[Private] Love Will Tear Us Apart

[YFWE]

Ari lifted herself from the glimmering water, cursing her misfortunes internally as she allowed herself to be embraced by Hiroshi's tender care. Though not all had been lost just yet, she still realized that the moment had been ruined slightly by her klutziness. She had allowed herself to be consumed by her lust, or whatever it was, and had made herself vulnerable. She would have to salvage whatever dignity she might have left in the eyes of Hiroshi and act her age, or at least not fall over herself again.

Putting on a small grin at Hiroshi's comments, she returned the nuzzle that he had placed against her cheek and looked up at him reassuringly. "No... no, Hiro, you didn't overstep your bounds. Not at all."

She reached up a paw and lightly traced Hiroshi's cheek, first one side and then the other. "Just lost my footing; I kinda lost myself there for a minute. I dunno if I was overwhelmed since it was our first time or..."

Ari paused for a moment, her gaze finding the rapidly-approaching night sky as it blurred with the day. She felt Hiroshi's paws exploring her body and sighed. She could not lie that his tiny ministrations gave her some sort of pleasurable feeling, but... not like they should have. There was still something missing. And she could not hide it from Hiroshi any longer.

"Hiro, I just don't think I'm in the mood for this tonight," Ari admitted, her eyes downcast. "I'm really sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me right now, but... what we were doing and what we were possibly about to do... it wasn't doing anything for me. I don't know why. I might just not be in the right mood tonight."

She glanced back up at Hiroshi. "Maybe another night?"

Giving herself one last check in the dwindling dusk to make sure all the mud and dirt had departed from her body, Ari slowly broke away from Hiroshi and regained her composure, stepping out of the waterhole and pausing on its bank, deciding to wait for Hiroshi to emerge and walk back to the den with him, unless he had more to say on the matter.

xXxXxXx

The small male barely even registered Kito's comments, continuing to help himself to his fill of the buffalo haunch. Kweli laughed once when he finally processed what Kito had said concerning Scar, though he did not comprehend the deeper meaning that his friend had implied. At that point he had simply laughed to not seem rude, his focus having been on the haunch and really nothing more. He could not remember a better birthday meal in recent memory and he was determined to enjoy it.

Kweli began to slow down a bit, his stomach filling but also wanting to leave enough for Kito, Ari and Hiroshi. Breaking off another slab of meat and chewing contently, he backed away a bit from the delicacy and glanced over at Kito, who seemed to be fumbling with his injuries once more. Kweli shook his head slightly, fully aware that if Kito continued to mess with the abrasions, they would heal much more quickly.

Noting that Kito seemed to have a rather appalling taste in his mouth (and having expected this), Kweli nudged the haunch in the lion's direction. "Here, try this," he said with a muzzle full of food before gulping it down. "It might get the taste out. I'm done, anyway. Thanks again."

Glancing out into the night from the mouth of the cave and noting that almost any trace of daylight had left the sky, Kweli spoke again, "Word of advice, try not to lick your wounds... I know the herbs taste horrible, but they're going to help; I saw Rafiki use the same ones on a hyena once that Scar sent to be fixed up and he was back to normal within days. Just don't lick them and you should be fine."

A familiar thought crept into his mind, one that he had been able to suppress for most of the day, especially after having let go of most other things and simply enjoying their time at the mud hill. It was a decision he had been thinking of making for a few days by then, and had finally decided upon earlier that day. At first he had considered never bringing it up to his friends, but soon decided against that. If there was anyone that would deserve to know what was going on with him, it was his best friends.

"So, Kito..." Kweli started in a smaller voice than usual, his gaze still implanted upon the scene outside their cave. "Tomorrow... I think I might be going on a bit of a journey... by myself." He lowered his stare to the cold ground. "I will be back, I promise. I just... I just wanted you to know that I would be gone. You, Ari and Hiroshi. I plan on telling Rafiki too. But no one else."

He finally turned to Kito, unaware of how his friend might react. "I just, you know... thought you should know."

