[PRP] Children from the Grass [END]

[Kisoni]

That night they'd spent wrapped up in one another and talking long into the night. The talk wasn't pointed or.. even guided in anyway, just about everything and nothing at all. And they'd drifted off to sleep without ever really ending the conversation. It didn't matter, though.. they understood one another.

And today she thought she might recognize some structures. The lioness shifted their path and took him past a small waterhole.. that looked reminiscent of a place she'd once found her granddaughter had run to in sadness. "I think we might be close now," She glanced over her shoulder towards her.. her mate. The female smiled.

"Might be close to what?" Another voice piped up and a dark face popped up from the grass nearby, a red and peach mask so like her grandmother's marking the likewise similar ruby eyes.

Embamba was startled, but she conqoured that and straightened herself. "Odjit! ... " She lifted her head, "Where is your mother, dear."

"Ata is somewhere," the girl shrugged, then took in Issy's dark form beside Embamba. She considered him for a few minutes, before asking honestly, "Are you my father?"

Issy reminisced over the night, the conversation, everything that had passed between them. When he awoke, it was almost as if it were to an entirely new world. The smile on his face remained, her words lingering in his mind, and he couldn't keep his eyes from her for more than a few moments. He was a fool that was falling in love, but he welcomed it.

He had watched her scrutinize the places they passed, and as her words came out, he quirked a small brow. As far as he could tell, the lands were no different than his own, but if she thought it looked familiar, then it must be. "That's goo-"

His sentence broke off as he heard the smaller voice, his eyes shifting around until he found a figure that was as dark as his own. His eyebrow quirked, though he listened as the conversation passed on between the two. So.. this was Emba's granddaughter? As odd as that might have been to some, he really didn't mind in the slightest.

"What?" he asked as the little girl came out with that.. very random question. Although, given the color of their pelts, he could see where she was confused. "No, I'm afraid.. I'm not," though he said it with a little laugh, shaking his head.

"Oh... okay then," Odjit shrugged, not at all caring that she probably seemed more than a little strange. She waded out of the tall grass towards the two grown ups.

Emamba frowned, looking between her Issy and her granddaughter. The girl had a point, as strangely put as it was. She lowered her head to give Odjit's ear a n**, happy to see her at least, and smiled up at Issy, "Issy, this is my granddaughter, Odjit."

Emamba almost faltered, and sent Issy an apologetic smile for the next half of the introduction, "Odjit, darling, meet my very good friend, Isithunzi."

"Hi," She nodded and plopped right down at their feet. "You just look a lot like me, and my mom said my dad came from the outside and looks like I do.." Odjit looked up at her grandmother and frowned, "You went away for awhile. I saw you leave, but you didn't come back."

"Well.." embamba's ears twitched back. She looked guilty, almost laughably so, now. "there were.. some things that I had to take care of, darling. But I'm back now.. have you told you mother that I was gone?"

"No. She didn't ask."

Issy smiled in return to Embamba, for he knew the reason that he needed to be a 'good friend' for the moment. He wasn't sure Embamba was ready to face the grown members of her family - the last thing she needed was the little girl knowing, asking questions, and perhaps getting to the other members and being the cause for many rumors.

"It's very nice to meet you Odjit," he said with a dip of his head, the rusty mane ruffling and shifting as he did so. She was a cute little thing - and reminded him a lot of Embamba, though he was sure that was probably just the mask plastered over her face.

"Well, that's because.. I came from the outside," he nodded his head, giving a light shrug, "there are more lions with dark coats like ours out there." He didn't want to get her going on rogues, but it was the most polite way he could find to answer her question.

He glanced back at Emba as she talked with her granddaughter, his tail flickering behind him as he waited. He didn't want to interrupt them.

"There are?" Odjit titled her head. "Grandma always said i was special because i'm dark... like you. Are you special too?"

Glad that the girl had turned the topic, now that she had the information she needed, Embamba watched Issy for a moment. She broke into the conversation for a moment to give him a smile, "issy... would you mind waiting here for a short time. I'm going to try and find one or both of my daughters.. and... explain some things.."

"Well, your grandma mentioned to me how special you were, and that it was because you were dark," he said with a small grin, "I don't know if that means I'm special or not, though."

"Hm?" came the surprised word of the male, though he simply nodded. "Of course, of course," he said, without qualms. He knew what she needed to do, or at least figured that he did. "As long as Odjit here will keep me company?"