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Post by Lyonize on Sept 11, 2017 18:05:12 GMT
Zoba's paws splashed through the shallow water as he trotted upstream. The cool water felt good on his sun-warmed fur. Soon, the sun was setting once again, and with the night, came rain clouds. The orange glow of dusk was soon covered by gray clouds and a light, peaceful sprinkle of rain.
"We'll have to stop and rest for the night. But we'll arrive tomorrow morning for sure." Zoba said. His mane was getting slowly wetter and wetter. Parts of it clung to his shoulders. The rain wasn't uncomfortable. It was a warm shower with no wind.
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Post by saraiya on Sept 11, 2017 18:50:34 GMT
Kela nods and shakes some of the water off of her, despite getting wet all over again. "Do you know of any nearby shelters?"
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Post by Lyonize on Sept 12, 2017 5:43:52 GMT
"I don't know. I don't recognize anything around here. Let's look around." Zoba padded along the stream which was now peppered with ripples from the raindrops.
Eventually, the river made an odd turn and at the inside corner of it was a pair of boulders framing a hill that stopped abruptly over the water. On top was a beautiful tree with twisting, spiraling roots that reached down the rocks. The tree and its roots created a ceiling that kept most of the rain out.
Zoba looked at Kela with a smile and walked into the shelter. The sand was soft and the sound of the rainfall and the gentle rolling of thunder was soothing. His eyelids grew heavier as he laid next to Kela.
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Post by saraiya on Sept 12, 2017 11:21:44 GMT
Kela sighs with content as she curls her body closer to Zoba's and yawns tiredly. "Goodnight, my love."
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Post by Lyonize on Sept 13, 2017 0:40:06 GMT
Zoba reached a paw around the lioness, holding her close as she yawned and bade him good night.
"Goodnight, my love."
Zoba's heart began to beat harder as her words set in. He brought his muzzle to her ear and nuzzled it gently. "Good night, my love." He cooed as he brushed his paw through her fur lovingly.
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Post by saraiya on Sept 13, 2017 0:53:05 GMT
Kela smiles and slowly falls asleep against him as his paws moves through her fur.
When she awakens the next morning, she feels Zoba's steady breathing near her and she turns her head to lightly lick his cheek. "Wake up, Zoba. We should leave soon." She whispers near his ear.
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Post by Lyonize on Sept 13, 2017 1:04:54 GMT
Kela's words echoed in his semi-conscious head and the lick on his cheek felt half real as he slowly awoke. "Mmmmfff..." He groaned and squinted his eyes at the daylight. The lion blinked and caught Kela's beautiful green eyes as his lips curled into a smile. "One of these days, I'm going to wake up before you. Then I'll get to watch you wake up." Zoba's deep morning voice filled the air and he remembered the rain from last night. It had stopped but the river was now flowing a bit faster and had risen noticeably.
"Let's go, then. We should be there just before dusk I think."
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Post by saraiya on Sept 13, 2017 1:34:29 GMT
She laughs a bit and licks him again. "Maybe tomorrow, but not today." She winks playfully at him and stands up, brushing his large paw off her body and stretching. Kela then looks worriedly at the rising water. "Is this safe, Zoba? I trust you, but water isn't always reliable."
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Post by Lyonize on Sept 13, 2017 2:58:19 GMT
"Hmm. You're right. We should stay clear of the water as much as we can." Zoba said, worriedly. But as he paced back and forth along the river's edge, he began to realize it was going to be difficult getting out of this spot. The large boulders that were their shelter last night now blocked their escape. The bend of the river had widened enough that there was no space between its edge and the wall of rocks and dirt that now formed a small ravine.
Zoba was immediately discouraged. They were so close and now they faced a potentially dangerous situation. Worse was the thought that it was his fault. He chose this spot to rest. They could've easily drowned if the rain was any more intense. How could he have been so careless? He sighed.
"Kela. We may have to swim a bit. I can't find a way onto the high ground from here." His tone was somber as he explained their situation to her.
