[PRP]Getting your Swamp Legs[Khara/Zamba]

[oo Ded]

Meepfur

It didn't seem as though Zambarau'Anga had been in the swamp lands for very long. He wasn't sure how many nights and days had passed, but he did know that it was enough for him to be able to now walk steadily through the mud and swamp terrain. The skill wasn't one he had been born with; it was apparent in his less-than-optimal performance in the games. He wasn't particularly concerned with it, though. The lion didn't seem to have anything really to prove.

Though he hadn't yet been given a new name, Zamba had spent most of his time quietly observing the traditions of the pride, and he felt as though he was starting to get the hang of it all. It truly seemed a place where he fit.  

[Meepfur]

Even weeks after the game in her honor - and to provide an opportunity for suitors to impress her - had taken place, La'u Khara'i had yet to make a decision regarding which lion would be her Consort. What this meant was anyone's guess, and her favorite rumor so far was that she was putting it off because she didn't like any of them. In truth, she'd simply decided to take her sweet time about it for at least a little while longer. She wasn't in any particular hurry to produce more potential heirs, so why rush into the decision?

Not that that was actually her reasoning, because she really did want to have another litter. It was her full intention to be...productive. Choosing a Consort, though, was proving to be one decision in her life that was giving her pause, and that in and of itself was throwing her off. Uncertainty was not a state of mind she was familiar with at all.

She'd met all of her suitors by now, of course, but maybe spending a little more time with them would help her make her decision, as she couldn't put it off forever. Setting out, she looked for the rogue-born brown male.

oo DeD

 

[oo Ded]

Meepfur

It didn't take long for the Zamba to cross the path of the lavender lioness. The lioness who was now his Queen. Her ability to rule was truly something to be admired. As he saw her, a faint smile crossed his face. "Good day, Queen Khara," he greeted her briefly with a dip of the head, his mud-brown mane settling around him as he stood up once again and walked towards her. "Is there something on your mind? You seem..." the lion paused, searching for the right word. "not at ease."

It was an easy misconception to believe the brown lion to be much older than he was. Zamba liked to believe that his travels had brought him much wisdom, and he liked to carry himself in the tender area where he could bring others comfort without appearing haughty.

He settled as he spoke, sitting and curling his tail around his legs. His head fell slightly to the side with the same casual air expressed by the faint half-smile and look in his lavender eyes.  

[Meepfur]

oo DeD

She was initially pleased to see him, noting the small smile that lit his expression, but that pleasure faded with his disquieting observation that she was uneasy. Khara fixed him with a look that was sharp with surprise, and lashed her tail once before looking away, a frown pulling at her features. She considered playing it off as she would have with most, and yet...she stopped.

Zamba was not most, he was a suitor, and if she was ever going to make up her mind, she couldn't keep him at as comfortable a distance as she did the rest of the pride.

"There is always something on my mind," she said first, deliberately vague. Habit was habit, and she wouldn't voice her dilemmas as soon as she was prompted, but it was still an improvement over outright denial.  

[oo Ded]

Meepfur

"I'd be worried if there wasn't" As he spoke, Zamba's posture grew even more relaxed. His paws folded before him with his chin set to the side and his eyes pulled up to watch the lioness with a soft gaze. "It's one of those burdens that come with the weight of rule." His tail flicked behind him in thought. This pride was his home, now, and he felt obligated to do his best for it. Such was the reason he tried to appeal to Khara. Not to mention that there was something appealing about her as well...

"But that weight, you don't have too carry it alone, you know." He paused after speaking before pulling his gaze from her. He didn't want to be intrusive, but perhaps it was already past that point. The lion sighed, settling his head onto his paws and finding himself unable to conjure up a change of topic  

[Meepfur]

oo DeD

"Oh, and have you ruled somewhere before?" It was borderline sarcastic, deflective in an attempt to stave off serious conversation. Though she knew she should be more open, if only to a select few, it was one of those things that was easier said (or thought, in this case) than done.

Khara made a short, wordless sound as she decided what or what not to say. "There are decisions to make, that is all."

Primarily, the one concerning him and a few other lions.  

[oo Ded]

Meepfur

The lion gave a crooked, half-smile that could almost be considered whimsical. "No, I suppose I should say not." He did his best to brush off her sarcasm. There was a lot on her shoulders, he came to realize. Zamba felt a bit sorry for her; such a weight was one that must have been difficult to carry. And he shouldn't be one to press into matters that weren't really his own. "Decisions, indeed," he said in a voice that faded, soft, into quiet. His head tilted upwards and he squinted, thinking.

"I've given some thought," he spoke again after a long pause, "to my new name, that is." Zamba pause again, falling into thought. His gaze drifted into his memories as his paws shuffled through the swampy ground. "Tell me, Queen Khara, have you ever been to the distant mountains? The ones with peaks of snow?"  

[Meepfur]

Khara was relieved and satisfied that her deflection seemed successful for the moment, and her posture relaxed just a touch when he changed subjects. Maybe one day, she would learn to share, but it would not come easily. She guarded her privavy jealously, in part because it was private and in part because it added to the image of mystique that she purposefully kept about herself.

"To the distant mountains, no," the lioness answered, her gaze turning east, towards the mountains that lay not far from the border. "What thoughts, then, have you had?"

oo DeD