Kimya and Beshtetu had rushed to the Pridelands to say their goodbyes to Amari and now that he was gone, they were much slower to get moving again. She wasn't sure how long they would linger here, but she almost hoped that Amali would happen by again so she could see her boy.. but it was hard to imagine they would be so lucky.
Her thoughts had naturally turned to her parents- all of them. It had been so long since she thought of her mother, and even Gharadi. She knew, mostly, where and how Gharadi was but she had never learned the fate of her mother. She had left when they were all so young but Kimya had happy memories of her, and remembered waiting for her to return. When she grew up and learned the truth, she had lost interest in seeing her again but now she wondered. What had happened to Amadet? She assumed she never returned when she realized she had been found out but that was only speculation.
It was far easier to think about her father and step-mother. She knew exactly where to find them and knew exactly what kind of reception to expect from them.. and that was what she wanted. So she went looking for the den of Wahabu and Shani. It seemed almost impossible but somehow she had made it the whole trip without running into a hoard of half-siblings or nieces, nephews and cousins.
"Dad?"
As it would turn out, Kimya was the only one at the den at that moment. Habu and Shani had gone out for a walk and they returned just in time to find a familiar yellow figure lurking near the den, apparently looking for something. They had to get closer before he realized exactly who it was- Kimya so resembled Tamu but there was no mistaking who was here to visit. Wahabu glanced to his mate with a smile before picking up the pace to greet his daughter.
"Kimya'kizuka," he greeted her loudly, "It's been a long time since I saw you sneaking around my den."
Shani had been the first to notice Kimya but, of course, had expected to find it was Tamu looking for them. It helped, though, that Endesha had been by to visit more recently or she might not have realized it was Kimya until they were face to face. She did her best with the large family she now had but those in the swamps were the trickiest to keep track of.
She didn't offer any greeting yet, instead standing back a bit when Habu went forward to greet his daughter, smiling.
Kimya spun around when she heard a familiar voice say her name, sighing when she saw the two lions she was looking for smiling at her. Smiling back at them, she walked over to her father and nuzzled against him.
"It's good to see you, too," she said, nudging him before going to Shani and nuzzling her affectionately as well, "And you."
Her father had two mates in the time she had known him and neither were her mother.. but she liked Shani best, based on what she could remember of Intombi. Perhaps it was just a bias in her memory but she was happy to go along with it.
Wahabu nuzzled his daughter back and watched her go to Shani after him, smiling. Their family was so large and complicated, it always made him happy to see them all getting along as a family should.
"We saw Endesha the other day but we weren't expecting a visit from you," he commented.
"It's good to see you, too," Shani agreed, smiling at Kimya-- but she remembered more of the conversation they had had with Endesha, apparently. An unexpected visit to them might not have been for only happy reasons.
"How is Amari doing?" she asked cautiously. They hadn't heard anything recently, but the pride was large and while news could travel fast enough, it took a little longer getting farther outside immediate circles.
Kimya didn't get a chance to respond to her father before Shani asked a surprising question- but she guessed that her daughter must have mentioned him if they weren't already aware of his recent decline before that. Still standing by Shani, she had to take a step away to make it easier to chat.. but then she didn't know how to say it, so she only shook her head, smiling sadly.
"We came as fast as we could," she explained, "We made it just in time, too. I sneaked away to see how you were doing, though."
She smiled more sincerely now. She loved them.
Immediately, Wahabu felt stupid for forgetting what might have brought his daughter to the Pridelands so suddenly. He glanced to Shani with regret before looking back to Kimya and taking a small step closer.
"I'm sorry to hear that," he said, frowning. This was a difficult situation to be comforting in, he wasn't sure how she was taking it but she certainly would be worried about her mate and daughter even if she didn't feel as strongly as they did.
Shani nodded, also frowning but staying quiet when Kimya explained how she had come to the Pridelands in this particular instance. There wasn't much else to say on that topic and while it was awkward to let silence fall.. it was better to let Kimya be the one to end the conversation and change the subject herself.
Kimya could feel the tension, she had been expecting this.. but it wasn't what she was here for so she was more than happy to change the subject. She smiled sadly at the both of them.
"I know," she murmured, then raised her voice as she continued, "So, tell me how everybody has been since I was here last. How are Ramisi, Nawiri and Uzuzi?"
She glanced around like they might appear just as they were named- and she half wondered if here might be more cubs around now.. but it didn't look that way with the two of them wandering around alone like that. It hadn't been so long that another whole litter could be grown up enough to be off on their own. Right?
There was still a tense pause before Habu picked up their side of the conversation, he was more than happy to catch her up but he didn't want to be insensitive, either.
"They're all taller and fuzzier than when you were last here, I'd say," he said, glancing over to Shani for confirmation.
Shani nodded her agreement to the description of their youngest litter, smiling. Not much had changed since Kimya had last been- except-
"Your father has been promoted," she interjected with a smile, glancing over to Habu before looking back at Kimya, "He's a member of the Council now. It's small but he was one of the first to be asked to join." She chuckled, able to see the face her mate was making at her in the corner of her eye.
Kimya smiled, imagining her grown up little siblings and hoping they had time to visit with them before they went back. Then the subject took an unexpected twist and she looked back and forth between her parents.
"Promoted?" she repeated, looking at Habu curiously and back to Shani when she explained. She wasn't sure what the purpose of the council was in the Pridelands but it sounded important.
"Very good!" she said, beaming at Habu.
"Hey now, if we're talking about jobs, Shani was promoted, too," he said when Kimya started beaming at him, looking away from Shani and to Kimya, "She got so much practice teaching our gigantic family to hunt, she was made into a head huntress. Right now she's the only one, but there are so many hunters there should be more appointed soon."
He beamed, glancing over to Shani as Kimya did.
She should have expected that. With both sets of eyes on her, she shook her head and sighed.
"I'd say that means we're doing very well," she added, looking from Habu to Kimya. It was especially true since they had chosen to talk about themselves rather than about the many other members of the family.. but Shani couldn't remember who had and hadn't been born before the last visit from Kimya's family but she wasn't sure there were any. Perhaps Lisi's bunch.
Kimya laughed. This was good news and it had certainly cheered her up a bit.
"Sounds like it," she said brightly, "I'm happy for both of you, I know you're both very dedicated to the pride."
"OK, OK," Habu said, walking around Shani and Kimya and then stepping between them, "Why don't you hang around for a little while, Kimya? It's never this quiet here very long, I'm sure everybody would be happy to see you."
Shani shook her head when Habu put himself between them and she side-stepped away to give him more room and to get a view of Kimya again. She nodded in agreement.
"Make yourself comfortable," she said.
Kimya joined Shani in shaking her head but was happy to have such a pleasant distraction for the moment. She had to get back to Beshtetu, of course, but a short visit with her family would be fine. He'd know where to find her if she took too long.
"OK," she said, smiling at them and taking the first step to find a more comfortable place to rest for a little while.
Fin!
