[SRP] Why So Lonely? (Faatina x Opochtli)

[RuIerr]

It was around midnight, judging from the position of the sun directly above her head. Faatina, now among the older of the lionesses (particularly those without cubs), was padding along the shoreline at this time. It was recommended, actually; with the Scourge about, no one was safe - those who were the more "peaceful" types (read: not able to effectively help in battle) were told to only venture out when the moon rose high, and only then by the sea. It was always by the sea that Faatina had felt safest anyway, although being a Bahari, that was more than to be expected.

Now, Tina stare at her paws in the ocean as the waves lapped over them gently. She tried to keep her breath steady as she positioned her gaze out over the deep waters. She remembered experiencing the disastrous tsunami that nearly destroyed the pride - a time after which no one felt safe. It was now, again, that the peace they had since expected was shattered. It was terrifying. Faatina glanced about to her left and right, seeing the many others along the shoreline walking around, grateful for the comfort of the sea. She didn't feel like speaking with anyone right now, as one might expect of Tina. She was always just too shy to turn to someone and start... just, talking.

(WC: 223)

 

[RuIerr]

"Bah" Opochtli grunted, continuing his attempt to toddle around on three paws. His front left, to be exact, was out of commission; he'd gotten a bit of driftwood stuck in his pads and hadn't seen anyone around when it happened. So, he did the sensible thing and started off towards the shore in an attempt to find someone to help - this late at night, with everything going on, it only made sense that he would find someone here.

Little did he know, Faatina would be out and about. It wasn't that surprising; she always seemed so connected to the sea. The best part, alongside the lioness being so kind and sweet, was the fact that she was a Hlare: she'd know the best way to get out the splinter! He saw her little turquoise tail fur and immediately attempted to run to meet her. "Faatina! he called, grunting a bit more as he realized running was distinctly not an option.

(WC: 160)

 

[RuIerr]

Hardly paying attention to the real world, it was a surprise Faatina noticed the large male yelling her name at all. Ears twitching she swiveled around to see a blue lion limping towards her. "Opochtli?" she observed, immediately picking up a trot to meet him. It was clear his front left paw was injured to some degree, and her heart started to race, thinking about all of the things that could have gone wrong with a clash with the Scourge. When she reached him, she was finally able to assess him. Without a thought, she gingerly picked up Opochtli's paw and examined it. "Ahhh, what happened here?" she quickly saw her heart rate slow, realizing his injury had nothing to do with the invading enemy and everything to do with his clumsiness and general inattention.

Without asking permission, she stretched out her neck and gingerly took the driftwood splinter in her teeth and yanked it out (albeit, slowly). Opo, you need to be more careful," Faatina chastised softly, feeling a deep pang in realizing how much the lion before her had grown since cubhood.

(WC: 184)

 

[RuIerr]

Opochtli's eyes lit up seeing Faatina recognize and run towards him, without a second thought. Growing up, she had been an important part of his life; he became close to her, as he was often running to her as his version of a 'point person' - his healer. Opo was clumsy and often unnecessarily injuring himself, taking tumbles left and right. Faatina was such a gentle, kind creature, and it was easy to get attached, even with her introverted demeanor. He was glad to see her immediately pick up his paw and tend to the wound, a reiteration of much of his years growing up.

Grimacing, Opochtli spat out, "Thank you for that, Tina," his grimace turning into a childish grin. He was older now, of course, but he would never abandon the cub in him. "I was hoping you would be around," he said, meaning it. She was like a second mother to him, and he was ever so grateful for that. And glad to see she was out at the shoreline with the rest of the lions in her field; they needed to remain on the fringes to avoid the enemy invading the lands.

(WC: 195)

 

[RuIerr]

"Of course, of course," the old healer stated, her tone as soft as her eyes. She gazed at Opochtli - now a rather large, if not still clumsy lion - and assessed him for any further damages, but it appeared all he sustained was the splinter. If these were different times, she would laugh and chastise him for his carelessness. But with all that was going on, that felt distasteful. Instead Faatina inquired, "Are you keeping yourself safe out there?" Often she worried about those she cared for, unsure whether or not they would return with worse wounds. It was strange, the way her lack of her own kids oft made her view the entirety of the pride as her children. Sometimes that bothered her, but this time? This time she felt grateful for having no distractions - it caused a lot less grief, a lot less worry.

(WC: 144)

 

[RuIerr]

Opochtli could feel the lionesses' eyes graze him, searching for something, anything else to tend to. With the Scourge present, he could understand the slight panic he must've caused, limping towards her in the middle of the night. He grimaced a bit, feeling bad - then feeling worse at her follow-up question. "No, no, I've stayed away from that. Haven't had, ah, any contact," he said, hoping his words were a comfort to her. Of course, he certainly wasn't avoiding the Scourge; Opochtli would do whatever it took to protect his people, regardless of what that would mean in the end.

Remembering himself, the bumbling blue lion glanced about, watching the others out on the shoreline, padding around in groups and chatting nervously, but freely. Then he glanced back at Faatina: "And what's happening here? Did I interrupt you... not wanting to speak to anyone?" He didn't mean it as anything more than teasing - he certainly hoped she took it that way (but with old lionesses, could you ever really tell?)

