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 Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 9:58 pm
She was home! Home! The lioness couldn't have been happier, and it was plain to see in her expression. The pale lioness walked with a spring in her step, her blue eyes bright. Though she had spent the least amount of time in the warrior tribe of any of the tribes, it was still so heartwarmingly familiar compared to the new lands she had been exploring the past several months.
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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 10:03 pm
Padding along the faintly-worn path that had become part of the patrol route--well, worn in places where it wasn't simply rock, anyways--Ziarre's nose twitched at a barely familiar scent. She didn't know the mzazi incredibly well, but she'd had a passing conversation with Lea and found her agreeable enough. Therefore, it was a welcome sight to see the pale lioness padding back after her absence, and Ziarre's steps quickened as she moved to greet her. "Welcome back, Lea," she said warmly. "You look none the worse for wear for your journey...that's good news."
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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 10:04 pm
"Ziarre," she replied, smiling as she hurried toward the ushujaa. "Physically, perhaps, but it's certainly been a strain on me inside. The uncertainty, you know, not knowing when exactly I'd be able to come home." She shook her head. "Chacha was with me. She found a mate who had interest in joining the tribe. They're just a bit behind me - I assume they'll be back soon. How has the tribe fared in my absence?"
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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 10:07 pm
"Well enough, no major incursions...found some rogue scent a bit close for comfort, but he seemed to have made tracks before anyone found him." The gumu's mouth twisted. "That is, unless someone knows more than they're telling. I can't be suspicious of everyone though, so I more or less have to take their word for it." Ziarre shook her head. "But it's good that there's to be more in the tribe, especially those raised in the beliefs. I wasn't raised here and I still stumble now and then, but I try. It's all any of us can do when push comes to shove."
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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 10:11 pm
Lea frowned a bit at the news. "Hmph, that's odd. Have you told Zaliwa yet, or are you planning to tell him when you meet with him under the new moon?" She wasn't particularly worried that Ziarre would forget to report it, but as a mzazi she was accustomed to reminding others of things. "I think lions as capable as you are all we can ask for," she said. "Anything more would be a rarity at best."
She shook herself off. "Any trouble from the sisters? Chacha told me that Kioo is expecting... has she delivered yet? She didn't mention how far along she was."
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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 10:21 pm
"Yeah, I plan on telling him. He might be able to get something out of the news that I might have missed. The last thing we need is a rogue sneaking around the borders. Going out to them is one thing...but they should be on their guard when coming to us." Not even Pyralis had been proof against that facet of Ziarre's mores, as evidenced by a rather obvious bite scar on one of his ears. "No problem from the sisters, and Kioo's delivered five healthy cubs. I think, though memory escapes me, that three of those were female."
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The lioness growled softly. Rogues were troublesome - if he had heard of the tribe and was interested in joining, that was one thing, but if he hadn't showed his face, she thought it suspicious. "If you need any more help, let Zaliwa or Kioo know. I think that we can spare a lion or two from the heart of the valley to help with border patrol, if needed."
Her eyes immediately brightened at the news. "Five cubs, hmm? That's fantastic. Here's to hoping the fertility continues!" Chacha, Mamba... and possibly others, at least, Lea hoped.
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Ziarre nodded. "Hopefully it won't come down to that, but if it needs to be done it needs to be done." At the mention of fertility, she fidgeted slightly. She wasn't incredibly keen on cubs in and of themselves, although more members of the pride were always welcome. Hopefully, the current litters would keep the mzazi busy enough that her own 'services' wouldn't be called onto the playing field until she was ready--handing them to the mzazi as soon as they were ready or no, she still had to carry and birth them either way. "Aye, here's to hoping."
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Lea couldn't help but smile at the sudden change of mood. As though reading Ziarre's mind, she said, "Don't worry, the tribe never forces females to bear cubs. Most of us are eager enough to do it that the few who aren't interested have no pressure put on them. I've yet to have my own litter. When I was younger, I was much too busy raising other cubs to think about having my own. I was a mzazi when Zaliwa was growing up, you know."
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"Really?" The tan lioness tilted her head, thinking this over. "Yeah, I can imagine that a mzazi would be pretty busy with everyone else's cubs. It's probably not too easy to find a male either...doesn't seem like a role that most males would be anxious to play, that of the 'nursemaid' so to speak." She laughed slightly. "So what was Zaliwa like? Was he always grumpy, or did something make him that way?"
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She chuckled softly. "True, true. Ah, Zaliwa? When he was a cub, he was a bit stubborn, hard to deal with, but not like he is now. He was your typical hard-headed cub. I think that his bad attitude comes from the plague... not the plague itself, but being forced away from the tribe for so long. When the past mtawala named him heir, it went to his head, and that didn't help things. He's commited to the tribe, I have no doubt about that, but his ego is certainly more inflated than it would've been had things worked out otherwise!"
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Ziarre looked thoughtful at this. "So...a mix of making up for his absence and a swift rise to power? Or am I getting that wrong?" She looked down, uncertain for once. "I'm not the best at social workings, I'll admit. The puzzles of politics aren't for me."
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"I think so. It was hard on all of us, and frankly I don't blame him for taking on a somewhat cynical attitude. No one knew whether they'd live or die." A small involuntary shudder ran through her body. "I'm glad that those times are over, and I pray that we'll never see the sickness again."
Lea smiled. "Nor for me, dear. My life is loud and complicated enough as it is. Cubs have a way of doing that. I should go visit Kioo and see how the little ones are doing. Safe times, Ziarre!"
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Ziarre nodded her farewell, watching Lea make her way deeper into the tribe's lands with a faint smile. It was always good to make contact with members of the other groups, bringing threads of the whole together to remind them all that they were, in the end, one pride.
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