by AustralianChaos » June 3rd, 2010, 6:00 am
Tanga was at a complete loss. He had promised this lioness - Imani's - sister that he would look after her...but Imani seemed adamant that she wanted to go her own way. Along with that internal debate, a much more personal one raged. There was something about Imani that Tanga could not help but find himself...attracted...to, and his normal shyness and unwillingness to socialise with other lions was clashing with this strange desire to learn more about the mysterious lioness in front of her.
In the end, his curiosity, along with his promise, won over. He was not going to leave the bold lioness to her fate, only to walk away, and deny the lioness her last request. But how to go about it? Imani was obviously hurting, despite her best attempts to hide it, and Tanga believed that the best thing for her probably would be a chance to get some time alone and come to terms with what had just happened. But when she did come to terms with it, she would definitely need a companion to help her move on.
And that, for Tanga at least, settled it. Imani might not like this, but Tanga had promised...and he was not one to blindly break his promises. He sighed as he struggled to figure out how to convince her. "Please, Imani," he called to her retreating back. "Can I...can I least join you for a little while? I have nowhere else to go, really. You're the first, well...anything that I've been able to talk to for over a year. I understand you want to be alone, believe me, I do...but I..." he stalled. Should he really tell her what her sister had said to him. In the end, he decided to skirt over the subject, and found himself saying, before he could stop himself. "I've been alone my whole life." He suddenly felt as small and insignificant as an ant, his cheeks going deep red beneath his golden fur as he finished in a very small, very timid voice. "I just...I just want to know what it's like...to not be alone." His embarrassment deepened as he finally manage to regain control of his voice and stop himself, even if what he said was entirely true. He had been pretty much alone for his entire life...and he hated it. He bowed his head, his lonliness and embarrassment making him feel like a misbehaving cub caught out as he waited for Imani to either say something...or leave.