[Private] Love Will Tear Us Apart

[YFWE]

Kweli was surprised to hear that the very reason Hiroshi had brought him to the Elephant Graveyard, aside from the obvious job of patrolling the area, was to allow him to join in on the pact he and Kito had made seasons before. He had always felt like much less of a force in Ari's life compared to the other two... one could say this almost put him on the same level as them.

That said, he would join the pact without question. Protecting Ari in times such as these was incredibly important. And no matter how headstrong she could be at times, she could not face these challenges alone. Kweli was more than happy to be included in this pact.

He lifted his paw gingerly, laying it flat against the cold chill of the long-dead elephant skull. "Well, I'm sold," he said. "I'm in."

As he watched Hiroshi work his magic with the tiny bone, he could not help but notice, once again, how much larger his paw was compared to the other two. He could only imagine how young Hiroshi and Kito must have been when they had first come here and etched their own prints into the skull. True, he probably would have felt a stronger connection to them had he done this when he was the same age as them, but it did not matter how he felt about the matter. This was all about Ari.

Hiroshi had finished tracing and beckoned for Kweli to remove his paw from the stony surface. Slowly, Kweli pried his paw from the skull, curious to see what Hiroshi's handiwork had produced.

He grinned at the sight of it. As Hiroshi had matured, his skill with tracing had obviously improved slightly as well, and so his paw looked--well, a little more like a paw than the other two did. It was more noticeable as well, though that could well have been due to Kito and Hiroshi's prints weathering away with age.

"I think it looks... perfect," Kweli said, mentally taking a picture of the scene so that he could remember it for as long as he could. "Simply perfect."

He wished he had more to say on the matter, but truly no more words could come out. They stood there for a few moments, basking in the sight of the small mural, before Kweli finally spoke up. "So... do we have anything else to do today? Or should we head back to make sure Ari and Kito haven't killed each other yet?"

------

Staying as low to the ground as she possibly could, Ari became aware of Kito whispering behind her. She rolled her eyes.

"Well, no one says you have to walk directly behind me, Kito. And maybe if you were a bit better at hunting, it'd be me behind you. Now, quiet."

After a good deal of sneaking through the grass and nearing the grazing herds, they were finally to the point where if they made any more forward progress, the herd would almost certainly notice them and flee.

Ari scanned the herd through the grass, trying to single out one, if any, wildebeest that could perhaps be taken down easily by the combined power of her and Kito. It was a smaller herd, and many of the animals appeared to be much larger, possibly because the Pride had already taken out most of its weaker members.

Finally, Ari found a target. A slightly smaller member of the herd was situated toward the middle of the group. It had already been injured by something before it, judging by the wounds on its leg, though the marks did not seem to have come from a lion. Either way, it hobbled from place to place when it moved. It was weak. It was the best they would be able to do.

Ari silently nodded to the wildebeest, hoping Kito would catch her drift. There really was no other way to go about taking down the wildebeest other than just going at it directly from where they were crouched, hoping they would catch the herd off-guard. If Kito could corner the animal on one side and Ari the other, Ari (or Kito) might be able to make the final kill, if luck was on their side.

Giving one last nod to Kito, Ari sprang into action, darting out from behind the grass and toward the herd. Luckily, the herd had not been expecting them, but even so, Ari and Kito had been far enough away that they had been spotted before they were very close. The wildebeests began to move swiftly, thundering out of the way of the two approaching lions. The injured animal was slow to begin moving but soon was fleeing from them as well.

"Kito, see if you can cut the injured one off!" commanded Ari as she broke out in stride behind the fleeing herd.. "I'll try to bring it down from behind once you can do that."

[KiarasMate]

Watching closely as Kweli removed his paw, Hiroshi leaned in to give the newly etched space upon the elephant skull, a quick dusting with one of his fore paws, followed by a soft blow from his breath before he too, stepped back to admire the work. Kweli’s paw seemed to dwarf both his and Kito’s prints however seeing as Kweli was a tad bit smaller than the average sized lion his age, it didn’t look too awkward, in fact, it almost made things appear as though the three paws made a trinity of sorts. Looking satisfied with the job he had done and hearing Kweli’s comment, Hiroshi thought for a moment before replying in a calm tone.

”Yeah, I think we can call it quits for the patrol. Let’s head back to Pride Rock so I can give his majesty the report. Then we can go meet back up with Ari and Kito, assuming they haven’t ripped each other to shreds by now.”

