The evening was warm. It always seemed to be before change. They were near the border of the Pridelands, and Kimiko knew this was where Navale would part from the company of the white lioness and the orange male, Danzi. She knew she'd miss the younger lioness, finding her to be like a daughter. But there was something else nagging at her mind - Navale would be alone again. She couldn't imagine the blue and white lioness could handle being so alone like that. Not anymore, at least. The black and white lioness let out a light sigh, before settling down and lapping at a small pond.
Amaranth wasn't ENTIRELY sure she liked the warmth of the night. But at the same time... She preferred how cool it was compared to the daylight hours. After all, having a dark coat wasn't particularly conducive in daylight hours, was it? She let out a sigh, walking along. She had no particular goal in life, really - And she wasn't about to go back to the Mwana. It just didn't seem the place for her, what with how many brothers and sisters she ALREADY had there. After all... She'd been born with the 'misfortune' of no testicles. What use was she to the throne? As she approached the first watering hole she'd come across so far, she spotted a pale lioness already there. She let out a hm, opting to remain neutral as she bent down, lapping at the water.
As she watched the other lioness, Kimiko noticed the fur she wore around her neck shift, exposing... A familiar shade of pink, even in the growing night. She gulped her water down in surprise, focusing her attention fully on the other lion. Was it safe to approach? Was it some sort of coincidence? She'd have to ask of this lioness' lineage. She threw caution to the wind, rising and padding around the pond. WIth it not being that large, it didn't take all too long. "Good evening, stranger! Fine moonrise, isn't it?"
She knew the other lioness had spotted her. Some form of recognition flashed in the other lioness' gold eyes, and Amaranth wondered if she herself looked familiar. She shifted, swallowing a bit, and watched the pale lioness stand and approach. Slowly, the shadow lioness rose to a standing position herself. A glance was spared at the moon - It was, as she noted, a waning crescent. It'd be hard to see soon. "Indeed it is... You look like you've seen your share of life, stranger." Every scar was an old etching of life, some piece of a story, or stories of their own.
The pale lioness spared a glance at her own coat. For a moment, her skin twitched. Memories of old fights and wounds... Well, not so much fights, but still memories of the pain that had caused the scars. Her gold eyes turned back to the darker lion. "Far too much share, I think... So..." She sat down carefully, shifting her weight just so. "That pink on your neck didn't go unnoticed... I'm curious as to who you inherited it from." She was sure this lioness had to have come from one of her own sisters. But the question was... Which one? It could, literally, be any of them, with how many Nyekundu had sired. Because this was not one of her direct sisters that she could tell.
Amaranth's ears went back, a look of shame in her bi-colored eyes as she looked away. "From my mother." Who was this lioness, anyway, and why was she asking? But that became less of a concern as she felt wrapped up in the moment. "Her name is Afritti'dogo... I doubt you've heard of her." Many hadn't, and for some reason... She found she liked that fact. It made life much easier for her. Those that did know the name usually knew it attached to a different lion. But there was always that odd lion that knew the name and the face she spoke of, and she found herself avoiding them, because they knew about her mother's father. Sins of the grandfather, as it were...
Kimiko tilted her head, one eyebrow up. "Oh, I know that name... I know it VERY well... And her father's name... And many of her half-sisters." Most, at least. If there were any before Afritti'dogo, she didn't know. And there were likely some in place she didn't know about. All she really knew was that she never had brothers from her father. "I thought that pink looked familiar... A few of my own children have bore it themselves." Though Kimiko herself didn't show it, many of her children did. A son and daughter from one litter, and then her last daughter.
Amaranth's face took on a surprised look. "Are you sure it's this exact shade of pink...?" She pulled the covering skin down, showing the mark off better. "And how could you know their names? All of them, really?" She shook her head, finding it too much to comprehend. "I'm not sure I believe you..." How could she? She didn't even know this lioness' name! For all she knew, this was another lion who'd blame Amaranth for something she never did!
Her tail flicked, the black hairs rustling quietly in the growing darkness. "White muzzle and belly, white toes, pink streak from her nose to her tail?" When the other nodded in amazement, Kimiko smiled slowly. "Fret not about judgement... Nyekundu was my father, too, as much as he was Afritti's. Each of us, we took a different manner of dealing with it, and the reputation he left..." She looked eastward. "One of my five litter sisters went to the Nchi'mahadi... Another to the Tuait'tekhem... A third to the Firekin in the north... A fourth to the Kizingo'zaa... The last, I'm not sure where she went, exactly.. Far to the north somewhere." She returned her gaze to the younger lioness. "But that is neither here nor now. I don't know the names of ALL of my half-sisters, but a fair chunk I do, and that Misae'dhulu wasn't the only one to go to the Kizingo'zaa.." She cleared her throat. "But, getting back to my point... I could never pass judgement on a niece. Now... Why are you all the way out HERE?"
Stripe-marked ears folded back as Amaranth looked away. "I wanted to find out who I am individually... There's really not much for me back in the Mwana-a'lela, since one of my brothers is the heir to the pride... And really, I wanted to see more of the world. But when I started telling lions about my lineage, on their asking... I found distaste amid them. So I hid this pink mark on my neck, in hopes of something... Different, better... I don't know anymore..." She shook her head. "All I've found is loneliness."
Again Kimiko raised an eyebrow. She'd had a problem to figure out before... And the solution had fallen right in her paws. "I see... Okay... Um... I never caught your name..."
"Amaranth."
"Amaranth... Thank you for your name... But I'll tell you what... I'm traveling with two lions. One of them, I'm going to the Pridelands with. The other is a younger lion, about your age... She's departing our company at the border, but she's become like a daughter to me... And I worry about how lonely SHE'LL be. Why don't we see about you two traveling together?"
Amaranth thought about the proposition, then nodded. "Okay. It's worth a shot. Er, the lineage... Won't be a problem... Will it?"
"She hasn't had a problem with me yet, and I'm more closely related to the fat old sack of bones." She smiled at the giggle, then got up, padding off. "Come on. And if Danzi gets gruff about ANOTHER lion around... Ignore him."
Still giggling, Amaranth could only nod as she followed, her tail flicking lightly.
