Kinori Pride Writing - VOK - DNP

[WolfstormSC]

A delicate breeze swept over the landscape, as flowers came into bloom across the meadow. It was a pretty sight, yet one that was so foreign to the lioness that came from the city in the sky. She never had a true sense of what was on the ground, but she's glad that she fell in love this place. Well, that and...

"Isn't this place beautiful? I thought you might like it here." The young male cooed from next to the lioness, gazing at her softly. His eyes were full of warmth. He had picked this place out just for the two of them. A large rock, surveying the meadow. In just a moment, the sun would start to set. The timing, the atmosphere, it was all perfect for their romantic outing.

Raiyo smiles back and gives a small nod. This place truly was paradise for her. A world so different yet so vast. The possibilities of it all seemed endless. And yet, all she wanted to do was be beside her new mate.

As the new queen of the pride, she had many responsibilities that she was still not yet used to. But those didn't seem to matter as much when she was with her king. She could afford to put them off for the minute, in any case.

"You know, I'm glad I decided to stay here." She purred, grateful of the offer to stay that was presented to her. After all of the chaos that fell during the attack of the stone monsters, she had learnt a lot and had really come to like the Kinori pride. It would break her heart too much to leave. Even if she left everything that she knew, it felt right to her. She had already learnt so much with them and she had hoped to continue this even more.

Ralikai gives his mate's head an affectionate lick, almost comforting, in a way. He was glad that she had decided to stay as well. He would have had a hard time readjusting to normal life after the previous events, especially after how close he had become to the lioness. In a lot of ways, they were almost like best friends as well as lovers. He shuffles closer to her, wrapping his body around hers so that they could enjoy the view in comfort.

As Raiyo watched the sunset over the mountain, she was reminded of the colour of Ralikai's eyes. So intense and passionate, a burning orange. Yet, softness dwells within them. She realised that it was also the colour of her own pelt. She softly chuckles at the coincidence.

"I could stay here forever." She sighs, cuddling into the mane of the darker male. The fluff made for a great pillow, allowing for even further relaxation.

"Me too." Ralikai gives a gentle smile. In truth, this was something that he very much wanted too. It was perfect, all of it.

Despite coming from two completely different worlds, these two understood each other better than most.

[WolfstormSC]

Note: This is a collab between Moonlight Heavens and myself. They wrote the first part.

The sun threatened to make the male pass out, strideing towards the grand temple the royal family resided in. Jabori blinked away the sleep from his eyes, why him of all lions? But he was not about to question the royals reasons for sending him. His eyes layed upon the king as he bowed his head, shifting his eyes briefly towards the Queen sitting next to her two daugters...and her son. The king's last heir whom was blessed with a dragon companion. Jabori respectfully bowed his head at the king. Ar Ramlah gave a nod when he told him about the message he was to carry. Since Onyesha was out with her daughter for her training and the rest of the pride had duties to attend to, it all came down to Jabori. After the sandy male had given him the directions to take and what he needed to pass on, he bowed once more when he turned to leave to prepare for the long journey.

He waited untill the moon was at its highest when he chose to brave the desert. It was not a easy feat, especially of the dangers that surrounded him since his first pawstep outside of the canyon. Already his fur was raised, and he wished he had declined! Every single sound made his fur riase higer, breathing becoming labored as he stopped to look behind him. Eventually he grew tired of it, quickly takeing off in a wild bolt. Jabori refused to stop even as the rough sand began to worn-out his pawpads. He only stopped when the first nit of light broke the horizon. Falling down on his stomach to heave heavily. Eyes stung and chest heaveing he layed there for while trying to regain his composure or strength. When he noticed a cave. Wait...didn't Ar Ramlah said there was a cave entrance to the pride? But...the desert was full of them so it can't be the one right? Well it was a cave, and since he should be close to the neighboring pride it won't hurt to take a bit of a nap. Jabori rose to his paws, legs trembling as he half walked, half dragged his paws along towards the cave. He didn't even stop to consider the strange scent that hung in the air. All he cared about now, is finding somplace to sleep.

