[PRP] Wandering (Ezen x Anza)

[SilverLutz]

Ezen glared up at the sun as it beat down on the dry plains that he found himself wandering. He didn't do well in the heat of the day and always found a shady place to shelter under while the sun was at its zenith, but today there were barely any trees in sight and the ones that he could see offered little to no shade. There had been a nice, leafy tree an hour or so back but it had housed a congress of baboons that had thrown things at him to chase him off, so he had counted his losses and moved on.

Finally in the distance he spotted a large rock that was casting a decent shadow on the ground. He quickened his pace just a bit to get there faster, just in case anyone else had spotted it and wanted it as well. There would be no baboons this time to hurl things at him and he'd fight anyone that wanted to challenge him for his spot.

Thankfully, upon his arrival Ezen found the rock and its shade blissfully empty. He flopped down on the cool ground with a sigh of relief, leaving his mouth open to pant away the excess heat.  

[Bronze Coffee]

Everything with her home pride was going amazingly. The celebration was nice, everyone was settled down and Anza couldn't have been more happy or content. The dark blue lioness was in her mortal form today, no wings or anything flashy, just a larger than average female.

She'd come to the boarder of the pride, going to leave to see to something she was sensing. Something new was going to happen soon. It made her shiver in anticipation.

She climbed over rocks and through some brush, ignoring the snakes that hissed at her in warning. Anza meant them no harm, they knew it. Something in the distance caught her attention. A white spot on the ground in some shade. Was he over heated? Poor thing. Her ears went back slowly and just made her way closer to the spot.

Oh! Not a cub. He looked like a fully grown male. She stopped where she was and sat on her haunches, tail curled around to rest on her front paws.

"There's some water not far."

SilverLutz"

 

[SilverLutz]

Ezen shifted to lean up against the rock just a bit, letting the cool stone seep through his fur as well. He was thankful he wasn't dark-pelted like some other creatures he knew, although he was finding more and more often that his lighter pelt was a bit of a hindrance out here. Back in his home pride he had blended in well with his snowy surroundings but out here he stuck out like a sore paw.

A noise not far from where he lay made him jerk upright, eyes scanning the area for signs of hostile creatures. What he found instead was a large lioness deep blue in color watching him. Claws extended from his paws and he narrowed his eyes, ready to fight, but she adopted a calm position and her voice didn't carry any tone of anger or challenge.

Water?

He didn't move, unsure if he should trust her, but he did speak.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" he asked. She might just be saying that to get him to leave she she could steal his spot. He knew there were tricky creatures out here in the rogue lands and while Ezen wasn't dumb, he certainly could be easily fooled by the right mind.

Peppermint Coffee

 

[Bronze Coffee]

"What sense do I have in lying to you?" She asked, tilting her head to one side, long ears still tipped forward. "I can leave and go to better shade than what you've found if I wanted. Come on. You look like you could use a drink."

The goddess hadn't moved yet, but the smile that stayed on her face was wide and her eyes read honest. Or she hoped they did, seeing how she was telling the truth. Those same eyes looked this poor male over. He looked hot, and dusty, and just ready to find somewhere to settle for the night where he wouldn't be bothered too terribly much. Anza could help with that.

Oh right! She had forgotten he didn't know she was a goddess. She laughed to herself and just watched him.

"I promise I'm not going to hurt you. There's just a little watering hole between some rocks that gets fed from underground. You could probably lay in it, if you squeeze yourself in. It's not terribly large, but it's not small..."

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Ezen held his ground for a bit longer, watching the body language of the lioness. Her words and the unspoken language of all animals were lulling him into a sense of security, though, and after a few minutes of studying her he decided that she was, in fact, telling the truth. It was obvious she was comfortable in the area so she was probably from around here and he had no doubts that she probably knew of much better shade than what he had found.

"You are very trusting of rogues," he said as he got to his feet, his large size more apparent now that he was standing. Yet even from the distance they were at he could tell she was much larger than any female lioness he'd ever seen. She had oddly long ears and a rather fluffy tail at that. Perhaps she was a massive hybrid?

"I won't harm you, though," he said, not wanting to give her the wrong idea. "I would appreciate a drink if you're willing to show me."

Peppermint Coffee

 

[Bronze Coffee]

"I haven't met a rogue that wanted to harm me," she said with a happy sigh. Anza knew she was really lucky in that aspect of her life. She'd seen what the wrong kind of rogue could do to someone. However, Anza had her own defenses.

