Ema was exhausted. It had been far too long since she had seen her birthlands, and had nearly given up hope on ever making it back. The added trouble of having a lustful fling with a prince, and then being seperated from him and her daughter had almost been too much. If it hadn't been for Umochozi, the pink lioness didn't think she would have made it.
Still...the fact that they were finally making it home was intoxicating.
Her eagle, Juu, had proclaimed that they were starting to go the right direction. They were almost there! She turned to her now adult son, handsome and a heartbreaker like his father. "Umochozi?" she called, knowing that he was close-by. "Juu says that we're getting closer with every step."
Umochozi had no personal experience with the lands his mother was from - though she sure couldn't keep from telling him every memory she had of the Aka'mleli. It was enough that even Umochozi was getting excited to be close to home. Sure, the rogue lands had been fun, but they were growing old on him. Every day it seemed as if they were searching for the way back home, and now that they were close... Umochozi was sure that it would be eventful.
He should have said a proper good bye to the rogue lands, in the most preferable method of finding a female to spend a few days with. His mother knew her son's habits. As soon as he had reached adolescence, he had begun to wander off for a day or two at the sight of something (someone) pretty and receptive. He always came back, full of apologies for abandoning his mother for so long. Deep down, he was a momma's boy. On the outside, he was an outrageous flirt and more trouble than he was worth.
"Ah, finally! I'm not sure how much walking I could take at this rate," Umochozi replied, appearing from behind a tree to pad up to his mother's side. He affectionately buffeted his chin against her own, and walked a few steps ahead.
Ema grinned at her son. Foolish, foolish...while she hadn't been quite as...open as him, she certainly saw a streak of herself in him, and wondered if this would be a good thing for the pride. In actuality, as the pride was overall a good quality with little mischief, this wasn't going to be the smoothest transition. She sighed slightly, shaking her head to herself as she walked up to be shoulder-to-shoulder with him. No, he was going to stir up a little trouble, and if Haja was still within the pride (which meant, alive), it would be much worse. The gossip queen would paint Umochozi perfectly.
"I'm sure there's other things you've built your endurance for," she snarked, nudging his shoulder with her own. "We'll be there soon enough, and then no more pointless wandering for either of us." As she spoke Juu flew down to rest on a small, straggly tree next to them. "Close enough that the next small ridgeline is the last before we descend into the valley," he reported before taking off again. Ema watched him, wondering; did Elea remember him? Would she spot him in the sky? Or were there other things keeping her busy? Ema always feared of the other's deaths, but not of her family's. They were all too stubborn to die, especially to an earthquake.
Umochozi laughed, a rich, inviting sound. He was charasmatic, despite living alone with his mother for all of his life. She had raised him well, though. He was healthy, if not a little slender from his life in the rogue lands. Ema had done a good job with raising him, especially since she had done it all on her own. Umochozi's father and sister were gone - he had no idea what had happened to them, if they were dead or alive. Sometimes he wondered about what their lives could be like now, when he was in a mood to. He generally tried to focus his life on happier, more pleasant things... and females.
Lots and lots of females.
"Well, those things are highly important," he purred in response. Oh, the thought of having not to walk aimlessly for days was pleasing to him. Life, as it was now, had few rewards. There was his mother, of course, and he was thankful for her every day of his life. But... there wasn't much else besides the occasional company. "See? Mom, we're almost home. You can finally show me all the things you've chatted my ears off over."
Hmph. She knew him better than that, but his charming ways even made her soften towards him when she wanted to chide him. "Yeah, I'll show you, but you probably won't pay much attention in the beginning," she laughed, knowing that not everyone could be mated off. There were going to be some single females, and her son was going to be all over them. Hopefully he wouldn't cause too much trouble, especially when everyone figured out just who his father was.
"You cool your heels down, we'll make it, and you'll have all the time in the world. No need to go chasing tail as soon as we make it there." She climbed over the last bit, and looked down at the massive valley that was her home. The mountains didn't look quite the same, as some seemed more open than they used to be. Strange...that earthquake had been intense. She felt another stab of worry for those she knew, but sitting here wasn't going to make it any easier. She turned to Umochozi, grinning. "Ready to go?" All they had left was the descent, and they'd be there!
With someone to greet them, no less.
