Starbane

Ever since Likara had taken him up to the peek of the mountain, something had awoken in the big cat, and he found himself craving more trips deeper into the mountains. Today was one of those days he'd decided to take a short trek from the Ruins, and if not for the sweltering temperatures, he might have actually made it to the cave he'd initially sheltered in with his companion. But instead, the big cat had stalled only a few hundred yards into his mini journey, and wound up sheltering under the overhang of a large boulder where a combination of shade and a mossy seep provided a much needed escape from the summer's heat.

The big cat lay on his side, nose stretched towards the wall of moss where the water trickled from a crack in the rocks. A small pool beneath it had already quenched his thirst, and water still clung in haphazard drops along his chin.

Likara

The snow leopard has an affinity for mischief. Whether that had been something engrained into her as a mere cub, or something she'd slowly accumulated over the years, Likara knows she can thank Starbane for condoning her jovial side. Amongst the Haunters, Likara tries to remain steadfast and calm, but in the quiet, alongside her friend, Likara is more liberal about her antics. A normal cat could've announced their presence the moment she'd started tracking Starbane from the Ruins, but she remained stealthy and silent as she paced the same pawsteps as her friends. She noticed he made way for the mountains, the same rocky slopes they'd ventured to seasons ago when they'd first met. Likara stays hidden amongst foliage along the way, something both functional and comfortable with the scorching blight of the sun.

Likara silently manages to maneuver around, placing herself on the overhang to overlook where Starbane rests. The she-cat's tail lashes and she audibly purrs, proud of her accomplishment to track him with little notice. "'Tis a bit warm for a trek to the mountain peak, no?" Likara observes, blue eyes gleaming as she rests her chin on her paws, gazing down at Starbane. "I think we'd sooner melt before making it a dozen more paces up the mountain."

Starbane

The big cat was just beginning to doze, eyelid sliding shut, and whiskers relaxing into a droop. Between the chitter of nearby birds and his own profound lack of attentiveness, Starbane never once heard the carefully placed pawsteps of his friend as she ascended the rock above him and eased herself down on the loft perch.

Her first words caused him to stir suddenly, rattling his foggy brain and snapping his eyes open. "Whaaa-" By the next sentence, his ears had tracked the voice, and he half-rolled onto his side and cocked his head up to see the spotted face peering back down at him. The liger's widened eyes crinkled into delighted surprise, and an immediate purr revved within his chest, "Likara! Hey- I... how long have you been there?" Starbane rolled fully into his back so that he could more easily gaze up at his friend, and folded his paws across his chest. "...did you follow me all the way from the Ruins?" A grin had now formed, showcasing his delightfully malformed underbite.

Likara

Pleasure ripples through Likara's blood as she observes Starbane's short-lived panic. A purr rattles in her chest as she watches him fleet through a flood of emotions, the panic soon replaced with friendliness at the recognition of his friend.

"Every last paw step, " Likara informs with a lash of her tail. The she-cat rises to her paws and slinks down the rocks to under the ledge where Starbane camps. She reaches and bats Starbane on the ear, an amused purr still rolling in her ribcage. "Couldn't catch any shut eye back at the ruins?" she questions, thinking of the subtle buzz of their home den. Even in the most remote rooms, it was difficult to absolutely detach from the hubbub of their busy pack. Here on the mountainside, the worst you had to compete with was some overzealous songbirds.

Starbane

A look of mock contempt contorts his face, but it's undone by the grin that also tugs at his maw. "Every step, huh?" Starbane considers suggesting he knew she was stalking behind him the entire time, but he'd never been a good liar, and knew his soft-footed companion would read right through that one.

Likara is greeted with a gentle swat to her leg when she draws close enough, while one of his ears flattens back as its similarly assaulted. An echoing purr thrums to life in his chest and he flops to his side, "Eh, not really. Tersek's been mumbling and talking in his sleep, and it's driving me nuts. Went to Dima's Temple, but the mosquitoes are just as annoying there." The big liger sighs dramatically before tilting his head back, the grin spreading across his face, "I can't say I'm bothered by this company, though."

Likara

The she-cat gives an indignant huff as Starbane suggests the notion of being aware of her presence. The soft-footed cat had invested intense effort and energy into stalking Starbane silently, and to have her efforts almost reduced to mockery rouses a bit of annoyance from Likara. The snow leopard gives a little, yet playful, growl as she bats the side of Starbane's ear with sheathed claws. "Don't be sour that you're about as deaf as a mole when you're daydreaming," Likara teases, face scrunching as she considers her metaphor. "Wait...or are moles blind...?"

