Secret Places {Private Hyper and Accalia}

[Accalia]

The pulling at Aleila's neck remained constant as the world around he fizzed into the bright white. Suddenly she felt the cool ground shuddered her body as it fell against the floor and a distant voice swirled in her head. The voice was distant and she murmured unintelligibly in a forgotten language, her eyes squeezing themselves shut as the sunlight burned her eyes through her eyelids. She felt two paws on her gently as the world around her changed and her eyes became accompanied to the blinding light.

It took several long moments before her drowsy head lifted itself and her eyes drifted open, the comforting figure of Xoren greeted her eyes and she gave a small sigh of relief, a nightmare, that was it, a silly fantasy that had played in her head. She rested her head back where it was and her thoughts began to wander for a bit before she whispered quietly to xoren "Good morning!" She gave him a small smile and combed her paw through her fringe with an absent minded attitude. She was still re living the nightmare and she still felt the distant memory of where the collar had rested.

[Hypercube]

"Good morning sleepy-head" Xoren said happily as Aleila awoke. She, while doing everything she could do hide it, was obviously still troubled by her nightmare as Xoren was his. As much as he wanted to he could not shake the feeling of that strange collar pressing against his neck, its dark intentions holding him in its grasp. Through his closed eyes he could see it too, the blackness that still infested both him and Aleila pulsating against their vibrant auras. "Did you sleep well?" Xoren continued as his eyes re-opened, deciding that it was not in his best interest to trouble Aleila with his nightmares, "Other than the dream I woke you from that is."

[Accalia]

Aleila gave Xoren a content smile and giggled lightly, she was relieved that the nightmare was over and she hoped it wouldn't come back. Xorens question caused her to stop, she didn't really know, she was well and rested now, an alive buzzing in her chest, but she felt as if she was still pulling on the tight chains and collar. She decided it would be best to tell Xoren the lighter truth "Yes, I'm ready for todays life!" she said with a light voice. The ordeals of yesterday were distant and Aleila did not miss them in any way. She gave a light exhale of air and remembered that she had slept upon Xorens shoulder, she leapt up, slightly blushing "Sorry for sleeping on you.." She wasn't sure why she felt so comfortable around Xoren, but she wasn't aloud to like him in that way, he had lost his daughter and his mate was dead, she had no chance. She rubbed her eyes before looking at Xoren again, and then to the morning sun, her eye strangely fine.

[Hypercube]

Xoren gave a slight chuckle at Aleila's apology and smirked playfully at her. "You don't have to be sorry he said with alacrity as he walked towards the mouth of the cave, "I guess I just make a good pillow!" Xoren hoped that Aleila would not notice the break in his speech that arose from his lack of words. He didn't know how to explain it but to him, her head resting on his body was a feeling that he his life had been devoid of for so long and he could not help but feel a sense of joy that it had returned even for just one night. "Well as you said it's time to get back to life" he said with a more serious yet still joyful tone as he looked to the sun that had just began its run across the sky, "so where shall we head off to now?"

[Accalia]

Aleila giggled at Xorens remark and said in reply "The best one I've had for months" a smile spreading across her maw. She rose and gave a long stretch and yawn, her sleeping muscles awakening with the movement. She walked to the mouth of the cave, being sure to keep distance between the pair of them. She looked across the surroundings "How about over there?" she gestured to a break in the familiar foliage that seemed to continue for quite a way. "It could be interesting." she added with a hint of wanting to her voice. She seemed to have developed a mild need to be active and to explore new places and feelings, she doubted herself that she would be able to survive on her own in the forest that she once called home, but that was now a distant memory, faded with the fog of death, she wasn't the same Aleila she once was. Her eyes looked from the floor to the sky and asked herself which was more beautiful, neither were extremely unusual that day, yet both were beautiful in their own way. She contemplated over this for the duration that she awaited to find an answer, but none came swiftly and so she stored the question away and looked to Xoren. Then she remembered what they had done together and she wanted to cry and laugh, but she didn't say a word. Her eyes shifted once again to the sky and she said quietly "I don't want this to end." she didn't know specifically what she was referring to, but she felt a need to say it, for she didn't. She didn't want her time with Xoren to come to a close, nor her time in life to stop. She didn't want the ending of anything to be made official. She turned to the ground and smiled, the songs of the grass filled her and she breathed it in, the world was content and so was she.

