It was so strange, being back in his homelands. He had left as a juvenile, built up a pride with his sister and a goddess (a goddess!), fell in love, to promptly getting his heart broken. He had stayed near the pride to tend to his children, but when they had fully grown in their manes he had left, and wandered aimlessly. Had a fling with a female, but left soon after, terrified to get hsi heart broken again. His adulthood had been nothing but drama. Once he found out that the pride had fallen again, he figured his ties with his sister were severed. He didn't know where she was, and didn't really want to find her. She would haul him off on some other great adventure, and all he wanted to do was spend the rest of his days knowing that everything was ok. A good meal, quiet night, nothing sudden to throw his world upside down again. That was life.
So, his birthland was now his home again. It was interesting being recognized by those that he himself barely remembered. Moreso as some of them thought that he and his sister had perished. Strange, as they had visited once...it had been an awkward visit, though. His large golden paws broke through the rich grass as he retraced old steps, remembering how he used to sneak off towards the elephant graveyard. A forbidden zone, as war had recently broke out along the border there. The blood stains were gone, but the earth didn't forget. Skirmishes still happened, and Jin'Yue wondered if they would ever cease. Probably not.
Konya's sandy paws brushed against unfamiliar land. She and her mother had left her own birthlands once their pride had fallen apart. To think, a place about Unity falling apart....but to flee a plague was to flee the land, and so they had been separated from the rest of her mother's offspring. It was heart breaking not knowing where they were, but also hard to imagine them not surviving. Latifu was a smart mother, and Konya had learned much from her mother's wisdom.
She had left her mother in a safe location for the morning, as it was hard for the old lioness to move as swiftly as her daughter. They had always heard about the Pridelands....who hadn't? They pair were content to remain rogues, but once it was clear that Latifu's joints were getting stiff in the morning and putting her at risk, the need for a pride outweighed the cons to joining. Freedom was the largest thing they would have to give up, but Konya would never forgive herself if something happened to her mother and she couldn't help.
Tentative paws brushed the grass as her eyes tried to take in how...vast this pride was. She knew she had passed through the marked border, and there were a few lions who nodded to her while carrying out their own business...but how would she petition to join? Her mother the most important thought in her mind that kept her going. It was then that she saw a form....could it really be him? How could it be, though? She hadn't seen him for a long time. Her first love, in a way, one that had been unsatisfying in the end. They had promised one another that it was nothing but mutual need, but Konya had never quite gotten over it. She had had another litter afterwards, but it hadn't feel the same (even if it was from one extreme to the other. one cub, than 6!).
"Jin?" she called out cautiously, not sure if he saw her...or if it was just someone that looked so much like him. Her stomach knotted up as she wondered what the hell she would say if it was him. It had been a long time.
The golden lion hadn't really been looking around, more wrapped up in his thoughts of the past. Hearing his name had been a bit of a shock, and his golden eyes widened when he saw who had called his name. She was still a bit away, but impossible to mistake her for anyone but who she was.
"Konya."
The green-eyed lioness smiled softly. "You remember me." Her mind did not seem to be working clearly, but her voice remained calm. "It has been a long time. I never imagined that I might run into you again."
Jin laughed. "How could I forget you? I may have left you, but I could never run from your memory. I knew I had made a mistake when we parted, but I could never find my way back to you. I am the one at fault...." Where was all of this coming from? It was the truth, so he made no motion to hide it.
Konya's eyes widened for a moment before she bashfully looked away. "I could never fill the void you left. I was too attached to my mother to leave her. She's off keeping cool somewhere, so don't think that I finally left her!" Konya laughed, though it was much smaller than Jin's.
"So you are looking for a new home? Is the old pride....gone?" he said with a bit of a gulp. "The one I rebuilt with my sister is gone as well, so I returned to my homelands. Did you remember that I was from here?"
The lioness nodded. "I did remember, though I came here to keep my mother safe. I will see if it is to her pleasure. I know a younger sibling of mine found another pride to live in, so if she isn't comfortable here, I might escort her to Marina."
Jin's head tilted to the side, his massive white mane shifting with him. "Really? Well, we should go get her and I can guide you to the king. It is easy to join here, but...I hope you'd be willing to stay here with me. Give me another chance. I promise, I won't leave again."
Konya chuckled. "And where would you go? You yourself just said you have no where else to go. I would like that. I don't need to be with my mother forever, especially if I know she will be with my younger sister, being looked after." She was a little nervous about that, but...it would be good for the both of them. Or, if you looked at it one way, the three of them. "Yes, let's go get her. At the very least she can rest here for a while before I take her to the other pride. I'm not sure where she wants to go, and I doubt she is even sure yet."
Jin nodded. "Well, let's start over again, one step at a time." He followed her as they walked towards where Latifu was resting, both of them feeling a bit a-flutter about it all, almost as if they were their same young selves again.
(1,165 words)
