[Private] Love Will Tear Us Apart

[YFWE]

Kweli listened to the fears Hiroshi had about telling Ari of his feelings and was not surprised at his response; this had almost mirrored the response Ari had given him when they had spoken about this. And Kweli totally understood these fears--he had brought them up himself--but another part of him had to wonder how much longer they could live their lives like that. As Hiroshi had said, it was becoming harder for him to control himself. But at the same time... spontaneity could be a good thing, and Kweli at least knew that Ari would probably not be upset at Hiroshi if he did make a move.

"You guys don't even need to get into a relationship yet. I think just saying how you feel would be good enough. Probably wouldn't ruin anything either. You do what you want though. I'm sure whatever you decide will be good enough for both of you."

They reached the end of the Borderlands, which were apparently looking more than fine to Hiroshi, for he did not dwell in them long, the two of them turning and heading off in a new direction.

They moved into the Grasslands and Hiroshi spoke again, which almost caused Kweli to stop in his tracks. Rarely did he bring up his past to others; he had only told Ari because he felt more at ease around her, and because she had revealed so much to him.

"Grew up in a Pride pretty far away from here. Youngest of seven. Left when I was young, because I had to."

A tear had formed at his eye. He wiped it away quickly, trying to conceal his emotions from Hiroshi.

"That's the abridged version, the one I tell most others." He glanced over at Hiroshi. "I can go into more detail if you want but... trust me, it isn't easy to do."

-------

Ari could not believe how Kito was acting. Days earlier, he would not have cared one bit if Ari decided to go and play at the waterhole during a lightning storm. And now, he would not even let her leave the den. What was his problem?

Her thought process was interrupted by Kito basically collapsing atop her, sending her to the ground in a heap, Kito's growing adolescent body sprawled atop her. "What the...?!" Ari took a quick swipe at Kito as he dismounted her, though she missed entirely.

She did not even listen to his apology, instead screaming in his face. "What is your deal, Kito? Why on earth are you trying to get me back into the den? Are you wanting to do something to me in there or something? What's come over you lately?"

And with that she took off in the direction of Pride Rock, knowing full well Kito would follow her, but not caring. She could not figure out why Kito was acting like this, but at that point she wanted nothing more than to be away from him and that den. He was not the boss of her. He could not tell her what to do. He had never wanted to before, anyway. Why was he starting this just now?

[KiarasMate]

Keeping what Kweli had advised him to do, in the back of his mind, Hiroshi took in the short version of Kweli’s past, noticing the change in attitude from his friend and seeing him looking away momentarily. Sensing that Kweli’s past was a very touchy subject and not really being the type to probe into issues that didn’t concern him directly, Hiroshi figured that it’d be best to leave things as they were for the time being. Speaking up in a comforting tone, pausing in mid stride as he placed a fore paw over his friend’s shoulder, Hiroshi stated calmly.

”It’s okay Kweli. You don’t have to say more than that if you don’t want to. I understand how hard it can be to talk to someone about the past, especially if it’s not very pleasant. Believe me, I know.”

Trying his best to steer the conversation in a more favorable direction, Hiroshi’s gaze drifted over to Kweli’s head, noting the way his minor injury from the previous day was already beginning to heal nicely, Hiroshi grinned casually as he continued walking now. Addressing his friend as they meandered through the lush grass, Hiroshi brought up the events from yesterday as he glanced back over at Kweli.

”So, how exactly did you get that little injury from yesterday Kweli? It doesn’t look as bad as it did last night so I don’t think we’ll need to pay Rafiki a visit. Consider yourself fortunate in that respect, since that’s a headache you don’t even want to deal with.”

==========

Flattening his ears from how defensive Ari was becoming due to his actions, Kito couldn’t find the words to respond to her, merely opting to stand there, looking slightly ashamed of himself. It wasn’t until he spotted Ari darting off in the direction of Pride Rock, did Kito even begin to react. Feeling his heart rate picking up as he quickly gave chase after her, calling out in a bothered voice.

”Where the hell are you going Ari! Stop, it’s not what you think, okay! Damn it you stubborn Tomcat!”

Not really being built for speed, having a more muscular physique than both Hiroshi and Kweli, Kito found it very difficult to even catch up to Ari, his legs working overtime as they carried him swiftly through The Grasslands. Absolutely determined not to let Ari out of his sight at least, Kito gave chase as best he could, the images of his nightmare seemingly becoming burned into his thoughts with each stride closer Ari took towards the looming rock formation in the distance. Finally drawing close enough to the golden furred lioness, as it seemed she had at least slowed her pace down a bit, whether or not this was on purpose or what, Kito didn’t know, nor did he care at this point as his concern for Ari’s safety seemed to take priority over him, causing his next action to be performed without thinking. Reaching out a fore paw, Kito hooked one of Ari’s hind legs in mid step, giving him just enough time to close the last bit of distance between himself and his fleeing friend. Quickly forcing her down into the grass, Kito’s fore paw hurriedly covered Ari’s mouth as it looked as though she was about to let out a scream. Glancing down at her with a very serious expression, which was extremely rare from him, Kito spoke to her in a low voice, his paw holding her muzzle closed while the weight of his body kept her pinned down.

