Artemis was surprised that the one who got thwacked over the entire ordeal (AKA the fight) between herself and Martirae was the one who had actually deserved it (AKA Martirae). But it was after that, that Leboya herself had taken Artemis aside, finally taking up a spot underneath a large tree and reclining into a relaxed laying position.
“Well, lay down: I’m not going to maul you, sweetheart.” Leboya bid, causing Artemis to frown awkwardly, looking around before she slowly took a seat as well, shifting ever so awkwardly. Ummmm, well…
This was… Uhhh… Nice? Ish?
Okay, so she was still on edge and waiting for someone (See: Martirae) to come flying out of the tree to maul her to unhappy little bits. But that didn’t come. Leboya, on the other paw, just sort of smiled all calmly and the like while Artemis did her little check of the tree above her.
Good good, cautious was most definitely a way to go.
“So what did my daughter want from you?” Leboya finally asked, causing Artemis to cough a bit, shifting and looking around once again before settling her head, cautiously and ready to move if needed, upon her paws.
“She wanted me dead so you could have Namir.” She stated flatly.
Leboya made a face, as if trying to determine what the taste in her mouth was, before sighing and shrugging her shoulders lightly. “Well, sweetheart, unfortunately there’s only one thing I can really tell you there. I don’t need him.”
…..
What?
Artemis lifted her head right back up, a puzzled look on her face. Leboya seemed to catch her thoughts automatically, lifting a paw and making a ‘Ah ah ah!’ noise to stop it in her throat. Mother instincts, go!
“I was happy with my children, all eight of them between two mates. But neither of them could give me the happiness I wanted. So while Martirae’s father left me, and took our son away with him, I was the one who left Namir.” She explained, “We were from two different worlds. And while at the time I hadn’t expected I’d be carrying his children in my belly, I would have made the same decision even with the knowledge.” She explained.
Artemis shifted awkwardly. There was that topic of children again. Surely it was normal for any female to be antsy around that subject?
Just maybe?
But again, Leboya caught it.
“Artemis, just because we didn’t last, or that you’re not the first female he’s been with, doesn’t mean he doesn’t care for you more than he did for me.” She said.
Artemis frowned again.
“Yes, but just because he left you doesn’t mean he didn’t love you more.” She replied, a frown slowly forming on Leboya’s face before she lifted a paw and made a motion with it, sort of half-heartedly.
“Well then, let’s look at it this way: he left because he was looking for his pride. Had it been only me he wanted, he could have returned to this prideland area at any time to find me, but instead he didn’t.
He only went out of his way of searching to be with you.”
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That was an amazingly good point, actually. Artemis was fully aware of the ‘directions’ that Namir had been given in order to remember where the pride’s location was at the current time, but every time they went out of their way to look somewhere else, he made no complaint.
Even when they had traveled in a giant circle.
“Plus, he remembers your name.”
Artemis flushed underneath her fur. Dammit, was she really so wrapped up in a male that she was actually have death battles with rival’s daughters and having this conversation with said ‘rival’?
But it seemed this little conversation was coming to an end.
“Now, if you’re feeling less concerned, and you were looking it earlier, dear, you should be getting back to him. It’s getting late, you know.” She pointed out, causing Artemis’s fur to puff up in panic.
OH CRAP.
But it certainly had her up and going off, pausing after a few steps to look back at Leboya over her shoulder. “Thanks for the pep talk!”
Leboya smiled, watching as the new mate in her first’s life went to make her hasty retreat back to him as he sun was setting.
“No problem…
…
Never a problem.”
