Claws, teeth, fur, fear... Ever-present fear... And multiple lions running, always running. Rocks, sparse plants, and then... Desert. And then an attack. A lioness ushering cubs, another lioness bringing up the rear to defend... "Wo'rr kaexo klo kidt vl'ro vai b'tkuaekk klod!" Two males... They could only nod, then drew the Nergui away from the lionesses and cubs. And then sunset, and... Suli'leksi woke up with a start, eyes growing wide. Where was he? Slowly, stiffly, the lion sat up, looking around. He was in... A den of some sort. Injured lions were everywhere, so it had to be a healer's area. How long had he been here? How long had he been asleep? He remembered reaching a pride with some other Hongshan, and then passing out... So how long had it been?
Near by, Shula lifted her head. Her wounds were almost done healing enough for her to go back to her duties, and she was getting restless. That damnable medic had insisted she stay, though, and not move or aggravate her injuries. Her claws flexed, violet eyes staring at the sand for a moment. Then her attention turned to the lion near by. He'd been there when she got to the dens, and she wondered if he'd really been dead the whole time. She loosely recalled a wildly-marked red, white, and black lion carrying him in with all the Hongshan in the first wave, having picked the passed-out lion up just as they'd reached the pride. "Hey, you're finally awake... Are you okay...?"
Suli stared at the lioness, blinking his ink-black eyes. His confusion had to be evident, because the red lioness started making gestures and trying again. He could only shake his head, startin to get frustrated. Why wasn't she speaking plain Northern?! The lion reached up to rub his face, only to notice how much his arm quivered. When was the last time he ate? He thought on it, and remembered a cub shaking him awake now and then to eat... And then he would pass back out. He licked his lips, finding his tongue very dry. "It klouo vaekou roaeu dv...?" He wanted water, and he was thirsty... He tried sitting up, only to collapse again. Maybe he wasn't QUITE ready to move...
The red lioness let out a huff, starting to get up, only to have her nephew pop up and give her a stern look. She rested her chin on a paw, eyebrow up. "Kiran, you're learning far too much from your mother's cousin..." He was starting to have the same facial expressions as Ea. Suddenly, she remembered something, motioning the little white lion over. "You've started speaking their language... Can you translate for me?"
Kiran blinked, then nodded. "I think I can... What do you want me to say...?"
"Ask him if he's feeling okay." It was worth a shot to use the cub to translate. He was picking up on the Hongshan's language fast.. Amid other things. His language was getting more colorful, that was certain... She wondered how Savitri felt about it, and if the white lioness would be having a word with the doctor to kindly watch what she said just a little around someone so impressionable and young.
The cub gave a nod, then went over to the formerly-unconcious lion to ask how he was feeling. "Um... Hav... Aeuo var.. Vai! Hav aeuo vai goor'rs?" When he was done, he turned to Shula, making a face. "I need more practice..."
Finally, someone who spoke his language! The cub didn't look related to any of the Hongshan, though. In fact... He looked around, realizing there were a couple lions present that he DID look like. So he had to be one of the local cubs. Suli leaned down to the cub's level. "I goor saab, dot'bot tado voaexrott. I kl'rx I titk roob dauo gaab 'r do." He was okay, just feeling week and a bit hungry. Then he glanced at the red lioness, seeing her pleased expression. He hadn't been paying full attention, but clearly this was her idea to have the cub play translator. He'd have to ask about her. "Wlaek aedaik lou? It tlo axaev?"
The cub nodded at the question, opting to tell him about the Nergui attack. "Slo 't, tlo ti... Titk laeb ae g'slk... V... V'kl ae titvo... Titvokkob Nergui." As he turned to answer Shula, he entirely missed the horrified look on the black lion's face. "He says he's okay, but he's... I think he said feeling weak, but may just need some food... What's that look for?"
The look of horror hadn't escaped Shula's attention. She frowned, knowing of the Hongshan's history with the Nergui. She'd heard it enough, after all. They all had. "I think he may be surprised to hear about that attack... I can only assume you told him about it, because you mentioned THEM and the look on his face..." She rubbed her face a bit, frowning deeply. "We need an easier language barrier breach than this..." She motioned Kiran closer, then pulled him up to her face so their cheeks pressed together. "I want you to do me... And probably the whole pride... A favor... Teach him to speak OUR language... And in doing so, you may perfect YOUR ability to speak THEIR language... So you can act as a translator if any more of them show up." She glanced outside the den. "I don't think I trust that one lioness... She seems a bit TOO cozy with the suspected one..."
Kiran nodded. "Okay, Aunt Shula!" When he wiggled free, he hurried over to the white-faced black lion to begin their respective language educations. If the Hongshan lion was going to be in recovery, he'd at least learn the language!
Suli'leksi shifted, listening intently as the cub explained the idea. Or at least, tried to. He stumbled over words, and Suli found himself helping the young lion learn. In turn, he started to learn, picking up southern dialect words here and there. As the hours passed, and hours became days, Suli was soon practicing his words with the young lion. They were hard to keep track of, yes, but talking helped him. Finally, after the sun had risen and set eight times, he was uncerimoniously thrown from the medical dens. He spared a glare at the present lions, then turned around... And came face-to-face with the red lioness. "AAH!" He stumbled back, falling on his back in surprise.
Shula's eyebrow went up. "Well, aren't we jumpy..." She motioned with her head. "Come on, I think it's time you got a tour of the area... Kiran told me this morning they'd be kicking you out today, and it's about time, anyway." She didn't really wait for him to reply, padding off through the sand toward the main areas. "We'll start with the dens... And we'll finish at the... Red Quarter, as it's called. That's where the other Hongshan lions are right now, your brother included." In the intervening time, she'd met Serkan. A beast of a lion... He had to be the biggest non-Firekin she'd ever met. Whatever girl caught him would bear him some cubs that would grow into the biggest Firekin ever.
Climbing back to his paws, Suli let out a sigh, following the lioness. "I am... Glad that you had the young one teach me the language..." He tilted his head. "And me teach him ours..." It would help, he imagined, in case other Hongshan showed up. Or... THEM. The black and white lion fell in line beside Shula, listening as she gave him a tour. When they finally stopped, after much banter, he bowed his head. "I thank you for your time, Shula... I am sure that in time... I will learn much from your pride's ways, and how to be a Firekin." It delighted him, really, that the Firekin were letting the Hongshan remain in the pride as Firekin. They had a home to stay in, after all. As he headed to rejoin his familiar friends, he spared a look at her, smiling.
Shula let out a puff, smiling herself. He wasn't the most manly of lions - A bit nervous, but he was likely a great fighter in his own right. Small size could make for fast paws, and a nervous lion could see things others didn't that could prove a downfall for the opponent. In all, he'd make some lioness happy some day. The red lioness bowed her head, then turned to return to Kosuke. They had some cuddle time to continue to make up for missing.
