Narindima'moyo had been scarce of late. The former king spent more time by himself than he did with anyone else, wandering the swamp of simply sitting and brooding. He was tired. He felt old...but he wasn't old, not really. A little past middle-aged, perhaps, but not old. But that didn't change how he felt, or the exhausted air he had about him. His time as king had done him no favors, and then..and then...
And then Jhonki. Naming him king and stepping down had been a mistake, that had become abundantly clear. But hindsight was always perfect, wasn't it? He couldn't fix it now, or dismiss the feeling of betrayal, or completely ignore the part of him that missed his son, missed his grandchildren. He couldn't help but feel guilty, even though it hadn't been his fault. Jhonki had made his choice knowing full well what the consequences could be. Still, no matter how many times he told himself that, it never really helped.
The muddy lion sighed where he sat near the edge of the swamp, staring out at the setting sun.
Aristaeus padded softly through the swamps, freshly returned from his pilgrimage. Not all of his siblings were back yet, but his first action upon rejoining the pride was to find his mother and let her know he was safe, so she could focus all her concerns onto his brothers. 
