Sebae was in a foul enough mood, but then again, she usually was. It didn’t take much to set the lioness off on a rampage. That alone was likely the lioness didn’t have many friends to call her own, but it didn’t seem to bother Sebae in the least. In fact, she seemed to thrive on her solitude, enjoying her own company over the company of others. She knew how to be polite, she knew how to show respect to those who held higher rank than she did, but niceties didn’t go far enough to form meaningful, life-long friendships. It was hard for her. Sebae held herself to a set of standards that she expected those around her to hold their selves to; disrespect of these standards brought Sebae to anger. She got along well enough with the other females in her pride, but males of any species were given a look of frank disapproval and promptly dismissed.
Today Sebae had decided to take a break from the pride, and found herself wandering across the savannah near the boundaries of her pridal lands. She wasn’t sure what she was looking for, or if she was even looking for anything at all. It felt good to just stretch out her legs and be alone.
Sadiki hadn’t had much luck in finding a suitable female to bear his cubs, and he was getting a bit homesick. He hadn’t expected to feel that way, but he did. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling to have; he just wished he could find a female, do the deed and be done with it. He didn’t want to let his pride down, but he didn’t want to continue wandering. It was tiring, and he couldn’t stop thinking about the elder brown lioness he’d stumbled across. Idly he wondered how Kima was doing. He hoped she was well and had been taking care of herself. Part of him hoped he would meet her again, just to check on her and perhaps to catch another meal for her.
Movement out of the corner of his eye snatched him from his daydreams. He paused, golden eyes searching out the movement. It was a lone lioness, nothing more. He didn’t really feel like approaching and instigating interactions. A lioness wasn’t what he was looking for. Sadiki could tell from a distance that the lioness wasn’t an older female. She was anything but. Thick with muscles, the lioness carried herself with pride and a smidgen of arrogance that Sadiki could definitely appreciate.
Sebae caught sight of Sadiki at approximately the same time he caught sight of her. A lone male cheetah, one she’d not seen around these parts before. He was dangerously close to the borders of her pride, and that alone deemed him necessary of investigation. “Halt,” she called out to him, a scowl ripping across her features. Swiftly she approached and was instantaneously on the offensive.
Sadiki could tell that the female would not hesitate to lash out and shred his hide to ribbons. She was a big lioness; he was used to the females in his pride. They were much smaller than this one, for a fact, and much less likely to rip his face off. He decided being polite would be the best course of action. “Greetings,” he bowed his head in respect, “I apologize if I have intruded on land belonging to your pride. I am merely a wanderer on a mission, in search of one of my own kind. I mean no harm.”
Sebae looked pacified for a moment, her aggression dropping a few notches although she didn’t allow herself to drop her guard too much. That could get her in trouble, as she’d learned in scuffles from the past, and she wasn’t in the mood for trouble. “What is the mission you speak of, cheetah?” He was a curious sort, but she admired his instant respect.
“I come from the Intaba’Umbekezeli, a mountain pride of mainly lions.” He paused, looking sheepish. “It is actually composed entirely of lions,” he continued, “I am the only cheetah in the pride. My mother was born into it, and her mother before her.” Sadiki didn’t think it prudent to mention his mother and grandmother were both stricken by insanity. It really wasn’t part of the story. “I do not find myself wanting to father hybrid children that may or may not be able to provide the pride with offspring of their own, so I have taken it upon myself to find a female to provide me with cheetah cubs so that I might return with them to my home pride.” The more he said it out loud the stranger it sounded to him.
Sebae listened carefully. His story was …strange enough that it almost made sense. She wasn’t fond of hybrids either, and could understand his desire for full-blooded cheetah children. “An interesting story,” she acquiesced, nodding her head. “How far are you from your pride now?”
Sadiki really wasn’t sure how far he’d traveled in the time he’d been gone from his pride. He only knew that the days yawned behind him in huge gaps of time, he also knew that he missed his homeland terribly. “I’ve been wandering for …weeks now, I’d imagine. I’ve yet to find what I’m looking for, and I am not going to return home without being successful.” He perked his ears and raised his brow at the lioness. “What of your home?”
“I am a part of the Ongozana’Ke pride.” Sebae didn’t want to speak too much of her pride. The safety of the pride was quite important to the lioness, and in revealing too much information of the pride, Sebae was potentially putting them at risk. “You are close to the boundaries of the pride, and since you are respectful, I shall give you fair warning. Others in the pride are not as forgiving as I am. Be wary how close you come to the pridelands. “
Sadiki nodded at the lioness. “I will take heed.” Having found his presence unwanted, Sadiki bowed his head once more out of respect and bid the lioness farewell.
