Restless Wanderer (Private: Arbarano and Azdgari)

[Arbarano]

Ni let out a light snort. There’s that tone again. I know he can’tbe feeling too well, but surely he can take a little joke?

“Well, I wouldn’t exactly call it ‘wasting time’, but…”

He left the sentence hanging as he weighed the options up in his head. Yes, he had spent a good few months out here, but the desire to keep moving was starting to get unbearable, something which was being aggravated by the presence of Kopa. Plus, even though his hunting had been easier when he first moved here, he had to admit that the wandering prey was getting increasingly scarce. With them learning that a predator was lurking in the area, this was to be expected, but it didn’t help his case for lurking at the waterhole.

“Yeah, I suppose I will be moving on soon.” Ni would have left the response at that, but he noticed something a little odd in the lion’s tone. It was still as irritable as before, but there was something alongside it. It almost sounded hopeful.

“Why? Were you thinking that we should travel together?” he asked, trying to stop his lips from curling too much.

[Azdgari]

Kopa swished his tail. Two hides is better than one, he replied. That is, if you're up to it. His eyebrows raised slightly; he was curious to see Ni's reaction. It was almost like a macho-match to Kopa. Back down or stand your ground.

[Arbarano]

Ni found himself a little surprised by Kopa’s new tone. It wasn’t irritable anymore, but he still sounded somewhat aggressive.

“Of course I’m up for it,” Ni replied, subtly shifting his paws to square his stance. It was nowhere near the same raw anger that he had displayed in his first encounter with the rogue, but some of the joviality in his own voice had still been lost as he continued. “I must have lived out here for at least twice as long as you have. Surely that counts for something?”

[Azdgari]

Kopa smirked internally when Ni affirmed his readiness. Yeah, you better be. Ni's change in tone didn't go unnoticed on Kopa. He liked it. He liked that fire. It helped convince Kopa Ni might be good for something.

Kopa snorted in response to Ni's second assertion. Maybe. We'll find out, he replied with a hint of a taunt. Rolling his neck around in his socket, he turned eastward. No rest for the weary... he thought to himself quietly. Well... are we going, or what? He called out to Ni over his shoulder.

[Arbarano]

Feeling the previously long-dormant fires of irritation flicker once again, Ni opened his mouth to answer a quick yes and join the young rogue. But, before the words passed his lips, he caught himself. The momentary anger cooled, and he had to stop a smirk from making its way across his muzzle.

“Not just yet,” he said, and made his way over to the edge of the waterhole. As he had been talking to Kopa, he had snatched a glimpse at the sky around them. The setting sun way staining it a deep orange, which could only be a good thing; it was a considerable distance to anything remotely hospitable besides this oasis, and it would be much more bearable to cover said distance in the cool of the night. Plus it would be a little harder for anything hostile to spot them.

But it also reminded him of something else. His last drink had been that morning, and a day of sitting in the blazing sun had once again left his throat itching for water.

Ni dipped his head to the surface, and began to drink. He lapped at the liquid for a little longer than he normally would have, and he could almost feel the eyes of a surely irritated Kopa burrowing into his head. But it was probably for the best, as he couldn’t be certain when he would next be able to find a spring.

Eventually, having felt both his insides and his pelt cool by a discernable level, he brought his head back up to the younger lion.

“Now we can leave.”

[Azdgari]

Kopa watched in disbelief as Ni ambled over to the waterhole at a leisurely pace and began lapping at the water. Kopa drummed the ground with his toes, rolling his eyes. Yeah, yeah, hurry up. Yeah, you're gonna need that water if you're going to keep up with me. Yeah, you better be ready... Yeah, are we gonna leave some time today? He slapped his tail against the ground loudly, sending a mushroom of dirt sprawling into the air. Already Kopa felt a tinge of regret at his decision to travel with Ni. He felt certain the seed would be blossoming before too much time passed.

Finally, Kopa groaned to himself as Ni picked his head up from the water hole. Kopa's eyebrows brushed the sky in incredulity at Ni's words. "Oh, we can leave now, can we?" Kopa snapped.

[Arbarano]

He had been expecting Kopa to be more than a little irritated by his extended break, and the younger lion’s words cut through his momentary contentment like claws through a gazelle’s neck. Despite this, Ni couldn’t help but feel a little miffed. He’d saved Kopa from extreme dehydration earlier, surely he could sound a little more grateful or be more patient.

However, rather than allow the flickering anger to make itself known, Ni decided that it would be better to try and limit the animosity between them. After all, they were intending to travel together.

“Yes.” He resisted the temptation to harden his tone. “Lead the way,” he offered.

[Azdgari]

"Tch," Kopa spat before turning and slinking towards the grasslands. In a few moments the glade of high grass swallowed him whole.

~~~

The sun had retired when Kopa's march finally relented. They had hiked from midday to nighttime without a break, carving a long, winding trail through the glades and plains, forests and hills. Kopa's eyes scanned their camp spot. Ideal, he admitted to himself. A small field, perhaps twenty feet in perimeter, which lay in the belly of the forest they had hiked in. Short grass snaked through toes and soothed feet while the open night sky watched overhead. "Good?" he inquired to his companion.

[Arbarano]

Ni was surprised at how relatively light Kopa’s tone was. From the moment they had set off until they had come to rest in this clearing, not a single word had passed between them. Ni had thought about starting a conversation once the scenery had changed from desert to savannah, but as his counterpart had resolutely kept his muzzle pointed straight ahead, he decided there was little point to it.

As if under orders, the elder rogue perused the small area. He was right to have had his extended drink earlier on; there was no waterhole in sight, and they had yet to pass one on their trek. Apart from that, though, the site was ideal, and nicely secluded. Ni would wager that they were the only large predators for some distance.

“I’ll say so,” he replied, a smile returning to his muzzle after being wiped away during their earlier altercation. “Have you been through here before?”

[Azdgari]

Kopa watched the elder lion's machinations silently, approving of his caution. "No," Kopa replied. "I've been trying to make a straight line east." He pawed briefly at the grass then lied down. "You're pretty careful," he said.