[Private] Love Will Tear Us Apart

[YFWE]

Catching the piece of passion fruit under his paw, Kweli looked back at Ari and gave her a small smile of thanks. He carved into the ball of fruit, eating just a small part of it, as he did not want to be seen as a glutton. Further, he had already eaten well that day with Rafiki, who knew of many delicious herbs and roots that still grew in the Pride lands despite the drought. It was not meat, but it was better than going hungry.

Finishing off her own half of the passion fruit, Ari was unable to object as Hiroshi pushed the zebra haunch toward her. If Ari could be perfectly honest, she was not that hungry; an entire warthog had been more than sustenance enough for her earlier in the day. But Hiroshi was a generous soul, and Ari knew he would not let her leave without seeing to it that she finished all that they were able to acquire for her. And so, murmuring a word of thanks, she took the haunch and dug into it, filling her belly with the tasty morsel, excited to get their walk underway.

As Ari ate, Kweli laid his head down on his paws once more, a small part of the passion fruit that he had received right beside him. His gaze caught Hiroshi's, and the black-maned male returned his gaze with a curt nod, and Kweli knew what this indicated. Hiroshi and Ari would be taking a walk together. What this entailed, whether it was a simple walk or something more, Kweli did not know nor cared to ask as it was in no way his business. Sending a knowing nod back to his friend, Kweli yawned, aware that for a while, he would be alone in the den with some peace and quiet, which he did not mind one bit. Besides, Ari and Hiroshi had not seen each other in days. They had a lot of catching up to do. Perhaps this would even finally be the night Hiroshi finally spilled his feelings to Ari. Kweli was well aware that his friend wanted to, but could not bring himself to just yet due to his own personal reasons, but Kweli also was aware that it was a proverbial elephant in the den that could not be avoided much longer.

Ari finished off the haunch handily, now feeling quite full from her meals that day. Cleaning off her mouth and her paws briefly, she turned to Hiroshi and smiled. "Thanks again," she said pleasantly. "This was... definitely a surprise."

Hiroshi announced their intentions to begin their walk to Kweli, and Kweli in turn raised a paw in recognition, his eyes already closed as he had begun to submit to the welcome state of sleep himself. "You two have fun," he murmured as his breathing began to steady.

Ari followed her friend out into the night, the starry, cloudless sky lighting up the ground graciously, giving the two lions plenty of sight though it was quite late at night. They walked in silence at first, the only sound coming from their light breathing and the sound of their paws against the earthy ground. As they moved out further into the plains, Hiroshi stopped suddenly, causing Ari to cease forward motion as well and turn to face him. Unable to suppress a toothy grin as the lion embraced her, Ari returned the embrace, feeling as content as could be as the object of her affections whispered sweet nothings into her attentive ear. At the end of this, she gave him a tiny lick on his cheek.

"Of course I thought about you, Hiro. Truth be told, you're all I think about these days. You're all I thought of as I walked to the borders of the Pride Lands and you're all I thought of as I tried to find some prey to kill, just so I could impress you. You're the first thing I think of when I wake in the morning and the last thing on my mind before I give in to sleep. I couldn't wait for this moment, for when finally I would be back in this spot, with your legs wrapped around me, as we simply be with each other. It's all I ever hope for for the rest of my life. Moments like this." She nuzzled him under the neck affectionately, once again making up for lost time. "It's always been you. Only you. No other lion could penetrate my thoughts the way you have."

[KiarasMate]

Keeping his fore legs wrapped securely around Ari’s midsection as he sat next to her, listening eagerly to what she had to say in response to his former inquiry, Hiroshi could feel his own sense of pride beginning to swell from every sentence that left Ari’s muzzle, each being more flattering than the last. Blushing openly from Ari’s fond words, Hiroshi purrs grew steadily louder as he smiled and rested his head upon his friend’s back as he waited for her to finish speaking. Gently caressing his fore paws up and down the length of Ari’s slender physique, Hiroshi replied in a playful voice as he rubbed his cheek against the golden furred lioness’ neck and shoulders, showing his undying affection towards her as he spoke.

”Hmm, maybe that’s why you weren’t able to focus on your hunt Ari. Your mind was too busy thinking about me.”