Lashes bat over icy blue eyes as Likara shakes the thought, unconcerned with whether or not the rodents were blind, or deaf, or just rats with uglier faces. "Lucky for you, I neither snore nor will I harvest your blood. " She purrs, flopping down beside Starbane with her eyes riveting towards the terrain below. She's hit by a whirlwind of nostalgia, remembering clamoring up the snow-laiden ground seasons ago with Starbane in tow. "Besides, the view even from along here never gets old," Likara muses.

Starbane

Starbane is ready with a dismissive scoff and a conscious flick of his snowy ears, all without stopping to contemplate if her analogy actually made sense or not. "Pssh, moles. I happen to... hey wait." Just as the choice of words were dawning on her, they caught up in Star's mind too, and the grin blossomed all the wider across his broad mug. "Good question?" Star swiveled his head back to his spotted companion, eyes drifting to the dense paws that afforded her such stealth. "Alright, I suppose I'll give you the credit - you're a pretty good ambusher."

His mind trailed away from the thought as she plopped down next to him, joining in the dense shade provided by the outcrop. Leaning unabashedly into Likara, Starbane let his gaze absently wander the scenery spread before them as he spoke, "No sleep-chattering, no biting or droning - that makes you a better napping companion than just about anyone else in the pack." There was a pause then, and the big cat's face scrunched slightly in thought. "Though speaking of droning, there was one blood-sucker that must have been huge. It was so loud - I swear I could have heard that mosquito from a mile away, but it never got close enough for me to swat at. Or see. Or maybe it was a giant hummingbird?"

Likara

The she she-cat stifles a yawn, absent-mindedly leaning back into Starbane's own pressure with a humming purr that rattles her chest. She snow leopard follows a similar pattern, gaze lost on the endless ripple of forest and territory below them. The late summer sun and the deep emerald tone of the forestry, even in the protective shade, makes Likara balmy at the mere notion. The effort to remain light footed had taxed the she-cat, too. "The ruins are home...but escaping to enjoy the scenery and catch a nap without disruption is nice," Likara remarks. "If it was a hummingbird...do they suck mammal blood too?"

She'd never heard of the avians doing such thing, and Likara is doubtful but the thought does ruffle her fur. She smirks at Starbane, a chuckle rumbling in her chest. "Avian expert wouldn’t be a title you have, would it?" she playfully teases -- Starbane seems to hold a myriad of spontaneous titles if prompted. His blatant humor was one of the things Likara admired most about the feline.

Starbane

A hearty chuckle rumbled from his throat, "That almost sounds like something I'd tell the cubs to keep them in line." Having said that, Starbane did ponder the possibility for a moment, having never spoken to any of those tiny little acrobats of the avian world. They did have those long, sharp little beaks...

The big cat mused on that only for a spare moment, his mind jumping from one thing to the next as he now rolled onto his back and leaned his head to the side so that he could properly keep Likara in his sight. The scent of earthy moss was now mixed with the delightful perfume of his favorite companion, and he couldn't hold back the purr that continued to rev so strongly within his chest. "All kidding aside - although I do think I deserve that title-" Brief amusement shone in his eye before the sobered to something a little more sincere, "I'm glad you found me today. Leomar is nice to chat with, and Tyrant has great stories, but.. I dunno, I just prefer your company."

Likara

Likara shares another chuckle with her companion, blue eyes softening. A soft nip of mountain breeze slips into the shelter the two feline's inhabit, buffeting both of their fur. Likara gives a deep inhale, suspending the air in her lungs while her eyelids flutter closed for a fleet moment. Her eyes crack back open as Starbane shifts, flipping haphazardly onto his back with sustained purring. She smiles softly, batting at him.

"Between the two of us, you can be the avian expert," Likara teases, tail lashing. The next flow of words that Starbane strings together are both welcomed and equally surprising. Their unspoken companionship, however thick, had remained just that...unspoken. He'd helped wager Likara a place among the Haunters, and had been a constant presence of friendship since their first journey together. But Likara never pondered the gestures any deeper, mostly because Starbane was just that type of cat. She appreciated and admired his unwavering loyalty and ease-of-friendship -- she saw how well he connected with a myriad of the Haunter family. Likara, ultimately, underestimated her hierarchy in Starbane's rolex. "I..uh..." she stumbles over her words, whiskers twitching. Despite her folly, Likara purrs and pushes her side into Starbane's. "You've always been my favorite Haunter," she manages, wondering why after seasons of conversations with Starbane, suddenly now she could formulate the proper framework of words to convey her own appreciation for the liger.

