Naz awoke from a mid afternoon nap splayed out in the midst of dirt and foliage. What she'd thought was only to be a short rest turned into a much heavier and full slumber with hours now past that they did not expect to spend. They were on their back with their head reclined all the way back until their crown touched the ground. As their brown eyes flickered to life the world ahead of them was upsidedown. One forelimb was pulled to their chest and scratched at the fur there slowly. An assortment of dust and leave litter was jostled free of their pelt, loosely sliding off their side to the ground.

Get up? No. Five more minutes. Sleepily Naz shut their eyes again and mumbled.

@Beetle

ฝhen the full moon turns ฝhite

there was something in the way the foliage lay against the sun, filtering softly down between the layers, a broken canopy dusting them with splashes of golden light. shadows ever shifting, beetle wandered through them, following patterns with his paws, tracing the outlines of each shape curiously in the midday peace. this one, a rabbit? and here... a butterfly? he hummed happily, wandering this way and that, until-

"o-oh! naz!" he had near enough tripped over her. he stumbled back and rocked onto his haunches, sitting down as he dipped his head and lifted a paw to his face. "uh, sorry!" oh my god, beetle, just be quiet, they were trying to sleep. don't make any more sounds. "i- i- i'll let you sleep!" he winced at himself. he was so noisy.

@Nazonal

They felt the edges of dreams come to them, greyish swirling visions not yet entirely clear to her brain. There were shapes, familiar and comforting. Colors like whites, blacks, monochromatic or just coincidence? She smelled the sea, the jungle, and just as whatever dream was forming was starting to crystalize and form they felt their heart race. Innately fearful it might be a bittersweet or somber thought that joined her in this nap.

Naz! A voice clearer than any muted sound in the dream rang through. One eye shot open and against the backdrop of the green foliage was an angel in pink. He an unintentional savior from a less than good dream. No sleep. They decide with a knowing grin. There was a plan forming behind their brown eyes- her body shifting onto its side. They aimed to roll onto their side and scoot towards @Beetle. One arm reached out and she tried to wrap it around him, to drag him in for some cuddles. Need Beetle hugs. They said, voice a little on the dreamy side and hopeful.

ฝhen the full moon turns ฝhite

nazonal, ever the monster, seemed irredeemably awake. oops. they grabbed at beetle, and he couldn't help the childish laughter that blossomed in his chest, all at once the weight of adolescence lifting, and he was the gentle child again. "n-no!" he laughed, reaching out to push a determined paw into her chest, bracing against her, playing a game of resist the cuddles. it wasn't until then that he spotted various injuries, healing but still visible, scattered over his friend. huh?

the laughter faded from his silver gaze, replaced with concern as his brows drew together, dark tail whipping anxiously. "w-w-what... h-h," he swallowed, "what happened?" his voice cracked, just a little. nazonal was an unrelenting force, and it was unfathomable that she could ever be hurt. not only that, but that beetle had not known. it seemed, as he grew older, the world's axis kept tilting incrementally further.

@Nazonal

They enjoy the bit of play, that barely there resistance that made her work a little harder to hold onto @Beetle and keep him from squirming away from her. The sounds of her playful growls and grumbles begin to fill up the air and Naz only half heatedly tries to hold on at times. They're more than happy to give Beetle some victories in their game.

Until it wasn't a game anymore. They felt the shift in the air, saw it on Beetle's young face. Echoing laughs faded away to the tune of a bird singing over head into the otherwise silent jungle. He's looking at the mared spots upon their body and very quickly Nazonal tried to look cheery. Their toothy smile grew wider and the features of her face brightened against the dark. Hey I'm ok don't worry. Just some bumps and scratches. They grossly downplay the situation, can't bring themselves to tell Beetle the truth. He's the last lion Naz wants to be fretting over her. He's had plenty of the world kicking his own butt with losing the Hollow and his missing father both.

ฝhen the full moon turns ฝhite

beetle felt a weird sensation, like a balloon inflating inside his chest, as nazonal acted... shifty. they were placating him. but he wasn't a baby, though he let out a very soft noise just like one, and reached out as though to touch the healing wounds - and stopped himself, his paw hovering, conflicted. "th-th-they look like claws," he whispered, barely a breath, not really able to comprehend why someone would put claws to nazonal to begin with, who meant so much to him.

he put his foot down very suddenly. "w-w-when i'm your age, and i'm big and st-strong, we can get married and no-nobody will hurt you," he decided. beetle had no idea how big he was going to be, but at the rate things were going, it could literally be the size of the mammoths they had taken down not too long ago. who knew. and frankly, nazonal being beaten up was unacceptable - and beetle had no idea how that whole marriage/mates thing worked anyway, so wasn't that a good deal? it had not occured to him at all that while he was ageing, so was everybody else.

@Nazonal

He picked up on the nature of the wounds, the rips of thick sturdy weapons. Nazonal swallowed and then nodded. They are. It was another lion. If she wanted to give him more details, they really couldn't. It had happened so fast, such a freak event. A reality of their world.

Aw Beetle you don't have to worry about... Record Scratch. Their lips paused mid way open in the midst of a sentence as the full weight of what @Beetle said fell on them. Married? Slowly her cheeks began to puff with held back laughter. the idea itself impossible but quite cute all the same. And his want to protect and keep her safe was admirable, he'd make someone a happy lion someday but it would not be her. Beetle, someday someone will be very lucky to marry you. But I think I'm a little too old for you. And it wouldn't be fair of me to steal you from whoever you're meant to be with. Nazonal had rarely viewed themself as old... but knowing she was the sae age as his mother definitely put her in the too old bucket.