Finding Kosuke hadn't been easy, especially in a pride full of red lions. He supposed it could have been harder, of course. He had a mate named Shula, and there were a few lions named Shula. There were also a couple of lions named Soleil. Names, it seemed, were getting harder to come by, as of late. Still... He couldn't help but wonder what it had once been like, as he looked for the particular lion, and resolved to ask him when he he DID finally find him. And find him Ogon did, much closer to the old royal dens than most lions cared to go. He supposed it was a good place to be, really. It was sheltered from the sun and wind, shaded wonderfully. He breathed in the cooler air, unable to stop a slight smile. while he looked up at the tower cliffs.
Stepping from the shadows he'd been relaxing in, Kosuke looked over the much younger lion with a critical eye. A part of him was filled with an intense and raging jealousy, for how much gold glimmered on this lion's coat and yet his own daughters of fire-scorched sand tones had been sent away. But he kept the anger in check, not wanting to blame this lion for the actions of others. "The cliffs are something else, aren't they?" He looked up, taking them in, himself, as he stepped closer. "This was once where the pride would come, ages ago, to meet the king." He held back a sneer, not knowing yet if he could trust this lion.
His eyes flicked over to the other lion, taking in his features. "You are Kosuke, yes?" When he got a nod in reply, Ogon relaxed slightly. "Thank goodness, there's a lot of lions in this pride..." He licked his lips, then dove right to the point. "Somebody told me you're a... Seer." He dreaded the reaction he would get, but he was also hesitant to speak of who had told him. What if punishment was brought down on Singh for admitting to such a thing, and those he'd named? He didn't wish to be responsible for the turmoil of others.
He eyed the lion with his bone wing markings, one eyebrow raising as he inclined his head. "I am. If asked, I will tell you of it, of my visions that lead me to those stupid enough to get lost in the desert." Just not always. Thankfully usually they were near some identifiable landmark. Though there'd been that one lion who, in the visions, had been amid nothing but sand dunes. He'd sent Kenta to find them and lead him to them, which admittedly was how he'd been doing a lot of tracking. Visions weren't always reliable, and he could have six different visions of the future and not a single would even be necissarily right. "Why do you ask?"
NOW he was full of hesitation. "Well, I had a dream, one night... But I don't know if it was real or not." He looked up, seeing an expression that could only mean 'go on' on Kosuke's face. "It was about this pride, the Firekin. There were many, and then a sickness came. Lions were dying, many of them, while others fled the illness. Soon there were only a few left, a lioness and six cubs... But then a bird took one of the cubs, leaving five." He had no idea what it meant. He couldn't remember anybody ever telling him such a story. There'd been no reason before to visit the historians, and until Singh had said something, he thought it'd only been a dream.
His expression was unreadable for a moment, before he slowly nodded. "That was a vision of the past, in a sense. I'm not entirely sure about the bird, but what happened does seem a long time ago." He found a spot, settling down. "You see, many generations ago, the pride was powerful, strong... Ours was a name that others feared. Those who came into our desert were killed if they were LUCKY, others made slaves. Their lot in life was beaten into them. But then a plague came, just as the heir to the throne, Kiu, had sired a litter of cubs, and many died. Others fled. Shula's father was one of the ones spared, just younger than Kidondo's father, Kimeti. What was left was Kiu's mate, Kinja, and their cubs, Kimeti, Kwana, Kafara, Kijinga, and Motomilia - Their other son, Kavausi, had gone missing."
As Ogon listened, he found a spot to lay down, ears folding back. "I... Hadn't heard this part of the pride's history." He chewed the inside of his cheek, looking away. "I haven't heard much of the pride's history, really." He had been so focused on learning his trade, he hadn't found the time. He only knew of the histories of individual lions that had passed through the wards. When he thought about it, he didn't even know his parents' history, only that it had something to do with the invisible monsters to the north. "What happened after that?" He shifted, looking in the general direction of the pride. "How many of the pride are old blood?"
"About two thirds." At the surprised look, Kosuke let out a dark chuckle. "The cruel twist is that many are related. See, after the plague, when Kimeti came into his mane, a few lions began to trickle in. Only a few, though, and it led to a very direct and real problem in that with the exception of two lions, the entire next generation of lions were cousins. Thankfully a couple more lions came back and Kimeti was given his litter with an heir in it..." He crossed one paw over the other, openly sneering. "And look what Kimeti's heir did to the pride! He abandoned our goddess who MADE us in her image, he abandoned ALL of the old ways, and he's restricted how we name our children and what we even DO with some of them!"
Now he was confused, brow furrowing and ears folding back. His mouth hung open for a moment, before he closed it, grimacing. "What do you mean, how cubs are named and what's done with some of them?" He was almost afraid to find out, really. Not that it was anything to truly fear, though.
The grin that spread on his maw was, if possible, entirely sarcastic. "There's only so many ways you can name a lion FIRE or SUN or HOT before you run out and you don't know who's related to who anymore because of it." His tail flicked, sending sand flying. "And we send away cubs, because they're not black, red, or white, and SOMETIMES gray." He nodded at Ogon, frowning. "You're very lucky, with a coat like that. Most are sent away, and not even given a fire name." He scowled. "Kidondo said NOTHING of cubs that we had to send away, being unpermitted to have fire names. I was told otherwise and cubs that must be sent away because they're not in possession of the right coat aren't permitted to HAVE a name that relates to where they're from." He then let out a bark of a laugh. "And that's not all! If a lion is born with the right colors, they can't have ANY name that doesn't SOMEHOW pertain to the sun, fire, or heat! One of my half-brothers was sent away, because he didn't have the right kind of name!" He leaned in closer, ears and eyes trained on Ogon. "Do you know what Kidondo's great-grandfather was named? Or his great-aunt?"
Truly this was a lion filled with a bitterness toward those in power. "I'm unfamiliar with lions of the past, I'm afraid. What were their names?"
He gave a huff, ill-tempered. "Kidondo's great-grandfather was Makadari, the last king before Kidondo's father, Kimeti." At the confused look, he gave a passive wave of his paw. "Kimeti's father, Kiu, died in the plague." His paw dropped again. "But Makadari means MIGHT OF GOD. There's no fire in it, no sun. And Kimeti's aunt was named Mwezi." He smiled, just so, at the surprised look. "Indeed. The princess was named MOON. Go ahead, name a cub moon now. They'll be sent away no matter HOW they look." He rose to his paws, stretching. "Kiu meant drought. They'll accept that if you're LUCKY. Then there was Damu, which meant blood. And then, according to Shula's father, there was the lioness that was born entirely brown. She was permitted to stay, because there was no huria practice kicking our children out" He let out another huff, then turned away. "If you want more history, though, go bother somebody else." He inclined his head, thoughtful. "If you're LUCKY, my great-grandfather MIGHT still be around and kicking." He flashed a grin, all teeth. "Mwali's a lion that refuses to die, I swear. He may have been called the lazy prince, but he got Makadari's better genes to pass on, if you ask me."
It was clear that the conversation was over. Ogon rose to his paws, brow furrowing in thought. He would have asked more, but opted instead to give a bow of his head in thanks, before walking off. There was much to mull over now about the pride, his question about visions having created many more than he'd expected.