Twisted Wonderland Moments

🌌😴Nighttime Thoughts and Promises (Leona/Mara)

Takes place after "a night on the hammock. "

Nighttime had fallen in Savannaclaw as two feline beastman slept soundly on a hammock. Well, almost two. Mara gazed at the stars shimmering in the night sky, letting her eyes wander around a bit. Her ears were pressed against the chest of the lion beastman beneath, listening to the steady beat of his heart.

The cheetah woman had awoken when a thought crossed her mind. At first, it was small. Now it got bigger. Ir swam around and bothered her more than Floyd could in person. The upsetting thought was related to her and Leona especially.

Speaking of Leona, she turned her head to look at him, seeing a peaceful look on his face. She smiled softly at him, letting her fingers caress the side of his face, pushing away his dark brown strands away from his eyes. Mara sighed tiredly, asking herself if she should wake him up to talk about it and put those thoughts to bed. That or she could risk getting kicked out of the hammock because she woke him up in the middle of the night.

"Can't sleep?"

Her ears shot up at his voice, cutting through the silence of the night. She glanced up, finding him popping one eye open at her. The green color illuminated from the moonlight.

Mara pulled her hand back, flustered, but he caught on quickly, catching her smaller hand in his hand. With one tug, he pulled her body closer to him. Mara found herself pressed against him as his arms wrapped around her tightly. She stared back at him with a surprised look while his was calmer.

"You might as well talk about it if you're gonna keep me up." He told her, placing his arm behind his head. The cheetah sighed in defeat. Leona was sharp, and when he wanted to be done with something, he got to it. Her fingers played with his beaded necklace, thinking of the right words to start the conversation.

"Leona...what will become of us next year?"

"What do you mean?" Leona opened both eyes, looking at her with confusion.

Mara averted her eyes from his face as she kept fidgeting with his necklace anxiously.

"Well, we're in our third year. Next year, we'll be in the internships. I'm training in the royal guard, and you....well, I'm gonna let you figure that out." She stated, earning a chuckle from him.

"After graduation, I'll probably still be the second born prince that sleeps all day and does nothing. Which isn't so bad for me." He responded, fond of the idea. It made her shake her head at him with a slightly playful smile. She could easily picture that life for him.

"That and..."

His hand reached out to brush her hair back. He smiled softly at her, gently running his thumb across the spots on her face. "I can spend nights like this with you." He added. The cheetah woman blinked at him in surprise, feeling her face warm up. Though her eyes shined at the idea, a thought popped up in her mind that made her doubt that possibility.

"We don't know that." She mumbled quietly, gently removing his hand away. His eyes focused on her face, watching her ears pin back, and the golden light in her eyes dimmed. He glanced at her tail, drooping over the edge of the hammock.

Leona frowned and noticed her hand still on his necklace. He slowly pieced the puzzles until his ears perked up. Realization came to him, and his hand pulled hers away from the necklace, intertwining their fingers. Her eyes went back to him as he smiled casually.

"Is that what it's about? Our relationship?" He inquired, see through her. Mara felt her face reddened, glaring at him annoyingly, which amused him. He thought she looked cute when she was annoyed by him.

"Mar-Mar. Don't bother yourself with that. We'll still see each other next year. My family's not gonna care." He assured her.

"Besides, I'm doubtful anyone's gonna care if the second born prince gets a mate or not." Leona remarked. Though the unamused look on her face said that their conversation was not done yet.

"Even if you're the second born, you're still royalty. And I'm pretty sure Falena is gonna want you to find a mate." She pointed out. Leona leaned his head back against the hammock. He hated to admit it, but his girlfriend wasn't wrong. There had been times when his own family brought up the topic of finding a mate.

He initially didn't care about it because he didn't think anyone would want to date him. That is until he met Mara. If his family got word about her, they would start to get serious, which would be a hassle for him. But what upset him the most was they would direct to Mara, and he didn't want her to get caught in the family drama.

"Be honest. How long can we keep this going?"

He heard her speak in such a quiet voice. A hint of worry in her tone. His ears lowered, feeling his heart ache to see her like this. Mara was also confident, level-headed yet feisty, and kind. Now, she was silent as the night. Worry written in her face as she wondered what tomorrow might throw at them.

"Mara."

A hand cupped her face, directing her eyes back to him. His green eyes stared at her softly. But his face showed her he was contemplating what words to say carefully. "Look. I can't promise that we'll still love each other next year. Life isn't exactly fair. Especially with me." He started, and she could hear a pang of sadness in his tone.

However, his eyes shimmered with some hope to them. A rare sight for the cheetah. "But that doesn't mean we can't try to get what we want. If my family decide to stick their noses in our relationship, then you and I will figure it out. WHEN it actually happens." He emphasized to her.

To him, it was a problem in the future. One he didn't want to stress over yet. He just wanted to enjoy what he and Mara have right now. He studied her face as she pondered his words.

"So what you're saying is we shouldn't worry about something that's gonna happen in the near future?" She asked with a questionable expression. "That's exactly it. So don't worry about it until then." He told her, pausing to take a yawn.

Mara rolled her eyes at him, resting her head back on his chest. Though she had to admit, his advice made her relax more at what tomorrow could hold for them. She felt her mind blank and peaceful as her eyes began to grow heavy.

"Thanks. Ya, grumpy lion." She told him the last part playfully. He chuckled tiredly at her, pressing a soft kiss to her hair as the two cats resumed their nap, letting the hammock sway slowly and gently in the savanna night before tomorrow can start.