Hadaya yawned and stretched, flexing his paws. It was late in the morning, but he wasn’t too concerned. He had been up later than usual, playing with cubs and trying to keep himself sane. It was difficult, living in a den full of babies, but he found himself very much at peace. Yawning again, he moved from the cave and wandered his way out of the lands, deciding that it might be fun to take a while for himself. He would be back before too long, though, still not too sure about where he was going to go on his ‘quest’. He loved being in the rogue lands, almost as much as he loved being in his new home. He had raised himself through wandering around, after all. It seemed right, then, to be at peace in the nameless, ownerless lands that surrounded the Simbafutaji dens and shores. He moved at a leisurely pace, tail flicking behind him, thoughts turning toward his dreams. He couldn’t tell if they had been visions or not, and he was quickly lost in his thoughts. Things usually ended badly when he stopped paying attention to his surroundings.
Jasiri'ka sat at the shore, observing the sea and taking in the smell of the salty air. He had been doing that a lot lately, since the sea really was a change of scenery for him. He also found it peaceful to be on the beach, where the sound of the waves crashing down on the sand never fails to calm his spirit. It was his own way of relaxing, ever since he started to move closer to the shore. This must be one of the more beautiful parts of the land that he had ever visited. Although he had been travelling along the shore for a while, he had never really stopped to take in its beauty.
Turning back to glance roughly at where the Simbafutaji territory is, he gave a small smile. To wake up in the morning near the shore with friends by your side, instead of being alone... That must be amazing.
Hadaya had managed to wander his way toward the shore line, using his peripheral vision only vaguely to keep him out of the water. His head was ducked and his eyes on the ground, his thoughts in many other places. He had never dreamed a vision before. They usually only happened when he was wide awake, running or scared. Adrenaline seemed to be the key to activating them, though they never made sense when they came and rarely had anything to do with the situation at hand.
Heaving a sigh, he didn’t lift his head in time to see his company before bumping right into him. Hadaya leapt back a good ten feet, landing awkwardly on splayed feet, crouched low on buckling knees, eyes wide as he stared up at the lion he had just wandered, literally, into. Blinking, he tried to apologize, but his throat held his words captive and all he could do was gape.
“Er, uhm, guh…” he said, unintelligibly, but with some vehemence. He shook his head and tried again, this time his voice exploding from his mouth, “I’m sorry!!”
He felt something knock against his side, and Jasiri's first reaction was to leap back up on all fours and turn to face the source of the 'attack'. Realizing that it was only another lion, who looked like he meant no harm and probably walked into him on accident, Jasiri'ka relaxed again. Sitting down again, this time facing the younger male, he blinked as the other party tried to say something. Leaning in a litte, he laughed softly at the apology and shook his head slowly, "Its okay... After all, nobody got hurt in the encounter." The last comment was meant to be a little teasing, and he smiled at the other lion to show him that it really was alright. He paused, wondering how to continue the conversation without letting it get awkward.
"Well... Hello there." He finally said, tilting his head to the side as he observed the younger male. "I'm Jasiri'ka, but uh.... Call me Jasiri."
Hadaya, heart in his throat, nodded. It was times like these when the visions would kick in. His heart was racing, his ears were pounding, and he felt like he had just run a mile even though he had only just casually bumped into someone. He was surprised, then, when one didn’t hit him. He had to wonder if something strange was going on, and if this lion he was suddenly in the company of had something to do with it. Maybe his visions were changing because he was getting older.
“I’m… uh… Hadaya,” he said, clearing his throat and trying to sound a bit more suave than his previous yelp of an apology had made him seem. He sat down, gathering his paws and sitting upright, looking almost pompous, though he couldn’t pull it off. He didn’t have the confidence required to be self-centered or aloof. Blinking, soft eyes bright, he nodded.
“Nice to meet you, Jasiri. Uh. What… uhm… do you live around here?”
"Huh? Oh, no... Not really..." Jasiri'ka replied with a nervous chuckle, "But I was hoping to..."
His voice faded away, and he glanced to the sea again, "Well, I was thinking of joining the Simbafutaji. It seems like an ideal pride for a wandering lion like myself... Its been a long while since I had a home and friends to sleep by my side." Turning his attention back to Hadaya, he smiled again, "I guess its time for me to settle down. Getting old is quite teh experience!"
Hadaya tilted his head. He knew what it was like, wanting to live some where. Of course, he had never had any place in his head, specifically. Being abandoned as a cub, he had simply wandered through the lands in search of a place that would feel as much like home as his den had, before it was suddenly empty. He had found it in the Simbafutaji. He smiled and nodded in understanding.
“It is a really great place. I wandered a lot when I was a cub, and I grew up before I found this place. But now I have a home and a family, but I can still roam when I want to. It’s nice. You don’t look old, but I guess it’s hard to tell. Anyway, this is a nice place and I’m sure they’ll let you stay here. They adopted me out of no where, just because I was scared. They’re really nice here.”
He smiled, glad to be talking without too much anxiety. “You feel familiar to me, though. Have I… met you before? Or maybe…” he said to himself now, “I saw you in a vision…”
"Yeah... Although nobody ever adopted me. I guess I needed to so some things alone back then," Jasiri'ka laughed, thinking about the death of his mother, the finding and losing of his father days later. It had never really sadden him though; he just kept on living, as his parents would probably wish for him to. Smiling at the comment of not being old, the male let out another laugh, his eyes shining as he nodded, "You are right, I'm not very old... Yet, anyway. But I guess when you're all grown up, you feel like you're ageing faster. That's my personal take on it anyway!"
He tilted his head at the younger lion in curiosity, staring at hadaya as he tried to recall if he had ever saw him before. After a while, Jasiri'ka shook his head, "Nope... I don't think so. This is probably our first meeting." Blinking, he added in surprise, "Did you say maybe something?"
