to finish up their overly enthusiastic greeting towards one another, having to look away as his eyes averted up to the darkening sky above, Kito spoke up in a casual voice as he lazily lowered his sinewy body back down upon the parched ground below.

”Just cause you’re in The Hunting Party, doesn’t mean I still can’t take you down, so I’d watch that tongue of yours Daddy’s Girl. Besides, shouldn’t you be saving your insults for future failed hunts?”

Rolling his eyes at Kito, Hiroshi turned his focus back to Ari as he too, laid himself down upon the dirt below him, patting a fore paw next to him, encouraging Ari to join him by his side. Keeping his hazel eyes fixated upon her slender physique, Hiroshi felt those familiar feelings building in the pit of his stomach as the young lioness drew near. Ari had already had her first heat cycle and as much as he protested, Nafsi wouldn’t let him spend time with her during those three days, even though he assured her that he wouldn’t try anything funny. Now that Ari had come home, it was like that same feeling over again, but this time around, things were different. Waiting for Ari to get nice and comfortable, Hiroshi glanced over at Kweli as he stated in a pleasant voice.

”Well, do you want to start us off tonight Kweli? Is it true what I heard about Nala leaving?”

[YFWE]

As she laid herself down on the dusty ground between Hiroshi and Kito (though of course more toward Hiroshi), Ari laughed as she fielded Kito's comment, shrugging it off as she often did to him and he often did to her. "Must I keep reminding you of that time I had to basically do your hunting for you, Kito? When you were more lost than a hippo without water? I do love telling the story, so keep barbing me on one failed hunt when you know damn well that His Majesty is the reason there's no food for as far as the eye can see."

Pleased with her response, she cozied herself up to Hiroshi, quite happy to be by his side once more. Over the past few weeks, the two of them had slowly begun to work their way back up to the point in their friendship that they had been at before the night of the Paradise visit, and had even exceeded it, growing closer and closer each day. That said, neither Hiroshi nor Ari had been able to tell the other how they felt just yet, but it had become almost an unspoken thing by now--Hiroshi and Ari were quite infatuated with each other, despite what they may say. Nafsi could attest to this, for one thing. Ari had recently gone through her first heat cycle and while it was relatively uneventful, not only had Nafsi had to keep Hiroshi away from her, but vice versa. Ari had even been caught by Nafsi a few times trying to escape from her mother's watchful eye during this time. The young lioness had not been sure what she would have done once she had found Hiroshi necessarily, but all she knew during those few days was that she wanted to be near him more than ever.

Turning inward toward Hiroshi and taking his paw with her own, Ari nuzzled up against Hiroshi's side as she waited for Kweli to speak, actually quite interested in the matter of Nala leaving but wishing to make up for lost time with Hiroshi more than anything at that point.

Having smiled quaintly at the romantic scene nearby, Kweli heard himself finally being addressed and, nodding, laid his head back against what little grass was left. "Oh, right," he said. "That. Well, what you heard is true. Nala ran off. Told some of the other lionesses that she was going for help. At this point, it's hard to tell if that's her real motives or if she's just ditching us. After all, given the abuse she's received from His Majesty--you know what I'm talking about--who would want to stay?"

"So Nala's out of the picture. Didn't see any sign of her on my patrols today, either. Didn't see much of anything, come to think of it. All I can do nowadays is notice how much less grass there is each day, or how the quantity of water in the Waterhole diminishes each time I pass it. Rafiki seems hopeful that Nala will be able to find help, though I'm not so sue that I trust his judgment on this one. Sometimes I think he could go out and find help himself, he's so smart..."

Kweli stopped there, knowing that his chronic raving about Rafiki tended to annoy Kito. He could not help it though; the mandrill had been right about a lot of things and was very wise all in all. It was hard not to show some sort of adulation for the shaman.

Ari groaned. "Great, thanks Nala. Now His Majesty'll be sure to come after me again. I kind of like my sleeping pelt right now; I've grown attached to it. I'd rather not him come back in and do what Kito does when he thinks of the King in his spare time again."

Smirking as she raised her head momentarily from Hiroshi's warm hide, Ari called over to Kito. "Speaking of which, how was my favorite little kiss-ass's day? Anything even mildly important happen?"

