Thread:A Friendly Lion/@comment-27624599-20160514234644/@comment-27625725-20160613045421

"If you like a peaceful place to think, I would advise that. If you're looking for a new fighting partner, I would not." Darahani's lips twitched into a smile as she walked deeper into the woods. An African firefinch fluttered across her path, and her grin widened. "Care to meet some of my friends?" she asked. Upon receiving an answer, she strode into the shade of a large tree with thick forking branches. The shadows sliced dark stripes onto her fur, broken by streaks of shimmery cream where the light shone through the tree limbs. "Plamu? Pichi?" Darahani called, tilting her head up.

A moment passed before anything happened. Darahani curled her tail around her forelegs and waited until a pair of birds hopped into view. One of them sported brilliant violet and white plumage, the other was plump and brown-feathered. The former was the first to speak; he had a deep, vibrant voice. "Greetings, Darahani. I'm afraid we are busy at the moment . . ."

"Is it your egg, Pichi?" Darahani questioned eagerly.

"Indeed it is!" Pichi replied. "The nest is nice and ready, I made sure we built it securely."

"Now, we really must go! If you want, you can stay, and we'll bring out the hatchling when we can," the male bird broke in.

"That would be wonderful," Darahani responded, eyes shining. "Ushidi, would you care to hang around?"