Ansa had only slept for around 30 minutes before getting up and deciding to get up and explore a bit. She decided to head East of the den and with her head to the ground she started sniffing around. There were many new scents to get used to however one stood out in particular so she followed it. It brought her to a small area of tall grass in which a boar was grazing in. She dropped down low and made careful steps towards it. She made the mistake of stepping on a twig and it snapped, scaring the boar away. She continued on, walking mindlessly while still keeping aware of her surroundings.

(Sorry it’s takin so long so long to answer 😅 I just got done with my trip with the old friend haha, sorry for any mistakes, I’m on my phone)

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Zephyr came across an area on the border where he picked up the scent of a nomad male crossing into his territory,but it seemed old. He growled and pawed the ground, clawing up the dirt and marking with his scent, making sure it was obvious that he didn't want anyone coming into his territory. He thought to himself that he would have to keep an eye out, the scent was old but that didn't mean the nomad wouldn't come back. He continued his patrol on high alert.

(No problem, I just woke up from a nap :3 sounds like you had fun! :D )

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Ansa kept walking with her head to the ground, sniffing. She eventually caught the smell of Zephyr and guessed she reached the end of the territory. She sat at the edge for a while, looking beyond but getting a strange feeling of the unclaimed space. She didn’t like it at all and turned back around, heading towards the den, to her home. On her way she caught a whiff of something potent and downright nasty smelling, she wasn’t too familiar with scents but she knew it wasn’t good and figured she would tell Zephyr when she got back. She started going home, feeling like she was being watched but she didn’t see anything so she continued.

(I did have fun lol)

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Zephyr got a strange feeling, his gut telling him that for some reason, he needed to go check on Ansa. He still had more land to cover, but he figured he could finish it later. He moved away from the border and began making his way back to their den, moving at a brisk pace so he could make sure she was alright. He was on the far side of the territory though, so it would take some time for him to make it back to her.

Ansa made it back to the den without complication, and soon, she heard footsteps approaching the den. Once again, a head popped up into the entrance of the cave, but she would feel her blood run cold as she realized it didn't belong to Zephyr.

Stranger: "Well well well~ What do we have here?" He purred with a smirk, looking her over with one good eye. He was a large male, every bit as big and strong as Zephyr, and he had her cornered in the den with no way to escape. "What is beautiful lioness like yourself doing here alone?" He asked, climbing up so that he now stood in the cave entrance, blocking it completely with his large form.

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As Ansa seen the male she jumped up, almost hitting her head in the process and growled and snarled long and loud at the male, trying to intimidate him but knowing it wasn’t going to work. She knew she wouldn’t beat him if she went toe to toe. “Get out you mangy outsider!” She swats at his face with her claws out. “I’m not alone either, my king will be back soon!” She hoped he would anyway, she was running out of room and had hit the back wall. She hunkered down trying to make herself smaller she roared hoping Zephyr would hear and come to her.

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The rogue flinched back to avoid the swipe, not wanting any unnecessary new scars. "Oh I'm not going anywhere." He growled with a malicious snarl, flicking his tail as he looked down at her. "I'm moving in, this territory, and everything IN it, is going to be mine." He hissed, leering over her, clearly implying that he planned to rule over her.

Suddenly, heavy paws with long claws grabbed hold of the hind quarters of the intruder, he was dragged from the cave and flung to the ground. By the grace of the ancestors, her king had arrived. Zephyr growled as he pounced at the other male, they were very evenly matched, grappling with each other in a flurry of teeth and claws. The large lions fought so hard, it felt as if they would shake the earth. The battle only lasted about a minute, but felt like an eternity for Ansa to watch helplessly. Thankfully, it ended with Zephyr chasing the rogue into the brush. She could hear him stop and roar loudly, assuring that anyone that could hear would know of his victory and that he was not to be challenged. When he returned, he was bloodied and favoring his front right leg, avoiding placing his weight on it. He panted, clearly exhausted from such a fight, but he was glad to see she hadn't been harmed. "Are you alright?" He asked her as he limped up to her, knowing that must have been very frightening for her.

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Ansa had watched the battle and was extremely proud of her king but also worried. She couldn’t tell if most of it was his or the rouges. “I’m fine, I’m a bit shaken by you are hurt!” She looked him over, walking around him and sniffing at him. She looked at him not putting weight on his paw. “Come on you need to get into the den and rest.” She left no room for discussion and pushed him towards the den and helped him up into it.