”Listen Stupid! I’m not doing this for my own good and it’s not because I like you. Hell, You are anything but my type Ari but for once, you’re just going to have to trust me. You can’t be out here on your own, not now at least. It”˜s not safe for you!” Lifting Ari’s muzzle slightly so her amber eyes met with his, just so she could see the sincerity in his stare, Kito continued, gradually beginning to loosen his grip upon her mouth. ”I know this seems really strange and you probably don’t believe a word I’m saying Ari but it’s the truth. I don’t want to scare you or anything, so please don’t make me go into detail. Just come back to the den and give me a chance to prove to you that my actions are genuine.”

Sighing dejectedly, Kito slowly lifted himself off of Ari, completely releasing his paw from around her muzzle as he stood up and backed away from her. It was now up to Ari, whether or not she trusted him and if she’d choose to run off or take his word. Keeping the look of urgency upon his face as he glanced around nervously, hoping that their little incident didn’t catch any unwanted attention, Kito stood, waiting for Ari’s response, his nerves beginning to fold as he stared at her with an unmoving gaze.

[YFWE]

Kweli was thankful that Hiroshi did not press him for any more details than what he had given already. Not that he did not want to tell Hiroshi, as he felt he had a right to know, but Kweli wanted it to be on his own time, whenever that time came.

He stayed silent, being sure he did not cry any more tears over the matter, whilst he heard Hiroshi steer the conversation into a slightly more positive light. His eyes widened as he brought up a paw quickly to the spot where his wounds were. Hiroshi was right; they did not seem nearly as bad as they had the day before. In fact, there was no pain to them at all; he had all but forgotten about them until Hiroshi mentioned them.

"You're right; they are almost gone!" he said proudly. "Thanks for reminding me about 'em." He gave a warm laugh at Hiroshi's final remark. "Hey now, I think Rafiki is a cool one. He was the first person to actually take me in and talk to me around here when I first came... that is, until Ari and I became friends."

They walked a bit further in silence. Kweli's thoughts could not help but divert back to the earlier conversation about his past. Though of course they would have seasons and seasons more to talk about what actually had happened, Kweli realized that now was the most pertinent time for such things. And so...

"My pride..." Kweli started again, his voice cutting through the silence, "was from far away from here. My mother and father were the King and Queen, so I was a part of the royal family."

He paused before beginning again. "I had six older brothers, so I was never going to be King, which looking at me, you can obviously see that was a good thing. So I was resigned to... well, pretty much doing what I do now, which is living one day at a time and trying to help as many creatures as I can, with advice or whatever else. I was as small then as I am now, so... yeah, I was rarely the one any of the lionesses went for. Except..."

Kweli sighed. "I had a really good friend named Bashasha. Hell, she wasn't just a really good friend. She was my best friend. And... to be honest, I was in the same position then that you are now with Ari." He looked up to the sky. "I was pretty much head over heels for her, and I think she was for me too. We were inseparable."

He felt the tears coming again, but he had gotten this far; he would not turn back now. "I was about to tell her how I felt one day. I had been planning it for days. But as the time had come..." he glanced over at Hiroshi darkly. "...my Pride was attacked by a group of rogue lions who wanted the lands for themselves. They had the hyenas on their side... picture the number of hyenas here and double it."

Kweli squinted, his head low. "I'm not a fighter, so I ran. Like the coward I am. I begged for Bashasha to follow me, but no, she went back to help the Pride. I fled into the jungle, organizing my thoughts, wanting to go back, but... I didn't. I couldn't." He hung his head low. "I went back in the morning, and... and..."

"DEAD!" he cried suddenly, his voice suddenly much higher and louder than it had been. "Bodies everywhere! My father, my brothers, my relatives... all their bodies were strewn about." His voice cracked as the tears finally began to fall, and this time he did nothing to stop them; he knew he could not stop them even if he tried. "M-my mother and Bashasha... I never found them. I don't know i-if they survived, but the hyenas were carrying off bodies so... they might have already been t-taken..." He could talk no more, his voice now overtaken by a flurry of sobs.

He stopped in his tracks, unable to move any further for the time being, collapsing into a heap on the ground. He was sure Hiroshi was saying something at this point, but for that moment all else was blocked out. He was a wreck. He was miserable. And he deserved every minute, every fiber of what he felt.

"...I found t-this place a few seasons after," Kweli continued finally after a few moments, picking himself off the ground. "Before that, I was alone in the jungle." He looked up into Hiroshi's gaze, trying to meet it head-on, even though he was obviously shorter and smaller than his friend.

"Hiro... don't be like me. I know I was not being straight with my answer earlier but... don't be like me. Tell Ari how you feel. Tell her how much you care for her. Tell her how much she means to you. Because that chance may not always be there. You might wake up tomorrow and have her and all that you love ripped from you forever." Wiping the last remnants of wetness from his face, he then reached up and laid a paw on Hiroshi's shoulder. "...that's my advice to you, Hiro, if you'll take advice from a coward like me."

------

Ari was not running at full speed, but she was still moving at a rather swift pace. So she was not completely surprised when Kito finally caught her leg, but there was still an element of surprise there when she fell to the ground, rolling over and over in the tall grass. She opened her muzzle to protest, but it was immediately covered by Kito as he yelled down into her face, his eyes crazy and his expression as serious as Ari had ever seen it.

