Kame'bufuu = Bold
Thamina = Pale Violet Red
Thamina was quite aware of the change in their den of late. Her eldest brother, Amjad, had left on his Banu hunt although his mane was already fully-grown. Within days of her older brother’s leave a newcomer was welcomed into the den. She was a light blue banu with spots here and there, and Thamina was not sure what to make of her.
Thamina took the commotion of the den as a chance to get away from her siblings, who also seemed to carry mixed feelings about the change. She needed some time to think to herself, and although she felt it naughty of herself to leave the den without someone to escort her, she knew she wasn’t going far and she would be in no danger.
Looking out to the setting sun, Thamina took a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh, “She is pretty though.”
Kame’bufuu did not expect immediate acceptance out of the new situation within his den, but he wasn’t prepared for the varying differences in opinions either. Kinaya and Tai were fine with his decision to bring in a new face to their family, but the children seemed to be at odds. Some took the presence of his newest Banu, Mitra, as a threat to their mother’s status as Beybanu (not that it would have any effect on her status) and others were excited for the new face and the stories brought along with it. His eldest from his second litter, Thamina, seemed conflicted in her opinions and he was certain of her confliction when she wandered out of the den unannounced.
“I should speak to her,” Kame said quietly, excusing himself from his Banu and the rest of the den. He worried about Thamina greatly sometimes.
She was such a quiet and submissive child, much like her elder sister Tasleem, and only wished to do what was right in the eyes of the pride. Kame didn’t understand her need to be so humble and respectful, she was only a mere cub after all. At this point in her life she was ok to make mistakes.
Sticking his head out of the den he located his troubled daughter rather quickly. She wasn’t sitting too far away, possibly because she was concerned about what they would think if she wandered too far. Quietly making his way over to her, Kame sat down next to her and said nothing.
Thamina remained quiet, looking up to her father expecting him to say something. When no words came forth, she cleared her throat briefly and looked back up to her father, speaking softly, “Do you wish to speak to me daddy?”
Thamina could only assume that the reason her father had followed her outside the den was to speak with her, or to scold her. She couldn’t help but be surprised that he did not speak first, and feel a sense of nervousness about the silence that had followed his sitting down.
“… I did not offend you, did I?” She asked hesitantly, afraid she did disappoint her beloved father.
Kame looked at her with soft eyes and sighed heavily. Forever thinking of how she impacted others, that was his Thamina. He gave her a small albeit warm smile and hunched himself down to groom her fur tenderly. He wasn’t used to grooming his own children, so he could not help but feel inadequate at it. It was a job their mother’s took full responsibility for as he spent most of his time patrolling the borders with the other males.
“No, no.” Kame said reassuringly as he pulled his head away from Thamina’s little messy hair tuft. He had definitely made a mess of her pretty hair. “I came to see how you are… It’s unlike you to wander off like this.”
Thamina gave her father a saddened look and dipped her head before him, “I’m sorry I made you worry, daddy. I didn’t intend to…”
How could she be so thoughtless as to make her poor father worry like this? He was nothing but kind to her, her mothers and her siblings. She did not deserve his worry, at least in her opinion. But here he was, sitting next to her and displaying a worry that any good father would. She was lucky to have someone so understanding and forgiving as a daddy. Anyone else simply would not do.
“I’ve just been… I don’t know how to explain it,” Thamina said, her normally eloquent and humble words becoming a bit frantic and jumbled, “I don’t know what I’m supposed to feel like daddy. I don’t know and it bothers me so much.”
Kame wanted to smile at his daughter’s lack of composure. There was the child under the sweet, calm and quiet demeanor; a little dull pink fur ball of childlike confusion and misery. Not that he was happy his child was miserable with her inability to properly assess and react to the situation before her, but he was glad that somewhere beneath there was a child.
“It’s alright to be confused and not know how to feel Thamina. You can’t know everything, now can you?” Kame asked, giving his daughter a soft look as he pulled her towards him with a giant paw.
