Asenath giggled as she snuck away from her babysitter. It wasn't hard. Siku was just an adolescent and keeping up with four different cubs was hard. She bounded around in the sun, glad to be away from her sisters. Though she loved them they could be hindering to her fun. Finding a rather brilliant colored butterfly, her tail flickered and she was off.
Zipping, springing, pouncing, and playing all across the grassy fields, it wasn't long before the female was far from her babysitter and in a place she'd never been to. She lifted her ears and glanced around, her pink eyes gazing curiously. She was missing the company of her sisters already. She leaped up onto a rock to observe the area, only to slip and roll into another youngster. "Ow..." She she murmured picking herself up.
More than anything, Lela loved crafting items. In fact, it was in the middle of crafting a rather intricate bracelet that the little lioness tumbled into her. Lela yelped pathetically and tumbled back, the bracelet going flying as she shifted to look at whoever had tumbled into her.
The cream coated cub shook herself then glanced up at the yelp. Apparently she'd bumped into someone else. She blinked her pink eyes studying the creature before her before letting out a small terrified gasp and started to back up. "S-Sorry!" She said, her tone pleading. "I didn't mean to! It was an accident!" She ducked her head ready to flee if the other made a move.
"It's okay, just help me look for that bracelet I was working on," Lela said, sniffing around in an attempt to locate the bracelet she'd been crafting.
The lioness frowned and took another step back, unsure. "Uhm... I don't... What... are you?" She asked staring at the other. She had heard her father describe both wild dogs and hyenas. He told her they were large beast with razor sharp teeth that could bite through bone and dangerous animals. The thing she saw in front of her didn't sound like she was capable of either of those things.
"I'm a wild dog, silly. And you're a lion, right? Papa always told me about lions... But that can wait for now. I need to find my bracelet!" Lela said, snuffling around even more, trying to find her bracelet.
"A wild dog!" She said out loud in a gasp then flickered her ears back. She didn't SEEM mean, just intent on finding her bracelet. She could help with that. "Yah I'm a lion...erm, what's a bracelet?" She asked sniffing around like Lela was doing. "My daddy told me that wild dogs eat lions..."
"A bracelet is something you put around your wrist to look pretty. And your daddy is silly. None of my family eat lions. We all like lions, as long as they aren't mean to us," Lela said, grinning and wagging her tail.
The girl looked up, eying her as if she wasn't sure the other was telling the truth. "Really? He said that you could bite through bone and had big teeth and were all like rawr!" She stomped around pretending to growl and be mean but really ended up looking silly. "Oh!" She said as she sniffed again for the bracelet. "That sounds neat!" She lifted her nose and blinked at the aforementioned bracelet hanging off of it. "Er, this it?" She asked laughing.
"Do these teeth look big to you?" Lela asked, laughing and grinning to show off her teeth. At the sight of her bracelet she grinned and eagerly grabbed it, putting the finishing touch on it before offering it to her new friend. "Here! You deserve it!"
"Well... not exactly..." She responded looking them over. In fact, she figured, hers were bigger. She puffed up proudly when she found it. "Oh?" She asked looking at the wooden bracelet. "For me? Really?" She brightened up and tried it on. She couldn't wait to show her sisters! "Thanks so much!"
It's no problem! You found it, and my sisters and brothers are starting to get too much of my jewelry. I make them too fast," Lela said, giggling at the small lioness and wagging her tail. "My name's Lelakivuli!"
"And I made you drop it!" She said with a giggle then wiggled her paw to watch the pretty thing. Her sisters would be so jealous! "Oh?" She asked looking up, with a smile. "My name's Asenath! Its nice to meet you Lelakivuli!" She bounded up to walk over and sniff the new girl. "So you're really a wild dog? That's so cool!"
"Just call me Lela! And I'm not as neat as you are! I've never seen a lion before!" Lela said, grinning and sniffing Asenath in return.
"Me?" The lion cub laughed and shook her head. "I'm not neat! You are!" She corrected smiling at her newfound friend.
"How about we compromise. We're both pretty neat," Lela said, grinning and wagging her tail.
"Yah!" She agreed then smiled at her. "I wonder why my daddy said wild dogs are mean..."
"Maybe he just doesn't like you wandering off?" Lela suggested absently, tilting her head slightly, her ears flopping to the sides rather comically.
Asenath coughed. "That's probably right..." SHe says pinning her ears back and looking sheepish. "But our babysitter always goes after him when he hunts... So its not that hard to wander for just a little bit..."
"Just make sure you aren't in any danger. I bet your dad would be crushed if anything happened to you... But why doesn't your mom watch you?" Lela asked curiously, canting her head to the side.
"Yah I bet he would be..." She says as if she's never considered that before. "Oh..." Her ears go down. "We... don't have a mom... at least I don't think we do... I don't remember her."
"You don't have a mom? That's... Too bad..." Lela said softly for a long moment, before perking up and grinning. "I know! Why don't you ask your daddy if you can stay with me for a while? You can borrow my Mama!"
Asenath went silent too, wondering. She'd never asked... When the other cub perks up so does she, smiling. "Really! Oh..." She frowns again. "I don't think I can stay. Cause we're going to Daddy's pride..."
"Well, maybe you can ask him if you can stay for just a little while? I'm sure he wouldn't mind that much," Lela said, ears drooping.
"I'll ask..." She says smiling to cheer her friend up. "And if he says yes I'll come back! Deal?"
"Deal! I hope to see you soon!" Lela said, ears perking back up and her tail wagging happily.
"Yah! You too!" She says with a grin then pauses. "Well if I dont' see you again then..." She looks around then picks up a piece of wood. "You can make another bracelet out of this! That way when we do see each other again we can still be best friends! Cause we'll see each others bracelet!" She says, waiting for the other to reply before heading off.
"Alright!" Lela said, laughing and taking the piece of wood eagerly.
