[Private] Love Will Tear Us Apart

[YFWE]

"Jeez, Kito, keep manners like that up, and you'll have no problem following in Scar's pawprints and becoming a truly praiseworthy King. Can't hunt, got plenty of excess body weight on ya..." mocked Ari, her face scrunching in disgust at Kito's eating habits, "...yeah, it won't be much of a stretch."

Kweli had reluctantly taken a spot next to Kito, getting as much from the wildebeest as he could even though he was a bit crowded over due to Kito placing himself almost in the middle of the carcass's torso. Still, he was not much of a glutton; he only needed a bit of food and he was sufficed for a good while. So after helping himself to a few pieces of meat, he backed away, allowing Kito to finish off the rest of the side and taking a seat nearby, peering outside. It was getting late; the stars were finally beginning to emerge. They would be heading out to their nightly pow-wow in the grasslands soon, he assumed.

Ari was the final one to finish eating, as Kweli and Hiroshi had already retreated from the carcass, and Kito had just finished up, not missing an opportunity to purposely step on her tail as he meandered back to his pelt. Ari felt a sharp, brief pain as a result, but ignored this for the time being. She was too engulfed in her eating that at that point she could care less what Kito said or did. There would be other times, anyway.

Once the animal seemed picked clean of all its delectable meat, Ari pulled away and, noticing the darkened sky outside, turned to her friends. "Well, I suppose we should head out now, eh? Come on, lazy bums!" she exclaimed, somehow full of energy even after consuming all of that food. She pranced to the entrance of the den, dragging Kweli with her. "Come on, Kweli! Let's go! I wanna tell you about the time Kito's fat ass couldn't catch even an injured wildebeest without my help!" Sending a smug sneer in Kito's direction, she leaped out of the den, Kweli in tow, the lion trying hard not to laugh, his muzzle caught between a grin and total apathy, since he knew Kito would likely get mad if he chuckled even slightly.

[KiarasMate]

Perking his ears up at Ari’s comment and seeing that she was rearing to go or so it seemed by her bouncy nature, Hiroshi lazily rolled to all fours, his full belly slightly hanging down below him from just how much meat he had ingested. Starting to leisurely make his way over to the entrance of their den, Hiroshi glanced back at Kito, seeing no movement from his best friend, prompting him to inquire curiously.

”Hey Kito, you coming or what?”

Only partially paying attention to what Ari had stated, merely shrugging her words off as he was feeling way too sluggish to even attempt a smart ass reply in response. Watching as the golden furred lioness dragged Kweli out of the den, Kito closed his eyes momentarily until Hiroshi’s voice reached him, causing his emerald orbs to snap open once more as he shook his head and answered back in a lethargic tone.

”You go on ahead Hiro. I’ll catch up in a bit. Maybe I ate too much for my own good this time.”

Stifling a chuckle, Hiroshi nodded and left Kito to his own device, knowing that he’d join them when he was good and ready to. Exiting the den now, Hiroshi looked around to spot both Ari and Kweli, who had gained quite a bit of distance on him already and seemed to be talking amongst themselves, most likely about Kito. Smiling to himself as his eyes watched Ari’s beautiful figure being accented by the gentle glow from the moon above, Hiroshi knew that it wouldn’t be long before he would have to express his love to her as his feelings only increased with every passing second and with every time he laid his hazel eyes upon her gorgeous physique. Realizing that he had already begun to lollygag, Hiroshi scrambled forward to catch up to his friends.

Arriving at their typical spot shortly after both Ari and Kweli had, Hiroshi calmly laid himself down next to Ari, smiling happily over at her as he rolled onto his side so he could face both his friends at once. Noting the amount of space between Ari and Kweli, Hiroshi assumed that both felines were saving a spot for Kito, Hiroshi figured that he should let them know of what was going on with his best friend.