Giving the roughly sketched mural one last final glance, Hiroshi turned and started to make his way back to the main path within The Elephant Graveyard, stepping back over the tusks of the fossilized beast as he thought about the past. Walking along side Kweli in relative silence as the pair exited the gloomy abode, Hiroshi felt the need to speak up once more as he addressed Kweli in a thoughtful voice.

”Erm, can you do me a favor Kweli and not tell Kito or Ari about the whole pact thing. Kito would just get miffed that I included you in it, since he’d probably take it the wrong way, and Ari, well…you know how strong willed she can be. I don’t think she’d really mind that we made such a pact, but it just seems more special and meaningful if she doesn’t know.”

Smiling fondly over to his friend, Hiroshi fell quiet once again as he glanced towards the sky above and reflected over the days events. He had learned a lot more about Kweli and in turn, felt a bit closer to his friend as a result. Knowing that he had made the right decision to include Kweli into the pact and knowing that Ari would always be protected, even if he himself wasn’t around. Having his mind drifting back to Ari now, Hiroshi seemed lost in thought as he debated when and how he was going to reveal his true feelings to her. Reaching Pride Rock after a short while, Hiroshi motioned for Kweli to once more, wait for him at the base of the rocky structure. Bounding up and into The Main Den, Hiroshi disappeared out of sight.

==========

”Yeah, you’d like that if I let you follow me Ari. Don’t think I don’t know what goes through that head of yours you dirty Tomcat.” Kito stated in a joking fashion as he caught sight of Ari stopping now.

Listening intently to what she was saying and following her gaze towards the injured member of the wildebeest herd in front of them, Kito knew that this was their target. Keeping silent now as not to alert their prey to his presence, Kito held his breath as he waited for Ari to make the first move. With each second that ticked by, Kito’s body tensed as he prepared himself for the hunt.

In the blink of an eye, Ari was off, her natural grace and speed shining through as Kito barely had time to spring out from the grass himself. Doing his utmost to keep up with the injured wildebeest, Kito pushed his body to its limits as he managed to overtake the weak creature, cutting off its escape from the rest of the heard. Keeping his back to the retreating creatures, Kito seemed to dance with his prey as the frightened beast tried to evade him, almost succeeding in its efforts on several occasions due to the lack of skill Kito himself had, yet staying focused as he was now being driven by both hunger and pure adrenalin, Kito called out to Ari as he spotted her rapidly approaching.

”Come on Tomcat. Let’s see you finish the job.”

Holding the solitary creature at bay, Kito knew that this hunt was going to pay off for the both of them. Licking his muzzle lips in anticipation of their upcoming meal, Kito waited for Ari to put the poor creature out of its misery as he continued to block its escape.

[YFWE]

Kweli stole one last glance at the elephant skull, trying to picture the setting in his mind so that he could find his way there again if he so chose, and, turning his back on the scene finally, walked alongside Hiroshi as they began on their way back to Pride Rock. They walked in silence for a long while, Kweli still thinking back to the pact he had made and what would follow from it. Suddenly, Hiroshi spoke up, and his talk had to do, once again, with the pact.

Once Hiroshi was done speaking, Kweli replied quickly, "Oh, no, I wouldn't dream of telling Kito or Ari, especially Ari. I have a feeling Kito would freak out, like you said, and Ari... well, yeah, it just makes it so much more special."

They walked in relative silence back to Pride Rock, Kweli honestly having nothing to say nor add to the conversation. He was a listener, not a conversation starter, and he had other things to think about anyway.

What if Scar did fall soon? What if he and the hyenas were taken out of the Pride Lands one way or another? Would not Kito or Hiroshi be the first two in line to gain the crown, even though they all were just adolescents?

As they reached Pride Rock and Hiroshi bounded up the side of the edifice to check in with Scar, Kweli found a nearby patch of grass and laid down in it, his body aching from all the walking he had done, and meditated on this more. Though they were friends, there seemed to be some sort of tiny rivalry between Hiroshi and Kito at times, especially when it came to Ari. Would the drive to best the other perhaps overcome even their friendship? Kweli sure hoped not, but there was a tiny feeling in the back of his mind that caused him to worry about this nonetheless.

He saw Hiroshi emerging from the Main Den, got to all fours with a long stretch and called, "Say Hiro, y'think Ari and Kito were able to catch us something? I dunno about you, but I'm starved."

