Ever since leaving the Firekin lands, Danzi had felt... Sorrow? Maybe that was what it was. Sorrow. Ripuka was dead, he'd never see her again. He'd never set his eyes on the sands of the desert again, either, he was sure of that. His green eyes burned with something of anger, left over from his time amid the Firekin pride. It was a fire that refused to die. Indeed, it seemed he'd become as bitter as both his rogue and Firekin names implied. And then he spotted a white lioness, marked by wings. They looked... Familiar... "Kabichi?"
Brown eyes widened for a moment, before narrowing. The white lioness, near-spitting image of her mother, turned to look at the lion who dared address her as such. "Who wants to know?" She hadn't left home on particularly... WONDERFUL terms. She'd found a half-brother and skipped pride, as it were. That wasn't before some unsavory words shared with all, of course, but the point in her mind was she'd left it all behind. She'd hoped.
When he got closer, the orange lion's eyes flickered a bit. No, it wasn't who he thought it was. The lioness' markings were, while the same colors, an absolute reverse of Kabichi's colors. Her tail and eyes, too, were different, the former tipped in black and the latter brown. Maybe she was related. "Danzi wants to know... But you're not her..." He let out a sigh, having hoped to find a small glimmer of his past. But no, he hadn't. No happier times seemed to be waiting for him.
The lioness eyed the male for a moment, then smiled. "Close enough, I suppose..." She walked closer, circling the grizzled-looking older lion. "I am Susu... Daughter of Sairin and Kabichi." She paused, looking the male in the eye. "Half-sister of Yu, son of Sairin and Shetani. And just who are you, that knew my mother?" She flicked her tail, as if agitated, though none shone in her eyes. Perhaps this lion would be fun to toy with.
Half-sister of... Son of... Danzi stared at her. "Did he ever describe his mother to you? If it's who I think it is... I want to meet this Yu... He may be my grandson..." Or... One of them. Who knew how many he actually had by now. He certainly had enough children to have spawned plenty MORE grandchildren. Though... Just where on the tree did THIS lioness factor in? If she was Yu's half-brother on her father's side... Well, it was good enough for Danzi to consider her a pseudo-grandcub.
Susu thought about it a moment. "Brown lioness... Her tail hair was the same golden-brown his is.. Like honey... Black ear tips, gold eyes..." What else? What else...? "Oh, yes, and he said she has a cross over her left eye!" Susu reached up with her paw, marking on her face just has Yu had when he'd described his mother. "I think he said she has a cream belly and toes... Like yours, I'd guess."
So it WAS who he thought it was... "Then yes... He's my grandson..." He let out a sigh, then looked at Susu. "Do you know where he is, or where he might be going?" His ears flicked, listening. Maybe Yu was near by, listening and watching. On one side, Danzi hoped he was. On the other, he... Hoped he wasn't. If Yu didn't take a particular liking to him, it stood to reason that he was in danger, especially if the younger male was bigger than him. Susu, on closer look, appeared to be much larger than her mother. Not small like a cub, but a more average size, if a bit bigger than average. Just how big was her father?
Her tail flicked, the black tip seeming to dance. "He and I are going to a pride of brutes, as it were. Together. With one other." She paused. "But not you. You..." She circled him, then pressed against him, running her tail under his chin. For a moment, her chocolate eyes seemed to glow. "I see you... Going far away from here... Somewhere where you'll find your eternal happiness... You'll find the one you loved most... And you'll find those you never knew..."
Green eyes followed the lioness, looking at her in confusion. "How could I find the one I loved most? She's..." He stopped, realization dawning across his face. His eyes widened, as his jaw dropped. "Wait... You mean...?" He shook his head. "No, not yet... There's still life in me!" He frowned, staring at her. "I need to... I need to find where my children have all gone! I need to... To..." What did he need to do, what else?
The lioness chuckled, pressing into the male's other side. "Fear not, old one... First you need to go back... To go forward... Go with an older friend..." Her tail flicked again. "Your legacy doesn't end with you, though... Your grandson will be a king. His kingdom will grow slow at first, but eventually it will prosper. It will grow. Life will follow his paws much like his great-great grandfather." She paused, considering her words. Nothing more came, though.
His grandson would be a king? His first thoughts went to Kosuke and Ali Baba. The two boys seemed so ambitious when he'd last seen them, so long ago. Raised traditional by their mother, and with a father that was the direct grandson on the last great king of the Firekin, they seemed the most likely of either one to be a king. And then he remembered... He had other children. Many likely had other cubs of their own. And then there was Yu. "Which grandson...?"
Susu shrugged. "I don't know. I just know your grandson will be king. You have too many to tell which one it is, though. Some share lines, some don't..." She paused. "But it's not Yu. He's not the king type." She then smiled. "Nobody wants a king who has a common ancestor between his paternal grandparents." It wasn't so subtle, but why hide the fact Yu had told her his family history?
Danzi's ears went back a bit. Right... Kia had... With Ezeoha... Her second cousin... He let out a puff of a sigh. Glancing at Susu, he frowned. "Alright, then... Well... I'm going to go find all of my children... Or as many as I can. And then..." He looked back the way he'd come. "I'll go find Bodaway... And talk to him..." He looked back, only to find Susu gone. He looked around a moment, then huffed, padding away.
From her hiding place, the white lioness watched the graying lion leave. After a moment, she smiled. "You may never know that the golden grandson will be king... So like his ancestors..." She paused. "On your side... Son of Taka, grandson of Ahadi..." She then turned, padding off to find Yu. They had traveling to put behind them, after all. A lot of travel. And then they'd be with their new pride.
