Sunny skies, warm beaches, all the fish in the world (which she had made the discovery that fish were amazing and how had she never come across fish before?). Anya was enjoying her life here in the Bahari. Truly, she had no regrets with finding this place.
At the moment, the brown lioness was lounging across a rock, soaking in the heat that had built up over the course of the day. She could tell that her fur was thriving in this heat, though it was different from what she used to live in. Certainly not bad though. With a happy hum, she stretched her paws up above her, her jewelry glittering in the sun's rays, and then relaxed back down with a content sigh.
She should get up soon though. As a Kinengwe, her duty was to hunt, a pastime she enjoyed greatly, and she was planning on doing so later in the day. Which was now, she had decided. With one last stretch under the sun, she rolled herself off the rock and landed on the ground with a thump. It was as she began walking though that she realized that she could hear muttering nearby... and it seemed to be getting closer.
Curiosity got the better of her. With a flick of her tail, she lowered herself down and stalked silently towards where the noise was coming from.
Aislin, meanwhile, was having a crisis. Or rather, she'd been having one for a while, but only recently was she actually realizing what the problem was. She felt foolish that it took this long for her to figure it out too. The sluggishness, the constant hunger, the bloated stomach, and now the sudden yearning to find a den....
Truthfully, she had had some inkling, a base instinct, that told her that there was something there. Something new. But in her denial of the situation, she'd ignored it. It must be her imagination. It must be the new terrain. Must be something she ate. Must be, must be, must be.... But now there was no denying it. There was only one reason for why she was feeling the way she was.
... Also the kicking she'd felt. That may have had something to do with it too.
Blast it all! How could... She's really only been with... Hell, don't tell her she was carrying his...
She couldn't even finish her own sentences in her head, so flustered over it as she was.
Poking her head up from a bush, Anya was surprised to discover another lioness pacing in aggravation nearby. She was standing between a group of trees and rocks, grumbling something under her breathe that Anya couldn't quite hear. Now, the Bahari were relatively welcoming to outsiders, so Anya saw no reason not to be friendly as well. Though she should probably take this with at least some caution, she was pretty sure this lioness had no intention of attacking her or her pridemates. If anything, she seemed bothered by something. Well, she was always willing to lend an ear!
Hopping out of her hiding spot, she trotted up to the black and tan lioness, unperturbed by her freezing up and staring at her in suspicion. By the smell of her, she could tell that she was a rogue. A pretty fat one too, though Anya was polite enough not to say that out loud.
Wait... that seemed like more than just fat, and the way the other lioness was curling around her stomach protectively.... And her smell did seem different... She was pregnant! Oh, how lucky! Anya loved cubs. She hoped to have a set of her own in the future too. (distantly, she wondered where Burny was today. Though she wouldn't connect the dots on that train of thought until much later)
"Hello!" She said cheerfully, "Beautiful day today, wouldn't you say?" She wanted to try and ease the other lioness' nerves. She meant no harm, and she hoped she showed that.
She was in the middle of trying to mentally process her discovery when some random, brown lioness came bursting out of the shrubbery next to her. Already on edge, Aislin curled in on herself, unconsciously trying to protect her young even if she hadn't yet given birth to them. Green eyes blazed in challenge as she eyed this newcomer. Although, from the smell coming from her, she was pretty sure she was from the pride that lived nearby. She didn't think she'd trespassed on their lands. Even in her panicking, she was smart enough not to do so.
But the younger lioness simply bounded up to her, stars practically radiating from her eyes. Oh no, she's one of those happy-go-lucky lions, wasn't she? Her day just got worse.
A flat look fell across her face, ears pulled back in annoyance, as the new lioness started talking. She had to give it to her though, that was one hell of a voice. She probably knocked a lot of males dead with it. Aislin seriously debated just ignoring her and moving on though. She was in no mood to chat today.
Unfortunately for her, Anya powered right through her silence. "What brings you around these parts?" She paused to look the lioness up and down, "Do you need some help? You seem flustered."
Aislin bristled then, "No!" She wasn't willing to take the aid of some random pride lion! Plus, this wasn't something anyone could help her with. (well, technically the cheetah could help, but like hell she was going out of her way to find him. He could be anywhere by this point!) She moved to lick some of her fur down, trying to calm herself to talk like a normal person. "No, I'm fine. I'll be fine. I mean, I am fine." She cringed inwardly, knowing that she wasn't really arguing her point very well.
With a huff, she straightened up and stared down this other lioness. "I'm just traveling through." Yes, calm. She was calm. This was nothing she couldn't handle herself.
Anya tilted her head, mostly just confused over her reaction. This lioness didn't seem to be "fine" to her, but if she didn't want help.... She couldn't really keep pushing. "If you're sure..."
"Yes." She had a hard edge to her voice, hoping to emphasize her point, "I'm fine."
And she would be. She was still panicking inside, worry bubbling in her chest at the thought that she would have to raise of bunch of runts, but she could handle it. She thinks. Tons of other females raise kids all the time. And she really only had to keep up with them until they were old enough to handle themselves. Piece of cake. She hoped.
Aislin closed her eyes, took a deep (somewhat shaky) breath, and then opened them again. Yes, she could do this. She would do this. She didn't really have a choice.
With a shake of her head, the pregnant lioness glanced coldly back at the confused face next to her. She probably shouldn't be so mean to someone who really just wanted to help, but she couldn't help herself. Maybe it had something to do with said pregnancy. Either way, she had to move. She needed to find a temporary den. One that was safe and would stay safe for a good while. The area around here was actually not a bad idea, with it's warm temperatures and generally good weather, but she needed to make sure she was well away from the prides that lived around here. She didn't want to run the risk of running into any of them. They might not be as friendly as this one was.
"Thank you for your concern, but I need to keep moving." There, that was hopefully cordial enough for this conversation. Aislin gave a stiff nod and then, not waiting for an answer back, began speed-walking away.
Anya was left in the dust at that point. She hummed in thought, wondering if perhaps she should have stopped this mysterious rogue. It probably wasn't good for the babies for their mother to be so stressed looking. She just moved so quickly though! She was practically like a cheetah, though she's really only met one cheetah in her life.
Come to think of it, the mixed smell of her pregnancy did.... kind of smell like that cheetah. What are the odds though? It'd be an unusual coincidence. Anya had a good memory, but she wasn't sure her memory was THAT good.
The silence was broken by the chirping of nearby birds. There was a pause, and then Anya suddenly jumped. Oh right! She was supposed to go hunting! She wanted to get a good catch before it got too late in the day. Plus, there was apparently a big group coming. Her pride was getting ready for them to visit, and Anya wanted to be there to meet them too. So she needed to get moving!
That thought in mind, she sprang back into the trees, hoping to get something good before heading back home.
