[FIN] Rounds and New Faces (Faiz x Mwenyezi x Zek)

[Reeshie Hack]

Faiz strode slowly toward the borders of the pridelands, making rounds like he did every morning. The only difference was this time he had brought his young son with him. It was a dangerous thing to do, bringing the cub along at his young age, but Faiz never really was one that really feared anything. He could protect his son and himself should they have any problems, and Zeki had really wanted to see the pridelands. This seemed like the best way to go about that.

They stopped on a slight rise, still within sight of the Great Lake, but many lopes away from it, the land more open here.
"Well, what do you think?" the tall Vizier asked his small son, looking down through half-lidded eyes at the purple cub.

Zeki'Ilhami sat down beside his father and looked around a bit, his eyes narrowed against the slow breaking of dawn.
"I thought the pridelands were bigger, Pedar," the cub said, frowning up at his father as he addressed him with the word their ancestors had used for Father. He watched as his father slowly shook his head.
"They are much larger. My rounds only cover a portion of our land," the blue-gray lion replied and Zeki's face dawned with understanding.

"Oh, I see. D'you think we'll meet any rogues today, Pedar?" His father chuckled at that, ruffling the tuft of fur on his head that would one day become a mane as thick and full as his father's.
"You never know. The day can hold many surprises."  

[~Masamune~]

One of those rare surprises that the adult lion spoke of was about to show itself. A pale figure appeared on the horizon, walking slowly towards the father and his son. It wasn't long before a set of bright yellow eyes fell on the pair. They belonged to Mwenyezi, a secretive character who had come to this area seeking out a Pride that he had only heard of just recently.

When he was close enough to confirm that it was an adult male and a young cub, a small smirk crept on to his face. He hadn't planned on meeting others so soon, but he figured that this could only be a good thing. The stories he had heard about this Pride interested him greatly, so the sooner he could learn more about it, the better.

"Why hello there." He called ahead before stopping a fair distance away, not wanting to get too close just incase the male was hostile. After all, he did have a cub with him.  

[Reeshie Hack]

Faiz merely glanced up in an almost board fashion as the greeting called out, his hooded gaze showing a slight curiosity.
"Good day to you, stranger. What brings you to the land of kings?" he asked, his voice low and deep at he took in the other male. They had seem to have had an influx of outsiders lately, a thing he much enjoyed. Many of their pride were still dispersed and it was always good to have new members. It gave a healthy variety to the blood.

Zeki watched through much more suspicious eyes as the smaller-than-his-father male approached. This only further engraved into the cub's mind that there was no lion larger than his father and uncle.
The cub looked upwards, seeing the calm look on his father's face as he spoke and chose to adopt the look, returning his champagne gaze to the stranger.
 

[~Masamune~]

The male seemed friendly enough, so Mwenyezi continued walking until he was stood just a few feet away from the pair. "The Land of Kings?" He mused. "Ahh, that name makes perfect sense." His voice was quite soft, yet it had a certain edge to it. "I heard tell of a Pride where males rule over females, and I simply wished to see it for myself." After he said that, he looked around, as if what he was about to say next was some kind of secret. "There are not many Prides in the mainland that promote such inequality, so I was not completely sure that this Pride even existed."

The male paused, his gaze then returning to the adult male before him. "Oh, but where are my manners? My name is Mwenyezi." He gracefully bowed his head towards the adult, and then nodded his head in acknowledgment of the small cub.  

[Reeshie Hack]

Faiz grinned slowly.
"You have come to the right place. It has been long in our traditions that females answer to the word of their male. I am Faiz, Vizier to our Sultan and heir to the throne," he returned, dipping his head slightly in formal greeting. Despite the appearance of this Mwenyezi, he did nothing to remove his mane from his eyes. Most of his attitude, appearance, and actions were deliberate, ways to fool all of the lion behind the laid-back attitude and bored expression. He had not been Vizier under two different Sultans for naught.

"And this is one of my sons, Zeki'Ilhami."

Zeki dipped his head as well when his father introduced him, doing his best to copy the older lion's mannerisms.
"Welcome, Mwenyezi," he murmured as he straightened up, glancing upwards at his father for approval. He received a small wink of one bright blue eye and couldn't help but grin in his own slightly lazy fashion.
 

[~Masamune~]

Mwenyezi grinned, clearly pleased that he was in the right place. He certainly had come out of his way to get here, but he was sure it would be worth it in time. "Wonderful. I am truely pleased to meet you Faiz, and you too Zeki'Ilhami." The pale lion bowed again, simply to conclude the introductions. Now they could get down to business.

"I must admit, I am not as well-informed about this Pride as I would like. For starters, I do not even know its name." He gave a small shake of his head, but then chuckled suddenly. "I feel very lucky indeed to have bumped into a Royal Vizier. Surely you will be able to answer all of my questions. That is of course, if it is not too much trouble?"  

