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 Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 7:58 pm
 The white lion paced along. It was relaxing, he'd found, to not have anywhere to go, anywhere to be. He'd lived as a rogue before, but only for short trips outside the pride, trying to escape the notoriety he'd...brought to himself within the Mwezi. Still, there were some differences. This was a much longer journey and there was no safe den at the end of it, at least, not that Yareha could see. He could hope for such, but then again, the life of a wandering lion was fairly interesting thus far. At least, he hadn't gotten bored of it. Yet.
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 8:19 pm
 Sahak strode purposefully across the gently rolling landscape. It was odd how it looked flat, and yet things dipped from sight, or the ground would drop out from under one's paws unexpectedly. It spoke to how much all this travel had changed him that he was fit, well-fed, and making good time. He'd learned how to fend for himself, becoming self-sufficient as he never had when he'd been in the pride. His brief time spent with the Pridlander female had brought home to him, though, how much he missed his family. He'd left her side with the goal of tracking them down refreshed in his heart.
Imagine his delight when, against all hope, a bird had come to him with a message. A black bird had suddenly dropped from the sky to flare its wings directly in front of him, chattering brightly about being sent by his mother to find him. It was through this that he'd learned the name of the place they'd gone, as well as gotten directions to it, such as a bird is capable of giving a lion. The one thing it could not tell him was how long he'd have to travel to find them and this mysterious place.
That hadn't bothered him, though. So long as he knew where, and was able to follow the directions he'd been given, he was willing to walk until his mane grew thin with old age. He would find them! He was not so foolish, however, as to not take breaks, or give himself some much needed rest. There were interesting people to meet along the way.
He caught the scent of the other lion before catching sight of him. More confident and relaxed now on his own, Sahak did not hesitate to call out. "Fine day for walking, is it not?" He cast a grin to the other male, bright and full of good nature.
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 8:24 pm
Yareha looked up at the sudden voice. Heart pounding, he forced himself to calm down. The voice had sounded friendly, and the expression on the face of the lion approaching him was open and friendly. The white lion grinned in response.
"Yes, it certainly is," he agreed. Blue eyes flicked upwards to check on the eagle circling far above. He seemed content to remain above and Yareha was content to let him stay up there. Friends they might be, but the lion did enjoy having time to himself now and again.
"Going anywhere in particular, or just wandering?" he asked the other lion.
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 8:31 pm
Sahak warmed to the mutually friendly nature of his fellow traveler. It also made him warm inside to be able to answer his question affirmatively. "I am heading to a pride my family had gone to. I will be joining them there, whenever I manage to arrive." He grinned ruefully. "From what I understand, it's quite a distance away." Not that this was exactly enlightening, since distance was relative to what one was used to. It was entirely possible that this rogue spent most of his days on the move, and would find his jaunt a short journey.
"And you? Do you head to a specific place, or are you merely meandering?" He reflected that this might be considered a rude question, but he'd been asked the same thing, and not felt offended, so surely returning the question would not be a problem. "My name is Sahak, by the way. It's a pleasure to meet someone friendly out here." His genuine smile said that he really hadn't met many that were particularly nasty as yet, but that he appreciated the good company.
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 8:41 pm
"I'm Yareha Afaer," the white lion introduced himself in return. "Just wandering through the land," he answered with a sidelong glance upwards. He'd heard stories such as Sahak's before, and wondered how long the other lion had been journeying to his pirde's new home. After all, there had been a few members of the Mwezi'Johari who had made such a trip including the Priestess Kibetinyota, her mate Uchanjaa and his sister Nkosazana. They had arrived with the evil Dusana, who had been responsible for the death of Queen Alcmene.
He didn't think Sahak would be in that position though, from what it sounded like.
"That sounds like a very long journey," he said, instead of giving voice to his own thoughts. "Are you sure of this pride then?" Yareha had to admit to some curiosity about prides other than his own. He had so little experience with them.
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 8:49 pm
Sahak bit his tongue in consternation at the comment that it had been a long journey. He had to be honest with himself, and thus this stranger. "It was made longer by my own stubbornness, actually. I would have been with them for this journey, had I not tried to cling to old ways and old places." He slid a sideways look of regret and self-deprecation at Yareha Afaer, catching him looking upwards again. Curious, he flicked his gaze up too, spotting the circling bird riding the thermals. He decided not to comment, at least not just yet.
"Am I certain about the pride... how?" He looked a mite puzzled. "I am certain they are there, and I am certain I want to be with them. I am reasonably certain my mother is happy there, and that the pride has been good for them." He paused, mulling. He hadn't really said some of this out loud before, not even to Fefe. "I also am pretty certain that it will be good for both my parents and myself to be close to them. We were a tightly knit family, in a tightly knit pride, before all... this." He waved a paw vaguely, though the look on his face was sorrow mixed with frustration.
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 8:54 pm
His own stubbornness? Boy, there was something the white lion could relate to. He knew he'd dug his own grave in the Mwezi, but try as he might, not only could Yareha not see living any other way, he couldn't stomach what he'd have had to do to otherwise. He wasn't fond at all of the attitudes the class system gave rise to amongst the highest ranks in particular, and preferred the simplicity being a rogue had brought him. He might not seem any better off than the Hunter he'd been, but at least the same held true for everyone else he'd ever met.
"I'm glad you can be so certain of this home waiting for you," was all he said in return. Truly, it sounded as if Sahak had the kind of family that would close in around him in love and protect him from all harm if necessary.
Yareha's family, on the other hand...some would do that. Others...were like Aysu, and were probably well pleased that he was gone.
