It was one of those rare, miserable days where the rain came and seemed to not end. And one of the lions caught out in that miserable downpour was very unhappy indeed. He liked the hot, lazy days! Not the days where he was scrambling through wet savanna grass and mud to find a place to hide from the water. Laini'moto groaned and then perked up. Did his eyes deceive him?! They did not!
Not more than two lion-lengths in front of him was a cave! One that could comfortably fit him and likely another! And it had a nice outcropping that kept too much rain from getting into the cave! He quickly rushed for it, his soaked form almost sagging in relief once the constant pounding of rain was no longer there. Finally...a dry place.
Caellagh limped through the grass miserably. She was an exile, away from home. She vaguely remembered a large someone letting her down close by, but didn't see a face. However, the sensation felpt familiar. And then she'd noticed the rain. She was scabbed over from battle, sore and tired, looking around. The rain meant little, but seeing a cave, a comfortably sized one, made her smile a little, and she limped in to it, shaking herself off. Her nose twitched-- and she scented another. But for now, she didn't care.
Laini started a bit, in mid-stretch, when the female entered. By the scent, they were definitely female and a look towards the cave entrance only proved his nose. And she didn't look in very good condition. He sat up, careful to keep his distance in case she was unfriendly.
"You look like more than the rain got you...Are you okay?"
Caellaghh frroze, listening. A male. s**t. She tensed up, moving agsainst the wall. She couldn't afford to fight. Not now.
"I'll live." She said quietly. It wasn't as firm as she wanted to sound, and she moved to huddle into the wall.
Oh s**t. He'd scared her. "That's good. I'm sorry if I startled you." He stayed sitting, and tried to make himself look a little smaller. He hated scaring girls. They tended to be smaller than him, so made him more protective than anything.
"I'm not frightened." Caellagh hissed. "No proper woman in my pride has reason to be."
Still, he intrigued her. He was acting cublike, and she couldn't help her curiosity. Especially seeing a male so nice. It was confusing.
He perked up a bit. "Wonderful! I'm sure you didn't expect company though." He wasn't really all that scary looking at the moment, though, with most of his mane rather wet and stringy and hanging down like a mop. "My name's Laini'moto. What sort of pride is it you hail from, that breeds such brave ladies?"
"The Antianeira. A pride that was... Without men." Caellagh studied him. "...My name is Caellagh."
She refrained from showing sadness, anything. But it was catching up, and she lowered her head.
"But not anymore."
Without men? He'd certainly not heard of such a pride. How did they continue on, if there were no men? Meh...questions he figured where best left unanswered. He cautiously reached a paw out in a gesture of comfort. "Not anymore? What happened?"
"...We were taken by rogues... My grandmother, the queen, was murdered... Our heir driven away..." Caellagh shut her eyes, finally allowing herself tears. If she died, she died knowing he could show it, at last.
"They drove my sister away, took our home, forced many to betray our ideals... And enslaved the others.. I only survived hiding in the jungle until I encountered a traitor and an usurper.. And now..."
Caellagh began to finally cry, sobbing, the tears running down her tear-scars.
Laini's face held an incredulous look. How...ugh! That was not how a male was supposed to act! A male was supposed to encourage a female's strength, but also protect her when needed! Such behavior...no wonder she'd seemed put off by him!
"I wish...I could do something to help." But he was useless. One lion, no matter how strong, could not win against many. He would die, and his death would be in vain. Such useless acts did nothing to help anyone. "I can offer you a safe haven of sleep, for at least tonight, though?"
"....I... I would appreciate that." Caellagh looked up, reaching a paw towards him stiffly. In the cave, water unmarred, her wounds were visible, scabbing over and the lioness torn up. But she lived, and the male... He was someone kind.
How unusual, for a male. And yet, something inside her... Welcomed it.
The black-maned male smiled comfortingly. "Then safety you shall have." If he had to fight...well, he wouldn't mind. Not to protect someone. Especially one as obviously in need of the protection as Caellegh. He touched his paw to hers, no malice or strength behind the gesture. "And once the rain stops, perhaps we can find you someone to tend your wounds?" He was no healer, and he had no trouble admitting it.
"I...I would appreciate it." Caellagh admitted. "...Your the first kind male I've met."
Mind, her experiences with men were few and with women, many. But.. She liked him. He felt safe.
The lion blinked and chuckled. "Well, I hope after me you meet other kind males. We're not as rare a breed as you might think. Most of us...tend to be pride-bound though." He was an oddity, with his wandering paws. He knew they would fade one day...but until then, he was a content rogue. He moved so that he was between the entrance and her, but not in such a way that he was blocking her. Only so that if there was an intruder, they'd meet Laini's claws first.
"Really?" Her curiosity piqued as she watched attentively. Now in a safe place, she was curious, her fury in her home calming.
He nodded. "Really. I've been a lot of places in my travels...and met many creatures. Many fathers and mothers, happy with their families. A few males who...aren't exactly the faithful sort, but are full of love and kindness of their own brand. Even met a male once who was raising a litter on his own. Poor boy's mate died and he was left with the cubs. But he was doing a good job with 'em, lived near his mother to ask advice from."
Caellagh listened, blinking. A male... Raising cubs? She took it in, listening to his tales as she once listened to Kiuma and Hippolyta's, tail moving.
Was he lying? no... He would have attacked by now. She knew that. Was it possible males WEREN'T... Evil?
He couldn't help but chuckle at her. She looked like a little cub! Well, her expression anyways. The rest of her...was certainly not cub-like. Beyond the wounds, she was a very pretty lioness. And he had to keep a hold on his tongue, lest he scare her with his flirtations. And scaring her off was the last thing he wanted to do. Mmmm...what was that one pride he'd passed...
AH! His look was one of revelation. "I might know...of a safe place for you. And a safe way to get there from here." Now if he could remember what that pride was called...he'd only passed it a couple weeks ago...
Caellagh's ears pricked again.
"There's a pride close by? Who...?"
Laini nodded. "The pride I'm thinking of...From what I've gathered and heard, it was founded to combat evil. And they offer sanctuary to any who need it, so long as they follow pridal rules. I didn't go in there myself, since I wasn't in need of sanctuary..." He chuckled. "And there's a pride we're actually not far from here we can travel through safely. They call themselves demon-hunters, and allow travel along their borders in this area. Their north border is supposedly off limits though."
Caellagh's ears went erect. The Mwako! Everyone around her growing up spoke of them. She nodded eagerly.
"We need to go to the Demon Hu nters." Caellagh said, shsakily, excited. "They are allies, I must alert their Mwezi, someone, anyone there...!"
Well now! Seems he'd said something right! He nodded. "After the rain lets up, we can go there." He didn't want her overexerting herself. In her condition...it could prove fatal. "Mayhaps they can do what I cannot..."
"You'll... Stay with me, right?" Caellagh looked to him hopefully. She didn't want to be alone.
Laini nodded. "I will." His smile was a confident one, a protector's smile. "Until you're better, I'll stay with you. Make sure you don't get hurt again. And anyone who tries messing with us..." A darkness entered his blue eyes. "I'll make 'em wish they hadn't." And the darkness was gone soon as the words faded from hearing.
Caellagh grinned a bit.
"Yes... Especially once I'm able to battle again..."
She flashed a gleaming, fanged smile to her new friend warmly, tail switching.
Yes... She did like this male.
