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 Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2011 12:03 pm
As the daughter of a Vizier who still remained in her father's harem, Mitra felt herself perfectly justified if she wished to lay out in the sun, picturing a certain Pad's face in the swollen clouds above instead of hunting with her mother's. It was one the rare days that she allowed herself to bask in some much needed alone time, except that now, her alone time was constantly being invaded by a masked male.
The young adult rubbed up against a stone at her back with a contented sigh. She'd never been this happy in her life! After that one meeting, the two had been spending more time talking, and now she was ready to admit that she held a crush on Pad Kame'bufuu.
She giggled, pawing at the air with a goofy grin. What would her cousin think? After all, the girls were as thick as thieves, and if anyone could give her advice, it would be Luti. Maybe she would go talk to her...as soon as cloud Kame disappeared.
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Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2011 1:04 pm
Kame'bufuu was on his way back from the Rogue Lands with his youngest sons and one of his youngest daughters. He had decided to explain and show to them some of the dangers that the Rogue Lands possessed, and why playing near the pride's borders was an activity not befitting for ones as little as themselves. He had hoped that, aside from satisfying their curiosity, that he had put a good scare into the youngsters and that they would not attempt to conspire racing to the edge of the pridal lands again.
Trotting closer to the den's, a wash of blue's against the dried earth caught his eye. It was Mitra, a young Banu he had met hunting by herself on the pridal lands. Her father was Vizier Faiz, as he had learned, and he found her a very pleasant and proud Banu. He had taken to chatting her up anytime he passed by her and recently had entertained the idea of asking for her. It would be beneficial for his family to be related to one of the Vizier's, and to have a born and raised Banu to teach his sons and daughters the history of their lands. Kame, Kinaya and Tai were incapable of this as all three were outsiders. He often wondered if his sons and daughters suffered in prospects because of this.
Kame found his mind wandering back to the thoughts of Mitra in his harem, and decided to entertain the idea by stopping by to say hello to the sun-bathing blue Banu. He nudged at his children, telling them to head home and tell their mother he would be there in a little bit. Once his kids were out of sight, he casually wandered his way towards Mitra. It wasn't that he didn't want his children to see him chatting with another woman, as Kinaya and Tai already knew he had been entertaining the idea of adding another lioness to the family to lighten the work load on the both of them, but he did not want to confuse them as he was still not sure if Mitra would be receptive to his intentions. He did not want their hopes to rise, he supposed.
"Lovely day, isn't it?" Kame said casually from a distance. He did not want to get too close to Mitra as he felt it would be disrespectful to her father and to her. He would be remiss if he caused the rest of the pride to think anything scandalous of her.
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Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2011 6:25 pm
"Lovely is too weak a word. I would suggest beautiful or gorgeous." Mitra teased. The young banu rose respectfully, giving her head a graceful dip. In that one movement, she was able to see others in the vicinity and felt the unease in her soul vanish. The gossip mills could wait for another day. She turned her full smile to Kame. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Pad Kame'bufuu."
Mitra shifted her paws into a dignified stance that allowed one forepaw to jut out just so, allowing her head to lift the way she'd seen her Uncle, the Sultan's, banu do. To her, it showed their strength, but when she displayed herself in such a way, it conveyed intense pride.
"You seem to be in good spirits today. But, I suppose, thats all thanks to your travelling companions. Do you take them on patrol with you often?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 10:10 am
Kame chuckled at Mitra's comment. His wording may have been too weak, but he'd rather offend the day with too weak a description than waste such descriptive words on it, especially considering they could be reserved for Mitra.
"The pleasure's mine, Banu Mitra," Kame said pleasantly as Mitra commented on his spirits, attributing it to his children.
She couldn't be closer to the truth if she tried. With the birth of his second litter, the empty nester Kame was becoming turned back into the busy and happy father. If you had told him in his younger years that he'd spend the rest of his days fawning over daughters and sons, rounding up babies like they were his own private herd, he may very well have laughed in your face.
