Rasul plodded along with a decidedly odd smile on his face. It wasn't an expression he wore often, but when he did it usually foreshadowed some awful experiment gone what he considered completely right. His siblings had learned to rue that smile. But today it had a more normal origin, he had succeeded in his task even before his brothers had. And that without even a hint of force! He knew it was possible of course, others had done so, but he was proud all the same. Then again, there were things he had left out of discussion in their agreement, but she seemed the rational sort who would understand. "Well, this is it," he announced as he noticed the passage of a few familiar landmarks, "Our new home, my birth place. All the best things can be found if you look close in the desert."
Litho followed along behind Rasul, barely winded from their journey. Travel was so much easier when you weren't helping mother haul her heavy rocks. And the company was very welcome, Rasul was much easier to talk to than her absent minded mother. He didn't remind her of her long departed brothers either. The more she walked with him, the more convinced she became that he was a quite exceptional intellect, and she felt very confidant that she'd made the right decision in sticking around him.
At his words she came forward eagerly to take in the view. The pride's terrain was in the desert, yes, but also close to water, a perfect combination. She thought she could really feel at home here. She didn't know if staying in one spot would make her feel confined later on, but she tried to stay optimistic about it. "How many lions are there, here?" she asked, and patted herself down, nervously trying to dig some of the everpresent dirt out from between her toes. "Do you think I'll make a good impression?"
"There are several large families," he explained with a bit of pride, these lands were always well fed and protected. "My fathers' is one of the larger ones. The sultan and his family live over there," he added, gesturing to a large den off their path. He had never met the lion personally, but he had heard stories and considered himself happy to call him such. He certainly wouldn't wish for the burden of leadership, even with the strongest banu at his side. "You'll make a fine impression," he assured her, skipping ahead so that he could turn and look at her as he walked a little slower, "Just make sure to not to address a new male by their name unless they say you can, some of them are very touchy about it." Rough even, but he wouldn't scare her with that. No one would get that close to her while he was around. Well, no one he could scare off with words. "Don't worry about all that thought, my father and mother will love you, and I've got a little den all set up near the cracks." His tone was more enthusiastic now, it was a location that not many chose, particularly because it seemed gloomy, but he had picked it for a very specific reason. He often found things where the cracks pushed the old earth up, things like bone-stones that she might find particularly interesting.
Litho didn't know some of the words he used, like sultan, but she tried to store it carefully away in her mind. She noticed him studying her and flashed him what she hoped was a confidant grin, and pulled herself up to walk nonchalantly. She prickled with a hint of anxiety as he mentioned his mother and father; she hadn't even though of him having a family of his own! Her memory flashed back to the days of crowded rowdiness when her siblings had still been around, and she hid a wince. Well, maybe adults wouldn't be quite as bad as cubs who might kick your face in their sleep.
She studied the ground with a clinical eye. She'd never worked with such loose sands, being more used to sharp rocks or chalky clay. It would be interesting to see if she'd have to adapt her digging tactics. Her grin turned real at his mention of a den, and she flexed her claws in anticipation. A little den? Hah. He had no clue what he was getting into, bringing a digger home. He'd have five princely sized dens before she was done, if he wasn't careful. "Would you like to show me?" she asked coyly.
"Absolutely," he blurted out, feeling his cheeks warm up as he cleared his throat and turned his head toward the direction of his den. He had cleaned it out just before leaving the pridelands, but it wasn't quite yet what could be considered homey. He was after all, still young and content with bare floors and scraps. She could change it however she wished, after all it was a home now. "The river is just beyond that ridge," he added, "And there's a little lake there that some of the cubs rest around. Most of the females hunt, I usually go out too but they always look at me funny. I like seeing how the herds react when they're separated."
Litho was beginning to recognize that tone in his voice when he talked about studying things, like when he mentioned the herds reacting. Somehow knowing these things was extremely important to him. She had curiosity aplenty herself, but she'd always considered thinking as a precursor to action, not something that had a worth in and of itself. She wondered if she might've learned more from her mother's bone-stones as a youth, if she'd sat down and thought about them.
Well, she'd leave the heavier thinking to Rasul, since he was so good at it. She knew where her strengths lay. She padded off in the direction he'd pointed out, eager to check out this den of his. When she came to one, she glanced back for confirmation that it was the right one. She certainly hoped so; it was a half finished hole in the ground! So much left undone that it looked prettier than any perfect den would.
Feeling a little self conscious as he approached he dragged a paw along the threshold of the den, nodding off toward the field of cracks, "I uh, hadn't stayed here long before I left. I spent most of my time out there. Old things pop up out of the ground. I've found bits of this weird hard material, but I don't think its bone or rock." A few of the bits he spoke of lay scattered to the side of the entrance, chunks of broken ancient pottery that held varying amounts of old rainwater. "You can do whatever you like to the place, as long as I have somewhere to sleep," he laughed, hoping she would approve.
"Ooh!" Litho bounced over to the pottery and circled it, snuffling gently for scents of decay. There weren't any, so the pieces were probably fairly old. She had no clue what they were supposed to be, though. They reminded her of when her mother would cut up slabs of rock to make them easier to dig out; if they were thin enough, they might cook hard in the sun and look something like this. Far too soft looking to be proper rock. There were strange patterns though, not something dirt would normally have.