[KiarasMate]

Situating himself so that he was comfortably positioned with one fore leg draped over Ari’s chest, keeping her close to his warm body while his other fore leg rested in between the both of them, his paw lightly entangled around Ari’s as was their customary tradition whenever they laid side by side for the nightly ritual. Listening intently as Kweli confirmed the rumors that had been circulating throughout the pride all day, Hiroshi couldn’t help but to frown slightly. Ari’s comment which followed suit clearly expressed the same feelings he felt from the news and having the possibility that the peaceful times might take another unexpected turn, Hiroshi found himself drawing Ari in closer to him as he gently hugged her tighter, not wanting to let her go anytime soon it appeared.

Kito only seemed to be partially paying attention to Kweli as he spoke, as the news about Nala’s absence had been the talk of the pride and Kito for one had already grown sick of the matter. Keeping his eyes fixed away from Hiroshi and Ari, as he rather disliked to see the two whenever they were acting out their affection towards one another publicly. Kito for one, didn’t understand why they hadn’t already just come out and stated that they were a couple. By the looks of them and the way they acted around each other, even the most dimwitted of creatures would be able to discern the strong feelings they both shared for one another. Not wishing to stare directly at Kweli either while the smaller lion spoke, Kito simply stared up at the heavens above as he waited for his friend to finish speaking, a look of irritation notable upon his face from Kweli mentioning Rafiki. Having served Scar’s every whim for the past season and a half, Kito had been sent on many excursions with Kweli and had to endure his nonstop babble about how wise and all knowing the blue butted baboon was supposed to be. It bothered Kito more in the fact that half the time Kweli spoke, he didn’t understand what he was even referring to as the lunatic monkey seemed to have been rubbing off on Kweli himself, causing his already knowledgeable speak to grow even more philosophical, thus confusing poor Kito’s simplistic mind to no end. Still, he put up with Kweli as best he could and even though their friendship still hadn’t improved much, it at least hadn’t deteriorated any further. Hearing Ari’s snide remark, Kito rolled onto his side, resting his head upon his fore paw and taking up a thoughtful looking stance as if to mock Ari in return as he spoke in a dubious voice.

”Hmm, someone seems extra sassy tonight. What’s the matter Daddy’s Girl? Are you really that upset that you failed your hunt? I mean, what’s the difference between this failure and your others, aside from the fact that there was no one else around to laugh at you and your mother not being around to feel ashamed of her precious little daughter, who could only catch a single stinkin’ warthog. It’s a shame that none of Nafsi’s hunting skills or good looks were passed on to you Tomcat. Guess you take after your father’s side of the family, huh?” Letting out an amused chuckle, Kito ran a fore paw through his mane to straighten a few strands that had gotten out of line before he continued speaking. ”And as far as my day went, it was very unproductive to say the least. It seems as though Nala’s little disappearing act has really ticked Scar off and he’s sworn to keep a closer eye on all of his female subjects from here on out. He also still believes that the rains will come any day now. He’s got plenty of food to keep himself going for at least another season stowed away in his private little hiding spot that only he and I know about. Other than that though, I basically played messenger today, running back and forth from den to den. Oh, speaking of which Tomcat,”Kito stated, giving Ari a quick glance. ”Nafsi said that you should pay her a visit right when you get home. Maybe I should have told you that earlier. My mistake.” Kito smirked as he rested his head back down upon the dry earth and fell silent.

Paying attention to what Kito was saying as he continued to embrace Ari, Hiroshi felt a little more unnerved that Scar had already noticed Nala’s absence. Knowing how impatient their king could be, Hiroshi feared that it would only be a matter of time before Scar’s patience would run out and he’d perhaps, set his sights back upon Ari. This worried him even more now in the fact that Ari was actually receptive and could truly pay a much higher cost if she happened to fall under his indecent ministrations. Trying his best to set these thoughts aside, as it was supposed to be a happy day now that Ari had come home and her hunt, all be it a little prolonged, had been a success to some degree anyways. Noting that Kito had finished speaking, Hiroshi turned his undivided attention to Ari as he spoke up in his usual gentle tone, his jet black mane blowing lightly in the cool night air as it ruffled lightly against the back of Ari’s head from the way she was laying next to him.

”Well, my day was pretty boring. I have to admit Ari, that I find myself being quite the lost soul when you’re not around. I spent the day pretty much hoping that you’d come back tonight and it seems my prayers were answered, thank The Great Kings above. So tell us all about your hunt, that is, if you’re not too tired. How far did you have to travel outside our lands in order to find prey? Nafsi told me that most of the grazing herds have already moved well past The Borderlands, so it must have been a long journey.”

