Satu hovered nervously near Pride Rock, she was at the base, just before a few dens. It was Kale's suggestion to come here, apparently he had learnt so much from her – Maawio that is. The lioness that seemed older than anything else in the Pridelands, she had seen so much and known so many lions that she was a supposedly interesting character to talk to.
Anyone with such a reputation made the young lioness nervous however, she was just one of many faces in the crowd of the large pride and didn't want to waste the older lionesses time by probing her with questions.
Many of the things that Kale had learnt about the prides history, he had learnt from Maawio. Satu was beginning to understand how history had an importance in storytelling, and that telling the stories of old could be just as enthralling and interesting as any of those that were a work of fiction.
Kale had told Maawio that Satu was coming, and with a deep breath she walked near the den, announcing her presence with a gentle voice.
A form stirred inside and eventually rose to greet her visitor. Maawio was every inch as golden as she had been as a cub, and though her maw was speckled with white and grey, and her limbs obviously creaky, she possessed a blazing youth in her big blue eyes. She gave Satu a gentle smile. “Y-you must be the storyteller!” The stutter she had dealt with all her life was still there, but was waning now – it only came out occasionally.
“Come and sit down, it is so lovely to have an aspiring storyteller amongst us.” Although the lioness was visibly old, she walked very gently and gracefully, sitting down in the middle of the den.
“It is so nice to meet you.” Satu said politely. “Kale has told me lots about you, you know how interested he is in the pride's history.”
“Ah yes, he does. Historians are equally important. If we don't keep the history of the pride alive, who will?” Maawio mused quietly.
“I was wondering if perhaps I could... ask you a few questions?” The deer spotted lioness peeked up at the elder shyly – the whole thing felt like an awkward interview. “I know that your family line is very big and that you've lived a very interesting life.”
Maawio let out a soft chuckle. “Yes it is true. I have seen lots of things, but if truth be told, I feel just as young as any of you.”. Her voice still sounded youthful too – lively and smooth, still rather high pitched too. It hadn't yet descended into a rasping cackle as many others did over time. Her eyes flickered down to meet the ground for a moment. “Time slips by so f-fast.”
Satu stayed still and quiet for a moment, until the golden lioness spoke again.
“Well. I was born in the Pridelands a long long time ago.” She started chirpily. “I had a mother, but no father that I knew. Times were different back then. My mother – bless her soul, was a hard overbearing type. Of course, the older you get the more you realise that it is hard for a mother sometimes. But oh, the fear and the worry I felt as a youngster...” She trailed on a little, to examine her relationship with her mother, which had ended before her adolescence. Maawio had managed to escape the jaws of the plague by doing something very out of nature – running away.
She spoke of meeting wild dogs, other felines and birds. She spoke of the places she saw. The forests, the rivers, and although she had not been a rogue for long, she could tell Maawio had found it to be an experience, even if she had realised her home was more important.
“Even though I left as a juvenile, I returned, and Amari came with me. It took my leaving and my mothers death for me to realise that this place truly was my home and always will be. Mufasa was very kind to me.” She nodded deeply. “He was a great king. I suppose you know the story of what happened to him?” Maawio looked up at Satu sadly, and Satu nodded.
And this was when the elder began to speak of Amari. Even now the name would bring about a twinkle in her eye and a big smile to her maw.
“He was a flirtatious type, and he got himself into trouble on m-more than one occasion.” Maawio looked up to the roof of the den with a grin. “We had our troubles, and my worries took a hold of me more than often and made things difficult...”
“But we stuck together, and ultimately, we lived a very happy life indeed.” She purred.
Satu listened to her talk about her two litters with her childhood sweetheart – the first being just one cub and the other much larger. She listened to Maawios old worries about her first born son, and how he never seemed to be as bold as the others, he had inherited her anxiety it seemed. She noticed the pride in her voice as she spoke about Mbari now, with his new mate. Satu hoped that she could be as happy, and live a life as full as Maawio's. When the golden lioness returned to speaking about Amari again, Satu found herself thinking of Ishiwa...
Maawio stretched out, her limbs reaching across the ground of the den and her brown-tufted tail curling around her body almost protectively. “I raised all my cubs in this den. It is strange to think that they are adults themselves now, and many of them grandparents! One of my boys is in the swamps, but I heard they relocated... And Kengee is here, my grandson!” She beamed as she listed more family members, seeming as equally proud of each one. Satu had noticed that they often shared the beautiful golden pelt – siblings and litters that is- and in the Pridelands she had considered it a symbol of family.
The awkward feeling had gone now, dissipated in the first few moments of meeting the golden lioness. Maawio was more than happy to share information about her life and her family. Stories were how things were kept alive, and she was happy to be used as information, or even just to brighten Satu's day, hopefully.
The deer-spotted lioness was very grateful, and sat listening comfortably with a smile on her face. It was so impressive to have such an interesting life story, and to have lived so much. Satu hoped that when she was Maawio's age, she could tell a story of such wonder too.
