A Lark Is Not Always A Bird...

What She Tastes Like...



Yes, such anatomical terms applied. And Kimba just so happened to be very aware of other anatomical "terms"... both his and hers. That "zing" when her tail snugged against his. So much focused on her, fur and shroudruff so fluffed... breakfast so forgotten... her pose and words led him to also cock his head, though slightly to the left, so he could keep his eyes locked with hers...
 
... "Hmmm... perhaps I was mistaken. I'll need another taste..." He returned sly smile for sly smile, then grabbed a quick lick between her nostrils... "Nope, not like chicken..." He moved a bit, then licked her cheek... "Not like strawberries..." Head tilted down, lick given to throat... "Not like whipped cream..." Head continued to drop, lick now to chest... "... or waffles......."
 
Heh... if Avira didn't do something very soon, it looked like Kimba would reach "ground floor".......
 
....... Though somewhere, deep inside, a "Little Voice" kept telling him "Not so fast!"
 
She let him have his fun for a moment, but as he descended her figure, she tensed slightly and her tail whipped up and around on instinct as a pure reflex and swatted him across his muzzle, just enough to sting a little but cause no injury. She did this in a somewhat humorous manner, but also with a hint of defensiveness, like she threw up a big red wall in front of him to mark the fine line that separated their current little romance and what could pass for a proposal.

She stuck her tongue out at him and wedged another square of waffles into her mouth and straightening her posture that much further, a small grin dominating her features after the charade had met its end and she let it slip her mind. She wouldn't be upset that he'd tested his limits with her, in fact she found such a bold move to further snag her attention and affection towards him.

"Nice try Romeo... It's not that easy."
 
Not Easy...



Kimba never made it to "Reese's Pieces". It wasn't due to his "Little Voice" getting bigger. Licking Avira, just too much fun for him to really listen. Not easy? Those first four tastes had come so frightfully easy, he almost scared himself into wetting his non-existent pants. After that fourth lick, only her tail's tuft kept his tongue from going all the way down. Her swat across his muzzle, a reminder she had limits. A wake-up call. No, not all that easy!
 
To be honest, Kimba didn't want it any other way. Didn't mean he wouldn't try! After all, he'd been challenged! There would come a day when him and her would go all the way. If such was to be.......
 
Right now, Kimba didn't want to think of that alternate possibility.
 
So, as Avira turned to her own waffle, so did he return to his. A gulp of coffee, to soothe his excitement. Heh... probably not a good idea. Caffeine. Sugar. Hormones. Bad mix. Perhaps.
 
A deep sigh. Contentment. Tingle below the belt still present. Felt so good! Warm smile, not toothy grin on face. Tongue briefly out...
 
... "Avira..." Bite of waffle half raised, his tail tightened with hers... "Would you like to go out on a lark with me? I could..." He turned eyes down to waffle fragment, ate it, set fork on plate... "I could show you some places I've been... you could help me find more metal bits. I... I could make you something special......."
 
Well, there went any surprise. But Kimba didn't want to keep anything from her.
 
Avira herself about to get another generous bite of her food, stopped and set it down, her eyes widened and her expression blank for a moment save for the twinge of bewilderment and her being a bit startled by the question and even more so by the stuttering. That just dropped the hint that he was nervous and had butterflies in his heart as well as his gut if anything at all.

But she didn't spend too long thinking about it, and if their tails became any more tightly intertwined the circulation would be cut off from both of them but at the moment she didn't care. She'd practically been asked out on a date, more or less. At least that;s just what clicked in her mind.

A big smile soon spread across her muzzle and she turned her head to look at him, her eyes bright with excitement and her figure seeming to radiate with joy. She suddenly tackled him to the floor, and she gave his nose a big wet lick, nuzzling into him. She'd only been on one or two leaves from the homeworld herself, and she knew this would be exciting, she always enjoyed a good adventure.

"That's a wonderful thing to ask, I'll go for sure. How could I say no?"
 
Butterfly Kisses...



How could she say no...?
 
Yes, Kimba had stuttered because he wasn't sure she'd say yes. He hadn't known Avira very long at all. He'd learned many things about her in a short time, yes, but... no, not sure she'd want to run off-world on an adventure. A female with her grooming standards hadn't seemed the type willing to run off into situations where her fur might get dirty. But then...
 
... after her tail tuft's swat and her "not that easy", this wasn't what he expected.
 
Yes, butterflies to go with her kisses! For a moment, very panicked butterflies. So unexpected, he didn't know for a moment if she was kissing him or trying to bite his face off. Only for a moment, though. Because the joy she radiated as she nuzzled him on the floor... her words... soaked into him like a sudden downpour. Through fur to skin. Through skin to his insides, heart and gut soaked by her emotional rain. This, the real Avira, all "masks" removed. If he hadn't been quite sure before, Kimba now knew he'd fallen in love. That she had him. If she wanted him.
 