[YFWE]

Ari stretched her hindlegs as she laid on the ground and up against Hiroshi, yawning as she listened to Kito's long description of his day and of Scar's persisting decisions to avoid the reality that the Pride was in trouble due to the drought and lack of food. She growled. "Doesn't surprise me. His Majesty will do anything to save his own ass before even thinking of his subjects. Things aren't going to be able to continue like this much longer. Something's gotta give; either we'll need to move or someone with a much better sense of leadership needs to take over. Unfortunately, I have a feeling that Scar won't be leaving us anytime soon--I'm sure you're not complaining, Kit--but I'm not sure where exactly we could move either. I think we're stuck for now."

She rolled her eyes at Kito's final addendum. "Well, too late for that. I'll see her in the morning. She doesn't know I'm back yet anyway, so if I don't show til tomorrow morning, she won't know anything of it. Frankly, I'm tired and would love," she glanced up at Hiroshi for a moment with a grin before looking back at Kito, "to have some quiet, relaxation time tonight."

Kweli sighed at Ari's talk of Scar and his unwillingness to do something to rectify the hardships of the Pride Lands, though he had always figured that things would end up being this way in the end. The lands had become such an authoritarian regime, however, that any sort of speech that was critical of this, especially in the presence of Scar, could be punishable by death. There were even times, these days, that Kweli was afraid to mention it even in the presence of Kito, who had become conspicuously close to the King, even though it was in the name of helping his friends. Often, the only place Kweli could talk about the misfortunes of the lands was, once again, with Rafiki. The wise mandrill had many a suggestion for Scar to improve the area, but unlike his brother before him, the new King would not have anything to do with the shaman. And Kweli knew his place as well and would never consult with Scar on it. He valued his life.

His thoughts were for the time being silenced as Hiroshi began to speak, as he and Ari listened closely to anything important the lion had to say, even though they were sure it would be a lot of nothing; Hiroshi did not do much these days, especially now that Kweli had taken over his duties of border patrol.

Ari felt her cheeks flush at Hiroshi's kind words, and she made it a point to caress his side slowly after these words, but she snapped back to attention when he asked her about her hunt--something she wished he would not have done. Sighing extravagantly, she returned her gaze to the stars above.

"There's not much more to say. I stayed within the Pride Lands... I know I probably could have stepped into some of the outer lands, but those belong to others; I didn't want to steal from them. And it's a shame, because... well, at least on the eastern border, there are tons of herds where the land transitions from ours to theirs... whoever 'they' is. It's like they know to stay away from our lands, and I don't really blame them. I pretty much wandered around the borders the whole time--I saw you one day, Kweli, but I didn't want to bother you so I stayed out of sight--until the poor warthog decided to wander within our boundaries. That was this afternoon; I started back as soon as I was done eating."

She turned her head back inward, toward Hiroshi, closing her eyes as she let herself relax. "I don't know what we'll have to do. The lands beyond us are still doing well, but I at least don't want to steal what is not rightfully ours. I mean, what if I went after those herds and was ambushed by another Pride, who are the rightful keepers of that land? I couldn't risk anything, at least not by myself."

Groaning, Ari stood up suddenly, beginning to pace before her friends. "What are we going to do, guys? What can we do? We can't keep living like this. Things won't be holding up much longer."

"Maybe Nala had the right idea..." she added, her eyes downcast.

[KiarasMate]

Purring contently as he felt Ari’s paw lightly caressing against him, Hiroshi continued to listen as the golden furred lioness filled in the details about her hunt. Under normal circumstances, Hiroshi would have been absolutely certain that Ari would have made a successful kill, one she could be proud of as her hunting skills were truly unmatched. Despite what Kito had said, Nafsi and The Hunting Party had trained her well and it clearly showed. Hiroshi had only had the pleasure of watching Ari hunt once, and this was purely by accident as typically males weren’t allowed to accompany the lionesses out on the hunt by orders of his majesty. Hiroshi figured that Scar was just paranoid that one, if not more, of his precious lionesses would consent themselves to another male, perhaps one more caring and kind hearted than himself. Hiroshi had stumbled upon The Hunting Party purely by coincidence while he had been out on a walk. They had targeted one of the last remaining wildebeest herds in the lands and it had truly been a sight to behold. Watching Ari’s delicate frame moving so gracefully and the sheer power that she possessed was quite impressive to say the least. Now, watching as his golden furred friend moved away from him and began to pace around, speaking of her worries aloud, Hiroshi felt awful in the fact that such a magnificent huntress such as Ari was reduced to this. Rising to all fours, Hiroshi intercepted Ari as he nuzzled her comfortingly as he spoke in a reassuring voice.