"No, not normally," Kame explained, "Not at this age anyway; however, a few of the little ones needed to be shown that pride borders are not safe for them."
This newest litter was a challenge for Kame. Many of them were curious little souls that wanted to explore everything and anything. He found himself more often than not looking for missing cubs when he came back from patrol. Little masterminds, he swore they were; including one of his sons, Jora. The boy was only a cub, but he managed to find a wandering leopardess and claim her as his own. He wasn't sure how this happened, and he felt bad for her predicament, but she could not leave now. He and his Banu made every effort to make her feel comfortable despite this.
"They're far too curious for their own good," He said proudly.
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Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 12:51 pm
Mitra grinned. "A free spirited litter, then, I take it?" She shook her head with a laugh. "I was the same way as a cub. Always pushing at the boundaries that my father set before me. My siblings were allowed near the border, but I've never been allowed to so much as look at it. I suppose he thought I would become a Kajira one day if given the amount of freedom that they had."
The light pelted banu paused briefly, musing over what advice she could offer the already experienced father, and found herself coming short. "Stay firm, Pad Kame, and support their individuality. One day they'll thank you for it, though I'm sure it's already happened with your eldest litter." The Pad truly was blessed to have such a pleasant den to return to each evening.
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Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2011 2:21 pm
Kame wanted to laugh for a moment. The majority of his eldest litter were homebodies and didn't want to leave the den and safety of their mother and father. Not that he could blame them. He almost wanted to cry when he was asked for Luyjan and Tasleem.
"I support all my children," He said, bristling a bit at the thought of fathers who didn't support their children and their individuality.
"My support of them is what reinforces their respect of me, and their desire to uphold the dignity of our family," He explained. "Support and respect reinforces support and respect."
Kame gave Mitra a small smile and shook his head slightly, "I could not picture you as Kajira, Banu Mitra. You are a respectable lioness and quite intelligent."
Kame could only assume Mitra's intelligence was something her father treasured, hence why he had yet to approve of a suitable Pad for her. He could also see other males being intimidated by her intelligence; however, those types seemed to be the ones who wanted nothing more than a subservient warm body that looked pretty. Kame wanted more than just that.
"You must know all the pride's customs and stories by heart with your admirable intelligence," He said. He was not good at the flirting thing, and often times came off more blunt than he meant to. Tact was something Kame would simply never learn.
"I admit I am saddened by the fact that Kinaya, Tai and Myself cannot give our children as comprehensible an upbringing as you will be able to give yours. All three of us being born outside this pride puts as at a disadvantage and I often wonder if it dampens my children's prospects." He said quietly.
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Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2011 12:32 pm
Mitra nodded eagerly, a flush spreading on her cheeks. "Forgive my insolence, Pad Kame. I meant no disrespect, just helpful words." What a fool! How could she say something like that, with as much arrogance as she had? Thank goodness her mother hadn't heard her.
His words gave her pause, and she turned her bewildered gaze his way. "You flatter me. Surely I am not so deserving of your praise." Hell yea she was! Mitra resisted the urge to grin. Kame was no fool, and of course it would be he, if no other, that saw the sheer genius that she had to hide because of her gender. If she'd been born a Pad, she would be a Vizier by now.
"Of course I do." She responded. "It was something that we were all taught early on, so that we may pass it onto the next generation." Now that her ego had been sufficently stroked, Mitra would never return from her high, and still..."You have nothing to fear, Pad Kame. Assistance is near, should you seek it." Of course, she left out her thoughts on a rogue upbringing. While his children had blended well within the pride, she still felt that lessons in tradition were the only way to truly become a part of the pride.
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Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 3:45 pm
"Your assistance in the den would be a great benefit and something most welcomed," Kame replied.