[KiarasMate]

Feeling himself slipping back into the romantic stupor he had been in moments ago, Hiroshi was right about to move in for another kiss, when Ari’s words reached his ears, freezing him in place. Listening to what she had to say, Hiroshi found himself at a momentary loss for words as he watched his friend making her way out of the water. It seemed to him that the two of them had been waiting forever for this moment to happen and now that it was here, Ari didn’t want to even be alone with him. It was confusing to say the least, although realizing that perhaps things were going a bit too quickly between the once former friends turned mates, Hiroshi’s more understanding side won out over the mixed feelings that were now swarming within his mind. Adopting a reassuring smile as he dragged his wet frame out from the waterhole, Hiroshi responded to the golden furred lioness’ comment while he shook his pelt dry.

”Hey, it’s alright Ari. We can take things as slow as you want to. I’m sorry if it was something I did that ruined the mood for you but we’ll have plenty of time for, erm, things in the future, I’m sure.”

Moving in to give Ari a friendly nuzzle to show her that he wasn’t upset, which he truly wasn’t, all be it a little flustered, Hiroshi gave Ari a gentle nudge to indicate that they could head back to the den now. Staying close by her side, although perhaps maybe not as close as he might have been if the previous situation would have ended differently, Hiroshi stayed quiet for the most part as the two felines made their way back towards their den under the cover of night. As he walked along, Hiroshi’s mind was hard at work trying to figure out what he himself might have done wrong to make Ari feel the way she had, or if that wasn’t the case, than what was on her mind to make her act the way she had. Unable to find any logical answers to his own questions however, Hiroshi settled for letting the thoughts drift to the back of his mind as his hazel eyes locked upon Ari. He could never feel anything but love and compassion towards her and no matter how long it would take, he would show her his deepest feelings for her when the time was right for her at least.

==========

Scrubbing a fore paw over his tongue to try and eliminate the foul taste of the herbs, Kito happily accepted Kweli’s offer of the succulent looking buffalo haunch. Sinking his teeth into the tender flesh, Kito ripped off a sizeable portion of the savory meat before chewing it contently while keeping his ears perked to listen to Kweli’s advice on how not to lick his wounds. Swallowing down the mouth full of food he had torn off, Kito was pleased in the fact that the juices from the buffalo meat seemed to overpower that of the herbs, thus relieving him of the bitter taste in his muzzle. Nodding in acknowledgement to what Kweli had suggested, Kito replied in an appreciative voice before helping himself to another bite of buffalo meat.

”Thanks for the advice. If I knew that they tasted like crap, I wouldn’t have done it in the first place and I most definitely won’t do it anymore Kweli. Although, not being able to bathe myself? That”˜s more Ari”˜s style, since I actually care about my hygene.”

Continuing to gnaw down the large haunch, knowing that there would still be plenty left for Ari and Hiroshi once they finished fooling around, or so Kito thought to himself, the famished male wasn’t expecting what came out of his friend’s mouth next. Halting in mid chew as Kweli finished dropping the unexpected news about his soon to be departure from The Pride Lans, Kito seemed extremely puzzled and didn’t quite know what to say at first. Reflecting over what the smaller male had said, something clicked in the back of Kito’s mind, although he himself didn’t even realize this. Just as suddenly as Kweli had revealed his plans to him, Kito’s mindset shifted drastically. Before he even knew what was going on, Kito found himself replying to Kweli in a supportive tone.

”Hey, I’m not going to try and stop you Kweli. I’m sure whatever business you need to deal with, you’ll be capable of doing on your own. I don’t think Hiro and Ari are going to take this news as well as myself, but let’s face it buddy, we’ve never exactly been the closest of friends, you and I, but even so, I hope you find, whatever it is you’re looking for and don’t worry about your patrol duties. I’ll cover for you. Scar will never even know you’re gone anyways, that crazy bastard…”

[YFWE]

They padded silently back to their den, the only sound coming from their light steps which tread upon the dusty ground. It was perhaps a bit too silent for Ari's liking, as it forced her to think that perhaps Hiroshi was not as eager to accept the fact that she had been unable to do, well, anything with him as he had originally let off. She could sense both the disappointment and the confusion that created an aura about the lion that was generally unfavorable to Ari. Hiroshi did not seem upset, but he did seem puzzled and perhaps let down, and Ari hated herself for this, as she did not want to disappoint Hiroshi in any way.

