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Things had been going pretty well for the dark lion. Hanging out on the borders of the Nchi'Mahadhi pride had been a good idea for him- he'd run into a rather... well, loose lioness with whom he could flirt. Best part? She didn't want any strings attached either. Isithunzi was her name, A true dream come true, as far as he was concerned. As he padded away from a good flirting session with her, he gazed at the sky. A gentle purple and pink gradient met his eyes. A couple more days and he'd be on his way from here, a much more content lion, having borrowed some love from the dark lioness from these lands...
As he turned his eyes turned back to the horizon, he was met with the same colors, not far away. His lucky day, maybe- another girl. He was already confident from being with his first girl of the day, he was sure he could woo a second... He padded confidently towards the lioness... no, something else. But still with a smooth grin on his face.
Life had been so so hard since Kidogo'Kauta had left home all by herself to be an adult. She had nobody out here to be with, nobody to guide her or take care of her or keep her warm at night. She was normally so vibrant, in her opinion, but was grey and lifeless now that she was so perfectly alone. So far she had not met much of anyone who had been particularly nice to her. Being a hybrid, she drew a lot of mixed attentions. Generally others saw her as something to be feared or something disgusting, not always something acceptable. And even then, as she drew close to those who accepted her, they would eventually just... disappear. Some called her needy, some told her she was useless, some told her to bug off before scarily chasing her, but the loneliness was more than she could bear.
She wouldn't tolerate it anymore, how could she!? She needed someone, anyone.
And fortunately for her, her anyone was coming through the savannah. Towards her. Smiling! Oh, her lucky day! Play it cool Kidogo, play it cool. If I can show him how nice I can be, I'm sure I can keep him... she thought to herself as she approached. She put on her cutest sheepish smile and folded her ears back. "Hello there," she said innocently, sizing up the lion before her. He was pretty good looking, his violet coat matching her more pastel. That, to her, was enough destiny to prove they belonged together.
Good, she wasn't flighty or scared. He couldn't help but feel insulted by that type, not even giving him the benefit of the doubt. But this one... Oooohhh, this one was cute! He couldn't help but give her an even bigger smile. "Hey," he said smoothly. "What's a delicate little thing like yourself doing out here alone?" he asked, giving her a look over now that they were closer. She was indeed smaller than a lion, he figured she was some sort of hybrid. With the legs on her, he'd have to guess part cheetah. But the tufted tail gave away that she was part lion also. Still, she bore a stronger resemblance to a lion than a cheetah, she seemed to have a fair amount more muscle than other cheetons he'd seen in the past. Muscles or not, though, she still did seem delicate. Perhaps it was the way she had approached him.
"You can call my Zym if you want, sweetness. What can I call you?" He asked, giving her a wink. "Have you got a place to stay for the night?" A night with this one, a night with the other he'd spent the day with... Yeah, these were truly some good lands for a rogue male, it seemed. He seemed to frame it in a way that was pretty clear. For the night.
He... He wanted to be with her? Such a handsome lion liked her so quickly? And he called her sweetness... It was love already! Oh, just think of their future together. She saw them hunting for little purple cubs, she saw him crooning over her as they grew old, she saw him fighting off other girls because he was so in love with her... A perfect life where he did most of the hunting and protecting, and in return she would help him stay loyal.
Kidogo's eyes opened wide and she walked a little closer to him. "I'm Kidogo'Kauta, but you can just call me Kidogo," she said, ears perked up again with a smile on her muzzle. "I'm on my own out here, but I would love to stay with you, if I could," she said, finally giving in to her wishes and nuzzling under his chin in his mane. If only she knew that she was moving faster than a cheetah...
She did catch his drift loud and clear, he could see. Nobody looking for a long-term option would move along so quickly to trusting. He nuzzled the top of her head with a smile on his face. All she knew about him was his face and part of his name, though he was sure along the way away from the pride's borders there would be more personal questions. He would wait for her to ask questions first, he was going to try to play the strong silent type. Unfortunately, the stoic type was easy to project false feelings onto, for the cheeton. "Let's get moving, shall we?" He asked as he rose to his paws and started to move off towards the roguelands. He'd stop somewhere that seemed appropriate
She couldn't wait to get more details from her new male. It wouldn't be long before he asked her to be his mate, he had snuggled back with her after all! She rose to her paws too, becoming essentially glued to his side. She did what she could to be in-step with the male so that she could stay in maximum contact with him. She would never be lonely again. "So tell me everything, your family? Have you always been a rogue? Have you... ever had a mate?" The hint of malice present in that last question was missed, unfortunately, by Zym. It would have been a useful tip-off as to what he had just gotten into. The pair chatted as they went along into the night, eager to spend time in one another's company.
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