”Kito seems to have bitten off more than he could chew, quite literally this time so I think he’ll be joining us a little later. That doesn’t mean we can’t start things without him though. I’m sure he won’t mind. So Ari, would you like to start us off tonight please?”

==========

Listening very carefully, Kito waited until the sounds of paw steps had receded well into the distance before he silently arose from his sleeping pelt and made his way over to the mouth of the cave. Peering out into the still night ahead of him, making absolute sure that all of his friends were well out of sight, Kito stealthily left the den, taking the opposite route to their usual spot, instead heading towards Pride Rock. From his experience from the previous night, Kito couldn’t help but to wonder just what Scar had planned and hoping he would over hear some more useful info, Kito risked the chance of getting caught as he skillfully traveled back to the spot he had used last night, using every bit of cover and the dead of night to his advantage.

Upon arriving back at his vantage point, Kito strained his ears to see if his majesty was even in tonight. He didn’t have to wait very long until his efforts were rewarded by the familiar voice of the heartless tyrant and much to Kito’s intuition, he had made the right decision to spy on his ruler as the topic at paw directly concerned both Ari and the rest of his friends. Swiveling his ears to pick up every little detail that was being exchanged from the creatures inside The Main Den, Kito had a feeling that something was up and was already hard at work with thinking of a way to keep his friends from having to deal with whatever Scar had in store for them.

[YFWE]

"You would've loved it, Kweli. Kito had no idea whatsoever what to do. I had to hold his paw through everything," said Ari with a laugh. "Absolutely helpless. You would've even done a better job. At least he was actually able to do what he was told in the end, though."

Kweli laughed at his friend's comments, shaking his head in mock disbelief. "Haha, wow, Ari. I'm glad you put him in his place, even though his ego is still way too large, more so than a normal lion's should be. I can't believe he even already thinks he'll be King or something one day." His mind fleetingly harkened back to his earlier thoughts concerning the possible Kinghood of the Pride Lands one day. It was unfortunate; in his eyes, Hiroshi would no doubt make the best King if it ever came to that. And yet... here was Kito, being the one who acted like he actually wanted the part. Not all royalty was always going to be the absolute best, however, thought Kweli. Scar was a prime example.

"You and me both. He's been getting on my nerves even more lately than usual. Lucky I have you and Hiro to talk to and hang around with, else I'd probably go insane," shuddered Ari.

Arriving at their spot a few short moments later, Kweli and Ari found their places amongst the grass, Hiroshi joining them moments later. Listening to him explain Kito's state and that he would not be joining them at first, Ari chuckled mockingly as soon as Hiroshi was finished speaking. "Serves him right, eating all that food. He probably did the least of any of us today and yet was still the most famished. I hope I'm not the only one that finds that a little peculiar and at the same time very funny."

Pausing for a moment to reflect on her day, the events of the morning with Kito popping into her mind, her grin faded. She decided not to tell them the entire story, however. If there was one secret of Kito's that Ari would keep, it was that he was incredibly worried about what Scar might do to her. Still, she could not sidestep the issue completely.

"Well, as you two know by now, I had the honor of spending the day with his apparent future majesty Kito. The day could've gone much worse, though. Obviously we were able to bring down a wildebeest for a meal tonight, and we never actually killed each other, though we came close," said Ari with a wink. "We actually had kind of a... serious talk too. I know, sounds weird given who I was talking to, but... it did happen. Yeah. Apparently Kito heard the rumors of the King's taste in lioness changing and heard I was a prime candidate to replace the older lionesses soon. He obviously doesn't want that to happen any more than I do, since... well, who in their right mind would want to give up anyone to Scar anyway? Still, he'd heard some things and was just making sure I knew what was going on too." She was leaving out the part about Kito actually becoming quite distressed and emotional about this, but the way she saw it, the less said, the better.

"Suppose that's all, really." Ari reached over and gave Hiroshi a squeeze of the paw with her own, her toes curling up against his. How she had missed that touch. Smiling, she rolled onto her side and said in a sweet voice, "Well then, Hiro. What do you have to say about your day?"

