[Private] Love Will Tear Us Apart

[YFWE]

Ari looked on at Kito suspiciously, feeling as if his reasoning for not wanting to join in seemed a bit odd, as fur would most certainly dry eventually. Deciding to not press the matter further for the time being, however, Ari shrugged and replied, "Hey, it's your day too. Though you wouldn't even be able to catch me in the water if you were in here; I'm a swimming fiend. In a past life I was totally a fish, you know."

She had been remotely conscious of Hiroshi swimming lazily near her, but had been so focused upon her questioning of Kito that she had not noticed the lion become quite close to her, and was sprayed in the face with a potent stream of lake water as soon as she had finished speaking.

Ari coughed, spitting the water from her mouth while Kweli laughed a little ways away, though his expression turning to mock fear when Hiroshi came paddling toward him, begging for Kweli to save him from the impending doom that would be Ari's wrath.

And Ari, of course not missing a chance to play up the situation, did not disappoint. Putting on her best raging and vengeful look, she paddled toward Kweli and Hiroshi, Hiroshi at this point hiding behind Kweli, the smaller male trying his best not to laugh as he attempted to block Hiroshi from Ari's view as she descended upon them. Kweli kept eye contact with Ari the entire time however, giving her a quick wink and trying to tell her without words what he would do next.

When Ari had finally neared them, Kweli ducked quickly underwater, leaving Hiroshi completely exposed to Ari's lunging frame. She wrapped her forelegs around the back of Hiroshi's neck and pulled him under with her, squinting once underwater and giving the lion a playful nudge on the head before reemerging, laughing gleefully.

"Don't mess with me, Hiro," she said with a laugh. "Like I said. I'm like a fish."

[KiarasMate]

Doing his best to conceal himself behind Kweli’s small frame, Hiroshi smiled big as his friend seemed to have his better interests at heart. Unable to see Kweli’s facial expressions from being positioned behind him however, Hiroshi was blissfully unaware of the looks that were being exchanged between both Ari and Kweli. Peeking out over one of Kweli’s shoulders, his fore paws resting lightly atop them, Hiroshi spotted Ari charging towards him with a mock look of ferocity etched upon her face. Egging the golden furred lioness on further with a quick display of his tongue protruding from his mouth, Hiroshi’s confidence quickly diminished as he suddenly felt Kweli’s shoulders sinking below him as his friend vanished below the lake’s surface, leaving him wide open for Ari’s retaliation. Widening his eyes and looking quite flabbergasted, Hiroshi spoke up in disbelief.

”What?! Kweli you…”

Hiroshi’s words turned into barely audible gurgling sounds as he was submerged beneath the water once again by Ari, drowning out his voice indefinitely. Waiting for the countless bubbles around him to vanish so he could see more clearly through the lucid water, Hiroshi spotted Ari’s tail acting like a rudder behind her. Smirking to himself, Hiroshi pressed forward through the cool fluid, circling around Ari’s flank and playfully grabbing her tail with his muzzle, getting a mouth full of water while he was at it. Being as gentle as possible but using enough force so that she’d feel it, Hiroshi lightly brought his sharp teeth together, pinching Ari’s tail in between them, holding onto her hind quarters with his fore legs as he felt her squirm and kicking to free herself, causing one of his paws to innocently slip past her hips and down the length of her rear. Unable to hold his breath any longer now, especially from holding back the laughter he felt from what he had done, Hiroshi paddled to the surface and breeched his head upwards, taking in another fresh lung full of air before watching closely to see what Ari’s reaction might be as he called over to her in a sly voice.

"A fish Ari? Hmm, well your tail did taste a bit fishy so maybe you're right."

Feeling his thirst being tested once again from laying in the hot sun, Kito reluctantly rolled to his paws and made his way towards the edge of the lake, dipping his muzzle in and taking another satisfying drink from the crystal clear pool. Laying himself down upon the bank of the lake, dangling his fore paws in the cool water below him, Kito continued to feign interest in what his friends were up to. As much as he wanted to join in the fun and games, he knew he couldn’t without risking complete and utter humiliation at the paws of his own friends. Closing his eyes and sighing hopelessly, causing small ripples to dance along the surface of the lake beneath his gentle breath, Kito hoped that his friends would grow tired of their current activities so he could once more be a part of the group without fear or resignation.

