It seemed to Tapiwa, that she had indeed come a very long way. Changed, matured, had she, from the bumbling juvenile that had been bereft of her brother...estranged from her family, and though she missed them still, and thought of her brother as the days went by...she knew that it was long-past the time that she made a life for herself. With a little grin, she thought of Ushu, the hapless male that she oft-followed about. Silly boy thought he could escape her, well that was far from the case. Giggling softly to herself, she trotted across the Savannah, the dust cool beneath her paws, as a lovely breeze had stirred up this evening, tossing the grasses and cooling the ground. It ruffled through her fur and she was tempted to frolic like a cub once more...but she refrained, maintaining the serene facade as she took her nightly stroll.Leaving her betrothed to the shade of a savannah tree, Janikiwiti had ventured out a small distance from their makeshift campsite. Her green paws trod lightly on the grass. A lot had changed in the past 48 hours. She had ventured out on her own from her pride scared of the outside world without the protection of the court, she had wandered and found her betrothed, now he lay sleeping some distance behind he, and she was on her own again. Jani paused for a moment, with Kubwa by her side, her elf belief had increased. No one would mess with her anymore. She had her Lord by her side.
The green lioness continued out further, curious to see what else she might find in the world outside her pride's lands.
Tapiwa smelled the newcomer before she saw her. The dark lioness' keen nose scenting the female before ever her bright eyes found her, though it was but seconds later. With a grin, she pattered closer, ever curious and willing to meet new friends. "Hello there..." She greeted brightly, voice carrying softly over the breeze. In her travels, it had seemed her fate to meet up with males, primarily, so to talk with a girl like herself would be a rare treat indeed. The abundance of rogue males almost made the black-pelted lass pine for her mother all over again.
Jani, not paying attention to the smells around her, only stopped when she heard the lioness's voice. She stopped and turned, wanting to know who it was who was speaking to her. The green lioness stood tall, the way she was used to presenting herself to others in the royal court, she was a Lady afterall.
"Hello there," she replied, looking over the dark lioness with her golden eyes. "Who might you be?"
How interesting. The way this one acted, she might have thought the other royalty of some kind. With an inward sigh, she supposed that she must mind her manners in the face of such formality. "I am Tapiwa'Titilayo." She responded politely, dipping her head. "And who, may I ask, are you?" Blue eyes flickered with inquisitiveness, questions already popping to the tip of her tongue, begging to be asked, but introductions first, Tapiwa...by all means, don't make a fool of yourself, you silly girl.
The green lioness was pleased at the politeness that the other lioness showed. It was good to see that lions outside her home had manners. "Janikiwiti is my name," she nodded in reply. It was only right to complete the formalities. "So, what brings you here?" Asked the lioness, not sure really where to start.
"Oh a long story, that is..." She hummed quietly, a smile tugging at her maw. "I came this way on a search for my missing brother, but now I hope to catch myself a rather timid lion named Ushu." A purr at that. "Perhaps I will live in these parts, soon enough...and you, Janikiwiti? What brings you here?" Still formalities, but at least this was getting to the interesting part. Much like her father, she loved to hear about others...and the goings-on of life beyond herself.
Jani listened to the abridged version of the girls story. Sounds like she had been on her own for a while. Sort of like Jani, but not anymore. "Well, I really don't have that much time, so thankyou for shortening your story." Jani smiled sweetly, not meaning for it to sound mean or demeaning. "Me you ask? I come from the Tete'boma pride when I am a lady within the queen's court. Recently our gates were opened and I came out here in search of a long lost…. Friend" she paused, remembering when she had found Kubwa earlier on. "No we are on our way back. You probably haven't heard of the pride, we are a very secluded lot."
Tapiwa wrinkled her nose at that odd response. What a strange female this was! Ah, so she was royalty, or something similar, she'd thought as much. "No, indeed...I'm afraid I know very little of this place and its people." She smiled widely, "Though I'm sure I'll learn, as I hope to live near here. Is it very far...where your pride lives?" A secluded lot then? Did they simply prefer to keep to themselves, or was that just the way it had been? Tapiwa had had almost no idea of what a pride was until she had stumbled upon the member of one and had it explained to her some time ago. Born and bred in the rogue lands, the idea of living in such large groups seemed foreign.
Jani smiled wryly to herself. The previous king had done a good job of keeping other lions and animals out. So good no one even knew they existed! "Tete'boma? Oh its further along." She nodded her head in a general direction, not too sure herself, but she was confident she could find her way back. A flick of her tail and Jani spoke again. "Why do you want to live around here, without anyone around, wouldn't it get boring? Having nothing to talk about…"
"Ah, I see...and I don't want to live here, here..." She patted the ground beneath her feet with a paw. "Just close-ish. there are other prides in this area, and the fellow I have my eye on wants to become a part of one, and as the lady, well...I'll follow along. He's shy...it's sort of cute." She grinned impishly, "So this friend of yours...is he your boyfriend then, Lady Janikiwiti?"
Jani blinked. "I didn't mean, here here." She shrugged and nodded to the girl. "Having someone you love nearby is always good." The green lioness's mind drifted to times when she didn't know whether she would find Kubwa again. "Kubwa," she started "Kubwa is my betrothed; it had been that way since we were very young. We didn't know each other well, we still don't, and one day he left the pride and never returned. That is until I found him again. I have hope for the future." Jani turned towards the way she had came, thinking of Kubwa, lying alone at their makeshift campsite.
"Betrothed..." Tapiwa mulled over the word in her mind. She knew what it meant, she'd just never heard the word actively used as such. "So it was an arranged thing then? Is that just the royalty in your pride? Or everyone in your pride?" She'd heard some rumor of royalty that did such things, but she'd almost thought it a fairytale. Tapiwa's horizons could be very limited sometimes, however, in the fact that if it didn't apply to her, she oft quickly let it slip her mind.
Jani blinked again. Had this lioness never heard of the word betrothed before? Surely it goes on outside the Tete'boma. "I'm not royalty, neither is Kubwa, we were both born to lords and lady of the court. Thus we inherited their title. Our king, sorry, past king was very adamant that all cubs have arranged marriages. That's just the way it is." Jani nodded. She had no problem with the idea of arranged marriages, and once she had her own cubs, she would certainly be looking for suitable mates for them all.
"Ah, I see..." Though partially, she really didn't. "So...does that work for you? Are you happy with being betrothed to Kubwa?" As she assumed that that was the friend that she had spoken of. "I just...I've always known I would choose my own mate, I feel slightly narrow-minded now, to know that that isn't how everyone does it. I know I wouldn't be completely comfortable with it, were it applied to myself..." Her tail curled about her haunches, and it was clear she really was trying not to offend the other lioness.
Jani stood rigid, offended that someone might think she would not be happy with Kubwa for a mate. After all, he had left the pride in search of help for the plague, and even though he didn't return, it was still very brave. "I am happy." Snapped the green lioness. "Very." Not really wanting to continue the conversation further, Jani turned to head back towards Kubwa. "It was ni… See you!" Jani couldn't help but feel somewhat offended. 