Natthimlen
For many days now, Azhar’Hilel had been exploring a beach that seemed to never end. The dark lion was fascinated by the seemingly never-ending body of water that glimmered in the sunlight much like the lake in homeland. He hadn’t yet started to miss the dusty lands of the Ukuucha’Wafalme and, in all honesty, if his parents hadn’t been waiting for their sons’ return to the pride, Azhar wouldn’t mind spending many months exploring every landscape in the rogue lands, meeting members of different prides and just generally encountering as many different creatures and characters as possible. But that was not the way of his people and Azhar knew that wherever he went he had to keep his banu quest as the priority. Even though he was clearly in no rush to go back home, he would never shame his family by disappearing into the rogue lands without a word. After he’d established his harem, Azhar knew it would be much easier to simply take his banu – beybanu? – and take a more relaxed trip around unknown lands. But his duties came first and he knew he owned his father a quick return.
Natthimlen decided she loved the beach. She loved the feeling of sand between her toes, the salty smell that was carried by the breeze and even the slippery fish that she sometimes was lucky enough to catch. And the sun. Oh, it was almost ironic that one who looked so much like the night sky would so very obviously love the bright sun on a clear day.
As she made her way along the sandy path, following after a set of pawprints whose origin she obviously didn’t know, the blue cheetah was enjoying the beautiful day until she spotted a large shape ahead. A male lion. Not a fully grown one, apparently but still… a male lion. In the eyes of the lithe cheetah, lions were the kings in the rogue lands and the males, often aggressive and dominating, tended to be far too dangerous for her to approach. Not that the young cheetah had a lot of experience with them, really.
Azhar stopped on his tracks when the wind carried a new scent for behind his back. He turned slowly and spotted the blue cheetah not too far away from his position. He made no move to approach her for he had quickly come to realize that smaller felines from the rogue lands could be rather jumpy when it came to meeting lions. He supposed he couldn’t blame them. The difference in size and bulk was more than enough to cause intimidation.
The dark lion sat down and allowed the cheetah to make her move. He would not force his presence on her and he’d come to realize that running after someone who feared was usually less effective to patiently waiting for them to come to him when it came to making new acquaintances.
Nat sighed in relief when she saw the young lion sitting down. It was a clear sign that he meant no harm even if she didn’t completely ignore the possibility that he might be using his body language to deceive her. She decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and slowly made her way towards the male.
“Good morning.” Nat said pleasantly when she stopped at a safe distance that would allow her to bolt should the lion’s intentions turn out to be less than friendly. “Beautiful day, isn’t it?”
Well, she was definitely pretty and Azhar had not problems admiring her beauty despite never considering the possibility of bringing her back to the pride. He would never create second-rate banu and eunuchs that would be discriminated for all their lives. He didn’t consider that particularly shameful because he’d grown used to having hybrids in the family – his uncle Obadias had taken a leopardess as his first banu, after all – but the young lion had decided from a very young age that he’d never do that to any children of his: condemning them to a potentially sad life.
“Good morning.” He replied with a small nod. She was polite, as well even if obviously not familiar with the customs of his pride that dictated that females should not address males first. Obviously, Azhar wasn’t going to hold it against her. “It is beautiful. I’m Azhar’Hilel from the Ukuucha’Wafalme pride. It is pleasure to meet you.”
Nat smiled and took a few steps closer to the lion, finding him agreeable enough. He looked a little too serious but not aggressive in any way and the cheetah’s confidence grew slowly.
“It’s my pleasure, Azhar. I hope you don’t mind if shorten your name.” Well, it was rather long after all. “I’m Natthimlen but most call me Nat. So you’re from a pride? You’re not alone then?” There was obvious caution in her eyes now as she looked around as if expecting to find herself suddenly surrounded.
“Natthimlen.” Azhar repeated slowly, not interested in using the nickname of a lady he barely knew. He noticed her worry quickly. “I’m alone, yes. It’s part of my pride’s customs that all adolescent males leave the pride when they become adolescents and bring back a female – or more – back home.”
It really was a shame that she was a cheetah. Their colors would love lovely together but Azhar’s wish to have children as strong or stronger than himself would not allow him to go back on his resolution. If she was interested which could still be debatable.
Nat was aware that prides had customs and traditions which often seemed strange to those who didn’t belong to them. This was one of those cases, she knew at once.
“Females? Why more than one?” If they wanted new blood in the pride, new males would do just as well. Maybe there were more males born in his pride than usual… or something. Otherwise, things seemed to be terribly unbalanced. It was very strange. “So you’re looking for a lioness? And you can’t go back before you find one?” It was a creepy custom but Nat actually felt sorry for the “kid”.
“Well, in my pride males can have more than one mate so the number doesn’t really matter. It’s not like a male has to keep the female as his banu, he can give her away as a gift or to create a family bond. It’s a little more complex that I can easily explain without more time but… yes, I’m looking for a lioness. Well, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a lioness but I’d prefer it that way.” Azhar spoke in his usual blunt tone, slowly picking up on signs that the cheetah wasn’t comfortable with the direction of the conversation.
Oh, that was crossing the line. Nat couldn’t see how anyone could enjoy sharing a mate all their lives much less being… traded away? How creepy was that?
“So the females get no say? Why do they just accept that?” this was starting to sound a lot like slavery and she wanted to part in it. It was a good thing he didn’t seem interested in her but given enough time, any desperate adolescent eager to return home might be a little rough in his pursuit of a female. She could see it already, all the potential ramifications of this strange tradition. “I’m going to be honest, Azhar. Your pride sounds kind of creepy if you’re a girl. You know what, I better go.”
Azhar stood up quickly. It was clear he had greatly failed in introducing his pride to an outsider but everything he’d said was part of the simplest common knowledge and he couldn’t tell where he’d went wrong.
“Ah, wait…” he said meekly, unsure of how to keep the conversation going when someone had been so equally blunt to him – something that didn’t happen that often, he realized. “Can I talk to you for a bit longer. You have my word I have no ill intentions.”
Nat sighed, a little annoyed with herself. She liked the kid, she really did and someone should definitely tell him how things worked in the rogue lands before he got himself mauled by an unfriendly lioness. He seemed even if unusually serious for his age.
“Fine, I’ll stick around for a bit. I want to hear more about this pride of yours. I think I have things I should tell you as well. For instance, you should be careful of lionesses you meet on the beach. The temptresses of the sea are not kind to those who cross their paths. You should be careful not to anger them or you’ll disappear for a few seasons for parts unknown or never be seen again.” In summary: dude, you shouldn’t mess with rogue females. Nat chuckled when she saw the lion look around nervously with a surprised expression. This was going to be a loooong talk, she was certain of it.
- FIN -
