Zoh:
If Kale knew how to relax that would probably be what he would be trying to do right now. He wasn't an entirely uptight lion but he wasn't one for lying in the sun for ours either. He had a mission in his mind and a goal to aim for. He was overjoyed that his friend Satu had achieved her dream of being a Storyteller, and the time she spent reciting stories to cubs invariably meant they had spent less time together. The male was also still recovering from the incident involving Mati. The grey lion who stayed to protect her at the borders had impregnated her. He was aware they conducted somewhat of a relationship but with her memory, it wasn't in her best interests. He had forgiven Baatar, because he seemed generally remorseful, and had promised to watch over the cubs. With a lot on his mind he decided to sit bolt upright, drifting into thought rather than finding a more comfortable position.
Caj:
Saniya was enjoying her life in the pridelands. Unlike her old home, it was free and gentle and she loved it dearly. It had helped her come out of her shell a lot, changing from the cold, hard lioness she had been taught to be. In a world where fighting was an every day thing, she had not been allowed to be kind. To relax. Things were much different here. She almost felt out of place sometimes.
Like she didn't really belong there. It made her wonder if she would ever feel like she was really a part of such a lovely place. That she wasn't just dreaming.
She sighed and wandered around the pride, taking in the sights once more. She had been enjoying herself, until she spotted a male not far ahead of her. He looked... a little gloomy. Though it was not something she was used to, she decided to wander over.
"Hello," she said lightly, "are you well, my friend?" She offered hesitantly.
Zoh:
Friend? Kale looked at the female as if she'd just offered him the throne. "I suppose a friend is a flattering thing, but as we have not met before, it's not a term often used for that purpose." It was probably becoming quickly obvious that the male had few friends. "I am well, however. How are yourself?" He looked over her with his dark eyes and then stood up abruptly. "You look like you're new." He moved closer. "Have you been shown around? It's important to have a good knowledge of the lands and their history." Kales eyes glazed over slightly as he motioned for the female to walk with him and he set off on a brisk walk, hoping she'd follow.
Caj:
Saniya blinked. "Ah! I aplogize," she awkwardly offered. Was it not okay to call someone friend just as a greeting? She supposed it WAS a little weird. Frowning, she tried not to let it get to her. She was still new at this, after all. "Well, though we are not friends now, it is not impossible for us to become friends in the future. Maybe I was just getting ahead of myself," she chuckled lightly. She was surprised he was up so quickly and ready to show her around.
"Oh! Well, I have been here a little while, but I suppose I have never had a proper tour before. Thank you." She followed after him, her powerful legs getting her in stride with him without much trouble. She turned her head to look at him.
"Um, what's your name? I'm Saniya."
Zoh:
Though the lioness was new, she had the sandy pelt that matched many of the lions before Kale, and the royal family itself. "Of course." He said warmly. He knew greetings weren't possibly his strong point. Satu was much more socially tactful than he, and he tried to remember some of her pointers. "I am Kale, the son of Mheetu and Mia, grand-daughter of Mahiri and Bakhti." It rolled off the tongue, so well practised. "It's a large line, coming back from when the pride was very small." He said proudly. "No doubt you've been unable to miss Pride Rock." The male nodded at the large centrepiece of the Pridelands. "That's where our royalty are, and few dens. We usually eat here as you've probably figured, kills should be brought here." He held in all of his knowledge on the royal family. He had been accused of overwhelming new pride members on occasions, and if he wanted to advise the King, he couldn't do that!
Caj:
Saniya smiled as he said his blood line. It must have been nice- she couldn't even remember her mother's name, much less the rest of her heritage. But then again, she didn't really WANT to know their names, given how terrible they had always been to her and her brother before they died.
"Yes, I've seen Pride rock before. It's very lovely," she hummed, looking over at the structure, "it makes this place very unique, I think. When I was in the rogue lands, I never saw anything like it." She turned her head and looked over at Kale, offering him a grin. "Do you like showing people around, Kale? You seem to be very good at it!"