Letting out a lighthearted chuckle, Hiroshi moved himself forward slightly, his body weight leaning heavier against Ari’s frame as he began to playfully wrestle her to the ground, giving her ears light nips as he used his mass to his advantage, managing to pin the golden furred feline’s back down against the dirt below, making sure she landed comfortably with him atop her. Staring down at the gorgeous lioness below him, Hiroshi could feel his heart pounding wildly within his chest as the twinkling of the stars reflected off of Ari’s amber eyes, giving them the illusion as if they were sparkling themselves. Completely entranced by her beauty and having been apart from her for what had seemed to be an eternity, Hiroshi found himself giving into his primal urges as his head lowered towards Ari’s, a romantic look present in his stare as his muzzle lips drew nearer to hers. Right before the two feline’s muzzles connected however, the silence of the night was broken by a distant roar coming from []bPride Rock[/b], causing Hiroshi to lose his nerve as he scrambled off of Ari and took a seat upon the cold ground, hiding his shame in the process. Glancing towards the distant rock formation, Hiroshi figured that it was most likely Scar bellowing out his claim over the lands, something he had taken up doing on a nightly bases for the past season or so. Sighing reluctantly, Hiroshi moved back towards Ari, gently caressing a fore paw along the length of her alluring body as he spoke softly to her.

”I’m sorry about that Ari. I don’t know what came over me there. Sometimes I just feel like I’m a totally different lion whenever I’m alone with you. You’re just so amazingly beautiful and it’s like, no matter how close I get to you, it just doesn’t feel close enough. I guess Nafsi knew what she was doing when she kept me away from you when you were…erm…well, you know.”

[YFWE]

Ari found herself laughing at Hiroshi's suggestion that perhaps the fact that he had constantly been on her mind had affected the output of her hunting skills while on her solo hunt. The more she considered it, however, she could not help but think that it had perhaps been more of a factor than Hiroshi could know.

Before she could respond, though, Ari felt Hiroshi's mass closing in on her, and she could no longer stay upright on her paws, falling backward and continuing to laugh as Hiroshi wrestled her to the ground. "Good thing you don't eat like Kito," giggled the lioness as her back came into contact with the dusty ground, Hiroshi following suit as he fell on top of her. "You might've crushed me just now."

Finally ceasing her laughter, she looked up into Hiroshi's hazel eyes, seeing herself reflected back in them. As her gaze traveled down the rest of Hiroshi's enticing frame, she thanked the Kings for bestowing upon her such a vision and such an opportunity so that she might come to be in this position, with Hiroshi atop her and Ari being resolutely pinned to the ground with no means of escape--only the will of Hiroshi would allow her to move, and she submitted herself to it.

Ari could feel his stare, could feel his hot breath upon her, could feel his heart pounding, faster and faster. You want me, she thought slyly. I can feel it. Well, what are you waiting for? Take what is rightfully yours. No more of these childish games. Take me now if you are to take me ever, proclaim to the skies above that I am yours as you are mine. Let there be no more misgivings.

Hiroshi began to close in on Ari, his muzzle becoming closer and closer to hers as he swooped in for what would be their first true moment of bliss together. The primal lioness inside Ari, a being she had only come to know recently when she had experienced her first heat, licked her chops quixotically. This was it. It was finally happening. Hiroshi was hers.

A roar was heard far off in the distance, a roar that not only unnerved Hiroshi to the point that he leaped off the lioness, but also snapped Ari out of the trance-like state she had been sent into. Feeling the other lioness within her dying down and accepting defeat, Ari laughed nervously, glancing abashedly at Hiroshi, who seemed to feel the same way. He returned a few moments later, though their moment, at least for the time being, had been lost in the night. Still, the tawny lion ran a paw against Ari's slender build, causing her to shudder slightly, as he spoke once more.

"It's... it's fine," replied Ari, attempting to stay conscious of her words. She did not want to let off to him that she absolutely, positively had wanted him to continue, even if it was what she had wanted, as she wanted to remain at least somewhat mysterious to Hiroshi--or at the very least, when the time came for the feelings betwixt the lion and lioness to be spilled, she wanted him to make the first move. She could be a flirtatious lioness and had only gotten better with age. But when all was said and done, if Hiroshi truly wanted Ari, it would be on his move and not hers. Though a few hints or pushes in the right direction on Ari's end could not hurt.

