Gebhuza
Rohkea

The day had ended but the light had not yet died out in the savannah. From his comfortable perch in a tree branch, Gebhuza was watching the younger lion below in amused silence. It was clear the other male could feel a presence nearby – good instincts - but he was obviously confused when he failed to spot anyone in his surroundings. The thick branches hid the ninja’s dark coat and Gebhuza had masked his scent earlier that that day but it was clear that even though the younger male couldn’t explain why, the blue-eyed pale lion knew he wasn’t alone.

Rohkea had been feeling on edge the moment he’d stopped to rest under a large tree. He’d sent a cursory glance at the branches and found nothing but the feeling of not being alone, of being watched only seemed to increase. Occasionally, the faintest scent of… lion? reached his nose but he couldn’t for the life of him figure out where it was coming from.

“I know you can feel me my presence.” A deep voice suddenly sounded from above and Rokhea was ashamed to say he jumped a couple of feet in the air, hairs bristling and a deep growl rising from the depths of his chest. “I didn’t mean to startle you. Just wanted to let you know I was here first.”

Rokhea’s eyes widened as a large lion – how had he missed him? – made his way down the tree, red eyes almost glowing in the dark.

“I was just passing through.” Rokhea said quickly, growing bolder when as he realized the other lion didn’t look very aggressive. Dangerous, perhaps, but not unnecessarily violent despite the odd choice of adornments. And he’d met enough of both kinds to know the difference. “You were… sleeping up there?”

“Yes. I do it often. It’s safer.” Gebhuza indulged the younger lion who reminded him of his own sons and the younger males of the pride.

“Aren’t you afraid you’ll fall…?” Rokhea insisted, looking more relaxed by the second and the dark lion actually chuckled at that.

“I did fall, once. Then I got up and climbed up the tree again.” He rolled his shoulders in a careless manner. “My mate is a leopardess so I adopted this particular habit of hers. It’s safer to sleep in a branch and it’s good for ambushes.”
“Oh… ambushes. You mean, when hunting?” Rohkea asked, looking interested.
“Yes… hunting.” Gebhuza agreed after a suspiciously long silence.
Rokhea didn’t quite understand why he suddenly felt a little uneasy or why the dark lion had briefly felt so predatory.
“So…you have a mate…?” He asked, more subdued, clearly looking for a change in subject. “And you’re all the way here alone? Do you trust her that much?”
If Gebhuza found the questions offensive, he didn’t show it. He was analyzing the younger male who seemed honest enough but a little ignorant of the ways of the world.

“Why wouldn’t I trust her? She trusts me.” Gebhuza said, very pleasantly, with a tiny smile.

“I haven’t met a female I could trust yet.” Rohkea said with a heavy frown, looking away.

“Not even your mother?” Gebhuza asked, jokingly.

“Especially not my mother.” Rokhea replied at once, tail lashing out suddenly at the unpleasant subject.

Silence fell between them, not unfriendly but certainly not comfortable either. Rokhea had no issues with hybrids or mixed couples but he was wary of females in general what with being raised by his somewhat detached mother who had pawned her cubs off to friends on a regular basis. She loved her cubs, he was sure of it, but she hadn’t been a very good mother.

“Well, maybe it’s just lionesses.” Rokhea admitted after a few moments.

“Look, kid. You will find many females out here. Some will lie, some will cheat, some will attack you. But there will be others who will care for you, hunt for you or even die for you. Perhaps you just haven’t met the right one yet.” After all, he’d always felt he’d never find anyone who he could settle down with until he’d met Kaveri.

Rokhea didn’t look convinced but he nodded.

“Maybe I should find a leopardess, too…” he said at last, grinning widely.

“Well, if you see a dark blue one, don’t try anything funny. If you make a move on my mate, I’ll add a few swirls to that pretty coat of yours…” Rohkea gulped when he saw Gebhuza’s paws flexing, showing off the sharp claws hidden within. “… if she doesn’t scratch your face off first.” He ended with a laugh that carried more warmth than it should considering the image those words evoked.

“Right… no blue leopardesses. Alright.” Rokhea said, slowly, feeling slightly concerned but at least there was no way he could make an honest mistake after the very obvious, very explicit threat.

“Relax, kid. At least now you know.” Gebhuza said as if he’d read the younger male’s mind. Rohkea was starting to think he did what with the way he watched the pale lion and then adjusted his words, tone and body language accordingly.

“Can you tell me how you hid your scent? Rohkea asked abruptly and
Gebhuza tilted his head curiously to the side. The kid seemed to be well fed but he was alone, of average weight and size and showing some obvious trust issues against a good portion of the population. He would do well with a few tricks that could help insure his survival so even though it wasn’t exactly an exemplary practice, Gebhuza was willing to waste a few moments teaching the younger lion a few survival tips. Nothing forbidden, of course and certainly no knowledge specific of the pride or the ninja way but a few simple tips he’d learned from personal experience wouldn’t hurt.

The dark lion gave Rokhea another brief inspection as if measuring his worth and then nodded, his mind decided.

“Alright. I’ll show you a few tricks.” Gebhuza said and the younger lion settled down comfortably to listen with eager anticipation with a cub-like look of wonder. The dark lion chuckled at his captivated audience and started his lesson.


- FIN -