[Hypercube]

Xoren looked to Aleila and then into the direction she pointed, her voice filled with a desire to explore that Xoren himself felt too. "I agree" he responded as the wind blew in the direction of the break in the sameness, "It could be very interesting indeed." With this comment his head turned against the wind as he faced back towards the forest they had come from. He had no attachment to that space yet something told him the hallowed ground would forever be a place he could never return to. It was as if an unseen force pushed the pair away from the trees and grass that inhabited the blood-stained foliage and urged them to explore the world around them.

Xoren's ears perked up as Aleila spoke to him, feelings he didn't even know he had towards the situation flowing from her mouth. He did not know why he wanted this friendship to continue as strongly as he did but it was feeling he could not shake; not that he had any desire to. "Neither do I" he finally responded as his gaze turned back towards the opening they had decided upon. He lifted his sleepy paws off of the grass and set them down again, his legs finally beginning to reawaken as he stepped towards their next adventure and he looked back to his companion. "Well then" he said with a smile and a hint of desire in words, "shall we head off?"

[Accalia]

Xorens reply filled her, and she felt a soft smile slipping onto her maw. As he began to shuffle his paws she did the same, and when he asked if they should leave she was prepared to put her previous life far behind her and work towards a new one. A life she hoped Xoren would be a part of.

She turned and smiled back at Xoren's own grin, replying "Yes, I'm ready for a new adventure!" Slowly at first she began to move towards the breach in the tree line, then she sped to a short trot, and before long she was running at full speed towards the new land. The soft grass was still cold with the chill from the night before, the sun not yet warmed it fully. She checked for Xoren, trying her best to avoid staring back at the forest that she was trying her best to escape from. She would not go back though, no, she had decided that as soon as she had managed to exasperate from that fearful place.

The break in the tree line was further away then she originally imagined, and she soon found her legs tiring, but then she felt Xorens presence beside her and it was almost as if all pain deteriorated. She slowed to a fast walk and smiled to Xoren, her hair wind blown and her mis coloured eye more visible then normal. She looked back to the foliage, now able to see a little further down the break between the two walls of trees; it seemed to lead for quite a while, but it's path curved around a boulder and she was unable to see where the path led anymore.

"You still want to go through with this?" she asked Xoren quietly, not because she didn't want to go, but because she wasn't sure if this was the best course of action. She had always had a problem with making a disicion, which was part of why she had lived alone in those woods for so long.

[Hypercube]

Xoren smiled to Aleila as she replied and moved with her as she slowly turned towards the opening in the treeline. He jogged alongside her, a feeling of happiness overcoming him and a sense of adventure and discovery becoming the force that moved his still-tired paws over the ground. Before he was even aware of her speed Aleila had passed far ahead of him and he began to sprint, attempting to catch up as his paws slipped against the dewy grass beneath. As the two approached the break in vegetation he turned to her, his legs no longer ailed by fatigue, and smiled as the wind blew through their pelts. For a small moment, Xoren could see what it was she had been hiding behind that tuft of fur all this time; an eye that was far from the one he had known.

Before he could garner a better look at it Aleila's head turned as to observe the path ahead and he did as well. The path curved in the distance, hiding its direction from their eager eyes as the trees ahead swayed in a welcoming undulation. He faced Aleila as she posed her question, smiling at the now visible eye that she had hidden for so long. "Of course I do!" he said with excitement to combat her quiet proposition. "But," he continued with a grin, "before we go -- and I don't mean to intrude -- why have you been hiding that eye from me all this time?" He asked not because he believed she was hiding anything, but rather because he genuinely cared to know why she felt it was necessary.

[Accalia]

The excitement in Xorens answer filled Aleila, and she couldn't help but smile. However, as he brought up the subject of her eye she froze. He wasn't allowed to know about the corrupted pigments of that eye, she was disgraced by it, and had been hated for her mismatch pair of eyes. She couldn't help but stare at him though, he was smiling? He had seen her eye, and was smiling?? It shook her that he could see it and not be angry, or scared or something?!