"You're not so bad yourself, Hiro," said Ari with an adulating smile. She laughed when her friend brought up her heat and the problems that had arisen at the time. "Mother absolutely knew what she was doing. But not just on your end; apparently I was quite taken with the idea of finding you as well. I might've been the same way with another male in the Pride too but... I don't think so. It was probably for the best, though I don't know about you, but I can't wait to have complete freedom and control over myself when it happens again. I'll feel like a cub again if I have to be watched over like that."

Noting that Hiroshi seemed slightly more reserved after the roar had interrupted them, Ari glimpsed a perfect opportunity to turn the tide, so to speak. Laying a paw on the lion's chest, she quickly sent her weight into Hiroshi, knocking him over as she landed atop him, laying her entire body down against him and gripping his forelegs with her paws so that he was unable to move them. "Well, lookie here. Seems the balance of power has shifted," she stared down at Hiroshi through sly eyes. "What shall we do about this, hmmm?" She could feel his heart rate picking up once more.

[KiarasMate]

Tracing his paw toes through Ari’s flawless golden pelt while listening to her reminisce about her first heat, Hiroshi couldn’t help himself as he chuckled quietly, thinking back upon the time and imagining Ari trying to sneak past her mother in order to come find him. The thought brought chills of excitement to course through his veins but also made him wonder if Nafsi would always be that protective over her daughter whenever her heat cycle rolled around. Hoping for the best and knowing that he’d have plenty of time to spend with Ari, regardless if she was receptive or not, Hiroshi’s ears flicked from the golden furred lioness making mention about perhaps seeing another male if the situation had been different. Grinning mischievously, Hiroshi piped up in a curious voice as he tickled Ari’s side with his fore paw.

”Oh, another male huh? And who might that be? Kito perhaps? Maybe Kweli or Sc…”

Fortunately for Hiroshi, his last word was cut short by Ari’s sudden retaliation as the young lioness effortlessly pounced the unsuspecting male to the ground with the finesse of a true huntress. Flabbergasted by Ari’s actions, Hiroshi gazed up at her with a look of adulation, truly marveling from how deceptively strong she was for having such a slender build. She had only grown even more clever in her attempts to best him whenever it came to pouncing and no matter how many times it happened, Ari always seemed to have the upper paw over him but upon this night, it mattered not to Hiroshi as having such an elegant lioness perched atop him was by no means, something he was about to protest against. Keeping with the high spirited mood however, Hiroshi cleared his throat as he spoke up in as best of an impersonation of Ari’s voice as he could muster.

”Good thing you don’t eat like Kito or you might have crushed me.”

Bursting out laughing as he wrapped all four of his legs around Ari’s warm body, Hiroshi hugged her close as he leaned upwards to nuzzle her affectionately, his tail bouncing happily beneath him as it swayed and gently bumped against Ari’s rear as the two felines laid in each other’s company for a little while longer. Letting a pleasurable sigh escape his muzzle, feeling extremely relaxed and content with having Ari laying on top of him, Hiroshi gently reached a fore paw over and stroked over Ari’s cheek and under her chin before resting his fore paw lightly upon the back of her head, giving her ears a soft scratch before meeting with her gaze once again. Wishing for this moment to never end, Hiroshi laid there, his chest slowly rising and falling as he lost himself within Ari’s enthralling amber eyes while his tail steadily entangled itself around hers, locking the pair in a tender embrace. Waiting for something to give as his breath hung heavy in the air, Hiroshi could sense that Ari’s pulse had picked up as well, making him feel slightly more nervous as he licked over his muzzle lips and purred deeply, his fore paws beginning to feel as though they were sweaty, when in reality they weren’t. Time seemed to come to a stand still as Hiroshi anticipated Ari's next move. A large part of him wanted her to finish what he had tried to start moments ago, while a significantly smaller part of him yearned for something different as the timing just didn't feel quite right and as much as Hiroshi tried to convince himself otherwise, the haunting thought of his mother's death and the possibility of growing too attached to Ari within such uncertain times, scared him to no end.

[YFWE]

Things had begun to pick up again. Ari stared into Hiroshi's orbs and he into hers, the young lioness hoping to see some sort of drive in there, some sort of indication that he planned on making a move on her. And while she was pleased to find that there was what seemed to be some sort of longing present, there was also something else--a sliver of hesitation. Ari did not know what for, but it had often been visible ever since the night of the messing about of their den and Hiroshi's subsequent odd behavior.

