Tama
“I’ll make you eat those words, you stupid stupid boy!” Nimbe growled as she bit the ear of a dark cub without mercy and did not let go until she’d drawn blood. The green girl, usually so polite and composed, gave the fleeing cub a sharp pound for good measure before watching him run away, still whelping as if someone was trying to kill him, with her head held high and her tail lashing out angrily behind. Oh, the nerve! She was furious she could… she could… actually she was pretty close to tears but too proud to let it show. She would not give the stupid boy the satisfaction – even if he was too far to see it now. He didn’t deserve it.
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Tama ran towards the little commotion but was too late to stop the dark cub from running away before she could understand the situation. She could smell blood and if she added that information to the screams she’d heard before and the fact that the green cub that remained in place did not appear to be injured in any way, most of the puzzle pieces were already in place.
“What happened?” she asked the little green cub. She tried not to appear intimidating but she was surprised by the violence of the fight so her voice was a little harsh. This was something she expected to happen in the Outlands but not here, after all. “Why were you fighting?”-----
Nimbe’s head swiveled abruptly at the sound of the voice and found herself looking straight into a pair of unfamiliar bright blue eyes. An adult! The last she’d wanted was to be caught fighting by an adult who could tell her parents all about it. They would be so disappointed! What would daddy say?
“Nothing. Nothing happened.” She hoped the lioness would just let it go. “I’ve never seen you before, are you an outsider?” While she didn’t intent to – initially – her tone was full of that mind-your-own-business vibe that had a tendency to develop at adolescence.
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Tama realized the cub’s bright eyes were a little too bright and that she was actually pretty emotional at that moment. She knew she had to tread carefully but at the same time Tama was no pushover and getting some lip from things that didn’t reach her elbows was not an option. So her voice was gentle but unmistakably firm when she spoke again.
“Please don’t lie or change the subject. I know you were fighting, I could hear the two of you. So either you tell me what happened or I’ll go have a word with your parents right now.” She ignored the cub’s last question. It was not relevant at the time and it would only serve to fuel more questions. “What is your name?”
-----
Nimbe flinched when the lioness mentioned her parents, visibly conflicted. She didn’t want to make matters worse and while she’d rather just forget about what had happened – or better, get her brother to beat up the stupid cub – Nimbe certainly didn’t want to have to explain what had happened aloud.
“He was mean and called me something bad so I bit him. And scratched him.” And hit him in the head. And threw dirt in his eyes. And… ah well, he’d deserved it. She was visibly calmer now but still avoiding the adult’s gaze. “My name is Nimbe.”
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Tama nodded appreciatively when the cub introduced herself. She knew when to be stern and when to concede and even though she was quite fond of cubs, she’d never planned on become a nanny no matter how good at the task she would probably be.
“Thank you, Nimbe. I’m Tama.” She paused, trying to collect her thoughts and find the right words. “Look Nimbe, play-fighting is one thing but real fighting is not something you do until you’re much older. We all live in the same pride so we have to work hard to get along. You can’t hurt someone just because they’re rude, okay?”
-----
Nimbe frowned angrily. Tama was taking the stupid boy’s side!
“He wasn’t just rude!” she shouted defensively, coming very close to tears once again. “He said I look like barf! He said he ate some plants once and vomited something that looked like me! And that- that if my dad was also green than he also looked like barf!” she spoke quickly, gradually increasing in volume and clenched her teeth when she was done, eyeing the adult with a mix of anger and wariness. She’d never experienced this kind of anger before. “I hate him.”
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“Hate is a very strong word, Nimbe. And not one you truly understand just yet.” Well, Tama could understand the cub’s state now. Being insulted was bad enough (and insulting a female’s appearance always carried a certain weight) but insulting one’s family was bound to cause some unsavory reactions. “He was wrong to insult you the way he did. But you must understand that you can’t hurt people like that even when they’re mean to you. You have to use words call an adult for help when necessary. We have to go fix this now.”
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“But, but…!” Nimbe almost growled, thinking she truly did hate the stooopid boy with every fiber of her body. The cub was still trembling a little. She knew she shouldn’t have hurt the other cub’s ear so badly but he’d started it! But she could tell her argument wouldn’t go well over Tama so this time she kept her mouth shut for the most part. She wanted to avoid getting in trouble not making everything worse. “What do you mean?”
-----
Before Tama spoke again she met the cub’s gaze and stared down at her as if to keep her quietly in place.
“Before this becomes something more serious with all parents involved or worse, we’re going to go apologize to the boy.” Her eyes seemed to command utter silence and Nimbe, who was clearly about to interrupt, closed her mouth quickly. “You’ll apologize for biting him because it’s the right thing to do. But I’ll make sure he apologizes for insulting you. If you do this properly, I don’t think there’s any need to get your parents involved. There aren’t many green cubs around so his parents will know who hurt their son if he tells them it was you so it’s best to fix this as quickly as possible.”
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Nimbe was quiet for a few moments as the adult’s words slowly sunk in. She hadn’t considered the possibility that the other cub would tell his parents what had happened. He might even lie about what had caused the fight, the little run and then she might get into a lot more trouble! So while the last thing she wanted was to confront the stooopid boy so soon and apologize to him, Nimbe decided to give in this time.
“Okay. Let’s go.” She said at last, looking up at the adult with eyes that revealed a little more hope than before. She was relieved that her parents might not hear about the whole affair but already growing anxious with the idea of talking to the other cub so soon. “He lives in a den that way.”
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“Good choice.” Tama said formally, feeling perhaps a little too pleased with her argumentative skills. “Don’t look so down. It’s better to get this over quickly. Besides, if you do this right all his brothers and friends will know he was beat up by a girl. Keep your head up, give him an honest apology and it will be over soon. I’ll make sure he does the same.” Well, at least that’s what she was hoping for. She had a mischievous grin in place now, proof that she didn’t completely disapprove of the cub’s action. Maybe due to her Outlands background, some might say. “That way? Alright, let’s go.”
She had taken only a couple of steps whenshe spoke again.
“And you can tell your parents, too. You don’t have to make a secret out of it. If you explain to them what happened and how you apologized, I’m sure they won’t be very angry.”
-----
Nimbe nodded without saying a word, her spirits slowly rising as she looked up at the adult with a little more trust in her bright yellow eyes. She lead the way silently but with determined steps, thinking to herself that perhaps she had gotten herself in enough trouble for the day.
- FIN -
