Lioness Tales
Tale 2: Chiku's Training
Chapter 4: Painful Romance
Johari continued her lessons almost daily. Salehe had established a meeting point where they could have their practice in peace, and they would get together almost every evening, unless Johari had to stay behind in cub duty.
Salehe was pleased to see that Johari was indeed making good progress. She was a quick learner, and once her condition improved, she didn't tire as easily as in the beginning. Another advantage that Salehe noticed on her was that she could move really fast. She was very agile on her feet, and more often than not she started surprising him with quick and effective moves.
He even started to enjoy the lessons, and he looked forward to them every day.
Several weeks after the first lesson, Salehe finally received his first real scratch from her, a large gash running down his right shoulder, caused by him reacting a bit too slowly to her attack.
The lioness saw him wince, and she dropped her combat stance immediately. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" she said, running to him and inspecting the wound closely. It was a large scratch, but not deep enough to cause him real discomfort in the long run.
Salehe laughed at her, and pushed her aside roughly, as a reminder to never lower her guard. "Don't be sorry, I've hurt you a hundred times more," he said, looking at all her scars, left behind from small wounds inflicted by him during training, "it's about time you start getting your revenge."
Johari stumbled for a moment, but she quickly regained her balance, and smirked at him. "I got you good this time, huh? You didn't see that one coming!"
"I must admit I didn't, I thought you'd go for my left side. It was a good move. You've done a very good job tonight."
Johari looked up at the sky, the moon and the stars were already visible, indicating it was about time to go home. "Shall we call it a day, then?"
Salehe nodded as he stretched himself. "Yeah, let's do so. I'm feeling in the mood for seconds from that zebra the hunting party brought down earlier..."
"I think I'll stop by the lake first, I could use a drink..." the lioness replied.
"Good idea, I'll come with you," Salehe replied, and they both headed towards the lake, chatting animatedly.
When they reached the water, Johari decided to take a quick plunge, to wash the dust off her pelt.
Salehe just waited for her, sitting by the edge. He didn't like water much himself, so he never joined her for a swim.
Johari swam around for a few minutes, glancing at Salehe every now and then. She could tell that his mood had improved a lot lately, probably as a result of her good learning. He was less prone to snarl and yell at her, although he'd still treat her roughly during the lessons. But once those were over, he would return to his usual self, always gentle and respectful.
Johari was continually grateful for his time, and for giving her a chance to prove herself. But the lioness had no idea that Salehe himself also enjoyed her company greatly, and he didn't mind at all having to skip his evening nap to go teach her. He tried to keep his interest in her at bay, but with every day that went by, Salehe felt more and more attracted to her.
He still cared for Kamaria, but as it usually occurs with arranged marriages, Salehe had not been in love with her when they got married and became the Eyasi Pride's leaders. He was never intrigued by Kamaria the way he felt when he was with Johari. Although he was an older lion already, he had never experienced this feeling before, and was very keen on exploring it further.
Salehe watched as Johari climbed out of the lake, soaking wet. Her usual intense shaking followed, splashing him slightly with droplets of cold water.
"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" he asked, drying his face with his paw.
Johari chuckled in response. "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't... All right, I'm ready to go."
"You really don't mind walking all the way back to the lair while you're soaked like that?"
The lioness shrugged slightly. "It gets a bit chilly, but it's no big deal. I usually ask someone at the lair if they can help dry me up."
Salehe looked around for a moment, looking at the grasses and leaves shifting in the breeze. He knew she'd be chilled to the bone by the time they reached the lair. He had the perfect excuse to try and get closer to her, without involving him hurting her and pinning her down forcefully like he did during fight-time.
"It's a bit windy tonight, and I don't want you to catch a cold. Maybe I can help you dry you up?" he asked her, his heart racing up slightly.
Johari tilted her head. "You want to dry me? But I thought you were hungry..."
"That can wait, it's okay," he insisted, getting closer to her.
Johari shrugged and lay down on her belly. "Um, okay, if you insist... I'll do my paws, then, you can do my back."
For a short moment nothing else could be heard except the sounds of the nocturnal insects, while the two lions were too busy to engage in conversation.
As Johari dried her legs and paws, she noticed that at some point Salehe sat a bit closer and wrapped a paw around her, embracing her gently. Johari stopped licking herself for a moment, and glanced towards him over his shoulder. Salehe had his eyes closed, and appeared rather content as he did his best to dry her up.
Johari focused on her paws again, biting her lip slightly. Salehe could not possibly have feelings for her, that was just too dumb to be true. He already had a steady mate, and Johari knew she could not compete with a strong and high-ranking female like Kamaria. There was just no way this could happen. But the way Salehe had embraced her just now, giving her some of his warmth, made her question his motivations to help her dry up.
