Ben scanned the trees from the hill top. He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly before dashing toward the forest. The moon wasn't full this evening but there was enough moonlight for his night vision to kick in. His body seemed to vibrate in anticipation of their next meeting. He knew the forest like the back of his paw so getting back to the place of their first meeting wasn't too difficult. His only concern was wether she would show up.
Fifteen minutes later he finally made it to the large tree where he first met Kenya. He was staring up at the large branches and found that even with his night vision, the thick leaves made it hard to see.
All of the sudden he heard laughter and soft clapping coming from the thickest branch of the tree. The shadows seemed to move until he could make out the outline of a sleek body and a pair of golden eyes staring down at him.
"Well look at that. You remembered to look up!"
"Heh, well I like to think I'm a fast learner." Ben let loose a soft deep chuckle as he watched Kenya nimbly climb down the tree. "Man, you make that look easy."
Kenya landed quietly on the ground and slowly walked up to him. She reached up and ran her claws through the thick fur on his chest. Standing this close to Ben, Kenya could see that he was a foot and a half taller than her and very muscular under his thick pelt of fur.
"I can teach you if you like? It's not as hard as it looks." She looks up into his amber eyes and flashes him a toothy grin.
Ben laughed nervously and hoped she couldn't feel his heart trying to beat out of his chest. "I don't think that would work. I'm just not as nimble as you are. I'll probably end up falling out of the tree and embarrassing myself."
"Nah, anyone can learn. Trust me, I've fallen out of trees plenty of times." Kenya pressed her body closer to Ben's. She took note at how he stiffened up when she leaned into him. She stood on the tips of her toes so she could stand somewhat face to face.
Ben could see what she was trying to do. He gently placed his paws on her hips and lowered his head until their noses almost touched. Ben's thoughts began to race. 'Is this really happening?! Is she going to kiss me?' He didn't realize it but he was holding his breath. Her eyes were beautiful but he noticed a mischievous glint in them.
Kenya could feel how eager he was to be this close to her. She could feel a slight nervousness as well and she thought that was so cute. As they stared into each others eyes before a broad smile spread across her face. Before he could react, she nipped him playfully on the end of his nose. Ben yelped and let her go so he could rub his nose. Kenya laughed at the surprised look on his face before junping back a few feet from him.
Ben couldn't believe she did that. He stood there, rubbing his nose and watched her as she dropped down on all fours. "What was that for?"
"Aww, you want to get me back? Then you have to catch me big boy..." she said with a playful growl. She gave him a wink before running off into the bushes.
"Hey, wait!" Ben shouted but she was already gone. His surprise gave way to a playful smirk as he ran after her. Since he committed her scent to memory so it was easy to track her. He could hear her laughter echoing through the trees and he caught glimpses of her ahead of him. She was like a living shadow. Her footfalls were quiet and her sleek body began to blend into the darkness around them.
He broke through a line of trees and came to a stop near a slow moving river. He lost her. He could smell her but couldn't tell where she went. He paced the area for a few seconds before coming to a stop close to the riverbed. He was beginning to wonder if she crossed the river when he heard a branch fall behind him.
"Yaaaaaarg!" She got him! Before he could turn around, Kenya jumped down from a nearby tree and pouned on his back. Ben lost his balance and they both ended up in the river. Ben came up for air, sputtering, and wiping his eyes to clear them of water. Kenya came up next to him and she was laughing.... LAUGHING! Good thing the water wasn't freezing cold thanks in part to the warm weather they had been having lately or he'd be more upset then he really was.
Kenya couldn't help but laugh. He was soaking wet. His thick fur was soaked and plastered to his body. She could see the definition of every bulging muscle on his body. That alone made her heart do flip flops. Her thoughts were broken by a low growl emanating from Ben. He was eyeing her and began to get into a crouching position. She tried to turn and run away but he junped her, grabbed her around her waist and pulled her until her back was pressed against his lower chest.
"Gotcha!" he proclaimed triumphantly before dragging her out of the river. Even with their fur being wet her fur felt surprisingly slick and ... warm. He got them both to fry land before letting her go.
"No way! You cheated. You distracted me with your wet dog look!" Kenya tried to get her giggles under control after Ben sent her a death glare. She yelped as Ben shook the water off of himself and onto her. "Gee thanks a lot big guy!"
"Heh, that's for the dunk in the river! Besides, I thought cats hate water. " If looks could kill. He chuckled as she put her paws on her hips and glared at him.
"Most house cat based weres hate getting their fur wet. Theirs is thicker and they can't shake it off as easily as you can." Kenya demonstrated by getting down on all fours and shaking herself of excess water. "But I'm a big cat. I love the water. Same goes for were tigers, leopards, and panthers like myself." She got a thoughtful look on her face. "Although it fun to watch a werelion get wet. It's fun to watch them dance around as they try to keep from getting wet. You should try it sometimes." She laughs.
Ben throws his paws up and waves them infront of him in defense. "No way! I like having my head attatched to my body, thank you very much."
Ben watched her stand up and his breath was taken away. Her fur was even more shinier than before and he could see her nipples harden from a cool breeze blowing through the trees. He reached out to her and pulled her in for a hug.
Kenya was caught by surprise when she was pulled into a hug. His body felt like a furnance compared to her own. She couldn't help but melt into his warmth. They stayed like this for a few minutes before she began to pull away. She looked around until she saw a large fallen log near some bushes a few feet from them. She took him by the paw and lead him to the log. There they both sat and began to talk, laugh, and playfully flirt with one another.
Ben had to admit: He was having a great time that night.