Atheris and his brother had traveled far from their birth lands. They'd made a pact as mere cubs to leave together when they were of a proper age. Neither had thought that having to prove themselves in order to secure their position in a pride made much sense. They were both able-bodied, capable boys. Undoubtedly brothers, they each carried the markings and coloration of their mother, though neither knew who their father was. Born in a litter of three, each felt a little terrible for leaving their youngest sister, but there had to be so much more to life than just laying around.
They were so much stronger than that.
"I smell water," Atheris whispered to his brother. Asper nodded, eyes growing heavy-lidded as his nose twitched. They'd been wandering the savanna for quite some time, now, and both had grown into agile, heavily-muscled males.
"We should rest for a while," Asper whispered back. The pale-maned lion glanced at his younger brother. Where Asper was tow-headed and green-eyed, Atheris was dark-maned with identical eyes. The brothers were very close to one another, but where Atheris was bold and charming, Asper was quiet and intense. They worked well with one another.
"You're probably right," Atheris replied, ears perked as he caught the glimmer of water a fair distance away. The brothers remained quiet as they moved closer to the water. They often traveled in silence, so this was nothing new.
After drinking his fill, Asper padded a short distance from his brother and peered around. There was a strange scent on the air, one of saltiness and sea brine. Since Asper had not yet seen the ocean, he was not sure what the scent was -- he only knew it was different, almost tangy. Glancing at Atheris over his shoulder, the older lion watched his brother drink. He'd always felt protective of his younger brother, and when they'd been in the Ongozona'Ke, he'd felt incredibly protective of both his brother and his sister. It had been heart-wrenching to leave the pride, but neither he nor his brother were happy there.
Catching Asper watching him, Atheris sent his brother a grin. "What thoughts trouble you, brother?" He knew that there was something on his brother's mind. He had that look about him, and being as close as he was to Asper, Atheris could easily divine when something was troubling Asper.
"I tire of traveling," Asper said quietly. "I do not miss our old home; I miss our mother, yes, and I miss Amarali. I miss our Aunt Tulia and our cousins, as well," he continued softly, eyes narrowing as he glanced at the mirror-like surface of the watering hole they sat near. "I did not want the life of a wanderer," stoutly spoken, Asper glanced once more at Atheris.
Atheris nodded curtly, eyes intent on his older brother. "Nor did I, brother," he said quietly, canting his head to the side. "I do long for adventure, for glory." Atheris fell silent for a long moment, turning his attentive gaze back to the watering hole. "What do you suggest we do, brother?"
Asper curled his tail around his forepaws, resting back on his haunches comfortably. "I do not want a pride where I have to prove myself. I do not want to live a life where I spend each day wondering if it will be my last day in a pride I have come to love and respect." He frowned, gaze resting on Atheris, "That is how I felt in our home-pride. I never felt welcomed or comfortable there. I never felt as if I were a part of the pride -- more like an outsider. Mother, though she was a council member, went against the wishes of the pride when she bred with a rogue and delivered us." That had always put a sour taste in Asper's mouth. He was a b*****d, for all intents and purposes, and would never know who his father was.
Atheris did not share this shame.
"I am proud of our mother," he said softly, shifting his paw in the damp dirt beneath him. "She has always been a strong lioness, both of body and of mind." He hoped that Amarali would turn out to be half the lioness their mother was, in all honesty, and Atheris also held a secret wish of his own -- that one day he would find a lioness that held the strength of his mother deep in her heart.
Asper chuckled, "I did not say I was not proud of her, brother. I just felt even more unwelcome because of the origins of our birth." He thumped his tail once, twice in the dirt. "I want to have a family, and more than that, I want to feel welcome. I want both of us to feel welcome." He glanced at Atheris, tail thudding once more. "More than anything, that's what is important to me."
Atheris nodded. "As it is to me, brother."
Asper glanced at the sky. "The hour grows late. We should find a place to sleep for the evening. I am sure we can find a place nearby that is suitable." He rose to his feet and moved closer to his brother, bumping his shoulder into that of Atheris. "In the morning I imagine this pool will be crammed with prey beast, and we shall feast like kings before continuing on our journey."
Atheris rose to his feet, as well, laughing at his brother. "Perhaps we will run into a pride of females that want nothing more than to serve us food and water. I would be happy to call that place home."
Asper chuckled at his younger brother. "You are so easy to please," he mocked, making his way to a large outcropping of rocks that loomed nearby. It would make a perfect shelter for the night, as best he could tell, so long as it wasn't occupied already.
As the brothers settled in for a night's rest and the moon rose high in the sky, the duo fell asleep knowing that as they remained by each others side, there was nothing that they could not accomplish.
(wc: 1,024+)