The lioness shifted position with the excuse to reach her back legs, so Salehe had no other choice but to release her from his embrace, and he concentrated on licking the back of her head instead.
"There," she finally said, "the worst is gone now."
Salehe heard her, but he continued to gently lick her neck and behind her ears, his eyes closed in concentration.
Johari turned around and faced Salehe, making him lick her nose by accident. He opened his eyes startled, and stared into Johari's face, who was looking at him with a puzzled expression.
"I'm sorry," he said, "I guess I got carried away."
Johari gave him a small grin, and whispered, "I bet you were thinking about Kamaria, hmm?"
Salehe held his breath for a moment, wondering whether he should tell Johari about his feelings for her or not. He looked into her eyes, and could not help himself. "I wasn't thinking about her."
Johari blinked a couple of times, looking away in disbelief. But Salehe took her chin with his paw and gently turned her head towards him once more, until they were gazing into each other's eyes.
"You know this cannot be, Salehe," Johari told him, "You already have a mate... I'm nobody, what would you possibly see in me?"
"I can't help it if I've fallen for you..." he admitted sincerely, "You're a beautiful lioness, and you make me feel so... alive, I just can't describe it..."
Johari looked at him, wondering herself exactly what she actually felt for Salehe. He was a good friend, and she appreciated his help, but she was not in love with him, not at all. She hated to have to turn him down, and perhaps ruin their friendship, and her fighting lessons. But she much rather do that, than pretend to have feelings for him.
"I'm sorry, Salehe... It was not my intention to lead you on. I'd never come between you and your mate."
"I take it you feel nothing for me?" he asked, sounding very discouraged.
"I care for you, Salehe, you're a good friend, but I don't have romantic feelings for you..."
"Is there someone else in your life already? Maybe a rogue I don't know about?"
Johari shook her head. "You know my feelings towards rogues... I'm just focused on other things at the moment. I don't see a romantic relationship in my future, especially knowing that I could die any time soon. I just want to focus on my fighting training for now..."
Salehe stood up, not having prepared himself for this rejection. "Fine. Clear enough. Okay, I'm going home, good night," he said, and quickly left, not feeling in the mood for talking any more.
Johari watched him leave, and cursed out loud, wondering if she made the right thing by being bluntly honest with him.
Johari had gone to the usual meeting point for her lesson, and waited for Salehe to show up. She was not sure if he would come at all, after their last conversation by the lake, but she perked her ears up when she saw him heading her way. They had barely exchanged a word since that night, so she had prepared herself for an awkward lesson.
"Hello, thanks for coming..." she greeted him politely, but he only grunted in return.
"Let's take it from where we left off last time," he said without further ado.
Johari nodded, and prepared to pounce on him from behind, as sneakily as possible. The lioness finally jumped, but Salehe turned around on time and hit her across the head with a paw, sending her down to the ground.
Johari shook her head, feeling dazed, not having expected that move from him. "I.. I thought you'd just move aside, like last time..."
"Well, this is a new lesson, so try to keep up. You could have avoided that blow if you applied what you had learned the lessons before that! Now get up!" he snarled, just like during the first lessons.
Johari frowned. She was sure Salehe was taking his frustration out on her by bullying her during the lesson. But she would not back off. She stood up again and mumbled, "Fine, if that's how it's going to be..." The lioness then unsheathed her claws.
Johari tried all the moves that she had learned from him in the past few weeks, but Salehe kept blocking her attacks with with newer moves that they had not studied yet.
The lesson was not even halfway when Johari already sported several wounds and bruises. She had not managed to hurt Salehe, not even once, and the lioness finally realized that the amazing progress she thought she had made was only because Salehe had been holding back on her all this time.
Johari couldn't hold in her anger and her frustration, and she burst into tears, ignoring Salehe's drilling for a moment.
"What's the matter? Does it hurt that much that you've given up already? Do you think the rogues will be softened by your tears?"
"Screw you," she mumbled between sobs, "You led me to believe I was doing a good job, but all this time you were just being too careful with me! I feel I haven't learned anything at all!"
"Well, I'm not holding back now, am I? So take it or leave it," Salehe replied.
Johari dried her face with a paw and stared at him angrily. She stood up once more, and poised herself for combat once again. She was now on edge, expecting the unexpected from him. Her guard was up, and she just needed to try harder in anticipating his moves.
By the end of the lesson, Johari had successfully blocked some of his attacks, and also landed a couple of blows of her own. She didn't care about hurting Salehe this time, and even took advantage of a short moment of distraction when Salehe was inspecting one of his wounds.
"Don't lower your guard!" She yelled and jumped at him, throwing him off balance for a change. The lioness knocked him to the ground and stood up with two forepaws holding his shoulders and chest down.
