Silently, Tailtiu walked passed her den and kept going. She was up later then normal, lost in her own thoughts. When she danced, her thoughts were clear and organized. If she wasn't dancing, her thoughts were scattered and didn't always fit together. Sometimes it was easy to deal with. She would just be impulsive. But nights like tonight made her restless.

She wanted to talk to her mother and maybe discuss her thoughts. But her mother wasn't her. She never spent time in the pride. It was something Tailtiu grew to expect. When they were cubs, Aine had let Sol raise them. She always thought Sol was their father or something, but Aine was always clear that he had no relation to them and insisted to call him 'uncle' Sol.

Days like today, she knew she could talk to one of her sisters, that they would do their best to understand her, but she they weren't what she needed.

She stopped when she reached Sol's den. Sol was different then her family in understanding her. He didn't ever bother trying to get her and she liked that. Piecing her together was something she didn't like. He'd listen to her and nod his head, but he didn't get it.

“Uncle Sol?” She called into the den. She walked inside only to hear the scurry of someone waking up.

“You better leave.” She heard the calm voice of Sol. Tailtiu stopped, only to see a cheetah get up and head out of the den. Tailtiu didn't question why there was a cheetah in Sol's den. She was an entertainer. Things like this happened.

Sol got up and walked toward the entrance of the den so he could clearly see Tailtiu. “Sorry about that Tail.” He said, adjusting his cloth that wrapped around his head. She had never seen the cheetah without his left eye covered. He had gotten it a little before she was born. There were scars lining his face. And for once he wasn't wearing his exotic jewelry.

He was a rich cheetah and he liked to make others know it by the jewels he wore. Tailtiu just thought he was lonely and depressed. He could have all the power in the world, yet he would still be alone. She did her best to keep him company now and then.

“You don't need to be sorry. I am the one who interrupted.” She said in her airy voice. “Momma isn't here, so I was wondering if I could talk to you about some things? I won't be long and in return maybe I could do a dance for you? For payment?”

She could see Sol roll his eye and she gave him a smile. He would never accept anything she did as payment. Even though he had a crush on her mother, he would never want her or her sisters in the same way. Teasing him was fun regardless.

“Your mother would slit my throat if I ever tried to get you to entertain me. Are you trying to kill me?” He said. Tailtiu giggled and shook her head. “Now tell me what you need so I can get back to sleep.”

“I would hardly say what you were doing was sleeping Uncle Sol.” Tailtiu said. She cleared her throat. It was time she ended the jokes. “You don't like entertainers much do you Sol? I mean you will use them occasionally when your bored. But you really don't like them. Is there a reason?”

She was thinking back to a conversation she had with Zamiec and how he didn't even want to be seen with her, just because she was an entertainer. It really upset her. She had known for a long time that Sol had a dislike for entertainers, despite the fact that one of his closest friends had been an entertainer for years. When he found out Tailtiu was entering the field he went berserk. He tried convincing her that it was the wrong choice, that she should do something else. She was clear though, that she enjoyed dancing. And she would continue dancing till her legs were to tired to move.

He accepted that about her, but was still obviously angry about it.

Sol was quiet for a moment. He didn't even look at her, instead looking past her. A lot of the pride members knew he wasn't fond of entertainers. His relationship with them were always purely business. He never saw the same entertainer twice and would almost always ignore their existence once he was done with them.

Of course this was entirely true for every entertainer. His relationship with Ajani was one that had a tinge of hatred, but was mostly a toxic friendship. He knew he needed Ajani in his life, but at the same time he knew that it was causing him more pain being around the councilman.

Then there was Tailtiu. The daughter of the cheetah he was overly fond of. He never had to keep it a secret that he fancied Aine. Everyone involved knew about it and saw it mostly as a joke. It came to the point where Aine went and dumped her cubs on him to raise while she went back to the rogue lands.

He cared about Tailtiu and would never let anything bad happen to her. He had wished that she would have taken a different career path, but the choice was hers and he would honor it.

However that didn't solve her question. He had been silent for too long he realized. His amber eye fell back on the young cheetah. “I don't really hate entertainers. I like a couple of them.” He said, trying to figure out what he wanted to say. “I just don't have the patience to sit through their glits and glams.”

“Do you think being around an entertainer would ruin your reputation?” Tailtiu shot her next question.

He gave her a puzzled look. “No. I was just seen with one by you... Do you think any less of me?” If he had hurt an entertainer then maybe yes, he would get a scold. But being in the company of an entertainer wasn't anything bad. They were just doing their job they were being paid to do.

Being an entertainer wasn't an easy task. He had learned that first hand. His first mission with Ajani, he had to go undercover as an entertainer. Ajani taught him how to act and talk as if he had been an entertainer for years. Of course, Sol never really picked up on it. He knew how to dance though. It was the one skill that stuck with him.

“Did someone say something to you?” He finally asked. His 'big brother' instincts were kicking in. If someone were harassing Tail because she was an entertainer, he knew he would be the first to take care of the situation. He found that he could solve most of his problems with violence.

But Tailtiu shook her head. “It's not really something bad. I was trying to make a friend, but he didn't want to be around me because I'm an entertainer. He didn't want anyone to start talking about us behind his back. I just don't get what the big deal is. Who cares if people whisper that he is hanging out with an entertainer. I just want a friend to be around. Is that too much to ask?” Though she desperately wanted him to fall in love with her and become her perfect mate. But there was no way to do that if he didn't become her friend first!

“If he's worried about others like that, I wouldn't worry about being his friend. You deserve better.” Sol said with a nod. He did not want to see Tail change herself just to make friends. She loved being an entertainer more then anything. “If you need to, I can talk sense into him.” And by that he meant violence. Always violence.

Tailtiu was quick to shake her head no. She knew Sol too well to let him anywhere near Zamiec. First of all, Zamiec was a leopard. Sol did not hide the fact that he preferred cheetahs over any other felines. Second, Zamiec was like a delicate flower. Sol would crush him under his toes in an instant. “This is my problem Sol. I just wanted to get it off my chest and see what you thought. I can handle it no problem. I just. I wanted to make sure that the pride members didn't look down on me.”

She looked away from Sol, but he could feel him step closer to her and rest his head on hers.

“No one looks down on you. You are a cherished member of the pride.” He said to her.

It brought a smile to her face. Uncle Sol knew all the right things to say. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek to show her thanks. “I better get going uncle Sol. I don't want anyone spreading rumors about us.” She said with a giggle before leaving.

Sol let out a sigh. She was going to be the death of him.

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