[Private] Love Will Tear Us Apart

[YFWE]

Kweli continued to hold Ari down, feeling the lioness attempt almost halfheartedly to free herself from his slight grasp, though perhaps she was so overcome with laughter at that point that doing so was almost completely out of the question. Ari glanced up at her friend with mock-fright, as if begging to be let go, though she could not formulate into words what she wanted to say. She was totally accepting of the fact that she had to take her medicine, after all; if she did not, her wounds might not heal up properly and she most certainly could not have that happen. She saw Hiroshi approaching and started to squirm again, trying to play the moment for the drama as much as she possibly could. "No, no, I won't! Rafiki was always so gentle! How do I know you'll be? Oh god, Hiro, get away!" she said, giggling.

Hiroshi had finally reached her and Kweli was having absolutely no issue with holding Ari down still, keeping his paws flanking her sides and chest to anchor her in place. Ari watched Hiroshi bend low to her forelegs and cried out one more time, allowing another giggle to escape her muzzle, before Hiroshi's tender ministrations began to soothe her both inwardly and outwardly, her struggles finally ceasing as she did not want to kick Hiroshi in the face or anywhere else.

She felt her wounds sting a little; the herbs tended to do that at first touch of the medicine. But the slight pain subsided quickly enough, and Ari found herself quite enjoying the care Hiroshi was putting into the application of her medicine. Ari sighed, her fur standing slightly on end as the lion's tongue moved about, her eyes closed but opening again once Hiroshi had finished. Kweli glanced down at Ari's injuries and nodded. Hiroshi seemed to have applied the medicine in the best way that he could have. Though Kweli would not have necessarily applied it by tongue (the taste of the herbs, for one thing, left something to be desired), he certainly had a feeling he understood why Hiroshi had done it that way, and at the very least approved. Ari's wounds would almost definitely heal in no time.

Kweli laughed at Hiroshi's expulsion and revulsion at the taste of the herbs once he had ejected them completely from his mouth. "Should've warned you," he said. "Those can get pretty nasty. Now you know why most shamans have opposable thumbs."

Looking up at Hiroshi with an appreciative grin upon her face, Ari listened to Hiroshi's tender voice and prompted an even wider grin from her as he spoke. "A kiss? After you had all those herbs in your mouth? Gee, I dunno, Hiro..." Ari put on a face of disgust, scrunching her nose and eyes as if the very prospect was completely uncompromisable.

Kweli caught Hiroshi's eye and knew precisely what he was up to. At least for the time being, there would be no kiss shared between the two. Kweli crept back closer to Ari after he had departed slightly when she had ceased to struggle. Ari stared up at Hiroshi, seeing him close in on her, and then closed her eyes, fully expectant of what she figured was to come. Herbs or not, she did not mind--too much.

Alas, just as Ari was about to lean forward and make ends meet, so to speak, her senses went into overdrive as she felt Hiroshi's paws against her sides, his paws tickling her tenderly in exactly the spots she was most vulnerable at. She felt another pair of paws, Kweli's, join in shortly after, and she cried out, tears in her eyes, as she laughed and laughed. "Oh my god, you t-two! Ss--ss--stooooop it!" she cried, her teeth gritted as she squirmed about, trying desperately to escape her aggressors.

Finally, after a few moments of allowing this to happen, Ari found enough self-control within herself to reach her forelegs upward and grab Hiroshi around the back, bringing him down so that he was atop her. Grunting when his larger body landed atop of hers, Ari paused for a moment to catch her breath before landing a quick kiss upon the lion's muzzle. Breaking the kiss, she ejected her tongue and quickly ran it up the side of Hiroshi's face, a sloppy one at that, as she ducked out from underneath him and darted away to the side of the cave.

"You guys," Ari breathed, almost out of breath. "I'm... I'm going to kill you, you know that, right?"

