The birds were chirping and the wind was singing a sweet melody to empower the young adult lioness. She had a difficult task ahead of her, the black lioness known to the world as Swift, had to tell her mother that she wished to no longer be a member of the Gypsy pride. It was going to be a tough conversation since her mother loved the entire pride as her surrogate family. That was part of the problem; her mother seemed to put the need of the pride above the need of her own cubs at one time. That time was in the past, but so was the time for her to make up for her mistake. Swift was full of resentment, to say the least. But even if she had the best mother in the entire world, she would still be leaving. The gypsy way of life was great for some lions, but not for Swift. The frivolity of the pride made her cringe, she craved structure and responsibility. And even though the pride claimed to be free loving, they looked down upon same sex relationships, and that was another thing this female craved, the touch and love of another female. There was no one she was thinking of particularly, sure she had developed little crushes over the years, but she knew better than to act on them (or really even allow them to develop to anything more than a crush). Swift couldn’t, even though she had wings on her back, fully develop to the great lion she knew in her heart she could be. But not a single bit of this was going to make the conversation any easier with her mother. This woman infuriated her with the way she twisted words and spoke in riddles.. The only way Swift was going to walk away from this conversation with her mother without feeling infuriated or guilty is if she stayed calm and collected.
Standing at the foot of the cave her mother kept on the beach where she could keep an eye on her underwater vault, she exhaled slowly before she called in. “Mother, are you here?”
Rani spent most of the day watching when she had the time, watching the waves, but more than just the waves, she watched for signs for infiltration of her precious vault. Within the vault there was several years worth of treasures. In her lifetime, she had never came back from a mission in the rouge lands without something to show for it. Then each time before she would even return to the cave she shared with her cubs (which was different then the one she was in now) she would go for a swim and find her treasure a safe place. It was a very ritualistic action. This cave she had now was like a vacation, luxury home. Aside from giving her an opportunity to watch her vault, it also gave her space from the rest of the pride to conduct her business. Rani’Kob was in the business of thievery, and business was good. She was the leader of a secret group called the Thunderbirds, and this cave allowed her fellow T-Birds to come without much notice; all they had to do was make a trip to the beach. For a beach bound pride, that was not a difficult thing to believe. In fact, she was in the beginning stages of planning a heist when she heard her rebellious daughter’s voice calling in. It was one of the few voices in the world that brought her more joy than any treasure she had yet to lay her eyes on.
“My little Swift! I may be, but I may be not. ” She exclaimed happily as she padded out to the mouth to meet her dear not-so-little one. There was something in her voice that brought her a tinge of discomfort to Rani’s heart, but that was nothing new concerning Swift’s attitude towards her mother. Swift let herself in and Rani accepted her affection, having no idea this would be the last meeting the two would have.
“How are you, Mother?” The affection was difficult to give, but Swift felt the obligation to show her mother what she desired before she delivered her bad news. How was she feeling guilty?
Rani smiled and lingered in the embrace as long as she could. Her daughter smelled not of the sea like she did, but her own wonderful musk. That was the fantastic thing about children, they grow up and lead their own lives..
“I am well, so far, my child. What brings you to my humble abode?” She asked with a heart full of pride, love, and affection for her daughter. Just seeing her, standing there, a fully functional member of the pride, was like a maestro looking over their greatest masterpiece.
Rani smirked, how was this woman so intuitive? That was one gift she wished she could have inherited. Did she know what was coming?
“I wish there was a kind way to say this, mother.. But I am not happy here as a gypsy, it does not fill my heart with joy as it does yours. I found another pride, one that suits my needs and lives in a different way. One that would make me happy. I wish to be free to have a relationship with whomever I desire, that would include another female. Before you ask, this pride has virtually no enemies because it is hidden from normal lions. Only one who knows where it is can find it. “ Her mother was about to speak, but Swift put up her paw to stop her before she began. There was no question Rani could ask that Swift was prepared to answer. “I can be useful, like one of the members of the guard that protects the royalty of the pride, I can choose to go out in the rogue lands and find a suitable male to have cubs with, or my partner can go out if she wishes to be the one to go through child birth, even still, we both could go and have a large litter to raise as our own.”
Rani’s heart was broken into pieces and had drifted down to her paws. What could she say? For the first time in a long time, Rani was speechless. It took a moment for her to respond.
“Well, whatever makes you happy.. Will you come to visit me?” She wanted to cry! But she wouldn’t until Swift left.
“I.. Will try, Mother.” Swift offered her a small smile. “I will always love you.”
“And I, you.”
Word count: 1106