”Calm down Ari. We’ll make it through this. We’ve already been through so much and we’ve managed to persevere. We just have to have faith in the lands and most of all, in each other. Times will get better, I promise. For now though, we have to remain strong.”

Listening to Ari’s constant ranting about the lands, Kito didn’t look quite as concerned as his friends did, although he too knew that the shortage of food and water was truly impacting the lives of the pride and would only get worse if the rains didn’t come soon. Still, having it much easier than his three friends and never being the type to show his emotions very openly, Kito simply scowled at Ari’s remarks before picking himself up off the dry ground, giving his pelt a quick dusting with his fore paws before turning to Ari and addressing her in a careless tone.

”You’re such a drama queen Ari. You know that running away would be taking the cowards way out anyways and you really think Scar would just let you out of his sight just like that? No, we need to stay and face this problem head on. Maybe if you lionesses put a little more effort into the hunt…or maybe killed off some of those filthy bastard hyenas, we’d have a better fighting chance of survival.”

”That’s enough Kito!” Hiroshi stated, flashing his friend a stern warning.

Kito’s tongue often began to test Hiroshi’s patience and keeping him in line became a growing challenge with each passing sun. Taking Hiroshi’s warning in stride, Kito sneered playfully at Hiroshi as he began to pad away from their usual spot, on route back to the fixed up den. Pausing in mid stride, not even bothering to turn about to face his friends, Kito called over his shoulder as his tail flicked in an irritated manner.

”Jeez, chill out Hiro. I was just joking. You always take things too personally, especially if it comes to your pretty little mate. I know we need a change and I’m working on it, okay?”

Shaking his head disparagingly at Kito as he watched his friend beginning to depart, Hiroshi turned his focus back to Ari and Kweli as he tried to lighten the mood. Smiling happily as his eyes met with Ari’s, the moonlight fully enveloping them within its ivory glow, Hiroshi gave his lioness friend another affectionate nuzzle before speaking up in an excited voice.

”Okay, enough chit chat. Come on Ari. We have a little surprise for you back at our den.” Motioning for Ari to follow him back to the cave, Hiroshi’s voice lowered as they traveled side by side. ”I’ve really missed you Ari. I’m so happy you’re home. If you’re not too tired, do you think you could take a walk with me after this little surprise we have in store for you?”

[YFWE]

Ari felt herself calming down as Hiroshi joined her in standing, nuzzling her affectionately. "I know... I just... I just wish things could go back to the way they were, when we were cubs. When we didn't have to worry about all this."

As always, Kito had a response to this, which drew the ire of Ari due to the fact that though he claimed to be getting close to Scar for their sake, he was always quite quick to defend the King and divert the blame on someone or something else--in this case, the Hunting Party.

"That's stupid, Kito. We can't step up our hunting if there's nothing to hunt. For once in your life, realize that this is all Scar's fault and no one else's. If your mother, my mother, the rest of the lionesses and I could hunt more, we would."

Stopping there so that she could avoid saying anything more she might regret, she sent him one more annoyed look before allowing Hiroshi to take over, nodding as her friend told off Kito, even though she knew he would not take it as much; not that their friendship had deteriorated by any means, but as they had gotten older, Kito had become far less willing to listen to Hiroshi's commands.

Ari rolled her eyes at Kito as he left, desperately wanting to call him out but knowing that then was not the time nor place... further, she did not want Hiroshi getting on her either. Begrudgingly, she took a step back, feeling Hiroshi's reassuring nuzzle against her as she listened to his proposition. Nodding once, letting a smile come across her muzzle, she followed Hiroshi toward their den, walking in sync with the black-maned lion. Kweli joined them, though walked a little bit further behind, not wanting to interrupt anything, as he knew that the lion and lioness had not seen each other for days and would have some catching up to do. Yawning, he glanced up at the night sky through weary eyes. Perhaps he would turn in early for the night... he was quite tired nowadays by this point in the day; all the walking and traveling made it so.

"I've missed you too," said Ari in a dull whisper, nudging her head against her friend's mane. "I'm sorry for being so long. ...I'll be honest, the reason I didn't give up earlier was because I wanted to impress you more than anything."

She grinned at Hiroshi's final proposition. "I'm never too tired if it involves time with you. I'd love to take a little stroll with you, Hiro."