[KiarasMate]

Keeping his actions perfectly timed with that of Kweli’s, Hiroshi’s paw toes trailed over Ari’s most ticklish spots, his splayed digits working randomly with Kweli’s to bring the golden furred lioness into uncontrollable fits of laughter. Completely unconcerned with the noise she was causing, Hiroshi continued with the tickle torture until he felt Ari’s muscular legs forcing him down atop the subdued lioness in front of him, his soft belly pressing against hers in the process. Feeling his cheeks heating up from the quick kiss that Ari placed over his muzzle, followed quickly by the wet lick over his cheek, Hiroshi grinned innocently as he watched Ari rolling to her paws and making her way to the opposite side of the den. Sitting up and brushing a fore paw over the moist spot where Ari had ran her tongue over mere moments before, Hiroshi adopted a playful look of disgust as he hurriedly brushed some of Ari’s spit onto Kweli’s cheek before stating in a mock tone as if they were once again cubs.

”Eww! Lioness germs! Here, have some Kweli!”

Meeting Ari’s gaze, Hiroshi couldn’t resist joining in with her laughter as he noticed Kito moving in his sleep out of the corner of his eye. Trying his best to contain his emotions, Hiroshi turned his attention back to Kweli as he casually rose to all fours before moving back over to his own sleeping pelt. Lazily flopping himself down upon the soft pelt, Hiroshi addressed Kweli in a low voice as he flashed Ari a playfully benevolent smile.

”You hear that Kweli? Little Ari’s going to kill us. Maybe you actually will be safer out there on your own. Speaking of which though, perhaps we should call it a night now. As much as we don’t want you to go buddy, it’ll probably be best if you get as much rest as possible now and head out nice and early before anyone else notices that you’re leaving, not as though His Majesty would care I’m sure, but still, avoiding any unnecessary attention is probably for the best. Don’t think we’re not going to see you off later on though. Sifting his focus to Ari now, Hiroshi quaintly added in. ”And I’ll understand if you want to sleep next to Kweli tonight Ari. I know you’re going to miss him the most out of all of us so if you want to do that, I’m okay with it. I promise I won’t be too jealous of him, at least, for tonight anyways.”

Letting out an exhausted sounding yawn, Hiroshi lowered his head until it was resting over his fore legs, his emerald orbs drifting from Ari, over to where Kweli was and back again. It had been quite another eventful day for the band of friends and even though the news that Kweli had dropped upon them was unexpected to say the least, Hiroshi did his best to stay optimistic and hope that Kweli was making the right choice. Waiting for Ari to make up her mind on where she was going to lay for the remainder of the night, Hiroshi found himself once more, longing to be with the golden furred lioness as he watched her intently. As much as he didn’t want to think about it however, the prior encounter with her at the waterhole started to filter back into his thoughts. Refusing to let this get to him again however, Hiroshi gradually closed his eyes and started to ready himself for a much needed rest.

[YFWE]

Scowling at Hiroshi as he and Kweli guffawed openly at her misfortune, Ari sulked in her corner for a little while longer, catching her breath as her senses slowly curbed themselves, feeling herself returning to normal after having been rendered so helpless by Hiroshi and Kweli's ministrations. Slowly she began to see the humor in it all, but she was nonetheless finding herself scowling at her friends, after a while simply wanting to milk the situation for all it was worth. Listening to Hiroshi's condescending comments and then his suggestion that they head for bed, Ari snorted once, her visage sporting a wide grin.

"Awww, tired, are we, Hiro? Sounds like someone's all partied out today," laughed Ari. She cocked her head at Hiroshi's second recommendation that was directed toward her, having not expected such words to come out of Hiroshi's muzzle. She glanced at Kweli thoughtfully. She had not slept next to Kweli since they were much younger cubs, and yet... the idea did sound slightly appealing. After all, this was the last night she might see of Kweli for Aiheu only knew how long. And he had been such a great friend for so long... she would truly miss him.

