[FIN] Home at Last (Kianira, Susi'mimiteh, Verloren)

[mouselet]

There was, Verloren decided, nothing like being back in a place where even he could find his way around. Maybe it was just that he had a nice big mountain here to keep him oriented, or maybe it was because this was home.

Home. It was a wonderful word, especially for a lion who'd thought not too long ago that he might never see it again.

The blonde-maned male turned to the lioness at his side and smiled. "I bet I could find my way back on my own from here," he told her, only half teasing. His directional handicap might be rather annoying out beyond the Jini-msemi's borders, but now that they were home again it could be simply an ongoing joke between them.  

[Krysin]

"I'm sure you could... but let's not put that to the test." Susi'mimiteh had nearly lost Verloren once, and since then she had been rather adamant about Verloren remaining close to her side. Of course, getting lost was never something the lion intentionally accomplished, but that was all the more reason to be vigilant with him. The pair was finally nearing their homelands, and Teh would be rather grieved to see Verloren turn up missing. At least it wouldn't be difficult to find him here, and he may even be able to get the rest of the way home without her aid.

Still, she didn't want to test it, despite the teasing grin she had given Verloren in return. As usual, Teh was a little bit in the lead now that they were making their way back home. She'd follow Verloren's directional sense when they didn't really need to know where they were going, but now that they were coming home after a rather long naming quest, Teh had to use her tracking and memory skills just to find her way back.

The air was crisp and fresh, and Teh absolutely loved it. Maybe it was just the fact that they were home that she loved, moreso than the terrain.  

[mouselet]

The white male snorted his only response to Teh's unwillingness to separate despite how close they were. Not that he really wanted to separate either, but that was beside the point! He knew where they were! Verloren was about to give her a sharp retort when he heard a familiar voice.

A grin spread across his face as he looked up and saw the purple lioness who owned that voice.

"Grandma!" he called out joyfully, throwing caution to the wind and running up to greet her. He was shocked to discover that the purple female who had been such a huge presence in his life was now a little shorter than he was.

"I'm so glad to see you," he confided in a quieter voice.  

[Krysin]

A purple lioness almost seemed to be sitting there waiting to greet them, as if she had known that they would return this day. Teh thought she recognized the lioness, but wouldn't embarrass herself by trying to recall her name. What did surprise her was that Verloren seemed to be quite familiar with her, especially when he was running away from her side to greet this lioness! Well, it was too short of a distance for Verloren to get lost along the way, or so Teh hoped his inability to orientate himself with the world wasn't that inadequate.

Teh followed up behind Verloren slowly, as if to allow her companion to have a moment of peace with his grandmother. She knew Verloren had quite a few siblings, but she had hardly expected to meet any of his relatives so soon after they got back! Spirits, they were hardly back in the pride lands before running into someone that one of them recognized. It was... heartwarming, and it made Teh all the more thankful that they were finally back.

"Hello," Teh greeted Kianira with a small, pleasant smile, standing just a couple of feet back behind her traveling companion.  

[mouselet]

Verloren was nodding eagerly in agreement with everything his grandmother said. He was certainly excited to see his grandfather again, as well as his mother and seeing if any of his siblings or aunts or uncles had returned as well. But then Kianira reminded him of something horribly important.

"Oh! Sorry, Grandma," he apologized. He hadn't meant to forget to tell her his new name, really, he hadn't!

"I'm Verloren," the young male told his grandmother proudly, "and this is Susi'mimiteh," he went on, gesturing at the lioness who'd come all this way with him and even found his name for him. (Really, it would have taken forever if he'd had to find it himself. Kind of like how long it took him to find anything outside the Jini-msemi...)

"She's...very important to me," he added shyly.  

[Krysin]

"Thank you," Teh replied politely to Kianira. The usually confident young lioness suddenly became embarrassed and a little shy when Verloren introduced her to his grandmother. It was mostly because she hadn't expected to come right on out and imply that they were in a relationship to the first lion they met back home. Of course, this was his grandmother, and it was hardly like Teh was embarrassed of their relationship. She was rather proud to have Verloren by her side, and traveling with him had certainly been the best part of her naming quest.