She felt her muzzle being lifted slightly, so that her gaze was on par with Kito's. His eyes were pleading. He himself was pleading now.

He finally dismounted her, and Ari slowly got to all fours, brushing herself off. She gazed at Kito for a few moments, saying nothing, just simply taken aback at what he had said and done.

Slowly she began to walk back to the den, her head low, her eyes wide. She turned back once to face Kito again. "Kito," she said. "Does this have anything to do with Scar? Please tell me the truth."

[KiarasMate]

At first it seemed as though Hiroshi’s efforts to alter the conversation in a new direction were working as he listened to what Kweli was saying in regards to the crazy mandrill known as Rafiki. Smiling and even letting a light hearted chuckle leave his muzzle from his friend’s words, Hiroshi was convinced that he had made the right decision to change the subject however, unexpectedly and much to Hiroshi’s surprise, Kweli resumed informing him about his past shortly there after. Adopting a more serious expression, his pace slowing down to match his friend’s as he took in everything Kweli told him, Hiroshi could feel his heartstrings being tugged upon with each new detail that was revealed to him. Coming to a halt in the middle of The Grasslands seeing as Kweli was unable to press on at this point, Hiroshi came to a stop next to his friend as he watched Kweli’s emotions getting the better of him. Searching desperately for the right thing to say as he thought about what Kweli was saying, Hiroshi did his best to reassure his friend as he placed one of his fore paws gently atop Kweli’s back, speaking down to him in a supportive tone.

”Hey, it’s not your fault Kweli. How were you supposed to know that would happen. You can’t blame yourself for that sort of thing. My mother always told me that Fate works in mysterious ways and it doesn’t always make sense but everything in life happens for a purpose. With that said though, I’m so sorry about your loss. I…I can’t entirely imagine what that must have been like for you. Not only losing your parents but also someone you cared so deeply for.”

Needing a moment himself as he felt his own voice beginning to tremble at this point, the thoughts of his mother’s untimely death resurfacing in his mind, Hiroshi stayed strong, not wanting to break down in front of Kweli. Suddenly feeling his friend’s fore paw upon his shoulder, Hiroshi glanced down at Kweli, meeting his friend’s gaze as he heard him speaking about what he should do in regards to Ari. Kweli’s words seemed to sink in rather quickly as the look upon Hiroshi’s face would have indicated. Giving a reassuring nod to Kweli and gently taking hold of his friend’s fore paw to help him back up to all fours, Hiroshi continued to try and ease Kweli’s nerves as he spoke up once more.

”I’ll do that as soon as I can Kweli and thank you for the advice. Let’s just drop this subject now though, kay? I don’t think I could handle any more memories like that before I’d start braking down too. As you know, I lost my mother when I was pretty young but I still can’t put myself in your paw prints and I’m sure you must miss both your parents and Bashasha so much. Don’t blame yourself for what happened to her though. If you had gone back with her, you would have died as well and to be quite honest, you are the one that keeps our group sane Kweli. You are always there for us no matter what and regardless of how you see yourself, you’ll always be a very important friend to me, Ari and Kito. It’s not quite royalty but sometimes friendship is all you need in life.”

Reaching up his for paw once more, Hiroshi gave Kweli a friendly pat on the shoulder before glancing back in front of him. They had gotten a tad bit sidetracked with their little development but duty still called. Making absolute sure that Kweli was okay and ready to press onwards, Hiroshi began to once more, make his way along the beaten path as he thought of a way to try and cheer his friend up a bit. Recalling one of his fonder memories with his mother back when he was younger, Hiroshi smiled as he spoke up to Kweli in a reflective voice.

”You know, losing someone is never easy and the pain of loss seems to never go away completely but I find that if you keep the memorable times that you spent with those who are gone, close to your heart, it helps dull the pain to some extent Kweli. I remember the first time my mom and I went down to the waterhole when she was going to teach me how to swim. She told me that it would be a valuable life lesson and that it would be fun. It was really scary at first to be honest, since the waterhole seemed so big and I was so small, but seeing my mother’s face and her loving stare, I knew she wouldn’t let anything bad happen to me. I trusted her and she knew it. Well, after about an hour or so, I finally built up the courage to try and swim out to where she was. Can’t say that I was the most graceful lion in the water but I finally did manage to reach her and she made me feel so proud from accomplishing something so simple. That’s just one of those memories that I will always remember about her, even if she’s gone. All I have to do is think about those times whenever I start feeling sad about her not being with me now. Do you have any memories of Bashasha that you think about when times get tough?”

==========

Silently thanking The Great Kings Above for Ari finally beginning to trust him, Kito followed closely behind his friend, giving a few glances back over his shoulder as they walked, just to ensure that they were in the clear. Hearing Ari’s inquiry, Kito’s head snapped back forward as he met with her gaze. Still being in the middle of The Grasslands however and knowing that speaking of such matters would take the utmost care and precaution, Kito waited until the two of them arrived back at the seclusion of their den before he even spoke up in response to her, making sure that the two of them were out of hearing range from any nearby creatures.