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 9:11 pm
It occurred to Sahak that perhaps this other lion wasn't familiar with pridal life. It had only ever been good to him, and in his limited experience, that was what he figured most were like. Though he had to admit, stories of the chaos that had descended on his mother's family and original pride did give him pause. He gave his companion a speculative look, trying to deduce the other lion's background. It was no good, of course. He wasn't good at that sort of thing, so he finally simply asked.
"Pardon my curiosity," he began politely, "but you seem averse to prides. Is this due to unfamiliarity, or bad experience?" His ears angled forward with interest. He was becoming convinced that learning more about others' lives helped give his own life more definition and clarity. It wasn't important enough to heartily seek out while he had his current goal ahead of him still. But perhaps later, amongst his new pride.
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 9:18 pm
Well. That was an awkwardly direct question. Yareha pondered how best to answer it without revealing his disgrace. He did not want to spoil the potential friendship here with old problems.
"I know very little of most prides," was what the white lion chose to answer with. "I am not necessarily against them, I just have no interest in them at this point in my life." That was all true enough. It just didn't speak of the fact that he had lived in a pride all his life until recently.
"I take it you prefer being in a pride to living as a rogue?" he asked.
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 9:26 pm
That was a fair enough answer, and the return question was deservedly to the point. he suspected he'd gone a bit too far over the line, but was appreciative that this lion wasn't the sort to get huffy or violent when bothered. So he answered as candidly as possible. "I most certainly did at first, when our pride went to pieces." He looked a bit chagrined at the memory, folding his ears in embarrassment. "I stayed in the pride's territory, hoping it would all go back to normal, until noone was left, just me." His whiskers slicked back in discomfort. "That's how attached I was to being in a pride, I'm afraid."
He paused for thought, his whiskers and ears relaxing again. Things had definitely changed since them. He had changed. He wondered briefly if his parents would be proud of those changes. He supposed all he could do was strive to be sure that was so. "I still want to belong, to be surrounded by friends and family," he admitted slowly, eyes defocused due to his thoughts turned inward. "But it is different now than it was then. I wouldn't say I love being a rogue, but I don't dislike it as much as I did back then." His eyes refocused and met Yareha's eyes again. "Funny how becoming more capable at something can change your opinion of it." It was both a serious observation as well as a mildly self-mocking comment.
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 9:38 pm
Yareha blinked in surprise. This lion had been so attached to his pride that he'd remained in their territory after it disbanded? And for quite some time too, it sounded like. The white lion doubted that he could ever have that kind of dedication to something. His esteem for Sahak rose.
"I can certainly understand that sentiment, though I doubt I could ever do as you did," the white lion admitted readily.
"You must care for your family and friends a very great deal, to go to such lengths to see them again," he offered, not wanting to be too intrusive or offensive.
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 9:48 pm
Sahak gazed frankly at the other lion, and spoke honestly. "If I had had the good sense to put such value on the people rather than the pride and it's territory, I would have gone with them when they left. I was foolish, not admirable." The truth hurt, yes, but he'd come to terms with this painful truth. He'd been a fool to act as he had, but he'd been younger as well. It wasn't as if he hadn't been advised to act more wisely, before those wiser had already left. But that was the past, and unchangeable.
"I'm going to make that right, though, by finding them again. This time, where they go I will also, even if that pride falls apart as well." There was conviction and dedication heavy in his voice, not fanatically so, but with the strength of determination. "You see, my mother is aging, and I don't want to waste any more time being petty about where we are. I just want to be with them again." His expression was wistful, and he added, "I hear my sister is there too! It will feel good to be with them all for good, no matter where 'there' is."
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 9:53 pm
The white lion stared intently at Sahak. The other lion seemed to truly regret his actions and was now working to repent, as it were. He'd learned his lesson, it seemed. Yareha had to wonder what kind of reception he'd receive in his reformed pride...but the fact that the grey lion had directions to follow argued that it would be a welcome one.
Perhaps he and Sahak were not nearly as different as he might have thought. If the grey lion had learned a lesson and was now seeking to redress his issues, was such a thing possible for the white lion?
It might be, though he knew that whatever he did, he would not be welcomed back to the Mwezi'Johari.
"I am happy for you," he managed to respond, realizing the silence had stretched on for far too long.
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 10:05 pm
The long silence was a gentle tip-off, as was the accumulation of mild and vague well-wishes. Perhaps he had spent too much of his time speaking about himself. He'd take the time to reflect on this possibility during his next leg of his journey, but for now, he sensed that perhaps it was time to move along.
"Thank you for the company and conversation," he spoke sincerely, meeting the other's eyes openly, "but I think I shall leave you to your thoughts now. It was pleasant to meet a fellow traveler. Perhaps we will meet again someday." He was no seer, and was not making a prophecy, but was conveying his wish that they might. Perhaps next time they met, he could get to know the other more-so than this time. Here and now, however, it seemed Yareha was not willing to be quite as open as Sahak concerning himself. He lowered his voice, conveying how serious he was. "Safe travels to you, Yareha Afaer. May you find what you seek." Whatever that might be.
With those words, he turned and set off again at a brisk pace, aiming in the proper direction according to the raven's instructions. Who knew, he might be much closer than he supposed! His new home might be near enough so that he could speak with his mother and father again within the week. After all, anything was possible when the world was as wide open and full of possibilities as it was for Sahak today.
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 10:13 pm
"May the Great Lion watch over you," Yareha replied, startled by the seemingly sudden departure of the grey lion. Well, he supposed that it was only reasonable for Sahak to want to get on with his journey, it sounded as if he still had a fair ways to go.
"It would be good, to meet again," he continued softly. Sahak had certainly given him a great deal to think about in so many ways. The white lion hoped that he did run into the grey once more after he'd returned to his kin - that way he'd learn whether or not Sahak's lessoning had paid off in full. He hoped, for his acquaintance's sake, that it did.
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