The sun danced slowly between the branches on a tree, leaving light trails along the dark coat of a lioness who'd been resting underneath it. Sahira wasn't usually the type to idle around, particularly when there was hunting to do but the young female did need to rest now and then. Particularly after having been out for a decent portion of the evening trying to assist her mother in matters only the elder lioness really understood, seeing as they were totally pointless.
Blue eyes drooped as the dark feline tried to stay awake. Some nights it was just too difficult to live with her family, and some days so hard to keep going with how they were. Still, it was her duty so Sahira endured, being as wakeful as her name said, and her body allowed.
He rolled his shoulders as he stretched his newly grown legs, the young male shook his growing mane out of his eyes in a sleepy daze, but he wasn't in a daze, the pulse of god blood in his veins caused him to have visions, and the daze that clouded his eyes were created by this.
He could make out a lioness, just barely her face a mystery to him as he seemingly stood there, what looked to be lost in space. She was just out of his reach, just barely close enough to see, but not close enough to have a good look at. She..seemed to be calling to him, Sarfraz was dazed by this
As the vision slowly unwrapped itself from his mind, he was left in a daze, he merely blinked, and shook his head several times as if to clear it, he still wasn't used to these things even though they plagued him all of his life.
Padding forward, he continued out of the family den he still shared, pondering when he'd leave to find a female to bring back, he unknowningly walked out of the pride bounderies.
Sahira eventually ended up waking up as she spotted a young male of her kind wandering by. He looked a little shaky and while it was generally against what she'd been tauhgt, the lioness wondered very much if it wouldn't be best to check if he was all right. Generally, she was supposed to be seen and not heard - and seen very little at the most - but in this case, maybe speaking as a little necessary.
Standing up, she slowly wandered over to where Sarfraz was walking. "Excuse me?" her voice was tiny, quiet, as she addressed him, hoping to not get snapped at for daring to speak out of turn, "Are you all right?"
For a moment, he simply stared at her. It was as if she'd stepped out of his vision, and into the real world, he blinked a few times before smiling and nodding his head. "Yes, I am thank you."
He bowed his head to her, a sign of respect, which was something he did. He respected females, they put up with more than anyone else should have to, and they did it so beautifully. "I am Sarfraz."
The dark female smiled at him a little, assured he was all right and preparing to just sit and wait in case he needed anything. However, instead the male decided to bow and introduce himself - that was rare. Sahira was a little stunned and not quite sure how to react for a few moments. She tried not to wait too long before quickly bowing back a bit and stuttering out a response, "I-I am called S-s-sahira." Well that was embarassing - hopefully he didn't think her dimwitted. It wouldn't be the first time that'd happened (though she was pretty sure her uncles were inclined to think everyone was dimwitted.)
He smiled at her kindly, his parents had taught him respect and kindess, though he didnt think there was anything wrong with the pride they lived in, he didnt agree with the way some males treated their females. "Sahira is a lovely name." He nodded, he lowered to his hind haunches. "What are you doing out here?" he asked with a tilt of his head, a brow slightly arched.
Glancing around a bit, she decided to refrain from explaining that she'd been taking a nap. "I was sent out to hunt some for my parents." she answered, becoming slightly less nervous about being addressed. It seemed Sarfraz was just one of those types of lions - the ones who were nice to you, no matter who you were. She'd never really met any before, save for one of her grandmothers, but she'd been old and that had been a very long time ago.
"You looked lost, did you come from far away?"
He looked around, how far had he wandered in his dazed state? He lifted his muzzle to scent the air, the pride smell barely lingered in the air, he looked back to Sahira with a light grin. "Apparently I have..I come from a pride just back that way..Well." He thought for a moment, "Well, I think it's just back that way." He generally didnt continue to walk while in a vision state, but it seemed this time he had little choice, but as he gazed at the female before him, he wondered if there had been a reason to it.
The dark female's head cocked to the side with worry, "Oh. Do you need help finding your way home?" it was polite to offer, after all. And her family would already yell at her for being late because she napped. Could trying to help this male find his way back to his pride really make things any worse than they already were?
Doodle: He shook his head, his growing mane shifted with the movement. "No, I would be leaving it soon anyways." He said with a simple shrug of his shoulders, for him to have his own harem he'd have to bring in fresh blood so to say into the pride, to bring a female from the outter world, back with him.
He glanced over at her once more, and smiled. Maybe, this could be a fruitful outting.
"Oh? Why?" really, Sahira, get a grip on yourself! She met one nice male and completley forgot her place? Bombarding him with silly questions and not just leaving the matter alone? Really, what her parents would say! Then again, when didn't they say things like that?
He wasn't sure how to explain his pride to someone not in it, but he supposed he'd have to do it to the female he asked to go back with him, he wasnt going to take one by force.
That was simply NOT him.
"Well, my pride is made up one king with a harem, and then each male lion within it, having their own smaller harems as well. One male, to several females. And when a female bares her male cubs, if any of them are sons, when they hit adol they, have to go out of the pride, to find a female to bring back with them, so that they can start their own harem."
Okay, that wasn't what she'd been expecting at all. Not that Sahira'd actually really known what to expect to begin with. Sitting there, she blinked for a few times before nodding slowly. "Oh. Well that works, I guess. You'd run out of females if you just married all of the daughters born." Vaguely, she wondered very much what her family would say to such a thing - they might call it greedy or they might think it amazing. Best not to tell them. "So...you have to go find a female to take home?"