”So you know then Ari? Yes, it does have to do with Scar.” Taking a seat upon his sleeping pelt now, Kito continued, his voice sincere as he looked directly at Ari. ”That night when we went to go talk to our moms about staying in this den, my mom told me something strange. She was saying that Scar’s interests in mates was changing and that I should keep a closer watch over you…okay, so she didn’t quite say it like that but that’s what she meant Ari. Quite frankly, I was just going to blow the whole thing off and ignore what she said, since you know my mom, she’s never really been all that stable herself, so I just figured that she was saying that just to get at me or maybe even to try and make me be nicer to you. I don’t know what the deal was but last night…”

Needing a moment to compose himself as his eyes drifted down to the tears in his sleeping pelt, instantly reminding him once again of the horrible nightmare he had experienced, Kito swallowed hard as he returned his focus back to Ari. Gazing at her facial expression, trying to gauge what she was thinking, although not nearly being as perceptive as Hiroshi and Kweli, Kito could only take an educated guess at what was going through his friend’s mind by this point. Resuming his speech after a short pause, Kito continued as his fore paw swatted at the corner of his pelt that had curled over on top of itself.

”Last night when I went on my walk, I overheard his majesty talking to some of his filthy followers and your name came up more than once in their conversation Ari. It seems as though our leader has taken a liking to you, or at least, some parts of you anyways.” Glancing back up at Ari, locking eyes with her, Kito’s voice shifted into a more spiteful tone as he swiped his paw down upon the den floor. ”Scar’s a heartless bastard Ari. If you think for even a minute, that he wouldn’t take advantage of you the first opportunity he got, you’re a damn fool! You remember three seasons ago when my mom’s leg got broken? Everyone said it was a hunting accident but the truth is, Scar did it to her because she refused to let him have his way with her. No matter how strong you think you are Ari, if you ever get summoned to The Main Den, you BETTER let either Hiro or myself go with you. Hell, even Kweli would do but don’t you dare go there by yourself, do you understand? I can’t believe Hiro didn’t see this coming before I did. I mean, gawd, he’s the one who cares that deeply about you and he’s the one you like right? I’m just a friend and here I am, risking my own tail just to keep you safe and you just think I’m trying to hit on you.”

[YFWE]

No matter how hard it had been to say the things he had said, Kweli felt relieved as soon as he had finished his little speech, even down to his last piece of advice to Hiroshi concerning his relationship with Ari. He felt Hiroshi's paw come down on his shoulder as he nodded along to Hiroshi's response. He felt poorly for bringing up such an emotional subject even after having decided against it at first, but the weight was off his chest in at least one respect now.

"Thanks, Hiro, and sorry to bring all that up. I guess it gives you a little more insight as to why I am how I am, though. And don't worry," he flashed a smile. "I'm glad and perfectly content to be here now. You guys are my family now. And I'm not planning on losing anymore family members."

They began to walk again, Kweli still internally pleased with himself for being able to talk about his past; though he had seemed quite emotional and distraught, he had actually acted ten times better than when he first told Ari the story. It had been his first time telling anyone, and he had not calmed down until sundown.

Kweli listened to Hiroshi, who seemed to have struck some sort of existential nerve inside himself, and grinned softly at his friend's account of his days with his mother at the waterhole. His thoughts quickly turned to his own past upon Hiroshi's final query, and he had to take a long pause before finally coming up with a response.

"We... we used to mess with my brothers from time to time. Since I was the youngest, I felt like it was my duty, and Bashasha, she was perfectly fine with helping. We got all kinds of responses too. One of my brothers... we were like Kito and Ari, always fighting and fussing and messing with each other; he was the youngest before I came along. My eldest brother on the other hand, who was the future King... he took everything much more good-natured. He was going to be a great King."

Kweli paused to think of more memories. "There was a waterfall in the jungle nearby where our Pride lived. It wasn't really that far away, pretty much the distance from our den to the waterhole. Bashasha and I used to go there all the time. There was a little plot of rock directly underneath the waterfall that you could slide onto... so once on it, you were looking out from the other side of the waterfall. I think we were the only two lions in the entire Pride who knew about it. It was our place, y'know? Our domain. Our territory. We used to play out starting our own Pride in there when we were younger. The... the rocks were our subjects. And the occasional bird or two, if we could coax one in and tell them to play along."

Kweli was silent for a moment, a small grin tugging at his muzzle as he looked up into the sky. "We kissed there, too," he said finally. "First time for either one of us. It was just days before... you know, all that stuff happened. It was totally spur of the moment and I think we surprised ourselves." Kweli chuckled. "Then, Bashasha--she had this hilarious grin she got when she was being devious--she pushed me into the waterfall and down I went into the pool at the bottom." He turned to Hiroshi. "She was an amazing lioness. I didn't want that day to end. When I was alone... I thought mostly of that day. I haven't needed to lately, though. You guys have kept me pretty happy and occupied."

He nodded, noting that he was done reminiscing. "Yeah, that's what I think about. Those things." He glanced at Hiroshi. "It's weird. I've never gone from as sad as I was a little while ago to as happy as I am now in such a short amount of time. ...I guess thanks are in order, Hiro," he said with a goofy grin.

