[PRP] In the Twilight Hours (Cehara x Ra)

[RuIerr]

Twilight was rearing its head as Cehara padded her way back to the den area of the Pridelands. As a Scout for the pride, she took her job quite seriously - and she enjoyed it so. She was an attentive and curious lioness, so the job suited her quite nicely - something that was evident even from cubhood. Now, finished with her shift, she searched for something else to occupy her time.

It was a quiet evening, and Cehara was tired of quiet evenings. She spent much of her time alone, as she preferred to remain a wallflower and keep watch rather than engage in conversation. But this day felt different - something within her was buzzing, urging her to socialize with someone, anyone that happened to be hanging around.

As she drew nearer to the dens, she sighed a bit, internally frustrated with her desire to make friends. It felt like such a burden, it really did, but the trick was to find someone that made it feel like the opposite of a burden - more of a blessing. She had had trouble forming lasting bonds, but hopefully tonight things would change.

 

[Pandorus Sphinx]

Ra, for the most part had spent the last few weeks at the side of his grandmother, who needed his help in locating some herbs for a lioness who was ill. His job had been simple, hunt, gather, and repeat, so when his grandmother no longer needed his assistance he found himself struggling to find the inspiration to do much else.

Ny had left, his half-sister was married, even his own father seemed busy, everyone else had a life Ra longed to have, with exciting adventures and whirlwind romances, things he could only dream of.

His eyes settled at the entrance of his family's den as the lion frowned, turning away instead of returning home. Maybe a walk would do him some good, maybe the fresh air could help clear his wandering mind? The lion could only hope for a cure for his own illness; loneliness was a paralyzing thing.

At least the stars would be out soon.

 

[RuIerr]

Nearing the dens, Cehara soon spotted a lion with a fluffy tawny mane and distinctive, stripey markings that reminded her of her own unique coat. It was a large pride, so she wasn't surprised when she ran through her rolodex of acquaintances to realize that she hadn't seen him around before. And thus, he must be the lion she was buzzing internally to meet.

Plastering a gentle smile on her face, she approached the lion cautiously, as one never knew about the friendliness of other lions. She was going to say a simple hello when she spotted the cuffs on his legs, resting atop his large paws, and noticed the glinting of jewels in his tail fluff. Her light gray eyes widened and she lowered her head, eyeing his tail. "Whoa," she said, almost involuntarily. "I love your tail!" Cehara, mildly self-conscious, realized she had an outburst and immediately zipped her lips, raising her eyes to his in the hopes that he didn't find her strange.

 

[Pandorus Sphinx]

"Oh, ugh." as quickly as silence settled in his mind the appearance of an unknown female caused the lion to quake, shifting his figure back as wide eyes met hers, glancing timidly at her pale gaze. She was soft in a familiar way, this made him withdraw as he quickly removed his eyes, refusing to seem rude.

For a long moment Ra sat awkwardly before speaking out with a slight stutter, "Oh... me? Are you talking to me?" as the question left his maw the lion glanced around, searching for signs of any other. It had to be him. She was talking to him.

Complementing him? Oh boy. Ra found himself blushing under his pale fur as his eyes quickly shifted back to her face. "Thank... you?" How did one properly respond to things like this?

"Ummm- you've got really pretty fur." Ra was trying to repay the attention, even if he was failing. It was easy to see his embarrassment under his shy appearance. She was super pretty and this was super awkward.

"Sorry, my name is Ra. It's nice to meet you?" his heart raced against his chest as his eyes searched her face over once.  

[RuIerr]

Almost immediately, Cehara could sense unease radiating off of the lion before her. She had complimented him, and he looked to be shifting his weight in his paws, weighing an answer under feelings of discomfort. Cehara felt sorry for it, but wasn't sure what she could do to make him feel more relaxed. As she'd learned previously, the best way to feel relaxed around someone was to spend more time with them.

She noticed his hesitation in talking to her, and noted it in her head. At his compliment, she smiled, dipping her head a bit awkwardly at the attention. "Thank you," Cehara said, genuinely appreciating the comment. "And I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, I'm not very good at making friends, it appears." She laughed stiffly, wishing she herself could force comfort between them. He seemed like a nice lion... so far. "I can go back to not bothering you if you wish... I just figured it'd be good to socialize a bit, but I'm clearly not very good at that, either." She flicked her tail, feeling light on her paws as she readied for him to send her away.

Pandorus Sphinx