------

Ari was happy to see that Kito was responding well to her commands; perhaps he was as hungry as she was. He darted ahead of her, beginning to cut off the injured wildebeest, while Ari held back, waiting for the opportune chance to strike.

She did not want to have to bring it down from behind; there was the possibility it would get right back up. She would have to approach it from the side somehow... she was going to have to hope that Kito, who seemed to be struggling slightly with keeping the animal quarantined, could get it to turn at a different angle than the one she was at then.

Luckily, she got her wish, the wildebeest making a somewhat abrupt right turn to try and throw off Kito. Ari was ready, her claws already outstretched. She lunged, a few paces away from the animal, connecting with its throat. She heard the animal fall to the ground in a heap behind her as she stopped her run. Glancing back, she found the wildebeest on its side, blood pouring onto the ground. Its will had apparently not been very strong; it gave one final breath and was dead.

Ari sauntered over to the wildebeest, which Kito was already hunched over, and looked it over quickly. "Looks like we got it," Ari heaved a great sigh, and then looked up at Kito. "For a newbie, I suppose you didn't do too bad, Kit, my dear. At least you followed orders. Maybe one day you'll be calling the shots on a hunt." She paused and considered this for a moment. "On second thought, as long as I'm around, that won't be happening. I'll always be queen in that department."

Her gaze paused on the part of the wildebeest that had already been injured before, the wounds that she had said were not from a lion. She peered down at them, looking much more closely. She finally recognized the culprit and, making a face of disgust, scoffed, "Damn hyenas. Never finished what they started. The King needs to keep his pets on a leash." She glanced around at the plains for a moment. "Wonder if they're part the reason all the herds are moving on..."

Her attention snapping back to the topic at hand, she bent low to the wildebeest. "Alright, Kito, help me drag this thing back to the den. Hopefully we can beat Hiro and Kweli back and actually have a nice meal soon. That sound good to you?"

[KiarasMate]

It took Hiroshi a tad bit longer to reemerge from The Main Den as he had to endure an ear full from Scar in regards to the shortage of prey and the lack of a good meal upon this day or so it seemed.. Exiting the mouth of the cave now however and making his way over to where Kweli had comfortably situated himself, Hiroshi’s ears swiveled as he picked up upon what his friend was asking him. Having had his thoughts relatively occupied for the entire day with the various subjects he and Kweli had discussed, Hiroshi himself hadn’t even thought about his own hunger. Upon hearing Kweli’s comment though, Hiroshi’s stomach seemed to come to life as it let out a low rumble, causing the famished male to grin in embarrassment as he thought about what Kweli had stated. Coming to the conclusion that this probably wasn’t a possibility however, Hiroshi shook his head reluctantly as he replied in an uncertain voice.

”Hmm, I highly doubt that buddy. That would actually require both Kito and Ari to work in unison and I honestly don’t see that happening any time soon. I mean, Ari’s a magnificent hunter in her own right but add Kito to the mix and I really don’t think the two of them could work cohesively together. Plus, apparently his royal highness is a bit flustered from the supposed poor performance from The Hunting Party today, so there’s no chance of a meal coming from their end either it seems. Might just have to go hungry today buddy. Maybe if we were as chubby as Kito, that wouldn’t be too much of a problem.”

Sporting a playful grin from his last remark, Hiroshi started to make his way back towards the direction to which their den was located at, knowing that Kweli would surely follow his lead. Even if there was no chance of a meal to be had in his mind, a nice, relaxing rest upon their newly acquired sleeping pelts seemed almost equally as appealing now that the two of them had finished their work for the day and it seemed like Kweli felt the same way by the looks of his friend’s body movements. They had in fact, covered quite a bit of distance this day and still being relatively young, that was saying a lot for the both of them. Arriving back at the den after yet another short walk, Hiroshi glanced around, noticing that neither Kito or Ari were present. Scenting the air to try and figure out just how long the pair had been gone for, Hiroshi assumed that the two of them had either gone off to do other things separately or maybe had went to visit with their mothers. Whatever the case may have been, it didn’t matter quite as much to Hiroshi as laying down upon his sleeping pelt did as he quickly proved, flopping his exhausted body down upon the soft surface. Giving his frame a long and satisfying stretch, Hiroshi turned so he could face Kweli now as he addressed his friend in a joking fashion, motioning towards the claw marks still visible in Kito’s sleeping pelt and from the way Ari’s sleeping pelt was rather scrunched up.