[KiarasMate]

Resting peacefully next to Ari, Hiroshi stayed attentive as he listened to the golden furred lioness revealing her day spent with Kito. Smiling from the description of their hunt together and from the fact that despite how much they seemed to be at each others throats constantly, both Ari and Kito did make quite a good hunting duo from what he could perceive. Hiroshi’s facial expression melted into a more serious expression however when Ari changed the subject to that of Scar. Thinking about what she had said and also about the fact that Kito seemed a bit more concerned over Ari’s welfare than he typically would be, Hiroshi patiently waited for Ari to finish speaking before he was about to reply. Feeling Ari’s gentle touch upon his paw however and seeing her rolling onto her side to face him directly, Hiroshi couldn’t help but to smile once more as he let the topic of Scar drift to the back of his mind now as he spoke up in a pleasant voice.

”Well, I think I had a bit more pleasant company than you did today Ari. Kweli and I had a very relaxing day, just doing the patrol and talking about various subjects. I feel like I got to know him a little better today, although I’m sure I still don’t know him quite as well as you do but I’m hoping that he’ll join me on future patrols so we can continue to get to know one another better.” Hiroshi stated, looking over at Kweli with a grin as he inquired. ”That is, if that’s okay with you of course buddy?”

Returning his attention back to Ari now, holding her paw lightly as his large paw toes softly caressed the top of her fore paw in a loving manner, Hiroshi figured that he might as well ask the question that was presented earlier by both Ari and Kweli’s comments. Figuring that now would be the best time to say something, seeing as Kito himself wasn’t currently present, Hiroshi spoke up in a quiet voice to his two friends.

”You know, I was thinking, if his royal highness does happen to be dethroned, who do you think would become king? We already know that Kito seems to have his eyes set upon that role and in all honesty, he couldn’t be any worse of a leader than our current king is, right?”

==========

Finally having had enough of listening to the seemingly never ending chatter that was coming from The Main Den, Kito quietly retreated from where he had been ease dropping upon Scar and company, the thoughts of what he had overheard still swimming about in his mind. Being quite good at thinking on his toes, Kito had already thought of a way to avoid a potential confrontation with their overbearing ruler and mangy hyena followers, but the tricky part still lay ahead of him. How to convince his friends to go along with his plan for tomorrow without raising any suspicions. Thinking about how he could go about doing this as he made his way back to their usual meeting spot, Kito figured that the best approach would be to act casual and hopefully his persuasive manner would pay off for him yet again. Arriving back in time to overhear his friend’s discussing the topic of future king, Kito grinned toothily as he leisurely made his way over to where he typically laid, planting himself down squarely upon Ari’s side as he took a seat upon her, speaking up in a playful voice.

”Talking about me behind my back, are we? Well, I know I’m just that awesome that you three can’t help yourselves but to always speak of me, so I understand. Anyways though, either it was the amount of wildebeest I ate, or I just must be crazy but what do you all say that we go on a little adventure first thing in the morning?”

[YFWE]

Hiroshi's calm voice pierced through the silence that had presented itself after Ari had finished speaking, and both Ari and Kweli were happy to hear his account of the day--Ari due to her hope that Hiroshi and Kweli could one day become as close to each other as she was to both of them, and Kweli because Hiroshi seemed to have genuinely enjoyed his time with Kweli that day, despite some of the more emotional moments that had occurred. His ears perking up at Hiroshi's final comments, Kweli sent the lion a modest grin. "Of course I wouldn't mind. It was cool patrolling with you. I'd totally do it again." Internally, Kweli was once again grateful to have been included in Hiroshi's plans in the first place, and now was happy to have been considered for inclusion in the future.

Hiroshi wasted no time in presenting his next question while they waited for Kito. It caught both Ari and Kweli slightly off guard, even though it was a question that they themselves had been considering for many days now. It was simply a bit of a shock to hear it coming from Hiroshi, who rarely spoke of such things.

