Jugnu came out of her den and stretched it was a great day in the pride lands, the sun was already rising high into the sky and there wasn’t a cloud in sight. The white and green lioness moved quickly towards the waterhole. She wanted to get her fill of water before things got too busy, plus she would soon need to go collect the cubs that she would be responsible for today.
She lowered her head and took long sips of the cool water and felt it trickle down her throat. She glanced around the others who had been hanging around the watering hole, it was amazing how much the pride was growing every day. There were many new faces as well as cubs all over the place.
Hoaka had risen early and had already patrolled the lands once. He may be new to the lands but he took his job to protect these lands very seriously. The lions here were special blessed by a sight, a talent. Hoaka of course did not have the sight, having been born outside the lands, but that was for the best, the sight was meant for females only. Males with the sight could be dangerous, Hoaka would have to remove them from the pride as they would cause problems for everyone.
Coming to the edge of the watering hole Hoaka looked around many others were up in the lands already. The pride was bustling with noise and activity. One lioness came up to the watering hole just after he did. Hoaka realized it was one lioness he hadn’t spoken to yet, no that he had spoken to everyone in the pride but he tried hard to make sure he knew most of the pride’s members.
Jugnu had not noticed the large purple lion join the group; she had her mind on the cubs that would be in her care today. She cared a great deal about the cubs she had in her care, after all they were the future of the pride, and Jugnu had none of her own to care for so she might as well use her caring nature for the benefit of the pride.
Unlike the lion that was looking at her Jugnu had been born and raised in the pride she called home, she had never even set foot outside the boarders. She wasn’t blessed by the gods with sight however, something she was at times ashamed of. She wished that she had been blessed as her mother had been, her mother had been a very powerful seer, though had passed away a fair amount of time ago, as most of the powerful seers were bound to do, the sight was hard on the body.
Hoaka made his way towards the white and green lioness a smile on his face. “Hello there” he greeted her. “My name is Hoaka.” He was trying hard to make friends in the pride as his first while there had been quite lonely not knowing anyone, and being the newcomer and all. “It is my please to meet you.”
Hoaka studied the female as he spoke; she had a fairly let pelt, something that was favourable here in the pride lands, he wonder if she was also blessed with the sight. A fair number of the lioness’s here who were light in pelt were also blessed with the sight, it seemed to go hand in hand.
Jugnu looked up somewhat surprised to find the dark purple lion standing beside her, she had been so deep in her own thoughts of her mother that she hadn’t even heard him come up to her. Jugnu loved her mother a great deal, her mother was very important aspect to her life, she wished that she hadn’t lost her so early in life. Jugnu had gotten her caring nature from her mother, not because her mother was overly mother, she had been nice enough, but because Jugnu had began to care for the female when she was only a juv. Because of her mother’s strong sight, the lioness had began to go mad very early a common issue for some of the lionesses in the pride.
Blinking twice she looked up into the eyes of the male who had greeted her, “Oh hello” she said a little embarrassed that it had taken her so long to great him. “It is very nice to meet you Hoaka.” She said her smile on her face growing, she liked the name Hoaka. “I am Jugnu.” Searching her memory quickly Jugnu was fairly certain that she had never met the large purple lion before. “You are new to the pride aren’t you?” she said sweetly.
Hoaka smiled it never got past some of the older members how new he was, he didn’t mind of course, after all he was new. “Yes Jugnu you are right I am new to the pride.” He said with a smile. “I came to live with the pride not too long ago.” He told her. “I left my family when I was older to find myself, and well here is where I came, here is where I found myself, my purpose.” Hoaka was very happy to be in this pride, to protect those who had been blessed with god and he told anyone who would listen about how proud he was.
“You are old blood then are you?” he asked her. She looked like she could be a member of the pride that had been here for generations, she was confident in her surroundings, and barely even looked up when prophesies were said around her, it looked like it had been a part of her life always.
Jugnu smiled, “Is it that obvious that I am?” she asked chuckling. “I am a member that has been born and raised here.” She told him. She wondered how he knew, it wasn’t possible that he was a seer he wasn’t born here, nor did he have ancestors here, it just wasn’t possible. Was he really just that good at reading others?
“I am a nanny here in the pride.” She told the purple lion with confidence in her voice, she felt that her job was an important one.
"Hmm a nanny, that seems as if it would be hard work." Hoaka said a chuckle in his voice. It was well known that the pride was bursting with new young, Jugnu here must have her hands full with all the charges she needed to take care of, then again the were bound to be other nannies to help with the burden not to mention the parents of the cubs themselves.
"I do not envy your job my dear, I much rather care for the whole pride the way I do then have the burden of the cubs all on my own." he said a small chuckle in his voice then again he did have his one orphan, the young male cub that was without his parents that he had taken in as his own.
Jugnu smiled, most males would probably find her job intimidating, after all cubs were full of energy and in her opinion needed a motherly touch, a touch the often only women possessed. "Ah there is an art to it, only some have it I suppose." she said a light laughter in her voice.
As she spoke of her job she saw some of the families that she cared for begin to arrive at the waterhole, the cubs still a little sleepy eyed in the early morning, "Ah speaking of the cubs, I see some of my charges arriving. I should be on my way dear Hoaka, it was a pleasure to meet you I do hope that we will see each other again soon." Without waiting for the other lion to say good bye the white lioness quickly turned to head towards her charges, she looked back and saw the lion give her anod, he knew her job was important and good not wait.