”Hmm, maybe those two did get into a scuffle by the looks of it. There’s no blood, so I don’t think we have to worry though. Wonder where they went off to though. I suppose we will meet up with them at our spot in a little while. Could use a rest myself so I guess it’s a good thing that Kito’s not around. Gives us a little peace and quiet, aye Kweli?”

==========

Panting pretty heavily by this point as his energy levels were wearing dangerously thin, Kito struggled to keep the panic stricken wildebeest in check as he waited for Ari to make her move. Looking quite annoyed from just how long the golden furred lioness was taking to react, Kito was right about to shout a disparaging remark to his temporary hunting partner, when Ari suddenly took charge of the situation. In a matter of seconds, it was all over. Ari’s strike had been swift and true as the weakened creature toppled to the ground, it’s life fluids rapidly spewing from the deep laceration Ari’s attack had left upon it. Quickly dashing over to ensure that there would be no last veined attempt from the dying beast, Kito watched as the poor animal’s eyes glazed over and its body fell still. Looking quite warn out from the effort he had put forth, Kito needed to rest as he collapsed in the grass next to the fallen wildebeest as he heard Ari speaking. Groaning in contempt from her suggestion, Kito responded in a winy tone as his tongue seemed to dangle lifelessly from his mouth.

”Jeez, give me a minute Tomcat. Can’t I even get a breather in before we move. I’m not exactly built for this kind of work and believe me, I’d never be caught dead doing this kind of stuff. It’s so below me you know. Hunting is what lionesses are for anyways, aside from being eye candy for us males.”

Shooting Ari a toothy grin as he knew this would probably rub her the wrong way even though he honestly didn’t feel this way himself, at least, not entirely anyways, Kito quickly regained his composure as he rolled back onto his paws, still panting lightly as he made his way over to the back side of the deceased wildebeest, seeing as Ari had already coveted the upper half of the carcass. Picking up the lifeless creature by the hind legs, Kito carefully maneuvered his body so the back half of the wildebeest rested over his shoulders and took most of the weight off of Ari’s half, making it a lot easier for her to carry. Glancing over at Ari with a cheeky smile, Kito spoke up once more in a sassy voice as he waited for her to begin walking, keeping his cargo well balanced atop his body as he did so.

”So, you said you would be queen of the hunts, did you not Ari? So that means, one of these days, you’re going to have to provide for me, seeing as I’m going to be future king and all. What do you think of that, hmm? Maybe if you’re really nice, I’ll even let you stay with me in The Main Den. You could be my royal paw warmer.”

[YFWE]

Kweli was slightly disappointed to hear Hiroshi's opinion on whether or not there would be food that evening, but then, it seemed as if everyone was struggling, not just him. He had gone without food before, anyway--when he was alone in the jungle, going for days without food was rather commonplace. Sometimes he wondered if lack of food then, during one's prime time to grow and develop, had made him even smaller compared to most lions than he already was.

He laughed at Hiroshi's knock on Kito, though. "I heard that," he said with a smile. What was probably the most humorous about that statement was that although Kito had the most body fat to spare of all of them, he would almost certainly be the first to complain about there being a lack of food.

They reached the den, Kweli half-surprised to find that Kito and Ari were nowhere to be seen. He had not thought that they would stay in the den all day, per se, but what would they honestly be doing together?--unless, perhaps, they were off visiting family, as they actually had blood relations in the Pride.

Listening idly to Hiroshi, Kweli himself flopped down on his pelt as well, hoping that perhaps he, too, could get a short rest in before the evening. They had walked a great distance that day, and his paws were feeling quite heavy as a result.

"Peace and quiet sounds mighty fine to me," said Kweli, his eyes half-closed. "...wake me up before you leave, alright?"

------

Rolling her eyes at Kito's ignorant (at least to her) remarks, Ari dragged the front half of the wildebeest onto her back, waiting for Kito to do the same on the back half. "We'll take a nap during the middle of the hunt next time if it makes you feel better," said Ari. Sounds like someone needs to lose a couple of pounds, else none of that "eye candy" you so graciously speak of will look at you in the same light."

Once Kito himself had taken his share of the weight (and plus perhaps a bit more, as Ari felt the strain on her own muscles slacken considerably), Ari began to trudge back to the den, Kito in tow, as she listened to his next comment, once again rolling her eyes in disgust once he was finished speaking.

