Sijaona didn’t do much when Roth wasn’t about. Really her duties were simple, and for now he had no need of her. Still, when she was not of use to someone, she felt even /more/ useless . . . Head down as she shuffled forward, the hybrid took in the scents brought on by the wind to see if maybe one of Master’s children were nearby. Not that they really needed her help at this point, but anything to bide her time and look like she was doing something. Not doing anything made her look and feel bad, as she was supposed to be a good slave . . .
Dysi had been walking for a while, enjoying the freedom that leaving his pride seemed to bring him now days. Of course, he always regretting leaving his daughters behind, but many of them were not old enough to leave and others, well, they simply didn't want to. He understood that, but sometimes, the girly male jus thad to get out and stretch his legs. He had wandered for a fair walk, over days now, but he knew the elder daughters would tend to the young ones, so he shouldn't be afraid for them, but still, he was a worrier when he came to his babies.
A familiar scent, one that did not smell like any like any pureblood, but rather a blend of his love and the creatures she hated. Cheetahs and lions. He paused. Enzi! That's where he'd scented that smell before, the small but fast cheeton youth that inhabited this pride. Now he was rather curious and turned towards the scent, tracing it quietly, hoping to stumble across the creature.
“Meeep . . .” As she had walked she had daydreamed, glossy images of what she imagined her family was like, or rather what it should have been: two cheetas, one black and spotty, one blue with the same marking on her back, both smiling at their daughter and her siblings. This wasn’t the first time she had been visited by that “dream”, but Sijaona always tried to push it away when it came.
That wasn’t her reality. There wasn’t any point entertaining dreams . . .
The wind picked up again, and the adolescent jumped with a small gasp as she scented someone coming near. In fact, the ghostly figure was already in view and coming! She swallowed hard and back pedaled, nervous.
This was what she got for going too far away from the demons: a ghost.
The scent was getting stronger, and it did not take the male long to stumble across the female -which he now saw as a rather youthful and young cheeton. How odd, why was she out on her own? He wouldn't let his daughters out on his own, he thought, frowning, but realised perhaps her family was nearby. He smoothed his face into a smile, approaching her at a leisurely pace.
“Hello there,” he called out to her, brightly. Dysi was at home around females. Paranoid around males, but females were easier to interact with, especially young ones. He just slipped back into the role of 'mom' like he did with his own baby girls.
Unfortunately for poor Dysi, even the aura of maternal affection didn’t give him brownie points for the naturally skittish cheeton. Sija shied away another step when he greeted her, immediately tucking her tail. Did he want something from her too? But maybe Master Roth wouldn’t like that since she was his . . .
But he seemed nice! Why should she be afraid of nice? Well, because nice on the outside didn’t always mean nice on the inside . . . “H-Hi,” she mumbled to the ghost, wishing she could blend in with her surroundings and not meet strangers on her own. “D-Do you need s-s-s-something?”
Dysi frowned as the female moved back, tucking her tail away as if...she was afraid of him? That was crazy. Not even when he was trying to be scary were people afraid of him. He simply wasn't a scary looking creature. She stammered, sounding quiet and like she wanted to run. Oh, she was afraid. How...odd, and sad.
“Oh no, I was just walking passed and thought you looked a little lonely,” he said smiling at her, hoping that she would notice he was of no threat. “You reminded me of someone I knew too. My mate looks after a cheeton like yourself, a very nice boy.” They looked rather similar too, but Dysi didn't think to bring that up, continuing instead to smile at her.
She didn’t know what the best answer would be to let her get away and just bobbed her head. Sija /did/ suppose she had a lonely look about her – though that was absurd to keep up, she thought with a sigh. Master had family she sometimes helped watch, and there were other slaves she could talk to if they weren’t busy . . . And if she wasn’t such a wallflower.
Though the mention of another cheeton did make her perk up. She reminded him of someone? “What’s h-he look like?” Sijaona asked quietly, a small hope rising in her chest. Maybe the right description would trigger a memory to the family she couldn’t remember.
Dysi smiled, glad that she seemed interested in what he was talking about at least. “He looks a bit like you too, dark coat and blue splotches, but he doesn't have your hind markings, or those lovely circles on his legs,” he told her, remembering Enzi. He was always thought of as that bubbly kid that had just...followed Nyoka home one day and everyone just put up with him, but he was a nice boy. If Dysi had liked Sons, he probably would have liked Enzi even more.
“Do you and your family live around here?” He asked, perhaps she was some extended relative of Enzis, or perhaps it was merely a coincidence. He smiled.