Kweli's head swiveled to face Ari after Hiroshi's suggestion, his cheeks flushing a bit. He was not embarrassed at the prospect of sleeping next to Ari, as he honestly harbored nothing more than close, maybe even brotherly-sisterly feelings toward her, but feared what Hiroshi might really think about such a thing, especially if he happened to lay the wrong way or anything of that matter. Shaking the thought of his mind--Hiroshi hadsuggested it after all, he thought--he glanced at Ari expectantly, trying to seem as neutral as possible on the matter.

"Yeah, I'll sleep next to Kweli tonight!" exclaimed Ari cheerfully, padding over to Kweli quickly. "It'll give me a chance for once to escape Hiroshi's stink," she added with a wink as she passed Hiroshi, finally coming to a stop next to her sleeping pelt, which she picked up in her teeth and carried over next to Kweli's. The smaller lion blinked once and sent Hiroshi an apologetic smile before treading over to his own pelt, collapsing upon it as Ari joined him.

"Night, Hiro!" Kweli called over Ari's shoulder before laying his head on his paws, certainly not used to the warmth that radiating from beside him due to Ari's presence. "Mhm, night Hiro!" Ari caught Hiroshi's eye once more and winked again, mouthing a quick "I love you" before turning her head and burrowing it against Kweli's shoulder. Before Kweli could react to this, Ari reached her foreleg around Kweli's back, pulling herself closer in an embrace.

"You know I'm really going to miss you, right?" Ari whispered, her voice almost indistinguishable over the sounds of the night in the savanna.

"I'm flattered, but you've got Hiro and Kito here," breathed back Kweli. "Especially Hiro. You'll be fine."

Ari sighed, burrowing her countenance deeper into Kweli's pelt. But you're important too, Kwel. You know that. You've always been, and pretty much still are the only friend I really tell everything to."

"Really? Not even Hiro?" Kweli could not mask his surprise.

"Not yet. Maybe one day, but we're not there yet. It's all... so weird right now, life. I dunno what to think sometimes."

"You'll be fine."

"Think so?"

Kweli turned his head slightly and grinned. "Know so. Just stick with Hiro and Kito. Things'll get better. Now, get some sleep."

Nodding once, Ari sighed, closing her eyes. "Night, Kweli," she said softly, deciding to end the conversation there, though there was much more still on her mind. She simply could not say anything more then, for multiple reasons. One thing was for sure, though: Ari had a feeling that sleepless nights were to come, and hardships were sure to follow. And without Kweli, staying together would be all the more important.

[KiarasMate]

Taking Ari's playful banter in stride, Hiroshi pretended to wipe a non-existent tear from his eye with his fore paw as he let out an overly exaggerated whimper, followed quickly by a devious smirk just to ensure that he wouldn't be taken seriously by either of his friends. Catching Ari's glance and understanding her unspoken words, Hiroshi smiled fondly back at his golden furred beauty before lightly pressing his muzzle lips together as if to indirectly kiss the distant lioness good night. Watching as Ari snuggled herself next to Kweli, Hiroshi couldn't help but to feel slightly regretful for what he had offered Ari to do, as he truly did long to lay next to her in order to feel her soft body against his and to lose himself within her wonderful fragrance. Still, knowing that there would be plenty more nights to share with the golden furred lioness, Hiroshi swallowed what jealousy he might have felt as he let his mind go blank, sleep overtaking him shortly there after. As he drifted off, Hiroshi's thoughts were very similar to that of Ari's as the future seemed suddenly uncertain, or more so than it might have felt previously. Trying not to dwell on this fact though and just being thankful for their last night together for how ever long it might be until Kweli would return, if at all, the four friends dozed peacefully together for the remainder of the night.

==========

As the sun crested over the early morning horizon, a lone figure sat silhouetted against the enormous rising ball of fire. Kito had been the first to rise, as was expected, and had silently made his way out of the den in order to catch the sunrise in all its radiating glory. Very symbolic was the ascending circle of light as along with a new day rising, so was a new version of Kito himself. It had been a night of revelations for the brown maned male as his dreams had been quite revealing. Gone was the confusion that plagued him the previous night, and in its place now stood nothing but realization. Kito sighed almost euphorically as his emerald eyes glimmered from the bright rays that bathed the land around him.