She looked to the ground, too afraid to look into his face, afraid that he would see tears forming. She pulled her fringe back in front of her eye, replying "I hid it, because it shows the monster part of me, and that's not who I want to be. Ever since I was a cub I have been told to hide it from others, or they will cast me out. I guess it didn't really matter, they did anyway, but I don't want you to have to know that the monster is always present, so I hide it." Aleila then looked up at Xoren, a small smile trying to hide the hurt in her eye.

"I don't want it to change anything." She said after a moment, tears now streaming down her cheeks. She made a small disapproving sound and tried to wipe away her tears, she wasn't weak, she wouldn't cry about this. The cold around her feet seemed to seep into her legs and up her spine, she suddenly felt extremely cold, and even though Xoren was right in front of her, he felt so distant. She just wanted to close the gap between them and stay there while she could, but she didn't want to move.

[Hypercube]

    Xoren's smile dropped from his face as she looked to the ground and was replaced with a look of concern as she spoke. As the words left her mouth Xoren felt pain that she tried to hide in her expression and saw the tears slowly forming in her eyes as she covered the eye once again. The false smile that Aleila attempted to show did not trick Xoren, the distress she felt coming off clearly in her words. He moved to the lion who was now trying to wipe the tears from her cheeks and laid his head across her shoulder as he spoke to her.

    "It doesn't change anything" he whispered into her ear with an assuring tone before moving back and helping her clean the tears fro her fur. "It's a part of who you are" he said with the same tone as he looked into her non-hidden eye, "and there is no reason you should be ashamed of it. Those who tell you that it is something that you have to hide and be ashamed of were just scared of what they didn't and still don't understand." Xoren's paw lifted Alerila's muzzle up, bringing her eyes to his level as he smiled. "You don't have to hide anything from me" the male said to her, "if you did than we wouldn't have a true friendship like I believe we do. It's okay if you don't want to tell me just yet," he said as he reached for her fringe slowly as to allow any interjection from Aleila "but just know that you don't have to hide any part of yourself from me."

[Accalia]

His soft words slowly warmed her, and as her tears were whipped away, but she couldn't stop them all together. As he lifted her maw, she was hesitant to meet his eyes, but she could feel his gaze on her and couldn't help but look back at him.

His soft smile made her feel so warm inside, and as the last of her tears trickled down her cheek she gave him a small, but genuine, smile.

As he reached for her fringe she made no move to stop him, she didn't want to hide anything from Xoren anymore; he meant too much to her. So, as her fringe was pulled away from her eye, she continued looking into his eyes, letting his words echo around in her head. Allowing herself to trust Xorens word, she was able to relax and feel completely at ease around him.

"I don't want to hide from you anymore," she whispered in reply.

She could feel her heart racing, and all she could think about was Xoren, and everything seemed to slip away into the background: where they were heading, her past, the pain she'd gone though. It all seemed so irrelevant in that moment. It was just the pair of them.

[Hypercube]

"I'm glad" Xoren said sincerely as he moved her fringe to the right side of her head. He could feel her heart racing and watched her thoughts trail as he stared at her, wanting nothing more than to be there for her. His own eyes wandered to her newly uncovered eye as he gazed into its deep white. Nothing, not even a pupil, interrupted its color and Xoren unconsciously tilted his head in fascination.

"Aleila," he said to her as he continued to look into the eye, "I understand if you would rather not but could you explain to me what this eye is all about?" Xoren knew he was pushing her boundaries but he also knew this type of resistance far too well. If he could get her to open up now it may still be painful, but not as painful as opening the would again in the future.

[Accalia]

She watched as Xorens head tilted to an angle, she could tell his eyes were focused on her own, but she tried not to feel self conscious, she knew she could trust Xoren. She just found it hard to stay there, her eye in full view, her demon in full view.

His question made her think for a moment, and said slowly, as she tried to figure out which words to use, "My eye has been here ever since I was cub, but back then the killer part of me hadn't really developed fully, so I still had a pupil. But then the killer grew. By the first time she made an appearance, and tore out in a fit of anger my pupil had almost fully faded back into the white of my eye. I cant really see out of it either, which is why its not so bad having my fringe there.. But I hate the killer part of me, which is why I hide it." She trailed off, still looking into Xorens eyes softly.

