No-Name under it all
Meiah looked out at the lands ahead of her. She refused to admit it, but her father's rejection stung like a hot needle, and the young female was glad to be away from it all to absorb it all. Her grandfather had said her father mated her mother, but it was clear he hadn't now. And for the first time, she felt unsure. However her mother's stories kept her warm and she felt loved, even if her mother died young. Meiah smiled softly, facing the wind, thinking of the path before her. Her mother had told her to be happy and to live free. Her Grandfather instilled, forceably at times, the family legacy, and the lioness felt it right to unit colonies and mainland, and as a Colonial-Mainland crossbreeding child, she felt the right was hers.
Now her father wanted the pride to live as divided as now? He changed nothing, merely slept with the governess. A female Meiah wanted for her own uses, her own means. She wanted to support the Child of Wing.
And couldn't, because the female would want nothing to do with her. Meiah sighed, looking at the ground, flexing a paw.
This was... Abhorrent.
Tanwen got away again. TYhe young Mwako girl pranced along, humming happily as she danced to her own tune, twirling and bobbing about, and blinked when, looking ahead, she saw a strange, dark pelted female. Odd, this wasn't near the Demon borders! Huh!
Tanwen decided to investigate, dancing over.
"Hullo! Are you a demon?" Tanwen smiled.
Meiah blinked in surprise at the adolescent whom approached her, blinking several moments before snorting.
"Hardly. I am Mah'Ree'Meiah Khushrenada, heiress to the Khushrenada clan." Meiah snorted, not mentioning only males could be heirs of aristocracies. "Who are you?"
Tanwen smiled in releif, bowing politely.
"My name is Tanwen. It's nice to meet you Miss Meiah."
Meiah blinked, head cocking.
"Just... Tanwen? No clan?" AShe looked horrified. Tanwen shook her name.
"We don't have clans. Families yah, but not clans. Why? Is that weird?"
Meiah thought over her answer a long time, before responding.
"No. I suppose not. But it is interesting. No clans at all, huh? How do you make a name for yourself or your family?"
"Huh. I never thought of that." Tanwen blinked, shrugging. "I guess it's not important."
"What about your father? Your mother?"
Tanwen stopped, looking to Meiah, then at the ground.
"My.. Father's never around, so I don't know him. And my mother... Rarely speaks of him."
Meiah was silent a long time.
How could this female be so young, so like her... But free?
"What about your Grandpa? Don't you have a male in your life to take care of you?"
Tanwen blinked, shrugging.
"No. I don't need to be cared for. I'd like it, sure. But I don't need it."
Meiah sighed, shaking her head. Very slowly the lioness sat, tucking the adolescent under a paw and pulling her close.
"Were I'm from, it is a male's responsibility to care for his mate and children. If no male is around, the female becomes a pariah, a whore. And you seem like a good girl. It would be sad if a pure heart like yours fell to that. Thank Epyon I had my Grandfather and uncle after the passing of my mother, or I'd have been an orphan, without a name."
"A name. But you have one."
"A clan name. Mine is Khushrenada... Even if my father wants nothing to do with me, it is my birthright and my place, my station in life. Clan is what defines us, gives us meaning. It tells us where we belong and to whom. Many places use them. I'm surprised you don't."
"Like I said... I guess it's not important. Mom doesn't have one. I don't have one. Very few lions or animals I know have one. All my life that's been the order of things."
"How sad." Meiah looked to her, pityingly. Tanwen smiled.
"I'm not sad. That's the way my life is. We can't help who we are. What we can shape is who we become."
"Who we become?" Meiah looked down, ears going back, "That's the responsibility of my father. Your father. Not us."
"Is it? My father doesn't care, or he'd be with mother. No, he's a self serving b*****d with nothing to gain. You have to be strong for yourself, not others. Otherwise your life will fail because you aren't happy. And when you aren't happy... Tragedy falls."
Meiah was silent. It made sense, watching her silently, frowning, and chewing her lips before nodding. Her happiness? She'd never thought of it this way, and now... Everything was muddled. Confusing, and above all, perturbing. Tanwen didn't seem to agree, smiling calmly as she watched the female. She felt calm, content, and happy. Her eyes rest on her newfound friend, and very slowly, Meiah smiled back. Perhjaps... Not everyone was bad.
"Nanashi." Meiah nodded. "Your clan would be Nanashi. No-nome."
"Nanashi? Isn't that technically a name?"
"Perhaps now. But it would suit you. New clans occur all the time. There's no shame in it. Most chose names of value, or that define them. That's a good name. You don't feel a need for one... So Nanashi, No-Name... It suits you. Really." Meiah smiled. Tanwen blinked, tilting her head again.
"That defeats the porpuse, though." She sighed. Well, it WAS culturally different. Meiah smiled gently, a first.
"
If you want, you can just call me Meiah."
Tanwen perked at the small concession, and offered a paw.
"Agreed, but only if we're friendcs."
Meiah blinked, and took her paw, nodding.
"Only if we're the very best."
Both lions smiled kindly to one another, a new feeling flowering in Meiah's chest. It was an odd, warm feeling she didn't understand that felt good, felt like something went right. I didn't replace her pain of rejection but... It helped, as if some unknown hole in her life was no longer there, and she smiled gently. Tanwen smiled back, beginning to purr kindly, and Meiah purred back, smiling. This... This was good. Yes... This was very good. Meiah blinked, smiling, and purred back, smiling.
"C'mon, Meiah! Let me show you a nice den!" Tanwen nodded, and turned, padding away. Meiah blinked, and smiled, padding after the younger female, and smiled, kindly. This was good.. And somehow, felt like a beginning.