[YFWE]

Kweli laughed heartily as he turned back to see Ari pulling Hiroshi under once more, Hiroshi with what seemed to be a genuine look of surprise on his face. Of course, the two of them did not stop there, Ari suddenly gasping as she looked beneath her. Kweli could make out Hiroshi's figure underneath her through the shimmering water, his head somewhere around her tail.

Ari honestly had not expected another retaliatory gesture from Hiroshi, especially what he was doing now. "Oh gawd, he's got me!" she cried with half a laugh as she began to kick and squirm, feeling the light pressure on her tail as Hiroshi held it clenched between his jaws. "Kweli, h-help!" she said between laughs as she continued to kick. Kweli looked on, laughing himself, though deciding to stay out of this matter, at least.

After feeling Hiroshi brushing past her, causing her to shudder slightly, her friend emerged from the water, and she could not help but smile over at him. "You liked it, Hiro, don't lie," she said with a wink.

Kito had made his way over to the lake's bank once more, and Kweli had been the first to notice this, mostly because he was not caught up in the presence of another lion (or lioness). He could not help but feel that Kito seemed a bit down and dreary for whatever reason, and though he was having fun in the water, internally he thought that perhaps it was time to go off and do something else--perhaps something of Kito's choosing.

Kweli swam over to the bank and pulled himself out of the water, giving a pronounced sigh as soon as he had emerged completely from the lake, shaking himself off in the process. "I think I'm done, guys," he called. "Might go do some more exploring... there seems to be much more to this plae than just the lake."

[KiarasMate]

Grinning sheepishly over at Ari and hearing her words now, Hiroshi could feel his cheeks heating up once more as he quickly let his body sink further into the water so that only the tips of his ears and nose were above the surface. Unable to make out what Kweli was saying, as it all sounded like a garbled mess from below the water, Hiroshi spotted the smaller male pulling himself out from the lake now, causing Hiroshi to fully surface as he glanced over at Ari and asked curiously.

”What’s going on now? We calling it quits already?”

As Kweli’s voice reached Kito’s ears, it seemed to pick up his own spirits as he rose to all fours, giving his fore paws a quick shake to rid them of any excess water that insisted on clinging to him before making his way over to where Kweli was now standing. Happy in the fact that at least one of his friends had finally decided to turn his attention onto bigger and better things, Kito piped up in a more outgoing tone now as he turned to face both Hiroshi and Ari who were still floating about in the water like two furry buoys.

”Yeah, you two can swim any day of the season at The Waterhole but there’s a lot more to see here than just the lake so come on.”

Looking a bit reluctant to leave the lake as he had been having quite an enjoyable time, Hiroshi knew that Kito’s feelings would probably be hurt if he protested. Taking the high road, as was his usual demeanor, Hiroshi managed to get in one last splash towards Ari before paddling himself over to the bank of the lake, in a hurry to pull himself out before Ari would get a chance to retaliate. Being in quite a hurry however, Hiroshi didn’t time his footing very well as he plopped rather ungracefully back into the water with an embarrassed laugh. Giving it another try, Hiroshi successfully withdrew himself from the tepid waters, giving his saturated body a violent shake, sending jets of water every which way and thoroughly drenching Kito in the process as he did so.

Appearing to be slightly annoyed by this fact although even Kito himself had to admit that it felt really refreshing to have the cold water splashed upon him, even if it was in an unceremonious way, Kito merely smiled as he waited for both Ari and Hiroshi to ready themselves before they would head out to the next location. Assuming that he wasn’t the only one who had built up a bit of an appetite by this point, Kito’s next stop upon his mental agenda, was to show his friends the denser jungle region of Paradise where all the tasty treasures lay, just waiting for the friends to come and enjoy them. The mere thought of tasting the heavenly fruit almost made Kitos muzzle water as he spoke up to the group now.