He went quiet for a few moments as he tried to think on what he wanted to say next. Subtlety was not his forte, and he was far too used to being frank. However, he felt a time like this called for subtlety, or at least some tact. He wanted to let her know his intent on bringing her into his harem. If she responded favorably, he'd ask directly. If she seemed disinterested, he'd leave it at that. He was not someone to ask for another when they were unwilling, a trait he hoped his sons would inherit.
"The children would love to hear the stories of their pride," He commented, "And I would love your presence there."
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Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 7:01 pm
Mitra was on edge. She took his silence as a bad sign, and couldn't help inhaling nervously. She fought the urge to chew on her bottom lip as she had when she was a cub, but she had to play it cool. He had complimented her, but probably more as a formality than anything. Was he regretting talking to her? Maybe she shouldn't talk? Or was she not talking enough? Was it her mane? What-?
The blue Banu stilled, her heart beat stopping for what felt like ages. He couldn't be....was he? "I would..." Mitra paused and looked down. When she finally looked up, her eyes were hopeful. "I wish for nothing more, Pad Kame."
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Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 7:36 pm
Mitra had picked up on Kame's attempts at subtlety and for this he wanted to heave the biggest sigh imaginable. Unfortunately, there were more things to be done considering Mitra's favorable response. Also, he had to say something before poor Mitra felt like a fool for responding the way she did. Not that he minded. Her response was rather endearing to him and made him happy.
"If we... If we spoke to your father, I'm sure he would agree to a more permanent situation," Kame said hopefully, giving her a small smile.
"That is... If you would like a more permanent situation, Banu Mitra," He said, straightening himself out a little.
He didn't want to appear to the others as if things were set in stone. The eyes that went by watched quietly until they were out of range and there was no doubt in Kame's mind that it would eventually be news of him and Mitra's conversation. They two wanted the same thing, but it was not yet a done deal. Kame would need to talk to Mitra's father now.
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Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 7:52 pm
Mitra could have been demoted to Kajira at that moment, and it wouldn't phase her. She wanted to express the intense excitement she felt by any means possible, but until it was official, it would hardly have been appropriate.
She didn't know what to say. The blue Banu knew what she wanted to do, but vocal tact was escaping her. "I wouldn't use the word the word like." She grinned, thinking back on earlier in the conversation. "It's too weak." Mitra laughed plesantly, straightening herself up with him. She wasn't at liberty to say another word to replace it, but she hoped that shortly she would have the freedom to use it as much as she liked.
"May I show you the way to my father's den?" It would have been hard to cover her smile, and for once, Mitra didn't bother to do so. She wanted Kame to see how happy she was; how ready she was to be a part of his family.
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Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 8:11 pm
Kame couldn't help but smile when Mitra said the word 'like' was far too weak of a word to be used. Such coy happiness made him feel younger than he truly was, but he digressed. He was happy for her delighted response, and it made him feel quite a bit more at ease as to what he had to go do.
He could no longer say that he couldn't imagine what it was like for the young Pesars and Pads to approach the fathers of the daughters in which they sought out as mates. He was now in this position, and he felt a little like he was an unsure kitten instead of a secure older male.
"That sounds like a superb idea," Kame said, casting softened eyes on Mitra as she suggested leading him to her father. The sooner he could talk to Mitra's father, the sooner she would return with him and accommodate herself to her new life.
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Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 8:32 pm
As she started walking, Mitra became aware of the onlookers soaking up what would soon be hot gossip. She couldn't help walking a little straighter because of it. Somewhere in that crowd was at least one of her sister's, and she vaguely wondered if she would run to tell her father before they even arrived.
Mitra smiled at up her soon to be Pad, resisting the urge to brush up against him, or to touch his tail with her own. When she turned her gaze back to the path, she was startled to realize they were already there. "I'll be waiting for you," she murmured, tossing her head to the side of the den where a couple of her Banu mother's rested with her sisters. All eyes drifted in their own way to the pair.
With a swish of her hips, she left his side to join her family as a single lioness one last time.
(WC: 2,569)
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