And that was exactly what he did. To his surprise he bumped into something soft, he immediately proceeded to hug the soft figure as he plopped his body down upon it. A huge mistake...when the pillow began to shake and snarl. A second later he felt gravity shift as he was thrown on his back paws pressed either side of him, blocking out all escape routes. Jabori looked up in his sleep deprived state as he smiled sheepishly. He chould not control what his own words purring. "Did you just drop out of heaven?~" What a way to go...___Moonlight Heavens's Part


Omiros blanked for a moment and let out a huff. Did this lion really think he could use him as a pillow, only then to proceed to flatter him? Well, he wouldn't be taken in by such frivolities. He studied this other lion. They were shorter than him in comparison and they didn't appear to be much of a threat. In fact, he seemed rather worn out. Omiros noticed the wear on the other male's paw pads. It looked like this lion had a rough night. He searched Jabori's eyes for any hint of his intention, but he could only see the deep blue abyss of mystery peering back at him. It intrigued him, and he caught himself staring longer than he should have. He lets out a forced cough, breaking the uncomfortable silence between the two. Right... It was his job to protect his pride from strangers. And yet, this stranger seemed different from the others.

"On your feet." Omiros commanded the other lion. However, his tone was much more soft than he had meant it to be. He looked away briefly, trying to hide his embarrassment. The other lion stood up, but when he did, he started to waver. Omiros sighed and rushed to him, lending him a shoulder for support. He felt his cheeks going red, but ignored this feeling. Now was not the time.

"Why have you come here?" Omiros questioned, curious to see why such a lion would be here. He could see particles of sand clinging to the light brown male's pelt and realised that he must have been from the pride of sacred sands. But this was someone new, someone that he had not seen before. Normally, it would be family members from that place who would visit. nevertheless, he knew that it was a friendly place and that he can let his guard down.

"My name is Jabori, I came to deliver a message. Onyesha was busy, or she would have come instead." He was right after all. Omiros relaxed his muscles after hearing this. Onyesha was a well known lion who was a mate to one of the royals within his own pride. This was more than enough proof for him.

"Very well. I will escort you there. But... Not in this shape." Omiros noted that Jabori wasn't in the best shape to be presented to the king. He started to groom the other lion, who would sometimes make teasing remarks in return. He wanted to swat at him, but thought not to potentially injure a guest. So he decided that he would simply put up with it for the time being. The two stayed with each other for until Jabori was in well enough shape to see the king. Omiros would still be there for support, just in case Jabori needed him. He felt an overwhelming need to protect this lion, but wasn't too sure why. It had only been a short time, but... He had enjoyed the company.

When it came time for Jabori to go, Omiros couldn't help but ask the question... "Would you... Stop by again sometime?" He looked at the ground, his cheeks going red. It was out of character for him to act so shyly about it, but he had to see Jabori again.

"You betcha!" Jabori nuzzled the bigger male. He gave a small wink, before returning to his homeland. It was only something small for him to remember him by, yet it reciprocated his own feelings well enough.

Omiros hated to admit it, but he had fallen for Jabori's charms after all.
- Written by WolfstormSC

[WolfstormSC]

"Dirge, are you ready?" a brown male tilts his head towards his mate, wanting to make sure that he was indeed ready.

The two had planned their first meeting with Alarin's family and although Dirge was very nervous, he wanted to make a good impression, as he knew that family meant a lot to the quiet male. Dirge never really got this from his own family, so it was hard for him to understand. But he just knew that he had to make the best first impression that he could possibly make. Since he had never met them, he didn't know what they would be like. He also didn't want to think about what might happen if they ended up not liking him.

"Just... A few more minutes." He goes oddly quiet at the end, cutting himself off. "Please..." Only a small whisper of a word could be heard after the pause. But it was just enough to cause concern for Alarin.