But she could not lie to herself either. If her heart was not truly in something, then it would not be fair to Hiroshi nor to herself. She certainly had felt a bit of a spark when she had kissed Hiroshi earlier, that much was true. It was the extent to which she enjoyed it that troubled her. If Hiroshi was truly her true love and mate, then she felt as if there should have been a better reaction within herself to the muzzle-to-muzzle contact. Perhaps she simply had too much on her mind.

Trying to make some light of the situation, Ari slowly intertwined her tail with Hiroshi's, certainly not playfully but more so lovingly and reassuringly. No matter what she said or did that evening, she wanted Hiroshi to know that she did still have feelings for him, that at least those had not left her. It was gaining everything else back that she would have to struggle to do.

The den came into view. Ari assumed that Kito and Kweli were already inside, perhaps even asleep by that point, though she could not be sure. All she knew was that she was hungry. Perhaps Kito had brought back something to eat, if there was anything to eat in the entire Pride Lands. At least her hunger had gotten her mind off her encounter with Hiroshi and of thinking about her much deeper feelings. Pausing once to deliver a quick nip at Hiroshi's cheek and an affectionate nuzzle against his neck, Ari stalked inside of the cave, her eyes heavy with sleep and her stomach running almost on empty.

xXxXxXx

Kweli was somewhat surprised at how quickly Kito was to accept his decision and to not question him further, but was glad that the lion was at least frank with him about his feelings on the subject. Every word Kito said was true; they had not been that close and Kweli was more than capable of taking this journey on his own. Kweli was nonetheless grateful that Kito had even suggested taking over for Kweli on border patrol; he had originally thought of suggesting Hiroshi for the job since it was his old one, but something about the way Kito jumped at the opportunity told him that at least for that moment in time, Kito was the right lion for the job. Besides, Hiroshi deserved some alone time with Ari.

"Thanks for the support, Kito," said Kweli with a weak grin, "and thanks for volunteering to fill in for me. I'll admit, I'll miss the job of border patrol once I'm away, but it got pretty mundane anyway. At least this'll give you an excuse to visit Rafiki every day now. I know you're not a huge fan of him but you can at least visit him til your wounds heal; you might find him crazy but he sure knows a lot about medicines."

Tentatively, Kweli walked forward, toward Kito, his motions subdued and a bit hesitant as he neared the lion. Finally reaching him, he surveyed Kito's pelt for his wounds and then, finding a spot behind his neck untouched by claw marks, reached up and gave Kito a very awkward hug. Fully aware that their embrace was not exactly concurrent with the standards of most, Kweli felt himself breaking away just slightly after, though not before murmuring another word of thanks to the lion.

"I'm not sure what I just walked in on and I'm not sure I want to know, either."

Kweli spun around, removing his paw from around the back of Kito's neck once and for all. Ari had entered the cave, Hiroshi close behind. Kweli sensed some slight hostility wafting from the two, as if both were a bit bemused about... something. Hiroshi seemed far more taken by these thoughts, however; Ari's spirits seemed to have turned up instantly once she spotted the buffalo haunch.

"Hey, g-guys! Didn't hear you c-coming," stuttered Kweli apologetically. "Kito got us food. Help yourselves; I already ate."

Ari did not need to be told twice. Bending low to the ground, she tore off a piece of the buffalo flesh, chewing contently as she moved aside to give Hiroshi a bit of room if he wanted it. After gulping her first morsel down, Ari glanced over at Kito, who seemed quite preoccupied with his wounds. "How're the cuts holding up?" she asked shortly, trying to make it sound as if her query was nothing more than simple, meaningless, mundane conversation, though she did internally feel a bit worried about Kito and wanted his wounds to heal properly. Of course she would never let the others know this.

