Ana sat on the edge of what used to be the Dawnwalker pridelands. The pride itself was gone now, but that didn’t stop a number of the families from remaining, still working in somewhat unison. Of course, most of them were in some way related to her own, mostly through marriage or her grandmother, but what did that matter? One big family group, wasn't that sort of what being a pride was? Not too much had changed. Her mother’s uncle still patrolled the boarders with his adopted daughter. Her mother still healed and watched over young cubs. Her father still studied the ruins and the stars, when he had the time that is. He was still a powerful warrior and helped out when he was needed.
But there wasn’t a place for her here. She was too much of a wanderer at heart and... when it all came down to it, this place held memories, memories she didn't want to think about. It was still hard for her, the betrayal was still fresh even if it had been forever ago. She was grown now and yet she still hadn't stopped braiding her mane. To her, it was a reminder of her mistakes and why she should make them ever again. Her mother thought she didn't need to be doing that, but Ana did her best to convince her family that it was just a fashion statement. She liked the braid. It was a nice thing to say, for the most part her family seemed to accept it. Whatever worked.
Her survey of the desert completed, she finally stood and started walking around a dune, only freezing when a voice hit her ears.
"Now what are you doing out here, little cousin?" the voice asked and Ana looked up. It was one of her mother's cousins, one of the older twins, either Hadeh or Mefkaht. No one was sure who in the family carried the trait, but her great aunt and uncle had brought two sets of twins into the world, Hadeh and Mefkaht, then Meskhenet and Khesbedj, though one could say that the latter twins were actually triplets, since Khenmet looked just like them if it weren't for his darker coloring. With Khenet, Khes, and Khen, it was easy to tell them apart, since the twins were a daughter and a son and the triplet was colored differently. It was forever impossible to tell with Hadeh and Mefkaht, since they were almost identical in appearance and scent and on top of that they had a bad habit of exchanging their jewelry to confuse everyone else.But then, only Mefkaht ever really talked in that high-brow and nosy tone of voice.
"I'm talking a walk, Kahti," Ana replied, earning an eyebrow raise from the twin.
"Hmph, I'm insulted you don't recognize me when you see me. I'm Hadeh, Anakaa."
"No you're not. Paw's honor." For a moment, her cousin remained looking hurt. But then she smiled and held up one paw, wiggling her toes as she gave herself away. That was the only way to be certain with them, Mefkaht's paw-pads were a solid, creamy color while Hadeh's were blotched with dark brown.
"Okay, you've got me. Need to work on whatever it was that gave me away. Can't go around making mischief and not be able to blame it on Hadeh." She came loping down the dune and nudged her shoulder into Ana's. "I came clean, how 'bout you? What are you really doing out here?"
Ana pulled a face. If there was anyone in her family known for gossip, it was Kahti. She loved telling wild stories and it was even more delicious for her if they were absolutely true. She was probably hoping that Ana was out here to meet with some male, having an illicit love affair or something.
She was going to be disappointed.
"I'm... Leaving." What more was there to say?
"Again? When should I tell your mom and dad you'll be coming back?" Ana sighed and looked away. She didn't say anything for the longest time, and that worried Kahti. Glozelle and Ebio's jovial, always-smiling daughter lost her grin, her brows creasing as she frowned.
"You... are coming back, aren't you?"
"I'm not sure. Probably, I suppose. But I don't know how long. I'm going to go find the sea. I might live there for a while, if it's as nice as I've dreamed."
"Oh. Well, that makes sense... but you mom and dad will miss you." Of course they would. It was her mom and dad, after all. They'd had so much heartache in their lives already, a wayward daughter just added to the pile.
"I know, but I need to do this."
"Ana..." If Kahti's voice hadn't made her stop, the paw on her shoulder certainly had. Ana looked at her older cousin and the concern she saw there made her heart clench. But it also bothered her. She didn't need anyone to take care of her, she'd learned that lesson a long time ago.
"What, Kahti? What do you want to say?" Her tone was harsh, she knew that, but she didn't need anyone trying to talk her out of going. She needed to do this and she needed to get away.
"Is this about-"
"Kahti, don't. Just stop. I've dreamed about seeing the ocean, everyone knows that. Remember when I used to beg your mom and dad to tell me about it? I need to see it."
Kahti drew her paw away and nodded slowly. There was an urgency, a determination in Ana that she had trouble comprehending and yet... She accepted it. Another nod.
"I'll tell them you're off on another one of your adventures, and that you might be gone for a while, but you'll probably be by the ocean so we can come find you without too much trouble. How does that sound?" Ana smiled a bit.
"You're absurdly gifted, why don't you make something up?" Kahti smiled in return, though it wasn't the same as before. For all her joking around, there were times when she got serious about something, and family was always on that list.
"Because they should know the truth, shouldn't they?"
"... Yeah, yeah they should." Ana sat down so that she could hug her cousin, a gesture which Kahti gladly returned.The lionesses held each other for a few moments before Ana finally pulled away.
"You be careful out there, okay?"
"I always am." And with that, Ana turned away and headed towards where the sun always rose.
WC: 1,096