Uthuli was feeling nervous- and rightfully so. His plan to remove Aysu from the Mwezi'Johari (for her own good, of course!) was underway and all that remained were tying up a few loose ends. There wasn't much time to get organized, especially if they didn't want to draw much attention to what was going on. But Uthuli couldn't just disappear, so very slowly he was making his way around the pride.
"Mom? Dad?"
His last stop: the slave dens. There was absolutely no way he was going to leave the pride without talking to his parents first, especially with how things had been lately.
Unyezi's world was full of worries lately, and there was very little he could do about any of them. So, instead of getting worked up or getting himself into trouble, he took it easy. He was getting old, that was all the excuse he really needed and so he used it whenever he could. He was dozing in his den when he heard a familiar voice calling out. It took a minute to come out of his sleepy haze, but he pushed himself up and emerged with a smile.
"Uthuli," he greeted his son brightly.
He waited patiently once he heard stirring, sitting down and looking up at the sky nervously. That didn't sound like both of his parents, and he had really been hoping he was coming late enough into the night that they would both be at home. But he had no such luck, apparently.
"Mom's not here, is she?" Uthuli asked, frowning.
Unyezi's smile faded and he tilted his head. Something was clearly wrong, though Uthuli was doing a better job keeping it together than might be expected.. maybe it wasn't serious.
"No, she was invited to join a hunt tonight," he said, "They should be back, soon, though."
"Oh, well.."
Uthuli hesitated. Should he wait for his mother to return? He would want to see her, of course, but.. how much time did he have now? Even if he could wait, he didn't think he could handle not talking. His confidence in this whole plan was purely theoretical, he knew it was right but getting things done was harder than he imagined.
"I wanted to talk to you both," he muttered, looking down at his feet and then back up at his father, "But, I guess.. I mean.."
"You can talk to me, if you want to," Unyezi said, his smile hesitant but returning, "We can fill your mother in. What's bothering you?"
Uthuli stared at his father silently for a moment, frowning and imagining the rest of his life away from the majority of his family. There was no question it was necessary, he wasn't going to change his mind.. but that didn't mean he couldn't regret certain aspects of his decision. He would miss his parents and his brothers and sister.
"I'm leaving," he said finally, "Aysu can't stay here, even if she doesn't get herself killed, she won't be happy here again. So we're leaving."
It felt odd to be saying it out loud, but it wasn't exactly a secret. He and Aysu were not married but they didn't need to be, and the majority of their families realized that. His daughters certainly weren't surprised by it.
At first, he was surprised to hear it- but as Uthuli explained, he realized it was an obvious decision. Aysu had been one of his many worries, not least because he knew that she and Uthuli were so close. Departing was certainly the best solution for how things were now, though it was bleak to believe they couldn't wait it out in their home.
"I hope you find somewhere you can both be happy," he said, smiling sadly.
Uthuli sighed, glad it was out. But now came the tricky part.
"I've already spoken to my daughters, they're all going to leave with us," he explained, "Though I don't know if they will all remain with us once we're gone. I don't know yet if Aysu is planning to ask her children, but I doubt it."
Aysu wasn't even officially on board yet. While Kivuli had gone to find and convince Aysu this was the best way to go, Uthuli had gone off to make the rest of the preparations. He knew they would act fast once she agreed, and he knew she ultimately would agree. So he needed to be ready.
"Do you and mom want to come with us?" he said, lowering his voice and looking seriously at his father, "I know you aren't happy anymore either, and I know that we can't offer you much- though the girls are upper-middle.. but we will take you with us, we'll sneak you away."
Despite himself, Unyezi managed to keep on a smile. He would be losing part of his family, but they were making their own choices, the ones that were best for them. All of them. But he was startled when suddenly Uthuli lowered his voice and offered to steal him and Nerit away from the pride.
And for a second, he was actually tempted to accept.
"You can't do that," he answered sternly, "You don't want the two of us slowing you down, and you don't want to give anybody a reason to follow you."
"We can!" he exclaimed, louder than he intended to speak while on this topic, "It wouldn't go unnoticed, you're probably the most famous slave, but we could do it."
Uthuli tried to look serious, to sound as stern as his father, but Unyezi was already shaking his head.
"No."
Unyezi took the last few steps to close the gap between him and his son, nudging him affectionately and sitting down beside him.
"Go and worry about yourselves, we'll be fine right where we are," he said, "We've been here a long time and we've been through a lot more than you know. Of course we're not happy with how things are right now, but knowing you and your family are safe and happy somewhere will help us more than taking us away."
Uthuli frowned, unconvinced.
"You're just old and stubborn," he grumbled.
"That is part of it," Unyezi admitted with a small chuckle, "We can wait and see what your mother says, if you like. But you'll have to stay and say goodbye to her, either way. I assume you're leaving quickly."
Defeated, Uthuli sighed and nodded. He could try again but he was even less sure it would work now that he had tried once, he figured there was at least a fifty-fifty chance they would agree. His father didn't even seem to think about it, he just.. refused.
And so he settled in, trying not to think too hard about how this was the last time he'd see his parents.
Fin!