She felt surprisingly at ease, at the words came easily as she felt the heat of the sun on her back.

[Hypercube]

Xoren listened as she explained herself, the words slowly but surely becoming easier to say. He couldn't think of this 'killer' side Aleila explained; it didn't seem like she was referring to just the act of killing but rather some sort of other being within her. Xoren remembered back to the day he first met the lioness and when he looked into her aura and saw the small hint of red hiding beneath her vibrant yellow soul.

"This... killer part of you" Xoren replied, being sure to use only the words she herself had, "you act as if it isn't part of you but rather... a different you. It grows, it gets stronger and weaker, but it doesn't seem to control you so why do you hate it?" He asked his question frankly and sternly before adding to it. "I mean, it isn't always a bad thing to kill another living creature" he said as the sun warmed his fur and shined in his eyes, "like Kantu. That lion meant to kill both you and I so killing him was the only logical solution. It isn't always what we want to do and it may be against our moral code, but death is a part of life just like this 'killer' side of you is a piece of you."

[Accalia]

She listened to Xoren as he replied, his words carefully chosen. Her eyes begin to glisten over with water, but no tears fell. She felt as if, maybe, just maybe, if she could learn to accept the killer, that possibly she could then grow to control it and make it a part of herself that she could accept and be proud of.

Xoren was right, killing wasn't always bad. Infact in some cases it could be justified and perceived as correct, for example, as he said, when he killed Kantu, it was the only logical solution to save both their lives.

"I hate it, because I can't control it. And it has previously made me kill the innocent. And.." She trailed off, her eyes becoming even more foggy as she looked back to the ground. "I hate it because I could end up becoming just like Kantu, and hurting you." A single tear fell from her eyes as she looked up at Xoren, her eyes full of pain, but the rest of her face expressionless.

"I can't bare the thought of hurting you, you've helped me through so much, and I owe you everything." Her voice was only a little over a whisper, her body slouched and her white underfur glistening slightly as it reflected the mid-day sunlight. Everything was quite, but the rustling of the distant trees.

[Hypercube]

Xoren listened to his friend's explanation, each word expressing the agony that he could already read in her eyes. "The past in just that: what has already happened" he said with a matching whispered tone as he smiled at her, "The only thing we can change is what we do as time slowly ticks forward." As he spoke, he broke his eye contact with Aleila and stared to the leaves on the trees outlining their path away from the forest as they danced in the breeze. "I think I have only one more question:" he continued, knowing her answer before he even asked the question, "would you hurt me?"

[Accalia]

Xorens words reassured her and she felt a little stronger, and less like crying. His smile was so warm, and as he looked away she looked back to the ground. A shaky sigh left her lips and she lifted a paw to her cheek, wiping away the wet path on her fur that her tear had left.

His sudden question was something Aleila had thought a lot about. It had scared her at first, the thought that she could possibly turn on him with hatred and hurt him, or worse. However, she knew she couldn't do it, no matter what part of her was dominant. She would never do anything to hurt Xoren.

She finally looked up at him "Xoren.. I promise that I will never hurt you," she whispered, her eyes glinting in the sunlight. Her only promise. That would be the one promise she made. Generally she didn't tend to promise things to people, or even herself, but this promise she knew she would keep.

[Hypercube]

"I know" Xoren said with a smile before turning towards the open expanse that was set ahead of them. "Look at what we have ahead of us!" he exclaimed in an attempt to rekindle the carefree dynamic the two had together, "A land full of infinite possibilities; nothing to hold us back... It's liberating to have this freedom again isn't it?" he asked as he walked a bit further into the seemingly endless expanse of savanna. "There's only one problem..." he said feigning a more serious tone as he looked towards the ground before looking back up to Aleila and giving a playful smirk. "...where do head to now?"

[Accalia]

Aleila returned Xorens smile and took a deep before joining him in looking to what lay ahead. She laughed then, lightly, but she felt as if the pair of them could grow closer now she didn't have to hide from him. She nodded "The only holding us back is how fast our legs can carry us," she said cheerfully, acting as if nothing had just happened. As he stepped forward she followed him a pace, but with his more serious tone she too became more serious, even a little panicked. His playful smirk, however, let her relax and she gave a genuine smile. "This way! We'll chase the sun until we find adventure, or we find that we can run no more." She smiled and began bounding towards the sun, that had begun its decent towards it resting place among the gently sloping savannah.