(WC: 167)

 

[RuIerr]

Faatina didn't realize it until then, but she had been holding her breath; she didn't want to hear Opochtli say he had stories to tell about encounters with the enemy, and it caused her to remain perfectly still up 'til that moment. "Good, good," she softly replied. The lioness saw Opochtli glancing around and did the same, then laughed heavily at his following query. "Oh, Opo," she chuckled softly, unable to keep the laughs from breaking through. "You know I've never been all too social. Why should this time not be the same?" There was a fear she held in her eyes that betrayed the slightest tinge of a lie - or rather, the avoidance of the truth - that she hoped he couldn't see. It was better to simply not talk about the current state of things. She wanted a night away from it.

Breaking her gaze from Opochtli's eyes, she turned and stared back out towards the sea. She loved seeing the whitecaps - the gentle white shining in the water as the waves crested and crashed. It was always so calming to her - being here, being connected to the ocean. No matter what it was happening in the pride - her mind flashed back to the battle of the buffalo and the wounds the pride sustained there - the ocean would always remain. Even when it was the problem.

(WC: 224)

 

[RuIerr]

The lion nodded at Faatina's response, immediately registered it as a thinly veiled "I don't want to talk about it." He tucked it away as a mental note for the future, but for now decided to leave it alone. "Good, that's good, Faatina," he said in reply, "I'm glad you're still you're old self." He gave a slight grin, and then followed her line of sight out to the ocean. After gazing for a minute, he looked over at his elder's face. The Hlare seemed mesmerized by the sea, as if it were the one healing her. It was phenomenal to watch - a masterpiece of nature - much like a spider spinning a web. She was drinking it all in - the salty, fishy smell, the feel of the air in her fur, the lap of the waves, the beauty of the ebb and flow. It was all so beautiful.

Realizing he was staring, Opochtli nervously looked down, focusing instead on the water rolling over his paws. It felt wonderful, and he completely understood what captivated Faatina so - he was Bahari, after all. Glancing back up, he decided to instead ask about how she had been. "So," Opo started, "How are you, Faatina? Anything new happening? Other than, you know..." he gestured about with his snout, rolling his eyes slightly for effect - just to lighten the mood a bit.

(WC: 223)

 

[RuIerr]

She was drinking it all in. Every sense tingled when Faatina felt her soul somehow connect with that of the ocean. It felt as if they became one in those moments. When Opochtli snapped her out of it with a question, she realized for how long she had been staring out into the darkness and immediately felt embarrassment, although she wasn't sure why. Opochtli was always a great friend, she didn't see why she should ever feel shy around him, at this point. This is the feeling that immediately led to her wondering whether or not she could voice her emotions with Opochtli. Was he grown up enough to understand some of her feelings? She knew he'd reached adulthood long ago, but he still hasn't lost his boyishness - it was almost comical at this point.

All she wanted to say was, 'I'm lonely.' Tina had been thinking about it recently. A lot. Seeing her siblings have cubs and their cubs have cubs and so on... it was heartbreaking. Of course, it made sense; Tina never really focused on finding a mate or settling down. She was always simply focused on the pridal good - wishing only to watch out for the welfare of others. Unfortunately, that meant she had never looked out for her own self. Instead, she decided to reply, "No, nothing really," and then, to continue with the lightening-of-the-mood he started, "Any new girls in your life that I should know about?" It was a bit of a tease, referring to a string of adolescent crushes on lions that had zero interest in Opochtli, for one reason or another - including a few on lionesses that were much too much his elder. It always felt entertaining, so why not prod at it?

(WC: 293)

 

[RuIerr]

There was a lost look in her eyes. Something was wrong, he just couldn't pin down what. But whatever it was, Faatina was not well. Her brain seemed focused on something else, and... oh, right. Maybe she wanted to be alone? Duh. Considering she was avoiding others, it made sense that she would want to be by herself.

Opochtli was getting ready to announce his need to depart when Faatina decided to ask a question. Any new girls? He shuffled his feet awkwardly, not really quite sure what to say. "Uh, not since the last time I checked," he blubbered, coupled with a nervous chuckle. He had so many complicated feelings about that question.

On one hand, he was so busy with his job sometimes that he wasn't really up to socializing to meet eligible lionesses. He wasn't really looking. On the other hand... he really wasn't quite sure how he felt. All of his crushed as an adolescent had faded away, but one always remained, and he wasn't ready to confront those feelings. Not any time soon. His tummy felt like he was going to barf, after all - the perfect time to leave! "Listen, thank you for all you've done for me, Faatina, I really appreciate it, but I think I have to go - I've got, uh, a patrol to be on, you know, so I should really get back" - he didn't truly comprehend what he had just said, but he was hoping it made sense. Opochtli didn't have time to stick around, he really just wanted to get out of there. Bending his neck in a sign of respect, he flicked his tail before turning and walking away.

(WC: 277)