Zoh:
If a blush would have been obvious through his thick brown fur it would have shown. "Thank you!" He puffed up his chest in pride. "I'm trying to educate myself about the history of the Pridelands, it is my home after all." He trailed off for a moment. "There are such positions that advise the king, which are similiar." It was a hint, but not a clear indication of his intentions. "It is lovely isn't it." He stood for a moment, looking up at Pride Rock. It was an amazing natural feat, and to think that there was so much that had gone on inside its dens, good and bad. "Nothing like it at all?" He asked. Kale never normally showed an interest about the outside lands, but there were often joining lions that had interesting bits of information.
Caj:
"Oh, advising the kind?" Saniya hummed, "that sounds like an extremely important job! Where I came from, we didn't have a ruler, but I can see how hard it must be for them to keep everyone happy and in order. Surely they would need help from other lions, too!" She smiled at the idea- lions helping one another, instead of just trying to rip each other's throats out for some territory.
She smiled when he seemed interested in what she had said. Yay! It felt like progress. "Oh, well, no," she hummed lightly, "there are plenty of rock formations, of course, but nothing as beautiful or as useful as that one. It really is one of a kind. I'm sure it must be very well known throughout the land." She watched it for a moment, smiling faintly. She'd never heard stories, but she hadn't been in the right area for them. "Is this pride really popular?"
Zoh:
Not having a ruler? Kale couldn't imagine such a thing. Who would keep the order? Did they just run amock and do whatever they pleased? He supposed though, that with smaller groups and families, maybe a ruler wasn't needed. Kale was sheltered in this aspect, having been in the same pride since birth, he had little knowledge of anything else.
"It is well known, or so we believe." He knew of some lions who had joined that had heard about it before, and they also had their fair share of lions staying on the borders, and, as such a large formation it would be visible from some distance. "It is popular, indeed, we have many many lions here." He nodded deeply. "It grows and it grows, it's quite prosperous."
Caj:
"Yes, I have seen a lot of lions around," Saniya said with a nod, "it's a very nice change. Seeing a place like this, a place that is prospering with lions getting along with one another." She sighed softly, sitting herself down as she turned her head away from the male, watching the ground again.
"I came from a land where fighting was the way of things. We fought each other for food, for land, for mates- everything. That was where I was born. There was never that many lions around, because they kept being killed by one another. And the ones who were around... you didn't want to meet." She sighed softly and closed her eyes, lifting her head towards the sky.
"I'm much happier here, away from that place. But sometimes I feel like I don't really belong here, you know? I suppose you don't feel that way. You know so much about this place, and you have lived here so long. I'm jealous."
Zoh:
"It's hard to imagine that not all places are the same." He admitted honestly. "I would like to think they are, but I know that is not always the reality." He moved to sit down next to her, not so close as to infringe on her personal space, but close enough to show he was listening. "That sounds... awful." He knew things could be bad outside of a pride, but he was mortified. Why would they kill one another?!
"Well, all that matters is that you're happy now, and you're safe." Kale nodded wisely. It was probably the most emotional thing he'd ever said in his life, Satu would be proud! "There is no room for jealousy, there is room for everyone here and soon it will feel like home."
Caj:
Saniya smiled weakly and looked at Kale again. "Thank you," she said softly, "you're a very kind lion. I'm glad there's a place like this, where beings like you can be raised to be better than just warriors." He seemed a little stuffy, but she could see he was a nice guy. He wouldn't have been sitting there with her if he wasn't nice. Maybe he just needed to relax a little more.
She needed that lesson sometimes, too.
"I hope so," she replied, "I really do love this place. I want to feel like I'm meant to be a part of it." She sighed and watched him a moment longer, before letting out a somewhat forced laugh. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to drag down the mood! Perhaps I should let you go. Maybe we can meet again on happier terms."
Fin