Starbane

The gentle gust of air, coupled with the steady haze of moisture from the mossy water seep, provided a delightful niche of coolness for the pair of big cats. Star's tiger blood certainly craved it on these days of unbearable heat, and he could only imagine the snow queen beside him, with her dense coat, appreciated this brief escape from summer even more.

He'd closed his eyes as Likara had, taking a moment to revel the slight shift in temperature. When he failed to open them soon enough however, he also failed to see the paw coming to offer him a playful bat. Starbane's nose scrunched and his whiskered clustered forward, and he offered a mock bite at the offending limb, without ever bringing his teeth down on her plush fur. An eye peeked open, offering his comrade a mischievous gleam. But what could have erupted into a bout of play instead glided quietly back into conversation.

Both eyes were open and fastened on the snow leopard as she guided her response, and a genuine smile shone in his gaze as she found her words. "You're just..." A thoughtful frown came to him, then brightened, "..different than the rest, in a good way. Blackmist is sweet and all, but.. the others are always like 'we need to fight these guys' and 'Starbane go patrol' and... well, you know? I like that we can escape all that fuss and do this." Another frown rested for a second or two on his striped face, then lifted as he resolved what next he wanted to say, "I guess what I'm trying to say is, I know we're not suppose to have 'mates' or anything, but.. I think that's how I'm starting to feel towards you?" It wasn't awkwardness or shyness that faltered his words, but the big cats own struggle to put the right words to his feelings, and the uncertainty of how to handle it in a pack like the Haunters.

Likara

A gust of wind whistles against the mountain rocks, seeping into Starbane and Likara's little hideaway. The cool breeze sinks through the snow leopard's thick coat, teasing her skin. The she-cat gives a half-shiver, half-shake and finds an excuse to wiggle closer to the massive liger with a subtle purr. Icy blue eyes blink up at him as he fumbles around his words, her purr accentuating as he continues, though boldly and with little caution. That was typical Starbane -- brash, almost to a fault, but fearless. It's what the she-cat was driven to exasperation, but also admiration, the most.

"Titles," Likara points out with a flick of her tail, "are pointless after all. Who says you can't be my life partner in crime?" She kneads with her front paws and presses the side of her head into the crease between Starbane's muscular shoulder and his neck. Her lungs quiver as she revels in the comfort sustained between them in this shared moment. The weight and seriousness of his words sinking into her consciousness with the warmth of the sun at its peak in the daytime. "If we can't be officially mates, then we can be the mostest without the label. You're my best friend and my closest ally. I'd do anything for you....except maybe fend off an army of hummingbirds," Likara vows, nudging Starbane's jaw with a rumbling purr, her tone shifting as she ends with the latter sentence. They'd always keep it light in humor and tone, but the depth of Likara's commitment was still there.

Starbane

The big cat listened with a rapt attention that lay hidden behind calm, yellowed eyes. For all that had suddenly sprung into his mind and crowded his thoughts, his lackadaisical nature did well to mask most of it, even if he wasn't trying to do so consciously. Starbane shifted his snowy head, pressing it snugly against Likara's as she nudged hers into the crook of his neck. He felt the thrum of her purring, and a smile teased the edges of his eyes. Her answer, given so perfectly in a blend of familiar humor and truth, brought content to his heart and peace to his mind.

"I agree, just don't tell our Leaders that." On the comment of titles, Starbane had to chuckle. But it it also made him think of their ruling elite for a moment, letting his mind delve deeper than it normally did into the politics of their pack. "You know.. with Tersek getting so old, maybe Senka won't care so much about this partner business? He's stepping down after all, and she's been pretty open about change." Not that Starbane had been particularly good at showing up to all the meetings, but Blackmist and Zanarah tended to fill him in on all that he missed, and he was far more interested in the ligress' ways of ruling things. Starbane huffed then, as if physically dismissing his own musings, and jumped back to Likara's final comment, "Whatever they say, you know I have your back too. Hummingbirds aside, of course." And he nuzzled her, his purr rising and falling with gusto with each breath he took.