The red lioness wasn't beyond taking a nap midday. She wasn't above daydreaming either, in fact on hot days like this she found herself relaxing down beside the local river, her body covered by the shadows granted from the nearby trees.
Mako was use to her solitude, it was something that she created for herself here in this vast world of relationships and prides. She was a vagabond at heart and had not found a pride after her own disbanded years ago. In truth the enjoyed her life this way. She never really longed for friendship or companionship. She never had to worry about how anyone else felt.
Life was perfect for the social recluse. Well, perfect might be a bit of stretch. She did get a little lonely at times but it wasn't she anything she couldn't mend with a long nap.
...
In sleep she found peace. A sort of removal from the world around her. Her golden eyes slowly went from narrow to open as she yawned and rolled onto her side, her ears relaxed and tail still. Maybe it was time she got up. Groaning softly to herself the red lioness dragged herself to her paws and cracked her neck from side to side before moving herself over to the nearby river.
Her thirst oozed from every pour, she was thankful her favorite resting place was so lush with water and game. As the lowered herself to drink from the cool waters she closed eyes and drank. Everything was still around her. Everything was peaceful. Everything...
Wait. What was that? Mako found herself slowly lifting her head to meet the gaze of another, larger male. She held herself very still and for a long moment wondered what would happen if she moved again. Was he hostile? She felt her heart race a little as she got lost in her 'what ifs', her anxiety now taking over. She didn't make any fast moves however, instead she slowly rose to her paws and looked him up and down before speaking out, slowly but firm.
"....Ummm, hello?"
Akamu had been wandering outside of the Firekin pride-lands for a few weeks now. His journey taking him far from his home. In truth this was the first time the large male had left home and for such a long period of time. Who could really blame him though, the world was vast and full of things he had never seen or experienced before. It was only natural he would want to explore it for himself. He was old enough to travel and it wasn't uncommon for lions like himself to do it alone, so here he was, alone.
He had made his way out of the desert a few days ago and was looking for a place to unwind before continuing his journey, though the day was lost to his own tiredness. He needed to rest before setting out again, it was quite obvious from his sore body and exhausted mind. Akamu found some relaxation by a local river. It was a blessing really, he was thirsty after such a long trek out of the desert.
He had sat himself down and was drinking alone, minding his own business before he realized he was no longer alone.
His green eyes had locked themselves on another as he stared at the red female across from him who was also, at this exact moment drinking from the same river as he was. He looked her over before she could notice, his eyes lost in her beauty. This was the first time had seen a female outside of his pride and how ironic was it that she was as red as the females he grew up with.
Maybe that was apart of the attraction. Whatever it was that kept him quite and observant he found himself lost in it, she was alone and sort of in her own world, at least enough to not notice his awkward staring. He admired her from a far for a while before blinking at her sudden relaxation of his existence. Ugh. He found himself stuck, locked-eyes with her now. She had the most brilliant golden eyes, he again felt a little confront in them. She reminded him of home.
Before he could speak first though she questioned him meekly. How would he explain himself without sounding like a creep? The large red male moved to his paws as well before he spoke out in return, his tone deep.
"Hello." What else could he say? In this moment he felt completely lost. He didn't really know what to say to make her feel less weird about his very obvious gawking.
Mako's ears perked up at his reply. He wasn't indicating any aggressive behavior yet she found herself on the rocks still, trying to gauge him for herself. She hadn't really noticed his staring to be perfectly honest, maybe if she had she would have felt a bit more fearful of her interaction with him. Still, the approached this with caution.
"You don't look like your from around here." It was very obvious he was a Firekin. Mako knew of the lions that lived in the sand, they were are red as fire and as dark as shadows. Large warriors, fierce fighters. He matched the build at least, he screamed Firekin warrior. She wouldn't say that out loud though, what if he was an exile? Mako would try not to offed the much larger male.
"I guess I don't, do I?" Akamu chuckled at her statement, it was blunt and right to the point. At least he didn't have to guess what she was thinking right off the bat. It made things... easier for him. He had grown up with two mothers and plenty of sisters so apart of him understood females more than he would like to openly admit, though he had never had a mate himself. Hell, he had never meet a female he was interested in as more than a fellow hunter, well, until he saw her face.
He felt a little heart-struck and lost in her still, how embarrassing. He felt himself frown under his own bewildered thoughts.
"I'm not from here, as you guessed." He added firmly, trying his best to save face. If she knew just how awkward she was making him feel...
"That's alright." Mako spoke out rather quickly.
"You don't have to explain. We all have a past." She didn't want to fish for information he wasn't willing to give. She was simple when it came to this sort of thing. She would never pray into someone else's personal life. If this male wanted to share something with her he would. It just made things easier.
"I'm Mako." The red lioness added with a soft smile, gazing at him from across the river. They stood at opposite ends, still locked in gaze.
"Akamu." He was able to muster in response. Mako? He thought the name was pretty cute. This only made him feel even more embarrassed as he smiled a little, eyeing her from afar. He needed to cut the tension so with a very new, forward approach he moved himself into the river, stepping a little closer to Mako. He was trying to show her she didn't need to be afraid of him, he hoped some part of her understood.
"What are you doing? Get out of there!" She laughed, moving herself back a little to make room for Akamu.
"Come on, get out of the water. Come sit with me, I'd like to hear about your travels." She didn't know what he was trying to prove but she could tell he was trying. So Mako decided she would extend the olive branch. Maybe making friends wouldn't be so awful.
At her words Akamu stopped dead in his steps and laughed, he couldn't help but agree with her. He was chest deep in the river now, moving himself to shore. It was nice to know that Mako wanted to continue to talk with him, even if he was sort of all over the place trying to prove his friendly nature. Hey, it worked. He was excited to get to know the red lioness, her eyes reminded him of the sun.
How fitting.
~end with 1,380 words