[PRP] Lost [Alfajiri/Haruhi]

[Bronze Coffee]

He'd ran from the desert. He'd gotten all the way back to grasses before he felt remotely like he wasn't being followed. Alfajiri limped his way into the shades of the underbrush when he finally could get out of the blazing sun. The black lion was over heated, injured, and over all in a really rough spot.

While his injuries weren't life threatening, they were the most serious he'd had. Coming across a little creak some ways in the trees, he sat at the side and stared at his own reflection.

Alfajiri was a fool to think he'd fit in with the strongest lions. He had heard of lions joining from all sorts of prides, but if they all fought like that red male did...

He was no match.

With a depressed sigh, the black male lapped at the water to give himself something different to focus on. Quenching his thirst.  

[KasaiLoki]

Peppermint Coffee

Haruhi hadn't liked the changes in the pride. Her mentor had fled, and she too wanted to follow in those pawsteps. She would never be a reaver, and therefore would never be a Captain following in her father's footsteps. The term Shield Maiden didn't suit her either, so the female knew what she had to do.

In the dark of the night, when the moon was completely black, she snuck from the pride borders, slipping past the snoozing reaver as she left. Her father would be disappointed...but he would ultimately be okay with her decision. After all, he wanted strong children, and he didn't want anything preventing them from rising in ranks that suited them.

She just wished she had said goodbye. But with him on his own viking mission, she did not want to wait for his return to tell him the news. Maybe she would see him out here?

The rogue lands were different than the pride. Haruhi found herself always on her toes as she wandered the lands alone. Her gold eyes shifted, hearing the sound of water nearby. Oh? Her ears perked as she approached, seeing a male there.

Oh.

She stayed on guard, watching the male curiously. There was a scent of blood to the male, had he been injured?  

[Bronze Coffee]

Slowly he went into the water. It wasn't deep water, but it was enough for him to lay in and cool down further. Sand detached itself from him in the gentle current and slowly Alfajiri pushed his face into the water and came up. The gashes on his face hurt the worst. There was sand in the wounds from constantly flailing and falling, and it was just in a tender area anyway.

He growled and hissed slowly as he brought his paw up to clean the wound. He would frequently dip his paw in the water to rinse it off when he knew there was too much blood on it.

"Ugh." A hiss left him before he flopped over to the side in an over dramatic huff, unaware of the female near him.

KasaiLoki

 

[KasaiLoki]

Peppermint Coffee

Haruhi frowned as she watched the male wade into the water. What had happened to him?

She had seen others return to the pride wounded, but never had she seen someone not have someone. She shook her head as the low hiss left the male, ears perking. "Do you...need any help?" Haruhi asked quietly from behind.

Being from the Stormborn, she was a rather large lioness in comparison to the normal size. She sat, to show no aggression towards the other, as she listened to him. Her golden eyes couldn't help but shift towards the water, where his blood had begun to mingle within it.

"What happened?"  

[Bronze Coffee]

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a dark form before he heard the voice. His heart lept to his throat as he turned to fully face her, and then realized, she was actually sitting. She was large, like the male, but... she wasn't immediately charging him. He didn't relax, but he didn't attack her either. Instead green eyes stared out at her for a while until he seemed to get his thoughts back together.

"I lost a duel in the desert." No sense in lying. There was no other way to explain his wounds right now. "Pretty badly. So I ran."

He wasn't proud to admit he'd turned tail, but he knew when he'd lost. There was nothing about that duel that would have gone his way. He'd be more seriously injured if he didn't run like he did. Swallowing a bit more, he rubbed at his cheek again and winced.

"...I have sand... in my wounds."

KasaiLoki

 

[KasaiLoki]

Peppermint Coffee

"Desert?" Haruhi blinked at the term. What was a desert?

Her father rarely told her about the outside world, and she was pretty sure Ledz mentioned nothing of the sorts in their training. She had never asked her mother, but she was sure the term would be foreign to her as well.

"Ah," she knew a duel though. Her pride had used them for access. She glanced towards one of his wounds as he explained he had sand in them. She knew sand, or rather, dirt. "...Do you need some help?" She asked, still staying afar. She didn't know how the male would react if he was already hurt. "Looks like you have a nice gash on your back there," would his paws even reach it?  

[Bronze Coffee]

Did Alfajiri want help? The answer was yes. He wouldn't be able to get everything out of his wounds by himself, especially on his back. So he picked himself up to his paws and slowly made his way over toward her.

"...My name is Alfajiri." And he settled next to the larger female, letting himself be a bit vunerable. There was no way not to be when someone was tending to your wounds. It was one of the weakest someone could see you at. Honestly, he knew not where she came, but she didn't judge when he said he'd lost a duel, so it made her not a bad hearted lion.

