golden afternoon // open

[CHEKESHA !]

C H E K E S H A

the wind was blowing hard, but Chekesha didn't let the blustery day interrupt her high spirits.
there was nothing really going on, she had just started her pride, but there weren't a lot of others that seemed to want to join it.
for now she was alone. alone in the sands of the desert that never seemed to end.
the sky was abnormally blue today, the wind had torn away all of the clouds that had been there earlier in the morning.
the bright sun was blazing down on her, piercing through her golden fur and making her wings feel uncomfortable.
she was one of the only lions with actual wings, but they didn't really work the way wings were supposed to work.
they were not exactly large enought to make her fly, and her bones were not hollow and her wings were not feathers, but fur.
the only thing around her that could fly was her companion animal, a barn owl named Archimedes, that flew above the sands like nothing was bothering him.
of course, Chekesha knew that the owl was extremely tired and hungry, for he was usually nocturnal and it was the middle of the day, and that there was no food suitable for him for miles.
he was used to it though, that agonizing pain of a searing throat that always stayed with them throughout their lives in the desert.
without it it just wouldn't feel like home.
Archimedes landed suddenly on Chekesha's shoulder as one of the small patches of water in the territory of Kronos came into veiw.
there would be food there, and if nothing else, water.
Cheke started to pad toward it, feeling her paws hit the scorching ground quickly and quietly, sinking into the sand every so often as she stepped on a unstable spot.
Archimedes took to the sky again, and flew with powerful flaps of his wings toward the oasis.
Chekesha let her front paws splash into the water happily, letting her fur become drenched in the warm liquid.
although it was warm, it felt as if it was freezing compared to the arid desert air that surrounded them.
Cheke took a long drink of water from the pool, and licked her chomps in content.
Archimedes had done the same, and was already hovering above the oasis for any signs of small rodents that would come to the place for a drink.
Cheke extended her wings, and then folded them in again, just for the fun of the stretch.
she started to pad over to a nearby palm, and laid down in the shade of the tree.
it was going t be a long afternoon, with nothing to do.

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A trail of heavy paw prints dotted the outer edge of the Kronos pride lands. Two chilling silver eyes darted from one speck on the horizon to the other, each one seemed to either be a mirage or an actual living thing. However one certain spot on the horizon had captured the large males attention since he first set foot on the border. His long tail slowly waved back and forth across the sand creating a small cloud of dust. The lioness was up wind, so as of the moment he was alright. But the wind could change any second, he’d have to move fast.

Nyana pushed himself up out of his laying position and stalked across the border. Certainly it was a foolish thing to do for a normal lion, intruding on another’s territory, but he didn’t care. Nyana was driven by some unspoken force to enter the lands. Brilliant job Nyana! Now all that you have to do is meander her way and show her who is boss! No. And why not? Because as far as I know she is the leader of a large pride. Why else would she be out here roaming her lands. I will not hurt her. Just one little scratch? Leave me. His large head swayed side to side as he tried to shake his mind clear of his ever persistent voice. A voice that has haunted him since he was just a cub. He lifted his head a little higher than his shoulders as he tried to spot the lionesses silhouette again. Yet he had no luck.

His large golden/white paws gently pushed the sand and formed little dips that formed a clear trail of which way he was traveling. But just as soon as they were formed they were wiped away by the wind slicing through the lands. As he neared the oasis he spotted her stretching her wings. He had several options; One he could sneak up there and introduce himself, Two he could yell out like a little cub right now, or three, he could wing it. He chose the latter. Circling to the right Nyana dipped his head lower than his shoulders, he had yet to see the females face, and hopefully she had yet to see him. He paced up to the waters edge and crouched, he lapped up a little bit of water before lifting his gaze to search for the lionesses.

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[CHEKESHA !]