"Of course Kito wouldn't be worse than Scar," spoke Ari first, "but you'd make a better King completely. You're a better lion all around. You'd have my vote," she gave him a light nudge against his neck at these words.

Kweli spoke up shortly after. "I think... I think you guys would both make good Kings," he said, trying to stay neutral on the matter in case Kito were to turn up mid-sentence. "You both have different qualities that make you possible good leaders. It'll come down to one of you two; I'm sure of it. Who else is there?"

As he had finished, Ari, who had wanted to present a mild rebuttal to Kweli's comment, had the wind knocked out of her as Kito suddenly appeared and sat down upon her. Gasping quickly for air, she heaved the lion off, ejecting a few claws into his side for good measure. As she listened to his proposition, Ari could once again not help but wonder what his intentions were and if they had anything to do with his reservations earlier.

"An adventure, huh? Well, as long as it's not another day spent alone with you, Kit, I'm game. What did you have in mind?"

[KiarasMate]

Wincing as he felt Ari’s sharp claws digging into his fur, Kito hopped himself off of the golden furred lioness’ side as he stood in between where Ari and Kweli were laying. Hearing Ari’s remark, Kito flashed her a typical sneer as he responded in a mocking voice while taking a seat upon the cool grass below.

”Trust me, the feeling’s mutual Tomcat. Well, seeing as it’s been forever since we’ve all had the chance to hang out with each other as a group for a whole day, I say, we blow off whatever prior engagements we all have and take a little trip to Paradise.”

Watching his two friends interacting in typical fashion, Hiroshi’s ears perked up as he looked over curiously at Kito. Before he could speak up however, Ari had fielded the exact same question that he himself was going to propose. Remaining quiet as he took in everything Kito said, Hiroshi smiled as the thought of going to Paradise entered his thoughts. It had been something that he and Kito had discussed on occasion, although having never actually been outside of The Pride Lands/i] himself, he always had been a bit reluctant to go, seeing as he wasn’t entirely sure if Kito even knew the way. Once his best friend had finished speaking, Hiroshi chimed in as he inquired in a hesitant tone.

”Hmm, you sure you know how to get there though Kito or would you just get us seriously lost?”

Feigning to be hurt from his best friend’s comment, Kito shook his head as he sported a disappointed look before replying to Hiroshi’s remark in a confident manner.

”Come on Hiro, when have I ever let you down, hmm? I have a keen sense of direction and believe me when I say, it’ll be well worth the trip, trust me.”

Not looking entirely convinced from Kito’s reassurance although the prospects of spending a day outside their usual setting did seem awefully tempting at this point, especially if Kito’s former descriptions of what [I]Paradise was like were true, Hiroshi figured that it was worth a shot. Glancing over at Ari for a second, seeing her and Kweli’s confused expressions, Hiroshi quickly spoke up once more to fill in the missing details that probably would need to be clarified before he went on any further.

”Oh, sorry you two. Paradise is this place that Kito here, has spoke of ever since we were cubs. He swears it’s like the best place ever and apparently it’s a place that he and his mother used to frequent before they came here, right buddy?”

Nodding in acknowledgement to what Hiroshi had stated, Kito picked up from where Hiroshi had left off. Plopping himself down now as he laid in his usual spot in between Ari and Kweli, Kito glanced up at the stars above before he started speaking again.

”That’s right. It’s the fondest memory that I have spent with my mom back before we came here. It’s just a really peaceful place that I think we all would enjoy. After everything that’s been going on here lately, it would be really awesome just to leave everything behind, just for a day, you know? Having a life with no worries and not a care in the world. Sort of the way Ari lives her life. Oh wait…never mind. That’s just ignorance. My mistake.”

