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Zia loved her new home. Oh she loved her new home. She giggled as she painted another design on the rock outside her den. It was a nice, rather large, flat rock...and was already half covered by Zia's paintings. It seemed to have no pattern to it from afar, but closer up, the dark purple and black and green designs blended into the story of she and her sister since they'd first entered the lands. She couldn't paint them onto she and her sister....so she'd taken to painting it on the rock.
Satisfied with the latest design, from their last hunt, Zia stepped back looking rather content. She liked her new home indeed. Now she just needed to make friends, and life would be PERFECT.
Laazizi was happy, tired, but happy. She had settled into the Ela lands well, and she felt at home in the wolf clan. She hadn’t met too many of the others yet, but that would come in time. Not to mention she was a bit wary about seeing other lions, even though her belly hadn’t gotten noticeably rounder yet she was afraid they’d somehow notice she was with cubs. The thought of the cubs growing in her belly made her smile, the result of an impulsive night with a strange lion; she didn’t even remember his name now.
Shaking her head to rid herself of those thoughts she glanced around, taking in her surroundings. She had been aimlessly wandering, so she was surprised that she had arrived at the sleeping dens. It seemed she had come full circle, since that is where she had left from earlier that morning. But she wasn’t at her den, she was at the den of a younger lioness, who seemed to be painting a rock. Zi tilted her head, inspecting the painting. It was pretty; she wasn’t very artistic so she admired others who were.
Realizing that she probably looked very odd just standing there staring Zi cleared her throat with a smile. “It’s pretty,” She gestured with her head towards the rock, ”What does it all mean?”
Zia started a bit, then turned and smiled. "Thank you! It's the history of my sister and I since we got here." She chuckled. "I like the style of painting that the pride follows...it makes it easier to record things, and yet keep track of everything. It's sad I can't paint on others or myself...so this rock and the den walls have to do." She stood and bowed her head to the other.
"I'm Zi'athari, but my friends and family call me Zia! Means 'No Mistake!'"
Zi smiled, red eyes moving from the wall paintings to the younger lioness. She seemed to be in good spirits, which made Zi smile. She loved being around other lions, especially happy ones. She nodded at the explanation, it made sense. Glancing down her body at her own tattoos she chuckled. ”Yes, you do have to admire the Ela style.” Her tail twitched, wrapping around her back leg.
The black and blue lioness dipped her head in return to the other. ”Pleasure, Zi’athari, hopefully we can be friends. I’m Laazizi, but most call me Zi.” She didn’t mention what her own name meant. In a way it was embarrassing, Laazizi meant Lover after all.
Zia nodded. "I wouldn't mind being friends! I haven't meant a bad lion yet here, and nothing happens by coincidence. So I don't see why I shouldn't be friends with those I meet here." The logic may have been a bit flawed, but it was what she believed. "What do you say, Zi?" She would certainly have a new bit to add to the history-stone either way.
The lioness managed to keep up with her logic and while it wasn’t completely sound she supposed she could go with it. She sat down with a sigh, she got tired more quickly now then she used to. She supposed it was because she was carrying extra baggage in her stomach. Catching her question she looked to Zia and smiled. ”I think being friends with you would be delightful, Zia” Remembering she had mentioned other lions she thought of something she had been wondering about. ”Have you met many other lions in the clan? I haven’t really, and I was wondering how they were.”
Zia was elated! Her first friend in her new home! Perfect! "Awesome! I think we'll be good friends!" At the mention of other lions, her smile turned nervous and her laugh reflected it. "I'm....afraid I haven't met any others, really. I've seen them as I hunt....but the only others I actually know now are you and my sister Mai." She drooped a bit. "Sorry I'm not much help there."
Zi smiled widely, watching her new friend. Hearing that she hadn’t met others the older lioness chuckled. ”No, no, it’s all right, really. I haven’t met many others either, maybe we can meet new people together.” She lowered herself onto her stomach and then rolled over on her side, watching Zia with one eye. ”Sorry for being so lazy, I’ve just been so exhausted lately.” As if to punctuate the fact she yawned widely. Having a thought she grinned, ”Am I going to make it into the paintings on the wall?”
"Yeah....we can make more friends together!" She joined Zi on the ground, stretching out a bit haphazardly. "It's okay. Nothing wrong with being lazy now and again." She...tended to not be, for the simple fact of she had so much ENERGY! "Of course you will! Why wouldn't you?"
Zi smiled, that sounded like fun. While what she said about being lazy sometimes was okay, and Zi agreed, she was still bothered that as of late she was always tired. Soon she would need to start eating more, she couldn’t keep getting away with eating for one when they were growing bodies in her tummy. Hearing her words she chuckled and shrugged as well as she could lying on her side. ”I don’t know, I haven’t had many friends.” Her only other friend had been a leopard she had met when she was an adolescent, but Noi hadn’t been able to come with her on her travels and so they had parted ways.
Zia nodded. "I...had a friend once, too. Mahdokht was really nice. And we were really close. But...our paths went different ways. Mine led me here, and Mah's was in another place with her sister. I do hope I can see her again one day, though." She smiled calmly. "She thought there were patterns in the stars, that influenced the way things turned out on the ground."
”I know how it is when paths divert, it’s bittersweet.” She rolled onto her stomach, still lying down. Looking over to Zia she chuckled. ”The stars? I would’ve never considered a thing.” The black lioness wasn’t one too have deep thoughts about things that didn’t directly affect her. While she might look up at the stars and think them pretty, she didn’t put any thought past that into it.
Zia nodded. "I wouldn't have thought such a thing either, until I met her. And...I see some wisdom in her words still, but truthfully...it is the things around us that influence us most. Other creatures, our own will, our environment. The stars...I think they just watch over us. Record what we do, same as the tattoos we wear and the things I paint." She grinned. "You could say...I see them as the memory of the entire world! After all...someone or something has to be able to remember when we cannot."
Zi laughed, the stars as a memory. That was new, and pleasing in a way. It was nice to think that something would remember her when she was gone, no matter what happened. ”That is a nice thought, always being remembered.” She knew there were few who’d actually remember her, Noi would (she hoped) and the cubs growing in her belly. She had a very strong feeling that the father didn’t even remember her name let alone who she was. Though she wouldn’t blame him for that, she didn’t remember his name either. As if they knew they were being thought about the cubs began to kick and she groaned. She couldn’t lay down for long periods of time as of late. Slowly she pushed herself up onto her paws. ”I’m afraid to say I must depart, I’m not as lively as I used to be.” She played off her exhaustion from being older (even though she was still fairly young) not wanting to mention that she was carrying cubs.
"It's no problem!" There was something about the other female that seemed...well, older than her appearance. Zia wasn't sure what it was, but it made her not really mind that she had to go. "We'll see each other later, when you're better rested!" By then, Zia would have more history-paintings to show her! And maybe even a few that weren't. "It was wonderful meeting you, Zi!"
Zi smiled widely, ”It was wonderful meeting you as well, Zia.” And truly it was. Having a friend in her new clan was more than pleasant. With a small nod she turned padding off slowly, headed for her own sleeping den. She would be glad when the cubs were born, then of course she’d have to raise them, but still it had to be better than carrying them.