She wished she could do more. Ansa climbed up into the den and stepped over him to be behind him. She laid behind him and felt him tense for a moment but he relaxed once more. “I’m sorry this happened Zephyr, I wish I could’ve helped you.” She looked up at him and lay her head on his back softly. “Is there anything I can do for you?” She looked at his wounds and winced, she knew they must hurt. She nuzzled into his fur, smelling his scent which she now associated with the smell of home and safety.

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He let himself relax, feeling a warmth wash over him as he felt her nuzzling into him. The pain he felt was worth it to know that she was safe. He shook his head, looking back at her with soft eyes. "I'll be alright, I'm just glad that you're safe." He spoke truthfully, shifting to be able to lean in and lick her head softly. Now that he had fought for her, he instinctively felt more drawn to her, feeling the closeness that a king felt with his pride. He licked her head and ears a couple times before laying his head down to rest, letting out a deep, tired breath. He hoped the rogue wouldn't come back, he had won the fight, but just barely. He didn't know if he would be so lucky next time. He tried to push the worry out of his mind, knowing he could only deal with those problems when they came. He closed his eyes, feeling the need to sleep and recover.

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A deep purr reverberated in her chest as he licked her. She was glad her king was okay and she knew he would recover well as long as he doesn’t take it too hard. As Zephyr slept she got up carefully and went to the entrance of the den. She knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep so she just stared out into the distance she thought of trying to hunt again but feared the rouge coming back. However it seemed she lucked out as she scanned the horizon and seen a large hare. She carefully and quietly stalked down and crept closer. She wanted to make this quick, if she could even catch it, and get back to Zephyr. The hare seemed oblivious and she pounced out at it, catching it in her paws by some miracle and killing it. Proud of her first kill she pranced back to the den and laid it outside and climbed back behind Zephyr. She rested her head but didn’t dare go to sleep, just in case.

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(I'm so sorry I haven't responded, it has been a super busy day 😭 my mom asked me to help her take my 2yr old niece on a picnic and I was like sure no big deal thinking it would take a couple hours but no, no it did not 😅 long story short, it turned into a very long day of wrangling a 2yr old that doesn't want anything to do with her Auntie 😂 toddlers are so mean for literally no reason, I even brought her a new toy I had bought her and I still got the stink eye all day haha but I'm home now! I'll respond asap :3 )

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(Omg please don’t worry about it!! I totally understand! Also I agree toddlers are very mean. Or just painfully honest I’m unsure haha! I watch my brother quite a bit for my mom as like a side hustle when she wants to go on date nights or whatever so I understand the struggle lol. Also I wasn’t very active today anyway because of a younger cousins birthday so don’t stress lol)

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(Oh yeah for sure, I'm so scared of the honesty phase 😅 she is starting to talk pretty good and I just know at any point she is going to start roasting people, especially with innocent questions that are just so mean, like "why is your belly so big?" Or "why don't you have any hair?" And stuff like that 😂 I am not prepared at all 😭 also I feel a little better knowing at least you were busy too haha 😅)

Zephyr slept deeply for now, needing time to recover his strength after such an intense fight. As he slept, dreams washed over him that made his body tense. He was having flashes back to the fight in his dreams, seeing that stranger in his den and the feeling of fear that washed over him knowing that she was trapped inside behind the rogue. Thankfully, the dreams didn't last too long before he slipped into a deeper sleep, his mind going blank as he laid there beside her.

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(lol the honesty phase is ROUGH. My brother is 7 and he is still in it! 😭 He asked his teacher [who was 6 months pregnant] on meet the teacher night, why are you so fat? I have never threw my hand on his mouth so fast to get him to stop talking 😓)

Ansa felt Zephyr tense beside her and she pushed her face into his mane while purring. She was slowly dozing off as the sun started setting, it was almost touching the horizon now. She could feel herself being compelled to sleep so she closed her eyes. She only planned to close her eyes to rest them but ended up falling asleep. Her last thought before she fell asleep was how comfortable she felt around Zephyr and how safe she felt with him around.

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(Broooo that is actually so vile 😂😂😂 I would have died from embarrassment for reeeeal haha I hate to do this but I'm honestly so sleepy, I think I'm going to call it a night. I should be more active tomorrow, I'm going to see the new Deadpool movie and I have a couple orders to paint, but I can respond while I'm painting in between layers, so I should be active in the afternoon/ evening :D have a good night!! )

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(lol I was embarrassed. But don’t worry about it I can totally understand being tired! Goodnight haha!! Talk to you tomorrow :). )

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