[YFWE]

Kweli looked thoughtful at Kito's recommendation. "Paradise, eh?" he asked. "Where's that?" Of course, he would go regardless; he had not planned any sort of prior engagement for that particular day. Ari looked over at Kito with a puzzled, expectant look on her countenance. She had never heard Paradise mentioned either, and was not sure if going to such a place was, in fact, a good thing.

The lion and lioness sat there with confused looks as Kito and Hiroshi continued to speak about the mystic place known as Paradise. Finally, Hiroshi seemed to notice that they had no idea what Kito was talking about, and explained it accordingly. Kito, after Hiroshi had finished speaking, added his own account of the place, of course unable to avoid a tiny dig at Ari as he finished describing it.

Ari coughed loudly and noticeably at Kito. "Says Mr. "King"-in-training here. Didn't you once say something along the lines of your only job being looking good for the lionesses? That's all I can think of off the top of my head that you actually, you know, do on a daily basis. And for your information, I think living life carelessly is a great way to live one's life."

"I think it sounds like fun," said Kweli, attempting to divert the conversation back to the topic at paw. "I've never even heard of the place, but already it sounds really, really cool. As long as you remember where it is, I don't have any problem with going."

"Yeah, where is it at exactly?" Ari asked. "And what's there that makes it so great? It better not be any place dumb, though knowing you and your standards, Kito, I'm sure we'll all be very disappointed."

[KiarasMate]

Shaking his head from Ari’s statement, Kito took the high road this time around as he rose to his paws and started to make his way off towards their den, pausing in mid stride as he looked back over his shoulder and called out to his friends in a reassuring voice.

”There will be plenty of time for explanations on the journey there tomorrow. For now, let’s all get a really good night’s rest. We need to head out before first light tomorrow if we are going to make it to Paradise before mid day.”

With that said, Kito bounded off back towards their den, leaving his three friends to their own device once again, hoping that they would follow his lead at least. Watching as Kito departed, Hiroshi turned his attention back to Ari and Kweli, addressing his two friends in a reluctant tone.

”Well, I guess we know what we’re doing tomorrow at least. Seems a bit odd that Kito would suddenly come up with such a plan but it does sound like a nice change of pace. I mean, at worst, we’ll just end up walking in circles knowing Kito but maybe we’ll actually get to Paradise and maybe it’s all that Kito says it’s cracked up to be. Who knows.”

Giving Ari’s paw one last soft squeeze before letting it go, Hiroshi rolled onto all fours as he politely offered a fore paw to help Ari up before beginning to make his way back towards their distant den. Staying quiet for the trip back, his mind preoccupied with the thought of actually seeing Paradise for himself and perhaps even finding that perfect moment to tell Ari just how he felt about her, Hiroshi secretly hoped that Kito would be able to lead them to his supposed utopia. Arriving back at the den shortly there after, Hiroshi made his way over to his sleeping pelt, noticing that Kito had already seemed to be getting ready to turn in for the night. Taking a seat upon the comfortable surface, Hiroshi waited for both Ari and Kweli to arrive back before he laid himself down and readied himself for a good night’s rest.

[YFWE]

It had been an odd evening, to say the least. Usually the gang's nightly rituals were long, bright and full of cheerful talking. This, on the other hand, was a shadow of its former self. They had decided to turn in already, the topics at paw had been a bit more serious than most nights, and most everyone seemed rather subdued--even Kito, despite his excitement to lead them to the Paradise he spoke so highly of, seemed to have something more on his mind, at least when he first returned from wherever he had been at the start of their time in the grasslands. At least, this is how Kweli felt about the matter. As with anything, he could be totally wrong. But he had an odd feeling about everything--why had Kito even decided to take them to this place in the first place? It seemed rather impromptu, especially considering that he had never mentioned it to Kweli nor even to Ari. Why all of a sudden bring it up again?

