Salma wondered how much longer she would be the leader. She knew that she could hold this position for as long as she wanted. She was he one that developed this crazy idea of a pride. She loved it. She felt like this was her calling - it meant more to her than the swamps were she was born. Salma felt that her mother's spirit might be here. It would be happy in the swamps with the goddess mother, as Asali was who Aushitia'moyo had depended on so much. Still, Salma wished herself to be a little selfish. She had placed a small stone near the shrine for the swamp goddess. A fitting place to have a shrine of remembrance for the mother that had offered her so much with the promise from the wind goddess.
Salma really needed to stop all this mindless wandering. In both mind and feet. She sighed as she stood at the pride's border, looking out towards the open rogue lands. She thought that there was another pride around somewhere, but she hadn't tried to make an alliance yet. Would that be wise? If there was such a risk of war, she did not want her members to be apart of it. She wanted to keep this pride neutral to all conflicts. This was a place of respect, and it needed to stay that way, forever.
She was getting ready to turn when she glanced on a face that was approaching her. A simply toned lioness that seemed intent on where she was going, but did not seem to have the confidence to back it up. Salma let her raised paw linger, debating whether to ask if she needed help or not. Might as well. Before Salma could figure out exactly how to start talking, the lioness did first.
"Hello," the lioness said. "I am looking for something that I'm not sure I will find. Do you think you could help me?" The lioness' deep violet eyes struck Salma. They were not familiar, but she wondered if they should be. Not blessed with the power to See, she kept that part of her quiet. She would only be polite.
"I can try to help you," Salma answered. "You're almost within the boundaries of the Ulili-Mlindaji pride. You may take shelter here if you wish."
Setareh smiled. "I'm Setareh. I'm looking for a strain of family that has been lost for a long time. Perhaps I can speak with those in your pride...." she fell silent.
Salma wasn't really sure what happened. Did she forget what she was going to do? Salma wouldn't have thought something was possible until she had talked to some of her pride's members. They could be a bit...absent minded at times. "Yes?"
"Do you know...you look just like my aunt. I did not know her when she was alive, but my mother always described her to me. She ran away from her own mother, long ago."
Salma blinked. This was new to her. She had always known that her mother was not born within the swamps, even if she accepted much of their beliefs. Still, Aushi always contained her own set of beliefs of the world, and shared them with Salma. Salma never took them to the same level that her mother had, but that was a reason why the pride was buried within the mountains, and kept the shrines in harmony with the earth. "I do not know of my mother's life outside of the swamps. She never talked about it."
"Is your mother still alive?" Setareh asked. There could be hope that there would still be some family left. "My own mother died, and I am the last of the line. I did not like being alone in the world, and tried to seek out what family I may have. Thankfully my aunt's actions were fairly unique in comparison to the rest of the lions in the savanna.
"No. She died a while ago. I left my home in the swamps to find my true name, but I don't intend to return. There is nothing waiting for me there. It is not home. This is my home now." And...with Tete. She wasn't going to leave him. She just wished that their relationship would go...somewhere.
"Oh. You look just like her, do you not?"
"I do. I only lack the scars that her own mother gave her. I don't know the story to that, though."
"Your mother was not...the pride of our family. But she was still a strong enough lioness to survive for so long, and to have you."
Salma was starting to feel uncomfortable with this talk about how her mother was. Her mother had been an amazing and compassionate lioness. If they were indeed talking about the same female, then she must have gone through a great transformation. "She did not only have me, but I never spent that much time with my two half-siblings that returned from their naming quest."
Setareh was curious about all this swamp business, but this wasn't the place for it. "I'm Setareh. Your mother's name was Nyota'ausi."
"Her old one, yes. She started her life again as Aushitia'moyo within the Jini-msemi. She tossed her old life away when she took this new name."
Setareh's ears drooped. "Does that mean that you would toss me away to? I am certain that I am your cousin. I feel no doubt in that."
Salma studied the lioness that was older than her. How was she constantly in this position that she was over those that were older than her? A soft smile grew from her face. "That was my mother's choice. It was her wish that I return to the swamps, but I tossed that aside. I will not do the same with you, cousin."
Setareh smiled, and laughed lightly. "Thank you."
Salma nodded. "You are welcome to live here if there is no where else for you. I am Salma, the leader of this pride that strives to do nothing but respect the gods and our ancestors."
"Truly?" Setareh gasped. "I never thought that the child of Nyota could do such a thing. Surely she had turned into a great lioness to inspire such in a small lioness."
Salma laughed. "That's far too much credit to give to me. You will see that all I merely do is try to keep it going; it is the rest of the pride members that are the true reason that this pride succeeds. Come, we will find a place for you to call your own."
"Thank you, cousin Salma," Setareh said. "I look forward to starting my own life, renewed again."
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