”Okay, anyone hungry? If so, let’s go get something to eat. I know the perfect spot for us to grab some lunch. Probably not what you’re expecting mind you but it’ll be delicious, I promise.”

[YFWE]

Noticing that Kito had pretty much arose as soon as he had gotten out of the water and announced his intentions to perhaps explore Paradise a bit more, Kweli felt that his suspicions concerning Kito being less than thrilled watching the rest of them have fun in the lake seemed all but confirmed. However, seeing that Kito seemed to be in high spirits again, he figured he would not press the matter any further in order to risk causing the lion to lose his sudden positive attitude.

Ari sighed longingly when Hiroshi, too, began to make his way toward the bank of the lake, but could not help but giggle again when he slipped and fell back into the lake. "Someone's a real klutz today! Come on, Hiro, get with it," she called, paddling over to the bank herself. She withdrew herself from the lake in one try, pulling herself up rather gracefully and giving herself a few shakes to rid the water from her fur. "And that," she said, "is how someone one with the water such as myself exits water. Far more graceful than falling back in, don't you think?" she added with a toothy grin toward Hiroshi.

Listening to Kito's description of the next place they were headed, Kweli piped up right after. "That sounds great; I sure am pretty hungry." He wondered internally what kind of sustenance the place had... probably fruits of some sort, considering that they seemed to be in more of a lush, jungle-like setting. He had, for a time when he was in between prides, lived in a similar setting in the jungle, and fruits were his basic diet (along with the occasional bug). This would be a homecoming of sorts.

"You sure you know the way this time and won't be smashing your face into anymore walls?" Ari chimed in with a smug grin as she walked over next to Hiroshi. "If so, I'm game. Let's get going!"

[KiarasMate]

His smile beginning to broaden now that all of his friends were out of the lake, Kito’s ears flicked in annoyance as he heard Ari’s remark. Flashing her a smug expression as he rolled his eyes towards her, Kito remembered to try and keep his attitude in line as not to spoil their day. Still, having Ari getting the last word would never fly for him and unable to resist himself, Kito shot back an equally sarcastic comment as he thoughtfully stroked his chin with a fore paw.

”Hmm, aren’t fishes supposed to die if they’re out of the water too long?” Kito said, tapping a hind paw upon the grass as if he were waiting for Ari to suddenly expire before his very eyes, knowing well enough that she wouldn’t though. After a few seconds, Kito resumed his speech, a hint of disappointment laced in his voice. ”Darn, guess not. Oh well.”

Satisfied with his come back, Kito turned and began to lead the way back down the path they had previously taken to reach the lake in the first place until the familiar looking fork in the trail came back into view. This time around, Kito chose to travel down the opposite path, leaving the sounds of the running water a distant memory as the small band of friends trekked deeper into the heart of Paradise. The further they wandered, the thicker the vegetation around them seem to become, the trees slowly but surely beginning to envelop them from high above, their twisted branches and brightly colored foliage blotting out the sunlight aside from the few patches of sky that could still be seen through the canapé above. Perhaps at night, this scene might have come off as being a lot more creepy and depressing as it did in the midst of the warm glow of the afternoon but for now, everything seemed just as peaceful as it had been back at the lake.

Giving his body another quick shake before sauntering after his friends, Hiroshi stayed back a bit, keeping in line with Ari as his eyes innocently wavered, drifting back to her supple body as the few remaining drops of water that clung to her fur and whiskers glistened from the soft kiss of the sunlight, almost basking her in an otherworldly glow in Hiroshi’s eyes. Not quite feeling as timid as he did before however, Hiroshi managed to build up enough courage to finally compliment Ari on her looks, although he did his best to mask them in a subtle tone as he addressed her.

”You really are quite a good swimmer Ari and forgive me for saying so but you looked really cute from beneath the water when I was looking up at you. Not to say that you don’t always look cute of course. I mean, with the way the water just beads off you right now, it’s truly beautiful.”

