Hear My Whispers In The Dark

Apollo nodded. "Okay. Just.. don't push yourself too hard" he murmured, laying down. He curled his tail over his side, nestling his nose into his paws. His eyes fluttered shut but he could not sleep. The chatter of the pride was still loud. 20 minutes later it was silent. It was dark out, the stars glowing high in the sky. The pride had retreated to their dens, and the only sound was crickets. And the noisy squirms of Natalya's daughters. 'I wonder if he will know he has sisters...' he thought, his eye opening slightly to look at Corintha.

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Corintha nuzzled her cub gently, watching him intently, as he nursed her even as he slept, which made her smile and purr even louder as she licked him. More than likely, she wouldn't sleep. She just wanted to watch this little bundle of cuddles, with a wag of her tail, and nosing him softly. She looked at Apollo quietly, and watched him. "Your going to get cold. Your right by the door." She said softly, hinting at him to move closer.

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Apollo glanced up at Corintha. He shifted closer to her, taking in her warmth. He was afraid to touch the injured lioness. He lifted his head and gazed at Corintha's wounds. He shuddered and looked away. "I thought he would kill you" he said quietly, his ice colored eyes tender.

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"Why would you care if he did or not? Before I killed him, barely anyone thought anything more of me other than that I was a mute." She answered as she licked his chest slightly, closing her eyes, as she nuzzled closer to him, purring softly, as she put her head down on his paws, Nagato curled between them.

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Apollo cleared his throat. "Well... Um... You're special. To me at least" he whispered, his heart thumping out of his chest when Corintha curled up beside him. Nagato had crawled up his side and was laying with his front paws on Apollo's back with his hind legs barely touching the ground. Apollo went still, afraid the cub might get hurt. Apollo reluctantly licked Corintha's head, then pulled his head back like he might get slapped if he got too close.

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Corintha purred softly at himself. "Special how?" She asked gently as she licked his chest again, trying to get him to move his head back on her, not seeming to mind the fact he'd licked her. She slowly used her paw to move the cub back so Apollo could lay down peacefully. She could hear his heart thudder, and smiled, nuzzling his chest. "Why are you so nervous? You are king. You can have any lioness in this pride. Why are you so nervous around me?"

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Apollo shrugged. "You are different from the rest. Unique" he said quietly. He blinked a couple times to figure out a response to her other question. "I.. I don't know. Comes naturally, I guess" he said quietly, keeping his head raised. He was too nervous to make a lot of contact with the new mother. He looked at the cub, noticing that he was twitching in his sleep.

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"Of course, my king." She purred out quietly, as she lay her head by his chest to keep warm. "Don't worry. I don't bite if your nice." She said softly as she curled up, closing her eyes to fall asleep. She liked the feeling of gentle touch. She hadn't felt it before, and it was nice. Even if he was son of a monster, she didn't care. SHe liked his touch.

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Apollo sighed and rested his head across her's. "Good" he purred, dozing off.

::The next morning::

Apollo woke at the crack of dawn. Careful not to disturb the two lions, Apollo slipped out of the den. Cold air blew at his face, waking him up.

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Corintha woke up silently when he did, and was quiet, seeing him leaving the den, unsure why. She bit her lip quietly, and then just curled up again, giving a small, teeny whine as she tucked back around her cub.

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Apollo looked back at Corintha. "It's okay" he assured the lioness before grabbing a zebra leg and dropping it beside her. "Breakfast" he purred, sitting next to her. He watched his brother, smiling warmly.

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Corintha looked at the food, and scooted it towards him quietly. "A king always eats first. I'll be fine." She said softly as she licked him gently, trying to sooth him carefully. "I''ll eat after you, don't worry."

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Apollo pinned his ears stubbornly. "Eat" he said softly, nudging the food towards Corintha. "I won't eat until you do" he said, sitting with a loud thump to prove his point. He looked at the leg and then at Corintha, his gaze intensifying by the minute. "You know your the most beautiful lioness I've ever seen, right?" he questioned her softly, his blue eyes warm.

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Corintha was quiet as she looked up, when he said that, and she immediantly looked away. "I am not. Don't try flattery. That... That won't work. I'm not beautiful at all." She whispered, as she munched on the zebra leg, feeling his gaze set on her. So intent.... She couldn't comprehend why.

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Apollo laid down in front of the lioness. "I don't like liars, though" he chuckled, nuzzling her uninjured shoulder. "I will never stop telling you this. Even after I die. The stars don't even compare to your beauty" he said truthfully. "Sorry to break this thing up, sire. But there is trouble at the border" Harlequin interrupted, jealously burning deep in her eyes. Of course, Apollo didn't recognize to emotion. He was at his feet in a heartbeat, racing towards the border. Hyenas were snapping their jaws at his lionesses, who dodged their powerful jaws just in time. "Harlequin, make some noise. Distract them. Make 'em mad" Apollo ordered. "That's my specialty!" Harlequin grinned before launching herself away. "Lauran & Urax, attack the weaker ones. I'll go after the alpha" Apollo braced himself to leap as his females nodded and took off.

Apollo twisted in mid-air, pin-pointing his land on the alpha. Fighting was not his biggest hobby but he knew he had to do it to protect his pride. He used his weight to crush the smaller animal, breaking his neck with a quick bite. Unsure of what to do without their alpha to guide them, the rest fled. Harlequin brushed up against him, causing the king to shuffle away. Apollo looked down when he saw hurt reflect off of her green eyes. "Let's go" he told his females hurriedly, trotting away from the scene.

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