"Well, of course not, I'm sure there are sights that I'm far more interested in seeing than you are..." his voice trailed off with thought. What kind of females were in the Aka'mleli... and how many of them were eligible? He was sure that other lions worried and cared for greater things, but Umochozi was... a bit shallow. He wanted to find some pretty females to divide his attention between, and then run away at the first sign of trouble with them. "You can show me once I've become accostomed to the lands?" he offered with a big grin.
"Well, I won't chase tail IMMEDIATELY. But, I will chase tail, if it's nice tail." He was rather happy that he could be so open around his mother. He followed behind her now, allowing her to lead the way back to her homelands. He scaled a few more rocks, and glanced down to the valley below with interest. The land seemed... shaken up, but interesting because of it. This didn't seem like a bad place at all. "I am, are you?" he teased in return.
Ema puffed out her chest, feeling pleased, anxious, and all around bundle of stuff. There was too much to think about, and her stomach lurched at the thought. "Yes," she replied, keeping her voice steady as she picked her way down, almost wanting to run but knowing better than to look that excited. She wasn't young anymore, though certainly not old.
Juu swept down to warn her that someone noticed them already. Ema wondered why, as though they were protective of their lands, they were rarely so offensive. Almost no one could enter into their valley; had the mountains changed so much that made the guards so concerned? She slowed down, wanting to keep Umochozi close to her. While the pride should know her, they wouldnt know him. Not immediately, but his looks would be impossible to conceal. She could only catch a glimpse of who was approaching them, but those colours were impossible to mistake.
Umochozi was, for the moment, blissfully unaware that they were going to have company. He followed his mother down the scale of rocks, close on her tail. He wasn't used to travelling over such a terrain, but at least walking around so much had hardened his paws, so that when some sharp rocks pushed against his feet, they didn't penetrate or bother him.
Umochozi glanced up to Juu as the bird swept low, wondering what it was like to be able to fly... Ah, he was getting distracted, not even noticing when his mom slowed down, and nearly stumbled into her backside. He managed to stop just a few inches short, blinking at her owlishly. "A little warning, please, mom." He insisted, pressing his ears back against his head from brief irritation. "I'm surprised you aren't hurrying home..."
"Shh," she hushed him, waiting as Umoja approached them. He was still far off, but slowly growing larger as he approached, Mfalme, his eagle, soaring above him in the skies. Ema nodded to her son, and she finished the trek down, more quickly than she had before. Once she hit the beginning of the grass, she stayed put.
"Wait here," she mumbled to him as Juu flew down from the skies to land nearby. It was awkward for an eagle to stand on the ground, but Ema's shoulder wasn't large enough to carry him, and Ema wasn't content with him on her back. She didn't want scars, no matter how much she cared about Juu.
Mfalme had given him the warning a bit ago. Strangers they couldn't be, as they knew of Ema. Her companion had brought worries, though, as he seemed familiar and yet not. Umoja knew he had to investigate for himself, and the scrutinty he would bring with him was harsh. What had taken so long to return? Were there others alive? Could he even trust them, for as long as they had been gone they could have been corrupted. Msiba was still alive, out there somewhere.
He continued to walk, his heavy paws padded by the thick grass that grew in the valley. When he drew close enough, he stopped, studying the pair. "Ema," he spoke, his deep voice filled with concern. His eyes continued to switch towards the male, concern filling his eyes.
Umochozi was just beginning to notice that someone was headed towards them, and curoiusly he made to move forward, past his mother as they touched on even ground. Yet, something about her demeanor made him stop, especially when she voiced that she would rather him stay put. Umochozi frowned, but listened to his mother and sat down. He looked completely harmless, but for all Umoja knew, it was an act.
Yet, when the lion would draw closer, he'd notice that... Umochozi would look familiar. It wasn't just that he carried some of his mother's markings on his pelt, but his coloration was distinctly similar to Umoja's own. Umoja was now close enough that Umochozi could notice a... certain similiarity, which he dismissed quickly. "Who is this?" he asked his mother, who this lion apparently knew. His mother would quickly fill him in, though it seemed like, for the moment, Umochozi was immune to the lion's judging gaze.
"This is the Crown Prince! Your uncle!" She thought perhaps he would be somewhat recognizable, but perhaps not. Umochozi didn't know his father, so perhaps Ema was being too hard on him.
"I apologize, Umoja. If you would please let us back home, we would appreciate it. We've been walking for so long, and we're so close to returning to my homelands, and what should have been Umo's." Hopefully....his sister would find her way home, at some point.
With a not, Umoja let the way, keeping quiet until they would be presented to the council.
