Upon returning to the den, Neobi and Malaika had all eyes on them. It was past the dinner time for their family pride. Malaika barely noticed she was under surveilance by her father, but Neobi knew it and he had his head to the ground to prove he was feeling it. Just as he thought he was safe, Tendai cleared his throat loudly and it made Neobi's ears twitch. Adeola landed her hazel orbs on her brother and then her father, taking her leave as she knew better than to get in the middle of the dominant male and the runner-up for the same slot as his father.
"Where were you?" Tendai's voice boomed. Zuri had never liked it when her mate had talked that way with her adoptive son, so she made her way over to the dark-maned leader and rubbed her pelt with his to calm him down a tad. Neobi groaned out and rubbed his paw on his mane. He didn't dare look at his father's green eyes in fear that he would reveal everything.
"I just...lost track of the time".
Almost instantly, Malaika's cheeky voice chirped in and shared information that Neobi was trying to hide, exactly. "Neobi met a girl!" She giggled and fell to her side with a smile.
Thanks for looking out for me, sis.
The young adult looked at his father and mother who were looking at each other in disbelief. Neobi was never one to share if he liked someone or not. He didn't even tell his mother and father about who his friends were because he didn't like it when he was questioned so much. Made him feel uncomfortable and like he was being watched over all the time.
"Who's the poor female?" Afolabi's voice cut in. Neobi turned his head to look down at his cream colored brother, whom was smirking at his 'clever' comment.
"There's no female" Neobi quickly answered back. And he hoped this would end it all.
"Yes it is. It's princess Sethunya!" Malaika squealed.
"I don't like her!" Neobi roared. Though his roar was a booming match for his father's own, his brother and sister still laughed at him.
The dark male growled and weaved through his parents to get through and run off, away from the family home. Adeola who was lounging at the top of the hill watching the sunset near the family home watched her brother with his embarrassed face revealing all that they were trying to get out of him. She shook her head and put her head back down on her paws. Sometimes, she wished her siblings were a little more mature than that.
The young male came to a slow walk and caught his breath for a while. While resting his paws, the stomach that no food had graced started to growl like a crazy tiger and caught his ears. He hadn't eaten all day, and he was going to have to get something for himself if he wanted to ease his grumbling belly. His one of a kind purple hues dodged the plants and clouds over the hill and landed on the moving objects of meat; antelope meat. Neobi licked his lips and trotted down to where they were and there was tall enough grass to hide his form from scaring them off.
When he made it down there without any notice, he crouched down and readied himself by swaying his shoulders while low to the ground and grinded his claws into the dirt floor. Finally when his eyes had picked out the weakest, he launched out with a loud roar and gave chase to the quick little creatures. Out of his eye, he spotted a female running along side him. She hadn't noticed him until she saw him looking at her, and to his surprise it was none other than the youngest princess of the West pridelands.
"Princess?" He asked, coming to a complete halt and watching her run after the prancing antelopes. Neobi sat there almost in a complete daze upon seeing her again, but he snapped back when he saw her going after the same antelope as he was...but she failed more than he did. Her technique was all wrong, and she looked like she was throwing her body around to maybe have a grace of luck with catching the beast. He snorted a little, and smiled over in her direction to see her slow down and look at the ground in defeat.
My time to shine.
Neobi ran past her, giving her a smirk and galloped at the antelope once more. It was quick, but he was quicker. Luckily for him, it tripped over its own feet while it was going its top speed and gave him the perfect chance to sink his fangs into its chest, cutting off the last breaths of its life. When it fell limp, he let the head drop to the ground and looked over to the lioness, who was now making her way away from the scene with him and his catch. "You know...you can have it" he called out to her. Her ocean blue eyes looked behind her to him, seeing him stand beside the fresh kill and giving her an awkward smile. Sethunya smiled and walked over with her soft footsteps, and her bright smile beaming at him.
"I don't think I could take your kill" she replied.
"You tired it out for me" he tried to cover. Neobi smiled a fragile smirk and twitched his tail to see what she would say. Her response, a laugh and a "thank you".
The princess walked over to the kill and started to eat it, while Neobi walked up beside her and started to feast beside her.
Dinner with a princess...how lucky does one lion get? Especially when she's so pretty. But you know, not like I think like that about her or anything. Just saying.
"Thank you, Neobi" she said.
"What?" He shot his head up and looked down at her.
"Your name. That is it, isn't it?"
"Oh. Yeah, it is, but...how did you know it?"
She giggled. "Your sister called you that so I assumed it was alright for me to call you that?"
How proper could she have been to ask him if she could call him by his real name? She must have been the highest class of royalty to think she couldn't even afford that luxury to call him that. "Oh, yes. Of course, princess".
"Please...just call me Sethunya" she asked.
"Sethunya..." he smiled and looked down at her, matching her own smile.
"Neobi" she replied.
And of course what was the perfect thing to wreck the moment? Jelani calling to his sister, "Sethunya, come back now. It's getting dark".
She twisted her head to look to her caramel brother, "coming!" Sethunya looked back up at her hunting partner and he smiled down at her, nudging his head to her brother for her to go home. "Thank you for the food, Neobi".
The male looked to the side with a shrug, "no worries. Now go before your brother comes and gets you himself" he joked, obviously getting her approval because of her laugh and smile up at him.
"I hope to see you soon". She was sincere when she said that, making his cheeks erupt with red.
"Y-yeah. You too, I mean, I hope to see you again soon too".
She nodded at the babbling male, and trotted over to her brother who gave the large male across from him the dirtiest glare of dirty glares. Neobi snorted a little and continued to eat, ignoring the stare from her indecent brother and enjoying the thoughts of the princess' blue eyes. So unique, like her entire look all together. And her personality, too.