It was rather unexpected that he brought it up so soon, and Teh shyly ducked her head, glad that her pelt didn't show the blush on her cheeks. "You can call me Teh, if you'd like. Verloren decided that Susi'mimiteh is quite the mouthful and... I can't really deny that." It was almost funny that she had adopted a shorter nickname than the name she had even been born with. But, she felt like Teh suited her just fine. Her true name was rather elegant, but at least the nickname she had chosen hinted at a rather fun, young lioness.

"I'm sorry, I think I recognize you, but it's been so long since I've been home I can't recall your name," Teh spoke up with an embarrassed grin.  

[mouselet]

"Yes, Grandma, we were safe on a journeys," Verloren replied for both of them as the purple lioness circled around them, no doubt looking for signs of scars or bruising. You could travel more than a year and no doubt your grandmother would still be sure that he'd been up to the most horribly heinous acts and dangers. He did manage to keep from rolling his eyes though. Still, this was likely to deteriorate into something strange and awkward.

"How's Grandpa?" the white lion asked quickly. "And Mom? I'm really looking forward to seeing them again." He was sure that, on the subject of family, Kianira would be sure to mention if anyone else had come back in the time Verloren had been gone.  

[Krysin]

"I'm actually already convinced that most of my family had made it back home already before me, so I'm rather excited to see how many are actually here." Teh had been gone so long that it was hard to imagine her siblings being gone even longer than her. Another couple of months, and it probably would have been the common thought that they weren't returning home. At times Teh had even felt like she would never make it back home, but that had always been her goal. She had never once been swayed to join another pride, or even stray far off of her course and mission to find her name. Perhaps it was that bullheadedness that kept her from finding her true name for so long, but Teh would never know.

"We're fine, really," Teh reassured the lioness, and even so Kianira seemed to make sure with her own eyes that they were all in one piece. Teh was a little worn from her travels, her coat dusty, and there were some small scars here and there from mishaps in the roguelands, but nothing nearly life-threatening. They would instead simply serve as testament to the time she had spent away from home.

"After a while we found each other, and it was easier to keep ourselves out of trouble that way." Of course, Verloren had given her a run for her money in that area once or twice.  

[mouselet]

The young male nodded eagerly as his grandmother related that Jitokeza was fine. His eagerness faded a little as she mentioned that none of his aunts or uncles had made it back yet.

But his heart plummeted as she spoke of his mother. Tseva was...gone? She hadn't been happy? And what did his father have to do with any of this? The black lioness hadn't really spoken of him, nor had she seemed to be so unhappy as far as he'd seen...

The world had just dropped out of his universe.

"She...left?" he repeated, voice cracking on the second word. "Why would she leave? How could she?" He didn't remember the strange lion's words to him, about how someone wouldn't be there to greet him when he returned home. And even if he had, Verloren had never once imagined that they'd mean his mother.  

[Krysin]

Teh felt the pit of her stomach drop when Kianira relayed to Verloren that his mother had left the pride, and without even waiting for her children to return to make sure they were all right. The young lioness almost felt like she shouldn't be here in this moment, because these family matters were almost too tender for her to be involved in. She didn't even know if she could comfort Verloren for hearing the news. Maybe they'd talk about it together later, but she imagined it would be a sensitive subject for some time... so she wouldn't pry. Teh couldn't imagine coming home to see that her mother had gone, she wanted her family to be here to greet her now that she had finally come back from her pilgrimage.

At least Verloren still had his grandparents, and that was something she could be thankful for. He'd have a support system, at least. The young lioness took a few steps up to her companion and sat down next to him. She wanted to reassuringly nuzzle him, but doubted that this was the proper time for comforting touches. "I'm sorry," she muttered softly to Verloren, offering her sympathies, but not trying to reason why his mother had left. She would just be here to support him if he wanted her to.