She tore into the haunch once more, waiting for Kito's answer, hoping that he would not take it with one of his bad moods as he sometimes did. Meanwhile, Kweli padded off, somewhat embarrassed for the awkward embrace he and Kito had shared and for having been caught in the act of it by his two other friends. Stretching once, he laid down on his pelt, head on his paws as he lazily watched his friends dig in to the sizable buffalo selection.

[KiarasMate]

Being a bit preoccupied with his own thoughts on why he had stated what he had, Kito wasn’t expecting what happened next. Feeling Kweli embracing him as his friend’s fore legs wrapped around his neck, Kito didn’t exactly know what to do. Forcing a quaint smile, the confused male managed to lift a fore paw before patting Kweli lightly on his shoulder. Kito was right about to speak up in response to the smaller male’s comment, when Ari’s voice rang in throughout the den, causing Kito to cringe slightly as he instinctually pulled away from Kweli at the same time his friend did. Giving a sarcastic looking expression, Kito went back to eating until the golden furred lioness’ inquiry reached his ears, prompting him to halt in mid-chew once again. Swallowing his mouth full of buffalo meat, Kito huffed nonchalantly as he responded in his usual sardonic tone.

”Oh, they’re just lovely Tomcat, thanks for asking. As well as flesh wounds can be I suppose but enough about me. It seems as though our good friend Kweli has some news to share with you two.”

Flashing Kweli a quick nod, hoping that he wasn’t putting his friend on the spot too badly, even though he pretty much knew that the news would have to be broken to both Ari and Hiroshi eventually, Kito resumed filling his stomach with the tasty buffalo meat while he kept a weary gaze over Ari, his emerald orbs meeting with her amber ones momentarily before he himself had to look away. Curious to know what exactly had gone on between his two friends during his absence and being clueless to the things that Kweli had picked up upon so quickly from sensing Ari and Hiroshi’s mood, Kito couldn’t help but to feel that same twinge of jealousy beginning to tug at his being. Hoping to sidetrack his thoughts however, Kito finished satisfying his hunger before returning himself to the corner of the den to which he had slept at previously. Listening intently to Kweli as he rested his head upon his fore paws while looking as though he didn’t have a care in the world, Kito continued to plot amongst himself, his brain working overtime and far beyond his own comprehension at the given moment. Little did Kito realize that Kweli’s soon to be absence would prove to be exactly what he needed in order to get his paws on what he now, so desperately longed for.

Hiroshi meanwhile, had remained quite withdrawn from everything as his own mind was still trying to understand what had gone wrong moments ago between himself and Ari. He hadn’t spoken a single word on the way back from the waterhole they had bathed at together and even when Ari’s tail had lovingly intertwined with his own, Hiroshi had barely acknowledged it. Now that the pair were back amongst the company of their friends however, Hiroshi did his best to act as though nothing had happened, which seemed to work on Kito without question, but Kweli had most likely seen through his false demeanor. Watching as Ari moved aside to give him room to join her at the buffalo haunch, Hiroshi hesitated momentarily. In all reality, eating was the last thing on his mind however, remembering his promise to Ari that he’d take better care of himself, skipping a meal was clearly out of the question.

Moving in close next to the golden furred lioness, Hiroshi reluctantly began to tear off small amounts of the savory meat from the buffalo haunch before lazily chewing it and swallowing halfheartedly. While the food tasted heavenly, Hiroshi couldn’t enjoy his meal as much as he probably could have, as seeing Ari’s muzzle hard at work as she ate and hearing her question directed towards Kito, Hiroshi felt as though Ari herself didn’t even care about what had transpired between the both of them. Refusing to dwell on such thoughts and thankfully distracted by Kito’s response to Ari’s inquiry, Hiroshi finally spoke up as he addressed Kweli in a curious voice.

”Oh really? And what sort of news would this be Kweli?”

[YFWE]

Ari frowned at Kito's reply, having hoped for a bit more substantial response, but realizing that what she got was probably the best she would ever get from Kito, given his usual hostile manner toward her questioning. Bending low to the ground once more so that she could tear off more pieces of the formidable buffalo haunch, Ari glanced over to see Hiroshi join her, ripping off a few shreds of meat himself. He had still kept quiet all that time, from when they left the waterhole to when they returned to the den, and Ari could not help but feel as if Hiroshi's spirit had been broken a bit by what had transpired. And while Ari certainly felt a bit upset about this, she knew she had to remain true to herself. Luckily, she was given a chance to relieve her mind of such thoughts for a brief moment, as Hiroshi turned and asked of Kweli something Ari herself was quite curious about as well.