------

Ari's fears had been confirmed--this was about Scar. Immediately her thoughts went to Hiroshi's talk with her as Kito admitted why he had acted the way he had. Hiroshi had said it would not matter if Scar coveted her. She had a choice to choose who she wanted to be with. Hiroshi was correct... right?

Kito spoke up louder as he recanted the details of his walk the previous evening, and suddenly Ari felt a wave of emotions--first, guilt for having suspected Kito of anything but wanting to protect her, as well as fear and trepidation based on the words and the warnings he spoke of.

Ari was shaking her head subconsciously by the time Kito had finished. She sat there, calculating, formulating a response, trying to make sense of what Kito had said in addition to what both her mother and Hiroshi had said before.

"Look," she started, her voice raised at first, "Let's get one thing straight, first of all--leave Hiro out of this. How in the hell was he supposed to know any of this? He doesn't HAVE a mother in the Pride, last time I checked. And he doesn't seem to actually speak to the King that much; he only does some errands for him, you and I both know that, I mean, look where it's gotten us. Don't blame Hiroshi for not knowing this was going on."

She meandered over to her pelt and flopped down upon it, calming herself before continuing. "I'm not going to let Scar get to me, Kito. Not if I can help it. I will never, under any circumstances, give myself up to someone I don't want in my life. I... I don't know how I'll be able to keep him at bay, especially if what you say is true and he's starting to take real notice of me. But I'm sure going to try, for my sake, for my mother's sake, and for my friends' sakes."

She rose to all fours and walked over to Kito and, having never done this, gave him a reluctant nudge on the neck. "Thanks, Kito," she whispered. "Thanks for looking out for me. I really, really appreciate it."

[KiarasMate]

Following along with Kweli’s story, his friend’s words painting a rather clear picture in his mind, Hiroshi couldn’t help but to smile fondly from the way both Kweli and Bashasha interacted. It mirrored himself and Ari almost perfectly at times yet obviously they hadn’t gotten as close to one another as Bashasha and Kweli had, or at least, not yet anyways. Hearing Kweli coming to the conclusion of his trip down memory lane, Hiroshi sported a friendly expression as he replied in response to his friend’s reminiscing tale.

”Aww, she definitely sounds like she was one amazing lioness Kweli. I would have loved to meet her if I could. I’m sure she’s smiling down at you right now from the heavens and I’m certain that she’s proud of you for what you’ve done with yourself despite having lived through those rough times. No need to thank me either buddy. If anyone should be throwing thanks around, it should be me, since I think you’ve really helped me come to terms with what I need to do in regards to Ari. I just want the time to be perfect for when I tell her how I feel about her.”

Pleased that the mood of their conversation had severely lightened up now, Hiroshi’s spirits rose once more as he noted their current location. The pair was still a ways off from their final destination, that being The Elephant Graveyard, yet time was passing them by quite quickly it seemed. Trying to keep their conversation from straying back to the past, Hiroshi opted to take the opposite route as he spoke up once again to Kweli in regards to the future.

”Do you ever wonder what the future holds for you Kweli? I mean, do you see yourself doing anything specific in the upcoming seasons? For myself, I always pictured the four of us going off on some crazy adventure together. That and Ari and myself becoming mates but that’s more of a recent development as you well know by now.”

==========

Taking Ari’s criticism in stride as he knew that dragging Hiroshi into the argument wasn’t the smartest move on his part, yet often times speaking before actually thinking about what he said, Kito continued to listen to what Ari stated, still not looking completely convinced that she understood the underlying implications of what could be in store for her if she didn’t watch herself. Still, trying to at least come off as being supportive in the fact that he truly did care for her wellbeing at least, Kito let Ari finish speaking before replying in as gentle of a voice as he could muster.

”You don’t have to do this alone you know Ari. Kweli, Hiro and even myself are always here for you. You don’t always have to be so tough. You know you should at least act like a lioness every now and again.”

Watching intently as Ari rose back up to her paws and made her way over to where he was seated, Kito was a bit taken aback from her actions as he felt her nuzzling his neck for a moment. Totally being caught off guard by what she had done, Kito felt his tough front folding like a house of cards as he looked away from her, a stupid grin etched upon his muzzle as he waved a fore paw towards her to shoo her away from him, speaking up in an embarrassed tone as he did so.

”Oh stop it now Tomcat. Let’s not get all emotional with one another. Don’t want to ruin our perfectly good love hate relationship now do we? Save your mushy stuff for Hiro.”

Laughing openly, Kito flopped himself down upon his sleeping pelt, his head resting a few inches away from the spot where his claws had dug into the pelt from earlier. Staying quiet for a moment, Kito’s stomach was the next one to break the silence as it let out a low rumble. Grinning sheepishly over towards Ari while placing his fore paws over his talkative belly, Kito piped up in an unabashed voice.

”Gawd, I’m hungry. I went to go see if there was any breakfast this morning but apparently the hunt was a failure. Couldn’t even find my mom there either but I have a sneaking suspicion about where she was. I saw your mom though. Oh and she wanted me to tell you Ari that she loves you and misses you and blah blah blah.” Adopting a cheeky looking grin and feeling like himself once again, Kito added in a mocking voice. ”Oh and she said you need to be nicer to me since she thinks that one of these days, me and you will be mates.”