Salehe looked up at her in surprise, but when he tried to get up, Johari pressed harder on his shoulders, and bared her teeth.
The lion tried to push her away as he kicked and scratched her with his back legs, but Johari stood through the pain and bent down to circle her jaws around his neck. She didn't bite hard, but had she done it, Salehe would have been in deep trouble.
The lion stopped kicking her, and Johari eventually released his throat. She looked at him, and then stepped off, allowing him to stand up once again.
She considered the lesson to be over, so she walked away a few steps to tend to her wounds.
Salehe got to his feet and sat down next to her. It was until then that he realized how much he had hurt Johari throughout the lesson, and he felt very guilty that he let his anger get the best of him. The lioness was bleeding from several places, and she even sported a nasty scratch on the bridge of her nose.
"Look... I'm sorry I hurt you-"
"Don't," she interrupted, "I want my next lesson to be like this one, And the next. I don't want you tiptoeing around me anymore. I want it to be as real as possible, so that I'll know what to expect. I don't care if I get hurt, I've told you before a million times already."
Salehe sighed, and nodded. "You did well tonight, after your weak start. I really mean it."
He carefully leaned over to clean the scratch on Johari's nose with a few gentle licks, clearly torn between staying with her and nurse her wounds, and returning back to the lair.
Johari took a step backwards and thanked him softly. She then walked away and lay down on her own, cleaning her nose herself with her paw.
Salehe got her message, and he went back to the lair, still feeling sorry for what he had done. He had expected Johari to be angry at him for having been so rough. It was not her fault that he fell in love with her, after all. But instead, she had been angry at him, for not hurting her like this before. She's a strange one, he thought, sighing deeply.
By the time Johari returned to the lair, the lionesses began to question her about all her wounds.
"What happened to you?" Faiza asked her, examining the injuries closely.
"Don't worry. This means that my lessons just got real," Johari replied, giving her a triumphant smile, "If you excuse me, I'm going straight to sleep now."
The lioness bid the Pride good night, leaving the rest of the lionesses confused and worried about her.
Johari lay down on her usual resting spot. Despite the pain and discomfort she was feeling, she smiled to herself. If she had known that by rejecting Salehe, he would finally treat her like a real opponent, she would have been a lot meaner when turning him down, she thought as she closed her eyes to sleep.
As weeks went by, Johari couldn't help but feeling that Salehe was one again being extra careful around her. She tried to upset him on purpose, but the lion had promised that he would not let his anger take over again. He was still tough and strict, but their encounters felt more like the previous lessons, as opposed to a real fight, much to Johari's disappointment.
One early morning, right before sunrise, Johari felt thirsty, so she made a trip to the lake on her own. As she bent down to drink, she stared at her reflection, and noticed her muscles had developed considerably. She hadn't noticed it before, but the extra exercise she was getting was giving her a more bulky appearance. She rolled her shoulder for a moment, and flexed the muscles of her leg, somehow feeling stronger than before all of a sudden.
She also inspected her nose in her reflection. The wound had healed completely, leaving a small scar behind. She carried on drinking, as she looked forward to today's lesson, but as the day went by, a feeling of restlessness began to overwhelm her. Once she started craving for company, the lioness realized what was going on; she would be coming into season soon.
Johari cursed to herself. She didn't feel like having cubs yet, so she would need to go into hiding. However, she felt she couldn't afford losing so many days of training. And what if the rogues decided to show up and she was safely tucked away while in hiding?
The lioness shook her head, she would need to stay near the lair. She was sure Salehe would insist in mating then, but she would have to be strong. There was no other option.
When nightfall came, Salehe finally joined Johari for the lesson. It didn't take him long to find out that she was now in a receptive mood.
Johari saw him scenting the air and looking in her direction, so she quickly told him, "I know, I'm coming into season. But the fact that I didn't go into hiding doesn't mean that I want to mate and have cubs. I stayed just to carry on with my training, and to be near the Pride, in case the rogues return."
Johari had expected him to be all over her within seconds, but to her surprise, Salehe shook his head and he even went as far as to refuse to teach her.
"I can't give you any lessons while you're in this state. Neither you nor I will be concentrated enough. It'll be a waste of time."
"Nonsense," Johari replied, "We just need to put our urges aside and concentrate on the fight. Can we at least try?"
Salehe looked at her sadly. "Johari... I still haven't gotten over you... What you're asking of me is extremely difficult. I am not sure I'll be able to behave myself around you, with you in this state..."
"It's not that bad, right? I mean, we're behaving fine just now..."
Salehe eyed her critically for a moment. "It's going to get worse. Tell me... This is not your first season, is it?"
Johari shook her head. "It's my third. But I didn't come to you for help, since I didn't want any cubs."