He nodded his head, "my father had to go out and do it himself recently actually, and his first female was the sister to the king, my mother and already in the pride so." He chuckled, "But unlike most the males, and the adols going to be sent out soon, I will not take a female by force." He shook his head, "But, I will ask and take her answer respectfully. I want my girls to know, they've been choosen because I care for them..not because I see them as something to own."
Sahira's brow furrowed, "Females are...not something to own?" she scratched at one of her ears with a paw, considering this. How odd. But that was different from most males in his pride? He must be a strange one there indeed. Hopefully he was not mistreated or seen as weak by the others in his clan for that! It would be awful! "You won't be punished for being soft, will you?"
Sarfraz let out a laugh, "Im not soft, I dont see being open and kind as being soft. My mind is sharp, my body strong, and bigger than most my age. My father is a god, though its not something I like to flaunt. Let anyone think Im weak, and think they can take what is mine..And let them feel my wrath and I can promise you. That I'll never be taken for weak again."
She blinked at him a few times before smiling a little, "Oh. Well don't talk to my family. They'll think you're weird." she stated sheepishly, "That won't end well for anyone at all." She rather liked this younger male so far, even if his ways and customs were strange to her. It'd be awful to see him end up in a fight with her elders - they were not fair by any means, and if they were to seriously damage him, his wrath may not be the only wrath they felt.
He laughed a bit, "well, not everyone can be the same as everyone else. Would only make the world bland and not enjoyable." He liked this female, she was definately different from the girls back home. He wondered what Lili would think of her, and could only grin. "Your an adult, what do your parents have to do with anything? The world is yours to make it was you want..To live, love as you want."
That was a very shocking response, "Not abide by my elders?" she asked him, looking horrified, "I'd end up beaten to within an inch of my life! I'm not so foolish as to defy them so much! I am to stay with my parents until such time as they deem me worthy of being given away."
He looked at her in utter amazement. "Beat you?!" He almost roared out, anger, hot and violent flashed in his eyes. That was something he simply didnt stand for, and it didnt even happen that often in his pride, it happened but the pad generally made up for being so hard.
He shook his head, snorting as he looked at her. "No. Thats not going to happen. Not anymore." He said, his tone was not one to question at the moment. Even for an Adol, he was the size of normal adult males already, his paws were still rather massive in size as his claws slipped down and dug into the earth.
The female jumped back a bit at his rage and recoiled a bit, lifting a paw to guard her face just in case he got really really angry. "I'm sorry for upsetting you, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, pleaaaaaaase don't be angry." she squeaked out, voice returning to that very quiet tone she'd used to start out. Now she'd gone and upset him and she was going to be in suuuuuuuuch trouble for this!
He looked at her, in shock and amazment. He'd never caused a female to react like that before, and he didnt like the taste it left in his mouth, the anger shimmered down in his gaze, but he was still on edge from it, he couldnt understand beating your own cub, you were supposed to love and protect them. He'd snatch his own daughter away from a pad who grew to violent in an instant.
But without saying a word, he padded to her, and gently nudged her cheek with his muzzle. "Don't do that..not to me." He said softly, it pained him to think of someone hurting her. "I'll never hurt you...NEVER."
Sahira looked at him nervously, blue eyes bright against her dark coat. "Promise?" the word was quiet, almost as if she dare not ask, but he seemed sincere. It'd been a very long time since someone was so kind to her, or treated her like a creature rather than property. Slowly, her stance relaxed some and the cowering manner in which she stood seemed to ease some, "I'll try not to."
He sat back on his haunches, staring down at his paws, he wasnt sure he could simply walk away from her now. He knew what would greet her once she returned to her elders as she called them, and that didnt sit well with him.
Not at all.
"Come with me." He said looking up at her, "You dont have to answer me now, you can go back home, and meet me here tomorrow with an answer if you'd like."
That...was not really something Sahira'd expected at all. He seemed nice and to not want to hurt her, but that was a very startlign request just the same. She was already idling away time from her elders and going to get in trouble for talking with him but running away with him? The dark lioness looked almost ready to refuse, but she stopped, eyes wide.
He wouldn't hurt her the way they would. And in his pride, they might be able to keep her family from coming after her, if they didn't think him wrong for stealing her. Could it really be so bad to not go home? "I...do you really mean it?"
Safraz nodded his head, he wanted to protect her, keep her safe..and suddenly it clicked. The lioness before him, was one and the same with the one in his vision, he chuckled to himself, he was such a twit sometimes. "Yes, or else I wouldnt ask."
"Sahira, I want to keep you safe. You don't deserve to be treated like that.." He hoped, that future on something more than the urge to protect her would bloosom between them, specially if she came back with him. "Your family would never be able to hurt you again." He stood at his full height, his expression quiet serious as he looked to her. "I promise."
She pawed at the ground a bit, looking away as if unnerved by the seriousness of his eyes and mannerism. After a time, she nodded, quietly replying, "A-all right. If you're really sure. I don't want you getting hurt if they try to come take me back." If she was worth taking back at all, anyway. "I'll go with you to your pride."
He couldn't help but grin, he had a girl to take back to the pride, and he could protect her at the same time! "Wonderful! Im very happy to hear you say that." He padded over to her, and lightly nudged her shoulder softly. "Don't worry about me getting hurt, thats not important and trust me..once were back at the pride, they'll have more than me to deal with." He said with a nod, he had a brother, and a father, and many cousins that would be there for him if he needed them.
