[PRP] Chance Encounter (Chozi & Shujaa)

[Seaki]

It had been long while since Chozi had actually wandered so far out of the pride. Koti was home, but the cheeton found that his paws wanted to travel further than ever.

He recognized this place, from travels in his youth. It was vaguely familiar, but he was glad to have his paws in the dirt again. It would be a short travel, just a wander in a direction until he would return home again, perhaps?

But this place, he remembered, was a mostly-lion pride - the Pridelands. It was very wide spread and well know - and it accepted hybrids, which was lovely as well. It wasn't one of the prides that he feared coming to, or exploring.

He just hoped he was well received.  

[Cajanic]

Shujaa was just out for a stroll along the borders of her home when she spotted something rather surprising- it looked like a thin, short-maned lion of some kind. But of course, she knew it wasn't just a lion. It had to have been some kind of hybrid, to have such a strange body type. He almost looked like a cheetah, too. Being a hybrid herself, she knew what it was like to look a little bit like two different kinds of cat.

And she didn't mind that she looked that way, either.

Smiling, she wandered over to the hybrid, if only because it seemed to rare to talk to someone who wasn't just a lion. Her pride was lovely and welcoming, but it seemed scant in the non-lion department.

"Hello!" She offered in a friendly tone, "welcome to the pride lands. My name is Shujaa! What's yours?"

Seaki

 

[Seaki]

Cajanic

Chozi was quite surprised to see another hybrid in these lands - he had heard it was a pride of lions, but of course he had always been interested in learning about all the other places he could have wound up. Apparently, this was one of them!

"Hello!" he greeted in turn. It was a very warm welcome he received and he was quite pleased. "My name is Chozi. It's very nice to meet you, Shujaa." He had seen her build before. It was quite common in his own pride, to see the offspring of a leopard and a lion. In fact, half their council had been made up of leopons, if he recalled correctly.

"You live here? Among the lions?" he asked, curiously. He hoped it didn't come off rude, but the entire foundation of the Koti was hybrids being rejected by the full-blooded of either species.  

[Cajanic]

Chozi! That was an interesting name. And, considering the way he looked, it was one she wouldn't be forgetting any time soon. It seemed like he was a very interesting creature, though she was still trying to guess exactly what he was made of.

She was going to stick with lion and cheetah, if she had to wager a guess.

"Yes," she replied when he asked if she lived there, "there are some other non lions in this pride, too, though I suppose it is mostly that species here." Even some of her children were lions. Or looked enough like them to pass, anyway.

"Everyone is welcome here, and this place is like a giant family to me. Is your home different?" She couldn't help but asked. It sounded like the concept of living with lions was something that surprised him.

Seaki

 

[Seaki]

"That's very interesting - I hadn't heard of any lion prides accepting hybrids until this one," He told her, earnestly. He thought the Pridelands only allowed lion species, but that was a refreshing change! He had heard that the pride was very tolerant of visitors, of course, but not so far as joining.

"My home is quite different. It's made up of hybrids, with very few Purebreds, actually," Chozi didn't mention that those full-blooded members were actually slaves, of course. "It's kind of a safe haven for those who don't have a pride that accepts them."

It was a place for Chozi to settle down - he wasn't one of those who needed a safe place - simply a place to return to... A place to call 'home,' if you will, and a place to raise his children without odd looks, though he did sometimes get looks if jealousy for being able to have his own children...

But that was neither here nor there.

Cajanic

 

[Cajanic]

"Oh really?" Shujaa frowned, "I'm sure they must exist, though. I believe that everyone is capable of compassion, even those who might feel we're a little bit... different." She chuckled faintly. "In any case, the lions here have always been accepting of me. Some look a little confused when they see me, sure, but I have never felt unwanted here."

She had, though, when she had been a rogue. In those lands, it didn't pay to be a large leopard/lion mixed breed. Everyone seemed to take offense to it. So the idea of a place where hybrids could live in peace was something she couldn't say wasn't appealing.

It sounded nice.

'I'm glad there's a place like that out there," she hummed, "I know in the prideless lands, hybrids can be in a lot of trouble."

