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The sun sat high against the back drop of cadet blue sky. Thin clouds had whisked across the heavens, creating various shapes as a slight breeze blew. The air still held warmth as the light roar of the Summer had been upon them. A soft sigh had escaped her slightly parted lips as the feline had stalked towards the entrance of the park. It had taken much effort to peel herself from the confines of her hotel room. Stirring at the four walls had only caused her mind to spiral into depths of depression. She didn’t want to think, she didn’t want to feel the pain that radiate through her heart. Naomi had prayed for peace within her mind. Prayed the imagines and the smell of slaughtered blood would ceased. Instead, it had continued to haunt her. After little rest, she had forced herself to explain the city she had now claimed as her new home.
 

The leopardess had wondered the city aimless and found herself stumped upon a park that had struck her interest. Within her spirit had felt right as it had called to her. Without a thought, Naomi had not questioned her intuition as she stepped farther into the park, weaving through a cluster of trees that created a large shadow upon the ground. She had tried to keep her thoughts clear and simply focused on the moment. Naomi could hear the birds chirp, the sound of insects that made noise, she had tried to focus on the melody of the rustling leaves. Typically, such sounds would have been serene, but instead it stirred her unsettled spirit.

Brows furrowed, upset that something she had normal enjoyed had not brought pleasure. She had tried to dismiss it, dismiss anything that might had brought anger as the woman continued to push forward. Her gait had been slow as she spotted a playground with a large swing set. Just maybe the swing would give a sense of freedom from her own tormented mind. Naomi needed escape from herself that even being shifted could not provide. Without much through, the feline moved along the grass and made her way to the swing set. A hand had wrapped around the metal chain as she sat down upon the seat and sat there for a moment. Dark eyes lifted to the heavens as she prayed for a moment peace.

Alexander took a sip of his coffee, his walk little more than an idle amble as he made his way around the park. He’d been taking time to explore Greenbrooke while his daughter was in daycare, leaving him free to be as quick or slow about his exploration as felt right. Like that morning, he’d decided to go park searching. There was a small corner playground nearby his home, but Alexander didn’t like the lack of toddler safe play equipment.

Which was why Alexander was on the other side of downtown, coffee in hand and attention focused on the park he was analysing. It had the usual equipment – swingset, slide, wobbly ride things, and other odds and ends that Alexander wasn’t familiar with. But overall, the playground looked very good for bringing his daughter to play. The ground was covered with rubber mats instead of woodchips, which Alexander approved of, though there was also lush grass surrounding the primary playground area. Oh yes, this would be the perfect place to bring his little girl to play!

Alexander smiled as a string of kids raced across the rubber mats, fighting over who would be the first one down the slide. There were women scattered around the outside of the park, and Alexander watched them quietly for a moment, sipping on his coffee, breathing slowly and half tempted to go and collect Juliette from daycare just so they could play in the park and his little girl could make some ‘friends’ – she was only nine months old.

Gazing around, Alexander spotted the big swing set, the ones that were designed for older children and adults, not toddlers, and made his way in that direction. He wasn’t really sure what urged him to join the woman who was sitting on one swing, but he did anyway. Alexander settled onto the swing, wrapping his left arm around the chain, while his right cradled his coffee. Turning to glance at the woman, Alexander chewed on the words before finally offering an ice-breaker with a small smile. “Which one is yours?”

Weary eyes had closed as she soaked the heat that had been provided. The warmth of the sun felt like a comforting hug as it coated every inch of her being. For a moment, whatever thoughts that had plagued her mind had ceased. It have the feline stillness as she felt the density of her current state. She had felt more exhausted as she ever had been. Limbs had felt heavy as Naomi gave her weight to the plastic and metal that held her. The need to move had settled upon her as of yet as she scooted farther backwards on the seat so that her feet had lifted off of the ground. It have her a sense of being supported and in a small way, freedom from self.


Despite being in the moment, the leopardess had been aware that someone had entered her space. The scent of the person had coated her senses as she knew the individual had been of the human flavor mixed with the aroma of coffee. Through feelings, she kept track of the person’s moments as they drew close. She felt no need to be on guard, but had been keenly aware of her surroundings. Finally, her eyes had opened as she felt the shift and heard the slight clank the metal created. The feline’s head had turned to the side, following the voice that spoke to her.


“None.” Her word had been short, but not rude. “I don’t mind watching children, but I have none of my own.” Naomi had given him a soft smile as she spoke. She indeed wanted children, however the opportunity had always been cut short. “I’m here for the scenery and I’m not one to pass up the swings.”A shrug had been given due to there not being a full on reason for this particular park. “Sometimes the child in us need an outlet.” There had been a pause for a moment as she thought. “What about yourself?”

“Oh,” Alexander said softly, grimacing in apology, before smiling as the question was thrown back at him. “None,” he copied her tone with a small smile as he turned on the swing to face her, letting his ‘World Best Dad’ tee-shirt be more easily visible. It was something his sister-in-law had gotten for him, and he loved it. “My daughter is in day-care today,” he said easily. “I’m scouting parks to visit with her.” It was easy to hear how much he loved his little girl in every word and motion of his body.

