Plop plop - plop.

A decent rainstorm has rolled over the rainforest and as the water hits the canopy overhead it gathers into larger drops before plummeting down to the ground below with a heavy sound. The air was cooler than usual, humidity relieved temporarily with the onset of the storm. It will be back before long in full force - emboldened and propped up by the extra water falling down from the clouds.

Below the canopy Jyoti walked at a quickened pace over roots and through newly formed mud to try and find a bit of shelter in which she may dry off and wait the passing of the big grey clouds. She's seen the worst of the storm come down on her and her resemblance is not unlike a drowned rat creature... Feverishly looking right and left for dry.

@Lorant @Max ★

Emboldened, too, was the cat lingering above. While the downpour served to muddy earth and scent alike, it was the sight of Jyoti from above that proved all too familiar. Lorant smiled to himself as he placed the memory and tried to recall, too, what name he had opted to wear that day. He had learned the hard way on more than a couple occasions what troubles could arise when caught in such a lie.

"Come up to my den," he invited wistfully. Lorant crouched upon a branch several yards above the pale lioness, his eyes glittering with cheeky anticipation at his effective announcement. "Do not fall thees time!" He reached out a beckoning paw, if only for the gesture of it.

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|| october y12 | nine years | FR creature | at aniadar jungle | @Jyoti ||

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An invitation comes from above her. And if she were not already as soaked to the bone as she was the Jyoti may have second guessed her gut reaction. But as desperate as she was to get dry, a den sounded like heaven. It wouldn't even be a total stranger's den either. But the second she tries to take a step away from the tree she nearly gets said foot stuck in my mud... Wordlessly she turns and digs her claws into the tree. She hoists herself up to the lower, stronger, branches- still just a bit below him. The bark feels slick below her feet and vision isn't the best. This wouldn't be an easy trip but better than trying to get through the mud below. "I've got this. Let's go." Jyoti knew she wouldn't be as nimble up here- she has to try and instill confidence in herself somehow.

@Max ★ @Lorant

His heart thrummed gleefully as she turned and began shimmying her way up that tree, perhaps a sign that he had anticipated having to do more convincing to get his way.

"I've got this. Let's go."

Lorant smiled at her skeptically as her voice rang out above the harsh pattering of rain, only lingering there for a moment before he pivoted on his heels and began his ascent up the great baobab. He waved the amber beacon of his tail to and fro to aid in her mission to follow him, winding his way quickly from this branch to that until he reached a small opening in the branches near the trunk itself.

"Az otthonom – ah, home," he introduced with another sweeping wave of his paw. The leaves were densely packed enough that the nook was bathed in relative darkness, a small gathering of pelts and bones lining the canopy almost like a bed. He would fail to mention the temporary nature of the nest – that he never stayed anywhere for more than a fortnight.

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@Jyoti

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She is determined this time not to slip down, or fall, or suffer the crack and destruction of a tree branch too thin for her weight. She cannot follow his path exactly. She needs the larger branches and easier to make leaps. Jyoti is not a creature made for the trees. Not like Lorant was. His voice is echoing in her head every leap she makes, every step. Don't fall this time.

Through skill and not divine intervention she makes it to the entrance of his den. She is biting the inside of her lip in concentration and it is released as she passes through the entrance into the snug cavernous opening. She glances around- and then up. "I've never seen a den up in the trees like this. It's beautiful." The leaf cover overhead is thick but she could imagine being able to catch glimpses of the sky between the thick leaves. Thin beams of moonlight or sun striking through into the bed when there weren't clouds covering up the entire sky. She bet she could find some colorful glass to hang about and cascade his den in a rainbow of colors...

She turns to him. "Thanks."

Lorant watched Jyoti struggle with the climb, a knowing smirk playing on his lips as she finally made it into his den. He moved closer, his gaze sharp, assessing her every move.

"Well done," he murmured, his voice smooth and almost too kind. "Not an easy climb, but you manage. Impressive." He circled her slowly, like a predator savoring the moment before the strike, before finally settling down on the bed of pelts, stretching out as if he owned the world.

"You like my den? Safe from the rain, from everything." He gestured lazily at the small opening in the canopy. "And the view… when the storm passes, it’s worth the climb. You’ll see."