cheke had the strangest feeling that somebody was watching her from the shadows. she perked her head up from where she was laying in the shade and fluffed her wings out of habit. somebody was surely watching her, but she didn't want to bring it up yet. if they knew that she knew that they were there, then the person's plan would be ruined, and cheke didn't want that to happen. she wasn't that cruel of a lioness. standing up nonchalantly, she blinked her eyes softly at the setting sun. it was still excruciatingly hot for twilight, but chekesha had learned to overcome the uncomfortable heat long ago when she first moved to the gold sand. the desert was her home, where she would stay forever. unless, of course, something horrid happened which would cause her to move to a new area. this seemed unlikely though, and chekesha looked up to the sky to see Archimedes coming down to land near her. it was time for her to know that lionesses weren't completely stupid and could sense if there was another nearby. she scented the air again, opening her golden maw to breathe in the torrid, dry scent. she found that it was a male, and that he was not far from here. still, she didn't say anything, waiting for him to make the first move. she waited silently until she knew that he was very close to her, on the other side of the pool at the oasis. he was intruding on her land, but he probably had a good reason. chekesha was too care-free to care if he was trespassing or not. turning her light green optics to survey the golden lion, she nodded her head. her white, fur-covered wings spread out as a sort of intimidation factor, but she folded them back in again. not many lions had ever seen a lioness with wings, which is why she always did the ruffling to show that she was different and not like the others that newcomers had ever met in their lives.
the lion dipped his head to drink from the liquid, then straightened again. cheke spoke first in her girly, high-pitched voice. she wasn't very good at first meetings, and hoped this went well. after looking at the lion for a long time, and finding that he was quite handsome, she proceeded. "Greetings. I am Lady Chekesha of the pride of Kronos. May I ask what you are doing on my lands?" it really wasn't customary for any lions to come on to a new land uninvited, but she would make an exception this time. she sank down to her haunches so that she was in a sitting position, and let Archimedes come and land on her shoulder. he was very handsome, and from a second glance at the new lion, cheke found that she really liked his appearance. but what would his words do to change that opinion, or keep it?

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The wind shifted her direction causing Nyana’s muscles to tense for a moment. His silvery eyes flicked to the water as he lapped, the reflection gazed back at him. Surprisingly the voice said nothing and he was free for at least another couple of moments. When he pulled his gaze back up to Cheke’s he spotted her wide white wings. A small smile crept to his face, he hadn’t seen a lioness with wings before. He himself didn’t have any oddities as some called them. He flexed his claws and sunk them deep into the hot sand.

Ooo. Cutie huh? So what are ya gonna do? Please. Just let me do this on my own. I don’t need pushing! Of course you don’t need pushing. You’ll be nervous and scared all on your own! When Nyana’s eyes met Chekes his heart did a small flip. The last powerful lioness he met was an old cranky ugly thing. This lady was far from ugly. So say something! I will. Just wait. Just wait.

[/I] For the first few seconds he was at a loss for words. How would one introduce themselves to a power in a territory they are invading? He just went for it, “Good afternoon malady.” He dipped his head a little bit, he learned his manners from his mother when he was young. He was far from aggressive, “ My name’s Nyana.” His black and gold mane waved gently in the wind as it shifted direction again. He wanted to walk over to her, but would that be viewed as a threat? He stayed where he was, tail pulled close to him. The arrows that ran down his face and from his eyes stood out against his lighter pelt. “Why am I here? To be honest I am lonely. I have been alone for almost a year and I seek companionship.”

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[CHEKESHA !]

the arrow-covered lion spoke, and it seemed like his eyes were stuck on her. cheke felt herself become a bit self-conscious, but didn't do anything about it. he must have just been intrigued by her wings. well, any lion would, it was quite rare for lionesses to have an avian trait. the male was quite polite as he spoke, and cheke was instantly taken to him. it was like there was a little voice in the back of her head that was pushing her forward toward the newcomer. lonely he had said. with the way that cheke was taking to the male there was a great possibility that he would probably end up being invited into the pride right this very moment, but she wanted to take her time, to evaluate the loner before she did anything rash. she dipped her head in acknowledgement, but didn't move her light green orbs from his. she had really taken a liking to him, and it wasn't going to fade anytime soon. once cheke made up her mind about anything there was no going back whatsoever.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Nyana." should she ask him to stay? She didn't want to be rude and turn him away, that was for sure. and more than that, she didn't want him to go. for some reason, there was this whole "love at first sight" thing going on that was playing like a chant over and over in her brain. she couldn't let him leave, and go to another pride! "You are welcome to stay in Kronos. Besides," she dipped her head flirtatiously as she spoke, "we need some more males around here." there was a possiblity that there was something that could happen between the two of them. as chekesha realized how handsome the male actually was, the more she wanted him to accept her invitation to stay in Kronos.

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Nyana’s silver eyes glanced down at the reflections in the water for a quick second, he knew he had to look away so she didn’t get nervous. What if the pride already had a male lion and he was unwelcome? His tail tip twitched nervously behind him as she seemed to think over her choice of words. He flicked his gaze past her for a quick second to gaze out over the sand. How would it be to travel over the sands of this place with no worries about where you were welcome or not. He flicked his gaze back to Cheke as she spoke. He closed is eyes and nodded at her as a response to her welcome.

