(( Zakiya - Manda
H'ray'ii - o0 Sephiros Immortal 0o ))
To tell the truth, Zakiya was glad to be leaving the Swamp lands. Though the place was his -home-, things had been ... less than friendly since it was discovered that his father was the one who had been killing people. That had been a little while ago, but he and his siblings still got the sideways looks and conversations stopped when they were around. No one really wanted to be friends with them, or talk to them. It was like... just because Mysmyr had been their sire, they -must- also be crazy killers. It sucked. So when it came time for Zakiya to leave and find his name... he didn't even know for sure that he'd be going back. He loved the lands, but... not the lions inside of them. It was a dilemma, and he hated it. Growling softly to himself in frustration, the lithe adolescent dug his claws into the grass and raked at the dirt underneath. He didn't have a -clue- what he might do with his life if he left the pride... which he didn't -really- want to do. But at the same time, it didn't feel like much of anyone wanted him there.
Life had been quiet for H'ray'ii ever since she had learned the truth of what she'd left behind. The tiny, eerie cub that had approached her with tidings of death...and blood in her wake...had been true. Her heart shattered by the news of Adhabu's death, she had taken to raising her children as best she could...already they were growing up, branching out, and now only a few of them remained. Currently she was wandering in pursuit of something to cheer herself, hating to seem glum amongst her offspring. Making her way towards the nearest water hole, she saw something that gave her pause, and halting, she frowned slightly. Was that young lion...digging? It seemed a strange thing to be doing, and with some confusion she crept closer. He wasn't exactly so large as to be intimidating, and she, after all, was scared by very little.
Zakiya didn't even notice the white and black lioness until she was almost upon him. Then he just happened to glance up, and stopped what he was doing to stare for a moment. Oh gods, his first meeting with someone -not- in the pride. How... should he act, what should he do? This was a new and different experience from ... anything he'd ever done before. "Uhm. H-hi..." he greeted her, eyes a little bit wide. This female... wouldn't have any idea about his father, or what he'd done. It was a chance to start all over again!
Glancing at the younger male up and down, she smiled faintly, "Are you quite all right?" Her paw gestured to the furrows that he'd raked in the ground, "That just seems a very off place for one to be digging..." She hoped that it wasn't a bad question, but if this young fellow was in need of assistance, she would hate to pass him by and leave him stranded. Then again, the lioness had always been that way, kindly to a fault.
"Oh. I was uhm..." Zakiya paused, not at all sure how to explain -this-. He couldn't very well just start babbling about his father being a murdered to a total stranger. She'd probably run away screaming and never talk to him again. Just like everyone else. "It's nothing..." he finally said, rather lamely.
She chuckled softly, "Inner frustrations?" Paddering closer, she sat down a few feet from him, her tail curling around her paws. "I understand those well..." Ears perking in interest, she tried to strike up friendly conversation...it had been so long since she'd met a stranger, after all. "So what are you doing way out here alone?" H'ray'ii wasn't so very hugely far from the swamplands, after all...just far enough to where she would never ever catch those familiar scents on the wind. For all that she loved the place, it saddened her still, and nothing had come to fill that void within her.
Zakiya hesitated for a moment at that, trying to decide how much to tell her. He didn't really want to -lie- but ... what if she had heard of the pride, and the murderer? This was -hard-! "Well.." he said slowly, "I'm on a kind of ... quest ... but I dont' really know if I wanna go back home afterwards." He sighed softly. He'd -like- to talk to someone about this, but he didn't want to say too much and get shunned again.
(( still in progress~ ))