The lion nodded understandingly. "Then you don't know what it is like to be with a male during this time. Mark my words, Johari, you might not have feelings for me, but even then you will be begging me for assistance if I don't leave soon."
"Well, right now I really feel in control, so let's not waste any more time and get started. We'll see later if things get worse or not," she insisted.
Salehe sighed deeply. "Okay, just don't say I didn't warn you... Follow me," he added, feeling slightly afraid and excited at the same time about the possible outcome of this fighting lesson.
Johari followed him to a more secluded area. She was sure he wanted to ensure them some privacy, just in case. But the lioness, while craving company, she was not feeling any unusual attraction towards Salehe just yet.
"Okay, let's get started then..." the lion said, and they began trying to block each other's paw strikes.
As the lesson carried on, Johari could tell that Salehe was having problems focusing on the task at hand. More often than not he'd stop to sniff her neck for a moment, or he would seek a way to engage in physical contact, which did not involve wrestling or fighting.
"Salehe... Please, I've asked you a thousand times, don't hold back, come on! Give me all you got!" she demanded, getting into a fighting stance, but the lion shook his head.
"No... I can't... I'm sorry, Johari. I gave it a try, but this is not working. I won't be able to resist it much longer and will end up doing something I might regret later. It's fine if you don't wish to mate with me, then I'll respect your decision. But I'll just return to the lair now and let you be."
Johari stopped him from leaving, unaware that her hormones were now starting to act up, making her act more impulsive than usual.
"Let's make a deal. I'll let you have your way with me... But only if you defeat me in a real fight."
"What?" Salehe asked, not sure he understood her correctly.
"We'll have a real fight. There will be no holding back, and no being careful. If you win, I'll let you mate with me."
Salehe shook his head. "See? You're not thinking straight anymore. What about the possible cubs that could result from this? This is no game, Johari."
But Johari was not listening to him anymore. She got into a fighting stance again, and with no warning, she pounced at him, claws outstretched.
Salehe had no option but to defend himself, and blocked her attack effectively, scratching her in the process.
Johari ignored the pain and tried again, but this time Salehe was prepared and began wrestling her, doing his best to get this fight done and over as quickly as possible. He found out that the lioness was really not holding back at all, and she had become stronger and tougher than before. Her speed was still her best asset, but in the end, his weight and brute strength were still a huge advantage on his favor, and he managed to pin down Johari after all, only not as easily as he used to.
Both lions stood up, tired and panting, both of them sporting multiple scratches and bite marks.
Salehe quickly assessed his wounds, and then turned to Johari, who was standing very still, staring at the ground intently.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"I don't know... I feel strange..." she replied softly.
The lion didn't lower his guard, wondering if she was about to trick him. But it seemed that Johari's fighting mood had quickly faded, and she was simply staring at her wounds, looking slightly confused.
"What is it?" Salehe asked as he approached her.
"I don't know how to describe it... The pain just feels... different..."
Salehe gave her a small grin. "You like it."
Johari looked up. "What? No! I... I have no idea..."
The lion stood right next to her and nipped her hard on the shoulder.
Johari winced at first and was about to tell him off, but a small wave of pleasure ran through her body a few seconds later, startling her.
"What in the world's happening to me..." she muttered softly, backing off a few steps.
"This is how your body reacts when you're with a male during your season," he explained, giving her a few more quick bites behind her neck, just to tease her, clearly enjoying himself too.
Salehe's gentle bites had the desired effect, causing Johari immense pleasure, while her mind transformed the pain into a rather pleasant feeling instead. It was so intense, that Johari's cravings took over for a moment. The lioness didn't even realize that she had lain down in front of Salehe, as if ready to mate with him.
Salehe only sat back, while watching her longingly. He cared too much for her so as to take advantage of her moment of weakness. He simply waited until she came back to her senses and realized the position she was in.
"Oh, man... Did we- What happened just now?" she whispered to herself, while secretly craving more of his attentions.
"Can you understand now why we cannot have these fighting lessons, unless you really want something to happen between us?" Salehe asked, doing his best to hold back himself.
Johari nodded, but it was too late. She didn't want him to leave. "You won the fight, though..."
Salehe nodded knowingly. "Don't worry. You didn't know how much worse it could get. Your offer no longer stands." He was about to turn around, when he heard her whispering softly.
"Please, don't leave... Stay with me..."
Salehe walked back to her and whispered in her ear, "You know what will happen if I stay..."
"Yes, I do..." Johari admitted, and exposed her neck and shoulders to him again, surrendering to him.
Salehe could not resist any longer and he finally let himself go, allowing his instincts to take over.
They were both so engrossed in the heat of the moment that they never noticed that someone had been listening and watching them for a while. None of them saw the figure of a lioness returning back to the lair, with her head and tail hanging low.