"Of course, just follow me." The blue lioness wandered off in the right direction, through the plains until they got to an area that had a lot more foliage than he'd been seeing lately. Beside that was a rock formation in a very imperfect sort of circle. However inside the formation was indeed, clean, clear water bubbling slightly as it was pushed up from under the wet earth.

"Here. There are trees too, you can take refuge in."

Anza settled on her haunches again and stretched herself out once more. "Mm.. This weather's something... odd."

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Ezen huffed softly under his breath as the large lioness sighed. Must be nice, he thought to himself. So far his ventures in the rogue lands hadn't gone well. He was only out here because the pride where he had been born and raised had disbanded and the queen he had vowed to protect with his life had been separated with her mate at some point. He had given up trying to find her after nearly searching himself to death, deciding that she wouldn't have wanted him to waste away looking for her. Rogues of all kinds had both kept their distance and challenged him for food, sleeping areas, and water, so he was ready to find a pride again to settle down in. For now, though, this lioness seemed to be willing to help him for a change.

He followed her as she led the way, keeping a respectful distance from her as they walked. The sound and smell of water soon reached his nose and ears and he glanced at the strange spring with interest. He approached the pool of water, gratefully lowering his head to drink.

After he had his fill, Ezen lifted his head to glance at the sky. "Odd in what way? My home pride was always cold and usually had snow everywhere, so everything I've experienced here has been much hotter than I"m used to."

Peppermint Coffee

 

[Bronze Coffee]

"Well. It's not as warm as I'd like it," she admitted honestly, settling as he drank his fill of water. The blue lioness didn't even watch him. Her eyes were focused on something in the distance, as if she could actually see something beyond what was there. In a way she could. She felt something just under her skin. Something was starting. Nothing major, maybe the start of someone's life in a pride, maybe the start of a new life in a mother.

Something somewhere was beginning and she was sending her blessings from here.

"My home was full of ice as well. What with living on a mountain and all. I had to come down to see what it was like here..." The lioness' expression was extremely peaceful. "I think I'm staying off that mountain home. No pride, just a cave I called mine."

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Ezen followed the distant gaze of the large lioness, looking out at the horizon with a blank expression. There was nothing to see there, though, so he turned back to the water to have a bit more. It was cool and refreshing and it was rare to come across a pool like this where the water wasn't stagnant and murky. He'd count his blessings while he could.

As she spoke again he settled by the water, his paws resting in the liquid to cool them off. It wasn't too bad today but he had experienced awful heat and humidity while away from his home and he had to admit a snowy mountainside sounded nice.

"You like it that much?" he asked, a bit surprised. He would do anything to bring his pride back together but he unfortunately wasn't the type to lead like that. He was a soldier, one who followed orders, not a leader or a king. Perhaps he just needed someone new to follow.

Peppermint Coffee

 

[Bronze Coffee]

"Mm. I suppose." Her eyes turned back to him with a little smile and she got to her paws all of a sudden. She'd brought him to the water and now she could leave him be. She stretched herself out hard before turning back to figure out which direction her pride was in.

"If you're around tomorrow, I'll be here. I need to head back though." Once more, Anza's attention turned to Ezen. Just like that her form shimmered and shifted and her wings flapped behind her gently. "There are some caves near here you can use." It was like she didn't realize not everyone had seen a god go between their forms, or...not everyone had ever actually seen a god.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Ezen watched the large lioness as she glanced out and away from him, possibly towards the pride he was just asking her about. He had no qualms about being left alone here - there was water, shade, and apparently shelter not far from here. He was sure he'd be able to get something to eat as well. Where there was water there was usually prey.

He was about to thank her but before he could open his mouth, she changed. Wings appeared along with two small horns atop her head. Scales turned from markings to actual, physical shapes a gem shone between her eyes. He stared, dumbfounded, at the goddess before him. He knew of gods - his former queen was the child of one after all - but he had never seen one in person and certainly not one that had ever changed their form in front of him.

He could only nod, words failing him as he continued to stare. How could he not? He felt a bit foolish for being so untrusting of her at first and now knew why she didn't fear being alone.

"Thank you," he managed to get out, all gruffness and distrust gone from his voice.

Peppermint Coffee

Last post from me!

 

[Bronze Coffee]

"But of course," Anza said, nodding her head lightly. She let out a laugh and took off. It looked impossible, a lion to fly with wings like hers, but they were strong enough. She was able to get into the air with grace and just moved forward. It felt really good to finally stretch her wings.

Anza knew she'd made an impact on this young lion who she helped, at the end. Maybe he would be a bit more accepting of help in the future.

SilverLutz

(fin!)