"I didn't mean queen literally. I'm nowhere near as good as the other lionesses, in my opinion. I just meant I would always be better than you--and that is a fact. Anyway, it's not like it'd matter. I mean, you, Kito, King of the Pride Lands? What kind of roots have you been getting into lately? Even Kweli would be King before you. I mean, sure, I'd love for Scar to get taken out of power but I wouldn't want another lazy lion who just thinks about lionesses all the time in his place."

She said this last part with a wink and refocused her gaze to the path ahead, knowing that Kito would be unable to resist a response. Still, the fact that it was brought up did make her wonder--what if Scar was displaced? Would Kito be the next in line?

[KiarasMate]

Scowling from what Ari had stated in response to what he had said, Kito flashed her a mean glance, momentarily losing his focus as his half of the wildebeest almost slipped off his shoulders, only managing to resituate his cargo at the last minute. Readjusting his stance as Ari finished playfully badgering him, Kito spoke up in a coy voice as he gave his shoulder a sharp flex, causing Ari’s cargo to bump roughly against the back of her head.

”I’m not fat Tomcat. It’s all muscle stupid and are you SERIOUS? Kweli? King? Pfft, if he doesn’t grow more of a mane, he’s going to be mistaken as a lioness for the rest of his life. There again, maybe he’ll give you a bit of competition for being queen then. He’s no more ugly than you are Ari. Besides, you better watch that tongue of yours, cause when I’m king, I’ll have the power to exile you Tomcat, so I’d be nice to me now while you still have the chance.”

Playfully puckering his muzzle lips, Kito acted as though he were going to move in for a kiss towards Ari, only to stick out his tongue in a rude display instead. Returning his focus back ahead of him now, Kito walked along with a cocky swagger in his step, the thoughts of being king swirling in his mind as they often did. The allure of power always seemed to entice him more than it did Hiroshi or Kweli yet until the opportunity should present itself to him, this would merely remain as a fantasy and nothing more. Finally arriving back at their den, Kito caught sight of both Hiroshi and Kweli, who seemed to be resting peacefully. Gazing over to Ari, Kito lazily pulled himself out from underneath his half of the deceased wildebeest, causing the full weight of their cargo to press against Ari’s shoulders before he stated in a rather loud voice.

”…and you say I’m lazy Ari. Get a load at these two. Wake up lazy bums! Dinner is served, thanks to my amazing hunting skills and Ari’s hideous face. Poor thing didn’t stand a chance once it locked eyes with Tomcat. It just fell over, dead with fright from how ugly something could be.” Kito stated, mimicking his words as he let himself fall over on his side, his facial expression looking quite comical as he did so.

Having almost fallen asleep himself, Hiroshi was rudely roused from his rest from Kito’s booming voice, causing him to jump slightly as he shot a glance over to both Ari and Kito, looking quite shocked from the sight in front of him. Listening to Kito’s remark and seeing his best friend’s body gestures to go along with his remark, Hiroshi couldn’t resist a small smile as he flashed Ari a warm gaze before rising to his paws and making his way over to where the wildebeest had been dropped upon the floor of the den. Looking quite impressed and pleased, Hiroshi inquired in a thankful tone towards Ari.

”Wow, how on earth did you two get your paws on this? Don’t even tell me you two caught this on your own? I mean, Ari, yeah, I can totally see you bringing something like this down, but with Kito? Really?”

[YFWE]

"You seem fairly certain you'll even be King, my darling Kit. Someone sounds a little power hungry," Ari shot back, her ire growing with each of Kito's comments. She knew it was smart not to let him get the best of her, but sometimes she simply could not help it. He could be so... difficult.

They trudged back to the den, Kito thankfully handling most of the weight of the deceased wildebeest. Ari was excited to get back to the den, to see the surprised looks on Hiroshi and Kweli's faces when they saw that they had caught something, and to finally eat something. She knew it would not be like this every day and there would come a point where they would have to go a day without eating, but until that time came, she would savor the chance at a meal.

The den came into view and Kito thought this would be an opportune to drop his share of the load, running off toward the den and announcing their arrival. Ari nearly collapsed under the weight of the wildebeest, but was able to catch herself, gritting her teeth as she dragged the animal the final few steps. Seeing Kito laying there, she decided this as perfect a place as any to drop her cargo, and unloaded the wildebeest right onto Kito's body.

