Akai was terribly bored, which happened to be quite an accomplishment for him. His family was a decidedly huge one, with seven litter-mates, nine other older siblings and a brother-in-name after whom Akai had been named, and it was rare for him to find himself without a companion for even just a day.
But somehow, today was one of those days. At the very least, his litter-mates were nowhere to be seen, and Akai had decided that, at adolescence, he was too old to go running off to his older siblings for entertainment. He had slowly come to realize that his brothers and sisters were grown-ups, just like his parents, and had their own responsibilities to deal with. It didn't seem fair to Akai to make them neglect those duties just to keep him less bored for a while.
So today, the young lion was off to find his own adventure. "Going out," he announced to whoever might be listening as he slipped out of the family den. He and his litter-mates were all getting big, and it was almost time they began to consider striking out on their own. The den, at least, wouldn't hold their entire family for long.
But that was a problem for future-Akai. Today, he had other things to worry about.
He was headed for the waterhole, covering ground with an easy trot. There was a light spring in his step that spoke of his anticipation: there was always something happening at the waterhole. Other lions, preybeasts, maybe elephants even. Who knew what could happen there.
