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You were pacing back and forth, frustrated at losing to a puny hyena earlier. Suddenly Askani comes up to you, and softly tells you that no one is thinking badly of you for it. She soothingly kneads your mane.
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Queen Askani, arguably one of the kindest and calmest lions in the Oasis. From birth, she knew she was destined to be queen, and once her father brought home his heir, who was to be her prince and her king, she only fell in love with the idea of being queen further-and being his queen, as well.
Astennu was..different. He was shaggier, larger, and fluffier than most others, and had two particularly sharp fangs. 'Primal,' he'd been called. He was incredibly energetic, too, an instant hit among many of the cubs because he was always eager to play with them.
He seemed to be all over the place, busy following around King Jyothi, entertaining cubs, talking with the lead huntresses. But somehow, he always made time for her.
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"Heya!" Prince Astennu popped his head up to peer over the ledge that she slept on in the cave. She grumbled, trying to roll over to go back to sleep-it was late, why was he up so late?-but he kept prodding her with the large paw that easily could fit over her face until she finally huffed, awake and grumbling at him.
"C'mon, I wanna show you something!" Without waiting for her to follow-why couldn't this wait until morning?-he picked his way back through the sleeping adolescents of the pride, the moonlight illuminating his silhouette at the mouth of the cave. She was quick to follow, her curiosity piqued now that she was more alert, the final traces of sleep fading like a dream. It was the first time they'd ever been alone together, and she'd never even properly spoken much more than an introduction to him.
He led her through the oasis, somehow already knowing the many twists and turns of the paths well until at last, they stood on a ledge, overlooking none other than the Wellspring itself. The large pool glittered in the dark, reflecting the stars for which it was named after.
It was beautiful, she had to admit. She turned to him, watching the stars reflect in his own stunningly clear eyes. She'd never noticed how blue they were before. Crystal clear, like the Luma Pools on a bright day.
"What do you think?" he asked, noticing she was watching and looking back up at her, a bright grin stretched over his muzzle.
"It's..nice..but why?" The question was obvious, he seemed to be expecting it, shrugging and starting to look bashful as his intense expression flickered away, breaking eye contact.
"I..well, uh, I thought maybe it'd be nice to come out here? You always look so...forlorn."
What. She blinked at him, watching this new shy, unsure demeanor, so different from his usual boisterous self.
"Yeah, I wanted to cheer you up," he blinked owlishly at her, seeming to regain some confidence. "Or, well, at the very least, give us a chance to be friends, since we've never gotten to hangout much!"
She sighed. Maybe she could've been trying a bit harder. It wasn't like she had a choice or not, she was stuck with him, might as well make it less awful if she could.
"I...thanks, Astennu. It's nice," a little smile helped drive in her words. The effect was immediate; he lit up like..well, she didn't have any comparisons, He lit up like the glow-bugs in their woven prisons illuminating the dense oasis, a toothy grin creasing his expression.
She learned something important that night; his short, stubby tail wagged when he was happy. Cute.
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Princess Askani huffed at the snuh falling gently. It was incredibly rare for it to happen in the desert, but it was always a delight to see. She didn't particularly feel like venturing out into the actual sand like some of her pride; she was content to stay within the sheltered oasis, watching her pride mates laugh and play and tumble.
She shook her head; where was Astennu? She hoped Father hadn't pulled him away for more king duties again, she knew he of all lions would want to partake in the festivities.
She wandered the paths back into the main clearing, noticing some had stayed behind to string up floral decorations. Snuh season was weird, but the festivities were always an excitement. And sure enough, she spotted the prince, helping one of the brood mothers and her gaggle of cubs string up plants to hang from branches, crevices, anywhere they could find, really. Grinning to herself, Askani snuck over to her dear friend, tapping a paw on his stretched back, as he was balancing on his hand paws to pat down a cluster of flowers into place.
He jumped, whirling and nearly toppling into her; she managed to help him lower himself back down as he shook his long, thick fur out and sent her a playful glare, his sigh puffing up faintly in the colder than usual air. "What was that for?"
"Just wanted to say hi!" she winked, flashing a cheeky grin. "What are you up to?"
He rolled his eyes, biting back a retort; he'd prank-greeted her like that several times before, he probably should have seen it coming his way eventually.
"I was helping Chartreux decorate until a certain someone came along and attacked me."
"Really? How awful!" she gasped in mock pity. "Maybe that someone was only trying to get you to have fun? You have to look at all sides of the problem, y'know," Askani parroted one of her mother's lessons.
But she instantly realized her mistake as a mischievous look spread across his face, a look she knew all too well, having been both a co-planner and victim of his pranks. "Tag!"
She let out a disgruntled squawk at having been bopped between her ears before chasing after the clumsy prince. It wasn't long before some of the cubs were roped in, until one by one, each of the players dropped down, tired. Chartreux thanked the two adolescents, lying side by side and panting in between the adolescent den and the waterfall at the head of the clearing, before ushering her now sleepy charges into the nursery.
"I..win.." Askani panted, rolling onto her side so she was looking at him.
"Only because I tripped," Astennu huffed after a moment to regain his breath, rolling over as well. Suddenly, his eyes flickered up, looking at something behind her as an...odd...look coming across his face. What was he looking at? But before she could lazily turn her head to look above her, her head was stilled. She blinked, processing the view before her; Astennu's dark nose pressed into her own, black mane framing his face, eyes determinedly shut tight. She felt a fluttering in her chest, but she was unable to move, only stare as she could feel her face burning.
It felt like an eternity, but he pulled back after less than a short moment, looking just as flustered as she felt. Oh lights, did she have that same dumb, flustered expression? She hoped not. How embarrassing.
"Sorry," he squeaked, his voice higher than she'd ever heard it before. "It's just, ah, ahh, uhm, the mistletoe-berry, that's what you're supposed to do-" She looked away, turning to look over her shoulder.
Oh.
OH.
She turned back to him; he'd faltered in her brief pause, but now he was continuing to ramble out apologies. Gosh, once again so vulnerable, soft. She could use this to her advantage.
With an exaggeratedly irritated huff, she placed a paw over his muzzle, fighting to keep her expression neutral. As fluttery and warm and fuzzy as she'd felt, she was feeling more confident watching him fumble.
Immediately, he hushed up, eyes wide and staring at her. It gave her a new wave of warmth, knowing that she had his undivided attention. Yawning-real, not fake, their game was surprisingly tiring-she slipped her paw down in favor of wriggling closer to his chest, feeling his slightly fast breaths beside her as she curled up on her side, making it very obvious she wasn't moving anytime soon. He was so warm, the thick fluff of mane that spiked out from his chest was so soft.
She smiled to herself, feeling him hesitantly drape a forelimb over her smaller form as he relaxed, the thumping of his heart slowing into a soothing pace under her ear.
She'd won.
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