His eyes lingered on her, a hint of something darker lurking beneath his charming smile. "But what brings you here, Jyoti? Out in the storm, struggling through mud and rain?" His tone was light, almost casual, but the question was anything but innocent. "You’re not made for this, not like me. But you come anyway. Why?"

He let the question hang in the air for a moment before continuing, his voice dropping to a low, conspiratorial murmur. "Maybe you were looking for sometheeng… or someone."

A pause. A laugh.

"Or, I am just so lucky."

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@Jyoti

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She seems to take his compliment to heart and behind her damp half of a mane her eyes lighten, widen, and appear enthused. She smiles and there is the warm sound of a grumbling purr down in her chest. "I do like it, it's cozy. Smaller than ones I'm used to." Which wasn't to say this was bad, not part of her seemed to mind this. But it did mean she grew conscious of her own body, that she was a bit wet and needed to clean the cold away from her. And the mud especially. Getting too much of his home, or him, wet or dirty just wouldn't be polite.

"I wasn't expecting the storm." She says, the colors of her voice tinted rosy with embarrassment. "I wanted some pretty things, flowers, rocks, maybe a feather or two." You know, from those showy male birds with all the colors meant to impress the ladies. In short she wanted color. And unfortunately all she'd found was the grey of sky and brown of mud. The most persistent of which she was finally able to groom away enough that she did not feel bad entering his personal space.

The tail of his laugh echo in her head. Him lucky? "I'd say I'm the lucky one here. You're my hero today." She says in a thankful sort of way- her alabaster frame moving to find some bit of space not occupied by him where she can curl up into the lion's version of a cat loaf. Her own footprint is minimized, it's his space and she does not intend to abuse his invitation by monopolizing it.

@Lorant

As she spoke, Lorant shimmied slightly to one side to ensure there was a wide, welcoming space begging to be claimed next to him. He nodded his fervent agreement at her assessment of his abode, though as she grew conscious of how much space she took up, Lorant remained all too aware of how many places Jyoti was not.

"I wanted some pretty things..."

"I relate," he confessed, though the crooked angle of his smile hinted at his differing intentions. Still, he reached up an arm toward the canopies from where he laid, plucking a single, brown feather surely leftover from this meal or that. He beckoned her over hastily with the other paw so he might plant it in the now-damp tresses of her mane.

"I'd say I'm the lucky one here. You're my hero today."

"I do not get many company," Lorant revealed as an argument. "Come – lie down where it is comfortable." Wide, gleaming kitten's eyes pleaded for it.

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@Jyoti

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He relates? Jyoti is considering the look of his face, the tilt of that smile, for a moment. Is he... flirting with me? She wonders just in time for his paw to sweep in and adorn her haphazardly damp mane with a brown feather. Ever so delicately she reaches up to feel the soft edge without disrupting it's placement. "Thank you." She blushes and sits just a bit more proud with the new decoration upon her like some badge she's earned for her success. It does feel good to have accomplished the climb, something she'd not ever imagined she could do.

His demeanor so far has been kind and friendly, if her belly is twisting surely it's just because she's still embarrassed over their first meeting. He has to remember it right? How clumsy she was.

And so, when he invited her to take up more space she only hesitates however long it takes her to figure out how she wanted to stretch out. She ends up half on her belly, half on her side and facing Lorant. Hind legs were gently curled up and both forelimbs were pulled under her chin for her to rest on. "Would you want more company? I'd love to come visit more often. I'd put your eye for pretty things to use." She speaks of course of the rocks, the flowers, and pebbles that she covets.

"Would you want more company? I'd love to come visit more often. I'd put your eye for pretty things to use."

Lorant's expression brightened. His whiskers puffed with eager pleasure and he bobbed his chin in a decisive nod as he shuffled slightly to meld into what space the lioness took up, intentional in how their pelts just brushed in some places yet not completely.

"I do have particular eyes," he agreed cheekily. "Come here if you peeck up my scent. I am not always home, but I like to be for you," he explained, peeking at her through the corner of his eye. One brassy mitt lifted to idly caress a leafy twig between them, and he had to chant internally to remind himself to keep patience.

"How you are pretty even when so wet?" Murmured sudden question. His paw stopped in place as he seemed to consider her.

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@Jyoti

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