Love The Little Things [Open]

[zahara]

Zahara had grown bored at the dens and had made her way out into the further reaches of the Lowlands. Her usually haunting grounds were any of the many ponds but most of all she loved the Borderfalls. It was of course dangerous territory but she had always been careful to stay on the Lowlanders side so as to not cause any problems with the ever hostile Highlanders. As a cub of wanderers she hadn't understood their hate at first but over time she had learned why it was there from members of the pride she was now part of. She understood it but that didn't mean she endorsed it completely, she sided completely with her own pride of course. They were her family and she never would have went against them but when she did meet a Highlander she wasn't immediately hostile towards them. She had always allowed them to make the first move before deciding on her own attitude.

Her paws sunk deeply into the mud but she could hear the thundering of the falls up ahead of her. The rain had been only a drizzle when she had left the dens earlier but now it was a pelting stinging thing. The lioness seemed oblivious to the hard drops hitting her thick pelt as she slung her head low and kept her eyes on the treacherous ground in front of her. Rain could be the least of her worries if she misstepped into a mud hole that decided to suck her in. Her body had grown strong from one too many follies in her youth but now she was wiser when it came to navigating her home. The sight of the falls cheered her and she loped the rest of the way diving into the water despite being right on the edge of the territory. If any Highlanders wandered along she might have trouble from them but if not then she'd be fine.

[Niaru]

It had been awhile since Niaru had ventured this far out of his home. The last time he had been at the borders was the meeting between the Lowlanders and Highlanders. It had been rainy that day too, and Niaru chuckled at the coincidence. For such a large male, it still surprised him that he didn’t sink straight into the mud. He was covered in it however, up to his elbows. His tufts were a muddied gray, and the bottom of his mane was caked in it. Still he trudged on, not knowing why he was making progress to the borders, but eager to arrive at the falls.

When he did, he saw that his trip hadn’t been in vain. He could hear a splash, and saw the muscled form of Zahara before she disappeared beneath the dark waters. He tilted his head in curiosity as a crack of thunder bellowed above and the rain began to fall even harder than it already was. There wasn’t much that bothered Niaru, but this rain was becoming outrageous. He had never seen so much rain as he did in the Lowlands, considering the Outlands were so dry and bare. He would have welcomed and danced in the rain as a cub, but now it was almost an everyday occurrence, as of late. He trudged through the mud to a rock that hung over the bank of the pond under the falls, hoping to have some kind of shelter. He turned back, turquoise eyes flashing as he waited for Zahara to resurface. He sat patiently, wondering why she was out in this weather.

[zahara]

The water churned around her and the drops on the surface made louder noise underwater than above. The lioness pulled herself to the surface, her dusky golden pelt gleaming with being soaked. The rain drops pelted her head but she didn't mind, they were just a part of her home, not a nuisance now that she was used to them. She paddled strongly to the bank before pulling herself onto the muddy surface and shaking her coat out, water sprayed from it only to be replaced by the torrent. Her walnut colored irises only portrayed amusement and satisfaction at the dip she had just taken. Her tail flicked out behind her in the same fashion and she turned towards a rock she had spotted earlier, perhaps she'd roll in the mud and then take a nap under there if she dared.

Her plans were interrupted however when she spotted the bright turquoise orbs of Niaru beneath the very same rock. The male lion was covered in mud from his elbows down and it brought a small smile to her face, at least he wasn't afraid to get dirty, though neither was Kaza as she had learned on their walk together. His size was a disadvantage on the mud so she felt slightly more sure footed in it, not that Niaru was any kind of mean, in fact he was very gentle from what she knew. She ducked her head low and moved towards him to stand under the rocky outcropping and resisted the urge to shake and spray him with water just to be playful. She wasn't disrespectful but hey she'd tackled their King into some mud so what was a little water on a fellow pride member.

"Niaru, what are you doing out in this? I didn't think someone like you would be out in this weather nor so near the borders" she asked curiously and tilted her head slapping a paw against her ear to clear some of the water out. She really didn't expect him to be out, he was so dignified in stature that she doubted he was one to play like a cub as she herself did. She often found solace out here on own away from the others, they were nice to her mostly but some couldn't stand her behaviour. She acted to much like a cub for their liking but she wasn't willing to change herself. She loved her lifestyle and if they had a problem with it, well, she wasn't sure there was much they could do but get her tossed out of the pride. Something she didn't want but doubted would happen.

[Niaru]

Niaru smiled warmly in greeting as Zahara slid under the rock to join him. His ear flicked, and he resisted shaking himself dry, knowing a large amount of water from his mane would soak the young female more than she already was. Hopefully, the sun would reveal itself soon, but until then he would have to wait to dry himself.

Staring out from under the rock, he noticed that he could barely see anything outside their shelter. The rain was coming in sheets, and acted as a curtain. Any normal creatures would be waiting out the storm in their dens, warm and comfortable. Niaru noticed that with the company of Zahara, there was very little space left under the rock, and he hoped the rest of the pride was tucked away, and not attempting to hunt. Prey in the Lowlands was hard to catch already, with the muddy terrain slowing the heavier lions down. He was wondering what it was that had brought Zahara here in the first place when she voiced the question aloud. A chuckle escaped him and he turned a kind glance towards her.

“I grew restless, and decided to take a walk. I just happened to end up here, and ducked for cover under this rock. I didn’t fancy you for a swimmer, Zahara,” he replied, referencing her short dip in the fall’s pond. It was odd, seeing a lioness swimming for fun. He himself had never gone swimming-there was never any water to be found in the Outlands, and the majority of the Lowlands territory, as far as he knew, was mud-filled. And besides the watering hole in the Pridelands, he knew water to hold crocodiles. He sent a weary glance to the pond, unsure what to think. Turing back to his companion, he gave another smile. “Maybe you could teach me, when the weather clears up.”