Abigail Hughes

The excitable little panda's mouth parted in notable awe as she listened intently to the places he spoke of, hardly capable of fathoming the hot plains of Eastern African or the deep jungles of the Congo, much less the gigantic sea of the Mediterranean. Really, she wasn't even sure she even knew where some of those places were - much less how to even imagine them in her limited knowledge of the world. Abigail could hardly help the twinkle within her hazel eyes to dream of all the parts of the globe she hadn't seen. Her very inquiry of Italy, however, seemed to prompt a different memory on the forefront of the large carnivore's mind. Her head tilted ever so slightly as he suggested she visit Sicily - it hailed as the most beautiful part of that seaside country. It was almost a shame, really, that she would not get the chance to see what that city had to offer. Perhaps she might inquire after it when they were abroad and yet, given what she was traveling for, it was doubtful that such arrangements could be made on such short notice. "What was Sicily like?" She inquired as she settled on her all four of her paws, only to flop on her butt in an almost dramatic fashion. "I'm going to Caserta, have you been there? It's where the royal palace is! We're going to see the King get married. Did you know Italy has a fairy King?" It was, she had learned, newer knowledge despite the age of the man she had befriended. Still, the lion seemed particularly knowledgeable of all that she did not know - she bet he was already well aware of this fact.

Her excitement for the plans that loomed upon the horizon, however, was quickly distracted by the realization of what she had lost. Her fluttering friend had disappeared within the meadow, leaving the young girl alone with but the lion as her company. She could hardly help the way her ears drooped and her tail flopped almost lifelessly against the rock. Abigail was oblivious to the way her new companion seemed to notice her own minute despondency at losing that game she had invoked with the insect. The rumbling lion's inquiry of her favorite kind of butterfly, much less his own admittance of his preference for Monarchs, drew her thoughts from her own loss. For a moment, she considered the plethora of the bug that existed, only for the enthusiastic panda to admit her preference for those azure colored bugs. She had, admittedly, never seen them in real life and yet, she could only imagine how amazing that bright blue color must be! She watched as his far larger head nodded in agreement, that sound rumbling deep within the man's chest. Mr. Lion was just so big compared to her petite frame! Those very sounds that originated from him far more baritone then anything she'd ever heard. It intrigued her, to say the least, the girl enjoying listening to those sounds as Mr. Lion commented on his sibling sharing that same inclination for those brightly colored fluttering insects.

"Your sister? Is she a lion too? Does she live here?" Abigail inquired, that near plethora of inquiries upon her lips at the very mention of the woman who shared such a similar interest as she. Perhaps she could be friends with his sister too! It might be nice, to make even more friends. After all, Abigail had decidedly few within the boundaries of the spiraling metropolis. Her petite head turned at the small brush of movement within the periphery of her gaze, drawing her attention in an almost inquisitive fashion. A soft gasp left her lips as she refound her lost treasure, her ears perking as her tail began to wiggle side to side in an almost childish fashion. She moved closer towards the edge of the rock, her butt wiggling as she prepared to pounce after the bug. In an undeniably earnest fashion, Abigail half near tumbled off the boulder in her efforts to find footing on the ground all over again. His assurances that they should be quick prompted a ready nod from the girl, her pace quickened as she dashed after the creature, her legs, much like her gait were decidedly small. Unlike her companion, crossing the entirety of that glade was hardly a 'quick' task in any fashion, not that she was perturbed by her own failings. Quite on the contrary, the thought hardly crossed her mind as she ran after the trotting lion, only for her hazel eyes to settle upon the sight of his tail swaying behind his large form.

It was tempting really, the dancing of that tuft of fur at the very tip of his tail. She considered, briefly, how he might react to that notion of play that so toyed with her thoughts and yet, she saw little reason why not to make that very transversal of the meadow any less fun. It hardly occurred to her that the game she was moments form initiating was one she might certainly would lose. It was only once Mr. Lion paused that Abigail near rushed up to his larger form, her mouth parting only to nom gently upon the edge of his tail. Her hazel eyes looked up at him as she uttered around that bone and fur. "Got chu!" She released her hold on him, those girlish chirping of giggles blossoming on her lips. "Tag! You're it!" She called, easily dashing ahead of him with little regard to how easily he might catch her. After all, he might be far larger but Abigail was a witty girl. All she had to do was move not in a straight line! Right? Right! Her very pathway turned more serpentine as she ran towards the last sighting of the butterfly, more than eager to initiate more than one game with the man on that warm sunny afternoon.