Satisfied with her accomplishment, Ari turned to Hiroshi, beaming. "I figured we'd try to find something for us to eat, since Kito and I weren't accomplishing anything laying around here. His majesty over here actually helped a little bit... he'd've been lost without me though. I did most of the work. Fatty here just corralled the thing for me."

Kweli, who had fallen asleep in the minutes that had passed since returning to the den, awoke at the sound of his friends' return and, yawning, arose and stretched before laying his eyes on the wildebeest that had apparently been captured.

"Wow! Did you guys get this? That's... awesome! Good job!" he looked from Ari to Kito, grinning.

Ari smiled back. "Well..." she said, "shall we dig in before heading out to our spot?"

[KiarasMate]

Letting out a disgruntled growl from having the dead wildebeest dropped atop him by Ari, Kito hoisted the slain creature up onto all four of his paws, showing off his strength in front of his friends as he released the deceased animal a few inches away from where he was laying, the carcass making a noisy thud as it hit the den floor. Rolling onto all fours, Kito began to preen his pelt and mane as if disgusted by the fact that Ari had done such a thing to him, even though there was no trace of the wildebeest’s presence upon him, aside from a few drops of blood. Making sure his appearance was satisfactory and hearing Ari’s remark, Kito spoke up in a smug tone as he flashed the golden furred lioness a playful sneer.

”Yeah, that’s right, practice calling me that Ari. It does have a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? You wouldn’t have been able to take this one down on your own, just admit it. Even with its injuries and all.”

Waiting for both Ari and Kito to finish their harmless banter towards one another, as was the typical case, Hiroshi listened to what his golden furred friend was saying, smiling big from the fact that she seemed to be quite proud of herself for this accomplishment and rightfully so. Hiroshi knew that Ari was destine to be one of the best hunters these lands would ever see and this just seemed to support his premonition. Waiting for Ari to finish speaking now, Hiroshi spoke up in an admirable voice as he moved in for a quick nuzzle, rubbing his head softly against Ari’s cheek as he stated.

”Thank you for looking out for us Ari. I honestly wasn’t expecting a meal today, seeing as apparently according to his royal highness, The Hunting Party aren’t doing an adequate job of keeping his majesty’s belly full. I guess they just need an epic hunter like you to be with them in order to have a successful hunt Ari. You really are amazing, you know that?”

Curling his nose from every sappy word that dribbled out of Hiroshi’s muzzle, Kito couldn’t resist himself as he pretended to gag, covering a paw over his muzzle as he looked away from his two friends, over to Kweli, then back again. Removing his paw from his mouth now, Kito coughed a few times before piping up in a coy voice.

”Gawd Hiro, could you brown nose any more? Why don’t you two just get it over with and become mates. We all know it’s going to happen, so quit dancing around the issue and do it. If you’re that good at kissing Ari’s ass Hiro, you should have no trouble kissing her front, although at times, I must say that it’s hard to tell the difference between both ends.”

Looking a bit embarrassed by what Kito had stated, Hiroshi had to look away from Ari momentarily, just so she wouldn’t realize that Kito’s words did hold some significance to them. Trying to skirt around the issue for the time being as he wasn’t about to give his best friend the opportunity to badger his and Ari’s potential relationship any further, even if it was in jest, Hiroshi quickly took Ari up on her offer as he replied in agreement before backing up a few paces and motioning towards the wildebeest with a fore paw.

”Yes, let’s not let this wonderful meal go to waste. Who knows how long it’s going to be before our next meal with the way things seem to be going. We should be very appreciative towards both Ari and Kito for their efforts today, right Kweli?” Smiling warmly over at Ari now, Hiroshi continued. ”As always Ari, ladies first. You earned the right to eat first in my opinion.”

Shaking his head in disbelief from just how smitten Hiroshi seemed to be with Ari upon this day, Kito boldly moved in towards their kill as he took up a spot near the fallen creature’s stomach region. Laying himself down upon the cool ground below, Kito spoke up in a confident manner before he started eating without any hesitation.

”Screw that! I helped Tomcat get this meal so I’m eating whether she likes it or not.”