Gripped with laughter from his own remark, knowing that Ari would realize that it was a lie as Nafsi herself didn’t really even trust Kito around her daughter due to his reputation amongst the elder lionesses of the pride, Kito flashed Ari a sly smirk before rising to all fours once more. Taking a quick glance outside the den entrance, Kito returned his gaze back to the golden furred feline before he stated in a mischievous voice.

”So…how about we go and get ourselves something to eat Ari? If there’s one place you’ll be safe from his majesty, it’s The Southern Hunting Grounds since we know Scar never lifts a paw when it comes to food. Maybe you can catch us something tasty to eat, that is, if you’re even as good of a hunter as you let on to be.”

[YFWE]

As Kweli and Hiroshi continued to walk along, Kweli passingly thought about how nice all this must be--just walking along, not really doing anything, even when they were supposed to be "patrolling." He had a feeling that nothing out of the ordinary really happened all that often, so Hiroshi often used the time to think. Given the reflecting Kweli had done already that day while on the walk and the peace he had already made, he resolved that he would attempt to do this more often, whether with someone else or simply alone.

The Elephant Graveyard came into view. Kweli had only been here once before; he and Ari had gone exploring once. Kweli had not wanted to go. Ari had. And that had been the end of that discussion.

Hiroshi posed another rather existential question to him, and Kweli had to think about this for a few moments before answering.

"Like I said, Hiro, I live one day at a time, because you never know how things are going to change tomorrow. So I really don't think about the future much, not anymore. That said," he answered, "I see Scar falling. Don't ask me why I think this; it's just a feeling. I don't think he'll King much longer, though. There's too much tension around here. Too much corruption. The circle will not remain unbroken. Something's gonna give."

He kicked a bone out of his path before resuming speaking. "As for myself or for anyone else, I dunno. I think some sort of big adventure with us four would be cool. I dunno if I'll always be able to stay here, anyway. Some Prides don't take much of a liking to adult males sticking around a Pride after they're fully grown... not that this place will be the same. I think I might get lucky though," he said, grinning over at Hiroshi, "because I'm almost positive that one of you, either you or Kito, will end up being next in line when and if Scar falls. Who else is there? Sarabi's son died a while ago, so they say."

--------

Breaking away from Kito as quickly as she had came to him, Ari retreated to her pelt, flopping down upon it again. Kito was wrong on at least one thing--she was not going to go about this alone. "I don't plan on doing this alone, so don't worry. I'll use all the help I can get. If you had told me all this before, I probably wouldn't have been as difficult."

Hearing Kito mention her mother, she suddenly felt a pang of longing to see her. She normally did not spend this much time away without seeing her mother at least once, even if it had only been a little over a day. She laughed at Kito's tiny addendum, however. "Keep dreaming, Kit. My mother wouldn't want you to touch me with a ten-lion long baobab tree branch. Be lucky you got so much of a nudge from me because that's all you'll ever be getting... which I guess is okay, since you've got all those lionesses just chomping at the bits to experience some of Kito's special lovin', apparently."

Ari watched Kito rise to all fours as he started toward the entrance, acting on the impulse of hunger. Ari decided it would not hurt to join him, getting to her paws as well.

"My hunting skills are unrivaled, Kito," she said with a laugh. "Question is, will you be able to keep up with me?"

And with that, Ari darted out of the den and off toward the Southern Hunting Grounds at a pace she knew Kito would be able to keep up with. She could never pass up an opportunity to show up Kito, especially in hunting... this was just another one of those chances.

[KiarasMate]

The pair of lions seemed to be making good time as they traveled along together, reaching the slope leading down into The Elephant Graveyard in record time. Being a bit preoccupied with Kweli’s answer to his former question to even take notice of the change in scenery, Hiroshi’s mood seemed to shift slightly after hearing his friend making mention of Scar’s reign potentially crashing down upon him. This fact always lingered in the back of Hiroshi’s mind and despite the ties he held genetically to the ruthless tyrant, nothing would please Hiroshi more than for Scar to be overthrown, or worse even. Waiting till there was a pause in the middle of Kweli’s dialog, Hiroshi spoke up in a low mumble as his eyes surveyed the landscape before him.

”Let’s hope so Kweli. Scar deserves everything that’s coming to him…”

Listening closely to what Kweli spoke of next, Hiroshi’s focus returned to the subject at paw as he thought about the possibility of being king, bringing a small smile to his muzzle as he did so. In all honesty, Hiroshi himself had never even considered the fact that in the untimely chance that Scar would no longer be ruler, that he himself might have the opportunity to replace him. Chalking this up to a mere pipe dream however and not wishing to get his own hopes up, Hiroshi simply chuckled as he responded to his friend in a reluctant voice.

”Well, as nice as that sounds buddy, I don’t see it happening anytime soon and if it did come down to the one of us being king, either Kito or myself, I don’t think I’d have what it would take to be a good ruler. I mean, Kito’s more built for that sort of thing. I’m more of a lover, not a fighter anyways, so I probably wouldn’t make much of a king in all honesty.”