Grinning innocently at Ari, it was Hiroshi’s turn to have a little fun as he sprinted on ahead, leaving Ari with his words ringing in her ears as he caught up to where Kweli was and acted as though nothing was out of the ordinary, only flashing the smaller male a sly wink before turning his focus back ahead of him, following Kito’s lead intently.

It didn’t take them long to reach the location that Kito had in mind. After a short romp through the dense jungle that had now engulfed the four friends, looking quite different from the scene of the lake, yet still having the calm tranquility about it, Kito paused by a fallen log, an idea springing into his head from a memory he suddenly recalled. Halting in his tracks, Kito turned to face his three friends as he skillfully leapt atop the dead log to have a better vantage point over the group before speaking down to them in a delighted voice.

”Ahh, cross your paws lions and…whatever Ari is, because it just so happens that a rare delicacy can be found where I now stand.”

With that said, Kito effortlessly lifted a fore paw into the air, seconds later sending it crashing down atop the hallowed log, resulting in a flurry of movement as numerous amounts of insects began to emerge from every crack and crevice from within the dead log, clearly bothered from Kito’s rude display. Scanning his emerald orbs methodically over the fleeing mass of bugs, Kito gingerly trapped three of the same looking insects under his fore paw, gingerly scooping his other paw underneath to carefully cup his prize before motioning his head towards his friends, encouraging them to approach as he splayed his paw toes just enough to reveal the struggling insects within before speaking in a trustworthy tone.

”Go on, try one. They might look gross, but believe me, they’re good.”

[YFWE]

"Where would you be if I died, Kito? Oh, a couple meals short, among other things," shot back Ari as they began off toward their next destination, down the path on which they had previously came to the lake, finally taking a bit of a detour a little ways down the path and heading off in a new direction.

Kweli looked around in awe as they trekked deeper into the jungle-like area, the trees and plants becoming more and more pronounced and abundant the further they walked. And each time he thought that perhaps they would not venture into the foliage further, on they went, proceeding deeper and deeper into Paradise, into depths known only to Kito--or so Kweli hoped, at least.

Ari was conscious of Hiroshi joining her side some time after and smiled, still fresh off their most recent encounter in the lake. Ari could not help but feel that perhaps Hiroshi had been flirting with her a bit that day, and of course she was guilty of the same concerning him. Fleetingly, she wondered if perhaps that day would be the day in which either of the friends finally confessed to the other that there was something more to their friendship, but these thoughts were cut off by Hiroshi's voice as he spoke subtly to her, though loud enough that Kweli, who walked up ahead of them, could hear.

She opened her muzzle to reply to Hiroshi's rather flattering comments, but in a classic case of deja vu, the lion had dashed away before she could get in a flustered response, darting up to Kweli. Ari remained mum behind them, feeling her face flush as she looked down at the ground, smirking only slightly. She had been given a taste of her own medicine, and she was not sure if she was embarrassed in a good or bad way. She shrugged it off, however, taking it as a good thing--Hiroshi had complimented her in a way that only someone who was truly feeling something toward another might compliment another, so that was at least a positive.

Kweli shook his head with a smile as he heard the events unfold him behind and looked over at Hiroshi as soon as the lion had joined him by his side and, noticing his wink, replied back in a low voice, "Smooth."

A little later, they had reached the spot where Kito had presumably been taking them, for he stopped and announced the finding of whatever "delicacy" he had been searching for as he leaped on top of a dead log that lay on the ground. Moments later, he brought a paw down on the log, and a flurry of insects came crawling out of the crevices of the log. Kweli grinned as Kito scooped a few up and brought them over to the rest of the group; he had a feeling this could also be what Kito had been speaking of. It had been many seasons since he had had the opportunity to taste anything of this manner, and he was especially excited to finally have the opportunity to reverse that trend.

"Thanks," he said modestly, taking one of the bugs quickly from Kito's paw so that it and the others would not escape, and rapidly popped it into his mouth, chewing and swallowing at a rather quick pace, as he had never been much of a fan of the insect still being alive while in his mouth, so he always had made an attempt to vanquish it right off the bat. Though he had never had the particular bug Kito had presented, it was much like others he had tasted in the past, and so it felt quite reminiscent of earlier days as a content grin was splayed across his muzzle.