[YFWE]

Ari had initially planned on giving a cheeky response to Kito, as she was not in the mood to be outdone that evening, but Hiroshi's slight nudge against her cheek quelled that notion almost instantly. By the time Hiroshi was finished speaking, Ari was sporting a modest grin, trying to put out that his words were nothing out of the ordinary... when in reality, of course, she was beaming as brightly as she could on the inside.

"Oh, stop it, Hiro... it wasn't much, honestly..." she said, and she perhaps batted her eyes once or twice, though she did this completely subconsciously if that was the case. "The wildebeest was already injured anyway. Some hyenas had gotten to it, from the looks of it. We got lucky being able to find it before they came back and finished the job... if they ever planned to, of course."

Kweli looked from Ari to Hiroshi with a slight grin on his muzzle, thinking back to his talk with Hiroshi earlier in the day. Now was not exactly the time, but when would he tell her how she felt? He suppressed a snort of laughter at Kito's mock-gagging and then, for perhaps one of the first times he could remember, agreed with Kito's statement, though he did not vocalize his opinion.

Ari, however, was not amused, and sent Kito a quick sneer as she turned toward him, about to do something that she would perhaps regret later, when Hiroshi's calm voice spoke up, cutting off any intentions she might have had. Her heart rate slowing, she turned back to Hiroshi and grinned appreciatively at his final comment. "Well, thanks Hiro, but I..."

Before she could finish responding, Kito had spoken up once more, rather belligerently taking a seat next to the deceased wildebeest and announcing his intentions to begin eating whether Ari liked it or not. Ari glanced back at Hiroshi apologetically, shrugged, and called over her shoulder, "Go right ahead, Kito. We don't need to fatten you up anymore than you already are, but if you insist, maybe the female warthogs will start going for you here pretty soon."

Satisfied with her comment, she took a spot across the wildebeest from Kito, moving over so that Hiroshi and Kweli would have enough room as well. Kweli, shaking his head and grinning at the banter that preceded him. "Thanks for the meal again, guys," he spoke in a small voice, trying not to interrupt anything. "I really appreciate it."

[KiarasMate]

”I told you Tomcat, it’s all muscle. Don’t make me prove that to you now.” Kito stated before returning his muzzle back down to the wildebeest carcass as he resumed eating.

The days events had really drained him of his energy and it showed from how famished he was. After having to chase down Ari, then their little hunt, then to carrying the wildebeest back to the den itself, Kito wasn’t cut out for such an active lifestyle or so it seemed. Noticing that Ari had taken a spot directly across from him around their proverbial dinner table, Kito grinned to himself as he ripped off a large chunk from the wildebeest’s stomach, lifting his head slightly as he chewed noisily with loud and purposeful movements of his strong jaws, knowing that this would surely disgust Ari to no end.

Being slightly more refined than his best friend, Hiroshi politely waited for Ari to comfortably situate herself before he took up a cozy spot next to her as he laid himself down to have a better angle to attack his meal from. Making sure to leave the tastier parts for Ari herself once again, as was his usual nature, Hiroshi ate in relative silence, being as cleanly as possible seeing as he was eating next to the very lioness that he secretly longed to be with. Still, being quite hungry himself from all the walking that he and Kweli had done this day, Hiroshi devoured quite a bit of the tasty wildebeest before he called it quits and moved a few paces away from where he was originally laying, giving his stomach time to digest all the savory meat he had eaten. Watching Ari intently as she ate, Hiroshi couldn’t resist yet another warm smile to etch its way upon his muzzle as he waited for everyone else to finish their meals so they could proceed onwards to their spot for their nightly ritual.

Figuring that there would be plenty of time to discuss what Hiroshi and Kweli had done all day while he was stuck with Ari’s company, Kito focused all his efforts on filling his belly as he ate and ate and ate, almost picking the entire rib cage of the slain wildebeest clean before he finally had satisfied his hunger. Taking a cue out of his best friend’s book, Kito made his way over to his sleeping pelt, making sure to give Ari’s extended tail a firm stepping upon as he passed her, before relaxing himself upon his bed to let his meal settle within his stomach. Waiting patiently for both Kweli and Ari to finish eating, Kito gave his rounded belly a few tender rubs with his fore paws as he spoke up indirectly to the trio around him.

”Ahh! That hit the spot. There’s only one last thing to do now I guess.” Glancing over at Ari, Kito unleashed a rather loud belch to signify his satisfaction from his devoured meal, grinning arrogantly at her afterwards before returning himself back to relaxing once more until they were ready to head out.