“You are welcome to stay in Kronos.” A smile crossed his face. Finally he had a place he could stay! He pushed himself to his paws and paced around the tree at a calm, calculated, slow pace. He wanted to walk all the way up to her and take a look at those beautiful green eyes up close, but he paused not two feet away. “I thank you Chekesha.” His deep silver eyes gazed into hers, but worried she would get nervous or feel intimidated he flicked his gaze away to the horizon. “ Is there anything special I should know about Kronos?” Pathetic. That was a pathetic way to break tension.

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[CHEKESHA !]

cheke could tell that there was something going on in that male's head. he wanted to stay too, in fact, it seemed like he was overjoyed that she invited him to stay. this was a good sign, and cheke let a small smile crack on her golden lips. she ruffled her white wings again and felt archimedes do the same. they were like one being, her and her companion. he followed her everywhere, and did everything that she did. it was like they were meant to be together, and would stay together until the other died. for some reason, cheke hoped that she could find a male like that someday, a male like nyana. he could be the lord of kronos, but she didn't want to bring it up yet, he was so new, she didn't want him to be overwhelmed. she dipped her wide head in acknowledgement of his question and opened her mouth to speak. "We survive out here on pure intstinct. nothing more, nothing less. we live for each other, for our pride. we care for each other, and hunt for the weak. it is our duty as lions." she dipped her head again. "Every grain of sand is our responsibility, and we take care of it just like we take care of our...cubs." she hesitated on the word for an unknown reason. it was an instinctive stutter in her voice that she didn't mean to have there, but appeared anyway. her brow furrowed, and she looked to archimedes, her barn owl. she rarely introduced him to another, and nobody in her pride knew his name. but she could make this one exception. "This, Nyana, is Archimedes, my loyal companion. He knows everything about me and my pride. he knows i have yet to find a mate, that there are not many lions yet to find Kronos, and that I am taking a liking to you." the last part slipped, but ther ewas no taking it back now. her eyes grew wide as she held her breath and waited for his reaction, she was scared of what he would say. it was all so sudden, she had just met nyana. did he believe in love at first sight as she did? she waited, looking at him with huge green optics that shown in the desert sun.

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Nyana’s silver gaze scanned the horizon for any other lions. It appeared that no one was going to show up, in a way that made him sad. When was he going to meet his new pride? But the other half of him was happy that it was just him there with Chekesha. Perhaps he could get to know her, and she him, then things wouldn’t be so awkward between them. Pulling his gaze from the horizon he looked at Chekesha while she spoke. Take care of one another. It’s like when I was young, when I was with my mother and sisters. His stomach twisted when he remembered his sisters, and his mother. He missed all of them, but he knew that in time he would fit into this place. He only wished it would happen fast.

But perhaps it would. He raised an eyebrow ever so slightly to the way Chekesha spoke. It seemed as if she was having a hard time talking in the authoritative voice she was using before. He had a hard time looking away from her liquid cool green eyes, they seemed to pull him in and keep him captive. When she finished introducing the barn owl he tried to look away but was intrigued by what she said and her reaction to it. Nyana believed in love at first site, was that what he was feeling at this time? He wasn’t sure. How could one be sure if they hadn’t loved before? He swallowed nervously and looked deep into Chekesha’s eyes before he spoke. “As I am taking a liking to you.” The smile that touched his face was warm and kind. He wanted to make her feel comfortable, not nervous. After all, he was a neutral lion, if she wanted him gone he would have left.

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[CHEKESHA !]

it was strange that things could happen so fast, but cheke was taking a liking to it. and that this lion liked her back made her feel warm and happy inside. it was a feeling that she had never experienced, and she had had a lot of feelings before in her life. this was like cool water running down a parched throat on a hot summer's day, or the rain as it swept wide rivers through the desert sands. it was new, and it was invigorating, and chekesha liked it. she smiled back at him, and archimedes looked at cheke in a strange way before flying off. it was obvious that he wanted to leave the two of them alone for a while to get to know each other. cheke nodded at his departure, and turned back to nyana. there weren't many lions like him. he was polite and charming and handsome, and he liked cheke back. he actually liked her. most people just liked her for her power, so that they could be lord of kronos and have the "throne." but this lion seemed to be different. she couldn't be sure, but it was like he actually just wanted to spend time with her and get to know her for her. cheke took a step toward him, but not too close because she didn't want to impose. "Let me tell you a bit about myself." she blinked her golden green orbs slowly as she proceeded. all of her voice that she usually used with newcomers was gone, and it was replaced with her normal, girly voice the was strange for her stature. "I am the lady of this pride. i had no mate. i don't really have a family. my only family was archimedes. and i believe in love at first site. tell me, nyana, do you believer in love at first site?" her wings ruffled at the sentence, but she kept her gaze straight. she wanted to know if he was in love with her as much as she was in love with him, because right now, all she wanted to do was be with him forever and ever. she didn't know why, but it was just this strange urge that was pulling her towards him. she liked it though.

