Hira rolled smiling at the setting sun. The heat would break and she would be free to roam outside of the shadows. She waited watching the sun dip down below the horizon and the stars coming up.
Hira watch the stars twinkle and mouth a greeting. She bet the stars could hear her silent voice. She raised her paw and pointed at the sky, saying hello in her own language. It was one of the few words she'd come up with. Thus far smile and hello were the easiest.
As the sky went dark Hira started to wandered through the pride her home lands.
Moto woke with the sunset this time. Sometimes, she watched the pride she'd started during the day. Other times, during the night. It was hard on her, since she tried to spend as much time with her cubs as possible, but she was determined to be a good leader. And with the recent news of the Antianeira and the demons to the north...Sometimes, Moto'nyota was certain there would NEVER be enough time in a day or night to do everything needed. She sighed and stretched and trotted out of the den. Tas had already gone off with Set, as usual, Risa was likely with his elder half-sister already or one of HIS friends...so that left Hira.
Her dark daughter was always the one that made Moto worry the most. So silent and hard to get along with...it made the Mwezi worry about her future. Which, honestly...likely lay within another pride. Hira hadn't shown any interest in the livelihoods of the Mwako'bi'Giza...The golden lioness wandered the lands in search of her daughter. She had to make sure she was safe before anything else.
Hira bound along not knowing her mother was near, she was simply enjoying the night and not having her fur burning her. It was a pleasant change. She continued along until she caught a movement that made her stop. She opened her mouth to call out, but close it. No sound came out, not that she had been expecting it.
She crouched down in the shadows and watched to see who was approaching. If it was a stranger, they would never find her, not in the darkness of the night, despite her marking. She only be found if one was looking for her.
Moto had heard rustling in the grass, and followed it. It was either her daughter, one of the other cubs, or an intruder. If it was the last, they'd find the Mwezi's claws very unkind. But the small scent that reached her made her blink, smile, and chuckle. She crouched low to the ground and slunk towards the scent, moving around with all the stealth her ex-mate had taught her...only to pop up next to her daughter.
"Found you, loveling! Good evening, and smart thinking." She had such smart little ones.
Hira jumped opening her mouth to scream a silent scream. She glared at her mother, but then smiled. She was happy that her mother thought her to be smart even if she was annoyed at being frightened.
Hira raised her paw and pointed it to her mother, giving her mother the greeting she made for herself. She smiled feeling proud, although she was unsure whether her mother would even understood.
She wondering silently how to ask her mother what she was doing, but nothing came to mind. She tilted her head to the side giving her mother a confused look.
Moto just smiled. "I was looking for you. Wanted to check up on you, before going about my duties." She nuzzled her daughter. "I like making sure you're all safe, especially when you're not around your sister Luta."
For once Hira smiled of her own accord. It was nice that mother's always seemed to know what you mean to say. She did not need to talk for her mother to know.
She look up to the stars when her mother mentioned Luta. She turned back to her mother before closing her eyes and laying down. Hira peeked up at her mother and grinned. She was trying to tell her mother she thought Luta was probably asleep.
Hira preferred the night and although many had night guarding duties, she thought most were sleep.
Moto chuckled. "Luta is up when you all and her babies are up." She licked the top of Hira's head. "But if she is asleep, that's fine. Just don't go too close to the borders...especially the northern one. I don't want to loose you to the Aikanaro'hini." She'd lost one cub to them already. She couldn't bear the thought of loosing more.
Hira gave a silent laugh as her mother licked her head. Her mood always seemed far better when it was easy for her to communicate.
Hira looked up when her mother mentioned the northern border. She been there in the day of course, but never at night.
She looked to her mother, then toward the north, as if to say why? She wanted to know what was out there. In truth, she'd never seen any of the cubs venture to close to the northern border and if they did they were quickly turned away.
It was far harder to sneak around there than anywhere else. She knew she'd been turned away from the border.
"Beyond that border, loveling, lie the demons we fight." She frowned. "Many of them are cruel creatures, who love to cause others anguish and grief. They are everything we aren't, loveling..." She shook her head. "They are the ones who took Tumaini's daughter Tiis."
Hira frowned wondering how we were different. She stood adopting a fighting stance before pouncing on her barely visible shadow. She looked at her mother frowning. She was trying to say that we fought them and there way of life, but why? How is our way of life better? Why are they wrong?
It was not that she liked their ideals or cubnapping, no that was terrible, but she was feeling at little confused.
Moto nodded. "We fight them to make our world a better place. There are those who cannot protect themselves from the demons, so we step up to do so. We try to show the light to those demons who have not passed the point of no return, and when a demon is reborn in our midst, we do our best to raise them to the light. OUR way may not be the best of ways...but we fight so that others may live their way, without worrying about the demons in the dark."
Hira sighed silently nodding. She looked from her mother to herself and back to the border. She was trying to ask what a demon looked like.
Hira eyes went wide and she looked frantically to her mother. She wondered if there were demons among them now or if there was a reborn demon in the pride.
Hira's heart was pounding. It was so much to take in at one time.
Moto chuckled. "There are no reborn demons among us yet, dear. But there are redeemed demons. Those who have let the light into their hearts and souls. And they are among the most loyal of the pride." She smiled softly to her daughter. "Demons resemble quite a few of our members. They are often dark-colored, with blues and reds and golds and silvers and purples. Pale coats are not allowed...they consider those with fur like...Mister Ka'hmesh's to be undemonic."
Hira felt like crying. She looked at her dark pelt, her eyes watering. She backed up underneath her mother shivering.
She was the darkest member in her pride, even with her bright pink markings. It made her vulnerable, a target. She knew she would not be sneaking off to the borders any more.
She looked up to her mother, looking over her pelt. She looked just like the demons she described. Hira took on an innocent, but sad look, trying to ask her mom, if they were really safe. They were so closed to them.
Moto gathered her daughter close to her. "Those of us who fight...none of us are truly safe. That's why you're given a choice when you're all grown up sweetie. You don't have to stay if you don't want to, when you're older. Not all are meant for the path this pride treads." She did hope her daughters and son might follow it though...if only because without the next generation, there would be no one to fight the demons. "But so long as you are part of this pride, every member will fight for you. We are family, Mazhira...and family protects one another."
Hira shook her head frantically. She didn't have to be all grown up to know she wasn't going to leave. She did not want that, not at all. Even if she was easily annoyed by most others, they were her pride, and her family as her mother had said. No, Hira would not be leaving, not now, not ever.
Hira looked back to the north, hanging her head slightly. She did not want to fight them, no. Sometime inside told her she shouldn't. She looked at her mother and grinned slightly. No, she'd just have to find something else to do in the pride.
Hira stood, there was time to decide that in the future. For now she looked to her mother, wandering if she could go with her while she did her duties.
Hira pouted slightly, really hoping her mother would say yes.
Moto found small things every day and night that just made her love for her cubs grow. And Hira's insistence was another thing to add to the list. "There are many places in the pride for those who want to stay, but not fight. Like the Mlisha, or Mfuma, or Msasi. And you have all the time in the world to choose, loveling." Her smile was wide. "Come...let's go check on the rest of the pride, shall we?" She understood her daughter...and didn't mind the company. It was nice, to have little ones who wanted to follow you around.
Hira smiled, happy to have many choices for her future. She could even choose her mind. There was no telling.
Hira hopped up and followed her mother, excited to help out with checking on the pride.