Casually rising to all fours, Kito turned to make his way back towards the den, the wind whipping through his mane as he did so. It seemed like it was going to be quite a blustery day from the looks of things as random debris and dust were being tossed about from the wind's strong ministrations. Completely disregarding the weather, as he had way more important things to contend with now, Kito strutted through the dying lands before quietly slipping back into the confines of the den where his friends were still snoozing soundly at. Shooting a momentary glance towards both Ari and Kweli, who seemed to be quite cozy next to one another, Kito found himself internally retching at the mere sight he was being treated to. Looking away in disgust, Kito impatiently waited for one of the three slumbering felines in front of him to show any signs of life as he was extremely eager to get the day's events underway.

[YFWE]

Curiously enough, despite what the new day held for him and the uncertainties that he was faced with, Kweli slept better than he had slumbered for quite some time. Perhaps it was Ari's warmth and sheer presence beside him that eased his tensions and allowed him substantial rest before what was to be a particularly trying day and subsequent days to come; truthfully, he had no idea. He merely knew what he felt then, and his feelings then were quite somber due to what was to take place that day. Thankfully, he did seem rested--perhaps even overly rested--so the upcoming day, though extremely important, did not seem as formidable as it could have been.

His eyes fluttering open finally, Kweli found Ari still sleeping soundly beside him, her foreleg only slightly over him. Hiroshi was also still slumbering, Kito sat nearby, his head turned slightly away from where Kweli lay. Yawning once, he turned to Kito, getting onto all fours and smiling. "Good morning there, Kito. How long have you been awake?"

Slowly slipping Ari's paw off him so that he could perhaps avoid waking her for the time being, Kweli padded over to the mouth of the cave quietly while waiting for Kito's response. It was a warm morning, or so it seemed from his viewpoint, but a bit windy at that. Not that he could not weather a bit of a blustery day; he would have to be prepared for plenty worse once he set off on his own, after all.

Having felt Kweli move her paw off his warm body, Ari had been pulled out of a deep slumber, though she was still not fully awake. This was changed once she began to hear the voices of her friends filling the cave, more or less announcing to her the arrival of morning. Ari opened her eyes slowly, letting the sun's rays wake her even more as they came into contact with her eyesight. Stretching her limbs, Ari climbed to her paws, grinning at Kito and Kweli.

"Mornin', you two."

"Good morning, Ari! Hope you slept well," said Kweli with an appreciative smile.

Ari glanced over at the still-sleeping Hiroshi and snickered quietly. Padding silently over to the slumbering lion, she leaned down and, as she had similarly done the previous night, landing a sloppy lick against his face. "Wake up, lazy. Unless you don't want to see Kweli off?"

[KiarasMate]

Finally detecting muffled sounds of movement coming from the general direction to which Ari and Kweli were positioned at, Kito turned his head just in time to catch sight of the smaller male pulling himself out from beneath Ari's slender fore leg. Watching as Kweli made his way over towards the entrance of the den to examine what the weather was like outside, Kito was right about to field his friend's early morning greeting, when his emerald eyes noticed Ari beginning to stir. Waiting for the golden furred lioness to add in her usual greeting as well, Kito addressed the both of them in turn as he casually started scratching his mane with his hind leg in order to apparently relieve himself of a sudden itch.

”Mighty fine morning it is too Kweli. Looks like you slept pretty good, especially from the smile that was on your muzzle from having Ari's leg around you. Must be nice...”

Turning to face Ari now, instead of actually verbalizing a response to the golden furred feline, Kito opted to merely flash her a smug looking smile, his gaze staring straight into her amber eyes. This was obviously one of those moments where actions spoke louder than words and Kito knew it. Regardless of his look however, Ari seemed already too preoccupied with the task of waking Hiroshi, something Kito found to be slightly annoying yet he simply ignored this fact and continued to randomly groom himself before making his way over to Kweli's side. Most unexpectedly, Kito struck up another conversation with the smaller male, something he normally wasn't known for doing yet having the inclination that this would be the last day he would see Kweli and being in such a tolerable mood to begin with, Kito didn't think twice as he politely inquired.

