It was one thing to let boys be boys, and it was another to let them get away with back talking an adult. Diná would not allow such behavior toward herself or the other females of her pride, and she would teach her grandson that lesson. She wasn't certain what Surtak had been doing with them, but the lioness could already say she didn't like the result.Beside his grandmother strode Khanyo, the normally happy-go-lucky cub turned sulky. He'd had plans to train with Neze that day, and instead he was stuck following Diná around. He didn't even know where they were going! "Is... is this going to take long?" He couldn't help but ask, his mind still clinging to the idea that maybe there'd be enough time after all.
Bora didn't know what her lion had in mind, but as long as it involved food she'd be fine with tagging along. It's what she did most of the time, anyway. From up in the sky, her wings stretched wide, she floated lazily on updrafts, her eyes on the pair that walked below her. They could be slow, so the vulture circled their position more often than not.
They'd been walking for some time now, and her grandson had been obedient and quiet in following her. That is, until he spoke. "Yes," was her reply. Judging from the way he spoke to her, it was definitely going to take awhile. It was an exercise, and one she was determined to teach him.
Khanyo's ears went back at the cold reply, and the young male wondered at her tone. Diná had never been very affectionate with him or his brother, but she'd not gone out of her way to spend time with him like this before. He opened his mouth to speak again, than closed it promptly. Unsure of what to say, or even how to say it.
No longer willing to wait, Bora spilled the air from under her wings to descend close to her lion partner. The vulture was hungry, and if the expedition did not lead to food she would find it elsewhere. Floating close enough to be heard while still aloft was a feat, and not one Bora did often. "Where are we going?" was her question, her voice stony with irritation.
Diná's ears swiveled back to listen to her partner's words, and the lioness gave a sigh. She'd hadn't a destination in mind, but she couldn't detain her partner for much longer if this kept up. "Meet us at the waterhole up ahead. We'll talk there." She could hear the audible moan from her grandson beside her, and the lioness shot him a hard look.
Khanyo squirmed under that look. It felt like his skin itched and he didn't have the guts to scratch at it. He'd never been afraid of his grandmother, though to be fair she'd never given him any reason to be before, either. "What's at the waterhole?" He was attempting to make conversation now, something to kill that look she was giving him. Normally a carefree cub, Khanyo was feeling out of depth in his current predicament.
The waterhole? Bora bobbed her head once, and with a great flap of her wings was thrust into the air again. She knew the waterholes in the territory like the back of her wing, and assuming Diná meant to go to the nearest one, they still had some walking to do. With a sigh, the large vulture floated up and away, allowing the hot air to take her aloft.
The lioness eyed the young boy for awhile, before she judged the question to be an innocent one. It was natural to wonder what was coming, and he hadn't back-talked her. The look on her face smoothed out of its hardness and she returned to watching their surroundings. "A lesson", she told him. It wasn't meant to be a straight forward answer, nor was it easily put to words. Khanyo would just have to see what she had in mind.
At least that look was gone. Khanyo hadn't like it one bit, and it had made him feel very out of place. His mother, Chazama, would never have given him such a look! In fact, his mother never did anything but giggle and love them. She was a nice mother, and Khanyo loved her. However, Diná was proving to be a much harder lioness to follow, and he wasn't entirely certain what she wanted. That answer didn't help either. He opened his mouth to speak, but found no words to help him in this situation and shut it.
It didn't take long for the vulture to reach her destination, even while lazily floating on updrafts. Why work hard when you could work smart? Luckily there were trees in the area, so Bora was able to find a suitable branch to perch on while she waited for her partner and the little furball. For one reason or another Diná was obsessed with him, and Bora could only hope it didn't last long. ... The vulture wasn't a fan of cubs.
They were close now, and Diná had something very specific in mind. She'd already spotted Bora perched up in a tree, though it was a little too close to the water for her to be comfortable allowing Khanyo near it. He might be needing a lesson in respect, but Diná certainly wasn't going to put him in any danger. "Stay here, I need to speak with Bora and I don't want you wandering too close to the water. Then we'll discuss what we're doing today." She didn't want to be mean, honestly, but this was the Bonelands. Conditions were harsh and cubs were a precious commodity, one she would not squander so easily.
Too close to the water? The cub couldn't help but roll his eyes. "I can swim", he insisted. It wasn't like he was going to drown or anything; his father made certain of that. He'd made a move to step past his grandmother when one of her larger forelegs stepped out in front of him to block his path. He looked up to shoot her an annoyed look, but quickly hunkered down onto his belly when he saw that glare. Annoyed, but not stupid, Khanyo shut his mouth and stayed where he was in the tall brush.
Bora watched quizzically at the exchange between cub and lioness. She'd seen Diná raise a large litter of her own, of both boys and girls, and she couldn't think of one particular cub that seemed to get under her skin like this one. It was amusing, and also rather irritating. Bora was hungry after all, and she sooner they got their work finished, the sooner she'd have something to eat. This unruly cub seemed to be causing complications to this, however. How unfortunate.
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