Dege'mngoja followed Ayo's bright form after she had left the beaches she had been born on. Through the savanna, peeking through forests, and now, through a mountain range; this was insane. And she had been insane at one point! At least the birds still talked to her, even if she knew that there was no reason to be jealous of trees at this point. Ayo knew exactly where she was going, and Dege didn't see a reason to doubt her. All the walking was certainly getting tiring, though.
On the other side of things, Halili was with Kenna as they replenished their stash of healing herbs. Halili had heard that there wasn't always the best herbs around here, but they did the best they could. If something was really required, one of the avians in the pride could be sent to fetch whatever was needed. Flying was much faster, not even counting the mountain ranges that surrounded the valley that the Aka'mleli called home.
"Halili is not seeing what we need," Halili sighed. Kenna was as picky as ever, doing her best to mother Halili while helping with the gathering. The little African grey parrot chirped at her lion. "Nonsense, keep looking. We'll find something."
Their movement was slow, as they grazed through the grasses and bushes, making sure that none of the herbs were hiding beneath taller foliage. Bits here and there were being found, and Halili put them in a small pouch around her neck. They'd find their place in the healer's den when they returned, but for now Halili guarded it with all her heart. It meant a lot, even if there weren't too many lions to heal at the moment. Lomasi was nearly one hundred percent, but a lot of the stores had been used up. The quiet-times for healers meant more work, gathering and preparing for the inevitable.
With their noses to the groud, the two Aka'mleli members didn't see that the yellow striped lioness and her own birdmate were closing in on them. "Look, look!" Ayo called as she swung down to fly just above Dege's head.
"Yeah, yeah, I see them. They look pretty harmless, but I guess we should be careful, huh?" A lopsided grin escaped the lioness' face as she assessed the pair. Busy, gathering? That seemed odd, though Dege had no idea if they were just looking for pretty things or interested in the grasses. Someone from her old home would have swiped that bag off her neck before she had even noticed, poor thing. The pride had dissolved into gypsies, but Dege didn't much care anymore. They were safe from relative harm, and Dege just cut all ties with her family and friends to be with those she truly love; birds.
"Hey! Heeeeey!" the lioness yelled, Ayo squaking her own greeting to the other bird that was with the tiger-y lioness.
"Wha...?" Halili had a sudden moment of confusion. Where was that sound coming from? A stranger's voice....Kenna was up instantly, hovering over her own lion protectively. She would not leave Halili defenseless, and the parrot could be a stubborn pain in the a** when she wanted to be. Literally.
"Strangers," Kenna said with an irritated snap of her beak. "How they got...no, that's stupid. We all know there aren't enough guards in the pride. Some of these damn lions need to start making cubs so we can fill our ranks in!" So many birds around, and not enough lions. They needed to start doing their share.
Halili flushed, thinking of her own three grown babies. "W-well, we lions are slower than you...Halili is sorry she only had three.."
"Ohh hush, they're coming. Let me do all the talking," the parrot ordered, and Halili instantly kept herself still, just behind where the parrot landed on her head.
Well, no reply was odd, but that didn't stop Dege and Ayo from approaching the two. They presumed that they were part of the pride, though they didn't seem outwardly aggressive. Just cautious.
"Hello," Ayo called as she mimiced the African grey parrot. Once Dege halted, the other bird landed on her friend's head as well. Was this the normal way that everyone talked, bird/lion to bird/lion? "I guided us here, since I knew that it was a heaven for those of us with deep bonds. I can't be correct, right? Hestia..." she paused, not wanting to see disrespectful to the bird goddess. "Ah, nevermind."
Dege laughed. "What she means is can we stay? I've spoken to birds since I was born, thrived with them...and left my homelands when it became too hard to live a life I didn't feel connected to."
Kenna studied the two, though it was more for effect (and grumpiness) than anything else. "Maybe," was her first reply. Halili whined a bit under her, but Kenna flashed a wing out to keep the lioness quiet. "We don't make these decisions. We were only out here to gather herbs."
Halili knew she should be quiet, but she couldn't help herself. "You didn't...come across any guards, did you? Or scouts?" she was worried...more than she had been lately, as she never thought about how un-protected the borders were. There were only a few locations where strangers could flood in, but if one was determined enough, there were plenty more locations they could sneak in.
"No," the lioness replied with a shake of her head. Ayo clung on for dear life, and Dege froze as soon as she felt her claws. "Were we supposed to ask them for guidance in?"
"Yes and no," Kenna replied. "We're thin in ranks, and need more scouts and guards." She sighed, frustrated at explaining the lack of control this pride had. One that she wanted to join. It was embarrassing.
"Interesting" Ayo said, contemplating over this. Dege wasn't too sure what she was supposed to say no, so she just shrugged.
An awkward pause...and Halili jumped in. "Halili can take you to the council. There you ask if you want to say, what you can do...Halili is sure that you can do it!" She bounced a bit, forcing Kenna to leap off of her head with unamused squawking.
"Halili, hm? I am Dege'mngoja, and this is Ayo." The lioness was feeling more at ease with the tiger-striped female, seeing that she was harmless. Perhaps too harmless, but her bonded bird was anything but, geez!
"Halili! And Kenna, though she is grumpy." Halili laughed, her tail swishing behind her in laughter. "Let's go! We'll show you the way."
And with that, they trailed off back towards the heart of the valley, to petition for Dege and Ayo to join their numbers.
(1,115 words)