”So, you ready to head out into the unknown Kweli? I'm sure that lioness of yours is just waiting for you to come and sweep her off her paws.”

Feeling the familiar sensation of something warm and wet running along the edge of his cheek, hiroshi's body twitched instinctually as his ears swiveled to try and pick up upon what was being said to him in his sleepy state. Gradually, Ari's angelic voice slowly began to lull the black maned male out of his slumber, his eyes parting slightly as Ari's lovely countenance came into focus. Rolling onto his back as his hazel orbs remained partially slitted, Hiroshi outstretched both of his fore legs as he reached up and pulled Ari down close to him until her head was softly laying against his own. Soft purrs started to become audible as the dozy lion held his lover captive for a minute before planting an affectionate kiss over her muzzle, followed shortly there after by his fore legs freeing themselves from around the golden furred lioness' neck. Smiling up at Ari as his eyes fully opened, Hiroshi spoke up in a tired sounding voice as one of his fore paws lightly traced itself under his mate's chin.

”Good morning Beautiful. Sleep well? Did you miss sleeping next to me as much as I missed sleeping next to you?”

Moving up into a sitting position, Hiroshi took a quick glance around the den, spotting both of his other friends at the mouth of the cave. Seeing as Kweli was wrapped up in a discussion of some sort with Kito of all lions, Hiroshi merely flashed the smaller male a friendly smile which was more than sufficient as an actual morning greeting given the situation. Rising to all fours now, Hiroshi gave his body a thorough stretch before fidgeting with his mane for a second with one of his fore paws. Not being nearly as concerned with his grooming habits as Kito was, Hiroshi was satisfied with giving his fur a few quick licks before calling it quits. Feeling the call of nature tugging at his loins however, Hiroshi nonchalantly padded towards the entrance of the den, courteously passing in between the two conversing males as he spoke up to excuse himself.

”Don't mean to butt in here, but I must water the lands now.”

Following Hiroshi's lead, Kito stepped out into the windy weather outside the den in order to also relieve himself. Unlike his best friend though, who made it a point to find a relatively secluded spot to do his business at, Kito could care less about privacy as he intentionally found a spot in the open, directly in Ari's line of sight. Lifting his tail as if nothing was out of the ordinary with his actions, Kito emptied his bladder as his nether regions were showcased openly. Finishing up, Kito lazily kicked his hind legs several times before turning back to look at Ari, that same smug smile working its way upon his face from before. Shaking out his thick mane, Kito called over to his friends as he spotted Hiroshi returning to the group as well.

”Well, no time like the present. Let's get this over with, shall we?

[YFWE]

Kweli glanced over at Kito curiously, the act of the male deciding to partake in early conversation with the smaller lion a rather uncommon occurrence. Nonetheless, he thought little of it; after all, perhaps Kito was merely being friendly and respectful due to it being Kweli's final day in the Pride Lands for quite some time. Still, from the way his friend seemed to be carrying himself that morning, Kweli suspected that perhaps there was more to his friendly mood than simply the fact that Kweli was leaving and such a mood was necessary. However, Kweli could not quite put a paw on what this was.

Finally, he responded, "Er... yeah, I guess. I can't deny that part of me wants to stay here in relative safety and anonymity... but my family awaits, right?" he said with a grin. "And... well, my lioness too."

Kweli pawed at the ground. "It's good to know that I always have a place to come back to though, if the going gets tough. You guys will remain my closest friends, and so I definitely can't forget you completely."

Ari allowed herself to be handled tenderly by Hiroshi as her mate slowly woke up for the brand new day, smiling gently as he questioned her about her previous night's sleep. "To be quite honest, I slept fine, but I'll be glad to be next to you again tonight," she cooed, nuzzling Hiroshi against his mane.