"The desert," he said, circling back to the beginning of the conversation, "is a large stretch of nothing but sand and sun. There's a pride... A lot of large lions called the Firekin. I ran from the pride where I was born, to join them. My home pride.... Has became too tense for me to deal with. Too many ....cheating males with nothing being done about them."

KasaiLoki

 

[KasaiLoki]

Peppermint Coffee

"Haruhi," the lioness introduced after he had given her his name. One he padded over, Haruhi found herself closing the small gap, her feet touching the water, as she lifted a pawful to his back carefully. As she tended to the wound there, he had explained the desert and the pride that resides in it.

"This is the first time I have been away from my own pride. I'm actually following another who had left, but it seems I might've gotten slightly off track. She'd find Ledz one day, wouldn't she? She barely even knew where to start.

"I am from the Stormborn. The males, (and females) sound similar to those in your former pride, although, that has always been our way of life. I take it, by your reaction, that is not the case where you are from?"  

[Bronze Coffee]

"Marriage is between two individuals who swear they love each other their lives. Instead my father went off and cheated on my mother... And she's not left him. He's just... gotten away with it."

There was no physical proof. He hadn't come back with cubs, but he'd come back smelling like another female.

"Mother was mad at him, but she didn't leave. I had to. He had a former mate in the pride already with kids. My half siblings. It's..." He wrinkled his nose and hissed when her paw hit a really sensitive spot in the wound. He flinched, trying to get away from the pain but then stilled himself. "It's just..."

He was mad all over again.

"I hate him."

KasaiLoki

 

[KasaiLoki]

Peppermint Coffee

Haruhi frowned as Alfajiri explained the concept of marriage. She knew of it but didn't mean she really could understand it. It was almost the norm for another lion to sleep in another's den for the evening, whether they love each other or not. She knew her father was known for doing just that, but her mother had always gone back to him in the end?

She withdrew her paw as he hissed and flinched, only resuming when he stilled. One she thought the wound was clean enough, she rose to her feet.

"Hate is a strong word. Perhaps there was something that brought him to do what he did?" She offered, not really sure how to speak of it. "I mean, there is usually a reason for everything...isn't there?"  

[Bronze Coffee]

"Because he doesn't believe in love. Only lust." Oh, he was bitter. It was helping him forget about his humiliating defeat. "He has no morals. I bet he doesn't even feel guilty for hurting her and others." Hate was a strong word, but it was the one that fit.

"If I could cleanse my blood of his, I would." Vestip brought shame to the pride, shame to anyone he'd ever met.

When Haruhi rose to her feet, he did as well, bowing his head to her. "Thank you for your help. I'm sorry I burdened you with that story." Letting go of that hatred was going to be a long, hard journey.

"...This is my first time out of my pride as well. ...It's strange. Having no one."

KasaiLoki

 

[KasaiLoki]

Peppermint Coffee

The dark lioness nodded as he spoke, flashing a small smile. "Sometimes it is better just to let it out then to keep it in. Maybe it will help clear your mind, and you can heal from these wounds from it. Perhaps if you try to duel this "Firekin" pride again, you won't be distracted by these thoughts, and do better?" Haruhi chuckled lightly.

"I agree, but, so far the roguelands haven't been as lonely as I thought it would be." She flashed a smile to the male. "Hopefully you find someone to share it with? Or get better at fighting and be able to become part of this pride so you won't have to look in this no man's land for long?" Haruhi offered.  

[Bronze Coffee]

"....Mn." Duel them again? His pride and ego didn't know if he could handle another duel. He was damaged now, and didn't know how long it would be before he would be able to move without feeling like the gash on his back opened up again.

"Who knows if I'll go back." He may be being down right childish right now, but he couldn't help it.

Sharing this land with someone? Doubtful. He was weak. Much weaker than he thought he was. No female wanted a weak mate.

"But, maybe something will change. Maybe all I need is to just rest." He was exhausted. The desert was tiring, it drained every bit of energy he had, and he was lucky to be staying awake right now. "I hope your journey goes better than mine has."

KasaiLoki

 

[KasaiLoki]

Peppermint Coffee

"Well...with that attitude I wouldn't." Haruhi snorted, rolling her eyes.

"Rest, heal those wounds, and then decide what you want. Don't make a rash decision on just one event." The dark lioness was one to talk, leaving the pride with the change of leadership because she could no longer be what she wanted. She'd need to have a good hard look at everything, and what better place to do that than in the rogue lands.

"Thanks, it has only just begun, so we will keep our paws crossed, won't we?" Haru grinned. "I hope your journey gets better." The lioness turned to leave, sending one last wave goodbye to the male.