Kweli gulped as he stood. As much as he hated being put on the spot, he knew that the time would have come eventually that he would have to tell Ari and Hiroshi of his plans. What worried him was that, while Kito had been relatively accepting of Kweli's decision, Ari and Hiroshi would more than likely be much less in agreement. Or, at the very least, they would be preoccupied over Kweli's decision, making sure that he had done what was in his best interest. Ari might even try to come with him; he was not sure. He knew one thing for sure though: he would have to do this alone, despite any, if any at all, protests.

"Well..." Kweli started, "...like I told Kito, I'm going to be going off by myself tomorrow. It isn't permanent, I promise," he added quickly when he saw the looks dawning upon the countenances of Ari and Hiroshi. "I'll be back someday. I've just... I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about the vision I saw and... well, I need closure. I need to know if what I saw was real or not. It's crazy, I know, but I won't be able to live with myself if I stay here the rest of my life and never go out and try to find my family and Bashasha. This is probably the best opportunity I'm ever going to have in my life and who knows, maybe I'll even find help outside our boundaries. At the very least, I can turn this into a positive for all of us."

Kweli took a deep breath and glanced around at Ari and Hiroshi, and then at Kito, who had obviously already heard everything and seemed relatively unfazed by Kweli's announcement. To his dismay, he found Ari staring back at him sternly, as if disapproving of Kweli's decision.

"Kwel, you can't go out on your own like that! It's too dangerous!" scolded Ari, pacing about, her mind in a tizzy. "And what if this was all just a dream? A dream, Kwel! You could be lost out in the wilderness for the rest of your life, even dead! And even if you knew for a fact that they were out there somewhere, you sure don't know where they are!"

Kweli glanced down at the ground, his pride a bit shaken. He had expected for Ari to not be completely accepting of his plan, but had not expected her to be as against it as she seemed to be. Out of slight frustration, he looked from Hiroshi to Kito, hoping that perhaps they could give him some backup.

[KiarasMate]

Being pulled out of his own train of thought by Ari’s reaction to the news that Kweli had just dawned upon her and Hiroshi, Kito lifted his head from upon his fore paws as he listened to the golden furred lioness going off on a tangent about why Kweli shouldn’t leave. Kito knew that Ari wasn’t going to take the turn of events lightly however, he too, wasn’t expecting her to fire off as she was. Noticing Kweli’s glance and realizing how persuasive Ari could be, especially when it came to Kweli, Kito once more, found himself speaking up before he even knew what he was doing. It was as if his brain was several steps ahead of his own comprehension and still being clueless to the reason why he was being so outspoken towards his insistence on Kweli’s departure, Kito couldn’t stop himself as he openly chastised Ari.

”That’s easy for you to say Ari. You still have your mother and Hiroshi. You wouldn’t be saying that if you were in Kweli’s position, now would you? If there’s any chance that his family or whoever, are still alive and if he feels this strongly about it, who are you to try and stop him from finding happiness. Besides, Kweli can take care of himself just fine. He doesn’t need someone coming to HIS rescue, unlike someone else.”

Hiroshi had been rather stunned by the revelation that Kweli had informed himself and Ari about. Completely forgetting about the meal in front of him, Hiroshi sat there, rather mystified by the whole thing. Truly, it had been a very trying day for him and this just seemed to make matters worse. Not only was Ari getting herself worked up over this issue, but the prospects of losing such a good friend as Kweli was almost more than Hiroshi could bear. He was right about to speak up in order to support Ari’s argument however, when Kito’s voice interrupted. Taking in everything that his best friend was saying, Hiroshi was surprised from just how valid of a point Kito made. It was true, Ari had Nafsi and himself, and Kito had Fila, but poor Kweli had no family to speak of. The possibility of finding them alive however, not to mention the love of his life Bashasha, Hiroshi’s opinions about the situation gradually shifted in agreement with Kito. Hoping to talk a little sense into Ari, as well as to calm her down a tad, Hiroshi spoke up fervently as he gently reached out a fore leg and brought Ari in close to him to stop her from pacing about as he did so.