A short time later, the time had finally come, it seemed, for Kweli's departure. Kito was more than prepared to get everything underway, and Ari, though she would have enjoyed more time with Kweli to commemorate his final day with them, understood the necessity of Kweli leaving as early as possible, so that he could make as much ground as possible before nightfall.

Kweli understood this too and nodded. He did have much traveling in front of him that day and needed as much of a head start on the evening as he could muster. Plus, he still needed to visit Rafiki before he left, so sitting around all day really was not an option.

"Yeah," said the smaller male, his gaze transfixed on Kito. "I'm ready. Let's do this."

Kweli walked first out of the cave, only giving his former place of residence a short, nostalgic look-over before walking from it. Swiveling his head once, he determined the direction to Rafiki's tree and nodded once to himself upon finding it.

Turning back to his three friends, he sighed. "I need to stop by Rafiki's too. Are you guys gonna come with me, or is this right now... you know, it?"

[KiarasMate]

Curling his nose in distain from hearing that Kweli needed to speak with Rafiki before he would depart, Kito internally grew more impatient with the situation as he was in a hurry to see the smaller male off. Figuring that letting Kweli go at this point would probably be the quickest way to wrap things up, knowing full well that he would probably spend some time with the talkative mandrill and not wanting to endure that himself, Kito was right about to suggest that the friends say their goodbyes here and now, when Hiroshi chimed in before the brown maned male could get a word in edge wise.

”We’re not leaving your side until we reach the boarders Kweli. That’s the least we can do and I’m sure Ari wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Motioning for Kweli to lead the way, Hiroshi stayed in between his two friends as they started off towards the direction to Rafiki’s baobab tree. Cursing his luck, Kito reluctantly fell in line on Ari’s opposite side, the four friends forming a horizontal line of furry bodies as they traveled through the parched Pride Lands together side by side. It was a relatively short walk and an unusually quiet one at that too, each individual having their own thoughts to contend with. For Kito, it was how life was going to be with Ari’s better half out of the picture and how he was determined to worm his way into her good graces so she’d finally see him for being the loving lion he longed to be towards her. For Hiroshi, the thoughts were similar in a way, as they still centered around Ari and how life was going to change with Kweli’s absence. All thoughts were quickly dissipated however, as the four friends neared the distant baobab tree, the sounds of incessant laughter coming from the tops of the tree. Pausing in mid stride, Hiroshi was the first to speak as his ears swiveled tentatively, picking up upon the sounds of laughter that grew louder with each step taken.

”What in Aiheu’s name is going on up there?”

Kito too, had caught wind of the uncontrollable cackles that emanated from the utmost branches of the ancient looking structure. This was the precise reason why he disliked visiting the crazy Shaman’s home, as one could never anticipate what they might happen upon. Shaking his head disparagingly, Kito replied in a sardonic tone as his emerald orbs tried to catch sight of the illusive mandrill.

”Sounds like he’s truly lost it this time. Crazy old coot.”

AS the sounds of approaching paw steps grew closer, Rafiki paused what he had been doing and tentatively poked his head out to see who was paying him a visit. Spotting the four felines standing at the base of his baobab home, the excited Shaman’s laughter seemed to double in strength as he effortlessly hopped down to where Hiroshi, Kweli, Ari and Kito were stationed at. As soon as his feet hit the grass, the lively mandrill began hopping about, weaving in between each of the four friends as if he were a giddy spring buck, his hands flailed above his head, one of them being stained with some red looking substance. As the energetic monkey moved, Rafiki exclaimed in an eager sounding tone, his white beard blowing every which way from his movements.

”He’s alive! He’s Alive! Praise Aiheu, he’s alive!”