“No… No, I guess not,” Thamina admitted, a sense of defeat in her tone. She quieted for a moment before looking up to him, her face stricken with seriousness, “Daddy… She seems nice. Banu Mitra seems nice and pretty…. But Mommy is nice and pretty too. So why is Banu Mitra here?”
Thamina felt a little nervous being so frank about her question. Her father loved her mother, and that’s why he made her Beybanu. So if that was the case, it puzzled her as to why he brought another Banu into the family. She wasn’t against expanding the family, they were supposed to have big families; however, it made Thamina feel like he had brought Mitra home because he wanted someone new. Banu Mitra was nice and she was pretty, just like her mother. So why would he need two of the same people? Mommy Tai was different than her mother, and that made sense to Thamina. You don’t want two of the same person… So why did he have two of the same person?
“Banu Mitra is here because she knows things that your mother and I do not,” Kame explained, trying to keep in mind his daughter’s age. She may sound like an older and well-behaved Banu most of the time, but she was still a baby. He couldn’t expect her to understand everything perfectly.
“You see, your mother and I, as well as Mommy Tai, did not live here in these lands. We heard of them some time ago back when all three of us lived in the Rogue Lands. You remember that place beyond the borders that I told you and your siblings not to play in? Those were the Rogue Lands. None of us were born here. We don’t know much about the pride other than what we were told when we joined,” He said, hoping she was able to follow along as he explained Mitra’s importance to their family now.
“Banu Mitra,” He began, looking to his daughter to make sure she was following along, “She was born in our pride lands. She’s the daughter of a great Pad, the brother to Sultan Aali. Her father is Vizier Faiz, and because she was born here she knows all of the pride’s history and stories. I wanted to bring someone into our family who knew all those things, so that way they can teach you all those things.”
Thamina gazed steadily at her father while he tried to explain to her why Banu Mitra was now apart of their family. She felt confused when her father told her that her mother, himself and Mommy Tai had once lived out in the Rogue Lands together. She found it a preposterous notion. No one went out into the Rogue Lands willingly. Pesars had to go out there and bring back a Banu so that they could prove they were strong men, and than they never left again. At least from what she was told by the other kids; however, upon explaining his reasoning for why he chose Mitra, Thamina understood his decision.
“She is going to teach us things?” Thamina asked, looking up to her father with hopefully eyes. She admittedly loved to learn, especially from Brother Rasul. If Banu Mitra could teach her interesting things like Brother Rasul could, than clearly it was a wise choice of her father to bring Banu Mitra into their family; not that any of her father’s choices were not wise.
“She’ll tell us stories and teach us more about the pride?” Thamina asked again, wanting to know what exactly she was going to be taught. Mitra’s worth was measured by her ability to teach her and her brothers and sisters after all. If Mitra was a bad teacher, than she simply couldn’t stay as part of their family. It would make her daddy look bad to the other Pads.
“Precisely,” Kame answered simply, giving his daughter a pat on the head. “She will teach you important lessons and recite to you important stories of the pride. You’ll do well to give her your full attention, correct?”
With Thamina’s father not indulging her with more details about what exactly she was going to be taught, Thamina simply nodded to him. She would not disappoint her father by not listening to Mitra’s words carefully. It was on Thamina not to embarrass herself by listening intently, just like it was on Mitra to not embarrass herself by teaching them well.
“I will give Banu Mitra both of my ears for listening, Daddy,” Thamina responded.
She felt better that her father had come out to talk to her, although she did not like to worry him so much. She was glad he was not upset with her, and that he wanted to make sure she was ok. It was just another reason that reinforced Thamina’s opinion that her father was the best Pad in the pride, below Sultan Aali that was.
“That’s my girl,” Kame replied, giving her a small smile. He leaned over to give her face a lick and gently nudged her towards the den, “You should go back inside. It will be cold out soon.”
Thamina nodded her head to her father and scurried herself back into the den with her other siblings, rejoining the lively atmosphere inside the den.
Kame was content to wait outside a few minutes before rejoining his family, pondering what sort of surprises the new change in the den would bring.
Word Count: 1834