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Post by saraiya on Sept 13, 2017 3:06:25 GMT
"I understand." Kela nods at his words and noticing how his face showed somberness with flashes of guilt. "You know the way better than I, so I'll follow you, okay? I promise I'll stay close." She says as she looks at the water's edge. "We've faced several situations more dangerous than this. We'll get through this like we always do."
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Post by Lyonize on Sept 13, 2017 3:17:40 GMT
With Kela's words, Zoba regained his confidence, though his caution he kept. "Alright. Maybe we can back-track a little. There were shallower spots further back without these boulders blocking us."
Zoba placed a paw into the rushing water and waited for Kela to come closer. He could feel her brush against his tail. "Here we go." He said over his shoulder. With that, he trudged further into the water, trying to keep a paw on the rocks and dirt that formed the barrier holding the water back.
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Post by saraiya on Sept 13, 2017 3:38:34 GMT
Kela follows close behind him, the water still making her uneasy but she's confident that they can both get through it. "How far through the water are we going?"
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Post by Lyonize on Sept 13, 2017 4:27:01 GMT
"Hopefuly not too far. Just far enough to find a spot to climb out." They followed the rushing water downstream, each step taking them into deeper water. It was becoming more and more difficult to keep from being swept away by the water. Zoba, being quite large was having some difficulty, but then it dawned on him that Kela was smaller and might be struggling. Zoba worriedly checked over his shoulder to see how she was doing.
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Post by saraiya on Sept 13, 2017 4:37:34 GMT
Even though it was difficult, Kela barely manages from being swept away by the water. Her claw are out and are practically gripping the loose sand and pebbles at the bottom. She momentarily looses footing and the water pushes her almost roughly into Zoba's back.
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Post by Lyonize on Sept 13, 2017 5:09:57 GMT
Zoba lost what little grip he had on the river bed when Kela was pushed into him. Luckily, there was a large rock under the surface that he was able to stop himself with. An outstretched front leg kept Kela from being swept past him. With the small break, Zoba looked ahead for a possible spot to climb out. Sure enough, just a bit further down, there was a boulder jutting out into the river. From there, they'd only have to mantle over a few rocks and they'd be out of the gully.
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Post by saraiya on Sept 13, 2017 10:37:35 GMT
Holding on to his leg, Kela spots the boulder and makes the connection to a possible passage for them to use. "I think the water can push us to that boulder." She says, her breathing a bit heavy from exertion.
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Post by Lyonize on Sept 13, 2017 17:41:47 GMT
With a leap of faith, Zoba pushed off the submerged rock and allowed the water to carry him with Kela clinging to him. His aim was good but stopping himself against the current was proving difficult. His muscles tensed as his claws tried to dig into the stone. Inch by inch, his claws dragged, If he couldn't pull himself out soon, he'd be swept away again.
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Post by saraiya on Sept 13, 2017 19:57:42 GMT
"I'm sorry but bare with me." Kela says loud enough for him to hear. Still clinging to him, she ensures that her claws are out and slowly climbs up his larger body and onto the boulder. Turning, she quickly bites down on the back of his mane and attempts to pull him up with as much strength as she can't without falling back into the water.
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Post by Lyonize on Sept 14, 2017 4:26:28 GMT
As soon as she began climbing him, Zoba knew what her plan was. She was stronger than she looked, but Zoba already knew that. With her tugging on his mane, their combined strength was enough to lift him out of the water that dragged his massive form downstream.
As soon as he had his paws firmly planted on the rock, Zoba let out a sigh of relief and slumped against the next precipice leading to the high ground. He stared at Kela momentarily.
"I love you." He panted. It was all that came to his mind.
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Post by saraiya on Sept 14, 2017 4:32:08 GMT
"I love you, too." Kela smiles at him happily, despite being exhausted from the earlier exertion. She vaguely realizes that this was the first time they directly said that they love each other to one another.
"After we catch our breath, we should keep moving, yeah? I want to see your paradise." She leans down and gently nuzzles the top of his head.
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Post by Lyonize on Sept 14, 2017 4:39:07 GMT
It wasn't until Jela repeated the phrase back to him that this was the first time either of them had said 'I love you.'
"After we catch our breath, we should keep moving, yeah? I want to see your paradise."