As the two friends reached another impasse in the trail they had been following through the gloomy looking environment, Hiroshi remembered that there was still something specific left to do upon their agenda and now that they had arrived where they needed to be, now seemed like the most opportune time to check the final task off their proverbial to do list. Turning to Kweli, Hiroshi spoke up as he started to make his way down the right path in the division ahead of them.

”Ahh, now that we’re here Kweli, you remember me telling you that I wanted to show you something last night, correct? Well, follow me buddy.”

Taking lead, Hiroshi wandered along the high wall of elephant bones that snaked around the path to which they were traveling down, until reaching a certain point in the trail where a single massive elephant skull rested in between the break in the wall of bones. Stepping carefully over the thick tusks of the long deceased creature, Hiroshi made his way to the back side of the skull where he motioned with a fore paw at the surface of the ghostly remains. There, etched crudely into the bones were two paw prints that looked as though they belonged to felines much younger than both Hiroshi and Kweli. Taking a seat next to the oddly etched mural, Hiroshi fielded the question that Kweli would most likely ask, before he even had a chance to.

”Those paw prints there. They belong to Kito and I. We made a special pact here when we were cubs. Don’t ask me how we ended up here though buddy. That’s a rather embarrassing story. To put it simply, Kito’s attitude didn’t rub a hyena the right way and this was the best hiding spot we could find. We were small enough to fit inside the skull back then so it made a great refuge. Anyways, this was shortly after Ari had came to The Pride Lands and as you can probably guess, both Kito and myself always used to bicker over who she liked better. From that argument however, we came up with a pact one day. We decided that if something ever happened to one of us, that the other would promise to look after Ari no matter what. We carved our paw prints into the side of this skull here to sort of symbolize that promise.”

==========

Feeling much better by this point, now that the air had been cleared between Ari and himself, Kito seemed to resort back to his old ways as he watched Ari zipping past him and back into The Grasslands. Rising to his paws quickly, Kito bounded after her, doing his utmost to stay hot on her heels as he heard her departing words. Grinning wide as competition between himself and Ari always seemed to be the only thing that they both reveled in, Kito called after her as he tried to catch up to the much faster lioness, his legs pumping furiously to carry his weight along.

”Well, that’s not exactly fair Tomcat. You’ve had more practice at hunting and you don’t have a sexy mane to get you noticed by your prey. Even with that said though, I bet I can still out-hunt you any day of the season.”

Finally managing to close the distance between himself and Ari, Kito dashed along side his friend as the two of them darted through the grass together. As much as he wouldn’t admit it, Kito was enjoying himself within Ari’s company as he gave her a mock charge as if he were going to crash directly into her, only stopping inches away from her before pulling back and repeating the process. It didn’t take them very long to near the grazing areas of the many herds that frequented The Pride Lands, yet as the two felines drew closer, it started to become more obvious to Kito why this morning’s hunt had been unsuccessful. Nearing an opening within the tall grass that surrounded them, Kito looked a bit puzzled from the lack of creatures that were present several hundred yards from where the two friends now stood. Typically, from what he could remember, the lands had always been overflowing with an abundance of walking meals, just waiting to be picked off but the sight in front of him said quite the opposite, as only a few scattered herds of wildebeest and gazelle, mixed with the random group of buffalo who were way too difficult to take down, especially for two adolescents, dotted the Savannah. Turning to Ari as he lowered his profile into the grass so as not to be spotted by any of the distant animals, Kito addressed her in a hushed tone.

”Where’s all the prey at? Shouldn’t there be a lot more creatures than this Ari? Maybe they knew your ugly ass was coming and hightailed it out before we arrived. Well, since you’re the supposed hunting master, what do we do? Go for one of those scrawny looking gazelle or try for a wildebeest. I personally could take down a gazelle or even a wildebeest on my own but I wouldn’t say the same for you. All you got going for you Tomcat is your speed and that doesn’t bring down prey, now does it?”

[YFWE]

Kweli chuckled at Hiroshi's reaction to his comment concerning him or Kito one day becoming King of the Pride Lands. Kito was most certainly more built for the job, there was no denying that, and Hiroshi had less of an offensive mentality than his friend did, but all the same... Kweli felt Hiroshi would make a far better ruler if it ever came to that. Kito could let his emotions get the best of him sometimes, among other things. They were still young; he could still mature... but for the time being, in Kweli's mind at least, Hiroshi was ahead.

His ears pricked up at Hiroshi's question. "Yeah, I remember," he replied. Without another word, he followed Hiroshi down into the inner reaches of the Elephant Graveyard, soon coming to an enormous elephant skull. Following Hiroshi around to the back of the massive bone, precariously stepping over the smaller bones as he did so, he listened as Hiroshi pointed out an odd mural-like etching... one of two small paw prints. Hiroshi began to explain the significance of the paw prints, that they belonged to a much younger Hiroshi and Kito, and that they were etched into the surface to symbolize their pact to protect Ari. Kweli could not help but have begun to grin by the time Hiroshi had finished speaking.

"Wow... that's so cool, Hiro," Kweli said finally. "Times must've been pretty nice back then. Does Ari know about this?"