Of course not wanting to pull him into doing something he might have reservations about or might regret afterward, Ari took a deep breath to calm her own primal urges, lowering her head to Hiroshi's cheek and giving it a tiny lick, hoping this would be sufficient enough for both of them. She rolled off of her friend, though taking his paw in hers as she stared up at the starry sky. Once again, they had been unable to spill their true feelings it seemed, unless Hiroshi was to catch her off-guard in the ensuing moments. And of course, if he did, he did, and it would be romantic at best. But if he did not, if they continued to lie there... Ari could not help but feel that that was alright too. It was the perfect ending to what had been a rather trying day.

Laying her other paw across her chest, Ari sighed as she scrutinized the sky above her, darting from star to star, constellation to constellation. Hiro..." she started, wanting to bring up to him something that had also been on her mind during her alone time on the hunt, "...maybe I'm overreacting but... I'm kind of worried about Kito."

Feeling his gaze on her once more, she gulped once and continued, "I know he and I have never seen eye to eye on some things, and that's fine. But... I still can't help but worry about him and how close he's become to Scar. Deep down, I know he would do nothing to go against any of us, to hurt any of us, but sometimes I think he's gotten almost too close to our King. And not in the way beneficial to helping us, necessarily. I'm thinking more in the "he's letting it go to his head" sense. How much longer is it before he begins acting like Scar, too? He's not nearly as close to us as he once was and... it scares me, to be honest."

Blinking once, she turned her head toward Hiroshi, looking for reassurance, or even confirmation of her fears. "What do you think? Am I just overreacting here? Kito would never do anything to hurt any of us for his own gain... would he? And I'm not talking about the Kito we knew. I'm talking about the Kito of now."

[KiarasMate]

The tension hung palpable in the night air as Hiroshi waited for Ari to make a move. Much to both his delight and disappointment, the golden furred lioness opted for a simple lick over his cheek, which given the current circumstance, was satisfactory enough for Hiroshi’s needs. Purring happily as he felt Ari’s warm body moving off of him now, keeping his paw toes interlaced with Ari’s as he scooted closer to her until Ari’s smaller frame was snugly positioned next to him. Perking his ears up from Ari’s initial remark, Hiroshi turned to look at her as he inquired in a thoughtful voice.

”Hmm? What’s on your mind Ari?”

Taking in everything that the golden furred feline stated, Hiroshi had to meld over all the poignant facts that Ari had brought up in regards to Kito. Hiroshi himself had noticed the change in Kito’s attitude as well, but hadn’t really paid it quite as much mind as Ari seemed to have. Now presented with the subject directly and having time to actually contemplate about the matter further, Hiroshi had to agree with Ari in a way. Still, Kito was his best friend and Hiroshi liked to think that he at least knew him well enough to ensure Ari that everything would be fine. Speaking up after thinking things over, Hiroshi replied to his company in a comforting tone.

”It’s really sometimes hard to tell Ari, but Kito knows where his allegiance lies I think. He might take his new found role as his majesty’s second paw lion very seriously and the power might go to his head in some respects but I don’t think we’re in any apparent danger from Kito, aside from maybe suffering through a few more headaches whenever he goes on about how great he is and all.”

Rolling onto his side as he gently released Ari’s fore paw from his own, replacing it atop Ari’s chest and lightly trailing it down the length of her belly, stopping before it ventured too low for comfort before repeating the process again. Meeting with her beautiful amber eyes once more, Hiroshi felt smitten once again as he leaned in and lovingly licked over Ari’s soft cheek, returning the affectionate gesture from before as he reluctantly rolled back up to all fours and offered a paw down to Ari before speaking up in a sweet voice.

”Kito’s always been rough around the edges Ari, you know that, but he’s got a kind heart and most of the time his intentions are honest and pure. He’ll surprise you one of these days, I’m sure. That is, if you two don’t get betrothed first. You already argue like you’re married you know.”

