A few days passed before Kaj returned to Zu. Part of the pale lion hoped that he would return to the granite outcropping of rocks and the other male would be gone. No, that wasn't the case. When Kaj returned to the small cave where he'd left Zu, well, Zu was still there, waiting expectantly. In all honestly he hadn't left aside from leaving the lands to catch some small prey beasts before returning back to the cave. Day in and day out he sat, waiting for the paler lion to return. He'd decided just that morning that if Kaj hadn't returned by nightfall, well, the next day he would go out looking for the other lion. After all, they had things that needed to be discussed, and how could these things be discussed if Kaj never came back.
"Good morning," Kaj rumbled softly as he peered around the corner of the rocks. Zu looked sleepy but he perked right up when the other lion spoke.
"Finally," Zu grumbled, not at all pleased with how long he'd had to wait for Pankaj to make his presence known. "I've been waiting for almost three blasted days for you to make your way back here. What took you so long?" Crankily, Zu rose to his feet and shook the dust out of his pelt before turning that expectant gaze towards Kaj once more.
"I had to think about how I would tell the Queen that there was a visitor here, a male that I might... might know." Those words had come out all wrong. Kaj was tired of beating around the bush.
"What was your mother's name?" His father had only ever once mentioned the name of a female, and that had been on his deathbed. The old lion had not died gracefully, nor had he gone peacefully. His chest had filled with fluid and his cough had turned wetter and wetter until it sounded as if he'd been drowning. They'd done all they could for him but in the end it hadn't been enough. No, Kaj's father had died with the name of an unknown female on his lips, a look of homecoming in his eyes and a shuddering, rasping final breath.
Zu narrowed his eyes. So, they were coming to blows just like that, hmm? Fine. "My mother was Agora. I had three younger sisters -- Louda, Zandira and Pazza. All dead, caught in a mudslide that claimed their lives." His eyes narrowed as he fought the emotion that threatened to choke him. "I never got to say goodbye to them. Louda, she is the one whose looks you favor. Zandira was similar to myself, though her mane was the pink of your fur and her spots were white and purple. Pazza had more of the white swirls that we share, though she had a few spots she was fond of calling her 'blemishes' -- all of them were beautiful, especially my mother. Brown like myself, a white swirl to her eye like myself, and markings on her legs like mine but in the color of your fur. She was a strong female, left to her own devices to care for cubs that she'd been left with." Zu cleared his throat, regaining his composure before raising his eyes to Kaj.
Kaj looked shell-shocked. Though he'd listened to all of the words that Zu spoke, his mind had gone blank at the name Agora. That was the very name that his father had whispered with what had sounded to be love, undying love, the love that could engulf a male and make him blind to everything else. It was strange, really, living your life thinking that you were an only child only to find out in a single moment that you were not an only child, but that you'd had a mother, sisters and a brother. Flash to the next moment, finding out your mother and sisters are dead and that only your brother surivives. Zu was his brother. There was no denying that.
"But... why? Why did my father never tell me that I had a brother and sisters, and a mother? Why did your mother never tell you of your father and myself? Why have we been forced to live our lives never knowing that we existed?" Kaj shook his head, looking lost. "My -- our father was Mabawi. He never mentioned our mother, and I ... I never thought to ask. We spent many years wandering, picking up odd jobs here and there but nothing serious. We found a pride that took us in -- not this one -- and that was where he spent the rest of his days. He fell ill," Kaj shook his head, "and died in that pride but not without speaking one word. Until this moment I wasn't sure what the word meant or why he said it." Kaj looked at Zu before saying softly, "Agora." Kaj shook his head again, looking confused and hurt. "The name of our mother, I can only assume."
"He was a large lion, healthy as could be. My color but with a white mane. Lots of purple and pink spots. He was a gentle lion, one who loved freely but always had a sadness in his eye that I could never coax from him. He never wanted to talk about it." Kaj shrugged. "After a while I stopped asking. We grew apart for a while, I left to travel and see new places. I returned to that pride in time to be with him during his final weeks before the Gods took him."
Zu wasn't sure what to say. There were still so many questions unanswered, so many things that neither of them knew. Why had Mabawi left Agora? Why had she let him take one boy? Why had neither of them spoken of the other? It was too late now. None of these questions would ever be answered, not unless they could find someone who knew the answers. Zu suspected that could never happen. Too many years had passed, too many things had happened.
Rising to his feet, Zu moved towards Kaj and lifted a broad paw to rest against his shoulder.
"We are brothers, then." Zu spoke softly. "I am sorry I was not there for you growing up. I am sorry you never were able to meet our sisters or our mother. I am sorry I was never able to meet our father." He looked lost for a moment before raising his gaze to Kaj's.
"It is nice knowing that you are out there, Kaj. When I leave you to continue on my travels, it will be soothing to know that there is someone out there who is thinking of me." He was trying to make Kaj feel better but he felt foolish speaking such flowery and soft words.
"Brothers," Kaj said quietly, dipping his head in a nod. "Yes, we are brothers." He frowned softly, tilting his head. "So you are leaving, then? I-I mean, I wasn't expecting you to stay here, but... how soon must you go?"
Zu chuckled before lifting his paw from his brother's shoulder. "I made a promise when I was but a cub to a young lioness I met. I told her I would find her someday. Mother kept on the move and so it was hard to make friends but this female was ... she was something different. I am in search of her and I cannot stop until I find her. I promised her." He smiled softly before taking Kaj in a big bear hug, thumping his paws against his brother's back.
"I will visit from time to time. I can stay here a few more days, but I do not want to be a burden."
Kaj grinned as he pulled back from Zu. "I would like that. I would like that very much."
After all, they had a lifetime of catching up to do.
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