Seemingly unable to pull himself together for the moment, Rafiki bounded over to Hiroshi before promptly reaching out his red stained hand, his dexterous fingers swiping over and across the black maned male’s cheek, leaving an unusual looking symbol doodled into his fur. Hopping over to Ari next, the uppity Shaman repeated his actions, leaving a similar looking mark upon Ari’s cheek with the paint-like substance on his hand, followed by a light kiss atop her forehead. Giving Kito the exact same treatment as the other two felines, minus the kiss, Rafiki finally reached Kweli. After anointing the smaller male with the same engraving upon his cheek, Rafiki enthusiastically wrapped his slender arms around Kweli’s neck as he pulled his friend in for a tight hug before speaking up to him now, his own laughter beginning to subside.

”Better times are on the way Kweli my boy! Now, to what do I owe the pleasure of having such an audience before me, hmm?"

[YFWE]

Kweli nodded, grinning, thankful that he would have a few more moments to spend with his best friends before departing. Though he sensed that perhaps Kito was not all that much into the prolonged goodbyes, Kweli chalked it up to the lion not being much of a fan of Rafiki to begin with. He never really had been, and his opinion had not altered over the seasons. Kweli shook this from his mind, however, trying to pry any sort of negative thoughts from his mind on that important day. All that mattered was in that moment, with Kweli alongside his best friends for what would be the last time in a while, perhaps even the last time. Only happy memories were allowed then.

The small male led the way to Rafiki's tree, his gaze scanning the horizon for the enormous structure. He remained silent as he looked, not quite sure of the words to say to his friends despite the situation. He certainly did not want to continue to bring up the fact that he was leaving; it would only cause him more grief. At the same time, the situation did not exactly call for small talk either. And so, Kweli kept his stare trained to the sky, hoping that Rafiki would even be in his home that morning; if he was not, chances were that the lion would be unable to say goodbye, since he needed to start on his trek as soon as he possibly could in order to get out of the lands before sundown.

They finally reached the enormous baobab tree that housed Rafiki. Ari glanced up at the tree with a dazed look etched upon her face; there seemed to be strange noises emanating from the confines of the home. She looked around to be sure she was not just hearing things, and found that she was not... Kito, Hiroshi and Kweli had heard it as well. It sounded quite like Rafiki... however, what he was going on about was quite a mystery to Ari. "Is this a normal occurrence, Kwel?" she asked her friend beside her with a confused look.

"Kinda," said Kweli, staring up at the tree as they approached. "I mean... yeah, he's gone into crazy fits like this before. This one seems... happier, though."

Before the lion could call up to the mandrill, to announce their arrival, Rafiki had already spotted them and had leaped down to their vicinity, laughing manically.

"Hey, Rafiki, I--"

The shaman had taken to splaying each of their likenesses with a paste-like substance. Ari shivered at the feel of Rafiki's touch, and even more so at his kiss, which she had certainly not expected. She glanced at him bemusedly, about to say something but silenced when the mandrill had bounded off to Kito. Finally, he reached Kweli and pulled him into a close hug. Kweli grinned at his friend; the glee emanating from the shaman was infectious, and the lion could not help but feel unabashedly happy, even if he was unaware of what had caused this change in mood.

"We'll get to why we're here later, Rafiki. I don't want to spoil the good mood! You tell me, why so happy?!"

[KiarasMate]

Finally coming to terms with just how much of a ruckus he had been causing from his incessant cackling, Rafiki glanced about, just to ensure that his momentary outburst hadn’t drawn any unwanted attention, especially from any nearby hyenas. Thankfully, it seemed as though the unfavorable weather was on their side, as the blustery conditions appeared to have rendered the lands desolate apart from the small group gathered around the base of the ancient baobab tree. Hearing Kweli’s question, the wise Shaman motioned for the four friends to follow him as he made his way to the opposite side of the large tree, as far out of earshot and eyesight from any passers by as was possible. Waiting for the cluster of felines to circle around him, Rafiki kept his voice to a minimum as he revealed the encouraging news he had just recently discovered himself.

