[FIN] The World (Kifuani & Syêl)

[mouselet]

It was, Syêl had decided, a shame that her markings weren't real wings. She'd climbed to the top of the cliffs and was reveling not only in the view but the near-constant breeze that whipped her fur around. She often looked at the sky, looked at the expanse of the ocean, and wished she could fly.

"Birds are so lucky," the lion cub sighed, closing her eyes to better feel the wind.  

[Puhterodactyl]

Kifuani was used to visiting the cliff tops, it was her meeting place with a lion she rather liked. It was unusual, however, to have or expect any company besides him once she got up there. So she was rather surprised to see a little cub sitting there with eyes closed. Head tilted, she padded softly over to the little girl.

The adult took a seat next to her and nodded before speaking softly, so as to not startle her. "I think so, too."

At least birds didn't have to be slaves.  

[mouselet]

The blue lioness started at the unknown and unexpected voice. It was a good thing she'd been lying down, otherwise she might now be falling into the unforgiving depths of the ocean. Her grey braid flew in the wind as the cub whipped her head around to face the stranger.

"You think so?" she asked, green eyes wide. She'd never really talked about her thoughts before, and found it exciting that someone else agreed with her.  

[Puhterodactyl]

Kifuani nodded seriously. "I do."

Her white eyes examined the little lioness. The wing markings on her back would explain why she might be drawn to birds. She had a cute little sky motif about her pelt. Kifuani almost envied her, not wholly in love with her own dingy black and brown colors.

"I'm a thrall in this pride. I don't get much freedom, but birds do. That's why I think they're so lucky. Someone asks them to do something they don't want to? They can just fly away. Want to see the sea? Or the mountains? Easy! Catch a breeze and fly away." Her own eyes scanned the horizon, seeing birds on the wind silhouetted against the sun. She sighed.  

[mouselet]

Syêl considered the grownup's words. She'd met thralls, of course, but even she knew that they came in all kinds. There were some who were utterly pathetic, under the claws of their masters, and others who had the fire of the Stormborn within them and would eventually earn - or be granted - the rank of Freeborn.

She was pretty sure, given the adult's demeanor and attitude, that this was one of the latter.

But more important were her words concerning birds. The girl shrugged in response.

"I don't know about flying away...but I would love to fly. And see places! But this is home," she added hastily.  

[Puhterodactyl]

Kifuani tilted her head. "Well, have you ever considered becoming a reaver and exploring outside the pride?"

She curled her tail around her. "That's where I come from, outside the pride. I wasn't born here, like you. There's a lot out there. Prides in the mountains, prides by the sea, prides in the jungles. Gods and goddesses and all sorts of creatures. I've only seen lions since I got here, but there's hybrids out there, even!"

She waved her paw around, gesticulating with one gesture about the whole wide world  

[mouselet]

Green eyes widened in excitement as the older lioness said the magic words. She was from outside the pride! She had seen the world! The grey lioness could tell her all about it!

Syêl was very much a lion of the present. Sure she could be a Reaver one day, but that was in the future, a long time from now. It wasn't in the near future, so it didn't manage to make much of an impact on her now.

"Tell me about the world," she begged happily.  

[Puhterodactyl]

Kifuani laid next to the cub and rolled over onto her back, waving her paws in the air as if she could paint images in the clouds and emerging stars. "You ever seen an elephant? Or a whale?"

She went on and on about leopons and cheetons and hyenas and wild dogs and more. Giraffes and shrews and weird maned wolves from some far off land. She told Syêl about her grandfather, the god of rogues (though she'd never met him personally) and about the god of ashes who her mother knew. Anything she could see capturing a cub's imagination she told her about. All the different prides in all the different places. She rolled back over to her belly.

"What do you want to see first?"  

[mouselet]

Syêl listened intently, often interrupting to beg Kifuani to elaborate on what this creature or that god looked like. If the cub couldn't see them with her own eyes, she wanted to be able to imagine them as best she could. And the older lioness knew of and had seen so much! So many creatures, people, and places!

This was, without a doubt, the best day of her life thus far.

But there was a question to be answered. And the cub thought hard about it, though maybe not long. She wasn't so good at long or patience.

"I want to see it all!" she exclaimed. "But...mostly I want to see the world the way we see the ocean, spread out forever."

She might have to climb the highest mountain to do it, but the young Stormborn wasn't afraid of heights or even failure.

The only thing she feared was being unable to go and see anything beyond the pride's borders.  

[Puhterodactyl]

Chayah smiled at the cub. "I haven't even seen it all, I've only spent a few years out in the rogue lands. The sooner you get started, the more you can see!"

The adult lioness stood and stretched, looking again at the skyline and found herself surprised by the amount of time that had elapsed during her storytelling. It seemed as though her friend would not join her here today after all. Shrugging, Kifuani supposed it didn't really matter. She'd made a new friend today in spite of it all. Her second one in the pride. For Kifu, that was quite the accomplishment.

She patted Syêl on the head and turned, walking down the cliffsides to rejoin her mother in the main pride.

the end