Kimba released all his butterflies in his return lick...
 
... "It's a wonderful thing to say yes." He returned her nuzzle, and added a soft purr... "Just remember... there's a mud-puddle with your name on it, out there." Grin.......
 
Avira, again, quickly composed herself. She realized that her sudden outburst might have been a bit shocking, and she took on a deep and profuse blushing yet again... Ears laid back a bit, she pried herself off of Kimba and sat up straight, tail pulled around her and lain across her feet. She twirled one of the curls of her auburn rust colored mane around her fingers in embarrassment, head tilted down slightly.

"...Ah.... Sorry, about that... I just got a bit excited... I don't get to go off homeworld all that often really."

After she had apologized, she straightened herself out and recollected herself, smiling at him cheerfully, seeming that all was right with the world, and that's certainly how it looked. It wouldn't be long before breakfast was finished and other activities would have to ensue lest boredom befall this unlikely couplet of Nisms.
 
Lest Boredom...



Yes, a bit shocking. Heart, still a-thud in his chest. Hormones still raging down below. Yes, also excited by the thought... an adventure with Avira, off-world! And not at all sorry to see her so excited. For a moment, puzzled by her last eleven words. But quite sure she had a reason for not just running off on her own, whenever she wished. Not all Nism threw themselves out into the Universe when they gained the key to Threshhold. Some teenagers liked staying home. Around family and friends they knew. Others.......
 
Kimba was amongst those Others. Much like his neighbor, Deen, an adventurous sort. Curious. Interested in experiencing new things, meeting new people. Make new friends. Expand horizons...
 
... "Don't be sorry..." Kimba turned back to his breakfast, but his attention never left Avira... "You can... attack me like that any time you wish." Grin, followed by a gulp of coffee and mouthful of waffle.
 
And yes, other activities would need to ensue. Lest boredom, of course. Though Kimba never considered Life boring... just a bit slow, in spots. In those spots, time to relax, or plan new activities. Like visiting the toilet after breakfast. Next, sharing a shower with Avira. Then.......
 
....... boredom? Highly unlikely for this couplet of Nisms. If he had anything to say about it.
 
A small nervous laugh escaped Avira, still twisting a bit of her well groomed mane around her finger-tips, twisting it into a spiral and then letting it jump back into place once she released her hold on it, only to grab it yet again and repeat the process. She finished the plentiful breakfast she’d been provided with and proceeded to take a few deep breathes to calm herself down.

A gasp… eyes widening… bolting upright and sprinting to the ‘bedroom’...

Then it seemed that she suddenly remembered something, as though she had forgotten it in the mornings rush of excitement, rushing back into the ‘bedroom’ where she’d left her little satchel which contained her journal, the brush that had taken up the title of a family heirloom considering it was made of smooth polished marble and was embedded with small pearls and gems. This satchel also contained something quite precious to Avira, more-so than the heirloom and her journal, but this mystery item will remain just, a mystery. Until another time...
 
Bedroom Mystery...



Partly as a distraction, and in part because Avira seemed nervous, Kimba turned to his own breakfast with a will. And nearly choked on his last swallow of coffee as Avira gasped...
 
... and then ran out into the living room and back up the stairs.
 
Took him a moment to clear his mind and throat, due to her suddenness and his temporary breathing difficulties. But, quick as he could, he followed her, unable to contain his curiosity as to why she... well, Avira was Avira. Him, still learning about her. Not sure if he should intrude, but still so deeply curious as to what would cause her to react in such a fashion. Heh. If she'd rushed to the bathroom, he'd have some idea. Running upstairs...
 
... running back the the bedroom they'd shared?
 
He hesitated. Then stuck his head insi... well, no doorway, but he stood on all fours, fluffed up, one ear up, one ear down. Eyebrow, raised...
 
... "Is everything all right?"
 
His tail-tip twitched.......
 
Avira was sitting on her haunches, eras laid back, that little tawny colored satchel in one hand, open; and in the other was a photograph of another Nism that shared striking resemblances with her. Only this one had a rather flamboyantly colored shroud-ruff on his shoulders, flared out like a fan along his back in a posing kind of display, not necessarily to attract anyone. He had a big smile and shining deep blue eyes with an auburn colored ring around the pupil, a sunburst if you will.

... and scrawled on the bottom of this image, was a name.... Hugo...

Avira stared intently at this photograph, a soft and barely audible sigh escaping her. But she jumped slightly when she heard Kimba's voice, her head snapping around to look at him, eyes widened slightly.

"Everything's fine... Just, nostalgia... that's all this is..."