Aleila felt a lot more at peace, not caring if her fringe blew back from her eye, and feeling as if she really could trust Xoren with anything. She felt accepted, and it was one of the greatest feelings she had ever had.

[Hypercube]

Xoren followed Aleila towards the Eastern unknown, a smile in his face as he tried to keep up with the bounding cat. He hadn't seen her this carefree since they had met and it was something he was joyed to see. The fringe that she tried so hard to keep in front of her mismatched eye was now flowing in the breeze, it's white surface reflecting the light from the sun it most likely hadn't seen in far too long. Xoren took a backseat role for now, allowing Aleila to relish in this moment while his paws simply followed the steps of those in front of him for as long as they wished to run.

[Accalia]

Aleila laughed as she ran, trying her best to forget all the seriousness of the previous conversation. Xoren accepted her. That was all she needed, now she felt as if she was capable of running half way across Africa, nothing standing in her way! She looked back at Xoren as she ran, a large smile wide across her face. In some respects it was odd to see it there, it had been quite some time since Aleila had smiled quite as wide as this, but it oddly fit her.

She continued to run, towards what she was unaware, uncaring almost. The sun warmed her back and Xorens friendship warmed her heart. She was comeplete and a firey pit of joy filed her as the grass beneath her feet slipped away behind her.

~

They had been running for quite some time before Aleila's breath came short and she slowly resumed to a walking pace. They had made quite a big headway on where they were headed, as they could no longer see the exit of the forest and a totally new land lay before them.

The sun had left the sky quite some time ago, but whisperes of its light still filled the air with orange; however it would soon be night.

Aleila looked to Xoren and smiled, still catching her breath. "That was fun." she took one last especially deep breath before trying to calm her breathing. She looked up to the sky and said suddenly It's going to become dark soon though.. Should we try to find shelter or just try our luck here?"

[Hypercube]

Xoren slowed to a walk as Aleila did, their long run finally catching up them. The forest was but a speck in the distance -- not really even visible -- and the seemingly endless unknown stretched out in front of them. It had been too long since Xoren had been out of that forest; he had assumed he would simply stay there for the remainder of his life. As much as Aleila was thankful to him, he was thankful to her for finally freeing him from that rut and, in a way, saving his life.

The sun had been past the horizon for a while but its light still hugged the earth with rays of its deep oranges and reds. Xoren looked to Aleila, returning her smile as he too panted in an attempt to restore his berating to its normal pace. At her question, Xoren looked to his surroundings, the features of the area slowly fading as the last of the twilight disappeared. "There doesn't seem to be much in terms of shelter out here;" he said as his breath finally came to a steady pace before looking back to his companion with a smile, "it seems that the stars will be our bastion tonight."

[Accalia]

She smiled, looking up to the warm hue of colours stretched across the sky "Lets just hope it doesn't rain on us." She smiled and gave a short laugh, thinking about the infortune that it would be if it did indeed rain. She stretched her front paws as far as they would go, and gave a brief yawn. The light was quickly vanishing and she could feel her stomach writhing in fits of hunger. One of these fits was audible and she gave a shy smile to Xoren before saying "I think I'm going to need to go hunt before its dark.. How are you feeling?"

Pre-emptively, Aleila lifted her head to the wind, desperate for any sign of prey. *Maybe there isn't anything to eat out here..* she shook her head dismissively, there had to be something, even if it was just a mouse.

[Hypercube]

Xoren's stomach growled as if to respond to Aleila's question itself and an amused smile crossed his maw as he nodded in agreement. As the light faded quickly he looked to his surroundings which were devoid of anything worth mentioning. "Which direction would you like to go?" he asked his companion as she sniffed the air. He knew what she was thinking; the thought had crossed his mind as well and he too dismissed it with optimism.