Ari took the extended paw of Hiroshi as she rose to all fours, giving the lion a small nudge of thanks as she did so. Kweli got to his paws as well, brushing off the tiny blades of grass that lay matted against his fur. The three lions set off after Kweli in relative silence, no doubt fitting after the evening they had experienced. Still relatively full from their earlier meal, Kweli could feel his eyes already about to shut. He had woken up early that morning, after all. He simply was not used to being awake as early as he had been.

Sensing that Hiroshi seemed to be in rather deep thought about something, Ari fell back slightly, stepping in line instead with Kweli. "What do you think of this place Kito's talking about?" she asked him. "You ever even heard of such a place?"

Kweli shook his head. "Nah. I'll bet you it does exist, though, at least in Kito's eyes. But what we might find unappealing, he might find beautiful or meaningful. So either way, we should definitely cut him some slack... unless of course the place happens to be as great as he claims, in which case we won't need to worry about that."

They continued to walk, Hiroshi becoming further and further ahead of them. Finally, the den was in view. A thought creeping into Ari's head for a fleeting moment, she paused, whispering for Kweli to stop with her.

"What?" asked the bemused lion.

"Just a quick question. Wanted to make sure we were alone." Ari paused until she knew Hiroshi was out of earshot. Then, looking back at Kweli, she spoke in a dull whisper, "Did... Hiroshi mention me today? At all?"

Kweli gave his friend a small smile and nodded. "You came up a few times."

"Do you think he... you know, likes me, then?"

Pausing to think about the question for a moment, Kweli grinned smugly, and turned away without an answer. "Now, what kind of friend would I be if I was spilling secrets left and right?" He began off toward the den, before stopping in his tracks once more, talking away from her. "Perhaps you should ask him that question yourself. You might get a straighter answer than mine." And off he trotted in the direction of the den.

Ari stood in silence for a few moments, pondering what her friend had told her. She could not tell the answer to her question from Kweli's response... perhaps he was right. Perhaps the best way to find this sort of thing out was to ask the object of her affections herself.

She walked forward, entering the den a little after Kweli. Kito had already taken his spot at his pelt and seemed to be heading toward sleep. Ari glanced briefly at Hiroshi.

Maybe I'll find out tomorrow, she thought.

Both Kweli and Ari found their ways to their pelts and collapsed down in them, both tired from a lengthy and tiring day. And even already, the next day was promising to be equally tiring. But would it be rewarding and entertaining as well? That was a question best left for later.

"Goodnight, everyone," said Ari with a yawn, and found herself near sleep in moments.

[KiarasMate]

Feeling quite weightless and in rather high spirits, Hiroshi dashed through the tall grass on route back to the den. Knowing that Ari would be there and having a huge smile plastered upon his muzzle, the lone male arrived at the entranceway to the cave, pausing momentarily as a cold chill blew past him from within the dark confines. Shrugging this feeling off, Hiroshi vanished within the den as he let his eyes adjust to the pitch blackness around him. Finally spotting Ari, who was laying on her stomach upon her sleeping pelt several paws length away from where he was now standing. Admiring her sheer beauty and elegance, Hiroshi silently moved forward as his voice echoed throughout the stillness of the den.

”Come on sleepy head. Time to wake up. Don’t want to keep our cubs waiting Sweet Thing.”

Reaching Ari’s side, Hiroshi leaned down to give Ari a loving nuzzle and soft lick over the back of her head, Hiroshi purred happily as his fore paw gently placed itself atop her supple body, gently rolling her onto her side. As soon as his eyes locked upon the sight in front of him however, Hiroshi could feel his stomach beginning to heave as his limbs trembled uncontrollably below him. Backing up slowly until his back hit the wall, Hiroshi couldn’t pry his eyes from the disturbing image in front of him. Feeling his nerves about to crack, the distraught male let out an earth shattering roar as the horrible image in front of him faded away into obscurity.