This other Nism didn't seem to be of any kind of romantic importance to Avira, but rather a kind of tragic feeling came from this image, like something terrible had happened and she now held a deep and painful sort of love between siblings.
 
Just Nostalgia...



Her sigh.......
 
Nism ears were large for a reason, so, soft as it was, Avira's sigh didn't escape notice. Nism eyes, also very sharp. Kimba couldn't help but see the picture... note the resemblance. Didn't know why she felt the way she did, that twist in her chi. That look in her eyes as she spoke.
 
Sound in her voice.......
 
Kimba didn't say anything. He simply paced towards her on all fours, sat down on his haunches right next to her... and wrapped her in a hug...
 
... "Good... I was afraid my breakfast hadn't agreed with you." He looked her in the eyes and grinned... "So... are you up to helping with the dishes?" He gave her an "innocent" pose, then... "When we're done, I'll not only share the shower, I'll let you scrub my back. I'll even give you first dibs on the toilet......."
 
Kimba gave Avira a soft noogie, then pranced off on all fours towards the stairs...
 
... "We have the whole day to plan our adventure." Eyes cast over shoulder, he fluffed up all over... "Or we can just have fun today, and wing it."
 
She did her best to smile in response to his playfulness, but she found it hard when her mind was entirely occupied with the thoughts of her sibling whom she hadn't seen in ages. A dark story lingered within this picture she grasped so tightly and yet so carefully, so as not to damage it.

"Alright, don't let me slow you down. I might be a bit..."

She turned her gaze back toward the picture in her palm, head tilting slightly while memories flooded her thoughts. However, she had to cut them short for the time being, it was no time to be lost in mourning, she had things to do. While this image would linger in the back of her mind all day, she wouldn't let it get the better of her, not now at least.

Slipping the photograph back into her satchel, she moved to follow the same route Kimba had taken, presumably to a place where they could shower and be clean. Avira wasn't feeling her cleanest right now, that was for sure. following her sense of smell, she knew exactly where Kimba had gone through the house and easily found her way to the bath/showers/etc. It wasn't easy to mistake his scent for another, she had it well memorized.
 
A Bit...



Kimba felt a slight twinge of disappointment. He'd hoped to cheer her up, but Avira was so preoccupied with her picture... with her memories... well, if it took her a bit to come about, so be it. Get down to business, get things ready, get the day moving! Try to not be too disappointed by her disconnected response.......
 
So, yes, he didn't let her slow him down. Let the Call of Nature urge him to the bathroom, take care of business... flush... then go about setting up the shower with just the right and most needed things. Special shampoo, to get rid of their musk. Bath brushes. Combs...
 
... and towels. Lots of towels! Not only dishes, but laundry to do, later. Yes, later. Dishes would keep. When she came down, Avira would need the comfort of a warm shower with a warm male. And he intended to be that warm male. Because...
 
... "Oh, hi, Avira... I know we were supposed to wash dishes first, but then I thought, no, doesn't make sense to clean dishes when we're dirty. So... shower first?"
 
He waved a towel towards her before hanging it up with the others....... and yes, for the zillionth time, he fluffed up in an effort to look cute, tongue stuck out between teeth as his bright eyes gleamed in anticipation.
 
For once in quite some time, at least since she could last remember, she giggled, like a little love-struck kit. It seemed that Avira had recollected herself and had stashed the photo away again, safe inside the little leather tawny satchel that was slung across her hips, now resting on what passed for a knob in the wall, how convenient that it was there too.

She walked over and next to him, purposely bumping into him, shoulders colliding playfully with his as she smiled. She wasn't at all concerned with what order things were done in so long as they were done at some time or another.

"Long as we do it together it's fine with me."

What a coy remark... The way she stood with her hands close together, and alternately her legs were a little further apart, tail curled into a loop. Her ears were perked upwards, eyes closed just slightly as that those dense lashes shielded part of her eyes, enough to have that teasingly amorous kind of stare. The thick fur that covered her chest between shoulders was fluffed out a bit, adding a little more curve to her figure.

"I hope there's enough room for two, not that I don't mind a small space... It'd only mean we'd be closer together."
 
Closeness...



Yes, the knob was very convenient. Good for hanging wet towels from. Or things you didn't want to get wet. Like little leather tawny satchels. Or...
 
... "Together... yes... yes, enough room for two and a half... maybe three." Kimba grinned as he made a "baby-bump" gesture over his belly fur... "Bathing isn't the only thing we can do in the shower......."
 
Yes, her coy remark. Him, being a "bad boy" in return. Still working on Avira's Challenge. Yes again, he thought of it with a capital "Cee" now. He also ended that gesture a bit low, just to draw her eyes... down there. Ears back with his grin. Very much in mind, the things being Deen's... and Thoee's... neighbor had taught him. Yes for the third time, they barely knew each other, and his shroudruff wasn't fully grown enough for "traditional" display, but, being a teenager, that didn't keep him from being curious or interested or...
 
