Gyps paced back and forth, just a bit of a scowl on his face. He was late. The adult paused, looking at the sky for the time's passage. Why had he agreed to this again...? Oh... Right. He couldn't say no to Haggy. Just the way she looked at him... The white-maned lion couldn't help but smile. The way she looked at him... It was so tender, and gentle, and very much not like one would expect a Firekin-born to act. He let out a wistful sigh, before suddenly turning, taking a defensive stance. A twig had broken behind him... "Show yourself!"
He didn't just show himself - Lune outright tripped on a root, falling into the clearing. He gave the older lion a sheepish grin, before picking himself up. Ever since he and his mother had arrived, he'd felt so... Outsider-ish. He had blood-ties to the pride, and yet he felt no personal connection. Not yet, anyway. He wanted desperately to prove himself, so he chose the path of a guard. Which was part of why he was here, meeting Gyps. To train. "Sorry I'm late... I got a bit... Distracted..." The way he'd dropped his voice at the last word, Lune hoped Gyps wouldn't ask by what.
An eyebrow went up, but no questions came with it. "Try to be on time next time." He then walked over to Lune, circling him slowly. "So... You want to be a guard." It wasn't a question, but a statement - A move that attempted to catch the adolescent off guard. "Is there any particular reason you chose that path? Why not... A hunter?" The pride could always use more hunters, after all. Not that Gyps was one to talk - His hunting skills left something to be desired. Besides, his being a guard helped him keep a better eye on Haggy.
Lune found himself more caught off guard by the question than the statement. "Why...? Ah... Um..." He shuffled his paws a bit, ears dropping back. "I wanted to prove my worth to the pride, you see..." He glanced at Gyps. "I... I don't feel very... Connected yet..." He then turned a slight shade of red. "Oh, that has to be the stupidest reason ever..." He wasn't so sure now if he wanted to be a guard. Would a hunter really be a better suiting job for him? Yet he was determined... Just unsure. Was it possible to get kicked out of the guards before he'd even actually become one?
Gyps let out a sigh, closing his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he... Smiled. Just a bit. It wasn't a very large one, but it was there. "That's a perfectly valid reason, Lune." He lifted a paw, patting the younger lion on the shoulder. "See, you came in after me, but I'm not from this pride." He let out a another sigh. "I'm not even from A pride. I'm formerly a rogue. And you.. Your mother at least has connections to the pride, being from it before the move. So you have at least a blood connection." He motioned with his paw. "My mate doesn't even have a blood connection, she's from a whole other pride!"
Lune let out a surprised sound, staring at Gyps. "You're from... OUTSIDE the pride...?" And his mate was, too! That was amazing! And his mate was a MIDWIFE... Was there anything else of note about her? "What pride did she come from?" Maybe it was one he'd heard of. Then again, he was young. There was a lot he'd not heard of yet. The only reason he'd known about the Mwezi was that his mother had told him about it. Something else occurred to him. "And what about your family? Do you have any? Surely they're out there somewhere wondering about you..."
It was Gyps' turn to let out a surprised sound. The last part was just a little deep for someone of Lune's age to ponder. "My parents are rogues, same as I. I had a lot of sisters, maybe six or eight... I can't remember too well on that count. One brother. I think my sisters may still be with my mother, my brother and I both left when we were about your age. As for Haggy..." He hesitated a moment, then frowned. "She came from a pride called the Motoujamii-Simo. Once upon a time, she told me, when her grandfather was a cub, they were a fierce pride that either killed or enslaved intruders... They're much more diplomatic now about it, and let rogues join. But they're still coat-color picky, and she was sent away at your age for being gold-coated."
"That's not a good reason to send someone away!" Then Lune stopped, ears folding back. "Er... I mean.." He reached up, scratching his shoulder. "It seems silly to not want someone in your pride, because they're born an off color..." He wasn't one who could rightfully tell, since the Mwezi didn't particularly care about coat coloring. He'd so far seen lions of pretty much every color in the rainbow, and many in-between colors. He decided it was time for a small subject switch. "I only have my mom... No brothers, no sisters, unless she takes a mate here." It actually made him sad, knowing so many lions had brothers and sisters, both in and out of the pride.
Gyps frowned, watching the younger lion. After a moment, he offered a smile. "Hey, how 'bout this? Something that might help you feel more connected to the pride..." He thought it was a pretty good idea, at least.
The adolescent looked at the adult curiously. What idea could he possibly have? Make cuts on their paws and shake to mix blood? He'd heard a bird that had flown from some place called Europe talk about hoomons, whatever those were, doing just that sort of thing. It didn't seem sanitary. "What...?"
"You could be my brother, so we've both got some semblance of extra family here." Would Lune like the idea, though?
Once again, Lune let out a surprised sound. Them, act as brothers? He'd never had a brother before... Or a sister, really. After a moment, the adolescent smiled. "Okay... Brother." It had a nice ring to it.
Gyps' smile broadened, then he nudged Lune's shoulder with a paw. "Come on, then, let's get you trained and in shape as a guard, little brother!"
Lune grinned wide. "Yeah!"