Alexander smiled at his companion, then took another sip of his coffee. The cup was almost empty now, and the heat had gone out of what little coffee was left. He took another swig, emptying the takeaway cup. Leaning over, he placed it beside the pole, and then sat up right again. He’d put the cup in the bin on the way out of the park. For now, he turned a curious glance upon his companion, and gave a small smile. “I hope you don’t mind if my inner child joins you on the swing.” Alexander didn’t really wait for an answer, as he pushed backwards and then let the swing drift forward, his legs folding under and then reaching out appropriately.

After several swings, and some thoughtful introspection, Alexander turned his attention upon his companion and offered a sheepish smile. “I’m Alex,” he said through his awkward smile, releasing the right chain so he could sweep his hair back from his eyes, which were sparkling with mirth. He wasn’t very good at making friends; it was something Joshua had been far better at, and most of Alexander’s friends had been by proxy; they were Joshua’s friends, therefore they were Alexander’s. But Alexander was trying to rectify that, even if that meant chatting to strangers in the most unique of settings. Like after having coffee spilt on him, or joining a stranger on the swings in a random park.

Soft eyes had been given for there had been no reason for the man to apologize for something he had not known. Even though Naomi accepted the apology silently and blinked when the response she had given had been returned. The small smile on the man’s face had not gone unnoticed which had caused a soft snort to escape as her eyes had been redirected to the his tee-shirt. The man had jokes, which at the moment the subtleness of it had been refreshing. Though the feline’s focus had been on the subject of his daughter. “I hope you live up to that representation of your shirt.” Her words had been gentle as she returned the slight banter. “How old is your daughter?” The feline’s head had lopped to the side as she questioned. She could only imagine the daughter had been no older than five due to kindergarten. Even then, there still had been children that attended daycare due to parents or guardian’s schedules. Naomi had not wanted to assume. “I’m sure she would love it. Seems decent from what I can tell from the whole few minutes I have been here.”


The leopardess had watched the man as she took note of each movement. Something has simple as placing a coffee cup on the ground beside the pole had given the woman a lot of information by mere observation. Words had not been spoken until his focus had been returned to her. Brows had lifted as she responded. “Not at all. It’s always more entertaining to swing with others than alone.” Even though the man had not waited for her response before he had started to swing, a smirk had been given.


Naomi had adjusted herself on the swing a she slid off of the plastic seat and walked backwards. When it had felt right, she slid back on the seat and had been launched forward. Her legs had pumped to build height as she held on to the metal chains. The breeze had moved through her hair as she sighed softly allowing herself to ride the moment. The man had offered his name and feline had glanced to him and done the same. ”Naomi. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” It was nice to put a name to a face as she continued to speak. “So is your inner child going to let me beat you on how high you can swing?” A brow had rose as she suggested a friendly challenge. Anything had been a better distraction than her own thoughts and heartaches.

“I do my best,” Alexander said as he ran a hand over the front of his shirt, his mind far away even as he swung gently on the swing, staring off into the distance. He turned to look at his companion with a small smile. “She’s nine months,” he said. “I’m constantly running around putting things out of her reach.” He laughed a little. “She’s constantly putting things in her mouth!” Alexander shook his head, but he felt the overwhelming love for his daughter warm him, even as the agony of losing Joshua once more crept in on the edges. He pursed his lips, and pushed the swing to carry himself a bit higher, a bit faster, a bit further away from his own thoughts.

“Naomi is a lovely name,” he responded when she introduced herself. He took the opportunity to lock away his grief that was poking around the edges of his mood, and instead offered a small, genuine smile at the competition. “Its not how high you can swing,” he said, voice teasing, “It’s how far you can jump!” Preferably without breaking a bone! He didn’t add that, but did lift his eyebrows and pumped his legs more, forcing the swing higher. Then he realised he would have to jump, at some point, and wondered what it was about the woman that prompted him to make such a challenge. He was too old to jump from swings in mid-flight. Alexander laughed, at the ridiculousness of the situation, but kept swinging.

A small smile had been given because Naomi was sure he had done his best on raising his daughter. That was all a parent could have done. There was no rule book on children and navigating life, though sometimes she wish there had been. Though the feline had been curious on how old her companion’s daughter had been, she had not been expecting nine months. A brow rose as he uttered those words. “Trying to find places she will remember at such a young age?” she questioned with a slight humor in her voice. Naomi had to give him props, but not all children, let alone adults would remember things from that age.


A chuckle escaped as the leopardess shook her head, listening to Alexander speak about his daughter. ”She’s at the teething age? Sounds adorable, but I can imagine how much of a pain it must be to make sure she didn’t put a button or a bug in her mouth.”Children tended to find ways to put anything in the mouths. ”What’s the little darling’s name?” She was curious especially seeing the man’s face light up when speaking on his daughter. However, Naomi had noticed something deeper that she couldn’t quite put her finger on.


Naomi had started to swing allowing the power in her legs to continue to pump her forward. The breeze moved around her body, cradling the feline and with the sun’s ray it had felt heavenly. She was prepared to swing high, try to touch the sun metaphorically. Oh how wonderful it had felt, giving some kind of relief from the torments of her mind. The smile on her face had turned into a mischievous grin then the competition had been taken up a notch. “You sure you are up to that challenge, Alexander? You don’t want to break your dad bones,”</b> she teased. Naomi had an unfair advantage since she wasn’t human. ”You are on, but you might regret it.”There had been a hum to her words as she had started to feel like a kid again. Naomi had continued to swing, building up speed and height. “I’m giving you a fair shot on backing out.”