”I can’t believe I’m saying this Ari, but Kito’s right. I mean, If I ever lost you Ari and there was any chance, no matter how slim it might be, that you were still alive, I’d travel forever, through heaven or hell just to find you. I wouldn’t stop looking and I’d never give up. I’m sure it’s the same for Kweli. You have to let him go. This is his life after all. If this is what he wants to do, we should support him, like good friends do in times like these.”

After the words had left his muzzle, Hiroshi completely pushed aside the disappointing aspects of the day that had involved himself and Ari. His own words rang true in his mind as he lovingly leaned in close to give the golden furred lioness an affectionate nuzzle before licking her softly over her cheek. Hiroshi had meant everything he said and only now, did he realize that he could wait forever for Ari to be ready to take their new relationship to the next tier. There were more important matters to attend to now and just as long as Ari would be by his side, life would be perfect. Loosening his embrace upon the golden furred lioness, Hiroshi glanced back over to Kweli before speaking up to the smaller male in a hopeful voice.

”Let’s save the sappy goodbyes for tomorrow then, shall we Kweli. It’s still your birthday after all and we all still have one more night together, so let’s make the most of it! Besides, it’s not going to be goodbye anyways, cause you’re going to come home right WHEN you find Bashasha and your family, right buddy?”

[YFWE]

Kweli sent both Kito and Hiroshi grateful looks as they seemed to back up his decision to leave, glad that he was not the only one that found this decision justifiable. He glanced at Ari, wondering how she might take her opposition, in one way feeling blessed that she cared as much as she did about his safety, but also knowing that he needed her approval as well before he left. Of all of his friends, Ari was the lion he had been closest with since coming to the Pride Lands, and if there was any person he needed to back him up on this journey, it was her.

He walked over to the lioness once both Hiroshi and Kito had finished speaking, hesitantly draping a foreleg over Ari's back. "Ari... I promise you, I'm so flattered that you're worried about my well-being and all. But this really is something I need to do. Hiro and Kito are right. Think about what would happen if Hiro was gone. You'd travel to find him if you knew he was still alive, wouldn't you?"

Ari was in a daze. She had not expected for both Kito AND Hiroshi to disagree with her, but the more she dwelled upon it, coupled with Hiroshi's extremely kind words, her tensions concerning the subject had eased somewhat. Though she was still certainly worried for Kweli's health and safety and did not want him to go off alone, she also realized that his departure was almost inevitable. Especially if there was even a sliver of hope that part of Kweli's pride still lived.

She returned the small embrace Kweli had given her and looked into the smaller lion's gaze. "Kwel... I'm sorry. I didn't mean all of that in a bad way. I just don't want you to get hurt, you know? You'll be all alone out there, and you could die before finding them. I just want to see you again. That's all." She gave him an affectionate nuzzle. "Do what you have to do. Seriously. I can almost assure you we'll still be here when you return."

The lion breathed a sigh of relief and nuzzled back, incredibly grateful that Ari had finally, too, supported his decision. "Thank you, Ari. You'll never know how much it means to me to hear you say that."

Kweli turned to Hiroshi and nodded. "Yes, please. I hate goodbyes anyway." He pawed the ground. "Anything in mind though? We've already done so much today!"

[KiarasMate]

”I’m going to turn in for the night. These wounds are starting to bother me a little.” Kito stated, before rolling onto his opposite side, his back now facing towards his friends.

While it was true that his injuries were stinging a little due to his former licking, the main reason why Kito wanted to sleep was to try and figure out just what was going on in his own mind. So much had happened within the past days and the confused male needed to play catch up to his own thoughts. He knew that there was a reason why he had supported Kweli’s decision to leave and it clearly had to do with Ari, but why exactly this was, Kito himself was still uncertain of. Hoping that the answers would come to him during a good night’s rest however, Kito closed his eyes and did his best to focus his mind upon the important aspects as his friends voices were slowly muffled out of earshot as Kito drifted off to sleep.