[Reeshie Hack]

"Not at all. We are the Ukuucha'Wafalme. Our basic traditions are males as rulers and protectors while our females hunt and bare and raise our young. Zek and his siblings were born to one of my more timid females," Faiz replied inwardly rolling his eyes as he mentally added, much to the displeasure of his favored mate. His half-brother may not have had the harem size he had, but at least he didn't have the headache that came with it sometimes.

Zeki nodded his head slowly.
"Pedar trains me and Ilyas while Maadar teaches my sisters to be good Banu for when they grow up," he added with a short nod of his head.
 

[~Masamune~]

"Fascinating." The pale male replied airily, having taken in all that the pair had to say. "May I ask why it is like this? As I said earlier, there are not many Prides in the mainland that would condone such inequality, no matter what the reason for it." He was sure that they wouldn't have such unique beliefs without having a very good reason for it, so he was very interested to hear what that reason was.

As he pondered this, he found his gaze once again scanning over the land. He flicked back his rather wavey mane and once again found himself smiling. He was positive that he was going to like it here, should he be allowed to stay.  

[Reeshie Hack]

Faiz glanced down at his son for a moment before returning his hooded gaze to the other male and shrugged lightly.
"That's just the way it is. Males are suited for battle and leadership, females are suited to hunting and raising cubs. We have multiple females to ensure plenty of strong, healthy children. Our pride is patriarchal, and it has not been uncommon in our history for our Sultan to have died without an heir because his females bore no sons," he explained, settling down into a slightly more relaxed position. A smirk found its way onto his face and he chuckled a bit.

"I'm certainly not complaining. I quite enjoy being surrounded by a group of lovely ladies vying for my attention."  

[~Masamune~]

"I see." Mwenyezi believed that there must be a proper reason, but he decided not to pursue it further. After all, it wouldn't do for him to anger a Royal Vizier. "That is so very true." He said with a nod after the male spoke of the various roles that are suited to males and females. "Truely, this really is the Land of Kings."

As Faiz went on, Mwenyezi also let out a small chuckle. "I fail to see any downside to your way of living." He wondered if it was too soon for him to ask to join, but then he decided that there would be very little harm in asking. "I fear it may be somewhat of a lost cause, as I am sure that there are many males who seek to live the same life as yours." His eyes flickered darkly. "But I must ask; are you by any chance accepting of outsiders?"  

[Reeshie Hack]

"Well, some might find the having of many females a little," Faiz paused there, taking a slow breath as if he was searching for the proper word, though really the action was simply for show. "Taxing. I, personally, find it invigorating."

The prince-Vizier tilted his head slightly, eyes opening just a little bit wider in keen interest.
"You will have to earn your right to live among us, but yes, I see no harm in you joining our pride, so long as you uphold our laws. All outsiders and young males must prove themselves capable of creating their harem. You will simply need to bring a female with you into the pride, willing or otherwise. However, if she is captured, you must not allow others to follow you back to the pridelands. We may be capable, fierce, and strong, but we are not a particularly warlike pride," he explained with a short nod of his head.

"Pedar, the raids." Faiz looked down at his son, the cub grinning up at him.
"Ah, yes. You're in luck. Some of our members have chosen to head out raiding soon.You should be able to get a female then, if you don't already have one."  

[~Masamune~]

Mwenyezi raised a paw and stroked his chin. He certainly didn't mind the idea of being surrounded by females, but it was the bigger picture that he was more interested in. "I welcome a challenge." He smirked. He was quite sure that finding a female would come easy to him, so he would be a fully fledged Pride member in no time.

At the mention of the raids, Mwenyezi's smirk grew in size. "What luck. I have been positively brimming with luck today it seems. I would be honored to join you on your raids." As he said that, he bowed his head respectfully.  

[Reeshie Hack]

Faiz grinned lazily and nodded.
"I suppose you'll be able to prove yourself then too. I won't be going along, but my brother shall. He has a good eye for things like that," he replied and heaved himself up into a standing position.
"Come, we'll find my brother and introduce you," Faiz added, the lazy grin remaining as his son stood and began walking in the direction of the main pridelands. The Vizier nodded in the direction the cub was moving and stepped into a stride beside Zeki.

The pride was growing, as it should. A new generation, new members, and raids on the horizon. The Pride of Kings would soon grow to the glory of its ancestors.  

[~Masamune~]

Mwenyezi let out a small chuckle. "I do not mean to sound arrogant, but I am quite sure that I can rise to any challenge that it set before me." When Faiz and his son moved to show him the way into the pride lands themselves, the pale lion quickly moved to walk at Faiz's side, only walking slightly behind him just so he could keep the pair in view whilst at their side.

He seemed that he had done it. He had managed to join a fantastic pride that had all the potential in the world. Mwenyezi was positive that he would thrive here, and so it wasn't long before his mind moved on to the next stage of his grand plan.

(( Finished! ))