... well.
 
Enough of that!
 
Though Kimba did make sure his shroudruff, immature as it was, still stood on display, him half-crouched on his haunches before he rose up, approached, tilted his head a bit, tongue between teeth as he reached up... removed his Gift, that nugget of iburnium... and carefully hung it up with her tawny satchel, so it would not get in the way of their bathing activities.......
 
She soaked in every word he said, every syllable echoing through her mind. Since he was somewhat in control of this moment, she'd follow his lead, but she'd throw a curve-ball every now and then, if now fairly soon. She was very fond of waiting until someone thought they had her figured out, and then she would send another wild and unpredictable thing their way to 'knock them' off-balance so-to-speak.

Enough room for two and a half... or three? Yes, indeed that was a lurking thought, and it was brought forward by the motion he made over his stomach. Perhaps the shower wasn't the best place to do that, think about it, perhaps, but not do it. Not to mention they'd only known each other for a few days, if that.

It was simply astounding how much they'd bonded over such a short period of time, like the world decreed that they be together, like it was fate that they met when they did. It was quite curious, but Avira didn't question it, if anything she wholeheartedly accepted it.

"Alright Romeo..."

She rubbed up against him and licked right behind his ear, before she moved away from him, as though she were quite intentionally teasing him, which she was, or at least that was her intent to say the least. Oh how she loved this game they played, but it was running deeper than just a game now. This was a full blown romance between them, but she still like to play around.​
 
Alright Romeo, Indeed...



Yes, if that. Though actually not yet even a full day. May have seemed like days, perhaps. And yes, deeper. Enough for him to dream of her... and their kits. Fate? Again, perhaps. And like her, he accepted it wholeheartedly. From his heart, all the way down to his.......
 
Ah, romance! Play around, try not to blow it...
 
... "Romeo, indeed!" He didn't have a rose between his teeth, but he didn't let her get away. Made his move, swept her off her feet, or nearly so, and then...
 
... "Carry you to our shower, or do you need to use the toilet, first?"
 
No, perhaps not the most romantic question ever asked, but Kimba always considered himself a practical male, and he made up for it with a warm grin and a wiggle of eyebrows.......
 
She stuck her tongue out at him and whopping across his muzzle with her tail in a playful manner with a crooked grin spread across her own auburn colored muzzle, her bright ruby red eyes holding that all too familiar glint of mystery and excitement.

"Shower first, I feel like I crawled out of a bog, I need to be clean. Clean!"

She stuck her nose up in the air when she repeated the word clean with a bit of extra emphasis to get her point across. She certainly was one to fuss over her grooming, and she loved to be clean and thoroughly brushed more than most cared to notice. She wriggled around in his hold for a bit at first just to make it difficult to carry her, but she stopped shortly after once she'd gotten a laugh out of it.

"...and I'm gonna clean you up too, you're positively filthy. I will not strut around with some wild looking hooligan at my side. That's simply unheard of."
 
Next To Godliness...



Kimba also liked to be clean. Though he didn't mind being "positively filthy"... well, a positive is a positive! Because Avira was, herself, "positively filthy". Well, not "filthy", but both him and her did look like they'd rolled a bit in nature. Had a run through the woods and a roll over grass and leaves and other growing things. Smelled like they could use a bath. What with all the nature and hormones and stuff. A Nism's upper nostrils, quite sensitive to that last...
 
... "Heh... I'd strut around with you even if you were covered in mud." Grin. "My dad felt the same way about my mom....... and she didn't mind him being positively filthy."
 
He gave her a lick as he carried her into the shower, then set her down...
 
... "Love can do strange things. This will be the first time I've been bathed by someone other than my parents... or myself. I think that's the part they like most about getting filthy......."
 
Kimba glanced behind Avira, smiled, then waved his tail at the shower's control knobs...
 
... "You do the honors...?"
 
She got this daring kind of taunting look on her face, a look that said quite clearly that she was going to take total advantage of his offering to her 'doing the honors' as he'd said. She smiled... Then she sat up promptly with that same smile plastered to her muzzle... And she then proceeded to turn the water on full blast cold and spray him down with a smug little grin and a satisfying laugh.

But as soon as he was wet and cold, she got the water warmer and doused him again along with herself, letting the water run and a thin steam clog up the air just slightly, enough to seem like mist. She already felt the dirt washing from her fur, and she gave a very pleasant hum of delight as she stood under the water, her eyes shut for a moment with the corners of her mouth upturned in just the slightest.

"The water feels so nice..."