Giving an understanding nod to Kito, Hiroshi turned his attention back upon Ari and Kweli. His own attitude had taken a complete turn ever since he and Ari had came back into the den. Knowing that Kweli was leaving just seemed to re-solidify the fact that times were still very uncertain and taking Ari’s company for granted was something Hiroshi wasn’t about to do. Hearing Kweli’s inquiry, Hiroshi took a moment to think things over as his hazel eyes drifted around the den, falling squarely upon the lone flower that Rafiki had given to the smaller male as a birthday present earlier this morning. At the same time, Hiroshi’s paws were gently caressing Ari’s frame, tracing down the length of her fore legs until his fore paws brushed lightly against her minor wounds from the previous day. This just happened to trigger Hiroshi’s memory that he had left the herbs intended to treat Ari’s cuts with, underneath one of the sleeping pelts and that they still needed to be applied. Adopting a reflective smile, Hiroshi spoke up to Kweli in an amused voice as he gently moved away from Ari and uncovered the herbs from where they were being stored at.

”Well, Ari still needs her medicine Kweli, so maybe you can help hold her down while I give it to her. You know how much she likes to struggle when it comes to that sort of thing.” Hiroshi stated, giving Kweli a sly wink.

Hiroshi knew that Kweli would remember the time when they were cubs and Ari had managed to get herself stuck in a prickly bush during an intense game of Hide & Seek. Hiroshi could clearly recall that day as it had taken all three of the male cubs to hold Ari down while Rafiki had administered her medicine over her wounds, as Ari had fervently insisted that she didn’t need any herbs and that they would hurt more than the injuries themselves did. Smiling to himself from the fond memories, Hiroshi gingerly picked up the clump of herbs from the ground before padding back over to where Ari was. Taking a seat next to the golden furred lioness, Hiroshi gave her a loving nuzzle before stating in a playful voice.

”Is Ari going to be a good lioness and not put up a fight, or is she going to have to be restrained?”

[YFWE]

Totally unsurprised that Kito would be heading off to bed already given a combination of his injuries and the fact that he often seemed to slink off to sleep without much explanation whenever he was in the den anymore, Kweli gave a quick nod in the lion's general direction before turning to Hiroshi, who had been calmly caressing Ari's side before suddenly coming to some sort of epiphany and turning to Kweli. His own orbs widening with realization, Kweli nodded. "Oh, right, Ari does need her medicine, doesn't she?" he said slyly, knowing full well what Hiroshi was hinting at. Though it was true that Ari did need to apply the herbs in order for her wounds to heal properly, Kweli recalled quite a few seasons before, when Ari had been less than accepting of the application of the necessary medicine after having entangled herself in a rather formidable bush as a cub.

Ari, meanwhile, was also quite aware of what Hiroshi was getting at as well and smiled meekly, not exactly in the mood to be playful but deciding to play along at least slightly. "No, not the meds!" she cried with a slight giggle, bounding out of Hiroshi's reach.

"Save me, Kweli! Don't let him take me away!" Ari yelled, cowering behind the smaller male. Kweli, however, was clearly on the side of his male friend, leaping out of the way to expose Ari, who was almost shaking with laughter. The lion spun around and pinned Ari to the ground, both catching her off guard and catching her in a compromising position, as she was too taken with laughter to try and overpower the lion.

Glancing over at Hiroshi, Kweli grinned, mock-yelling over to the lion. "Hurry, Hiro! I don't know how much longer I can keep her here!"