He looked closer at the etched prints, and then fleetingly at his own paws. "Too bad I wasn't here on that day. I would've joined the pact too; I'd do anything I could to keep Ari safe. I think my paw would look a little out of place now, though, eh?"

------

Ari could not help but laugh as she and Kito darted across the savanna, approaching the Hunting Grounds in what was almost certainly record time. Kito continuously feigned charging her, but Ari knew better than to flinch, knowing he would not actually (knowingly) run into her anyway. Absentmindedly, she began doing the same to him, once leaping over him, eyes wide with glee as she did so.

The grazing areas of the Pride Lands came into full view, and Ari and Kito gradually began to slow down, knowing that if they were to catch anything at all, they would have to be far more steath-like.

Ari could not believe her eyes. Weeks and even days before, the lands had been sprawling with life, from wildebeests to buffalo. But now... now there was barely anything. And this was not due to overhunting. Quite simply, some of the herds had moved on.

Kito began to whisper to her, and when he ceased to speak she breathed back, "I dunno, but this kinda worries me. Why are all the herds moving?"

She considered Kito's final few words. "Wildebeest. If we can work together, we might be able to take one down. Just one, though. If food's really this scarce, I don't want to make it much worse."

And with that, she began to trot through the grass, staying low so she would not be spotted, beckoning Kito to follow her.

[KiarasMate]

Observing intently as he watched Kweli examining the sketches of his and Kito’s paw prints, Hiroshi’s smile broadened as he heard his friend making mention about wishing that he had been a part of the pact made way back then. Glancing around the disheveled ground around him, apparently looking for something in particular, Hiroshi came across a jagged piece of bone that had undoubtedly snapped off from one of the many skeletal remains that adorned the dreary looking lands. Cupping the fragment of bone in his fore paw, Hiroshi turned his attention back to Kweli as he waited for his friend to finish speaking before chiming in, his voice laced with excitement.

”You know, that’s actually why I brought you here Kweli. After talking with Ari and hearing how highly she spoke of you, I made up my mind to bring you here for a very specific reason.” Lightly tapping his free fore paw upon the surface of the skull in front of them slightly below where his and Kito’s markings were, Hiroshi stated kindly. ”Put your paw up here buddy and hold it still. I want to add you to the pact. I really don’t think that anything is going to happen to the three of us but just in case, it’s nice to know that Ari will be able to count on the others if something should happen and in all honesty Kweli, I think she couldn’t be in better paws if that happened to be you.”

Smiling warmly at Kweli to ensure that his words would be taken sincerely as he truly did hope that Kweli would accept his offer, Hiroshi patiently rolled the bone shard in his fore paw as he stood at the ready. Finally seeing Kweli’s paw being lifted, Hiroshi flashed his friend an appreciative smile before moving in and lifting his fore paw so that the tip of the bone sliver connected firmly to the elephant skull. Applying just enough pressure as was needed and making sure not to snap the bone from his efforts, Hiroshi carefully traced around Kweli’s paw, skillfully maneuvering his make-shift pen around every curve of his friend’s appendage. Repeating the process several times over whenever he reached the other side of Kweli’s paw, Hiroshi’s work was rewarded as thin layers of calcium began to flake off and vanish upon the ground below. Figuring that he had done an adequate job, Hiroshi backed away and let the used bone fragment fall from his grip as he spoke up in a hopeful voice.

”Okay, that should do it Kweli. I’m no artist but let’s see how it came out.”

==========

Hanging on every word that Ari spoke, having to move himself in a bit closer just from how quiet her voice had become as not to scare off their potential prey, Kito gave a quick nod of approval to Ari’s choice of targets. Giving the distant wildebeest herd a quick scan, just to try and pick out one of the weaker individuals, as this was what his mother had told him the first thing lionesses did on the hunt, Kito didn’t realize that Ari had already begun to make her way off towards where she could have a better chance at ambushing the unsuspecting herd. Glancing back over to find that his friend had already begun to crawl off, Kito huffed as he kept his body as low to the ground as was possible, trying his best not to make any noise as he slithered after Ari, looking quite the pathetic sight from just how unskilled he was in this sort of situation. Staying close enough behind Ari to hear her if she would say anything, Kito found it rather annoying as Ari’s tail seemed to gravitate towards his face, slapping him a few times and tickling his nose with her tail tuft. Not knowing if she was doing this on purpose or not, Kito couldn’t help himself as he gave Ari’s tail a quick swipe with his fore paw, calling up to her in a low whisper.

”Do you really have to keep swaying your damn tail Ari? For one thing, it’s bad enough having to be this close to you but could you at least try to keep your tail in line? It’s not exactly a pretty sight when it lifts and I’m going to actually NEED my vision for the hunt.”

Chuckling quietly to himself, Kito kept a steady eye on Ari’s every movement, trying to mirror her actions indefinitely as he continued to keep a low profile and struggled not to make any sounds as his paws shuffled along the grass below him. Clearly showing that he was inexperienced at best when it came to the art of hunting, Kito just hoped that Ari would at least be able to do the majority of the prep work when it came to taking down their future prey. Knowing that he himself probably wouldn’t be able to outrun one of the healthier looking wildebeest, Kito figured that his part would mostly revolve around weighing the creature down and delivering the much needed force to ensure that they would make a successful kill together.