[PRIVATE: DGFone & Thewhistlerify]

[DGFone]

Umeme felt Muroki wrap the paw around her and snuggled up even tighter, grateful for the warmth he offered. She stared up at the sky until something curious caught her eye. "Hey, Muroki, look," she whispered, pointing up, "see that clutter of stars over head? They look like a lion... a lot like you..." She lowered her gaze until it settle onto him. She grinned. "Well, maybe not exactly like you. If only because you're much better to look at."

Moto went inside the den with Fadhili, letting an odd sense of familiarity over come him. "It's like we never even left," he commented, and lay down at his usual spot, with Fadhili next to him. He smiled at her, but he also wanted to ask her some very serious questions. "I know you only just met them, but some time has passed for those early feelings to go away, so I wanted to ask you, what do you really feel about them? About Delano and Muroki?"

[TheWhistlerify]

Muroki looked up, taking a few seconds before finally noticing what exactly was Umeme pointing at. He could see the specific cluster of stars, but it took a really long look in order to shape them together like a lion. "Hey, you're right... It does look like a lion." he didn't find the figure familiar to him though, because with the black sky in the background and the lack of color it could be identified as any lion.

Fadhili looked around the den. Everything seemed just the way it was when she and Moto left. She saw Moto lying down, and immediately recognized the spot as the spot where they used to sleep every night while they were still there. "Wow, this is weird... " she said, lying herself beside her mate. "Well, Muroki seems like a very kind lion and I can tell that he truly loves Umeme. I can say the same about Delano, but he looks a little upset and confused..." she looked at Moto, "Or maybe it was just me."

[DGFone]

Umeme grinned. "Yeah, those stars might look like a lion, but I prefer the real thing," she nudged Muroki then, "and seeing as you are the real thing, I rather like that. Besides, you're easier to reach." She felt the cold air around her, so she repositioned herself next to Muroki to get even more warmth from him. "And you're warm," she added, "and right now, that's all I need."

Back inside the den, Moto thought about what Fadhili said. "Well, Muroki loves Umeme deeply, that much I saw, and so does Delano love Lina just as much." He recalled his analytic scans of the two lions back outside, "But Muroki is rather confident and strong. He's even mated with Umeme already. But Delano, while physically strong, he's-" Moto looked at his mate, "like you said, lost and confused. And that's what I don't really get." Moto sighed. "The two of them, they look very similar. I won't be surprised if they're related somehow. Which is why I don't get why Delano is so different. Why he doesn't have Muroki's confidence. It makes me worried for Lina."

[TheWhistlerify]

Muroki smiled sheepishly. "Well, I can make a guess to why I can't see a lioness figure up there. It's like the stars know that it's pointless to even try to make an impression of you." he never missed a chance to throw her a compliment. He too could feel the wind becoming slightly colder, so he held Umeme even closer, using his other paw as well. They couldn't completely protect each other from the cold night's air, but Umeme's presence was enough to distract Muroki from the fact he was cold.

Fadhili thought about when they were outside just a few minutes ago, now noticing that Delano and Muroki really did look somewhat alike. The two might be related, but it wasn't of too importance at the moment, and if she or her mate wanted to know whether they were or not, it wouldn't take too much effort to ask. "Well, Lina seems okay with everything..." she doubted there would be a problem with Delano's lack of confidence. Some lions just needed more time. Also, it might be possible that the two got together after Muroki and Umeme did. "We can ask her if something's wrong with him. I bet she'll be happy to know that you're worried."

[DGFone]

Umeme smiled. "Or maybe you're not looking hard enough," she replied, "not that I want you to look," she added quickly when Muroki looked up again. "Mind if we lie down?" She asked as she started to shiver from the cold.

Together, the two of them lay down together and right away the cold air was less problematic. "Cold night," Umeme commented, "makes me glad that you're here." She snuggled up against Muroki, feeling much warmer than before.

Moto nodded. "Yeah, we can ask Lina," he said, "although I somehow doubt that she'll say much." He then closed his eyes. "Well, we'll find out tomorrow," he said, "good night."

[TheWhistlerify]

Muroki chuckled when Umeme quickly added that she didn't actually mean for him to look at the sky more carefully. "I don't want to look hard enough, since I have you here." he went ahead and lay down beside her, holding her close and trying to warm her up as much as possible. "Yeah, it is rather cold... Probably because we're getting closer to the beginning of the winter." he said, smilling at her and then looking back at the sky. Not only would it be way too cold and too wet to stargaze, but also it will be rare to stumble upon a night in which the sky will be clear.

Fadhili thought about it, "We don't have to go to her and say it in a too demanding way..." she said, "We can say something like 'Is Delano feeling alright? He doesn't look too good.' " after all they didn't want to give Lina an uncomfortable feeling. However that was a subject that can wait for the morning, so Fadhili lay her head down in her mate's mane like she did every night and also closed her eyes. "Good night."

[DGFone]

Umeme looked up once more at the stars. "This might be the last time we do something like this in a while then," she said softly, "thank you." She settled her head down on Muroki's mane and closed her eyes. "Goodnight," she mumbled, and let herself fall into a deep sleep.

---

the next morning

Delano woke up, feeling stiff. He untangled the mess of his limbs from under him, now knowing why he left the discomfort. The last thing he remembered from yesterday was leaning on Lina. He must have fallen asleep, and by the looks of it, Lina did as well, and Delano simply fell down next to her when she lay down to sleep. He got up slowly, stretching his legs to bring life back to them. When he felt more rejuvenated, he turned back to Lina. "Hey, Lina, wake up," he whispered.

Lina didn't respond, so Delano reached out and prodded her. "Come on, Lina, wake up," he whispered again, "I wanted to take you out today, remember?" He grinned, leaning down to her ear, "but you have to wake up for that first."

[TheWhistlerify]

Lina was still in a deep sleep when Delano woke up. Not only she has never been an early riser, but also Delano was still used to waking up very early in the mornings because of when he was working undercover. It took Delano a few more moments of nudging before she slowly opened her eyes, letting out a yawn as she did. Still confused and tired, it took her a few moments to realize where she was, and once she did she looked up at Delano with a smile. "Hey..." she said, stretching a little before sitting up with yet another yawn.

[DGFone]

Delano smiled when Lina woke up. "Morning, Lina," he said, "ready to go?" He desperately wanted to make up for leaving her alone yesterday by spending the entire day with her today. He helped Lina get up, eager to go. "Before you ask, I don't really know where to go," he explained, "but I think it will be better that way."

Nearby, he saw Muroki and Umeme, both still asleep. He thought that maybe he should tell Muroki where the were going, but decided against it. He wanted this day to be just for him and Lina, without anyone else involved.

[TheWhistlerify]

Lina tried hard to not fall against Delano when he helped her up, still feeling quite tired. Delano was probably very eager to get going if he had woken up so early, since she couldn't remember ever waking up to feel so tired. She really was about to ask where they were going but Delano already told her of the in-necessity of the question by telling her that he had no idea. Yawning once more, she stood up and looked at him with a smile. "Alright... Since you're so desperate to get going..." she yawned once more, "Let's go."