[KiarasMate]

Finding himself being overtaken by a wave of laughter as well from his friends antics, Hiroshi leapt into action as he hurriedly stuffed the batch of herbs that had been provided by Rafiki, into his muzzle, chewing them rapidly as he had seen the wise mandrill do on several occasions. Hiroshi had asked the shaman why he had to chew the medicine before applying it the first time he had witnessed Rafiki doing this, and Rafiki had politely informed the curious male that one’s natural saliva activated the herbs in some way or another, the reason being much too complex and detailed for Hiroshi himself to even understand at the time he had posed the question. Still, this was his first foray into prepping medicine and as the overpowering concoction hit his taste buds, the unsuspecting male had to all but restrain himself from gagging involuntarily from just how strong of a flavor the herbs possessed. Grimacing from the taste while continuing to grind the herbs up within his maw, Hiroshi couldn’t help but to smile from the way Kweli had managed to pin Ari down. It looked quite suggestive to him and despite the unpleasantness taking place in his mouth, his eyes were thoroughly enjoying the view.

Figuring that the mixture within his muzzle was now at the right consistency, even though he had no clue on how long he was actually supposed to chew the medicine for, Hiroshi nodded to Kweli as if to indicate that he was ready to administer Ari’s treatment. Typically by this point, Rafiki would have spat the slurry from his mouth into his hands, followed by him applying the remedy as needed however, Hiroshi had a much more sensual way of caring for Ari’s injuries. Moving himself in close to where her minor wounds were upon her fore legs that were exposed, thanks to Kweli’s efforts, Hiroshi leaned his muzzle down so that it was level with Ari’s limbs. Coating his tongue thoroughly with the sticky curative, Hiroshi lovingly ejected his now greenish looking tongue before running it firmly over Ari’s small lacerations, making sure to press hard enough so that the thick layer of herbs were worked as deeply into the cuts as was possible. Repeating the process several times over, being careful not to irritate Ari’s injuries from his ministrations, Hiroshi moved from one fore leg to the other, applying as much of the sappy medicine over her wounds as he could. This method seemed to work quite well in his opinion, as Hiroshi lacked the dexterous fingers that Rafiki possessed, although his flexible tongue worked just as nicely and also aided to clean Ari’s sores at the same time.

Pulling his muzzle back from Ari’s fore legs now, Hiroshi examined his patient’s limbs before giving a nod of approval to signal that Kweli could let Ari up now, even though Hiroshi knew that Ari could have just as easily broken free if she so wished to. Needing to clean his muzzle of the last remaining amounts of the now bothersome taste in his mouth, Hiroshi quaintly excused himself with a quick bow of his head before padding outside and promptly spitting out the last traces of the herbal paste from his maw. Running his tongue over the dry grass below him to ensure that the disgusting taste from the medicine would no longer plague him, Hiroshi wandered back inside the den and quietly took a seat next to Ari and Kweli before speaking up to them both in an amused voice.

”Oh my gawd, that stuff tastes so horrible. Now I know why Rafiki’s face is always so scrunched up. If I had to chew herbs like that every day, I think I’d look just like that.”

Staring over at Ari, Hiroshi’s hazel orbs locked themselves upon his golden furred love interest as he scooted in a little bit closer to her now until his muzzle was mere inches away from hers. Adopting a cheeky looking smile, Hiroshi playfully blew his breath upon Ari, which still held faint hints of the herbs he had been gnawing upon moments ago. Licking over his muzzle lips in a teasing fashion, Hiroshi murmured in a soft voice as his fore paw gently caressed itself over and around Ari’s chest fur.

”So, how about a kiss as payment for me tending to your wounds Ari? Come on, you know you Wanna!”

Hoping to grab Ari’s full attention as he had noticed that mischievous look in Kweli’s eyes, Hiroshi inched his muzzle in closer to Ari, gluing his stare upon her while he watched Kweli out of the corner of his eye. Having a general idea of what his friend was up to, as they both knew where Ari’s ticklish spots were, Hiroshi baited the golden furred lioness perfectly while the smaller male crept closer. Keeping his focus fixated upon her, Hiroshi pressed his nose against Ari’s as his whiskers ever so lightly brushed against hers, their muzzle lips being only a hairs length away from one another’s now. Acting as though he were going to seal the deal and grant his lover what he could clearly see she wanted as did he himself, Hiroshi resisted and suddenly wrapped his fore legs around the startled lioness, anchoring her in place as Kweli moved in to tickle her relentlessly.