[FIN] On the Journey (Nebo & Nagua)

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Unfortunately, it seemed that the great migration from swamps to mountain did not count towards the name quest every young Jini-msemi had to go on. This was disappointing for the young lion, but not surprising. It had been a faint hope anyway.

Nagua supposed that he shouldn't be so nervous about being out in the world - after all, hadn't he just been in this position along with the rest of the pride?

Well...there was a difference. The rest of the pride was nowhere near. There was no one to help him if he got into trouble. It was all on his own shoulders.

At least he'd found a stream to drink from. That was one thing he'd learned on the first journey - that water was much less plentiful outside the swamps and he'd better take advantage of it when he could find it.  

[Andranis]

How long had it been since the Neled'orod? Far too long... Nebo missed the pride by the sea, though felt no inclinations to join any of the prides currently there. The tan lion moved at a steady pace, not fast but not a mosey. He had no destination in mind, really, nowhere he was going in particular. When one had lost everything they loved, everyone... They didn't just settle anywhere they felt. He needed a reason to settle somewhere.

The male paused, spying a blue form in the grasses. At first he thought it might be his lost love, then remembered... She had died at the claws of the angry god who oozed lava from cracks in his very body. He shook his head, ridding himself of the memory, before going and settling near the other male to drink. May as well enjoy some company, right?  

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A sudden splashing noise and Nagua realized that another lion had come for a drink. The adolescent froze. A lion. A big brown lion whom he didn't know and had never seen before in his life was standing next to him. Drinking.

What should he do?

Well, one assumed he should keep breathing. Breath was a very good thing. He took a deep one and spluttered, having managed to forget that his nose was in the stream. The boy jerked his muzzle out of the water, coughing and spraying water everywhere.  

[Andranis]

The dark-haired lion looked up from his drink, amusement in his eyes. "It's easier to be breathin' if'n you don't do it in the water, kid." He stepped away from the water, taking a seat on the grass. "You ain't needin' to be nervous or nothin', neither, I ain't gonna hurt you, if'n that's what you're worried about. Ain't got it in me." Never in his life had Nebo gotten into a fight if he could avoid it. He didn't much like it, really. Sure, some of his younger brothers might have done it, but not him. His energy was better spent doing other things.  

[mouselet]

The boy looked up at the older lion. The older lion who wasn't doing anything to him...who sounded nice enough...although...

"You talk weird," Nagua blurted out, then dropped his head down. Ugh, had he forgotten all his mother had taught him about manners? He might not know too much about the outside world, but he certainly knew that had been rude!

"Sorry...I didn't mean to say that," the adolescent mumbled his apology.  

[Andranis]

Nebo laughed, giving a wave of his paw. "Oh, it ain't a problem at ALL! Got it from my momma... I think my sister may've shaken it, of course, but I ain't seen her in so long..." How WAS she doing? He'd have to go find Tziporah again some time. To the west, that was all he knew. "So, friend, what're you out here doin' all alone? You get too old and your pride kick you out for bein' a boy?" Some prides, he'd seen, were like that. As soon as males reached adolescence, they were driven out because the ruling male or males wanted ALL the rights to the ladies.  

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"N-no..." There were prides that did that? Mad all boys leave? He'd never even heard of such a thing! It just made the wide world seem like an even scarier place than he'd thought it was. Especially since he was all alone.

Nagua swallowed and made himself ignore his fear. He didn't want to be a whiney crybaby! This was only the first stranger he'd met on his journey and if this was how he was going to act, he might as well curl up and die right now!

"I'm on my name quest," the adolescent went on, his tone stronger. "I can't go back home until I've found my true name."

Of course...home for him still meant the swamps. It was difficult to think of a mountain he'd seen only for a few days as being his home.  