Alarin turns the corner to see Dirge hurriedly licking at a stray piece of fur that just didn't seem to fall into place with the rest of his fur. Alarin gives a small chuckle at the scene, which was met by a horrified gasp.

"I'm... Sorry. I guess I'm just nervous." Dirge sighs. He was well groomed and looked presentable, but Alarin understood the anxiety that he must be going through. He had no doubts that his family would love Dirge, but he had a hard time convincing him of it.

Alarin lays down next to Dirge, gentling licking his fur for him. He gave gentle hums in-between each stroke, his own way of calming the nervous male.

"Hey," he looks Dirge in the eyes for a moment, doing his best to convey his feelings in a sincere way. "They'll love you, I promise. Fenir already does and she will be there too. So will dad. You just need to be yourself." Dirge gives a gentle smile, resting his head against Alarin's shoulder. Alarin proceeded to gently groom Dirge to calm his nerves.

After a small while, the two stand up, knowing that they would need to leave sooner or later.

"I think... I'm ready. I'll stop overthinking it. Thank you." Dirge lifts his head, confidence glinting in his eyes. Alarin was right, both Fenir and Hazmir would be there and they both already liked him. There isn't much for him to worry about after all.

The two head out of the cave, walking side by side. Alarin gently curls his tail to rest on Dirge's flank, a sign of affection between them. Dirge headbutts Alarin affectionately, thankful that he had such an understanding mate by his side.

"I love you." A gentle whisper was exchanged by Dirge, before making their way out of the cave fully and to the meeting spot with the rest of the family.

"I love you too." Alarin whispered back, proud of his mate's new-found confidence.

Dirge would do great, he just knew it.

[WolfstormSC]

He was the only fighter in the pride that she didn't have a close relationship with, Erzu.

He was someone who was very mysterious to Maijo. As commander of the pride, Maijo made a point to get to know everyone that she had command over. Many others would view it as a pointless endeavor with her soldiers, but she believed that having a true bond with everyone helped to solidify them as a unit.

And yet, as a mercenary, Erzu was someone who was not available in this kind of way. That air of mysteriousness drew her in towards him. She had to get to know him.

Meanwhile, for Erzu, Maijo seemed unreachable. Someone so great and in control of so many soldiers, was he even noticeable to her? He was someone that she didn't need to know for her work within the pride. He was someone who she had no power over, just an ordinary lion.

He dismissed these thoughts as he made his way towards her.

"Erzu, welcome back." She dipped her head towards him, showing nothing but respect towards him.

"Maijo... You don't have to be so formal towards me. By all standards, you outrank me." He looks away from her, embarrassed to be treated in this way.

Maijo frowned. It's true, she did outrank him. But she still wanted to befriend everyone within the pride, even if it didn't help her work. Someone as stoic as him... How does she break through to him?

"Ezru, I respect you and your work very much. Who knows, maybe I could even learn some things from you. We may still fight, but in vastly different ways." She looked up at him, trying to lock eyes with the large male.

Erzu tilted his head, taking in her words. Oddly enough, this was true. He was never trained by any of the other soldiers and his fighting style was a lot more aggressive in nature. Yet... It prioritized protecting others. He was used to fighting alone, while she was used to fighting with others as one. Yes, they could both learn a thing or two from each other in this way.

"You're right. I... I never really thought of it that way." For the first time, he raises his head to look her in the eyes. Their gaze met with a smile from both of them. It was something new to Erzu, but he welcomed it. Training where they could be equals? Now that was something that didn't sound too bad to him at all.

"If you'd like, I can teach you my ways." He offered. He was nervous of the answer, but he was far too invested now. Maijo nods quickly.

"I think I'd like that, Erzu." Her voice trailed off at the end. She had never had someone that treated her as a true equal due to her position. Someone that she could learn something from and get to know? She had a warm, fuzzy feeling from being around someone like him.