Dark coat, blue splotches . . . She tried so hard to imagine a male cheeton, but all she got was an image of herself with extra hair around her head, which looked awkward. And the leopard’s description wasn’t specific enough . . . Or it wasn’t triggering any memories. She sighed inwardly.
“I-I, um . . . don’t have any?” Sija responded with a small flush apparent in her cheeks. “I’m Master Roth’s s-s-slave in a pride n-nearby.” Did he count as family? Sometimes he was too mean to fit the bill, but . . . family could be mean to you, right? And having some family was better than having none at all.
Dysi's eyes widened slightly. “A slave? Oh,” he said. He knew of slaves. His pride kept them, but only ever lions. He supposed that she was half lion, which would have likely made her a slave in his pride, or at very most a grunt of some sort, but to hear about it, it make his chest ache. “Is your Master Roth...kind to you?” He asked gently. He knew it was not his place, but he could not help but think of his Tsura or Vailea, the same age as this cheeton, in her spot. He wished that she was happy, at least, but he feared that she wasn't. The poor girl, he thought somberly. Poor girl.
Kind? She bit her lip, divided on the answer. On the one paw, Roth was in a word a b*****d, particularly cruel when he was bored and she happened to be nearby; the things he did with her, /to/ her, Sija never wanted to think about. Yet on the other paw, Roth hadn’t yet killed her, and even allowed her status as his servant to guarentee her at least food and shelter. The trade-off was fair in her eyes . . . So yes, she answered with a nod, yes Master Roth was kind to her to an extent. Though her down expression still hinted at a hard life, because Sijaona could never fully make herself believe what she had was a good life.
Dysi was pleased when she nodded, but his chest still ached for the young female, who should have been thinking of mates and futures, not thinking of how she would survive a new day. She shouldn't be a slave, and he really hated to think of how her life must have been up until his point.
“I'm glad,” he told her softly, glad that at least she had a little kindness in her life. Even if it did not appear to be much at all. “Is your master nearby?” He asked carefully. He did not think that this male would be pleased to find his slave with someone else, and for Dysi's sake as well as the females, he hoped he did not find out.
Those two words “I’m glad” stung her, but Sijaona only winced a little to reveal it. “N-No . . . He’s back at the pride.” Which was where she should be. She wasn’t comfortable outside the borders, even with this seemingly kind stranger, and she was beginning to fear that if she stayed out long Roth would notice and grow angry. “I-I should go back. S-S-Sorry to bother . . .” As it was always her fault, no? Too noticeable, too pitiful looking. Sija wished she could keep a better straight face about it all, but that was like telling a bird it couldn’t sing.
Dysi frowned, saddened to think that she was leaving. “Oh, well, I...” he hesitated. “It was no bother, young one. I enjoyed talking to you.” He smiled warmly at her, hoping to be rewarded with one back, but he feared that she might not know how to smile anymore. Life as a slave in any pride was not easy, and hers seemed to be less easy then others.
“I hope life gets better for you. Even if it is good now, it should always get better,” he said softly. He wished her could take her away, remove her from the pride which made her wince and stutter, but it was not his place and he knew there would be problems if he tried. She may not even want to go, but he felt horrible that she was subjected to this life.
Sija doubted that, for some reason; she was /sure/ that her presence was a bother, that she was causing inner eyes to roll at her for her plight. Maybe that was what stopped her family from trying to find her in the first place . . . The adolescent attempted to return his good tidings, but nothing came out. Ears drooping, she merely nodded to the leopard’s statement without much conviction before turning to return back home.
Things always get better? Things had always been the same for her. Sometimes it just happened to have more “cruel” or “merciful” moments was all. There was no “nice” with Roth, and she wished she could have conveyed that to /somebody/ without fear of being overheard – or her own socially inept personality hindering it. Yet Sija couldn’t help but feel like she had sabotaged her chances of speaking to a truly kind soul, and she quietly whined to herself as she trotted back to the land of the demons.
Dysi watched the young feline go with sorrowful eyes. Not a smile, not a word, just a nod. How could someone subject someone to a life like that, so...empty? He shook his head, heaving a sigh. He watched until she was gone out of his view, as if to watch over her for just a little longer. He couldn't help her in her pride, but at least he could see her home, even if her home was worse then what she would meet out here.
“I wish you well, young one,” he whispered, although she was long gone. “I wish you strength.” He turned back, suddenly missing his daughters so much more. His leopon daughter, his precious girl, left alone in a pride who hated lions. Suddenly, the guilt of his actions causing him to leave was nearly crushing him, and he started a fast pace towards him. He couldn't save that female, but he could protect and love his daughters at least. It wasn't enough, he thought sadly, glancing back over his shoulder, but it would have to do.