[Accalia]

She gave a slightly concerned expression before pulling a slightly more immature one and spinning around in a circle and suddenly stopping, her body now facing east "How about this way??" she said with an almost childish tone. She couldn't smell anything, and so this way would probably be a good a way as any. "But then again you are the one lion I've met that can build your own fires. So which way do you want to go?" She still found it a little difficult to remember those around her and their skill after having to rely on herself for so long, but she was honestly hoping Xoren could smell something, and would know which way to go. She stopped for a moment and thought; she'd never actually seen Xoren hunt, only ever fight, then wondered if he was a good a hunter as he was a fighter.

[Hypercube]

The horizon that surrounded them was barren save the jungle canopy they had just left which barely peeked over the horizon and some small patches of trees in scattered directions. "Well were there are trees there's water" Xoren said as his eyes jumped from each far-off spot of foliage to the next, "our best plan of action would be to start off in one of those directions and hope we can find something to eat. If we're lucky we might also find some more flint to start another fire should we need it."

As he spoke, the wind began to pick up from the east, carrying along with it the faint but recognizable smell of prey. "I think I can smell something that way" he said as he looked to the most easterly trees. "Shall we?" he asked with a smile and a small step forward.

[Accalia]

Aleila nodded eagerly and began to plod along behind Xoren. "Hey Xoren, whats it like having family? Im sorry if its a sensitive topic, but I can barely remember my birth pride. It sounds nice to have a community all caring for eachother."

She continued walking, watching the landscape around her darken as night time approached. It was oddly beautiful. She'd never been aware of the beauty of night, she use to miss the glistening of her pool, and the safety of the day. Now, though, she felt a sort of deep unknowing surrounding her, there was so much to explore and discover. It was so alluring.

[Hypercube]

Xoren was a bit taken aback by her question at first but soon after he smiled and looked back to the lion that followed in his wake.

"It's... something that's very hard to describe accurately," he began as he racked his brain for the right words. "Having family is like having an entire second reason for life. All creatures, from the smallest ant to the largest lion have an innate desire to live for the sake of living but having family adds a new dimension to the will to survive. Not only are you living for yourself, you're living for the sake of others too." As he spoke a few tears began to form in his eyes without his notice and his voice slowly became more somber in tone.

"Soon enough, family becomes the primary reason you live, the reason you fight to survive against any and all odds..." he continued as his steps grew more weary. "And when its then that you know you've found love... true, unbreakable love..." He had stopped at this point and his tears began to fall to the ground. "Oh Sola... Avanti... why did you have to leave me..."

[Accalia]

As Xoren slowed to a walk and his pain soaked words flooded her ears Aleila matched his pace and his pain began to flow within her. She pressed her soft face against his neck, unsure of what to say to reassure him. The soft patter of salt water against the ground rang out in a symphony of trauma and Aleila couldn't stop her own eyes from glazing over.
"I'm.. I'm so sorry Xoren.. her own voice but a mew.
She sat, wishing she hadn't brought this on him by asking about family and prides. It caused her sorrow seeing Xoren like this, and so slowly she placed her paw on his and leaned against his shoulder, trying to show him that she was there for him, unable to say the words. The quiet whisperings of grass waved gently beneath her and she let its sound fill her with melancholy thoughts.

[Hypercube]

Xoren was somewhat caught of guard by the Aleila's touch but as his tears continued to fall he could do nothing to stop his head from leaning down to meet hers. He had heard her soft apology and he wished to respond bu he simply couldn't and before he knew it he too was sitting with her, the feeling of her fur the only truth in the world. When her paw broke through his limited reality he moved closer towards her, the tears now staining her fur with dark spots. It was as the wind passed through their collective manes that he finally realized what had been staring him in the face all along and with a voice still tremoring he began to speak:

"Aleila... I'm aware I've said these words before but... thank you." He raised his paw as he spoke to do to her as he did to him before removing his head from hers and looking into her eyes. "I think I've found a brand new member of my family; one that I never could have anticipated and one that saved me from the deep abyss I've been trapped within for many years." With this statement he looked to the sky "and while I wish my old life never had to slip through time's hourglass, I'm honored to have this second chance. Aleila" he said as he looked back to her, "I think I..." Though he tried Xoren could not retrieve those last two words from his brain, as if some barrier held them from him as he continued to tear.