Tori stared wide-eyed at Leon before slightly nodding. "A-alright" She then patted Bluejay on her head before turning around and beginning to slowly walk towards the direction of the castle. "The castle is a good day's walk from here" Tori stated, sighing slightly. She hoped that the journey back to the castle won't be as bad as she imaginedit to be, but anything can happen after all. She glanced back to look at River, saying, "You did good in the arena, where did you learn the moves from?" Tori asked, curious.

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River watched as Tori turned on her heals and began to walk in the direction of the castle. She walked close behind the two, keeping Leon’s mane tangled between her fingers. His steps were considerably soft for how big he was. He glanced at River so often to make sure she was close. The clingy cat had learned that being bonded with River was a very positive thing.

”I’ve been anyone for most of my life. I had to learn to defend myself from a young age. Fighting was a way to provide for myself, even loosing had a small reward, after getting hit enough you begin to learn how defend yourself.” River spoke as she let her eyes wander into the tree line. Hopefully she didn’t have to talk the whole time, she was surprised she was doing this in the first place but a weird comfort washed over her when she was with Tori.

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Tori slowed down a bit and walked along side River. Hearing her response, Tori nodded slowly. "Do you have any family here?" She asked, wanting to make small-talk. Tori hated the quiet. She would much rather get to know River rather than stay silent the whole way home. Bluejay narrowed sat on Tori's shoulder, determined to be the first one to earn the group of danger.

Tori fiddled with her fingers, suddenly feeling shy. She hoped that her father wouldn't turn River down. After all, he still hasn't seen what River can do. Tori smiled slightly as they entered the forest. She felt way more comfortable here in the forest filled with plants and life, rather than out in the open where anyone could spot them in seconds.

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Rivers eyes followed Tori allowed herself to slow down, walking next to her. By her actions she knew that Tori was going to small talk as much as she could. ”Not any more. Just Leon and I.” she said, her tone warning Tori not to press on that subject any more.

”So why exactly are you out searching for a personal guard when you have a kingdom full of guards.” River questioned. It didn’t quite make sense and she wanted to think it was a trap but Tori didn’t make it seem to be.

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Tori stated at the ground as they walked. "Well for starters, all the guards in the kingdom are boring, so I just run away from them" Tori giggled, seeing her father's angry glare in her mind. "So my father wanted me to find my own guard" She shrugged, causing Bluejay to chirp angrily at the sudden movement. "How long have you been fighting in the arena for? Looks like you are quite skilled"

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River nodded slightly as she listened to Tori. She had a feeling that she was going to take it seriously and she knew she wouldn’t be able to scurry away from her. For one she is a very attentive individual and two Leon is quite good about keeping someone where they are suppose to be.

”it has been about 7 years. Started when I was about 16 years old. I had to figure out how to live and get what I needed to survive.”

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Tori couldn't help but feel a little bad for River. Actually, scratch that. She felt really bad for River. The older female seemed nice on the inside, and she truly wanted to get to know her more. "How did you meet...Leon was his name?" Tori asked, frilly curious. She debated if she was asking one two many questions, but shrugged it off and hoped that River would say something if she was getting a bit annoying.

Bluejay on the other hand, or paw, snoozed off and ended up falling off Tori's shoulder and landed in her soft arms. Tori smoothed out a few ruffled feathers before turning her attention back to River. A slight breeze ruffled her snow white hair, making Tori a bit irritated,but she didn't pay much mind to it.

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River watched as the creature on Tori’s shoulder fell into her hands. The animal was quite interesting and very unique. She had seen many hybrids through her life but not one quite like this one. A breeze allowed her attention to focus back on the question that she had asked.

” I found his as a cub. Abandoned. He wa smaller than normal at the tone, believe it or not. He couldn’t have been more than a day old. Do I took him in and it’s all in the past after that.”

River ran her hands through the fur of the black lion. He shook his head slightly, fluffing his fur in the cool breeze as he prowled forward to the unknown destination, to him of course. But he didn’t mind, for as long as he had river at his side he would be fine.

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"Well he certainly is pretty" Tori replied, glancing at Leon's majestic mane. She then looked back up at the make-shift trail that they were following. The castle wasn't too far away, and they should reach it soon. She stroked Bluejay's silky pelt while the tiny creature slept soundlessly. Tori knew that at any sign of danger, Bluejay would not hesitate to wake up and run away. She was as skittish as they come, although Blue has no shame in expressing her feelings sometimes.

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River gave a nod to her comment about Leon being pretty. He was a very rare sight, especially when it came to color and size. Let alone finding one that would respect a human. She was very lucky, she loved the lion, it was in fact the only other half she had over the years. She was more than grateful for the cat and vise versa.

”I’m assuming that your father is going to have to approve your choice, no doubt going to question your choice. What do some of these duties look like. Just watching out for you?”

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"Well....you could say that. But you would also have to stay by my side everywhere I go, make sure I don't get into trouble, and yeah" Tori shrugged. She hated having a bodyguard, no privacy and all. But maybe having River as a bodyguard wouldn't be so bad. She had a lion with her after all. Tori then looked up and squinted her eyes, seeing the castle sitting soundlessly on the horizon. It looked much farther away than it actually was. Although she was used to being on her feet a lot, Tori couldn't help but feel a bit tired as a yawn over took her. Shaking her head, she murmured a quick apology and stared at the ground.

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River gave a gentle nod. She knew that the job was going to be filled with following her around, she just hopped that every once in a while she would get to do something different. She lifted her gaze to see that the castle was in the distance and the sun began to set slightly.

”I know you are getting tired. We should stop and rest for a while if you want, or are you just wanting to stick it out until we get there.” River asked her before moving her gaze over to Leon who yawned. Flashing his large white teeth in the process.

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"I'm fine either way" Tori lied. She didn't want to seam weak next to this warrior. Tori glanced up as she saw Leon yawn and then looked at River. "Don't worry, you will have plenty of time to yourself." She smiled up at River softly. Tori then closed her eyes and lifted her head up a bit, enjoying the breezy afternoon. she loved the night. It was peaceful and the moon would light up the forest. Tori loved peaceful and cloudless nights. She also hated the dark and moonless ones as much as she hated being cooped up in the castle, maybe even more.

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River could tell that the princess was getting tired. ”We can stop for a little bit. Plus the kitten needs a little cat nap.” As she spoke of the lion she patted the creature on his side and he let out a large chuff. He slowed his to a stop before perking his head up. He let his ear swivel slightly as he listened to the things in the woods. He then trotted off into the forest.

River stopped and watched her companion trot off into the woods. She knew he would be back. River then walked over to a tree stub and took a seat. Leaving over and letting her hands run the back of her neck. She was sore from the fight but knew it wouldn’t last long. She huffed before raising her eyes back to Tori.

”Do you want to sit here?”

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Tori gave in and nodded, sitting down beside River. "Thanks" She gave River a sweet smile. "Oh! I should of asked you this earlier but, are you hurt from the fight?" She asked, glancing River up and down, looking for any visible injuries. Tori really did care for the older woman, and she trully wanted to know if she was alright. Tori always cared about other people, friend or foe. But she couldn't help but feel the need to make sure that River was fine. She was confused with her feelings, but decided to push them down for the moment.

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