Seaki

 

[Seaki]

"Of course," Chozi agreed, readily. "I've not been everywhere after all. Perhaps I'll be able to find more now that I know..." He wondered how many other prides he passed by without knowing if they were friendly to hybrids. "I imagine so! Confusion is a pretty common response."

Chozi had experienced a lot of the confusion himself, so it wasn't a new idea to him. he'd been asked what he was more time than he could count - even assumed to be a weird, skinny lion.

"It really is nice. I don't know where I'd be without it, honestly," Chozi said, sincerely.

Cajanic

 

[Cajanic]

She smiled. "Indeed! Sometimes it can be pretty amusing. Especially since I have a few sons here, and only one looks like a hybrid." That probably amused her more than anything else.

Maybe it was because she was from such a peaceful pride that she could appreciate the humor in the confusion of those around her. If she had always had to worry, she might not have found it that funny.

She could see where the line was.

"I'm happy that you have it, then," she said softly, "It's good that we both have homes we can depend on!"

Seaki

 

[Seaki]

Chozi could give a small chuckle to that as well. Only one of his sons appeared to be all lion - his paws were much to big and clunky to be a cheeton, especially at such a young age - there was really nothing more that he could be, if he was honest!

He was quite fortunate that most of his children appeared of a mixed origin. It made it easier to integrate them into the coalition.

"You have children then?" He asked - he had learned that not all hybrids had children - not biological ones anyhow. A majority of his own pride was made up of sterile members, though not all of them wanted children like he did.

Cajanic

 

[Cajanic]

Shujaa nodded.

"Yes, I have learned that it seems difficult for mixed blooded animals like us to reproduce, but it seems like I have never had that problem. I have had a couple of litters in my time, and I think I'm still looking for a couple more." She couldn't help but chuckle at that. Yes, she wanted children.

There was no doubt about that.

"What about you?' She asked, though immediately regretted it, "ah, I mean, unless it's something you would rather not talk about. Of course I don't want to be rude." It was just exciting for her: talking to another hybrid.

Seaki

 

[Seaki]

The lithe cheeton was immediately cheerful at the thought of his children. "I have five at the moment," he told her. He had a small idea where his oldest daughter - a lioness - was. She was quite ambitious, though a sweetheart in her own right.

"They're all quite young, though, not old enough to wander all the way out here," Chozi chuckled a bit. Maybe when they were older, he could bring them around to explore, but at the moment day trips had to stay short.

Chozi gave a small laugh, "I miss them already." it wasn't something he expected, being so new as a father. He hadn't raised his first daughter, so he didn't know how it was, but he did now.

Cajanic

 

[Cajanic]

"five! That's amazing," she hummed lightly, "I do love cubs. It's been so long since I had them." Her babies were all grown up, and she didn't seem to be a prize catch within the pride lands. Perhaps because she wasn't a lioness, or maybe just because she could be a little... odd at times. Whatever the case, she didn't hold it against her beloved home.

"That's wonderful," she hummed, "I hope they grow up to be very strong and capable." She had no doubt they would. Those hybrids that could breed, their babies were strong! It was something she wanted to believe.

"Oh! Well I don't mean to hold you up," she chuckled lightly, "why don't you head home to them? I would love to come visit sometime. Maybe I can go see them, since they aren't old enough to see me." She smiled, though she wouldn't really impose on him with something like that if he wasn't interested. But he seemed nice and she wouldn't mind seeing this pride he seemed to love so much.

Maybe somewhere down the line, she would be able to.

Seaki

 

[Seaki]

Chozi beamed proudly over the fact that he had so many cubs. He had spent much of his childhood and adulthood thus far assuming he could not have any of his own, after all, but a random fling with a leopardess had proved that wrong. "Perhaps you'll have some again, someday," he mused.

"I hope so too," Chozi smiled. It had taken him a long time to become healthy in weight in his adulthood, and he didn't wish that on his kids. "It's quite alright, and I hope you have time to visit someday," he bounced on his toes, near eager to get back to his children, missing them suddenly more strongly than before.

"I think my children would like to meet you, and I wouldn't mind seeing you again," Chozi said, sincerity in his voice. He gave her a bright smile. "Its a long trek back, so I'll take my leave. See you soon!"

Cajanic

I am so terrible at closing RPs, I am so sorry. Fin?