Word Count: 1306
She hadn't been feeling like her usual self since that rather bizarre encounter with the male in the Mwezi. It was probably because she rarely let herself get into that position in the first place. However it had been a while since she had been in the presence of a male and even longer since she had been near one who could provide pleasing company. It had been a brief encounter and he had acted in a manner that she had assumed he would. He was on the borders for a reason and as she could quite easily slot into the role he wished to have filled she had done so - there had been an understanding there and fortunately for Yareha, she had soon wandered off again.
She rarely stayed in one place for long and this was for good reason. Her visions were problematic and nine out of ten times they had a problem in the sense that they reared their ugly head at the most inopportune times, sadly, she couldn't even stop them. The second a vision came she was overtaken and that was that, she would utter her doomsayer words, tidings of death and destruction and leave the living quaking in her presence or providing her with a very wide berth...
Ah, but this afternoon was a little different. She'd found herself a small oasis, a safe haven in the midst of the savannah during the wet season. This month had been very pleasant and the gods had graced the lands with good fortune to the point that everything was so green. It was an absolute sanctuary and she positively adored it, every animal was at peace and with none appearing to be pregnant or young, it seemed that the world was safe from her visions as well. Not that she hated her visions, they had their uses, but on occasions she greatly appreciated the breather.
Alas, as she lay by the watering hole it wasn't long before she took note of the fact that she wasn't alone. Only a few steps away from her another lioness had crept out of the lush bushes. It was no wonder she hadn't seen her as the stranger was so slight and fair that she wouldn't have seen her even if she had squinted!
"Good afternoon," the grey lioness remarked mildly, offering a smile as she regarded the green lioness with curiosity, if there was one thing to be noted, the smaller lioness was very young.
...Oh dear.
For a while, Mrengo didn't reply, quietly sipping the water in front of her until she had slaked her thirst. She had been walking for a very long time and while she had Eremerus to guide her, she hadn't realised just how far from home she was until he had begun to lead her back. She was exhausted, her paws hurt and frankly she couldn't begin to imagine how so many did this on a normal day to day basis! However, when she had fully satisfied her needs she finally raised her head and flashed a winning smile in the direction of the grey lioness - ah, but she definitely hadn't seen Chessa on her approach. Suffice to say that Szurke would have been appalled by her lack of observational skills.
"Hello," Mrengo replied smoothly, padding towards the lion who seemed to have settled herself comfortably underneath one of the low slung trees. It was provided a surprising amount of shade and Mrengo had to pause briefly to stare at it - she'd heard stories of what lay beyond the swamps and some of them seemed to be very inaccurate. Sure, Eremerus had been correcting her as she made all her observations and she had learnt a lot, but seeing it in practive... "Where I come from, they said that the trees didn't have any leaves, it was too dry for them to survive," she confessed softly.
"Jungle?" Chessa hazarded, her smile deepening as she took note of the slight 'foreign' lilt to the lioness's dialect.
"Mmmhm, I come from the swamps," Mrengo replied and lifted a paw to point towards the tree. "Where I come from the leaves are even larger but even so..." she shook her head, hesitated briefly and then chuckled. "Ever since I left to find myself I've realised that all the stories we were told are inaccurate -"
"Well, not necessarily inaccurate so much as they only give one side of the story, perhaps," Chessa corrected and gave a stretch, patting the ground next to her. So far she hadn't been struck down by any visions and as such, she could only surmise that this was because Mrengo was not destined for tragedy, nor was she carrying any offspring that might cause issue. It was a rare moment for the grey lioness and she wasn't going to pass up the opportunity of company.
"I guess," Mrengo agreed and sat down, rubbing one of her paws gently to get the ache away from it. "But some of them have been completely wrong, some of the stories they've told about the hybrids and other non-lion species have been very strange," she confessed and closed her eyes. "I have yet to meet a horrible creature, but apparently they're common?" she seemed doubtful and for a while Chessa debated with whether or not she should sugar coat the younger lioness's observations - in the long run it would only cause her harm if she did.
"There's good and bad everywhere," Chessa stated and Mrengo nodded. "But I'm beginning to think you already know this," Chessa remarked softly as Mrengo didn't have as naive an expression as felines her age normally did. Clearly the swamplands prides had the right ideas, if the juveniles broadened their horizons and gained greater wisdom then they were a fantastic asset to the pride whenever they returned home... Provided the information they acquired was accurate of course.
"I do," Mrengo confessed sheepishly and chuckled. "I really didn't want to leave home whenever I first got my calling, but now I realise why all cubs have to do it," she murmured and turned her gaze upwards. "I guess in some ways rogues have the right idea, they wander to and fro and see so much whereas if we stay isolated we end up naive and at risk of -"
"Being caught unawares by new threats, whether they be physical or mental?" Chessa finished and Mrengo nodded at her in surprise. "Being a rogue isn't so bad," Chessa continued and then heaved a sigh as a haunted expression crossed her features, "But finding a home, a real home... that's something special too. Having familiar and loving faces to come back to is something I can definitely envy and I think many rogues would be the same."
"Yeah, I do miss it," Mrengo mused and turned her gaze towards Chessa. "But if you desired something like that then why didn't you find a place of your own as well?"
"Because like you, I have a calling and it hasn't led me where I need to go just yet."
"Oh, that must be hard," Mrengo murmured causing Chessa to smile gently.
"Not as hard as you would think..." Chessa paused briefly and tilted her head to the side. "So how long have you been awa yfrom home?"
"Nearly a year," Mrengo had guessed and then with Eremerus's assistence had found out the exact date, she was rather glad to have the leopard around.
"Ah, so you've plenty of stories then?" Chessa asked.
"Oooooh yes, you should see what lies up north!" Mrengo began and before Chessa knew it, she was being regaled by the tales of how nature had triumphed over man and returned the land to its rightful owners...
Reply