Ari was not as sold on this, having never tried an insect in her life. There had been times she had wondered what they tasted like, but had never satisfied her curiosity. Not wanting to look in any way hesitant to Kito and especially to Hiroshi, however, she took one of the bugs shortly after noting that eating one had not killed Kweli, and shoved it into her muzzle after a split second of hesitance. She felt it begin to crawl around in her mouth and had half a mind to spit it out, but advised herself against it, instead bringing her jaws down on the struggling insect, killing it finally as she swallowed it, feeling its slimy entrails inside her mouth and throat as it went down. She coughed once, before looking up and grinning. "You know, that wasn't... too bad at all! Nice find, Kito," she admitted, giving him a quick nod. She looked over at the log, where the insects were still swarming. "...are the other ones okay to eat too?"

[KiarasMate]

Hiroshi was the last to approach Kito once Kweli and Ari had retrieved their bug from Kito’s paws, leaving only one left for him. Trapping the scuttling insect between his paw toes, being careful not to squish it from sheer force alone, Hiroshi promptly popped the helpless bug into his mouth and ended its torment as quickly as possible, chewing thoughtfully upon it before swallowing heavily. Smacking his muzzle lips, trying to determine whether or not he actually enjoyed the flavor that the tiny morsel provided him with, Hiroshi noted that both Kweli and Ari seemed content enough from the taste, which seemed to put his own indecisiveness at ease as he smiled and addressed Kito in a thankful voice.

”Hmm, it wasn’t that bad Kito. What do you call those things anyways?”

Watching intently as his four friends feasted upon the appetizers from within his paws, his smile widening each time one of them downed the small insect, Kito had to all but restrain himself from laughing as he heard his friend’s reaction to the so called delicacies they had just enjoyed. Pausing for a moment, pretending to look deep in thought, Kito eventually responded, fielding Ari’s inquiry, followed by Hiroshi’s.

”Uh, some of them are poisonous Tomcat and Fila told me if you eat the wrong ones it can really screw you up. Hmm, oh, let me think here. What did she call them again…Oh right! I remember.” Kito stated, his smirk seemingly growing so large that it could have easily wrapped around the entire length of his head as he stated in a not so subtle voice. ”DUNG beetles.”

Upon hearing Kito’s final remark, followed by his incisive laughter, Hiroshi felt his stomach twisting in knots as his tongue drooped from the side of his muzzle. Quickly raising a paw to his mouth, Hiroshi dashed to one side, hiding his face within the thick vegetation as he retched uncontrollably, trying to rid himself of the now foul taste in his mouth. He had learned about dung beetles from his mother but had never seen any up close or he would have never fallen for such a dirty trick from Kito. Finally relieving his stomach of its burden and feeling a little sick, Hiroshi pulled his head out from the bushes as he gave Kito a sour glance before speaking up in an irritated voice.

”That was low Kito. Totally disgusting you know…”

Rolling with fits of laughter, Kito tried his best to compose himself as he watched his friends reaction to his little practical joke. Kito knew that eating dung beetles was safe enough and his mother had played the very same joke on him when he was a cub. It felt nice to be on the opposite end of the spectrum so to speak this time around however and assured in the fact that his friends wouldn’t stay cross at him for too long, Kito reveled in his afterglow of success as he managed to subside his laughter enough to reply.

”Oh, get over it Hiro. You know you liked it. They’re harmless anyways. C’mon, I’ll take you guys to the real deal now though. Forget eating bugs, there’s better things to be had here in Paradise.”

Still snickering wildly, Kito turned and bounded over the fallen log, continuing along the semi-warn trail that he knew would lead them to the promised lands of Paradise where they could find a much more enjoyable meal. The trip wasn’t very long as they finally reached a clearing in the dense foliage. Being the first to emerge, Kito was happily met with the sight he had been hoping for. Standing before the four friends now was a peaceful looking meadow with numerous flora growing as far as the eye could see. Dotted along the outskirts of the picturesque panorama were low hanging trees whose branches bore fruits of all different shapes and sizes. Taking a deep breath as he stepped out into the fragrant atmosphere in front of him, his nostrils filling with the scent of wild honey and jasmine, Kito could feel his very soul beginning to relax from the calm scene in front of him. Turning to his friends now, Kito motioned towards the near by trees, more so, the fruits that dangled precariously from their limbs as he stated.