[KiarasMate]

Arriving at the den first, Kito went about preparing the small surprise that Hiroshi had insisted on planning for Ari’s return. Kito had been reluctant in taking part in the plot as it had required him to plunder from Scar’s personal stash of food, as well as covering for Hiroshi’s absence several days ago when his best friend had made a quick trip to Paradise to retrieve some passion fruits, as he knew that these were Ari’s favorite. The four friends had only managed to visit the far off local several times after their first encounter but they all had learned the way there by heart by this point and it had grown to be their special meeting place whenever times grew to be too overwhelming. Fetching the single zebra haunch and two passion fruits that were being stored in one of the corners of the den, Kito waited for his friends to arrive as he scowled to himself from the look of the cave.

Purring softly as his body rubbed up against Ari’s as he walked, Hiroshi smiled warmly from hearing her comment about her hunt, causing Hiroshi to blush slightly as he leaned in close and gently licked over one of the golden furred lioness’ cheeks. Pleased in the fact that Ari felt up to taking a little stroll after she would be presented with her little surprise, Hiroshi murmured softly in response to her as his tail lightly coiled itself around Ari’s.

”You know I’m always impressed by you Ari, no matter what you do. I know what an amazing huntress you are and if times had been different, I know you would have made a bigger kill than just a warthog. I’m just glad you’re safe and back home with me. You don’t know how much I’ve thought about you since you left.”

Reaching the entrance of the den, Hiroshi waited for Kweli to make his way into the cave before he blocked the opening and stood in front of Ari. Smiling happily, Hiroshi motioned for the young lioness to cover her eyes with a fore paw as he glanced behind him, making sure that everything was in order. Seeing Kito’s affirmative nod, Hiroshi turned back to Ari as he stated in a giddy voice.

”Okay, close your eyes Ari and come on in. It’s not much but we thought it would be a nice way to welcome you home.”

Guiding Ari into the den, Hiroshi stepped aside as he noticed the small pile of food in the center of the cave, causing him to frown slightly. He had hoped that Kito would have at least gotten a bit more than this but it would have to do. Waiting for Ari to open her eyes, Hiroshi waved a paw in front of him as he presented Ari with her homecoming present. Following suit but not putting quite as much effort into his display, Kito exclaimed in an exaggerated tone.

”To celebrate your first successful solo hunt, or lack there of, Hiroshi thought it would be a swell idea to get you something special. Of course, it wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for me, but you can thank me later Ari. For now, I bid you all a good night. Congrats Daddy’s Girl and all that boring nonsense.”

With that said, Kito performed a sarcastic looking bow to Ari before padding out of the den without another word. Watching his best friend leaving, Hiroshi shrugged as he moved over to where the small portion of goodies were piled, gently rolling a passion fruit over to Ari’s fore paw with a small nudge from his nose before glancing up at her with a sheepish grin. Speaking up in a proud voice, Hiroshi clapped his fore paws together for Ari to celebrate her return as he took a seat.

”It’s not much obviously Ari, seeing as Kito didn’t really come through with the grub but hey, it’s all for you Ari! Welcome home.”

[YFWE]

Kweli walked along behind his three friends, thinking fleetingly of the surprise that would be in store for Ari once they returned to the den, which he had contributed in obtaining somewhat, though the bulk of the job was done by Kito. Nonetheless, having had somewhat of a paw in the planning and creation of such a thing, he was still excited to see her reaction. Perhaps there would even be leftovers afterward, so that they would be okay on food for at least another day.

Meanwhile Ari, still unaware of the contents of the surprise that awaited her back at the den, emitted a soft purr when Hiroshi licked her cheek. "You're too kind, Hiro... you know I'm not the best. I'm still learning. But I'm glad to be back too; that was the longest time I've had to spend away from you and everyone else and to be honest, it wasn't easy at all. I really missed you guys, you especially." she returned the favor, giving Hiroshi a tiny lick of her own against his cheek.

They finally reached the den. Kweli scrambled ahead of Ari and Hiroshi, so that he would already be inside once Ari laid eyes on her surprise. He sent Ari a quick wink as he ran by, Ari returning this with a small smile. Ari was about to follow Kweli inside, eager to see what her friends had done, but was blocked by Hiroshi as he motioned for her to cover her eyes. Grinning, she did finally put a paw over her eyes, though not before running it up Hiroshi's arm and through his mane, ending at his cheek before allowing her paw to block her gaze. Her tail continued to toy with Hiroshi's own, making up for time lost by her being gone those few days.

