Asperitas looked around the camp in wonder. They weren't used to being somewhere so, so... diverse. There were so many different lions everywhere, with so many different interests. There was a lion who could talk to fireflies for Dorlax's sake! It was.. nice.
"Hello, I don't believe I've seen you here before?" A deep voice shook them out of their stupor.
They jumped and turned around, pausing slightly when they saw the lion behind them. A tall, dark gray lion with these piercing green eyes that seemed to stare into their very soul. They blushed, looking down at the ground, "Oh, uh no. I'm new here."
"Nice to meet you," The lion said, smiling slightly down at them, "My name's Shimo."
"Asperitas," They said, shuffling their front paws together, "So is there anywhere I can stay or..?" They trailed off.
"Right, right," Shimo said, shaking his head a little to clear his head, "You can probably use Helios' or Talakos' old dens, they should still be open."
Asperitas looked at him, tilting their head in confusion, "I have no idea who those lions are," They said bluntly.
Shimo gestured for them to follow him with his tail, leading them to the den area. "That one over there with the scorch marks is Helios' den, and that one with the old eagle feather decoration is Talakos'," He said, pointing at the dens with his tail.
"Thank you," They said, opting for the den that didn't have ominous scorch marks at the entrance. They set up a nest in the back and headed back out, sitting in the entrance of her new den. They looked up at the eagle feathers curiously, wondering why the previous owner, Talako maybe, hadn't taken them down. Their gaze returned to the clearing as some soft footfalls drew closer to them.
A brownish red lion with a large, fluffy mane was watching them as they approached.
"Hi, I'm Asperitas," They said, scrambling to their paws in an effort to be polite.
The newcomer chuckled, "The name's Talako."
"Nice to meet you, Talako," Asperitas said.
"Nice to meet you too, kid," He responded, sitting down next to them.
The two of them sat in silence for a while, enjoying the light breeze and sunshine. Asperitas' eyes were continuously drawn to Shimo. They guessed that he was the leader, or whatever the equivalent of the word was. He held himself with such confidence, demanding respect. Their eyes narrowed when they noticed that he was being followed by a young gray lioness. She almost seemed glued to his side.
"Why're you glaring at Shikoba?" Talako asked.
"Oh, uh," Asperitas floundered, not expecting to be called out like this, "I um, what?"
"C'mon, kid, you think I'm blind? You've been glaring at her for a while. You jealous or something?"
"I... I don't know," Asperitas answered, looking at their paws.
Talako looked at them thoughtfully, prompting their gaze up to him. "Well, if you're interested in her, I say go for it."
Asperitas paused at that, staring at Talako in bewilderment, "You... you think I'm interested in Shikoba?" They asked. Talako nodded, and Asperitas burst out laughing, drawing everyone's attention towards them. "You're hilarious, Talako," They choked out between laughs, "No, I'm not interested in her," They glanced to the clearing to make sure that no one was staring anymore, "I'm interested in Shimo," They whispered.
Talako looked at her pitifully, "Oh, kid, I hate to tell you this, but I'm pretty sure that Shimo's head over tail for my mate, Kipepeo."
Asperitas fell silent, embarrassed. They stood up and thanked Talako for sitting with them before returning to their new den.
-----
Shimo stared after them as their tail disappeared into the darkness, wondering why they left. It seemed like they'd been having a grand time with Talako, his claws digging into the ground as the thought crossed his mind. He was confused at that and sheathed his claws, snapped out of his daze by Shikoba standing in front of him, looking annoyed. He sighed and decided to worry about that on another day.
662 Words