”There’s our meal guys and this time, it’s no joke, I promise. Everything that you’ll find here is safe enough to eat, although I’d stick with the brighter colored fruits if I were you. Doesn’t this place just smell heavenly though? C’mon, pick your jaws up from the ground and let’s go eat already!”

Bounding off towards one of the nearest trees, Kito’s muscle mass came in handy as he bore his weight into the trunk of the tree, sending several of its choice fruits to come hurtling to the ground below, landing softly within the grass below, cushioned by its delicate embrace. While his mother had been agile enough to actually climb the trees herself to retrieve the fruit, Kito had found that his method worked just as well, all be it a bit unorthodox. Picking up three of the bright red fruits in his muzzle by the stems, Kito trotted back over to where his friends had gathered, plopping the fruit down in front of them, making sure to paw one of the rounded treasures towards himself to ensure he got the lions share, even though there was plenty where that had come from. Rolling one fruit over to Kito and the other in between Ari and Hiroshi, Kito spoke up proudly as he encouraged his friends to eat.

”Well, don’t look so untrusting, these are divine. My mother called them Passion Fruits but don’t ask me why that was. I’m not fooling you this time though. Watch.” Just to prove his point, Kito speared the tender fruit with a claw and quickly brought it to his muzzle, taking a lion sized bite out of it as the sweet juices from the ripe treat trickled down the length of his fore paw.

Seeing Kito eating first this time, Hiroshi seemed more trusting as he picked up the soft fruit in his fore paw. Assuming that Kito meant for him and Ari to share as there didn’t look to be an even amount to go around, being the thoughtful lion he was, Hiroshi carefully severed the fruit in half with one of his talon-like claws, being careful as not to spill the inner contents of the ripe delicacy. Extending his fore paw out to Ari now, the halved fruit resting upright in the center of his palm, Hiroshi spoke politely to Ari in a playful voice as he presented her with his offering.

”A pretty fruit for an even prettier lioness.”

[YFWE]

Though the taste of the insect had not been completely unbearable, hearing Kito's description of what it was exactly that she had ingested caused her to cough again, this time more forcefully, her tongue hanging out her mouth as she tried to get the taste out of her mouth before she gagged. "What?! Kito, you ass! Why would you do that?" she yelled in a rage-induced fit as she continued to cough, the mere thought of such a thing having been in her mouth nearly making her sick.

Kweli merely shrugged, glancing over at the dead log at the other bugs. He had never known what those insects were called, but he had certainly eaten them before, and had gotten over the rather uneventful taste in time. "Guess I'm too used to 'em," he said, swallowing again. "They don't kill you, guys, don't worry."

Ari continued to glare menacingly at Kito as the four of them proceeded toward what Kito claimed to be the source of their real lunch, though Ari could not help but have her doubts after the trick he had just played. "I swear, Kito," called Ari as they walked, "if this is another joke, you're not going to live to see all those precious lionesses back at Pride Rock that so long for you ever again. Count on it."

Luckily, Kito's presentation of the next meal seemed sincere this time around; there being many fruits scattered around the part of the jungle they had come to. Kweli grinned and nodded. This was more of what he had been expecting at first. Feeling a rumbling inside his stomach, he was quick to move toward one bushel of fruit, tearing at it with his teeth. It was as good as he had remembered the fruits in the jungle he had once lived in. He sighed happily as he ate more, memories of his past--mostly happy memories--flooding back as he did so, blissfully reminiscing as he ate.