Sporting a cheeky grin, Hiroshi chuckled innocently as he bounded off back towards the direction of their den, knowing Ari would follow him, most likely to try and retaliate for the joking comment he had just bestowed upon her. Keeping his laughter toned down as best he could as they approached their cave, Hiroshi waited for Ari to join him before slipping quietly back inside. Taking a quick glance around, Hiroshi’s ears picked up the sounds of light breathing, indicating that Kweli had already dozed off. Treading lightly, Hiroshi made his way over to his sleeping pelt which was positioned directly next to Ari’s, forming one large looking sleeping pelt as the two felines typically curled up next to one another, mainly for warmth during the increasingly colder nights but also just to feel each other’s presence as it was calming for the both of them to say the least. It also helped to reduce Hiroshi’s night terrors that very rarely overtook him but they never lasted long as Ari was always there to relax him and ensure him that everything would be alright. Taking up his usual spot upon the center of the two pelts, Hiroshi waited for Ari to comfortably situate herself before curling his larger frame around her, making sure that she was well protected from the chilly winds outside if they should happen to sneak inside the den. Sighing happily, Hiroshi leaned in to give his golden furred friend one last tender nuzzle before murmuring softly to her.

”Get some rest my mighty huntress. Sweet dreams and see you in the morning.”

Resting his head upon his fore paws, his muzzle slightly buried within Ari’s neck, filling his senses with her sultry scent, Hiroshi closed his eyes as sleeps enticing grip gradually began to take over him. It had been a good day to say the least and now that Ari was home safely and wouldn’t be leaving him anytime soon, Hiroshi felt at peace once more as he finally gave into his body’s whishes and drifted off to sleep.

[YFWE]

Listening intently to Hiroshi's half-defense, half-agreement that was his response to Ari's concerns, Ari found herself feeling almost somewhat guilty that she even suspected of Kito perhaps changing his alliances. That said, she was glad that Hiroshi seemed to agree at least somewhat with her concerns. She merely hoped at this point that Kito would not delve further into his duties as Scar's right-hand lion. His ego was already large enough.

She took Hiroshi's paw as he helped her to all fours, wobbling briefly before gaining her footing. "You're probably right," she said. "I just worry sometimes. Despite how we may act toward each other, things wouldn't seem right without the four of us still together. I don't want to lose that. I don't want to lose any of you. Not now and not ever."

Ari laughed freely at Hiroshi's final comment, chasing him off toward their den as if she was going to murder him when she caught him, even though she knew she would not, not in a million suns. "Do you want me to be unhappy for the rest of my days?" called Ari, panting, as their den came into view. "The only way I'd ever consider marrying that piece of work is if you were gone!"

They reached the cave, Ari giving Hiroshi a quick, light cuff against his side as she walked inside. She was not at all surprised to find Kweli asleep already; he was often the first one to give into sleep nowadays, given the long walks he took as part of border patrol. Making her way over to her pelt, she collapsed upon it, sighing contently as she felt its warmth. Hiroshi joined her moments later, and she felt his added warmth as well, grinning happily as his larger frame enveloped her own.

"Goodnight, Hiro," purred Ari, taking Hiroshi's paw in her own as she laid down her head, feeling herself blushing once again at her friend's kind words. As she drifted off to sleep, she prayed to the gods that maybe, just maybe, Hiroshi found finally find it in himself to tell her how he felt the next day. Only time would tell.

[KiarasMate]

Making his way out of The Main Den as the first warm rays of morning shown gloriously over the dying lands, Kito took in a deep breath before letting it out slowly and giving his body a vigorous stretch before trotting down the slope leading into The Grasslands. He had been roused by Scar and had been given his orders for the day and not being the type to keep his king waiting, Kito had made it a point to get the day started off on the right paw. Traveling along the once lush path on route to the sleeping quarters of The Hunting Party, Kito seemed to be enjoying himself as he arrived at the cave and without even a second glance, disappeared within its confines. Letting his eyes adjust to the relative darkness from within the den, Kito caught sight of the slumbering lionesses, who were huddled together for warmth it appeared, which brought a sly grin to plaster itself upon his muzzle as he spoke up proudly, his voice booming through the silence and causing countless pairs of eyes to flicker open as he addressed everyone around him.

”Rise and shine ladies. His majesty expects breakfast to be at his paws before the day is out, so I suggest you all move those sexy asses of yours in gear and get a move on. Oh, and by orders of his royal highness, I will personally be accompanying you lovely ladies on your hunt today, just to ensure that failure is not an option. Also, there is a slight change in plans today as well. Fila and Nafsi, you are to report to his majesty at your earliest convenience, although if I were you, I’d make that quick. He’s in one of those edgy moods today it would seem. As for the rest of you gorgeous gals, you just sit tight and wait for your new hunting leader to arrive. In the mean time however….”