She flopped down beside the pottery and stretched her legs against the sand, taking in a deep breath as she studied the den from this sideways angle. A new home, and a permanent one it seemed. She hoped the little tremor running through her was excitement and not dread. It was difficult to tell the two apart sometimes. "Oh don't you worry," she said, trying to sound cocky, "I'll have it larger and smoother than you can stand."
Rasul laughed, feeling his shoulders relax. She seemed comfortable here, as he'd hoped, not the picky sort to rail about how he didn't even have his den finished and how could they possibly bring cubs here. The thought startled him, he hadn't really considered that aspect of the future. It didn't matter for now though, for now he would just show her all around and then introduce her to his family when she felt she was ready. "Just don't hurt yourself," he cautioned, "Some of the things I've dug up have been pretty sharp. I found some weird teeth over there too."
Litho tried not to snicker at his concern for her, and shot him a pointed look. She splayed out her paws in his direction, showing off her very thick and coarse pads. One of them had an aged scar running through it, but it was buried deep under the heavy calluses and clinging dirt. "I dig up teeth all the time, remember? And bones, and rocks and shells, and rocks that look like bones and shells." His worry was touching though, so she didn't glare at him. It was very funny, though. As if pricking her toes on a tooth would make her run crying!
She lay back and gazed at the scenery, but peeked up at him out of the corner of her eyes, trying to gauge how he was behaving. She'd have to learn to mimic the pride members if she wanted to fit in, and he was the only one she knew so far. He could be the study subject for once. "What does a member of a pride do, anyway?"
He had to admit she had a point, he hadn't considered the strain of digging up those massive stones before. She was talking again now, and his mind was still all lost in itself. "Huh?" he asked awkwardly, pulling himself to an offbalanced sit with a start. Awesome, they had just gotten home and he was already not listening. Not that he intended to ignore here, there was just a lot to consider when conversing with someone you desired to live with. He'd have to consult his father later on, though perhaps he wasn't the best source of answers when it came to healthy relationships. He should have spent more time watching the other lions.
For some reason Litho found Rasul's lack of attention very comical, and couldn't help the laughter that bubbled up. There he went, off into his head again! Well, she was used to that. She contemplated tossing one of the pottery pieces at his head to wake him up, but they looked fragile, so she let them be. "I said, what does a member of a pride do, anyway?" she repeated slowly, elevating her volume a little in a way that was obvious as teasing. "You mentioned hunting, and of course there's digging. I can do those. But is there more? Am I supposed to be, I dunno... chanting to the moon or collecting flowers or something? Mama always said that prides had strange rules and rituals."
He found himself overwhelmed be an odd laughter, seeing the image of his father prancing in a field collecting flowers. He would probably earn a slap if that idea came to light, but it was funny to him all the same. "No no," he managed, though he felt the air catch in his chest, "Nothing like that. You just make sure you're polite and keep your duty to your family. Some of the males have many females in their family, personally I think anything more than two would just be too busy." He hadn't really asked her opinion on that he realized, and hoped the comment wouldn't be something inflammatory to her. Well, it was an essential part to recognize about living here, so it had to come out sometime.
"Keep your duty to your family," she repeated, mulling the words over. She wasn't quite sure what they meant. What was a duty? She knew the word, she just didn't have a strong grasp on its meaning. She had a feeling it had something to do with being solemn. Solemn duty, that sounded right. She'd have to practice her serious expression, then. She'd try to be very serious when she met his parents, maybe that would help them like her. The anxiety prickled up again. It was too late for them to run her off, right?
She logged the information about the males and females, nodding. So there was a ratio. She'd heard about prides doing that sometimes. She didn't know why, but it was easier to understand than chanting to the moon. Which she was very relieved to hear she wouldn't have to do. She'd probably be lousy at it. "How many females do you have in your family?" she asked, peering up at him.
"Well," he said, pausing a bit, "I guess just you, but that's enough if you don't have any cubs. Usually a male takes extra females to help keep their cubs comforted and cared for." He had never seen reason to take quite so many as his father had, it seemed more logical to have one that suited your personality well and one that kept your home in good order. That way you could go about your business and not have to worry. And hopefully they wouldn't fight. He did hate fighting. "I'll need to find another later on though, so we don't get picked on," he added, pausing again, "If that's alright I mean."
Litho blinked in shock, his words triggering a thought that hadn't occurred to her until then. "Cubs!" she yelped, and scrambled to a sitting position. She stared around her as if the scenery had snuck up on her by surprise. She'd never assumed... well, it made sense she supposed, and anyway it'd probably be a long time off. Rasul was still not even fully grown. They'd surely wait until he was fully grown, it was only proper.
But... cubs! And he mentioned multiple females. In one den? She eyed the half done hole in the ground, and the overly excited giggling just ripped its way out of her. She jerked up to her feet and stamped her feet. "Well then! Sounds like it's going to be crowded if I don't get to work. Don't you fret Rasul, you'll have the finest den in the... Ukuuchuu... Ukuucha... well, in the pride.Just stand back!"