Ari glanced down at Hiroshi's paw as he offered the half of the fruit to her, feeling her face flush again as he spoke. She took it, though not before letting one of her paw toes curl against his. "Thanks," she said in a small, flustered voice, taking the fruit into her mouth. She chewed happily, letting its delicious juices fill her mouth and flow down her throat. "Barring anything else you'd like to tell us about this fruit, Kito, like if it's going to make us regret eating it in a few hours or something, I'll say this again--thanks for bringing us here. This is absolutely delicious."

[KiarasMate]

Feeling Ari’s subtle caress with her paw toe as she graciously took the fruit from his fore paw, Hiroshi resisted from speaking further as he knew that if he would so much as open his muzzle again, nothing but sappy dribble would pour out from the way Ari was making him feel right now. Taking the best way out of the given situation, Hiroshi promptly stuffed his muzzle with the other half of the passion fruit, its rich flavors and succulent nectars delighting his pallet almost instantaneously. Closing his eyes as the sweet juices ran down his throat, eliciting a joyous sounding purr to escape his throat as he savored his luscious mouth full, swallowing contently as the heavenly fruit vanished down his gullet. Licking over his moistened paw and looking quite satisfied to say the least, Hiroshi’s eyes began to scan about him, looking for more of the delectable tasting fruits.

Watching closely as both Ari and Hiroshi shared the passion fruit, another smile worked its way over Kito’s muzzle, but this time around, it was a softer and more genuine looking one. Finishing off his own meal that still stayed put upon his claw, giving his paw a thorough licking as not to let any of the desired juices go to waste, Kito looked back over at Ari and Hiroshi before doing his best impression of his mother’s voice as he spoke to the two of them.

”They say that if two creatures that love each other, share a single passion fruit with one another, their pallets shall dance, their hearts shall race while they're carried off to a wonderful place. Now bonded like the closest kin, stirring feelings deep within. Something...something...something...something...I forget the rest.”

Scratching a paw over the back of his head, looking rather confused by what Kito had stated, Hiroshi turned the phrase around several times in his mind before drawing a blank and shrugging his shoulders in an indecisive manner. Glancing over to Ari and then back to Kito, Hiroshi replied in a curious tone, although he assumed that Kito wouldn’t have the answer he was looking for.

”Oh really? And what exactly is that supposed to mean Kito and is that why you purposely only brought 3 passion fruits?”

Wrinkling his face up as if to seem lost in thought, Kito merely shrugged as well as he scratched a claw under his chin. He hadn’t understood what his mother had meant when she had told him that phrase so long ago, and still didn’t have any clue to its underlying meaning to this very day. Figuring that Hiroshi was waiting for an answer of some sort however, Kito simply replied in a nonchalant tone.

”Meh, how the hell should I know Hiro. You know Fila. Always going on about nothing. Maybe she took one too many kicks to the head on the hunt. Who knows.”

Watching as Kito departed now, clearly on route to find more to eat, Hiroshi turned back to Ari as he asked in a kind voice, his hazel eyes meeting with her amber ones as he nervously licked over his sticky paw once again.

”Wanna come with me to find more of those fruits Ari? Maybe if what Fila says is true, we should, erm, share more of them.” Hiroshi stated, giving a playful looking smile to hide the fact that he was actually being quite sincere in his proposal.

Leaving Ari and Hiroshi to their own accord, Kito wandered off towards one of the distant trees that bore some large looking gourds from their highest points. Using his same tactic as before, although needing to repeat the process several times over due to the persistent fruits holding on for dear life, Kito was finally rewarded as two of the large objects came crashing to the ground. Picking up one of the hard gourds in his fore paws, Kito knew exactly what to do as he skillfully hurled the fruit into the hard surface of a near by rock, resulting in a crack to form at the point of impact. Dashing over, Kito retrieved the newly injured gourd, examining it closely before looking pleased with his efforts. Spotting Kweli not too far off, Kito started over towards the smaller male, Clutching the gourd close to him before calling out to Kweli in a friendly voice.

”Hey Kweli. Here.” Kito exclaimed, tossing the gourd over to the smaller male, expecting him to catch it as he brought his paw up to his muzzle, making a sign as he stated. ”Drink it, it’s good.”