==========

Early morning had already begun to sink in as Hiroshi gradually awoke. He had enjoyed quite a restful nights sleep now that Ari was home and waking up to see her attractive face was always a welcoming sight. Letting out a quiet yawn, Hiroshi rubbed a fore paw over his eyes, feeling a bit hotter than usual for some reason or another. Perhaps it was due to the fact that Ari was still snuggled up against his body and had his other fore paw trapped under her head as she seemed to enjoy using him as a pillow. Feeling the urge of nature calling him however, Hiroshi gingerly withdrew his imprisoned limb from beneath Ari’s head, trying his best not to disturb her as he silently rose to his paws and padded out of the cave to go relieve himself.

Returning shortly there after, feeling quite refreshed and a bit more awake thanks to the morning breeze that had swept past him while he was out, Hiroshi made his way back over to where Ari was dozing and quietly leaned down to give her a gentle nuzzle, his mane tickling her nose as he did so. Purring softly and keeping himself close to his snoozing friend, Hiroshi noticed that Kweli had already left, most likely to get a jump start over his patrol duties. Finding this to be nothing out of the ordinary however, as Kweli had taken his job fairly seriously ever since Hiroshi had stepped down from the position, Hiroshi paid it no mind as he continued to coax Ari awake with more loving ministrations from his fore paw and tongue. Seeing her beautiful amber eyes beginning to flutter open, Hiroshi smiled warmly as he murmured softly in her ear, giving it a light lick and nibble as he did so.

”Good morning Ari. Time to get up lazy butt. I’m sure The Hunting Party is waiting for you.”

==========

Far off near the border of The Pride Lands, another creature was already hard at work. Rafiki had been up with the sun and had begun his daily routine high amidst the snarled branches of his baobab tree. Expecting Kweli’s company, the wise mandrill had already prepared a small amount of fruits and herbs which were tailored to curve hunger pains, something that almost everyone suffered through during these hard times. Being unable to leave the safety of his large home however, due to the constant threat that both Scar himself, as well as the numerous amounts of hyenas posed towards him, Rafiki found solace in the company of Kweli and had grown quite attached to the young male.

Upon this day however, Rafiki looked a bit troubled as he paced around one of the lower tiers of his towering abode. He had spoken with The Great Kings the previous night and had encountered some interesting tid-bits about the future, or so he hoped at least. Looking quite eager to share his findings with someone who would be willing to listen, Rafiki continued to scan the horizon for any signs of his guest who would surely pay him a visit before long.

[YFWE]

Ari felt the warmth around her recede as Hiroshi arose for the day, and her eyes fluttered open for a brief moment before closing once more. She fully intended on lying there as long as she could before Hiroshi surely returned to nudge her awake. She never actually got up before him solely for this reason; to feel his light caress, to hear him whisper in her ear. She was almost always already awake before Hiroshi was, but she would never let him know. It was the simple things that kept her waking up every morning with happiness in her heart.

Sure enough, she felt the familiar nuzzle and warm breath of her friend shortly after. Opening her eyes slowly, a small grin spread across her muzzle, she raised her head quickly, giving Hiroshi a sudden, sloppy lick on his cheek. Giggling delightedly, Ari scurried away from Hiroshi, stretching her bones a few paces away. "Good moooooorning!" she said with a yawn, facing Hiroshi with a toothy grin. "Didja sleep well?" she added with a wink. She was sure she already knew the answer to this, however; he had been purring seemingly all night.

She glanced out of the cave, signs of morning beginning to abound. "Jeez, words can't express how much I don't want to hunt today," she sighed, "especially after doing it for two suns straight. We're not going to find anything, anyway. Too bad Scar won't see that." she added in a despising tone.

Her eyes widened suddenly. "Shoot, and I still have to go see Mother this morning!" She started off toward the mouth of the cave, turning to Hiroshi when she had reached its exit. "Would you perhaps like to accompany to Pride Rock? Maybe the other lionesses will even let you tag along on the Hunting Party."

------

"Elephant Graveyard... check," said Kweli in a bored voice. "Well, that's everything. Another eventful day in the Pride Lands."

He turned back toward the direction of Pride Rock, finally somewhat excited. Now that his border duties were complete for the day, he still had plenty of time to visit Rafiki for a time. He stalked off toward the Baobab Tree, with what was almost a spring in his step. This was the part of the day he looked forward to the most those days; he quite enjoyed the mandrill's insight concerning everything going on in the Pride Lands, even if he could not leave his tree due to the royalty and his minions. The shaman seemed surprisingly calm about it, though Kweli thought that this could be chalked up to the fact that Rafiki always seemed calm and collected, whether something was troubling him or not.