Awakening to find himself in a cold sweat, still laying upon his sleeping pelt, Hiroshi gasped as the explicit image of his nightmare left his thoughts. Glancing over to his right, Hiroshi caught sight of Ari, who was dozing peacefully next to him still. Wiping a paw over his face, Hiroshi quietly rose to his paws and padded silently out of the den. It was still night out and the stars still illuminated the sky above as the shaken male made his way to the nearest waterhole. Taking a seat at the waters edge, gazing down at his own reflection from within the clear pool, Hiroshi took several deep breaths to try and clear his mind as well as to ease his nerves. Taking a quick drink from the lucid waters, Hiroshi turned back now to make his way back towards the den, the moonlight giving him an eary appearance as he traveled through the tall grass. Arriving back at the den, Hiroshi hesitated at the mouth of the cave, feeling the gelid winds whipping through his fur, sending an uneasy shiver down his spine. Taking one last glance behind him towards the direction of Pride Rock to which the passing winds seemed to be heading towards, Hiroshi finally entered the den and quietly made his way back to his sleeping pelt where he laid himself down upon and tried his best to return back to sleep but to no avail.

Several more hours passed as the silence around him, apart from the rhythmic breathing from his three slumbering friends, seemed deafening as Hiroshi waited for someone to stir. Much to Hiroshi’s delight, Kito finally seemed to be coming to consciousness as he spotted his best friend stretching out and yawning within the dark abode. Keeping his voice extra low, as not to bother both Ari and Kweli for the time being, Hiroshi spoke up to Kito as he sat up upon his sleeping pelt.

”Morning Kito. Sleep well buddy?”

Usually not being the most talkative lion in the early morning hours, Kito merely nodded as he gave his body a light scratch with his fore paws before rolling onto all fours and making his way out of the den, most likely to go relieve himself. A few more minutes passed before Kito came back into view, giving his hind legs a few quick shakes, only confirming Hiroshi’s former speculation. Waiting for his friend to situate himself once more, Hiroshi addressed his friend in a hushed tone as he met with Kito’s emerald orbs.

”Will we be moving out soon buddy? Should we rouse the others?”

Again, only giving Hiroshi a nod of confirmation, Kito rubbed a fore paw over his eyes before turning to Kweli and giving the slumbering male a few light pokes with his fore paw to the smaller male’s side. Waiting until there was actual movement from the slumbering ball of fur in front of him, Kito let out another tired yawn before speaking up to Kweli in an exhausted sounding voice.

”Time to wake up Kweli. We’ll be heading out to Paradise in a few, so get your skinny self ready.”

Using a bit more finesse than his best friend had, Hiroshi moved in close to Ari’s head, giving her a light nuzzle as his fore paw gently stroked down the length of her soft back. Coaxing the golden furred lioness awake with his tender ministrations, Hiroshi smiled warmly as he spotted Ari’s amber eyes gradually opening. As much as he wanted to lean down and kiss her, Hiroshi resisted as he spoke down quietly to the dozy lioness, his fore paw gently caressing the back of her head as he did so.

”Come on sleepy head. Time to wake up.”

Suddenly feeling a familiar sensation quelling in the pit of his stomach from the words he had just spoken, Hiroshi fell silent as he took a few steps back from Ari now, taking a seat as he waited for his friend to shake off the night’s sleep. Averting his eyes momentarily from Ari, Hiroshi gazed outside, still noting the time as he assumed that it’d probably be about another hour or so before the sun would even break over the horizon. Looking back towards Kito now, Hiroshi spoke up in a slightly louder voice now that everyone was past the point of sleep.

”Well, you say the word and we’ll move out Kito. You’re going to have to take lead today obviously, so don’t get us lost, okay buddy?”

Having had a little bit of time to wake himself up by this point, Kito’s attitude seemed to come alive as he grinned back over to Hiroshi and responded in a confident fashion.

”Relax Hiro, you’re in good paws. I won’t get us lost.” turning his focus over to both Ari and Kweli, Kito continued. ”Well, last chance to hit the bushes before we head out. Take it or leave it.”