Finally, Ari was allowed to walk forward, though her eyes were to remain closed for a short while longer. Finally getting the okay, Ari opened her eyes, letting her gaze mull over the sight in front of her. In the middle of the den, in a pile, was pieces of food, from passion fruit to a lone zebra haunch. A grin came to her muzzle as she looked around at her three friends. "Wow... you guys didn't have to do this, you know..."

Kito bid them goodnight, leaving almost immediately, as was customary as of late as he not resided in the Main Den most evenings. "Goodnight, Kito," said Kweli pleasantly, being the only one to reply to Kito's comment as Ari and Hiroshi seemed to be interested in more engaging opportunities. Yawning again, he made his way to the corner of the den where he normally slept nowadays, laying down on his pelt, his head atop his paws as he watched Hiroshi and Ari interact, a curious expression on his muzzle.

Noticing Hiroshi rolling one of the fruits her way, Ari stopped it with her paw, laughing happily. "You guys really are too kind. This is more than great, thank you so much." Picking up the fruit before her, she unsheathed a claw and carved the fruit into halves, tossing one back over to Hiroshi. "Kweli, I know I would never be able to eat all of this," she said, walking over to the other fruit and rolling it with a flick of her paw toward the small male. "Here. Enjoy."

[KiarasMate]

Catching the halved passion fruit that Ari tossed his way with a fore paw, Hiroshi smiled as he twirled the sweet delicacy in between his paw toes thoughtfully before sampling the ripe fruit while glancing over at his friends. Watching Ari offering Kweli the other passion fruit, Hiroshi couldn’t help but to admire Ari’s generous nature. Even though this surprise had been intended for her alone, Hiroshi knew that Ari always thought of others before even thinking of herself and this fact just proved it. Finishing off his half of the passion fruit, Hiroshi licked over his moistened paw pads as he thought fleetingly over the first time he and Ari had shared a passion fruit together, the first time they had visited Paradise. The memory of what Kito had said that day still hung heavy in his mind as he spotted Ari making her way back over to his side now. Smiling happily at her, Hiroshi waited for the golden furred lioness to finish off her half of the succulent fruit before nosing the zebra haunch towards her. Taking a few steps back just to ensure that Ari wouldn’t try and offer some to him, despite how badly his hunger might have plagued him, Hiroshi spoke up in a sincere voice as he took a seat and fixated his gaze upon her beautiful face.

”Go on Ari, enjoy your present. You must be famished and who knows when you’ll be able to get a nice free meal like this again. Please eat.”

Waiting patiently for Ari to savor her meal, Hiroshi glanced over at Kweli, trying not to come off as being rude to Ari and staring at her while she ate. Exchanging a quick nod with Kweli before returning his focus back to Ari, Hiroshi assumed that Kweli was going to call it a night soon as the smaller male looked to be quite exhausted by the looks of him. Knowing that he wouldn’t mind if Ari and himself slipped out for a short while, Hiroshi was eager to get their little walk underway, but knowing that Ari needed as much sustenance as she could get in order to maintain her strength and most of all, health, Hiroshi calmly waited as his hazel eyes innocently scanned over her supple looking frame. God, how he had missed her and being able to see her alluring figure once again, quickly began to set his hormones ablaze as Hiroshi needed to avert his eyes once more. It was clear that Ari was hungry as she managed to strip the zebra haunch clear down to the bone, although she looked as though she wanted to share her meal with her company. Giving Ari a reassuring glance however, seemed to ease this issue as Hiroshi stood up and prepared himself to escort Ari out of the den once she was good and ready that was. Shooting a quick glance over to Kweli, Hiroshi stated in a casual voice.

”Ari and I are going to take a short walk Kweli. We’ll be sure to keep it down when we get back though buddy. Pleasant dreams.”

Making his way outside into the cool night air, the waxing moon hanging over head and lighting up The Pride Lands in its eary light, Hiroshi paused to give Ari enough time to join him as the two felines set off together at a slow pace, not wanting Ari to have to exert herself after such a meal. Enjoying his friend’s company as he strolled along, Hiroshi purred softly as his hazel orbs fell upon Ari’s enticing frame as the pair arrived in what used to be the grassy planes that they typically had frequented. Stopping for a moment and turning to face Ari, Hiroshi gently moved in, wrapping both his fore legs around the golden furred lioness, drawing her in for an affectionate embrace as he cooed quietly to her.

”I know I said this already Ari, but I’m so glad your back. You have no idea how much I longed to be by your side these past two suns. I never seem to realize just how much you mean to me until you’re not around. Did you think of me at all while you were gone?”