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Name Quest
Part 1 – Mad Rogue
Characters: Ruka and Juba
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Ruka was out!
The fading lands of the swamps gave in to fields of green and gold and sweeping valleys and vast gorges and endless blue skies. She had no destination in mind. None at all. But perhaps that was why she was struggling to figure out exactly who she was. Perhaps she needed a plan. Yes. A plan indeed! She wasn’t the sort to take orders and be told where to go or what to do. She was the decider, the plotter and the leader. Always had been and probably always would. So! What to do, what to do?
The past few days had seen her passing through familiar territory, the Prideland borders to be exact. She had been here as a youth with her mother and father and siblings to visit her extended family who lived there. It had been fun and incredibly exciting and it was nice, also, to know that one had family elsewhere. Perhaps it was only right that she visit them again? Besides, old grandpa Amari could probably do with a little company. His greying face and sad eyes had been somewhat difficult to take as a child. It had scared her a little to think that one day she would be old and grey, too, counting the days that she had left.
She was afraid of that. Afraid of becoming weak and frail and unable to care for herself.
Wait. Perhaps she wasn’t ready to face him again just yet.
She sat, curling her tail about her and considered her options. She could head back out into the heart of the unclaimed lands and seek something there. Or, she could trek the mile or so that it would take to get her to the Prideland borders and meet with a sentinel there. Or, maybe she ought to do something else entirely. Either way she needed to do something pretty sharpish and she needed to have it planned out. No more mindless wandering else she’d never get home! And what a terrible thing that would be? She’d never be able to hold her head with pride again!
In the end, she decided on leaving the pridelands behind and striking out on her own again. The wilderness was an unpredictable expanse of land and she thrived on the adrenaline that thrummed through her body to know that it was she and she alone who could keep herself alive out here. Perhaps this was what had so many lions turn rogue or remain rogue. Answering to nobody. Independent.
Free.
A part of Ruka liked the idea and yet, to simply guide herself was…well, to put it bluntly: boring! She liked to have others to bring along on the adventure, to make sure they were safe and having a good time. Friends and family made life just that much more wonderful.
Two days later of casual wandering and rest, she managed her first kill of her travels. The pride that warmed her was indescribable and as she dragged the corpse of the young antelope into the shade to eat, she could not help but glance – with a smile – at the dust clouds stirred by the hooves of the herd as they had made to escape her teeth and claws.
Then, she cast a few wary looks around her – to make sure no one else had appeared with ideas of stealing her well-earned food, before moving to eat.
“Excuse me! Well, this is interesting. Why are you here, I wonder? Passing rogue, maybe? No, too fat. Too healthy. Pride runaway, maybe? No, intelligent eyes. Not that stupid.” The voice drew in a short breath through her nose. “Probability of pride coming-of-age rite: very likely.”
Ruka had moved to half drape herself across her kill, bearing her teeth warningly as the other creature – an adult lioness – padded towards her.
“Which would mean you are not from the pridelands. So from where? Land of the mountains, perhaps? No--”
“--Jini-Msemi.” Ruka interrupted. “The swamplands. And you’re right. I’m on my rite of passage to become an adult.”
“Jini-Msemi. Close by, are they? Never been there. Never heard of them. Not surprising though. I’m very young and my paws have not taken me the entire stretch of this land. Not yet. I’ll add to my list of things to do.”
“I’m trying to eat.” Ruka replied bluntly. “And you’re interrupting.”
“Can’t listen why you eat? Don’t worry. Not hungry; ate earlier. Nice fat dead thing. Old but…rather tasty – if you don’t mind the stringy meat!” The white and red lioness sat and blinked curiously. “I’m Juba, by the way. Rogue. Not a grand title, but working on that. One day will have some importance and grand introduction and you will be far more impressed. Until then, it’s Juba. Just Juba. Who are you?”
Ruka blinked. This female was…slightly odd. Was this what days of endless wandering did to you? Send you mad. In any case, the lioness seemed harmless enough. “At the moment I’m known as Ruka.”
“At the moment? What do you mean? Explain.”
“Well, in our pride when you are born, you are given a child name. It holds no real meaning, nothing more than a label to identify you with. Mine is Ruka. I think it means blue flower. I was named that because of my blue markings. Nothing to do with who I am inside.” She pressed a paw to her chest. “Nothing to do with who I am in my heart. My spirit.”
“Interesting. This concept of spirit. Life after death.” Another short breath. “Don’t believe in it myself. No proof. None at all. Might as well believe in a monster who breaths the wind or a bird that lights the sun. Won’t believe it. Can’t believe it.”
“I believe in it.” Ruka replied adamantly, returning to her meal and taking a few large mouthfuls which she chewed down fast.
“Many theories. I’ve debated on this a long while. Gods, yes, perhaps. Never met one but met many who have. Lions with wings and powers. Don’t like the idea of it. Why should they have power and not us? What gives them the right? We are just as strong – perhaps stronger – with our limited strength and abilities. What did they ever do to us? Do they carry our souls to the great beyond? No? No.”
“Do you ever breath between sentences?” Ruka asked; her head spinning. “You don’t really need to voice all the thoughts that go through your head, do you?”
“Why not? Helps settle things quicker. Get them out in the open; bare them naked under the sun. Reveals bad thoughts and good thoughts, process easier. Much easier.” The female smiled.
“But life itself is a magical thing, is it not?” Ruka replied firmly. “Each of us different and unique, in appearance and in spirit. All of us a light in this world. I think believing in the spirits is not all as ‘mad’ as you seem to think it is.”
“Practical, that’s all.” Juba shrugged. “So your name. How do you find it? Curious.”
“Well that part, I’m not so sure of. We leave the lands to find ourselves and in doing so, find our true name. The name of our spirit. A true reflection of what we are.”
“You have to leave to know who you are? You should already know. I know who I am and have always known. Curious as curious can be. A learner. A thinker. Don’t need a quest to know that. Just do.”
“You are a rogue. You travel and see things to find and indulge that curiosity. I was stuck in one place growing up and knew nothing else. Travelling is good, it builds us. Our ways do make sense.”
“Perhaps…” The female replied. “In any case, travelling is good. Rogue life is good. You’re enjoying it, yes?”
“I am, in fact, though probably because I know I have a home to go back to at the end.”
“Home? Home is overrated.”
Ruka sighed and pulled some more meat off of the bones of her catch. Then, with the hunger pangs sated, she stood and began to scrape the dry needles and leaves of the surrounding foliage to cover it. That way, it had a better chance of being hidden from scavengers who might be nearby. Then, with a stretch, she padded on. Next stop: water.
Juba stood too, glanced between the adolescent and the buried food, and gave a small snort. “You plan on coming back?”
“Yes.” Ruka replied. “Is that a problem?”
The white female jogged over to the younger’s side, giving a small shrug. “No. Just wondered. Mind if I come? You are an interesting sort and I have been without company for…well, too long. One setback of rogue life, of course. Never know when you might come across another friendly face in the wilds! Make the most of each opportunity that presents itself. Go mad, otherwise.”
Ruka rolled her eyes, but said nothing, leading the way down towards the watering hole.
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