Natthimlen
There were many things on Akatta’s mind today and the dark lioness needed time to sort them out in privacy. Thankfully, it seemed privacy was a commodity she had in more than enough quantity lately since her husband had started spending increasingly amounts of time with Thorgrim. She understood that something important was going to happen soon – Dalla’s words had only confirmed her suspicions. The only thing that she was unsure about was her own role in the whole affair, something that was hard to predict when she knew so little about what was to come.
Silently considering if she should try to have an open discussion with Njal or wait for her husband to be the first to breach the subject, Akatta made her way towards the border of the pride in her search for solitude.
Not too far from the lioness, a blue cheetah had been steadily approaching the border of a lion pride. As the scent of danger grew stronger, Nat froze on her tracks and took one good look around. The scenery was strange and unfamiliar. The ground was made of sand and large rock formations and the grey sky was looming threateningly over the largest body of water Nat had ever seen. The sharp wind ruffled every hair on her coat and the cheetah stood tensely as she watching the horizon, still panting lightly. Harsh lands, it seemed. It was time to turn back and headed towards more pleasant locations before she got the chance to discover if the lions here were friendly or not. It never hurt to be cautious.
Though she loved her homeland dearly, even Akatta had to admit that sometimes the weather was rather… ominous. Looking at the dark sky, one could almost feel the wrath of the Gods who were probably glaring down at all the mere mortals below. After a quick prayer, the lioness found a good spot to think, quickly coming to the conclusion that she had only two good options to her dilemma. One, she could wait for her husband to decide to talk to her about the matters that were taking so much of his time. It was probably the most proper course of action. Second, she could lightly brush the subject when with Njal and let him know he could share everything with her and even ask for her help if necessary – though, in all honesty, she would be terribly disappointed if her strong husband needed the help of his wife in his affairs.
Nat was the first one to realize that she wasn’t alone. She noticed the walking shadow out of the corner of her eye and quickly turned to greet the new arrival. The lioness was coming from the direction of the pride so Nat knew it would be unwise to get too close to the stranger but it never hurt to be friendly… especially when you were a cheetah that could easily outrun most felines.
“Hello there.” Nat greeted in a pleasant tone, keeping a safe distance from the dark lioness. She was fully prepared to bolt at the slightest sign of danger. One could never be too careful when it came to lions, of course.
Akatta turned slowly, visibly surprised by what she considered to be sudden company. She found it hard to believe that any creature could be stupid enough to approach the borders of her pride. Perhaps that was but a sign of how lax the Reavers guarding the border had become. In the old days, no sane animal would willingly stray into the Stormborn borders in fear of the mighty warrior lions that took residence in those lands. How the times had changed.
“Good day, stranger. Make sure you don’t come any closer to the border. My pride does not take kindly to intruders.” Her voice was as gentle as always but her expression less friendly and her body language somewhat tense. She didn’t really know why she was sending the cheetah away so easily. Akatta knew she could easily trick the slender feline into accompanying her long enough for the cheetah to be too deep into Stormborn territory to be able to leave. Perhaps she didn’t like the idea of trickery or the thought that a freeborn lioness would exert herself for the sake of acquiring a thrall. That was a Reaver’s job not hers and it should be done in the proper way with strong Stormborn warriors taking what was theirs by right.
“I apologize.” Nat said quickly, eager to appease the larger feline. She could tell her presence wasn’t entirely welcomed which was always a pretty good sign that a smart cheetah shouldn’t linger in the area. “I’ve been travelling for a while now and I love to see new lands. I’d already noticed the strong scents of a pride and was about to head back. I do not wish to cause offense.” She tried to keep her tone friendly and polite, hoping good manners were enough to keep the lioness on her good side.
Akatta was feeling terribly conflicted. She couldn’t help but to admire the cheetah’s figure and colors. It was an elegant feline, obviously capable as she appeared to be in good condition and with a rather striking coat that matched Akatta’s nickname. Blålågor. Blue Flames. She’d love to have her as a thrall. Cheetahs could be very useful even if they weren’t the best hunters. They made for useful messengers and gentle baby-sitters… and also looked quite fancy standing next to their masters.
“It’s not a problem. You haven’t crossed the border yet.” She was polite, too. If only her husband was here to catch her, it would’ve been the perfect addition to their den. As a few droplets hit the tip of her muzzle, Akatta realized the sky was about to break. “Ah… it’s raining.”
Even though the lioness was being more polite than friendly, Nat was rather happy with how well they were interacting. It was always interesting to talk to individuals from different species and Nat could be quite friendly once she got over that initial caution. In this case, unaware that the lioness was actually considering her suitability as a slave, Nat believed they’d get along rather awell if given enough time. Still, the weather did not seem to agree.
“Ah… so it is.” She cast the grey skies an annoyed glance before eyeing the lioness again. “I’ll go on my way then. I need to find some shelter soon.”
Akatta almost stopped the cheetah from leaving by offering her a place to stay during the foul weather. She didn’t doubt that could convince the elegant girl to follow her but her strict education got in the way of such plans. A freeborn lady did not do a Reaver’s job, a male’s work. It went against everything she believed in. She would certainly talk to Njal about the blue feline… perhaps her husband would manage to catch it before it strayed too far from the pride.
“Stay safe.” She said simply, refraining from giving the cheetah no information or warning regarding the nature of her pride before she started walking to a tree that would give her some cover.
Natthimlen smiled cheerfully despite the harsh weather conditions. In her opinion, this meeting had gone surprisingly well. Apparently, not all pride lions were mean bullies as she’d once believed. She nodded at the lioness before running off on her own, looking for a small makeshift den she’d found earlier in the day where she knew she’d be safe from cold, the wind and the rain. Not Reavers if they were interested in finding her but Nat knew nothing of the Stormborn warriors and her mind was at peace.
- FIN! -