Zoba nuzzled her back. "I already found it." He said as he stood back up and smiled, gazing into Kelas green eyes.
With a swift leap, Zoba was up on the grassy precipice that overlooked the now rushing water. As Kela joined him, they walked together, shoulder to shoulder, sharing the occasional glance at one another.
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Post by saraiya on Sept 14, 2017 4:49:38 GMT
Kela can't help the warm feeling that spread through her when he somewhat called her his paradise. With an almost energetic bounce in her step, she walks next to Zoba as close as she can without accidentally getting them both tripped up. Kela looks up at Zoba after a few moments. "How will we know when we're there? Are there any landmarks or something?"
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Post by Lyonize on Sept 17, 2017 0:57:51 GMT
Zobas memories transported him back to his cubhood as he recalled what Eden looked like. He was excited to be coming to it from this dierction. It was going to be spectacular.
He smiled. "You'll see."
(Sorry I've been taking a while to respond. I've been pretty busy. Theyll arrive at Eden in my next post but it's going to be a big one so I'll type that one out at my computer. )
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Post by saraiya on Sept 17, 2017 1:57:39 GMT
Kela raises an eyebrow at him but grins and continues to follow his lead.
(I'm just glad you're okay! I love your in-depth descriptions so yay!)
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Post by Lyonize on Sept 17, 2017 21:43:09 GMT
(Haha, thank you!)
As they followed the river, the land came to an incline. There were places where the water was calm and places where the water rushed downward, through a rocky zig-zag. It lead them to small ponds where the river collected before continuing on in one direction or another. Finally, the slope jutted upward. A steep cliff framed a waterfall. This was the first location Zoba remembered from when he was a cub. Smooth rocks made a wide river bed where the falling water splashed down. The water was only a few inches deep and it flowed gently in one direction where it became the river they had been following.
Zoba stepped out into the wide, glistening flow. At the right angle, it looked like he was walking on the surface of the water toward the water fall. With a smile, he beckoned Kela to follow him. With her by his side, he held his breath and shut his eyes as he lunged through the waterfall. On the other side was a natural cave similar to the one Kela showed him, but this one was narrower and reached further and further back and at an incline. A trickle of a stream ran down the center, joining the torrential waterfall behind them. Beams of light rolled down through cracks above, illuminating the tunnel just enough. As they padded further into it, small trickles of water from the river above ran down the walls to join the stream in the center. Small and large steps upward brought them finally to the end of the tunnel. An opening in the ground above, shaded by the branches of trees and bushes next to the river. Behind them, they could see the top of the cliff and waterfall they had just found minutes before.
"Uriah fell into that hole when we were cubs. That's how we found the cave." Zoba reminisced. Then he focused again on the journey ahead. "We're not there yet... Almost. But not yet." Kela followed Zoba's gaze toward a gray mountain. The source of the river. Large, rocks jutted out along the incline, giving it an almost menacing look. At the top, two impossibly steep peaks pointed at the sky.
Their path up the mountain twisted and turned until it ended at the base between the two seemingly solid pieces of stone. It almost appeared to be a sandy courtyard at the mouth of yet another cave, this with somehow more elegant features. The stones were smooth and curvy instead of jagged and rough. As they entered, they could hear the sound of birds, an odd sound to be heard inside a cave. But as they padded through, grasses and vines began to turn the cave green. The two greatest sources of light lay behind them, and ahead of them, but there was a faint glow from above. Zoba gestured upward with his eyes. There was no ceiling to the cave anymore. Tree roots and vines created a lattice above, just tall enough for a giraffe to reach. There, the source of the chirping came in the form of red, blue, and green birds.
Zoba nuzzled Kela's neck. "We're almost there. Come on!" He said, darting further in. The opening above them closed off once more and the cave widened into a broad, oval opening. The water they were following upward now flowed gently down before them and disappeared under a curtain of vines and leaves. The bright sun on the other side made it impossible to see through, but it made a spectacular glow that silhouetted Zoba gloriously as he looked back at her. Beams of light seemed to streak off his mane, dancing on the walls behind them.
