These lands were... Paradise? Maybe. They were vastly different from the deserts, from the oasis she was born at and the Firekin desert she effectively grew up in. Gold eyes scanned the trees, paws carefully stepping. While there were clumps of trees, there were also spaces of grass, clear of obstructions. The lioness breathed slowly, not wishing to disturb the calm of the night.
Green eyes watched the ghostly figure, knowing just by looking that it wasn't her aunt. No, this lion was... Different... She smelled of sand, of blood, of... Sadness... Creeping along, the purple juvenile watched the white lioness, doing her best not to be detected. Whoever this was... She had come with the orange lion that her aunts knew. So, too, had another white lion, with a mane like fire.. She'd find out about him alter. For now, her mind was focused on this lioness, this creature filled with pain.
Kimiko stopped, looking around. When she was sure she was alone, she sighed, finding a spot and laying down. No Makaa'kali, no Ngoma'mwale... No members of the pride around... She spotted a rock, just the right size, and pulled it close, holding it like a cub. Her eyes welling up, the lioness hugged it, letting out her internal pain, crying on the cold, hard stone.
Now this was a strange thing... Circling around, Kumbuko watched, wondering why the lioness was crying on a rock. As she drew closer, she noticed all the scars, and wondered where they had come from. Taking a careful step forward, she looked at them, studying each one. They must have hurt...
One ear flicked back, quickly followed by the other. Looking over her shoulder, Kimiko spotted the purple juvenile, eyes widening. Someone WAS there... She got up, moving back, ears pressed to her skull. "D-don't come closer..." What did the lion want? Was she here to antagonise the lioness for her past deeds? For sending her cubs away from her? "I don't... I don't want to... Want to... To hurt you..."
Tilting her head, Kumbuko frowned. "But... You're hurt... I just want to know what's wrong..." She sat down, not stepping closer, as per the lioness' request. Watching her, the juvenile raised a paw. "You have all those scars... And you were crying... Was it because of the past hurt...?" She couldn't help her nature, and her nature was to help others. Whatever hurt she felt... Kumbuko wanted to help her.
Eyeing the juvenile, Kimiko swallowed. "That was... Nothing..." She looked away, ears still back. No, it wasn't nothing... She was lying to herself. Standing, she started to walk away, ears still back. She had to swallow her tears... If Makaa or Ngoma saw her, they might beat her. Makaa had done that one night, not long after Ngoma and the rest of his litter had been born... Hearing about the cubs had reminded her of her own, bringing tears to the lioness, as well as a swift and hard paw from Makaa for doing it. A gentle bite on her tail made her stop, looking back. Why was the juvenile following her? "What do you want...?"
"I want to help you..." She looked up at the lioness, eyes big with concern. "Please... Let me help you...? It's all I want..." She walked around in front of the lioness, sitting down. "I'm all ears..."
Staring at the little lion in front of her, Kimiko frowned. "You want... To hear... MY problems...?" Her whole body quivered for a moment, before she sat down, ears back. "You wouldn't understand, know what it's like... To have to give up what's most precious to you to keep it safe." She leaned closer, touches noses to the juvenile. "My life isn't exciting enough to... Hey, what's wrong with you...?"
A touch, that was all it took. Tiny claws digging into the dirt, Kumbuko's ears went back as her whole body went rigid, quivering now and then. In just that one instant, all the pain, physical and emotional, was felt. When her body finally relaxed, Kumbuko collapsed, panting, everything limp.
Hesitantly, Kimiko reached over, nudging the juvenile. "Hey... Are you okay...? You look terrible..." She looked around, not seeing anybody. No adults of the pride were about. The white lioness looked back at the juvenile, then lay down, curling her body around the younger lion. If something came out of the dark, Kimiko would be there.
Shifting and curling a bit, Kumbuko stared off into the darkness of the trees. After a moment, she looked up at Kimiko, eyes filled with sadness. "You did the right thing... To protect them..." She rose slowly, trembling, before moving and nestling against the lioness. "You just wanted to protect them... Your cubs... And you did... They may never know you, but they had better lives because of your sacrifice... To live happy lives..." Offering a smile, the purple lion rested her chin on Kimiko's leg. "You deserve happiness now, too..."
Her cubs... Kimiko's ears went back as she looked away, then stopped. "Wait..." She looked at Kumbuko, ears lifting a bit. "How did you know...? Are you... Gifted...?" She couldn't recall ever meeting many other seers besides her sister and Jua'taka. She didn't know her sister too well, though, and Jua had never been much of a happy lion, likely a result of her upbringing combined with her visions. This cub, though... She was so happy...
"Yeah... I see into the past... I can see what caused the pain others are feeling in the here and now." She offered another smile, then carefully climbed onto the white lioness, draping on her. "Then I try to help them overcome it." Settling where she was, now comfortable, Kumbuko laid her head down. "Stay here? It'll be good for you... In a place you won't suffer and hurt. It's safe here, and you'll be treated just like everybody else... We don't mind most pasts."
Looking at the juvenile, Kimiko felt a bit of an emotional pull. Now she was curious as to why this little lion sought to help others. Slowly, very slowly, she smiled. It was a gesture Kimiko hadn't made in some time, and her face ached just a bit from it, but it was there. "Okay... I'll stay..." She offered a nuzzle, then slowly got up, mindful of the juvenile on her back. This would be a fun walk back to the dens... Thankfully, the desert had made her strong enough to carry her back.