[Andranis]

Name quest...? After a moment, a look of recognition flashed in Nebo's eyes. "Ah, the swamp lions... Wan't there a fire there a week or so ago?" Maybe it had been longer. "I don't expect anybody'd be wantin' to live there right now..." He scratched his throat in thought for a moment, then looked at the younger lion. "What's your name right now, kid? Cain't be callin' you 'kid' or 'boy,' now can I? Supposin' knowin' who you are NOW can help you figure out who you might BE later." Who he himself had been as a youth was very different from who he was now. In his youth, he'd flirted with every female he happened on. Now... Now he couldn't quite imagine himself settling with another lioness. None of them... CLICKED with him.  

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Yellow eyes widened. This lion knew about his pride? Knew them as the swamp lions even! And about the fire...he knew everything! Nagua gaped in astonishment before remembering that he'd been asked a question.

"Nagua," he answered. Then, gathering his courage, the adolescent ventured a question of his own.

"What's your name?" If the older lion was going to be so helpful, he could answer that little question...right? And then Nagua would know who to thank! Aside from the gods, of course.  

[Andranis]

The older lion frowned. What an unfortunate name... Diseased... "My name's Nebo. Means 'prophet'... Bit of an irony, I guess..." He shifted, laying down. "But yours... I'm wonderin' why someone would name their child diseased... Unless they was from the diseased pride..." He motioned with a paw in a seemingly random direction. "Off yonder that'a way, there's a whole pride, most of 'em are sick.. Done my best to try and not cross into their border ever' time I go by them, 'cause once you get sick, they don't let you leave." He had no idea why, himself, they didn't let the sick leave. Maybe they didn't want to spread their personal plague.  

[mouselet]

Oooh, this lion's name meant "prophet"? So cool! Nagua was all ready to ask Nebo a whole bunch of questions...when the older lion began talking about how his name meant "diseased". The youth's exuberance faded immediately and he lay down next to the older lion.

"Are...are you sure that's what it means?" he asked worriedly. He hated to think his mom had given him such an awful name. It made him want to finish this name quest and find his real one even more!

Nebo's words of a diseased pride went in one ear and out the other. They were just distant lions that Nagua had never heard of before and was unlikely to ever meet, from his point of view.  

[Andranis]

"'Course it is." He let out a puff of breath. "I been everywhere, so I seen a lot, heard a lot... Passed a lot of prides... Many use different namin' systems... But your mother, she may've picked it knowin' you'd change it eventually. That'd be like namin' a cub 'dirt' on'a count'a it's brown, and another one 'moss' 'cause it's green, and then sendin' them out and they come home named things like 'diamond in the rough' and 'mighty tree.' You could come home named somethin' like 'strong and steady heart' to show you're'a good health." He rose onto his paws, stretching out. "But you got a whole while to be findin' who you REALLY are... Because you don't look diseased to me."  

[mouselet]

"'Course I don't look diseased, 'cause I'm not!" the boy responded hotly, glaring at Nebo. Why did he have to be such a know-it-all? Nagua would rather have never known what his birth name meant than learn it meant something so awful as "diseased"!

"I'll just have to find my real name," he went on, standing up and beginning to pace. "A better name. The best name of all!" He wasn't going to be stuck with "diseased" his life! That was what it meant to be Jini-msemi, right?  

[Andranis]

The older male watched the younger pace, tilting his head just a bit. For a moment, his pupils dilated, expression like he was staring off at something distant. In a sudden moment, his attention snapped back and his pupils shrank. He wasn't sure the other lion had even noticed. "I'm thinkin', maybe... You should head on again. You can't find your name here, can you? In a drinkin' pool? I don't think you need to be known as 'drinks a lot of water'..." Fate was dealing its paw... And Nebo knew where it was pointing. "Why don't I travel with you? You can have yourself someone to talk to, a friendly face... And you can work on the whole bein' shy thing."  

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Nagua made a face at Nebo. "I am not shy!" he responded hotly. Though the older lion was quite right about not being able to find his name here. After all, this wasn't a very interesting little stream and he wanted an interesting name. Just...not as "interesting" as "diseased". Was that so much to ask?

But...Nebo wanted to travel with him? That was...unexpected.

"I don't think I'm supposed to travel with anybody," the boy replied slowly. After all, he and his brothers and sisters had all been sent off in different directions and admonished not to travel together. They could return together, but only if they had already found their true names.