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She took a step closer, on a normal basis he would have been nervous to be approached by the head of a pride. However one thing was for sure, his heart started beating faster. He didn’t know if it was because he was nervous or if it was because she took a step towards him and he was attracted to her. He tilted his chin down to the left a bit and gazed at her. Do tell, he thought as she spoke. He was surprised at her girly voice, it was a definite change from her stronger voice. He liked Cheke, he didn’t know why he was so attracted to her but he didn’t mind. Yes, yes Nyana. Do you believe in love at first site? I do. Are you sure? Why wouldn’t I be? No answer.

“ I do believe in love at first site.” He said as he gazed into her eyes. “Now a little something about me?” He thought for a moment. Where to start? “I lived with my mother and two sisters for as long as I could remember. Around two years ago my mother passed away and just over a year ago my sisters split off and went their own directions. The entire time I have lived in the desert, the unclaimed part that is.” He gave a sly grin and continued, “I had to hunt for myself for a little over two years. When I was alone I had to be careful because I had no one there with me.”

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[CHEKESHA !]

cheke listened carefully to nyana's story. she had no idea why she was so attracted to him, but it couldn't be erased from her mind now. she hadn't really interacted with any other males befor nyana...maybe she was just exaggerating her thoughts to make it feel lilke she liked him. but there was that nagging pull again that yeared to be with him that she couldn't just put off and mistake for an exaggerated feeling. there was definitely something there between cheke and the male, and she wanted to explore that with nyana in her pride. as she listened to nyana's story, she couldn't help to feel hurt when he explained how his mother was dead and how he had been lonely in the desert. she would probably have been able to survive in the desert because she was accustomed to it, but it must have been hard for others to attempt that type of commitment. she felt herself give out a small whimper at the way he described his past life. it didn't sound very nice to cheke. she had had a good life compared to his. she shook her head at the horror. for some reason her emotions were heightened, and her usual sadness was exteneded to complete shock.
of course he had to be careful when he was alone. there were a lot of creatures out there that were horrid in the desert, scavengers and predators alike. a smile crept across chekesha's face as she reassured him. "Well, you are not alone now. We are here to help you. I am here for you." cheke had no idea why she was being to flirtatious. it kind of flew out of her mouth at a speed that she couldn't capture it before it was said. she smiled. she was less nervous now, and she had warmed up to him quicker than she thought she would. it was nice to spend time with another lion, she had been alone out here for so long.

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Nyana hadn’t meant for Cheke to feel sorry for him, but he couldn’t control how others felt. He could only control how he felt and how he acted. He tilted his chin down and looked into Cheke’s eyes after he finished speaking. He wanted to forget his past and get on with his future. Finally here he had a future. He swished his tail in the sand and took a deep breath, listening to her words. He smiled a kind, loving smile, as she spoke. “Thank you Cheke.” He probably should have said her full name, but he didn’t realize that he had spoken only part of her name. He had never met a lioness that he had taken to so quickly before. So like. What is this? Huh? What’s what? You are going to tell her your mentally inane, unnaturally ill? Awkward beyond all belief? Shut it. But you are Nyana! You are. In what way? You talk to yourself. If I was to talk to myself than am I arguing with myself? That is a question for you to answer He let his liquid cool silver eyes shift from Chekes eyes to the desert and back again. “I’m happy that you’re here.”

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[CHEKESHA !]

she gasped as she realized that he didn't use her whole name. no other lion had ever been brave enough to do that before. they either called her Chekesha, or Lady Chekesha, but never Cheke. not ever had she even been called Lady Cheke. it was new to her, and it made her sound casual and like everybody else, like she wasn't a lady but a regular lion. she smiled lightly at the thought, but didn't think about it too much. all the awkwardness of the previous few minutes of the conversation had vanished, and some clouds were starting to cover the lady and they newcomer. she looked up the sky quizically, examining the ominous clouds and pondering why they would want to set up their camp over the desert instead of over in the mountains where they usually inhabited. she frowned, but then wiped it off of her face and turned back to nyana. "As I am glad to have you here. it will be nice to have more company as the rain starts to hit this season. come, let us go to where i usually rest. it is a bit of a walk from here, but it has water and shade all the same." she smiled encouragingly and started padding off to the west, where she kept her camp. it was a small little area where she and the rest of her pride stayed. they being elusian and isoke. there were not many that wanted to stay in the desert, and she didn't blame them for wanting to leave. she could tell that isoke did not want to stay for long and might be just passing through. she looked over her shoulder to see if nyana was following, following to his new home in kronos.