"Welcome to Happy Valley."
Zobas voice echoed and reverberated ethereally and he stepped through the vines.
What lay before them was simply the most beautiful, lush landscape imaginable. The rocks below their feet dissipated into short, thick green grass that corralled the water back into individual streams. The grassy hills rolled gently down into a valley of green grass and all kinds of trees. The mountains they had just passed through continued to either side and eventually began to wrap around the valley off in the distance before melding into the ground. A single, wide river burst forth in the distance off to their right and a series of winding curves, forks, and waterfalls lead it to a lake that mirrored the cyan sky above. The barely cloudy expanse turned orange at the horizon the sun drifted ever slowly toward.
Overcome with emotion and nostalgic bliss, Zoba's eyes began to well-up with joyful tears as he smiled, feeling the sun warm his mane and face. He looked deeply into Kela's green eyes, gave her muzzle a lick, and hugged her. "Thank you for coming here with me." He whispered. He held her for another moment and then released her as he trotted down the hill, looking back at her, smiling. A playful laugh escaped his muzzle as they ran down the hills, dotted with flowers and moss-covered rocks. Zoba was in heaven with his angel, and he had never been happier in his life.
(Welcome to Happy Valley. It's the setting of a series of bedtime stories my grandpa used to tell me. It's how I always imagined heaven. I'm actually pretty excited to bring someone else into this corner of my imagination. haha)
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Post by saraiya on Sept 18, 2017 1:08:34 GMT
Even though the path seemed confusing, it was also wondrous and exciting to see the sights the path offered. The more they traveled, the more she remained intrigued. By the time they reached the place, she was in absolute awe by the scenery around them.
Even though she was running with him down the hill, she still tried to look around and winds up losing her footing and rolls down the side of the hill covered with lush grass, giggling uncontrollably on the way down. When she rolls to a stop and lays on her back, she takes heavy breaths with a happy smile on her face. "This place is unbelievably gorgeous. I feel like this is a dream."
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Post by Lyonize on Oct 18, 2017 2:03:00 GMT
(Wow I can't believe it's taken me a month to get back to this. I'm so sorry for the delay. It's been kind of a crazy month.)
"Most of my dreams are of this place." Zoba said, almost whispering as he sighed. His big orange eyes looked up at her as he laid on his back.
Suddenly, they heard a rustling in the trees.
"I think the locals know we're here already." He smiled as he began to get back onto his paws. "We should say hello."
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Post by saraiya on Oct 18, 2017 3:11:00 GMT
(It's okay. Real life first  "Do you have friends here?" Kela asks, rolling back onto her paws and stretches, then moves closer to his side. |
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Post by Lyonize on Oct 18, 2017 5:19:54 GMT
"I used to. I certainly hope I still do."
Zoba strode on, into the trees and along a series of desire lines in the grass. The sunlight shot down through the leaves in orange beams that angled toward them. Soon, the small, beaten path was joined by others until the clearing they walked along was wide enough for a pride to pass through. The end of the little forest came like a light at the end of a tunnel. Zoba and Kela stepped out onto the grassy hills that gently flowed down to the waterhole Zoba remembered so fondly. Animals of all kinds wandered around, grazing or picking fruit off of the trees.
As the two lions made their way onto the grasslands, the animals recognized their presence. They were surprised, but somehow, not alarmed. Some whispered to others and a few dashed away, supposedly to tell others. Zoba couldn't tell if they recognized him or if they were just that surprised to see a pair of new faces here, let alone, a couple of lions.
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Post by saraiya on Jan 25, 2018 2:00:48 GMT
(I'M SORRY I DISAPPEARED AGAIN MY LIFE GOT HECTIC BUT NOW I'M BACK T-T)
Kela follows closely behind Zoba, still marveling at the lush green scenery and the animals that seemed to look at them more with curiosity than fear or suspicion. A place like this, she understands why he calls it a paradise. And now it's their paradise.
"Can you show me some of your favorite places here? I feel like you have some great stories about this place, too." Kela moves up to walk by his side and muzzles his shoulder as the move.
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Also added Christmassy snow and banner :3
