Life had been... well, amazing for Taabika lately. Adopting Roho had changed everything. It had been an earth-shattering revelation, discovering that she could, indeed, endure touch. She hadn't attempted to test this with anyone but Roho and Jazi, but that was enough for her. Though life had leveled out for her, she still lived with a good deal of fear. She simply was better at handling it now, especially if Jazi was close by. That being said, she also was becoming more confident on her own. She'd already run off a solitary hyena once, which she had been very proud of herself for. Thus she felt reasonably content with spending the day pacing along a series of cliffs, overlooking the grasslands. A forest was at her back, a sort of safety net. If she became frightened, or felt the need to hide, there it was. A distance separated it and the cliff's edge, but she was comfortable with the distance. It could be sprinted under need.
Vigo had been traveling for some time now. Astonishingly he'd seen almost noone, aside from the merchant cheetah. He'd seen a wild dog family from a distance, and passed an evening in the company of another lion. Beyond that, he'd seen not a soul. He had opted to abandon the empty flatlands and climb up towards the feet of a mountain. Stands of trees became more and more prevelant, and the ground began to be more broken and uneven. He'd spent part of his time reflecting on his personal journey thus far. This included what had happened with Mng'kari, his discovery of a place in the pride, as well as finding that he might actually have sired some of the pride members himself. It was mostly sobering stuff, but he was learning to come to terms with it all without running himself down.
It was hard to give himself credit for being fallible. Others he could easily see and understand their failings, give them leeway to be forgiven, even find ways to encourage them to forgive themselves. When it was yourself, though, it was much harder to make such allowances. Any sincere heart could find reason for self-condemnation. Everyone did things that were wrong, things that they were ashamed of, things that hurt others. Everyone was guilty of something. This didn't excuse such behavior, and Vigo felt quite sure that it didn't properly explain it either. But he had chosen to change, to regret what he had done, and to do better from that day forward. It was not a simple matter, not at all.
In the midst of these ruminations, Vigo caught sight of something between the trees. The ground rose significantly between the tree line and where he could see ground meeting sky. Silhouetted there against the blue sky and fluffy white clouds was the shape of a lioness. Vigo's heart did a crazy spin-wiggle, and anxiety sprang immediately afterwards. So this was it. His very first chance. Would he be strong enough to deny his old ways? Could he master that part of himself for the betterment of the Kitwana'antara? He desperately hoped so. Taking a deep breath, he headed out of the woods towards her.
Taabika had her face turned to the sky, enjoying the feeling of the warm sunshine on her dark fur. She still tended to be more slender than most lionesses, and she often got cold easily because of the lack of fat and muscle. Her fur, at least, was now glossy and healthy. She liked to think that was because of the shared grooming she was finally able to participate in. She inhaled the scent of the summer grasses that wafted up from below, then turned from the sun to blink spots from her eyes, gaze sliding along the treeline.
She turned just in time to see a lion emerge from the trees directly below her. Startled, she froze, eyes raking the land for an escape. Unfortunately, she'd chosen a piece of cliff that neatly trapped her, at least potentially. The land to either side of the high point she stood on dropped towards the trees. The cliff itself was entirely too steep to scramble down. Her heart began to thud madly in panic. Immediately she flattened herself to the earth, ears pinned so low as to appear to not exist. Her tail curled beneath her belly, and she coiled on four paws, chest on the ground. If he was going to come here to hurt her, she'd make it as hard as she could.
Vigo slowed as he approached her, taken aback by her severely defensive pose. He hadn't meant to surprise her, but this was far more than just being surprised. In fact, this lioness looked ready to either leap over the cliff or fight for her life. Both wary and apologetic, he eased back a handful of steps. "Whoa, ma'am," he said loud enough for her to hear, keeping his tone even. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Honest." To prove this, he sidled to his left, until he himself was against the cliff's edge where it swooped nearer the forest. "There, see? I promise, I won't hurt you." With this, he laid down, even going so far as to lay his head on his paws, even though it meant it was difficult to peer up at her. This was not at all an auspicious start to his quest.
Taabika watched him intently, skittering sideways away when he had moved to the side. Now she stood with her back to the opposing side of the bluff, the steep height of the clifftop to her right, the forest within easy reach on her left. There she stopped, still extremely wary, but also now curious. She still was poised to run, prepared to shout for Jazi, anything at all that might help her survive without pain. "W-what do you want?" she rasped, her throat dry as the desert. She might, just maybe, let him have his say before she bolted for cover. Maybe.
Vigo gave a soft sigh, watching her move like a beaten slave. This was all wrong, not at all what he'd meant to do when he'd spotted her. How could he have known how she'd react though? And now he had to tell her what his purpose was? He most certainly was not going to tell this fearful creature that he'd hoped to make cubs with her. Somehow doing so seemed beyond cruel and hurtful, and he would not do it, even though that had been his original intention. Swallowing, he turned his eyes to the spot she had vacated, a distance above him, and left his side facing her.
"I am out in the roguelands," he began slowly, "because my pride is suffering." He let that digest a moment while he fumbled with how to explain it discretely. "We endure the blessing of the goddess of Pestilence," he finally continued, having decided more direct was better. "It only affects lions, so many of us die from the illness. Others never get sick at all, like myself." He risked a glance her direction, saw her watching him carefully, and continued. "I am immune, one of unblessed. So I have come out here, seeking to bring back new blood to strengthen the pride." He made sure not to lock gazes with her as he more quietly added, "My hope is to find a lioness who will be willing to have cubs with me, so that I can take my children back to the pride to raise them." There. Plain and simple truth.
Taabika stared at him, eyes all pupil with only a very thin rim of green to show they had any color at all. His story seemed terribly far fetched. A pride of sick lions? But he wasn't sick? And he wanted females to give him cubs?! Either it was true and he was desperate, or it was false, and this was his attempt at fooling her. Regardless of which it was, she wasn't sticking around to find out. With a quickly in-drawn breath, Taabika said the last word she would to this stranger. "No." She managed to get it out firmly and sternly, with no room for question as to her meaning. That done, she turned and bolted for the forest, fleeing with all speed into the darkness beneath the trees. It was a long while before she slowed her flight and began to circle back toward the den she shared with her leopard mate. Oh, what a story she'd have to tell him tonight!
Vigo, meanwhile, hadn't expected much of a different ending than he was given. He knew she wouldn't want to help him, though perhaps he had hoped to reassure her that he wasn't a bad guy. Upon reflection, perhaps his approach had been a little too direct. That clearly was something he'd have to work on. With another sigh, he rose from his position, stretched to pop some kinks out of his back, then turned to pad along the cliff's edge, taking care not to go the same way the lioness had. Well, as a first attempt, it could hardly have gone worse. Still, no-one got hurt. He hoped she made it home safe, and that she had someone to look after her, someone she trusted. The world was a sad, distressful place if one did not. Clearly that poor lioness had seen too much of it. Feeling reflective, Vigo let his paws lead him on while he returned to his ruminations.