”You see, the true king of these lands is alive! I don’t know how this is, but I know it to be true! You all are much too young to remember what happened here many seasons ago, but I’m sure you’ve heard the stories that the lionesses speak of here, one lioness in particular, that being the former Queen Sarabi. Well, her first born son Simba, who was destine to become king, had allegedly lost his life in a tragic wildebeest stampede that also claimed the life of his current Royal Highness’ brother Mufasa. Not as if it should come to a shock to any of you, but it seems that our little Taka…well, Scar to you four, hasn’t been entirely honest with us but his fate rests with The Great King’s Above now. This new turn of events shall decide the future of our lands as we well know it though my friends…and it is up to me to venture forth to bring back the rightful king to his homelands.”

Rafiki’s voice began to trail off as the last words left his mouth, the thought of having to leave all the lionesses as well as the four familiar faces in front of him, alone while he set out into the unknown, starting to tug at his own emotions. Knowing that he had no choice in the matter however, and not being the type to question fate itself, Rafiki made no effort to mask his own feelings as he once more, embraced his arms around Kweli and Ari, who were sitting on either side of him. Cracking a toothy smile in hopes to prolong the questions his own remarks were sure to bring up if given the chance, Rafiki addressed Kweli once more as he inquired about why the four friends had come to pay him a visit.

”Now then, don’t keep an old mandrill in suspense my dear boy. Tell old Rafiki what is going on here?” Turning to flash both Ari and Hiroshi a sly smile, the cheeky Shaman added in a joking voice. ”Perhaps you seek a betrothal ceremony from me?”

Hiroshi had stayed quiet as he listened to Rafiki’s revelation, his mind taking in everything that the sage-like mandrill was informing them about. Hiroshi had herd the stories to which Rafiki spoke of, several times from his mother Amami, as well as many of the pride lionesses whenever he was in their care as a cub. While the impact of how dire this stunning discovery was, didn’t exactly register as strongly as it had in Rafiki’s mind, hiroshi put his own trust in the wise baboon’s words and was curious to know more, although now wasn’t the time to delve further into such matters. Staying by Ari’s side while he allowed Kweli to field Rafiki’s latest inquiry, Hiroshi started to feel the first twinges of sadness forming in his heart after thinking about how Ari was going to handle things without having Kweli around. He was, by no means, oblivious to the fact that Ari was probably closer to Kweli then she was even to himself and even though the two of them had shared something that Hiroshi felt as though, was much more deeper than anything Ari might have experienced with the smaller male in question, the black maned lion knew that he was going to have to be extra considerate towards his newly acquired mate’s feelings in the upcoming days if he was going to have any chance of helping her get through what could possibly be the hardest times of their lives to date.

Kito had also remained silent throughout Rafiki’s enlightening rant, although unlike his best friend, Rafiki’s words appeared to go in one ear and out the other, as Kito kept a look of disinterest upon his countenance the whole time, his fore paw hard at work scrubbing away the strange reddish paint-like substance the talkative mandrill had so ungraciously bestowed upon his cheek. Looking over his now stained fore paw from his previous actions, Kito huffed in an irritated fashion as he wiped his soiled paw upon the brittle grass below him, making sure to rid himself of the foreign concoction before randomly speaking up in an annoyed tone.

”What the hell is this stuff anyways and why did you have to go and mark up our faces with it Monkey?”

Seemingly un-phased by Kito’s negative reaction to the unfamiliar gesture he had performed, the sneaky Shaman started to laugh once more as he shook his head despairingly at the brown maned male. Carefully reaching out a hand, Rafiki lifted Kweli’s, Ari’s and Hiroshi’s chins up in turn before pointing one of his dexterous fingers at the symbols that were still present upon the three feline’s faces. Speaking up in an amused voice, the clever mandrill responded to Kito’s question while making a circular motion with his hands.

”That would be the symbol of eternal friendship and togetherness. Those who bear this marking will always remain as friends and not even the afterlife will pull them apart from one another.” Pointing in particular to Ari’s marking, which was slightly different from the ones displayed on both Kweli’s and Hiroshi’s cheek, Rafiki quaintly concluded his explanation. ”Miss Ari’s symbol also represents healthy fertility and a mother’s love, as well as loyalty to her mate.”