The large tree came into view, and thusly the small lion's pace picked up a bit. Finally reaching the tree, he could see Rafiki sitting idly in one of the lower reaches of his home. "Greetings, Rafiki!" Kweli called up to the mandrill. "Hope the Kings are treating you well today!"

[KiarasMate]

Feeling the sudden warmth and wetness spreading across the side of his cheek, invoking an amused chuckle to leave his muzzle, Hiroshi watched as Ari scampered away and gave herself a delightful looking stretch. Lifting a paw to the point where Ari had licked over, not to wipe her saliva away, but more so to savor the moment as he pressed it against his overly warm cheek, Hiroshi sighed happily as he turned his attention back to the golden furred lioness who had already begun to make her way towards the entranceway of their cozy abode. Twitching his ears in a curious fashion from what Ari stated, Hiroshi smiled as he nodded eagerly and padded towards her, giving Ari’s slender frame an affectionate nuzzle with the full length of his toned physique before moving out into the early morning atmosphere. Turning to face Ari now as he waited for her to accompany him, Hiroshi spoke up in a hopeful voice as the two felines started off towards the den where they would find the rest of The Hunting Party.

”That would be nice Ari. I’d love to spend the day with you and see you in action but you know that I probably won’t be able to go along with you. Stupid laws and all. His majesty at least knows that anyone would be a fool not to snatch you up Ari from under his conceded nose.”

Enjoying Ari’s company for the short time he had, as he figured that he wouldn’t be able to see her again until The Hunting Party would return later on, Hiroshi kept close to Ari as they walked, his hazel eyes seemingly glued to her as they often were. As the distant figure of the far off den grew closer, Hiroshi caught sight of another familiar face who seemed to be waiting outside the cave and looking as though he was anticipating their arrival. Squinting his eyes to make sure he wasn’t mistaken, Hiroshi turned to Ari as he spoke up in a bewildered voice.

”Hmm, looks like Kito’s up to something already. Wonder what he’s doing outside the den there.”

Flexing his paw toes through his thick mane to straighten it from what had previously taken place within the confines of the den behind him, Kito basked in his afterglow while his eyes drifted out towards the lands in front of him. Sitting patiently as he waited for Ari’s arrival, knowing that she would probably be escorted by Hiroshi himself, Kito didn’t have to wait very long until his assumption was confirmed. Rising up and starting to pad towards his approaching friends, Kito greeted them both in his usual arrogant voice as he continued to groom out his pelt.

”About damn time you show up Ari. Was Hiro really keeping you up that late last night or what? Way to hold up The Hunting Party you know. That’s not the best way to make your first impression as the new Hunting Leader Daddy’s Girl.”

Hearing Kito’s statement, it took Hiroshi a few moments to actually process what this meant. Looking quite surprised once he actually did figure it out however, Hiroshi could barely contain his excitement as he turned about and gave Ari an enthusiastic hug. It wasn’t everyday that such a title was bestowed upon someone as young as Ari was and even though it didn’t quite make a whole lot of sense to himself, Hiroshi was happy in the fact that Ari was finally getting the recognition that she so deserved. Speaking up in a proud voice, Hiroshi praised his golden furred friend on her new rank within the pride.

”Wow! That’s so awesome! Congratulations Ari! This has to be a really exciting moment for you, huh?”

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”Kweli my boy! So wonderful of you to grace this old soul with your presence.” Rafiki stated as he leapt down from his perch atop the branch and landed with the grace of a gazelle, next to the young male.

Even for his age, Rafiki was quite nimble and fit. Moving in close, the wise Shaman wrapped his arms around Kweli’s shoulders, giving his friend a hug before lightly ruffling up his mane with his hands. Glancing around, just to ensure that they weren’t being watched, Rafiki casually plopped himself down upon the dirt below, sitting cross-legged and resting his back against the mighty trunk of the baobab tree. Motioning for Kweli to join him, the wise old mandrill addressed his friend in a quizzical voice.

”So tell me Kweli, what’s the good word? Did your friend Ari return from her hunt and did you notice anything interesting on your rounds today, hmm?”