Bozi was adjusting to his new life slowly with the Mwezi. Back with the demons it had been a life of fear and pain. Nothing he did seemed to please those he served. There were scars, both physical and mental, that had been left on the poor lion, and even today he shuddered at the sight of a dark-coated lion. Thankfully there weren't that many in this pride or, if there were, they kept to themselves. That little psychological issue was easy to ignore for the most part, which was a blessing to the lion. He was still a slave, but to him he was living life like a prince. There were rules to follow and things to see to, of course, but everyone was so kind to him. They smiled and respected his space and ever, ever touched him unless they asked. It seemed his shy nature preceded him when meeting someone new.
Kupatwa, however, hadn't heard of the newest slave to grace the Mwezi. She was still too young to know much about ranks anyway, so she'd just as soon play with a slave as with the king or queen. As it was, she had no one to play with and that was bugging her a bit. Her siblings were all snoozing and her mother was out and about, stretching her legs. Kua hated naps and always had, so as soon as the moon had left the opening of her den, she darted out into the night. It didn't take long to find the brightly colored slave by the water, getting a drink.
"Hey!" she called out as she barreled towards Bozi, who lifted his head in surprise. He hadn't been spoken to by a cub in a very, very long time. "Hey, mister! You wanna play?" She didn't let him answer before she reached him, though, and pounced on his tail with a 'vicious' snarl. It was really more of an adorable whine and growl, but to her she was the scariest thing of four legs.
Bozi was very taken aback and had to tell himself that the cub was just playing, not really attacking him. There had been a few cubs with the demons that had tried to beat him up and, while their claws were sharp, they really hadn't done much damage. Still, he had pretended as though it had hurt just so they'd stop bothering him. With this one, however...
"Oh no, you've got me," he said with a weak smile, lowering himself to the ground as Kupa continued to chew on the fluff of his tail. She looked up in surprise before laughing and pounced over on his hind legs.
"Yay! I got you! I've never gotten anyone before!" she said happily, crawling up onto his back. The turn of events made Bozi's heart settle down a bit, as it had been beating rather hard up until this moment. She'd certainly startled him!
"Well, there's a first time for everything, isn't there?" he said softly, his heart and chest warming a bit as the cub settled down on his back. He never thought he'd enjoy talking with others - cubs especially - but now that he was in this safe place he was finally starting to realize that not everything in the world was out to get him. It was bringing about a new, gentle side to him under all the fear and insecurity.
Kupa tilted her head at the lion as he smiled and reached out a little paw to press against his muzzle where a few scars crossed his maw. "Hey, does that hurt?" she asked, concern in her voice. She'd never seen someone look so happy but have such a wound before! It made her a little scared, but she certainly wasn't going to show it. When the lion shook his head 'no', though, she relaxed and removed her paw from his mouth. "Oh good. It looks like it does," she said quietly, ducking her head a bit.
"It did when I got it. I was about your age," Bozi said quietly, his ears pressing against his head as the little female whimpered softly. 'But it's okay now. I hardly know it's there." Just when he smiled, he was finding, the skin pulled tight and felt uncomfortable. No pain, just a reminder that it was there.
"Okay," Kupa said softly as she slid off Bozi's back to nuzzle his head, settling herself by his shoulder. "I'm Kupa," she added helpfully. "I live over there." She pointed with a paw in the direction of her den as Bozi gave a soft 'ooh' of understanding.
"I'm Bo-" No...he wasn't Bozi, was he? He frowned slightly, shaking his head. He was still introducing himself with that name he was given by his father, meaning useless. No, he had a new name now. A better name, one that meant renew, since this was his new chance at life. "I'm Upya," he finally said, the little female smiling as she got his name.
"I like that name! Upya! It's fun to say," Kupa said with a grin. "And it ends with an 'a' like my name! Well, my nickname and my real name, so that makes it extra cool."
Bozi had to chuckle a bit at Kupa's enthusiasm. "Well...thank you. I like it, too." They both lifted their heads as someone called out for Kupa: it seemed like her brothers and sisters had woken up from their naps and wanted to play.
"Ooh! I'm gonna go home now. Nice to meet you, Upya!" Kupa said as she rubbed against the small male again before darting off in the direction of her den, calling out to her siblings as they tumbled from the opening. Bozi watched with a smile before shaking his head and moving away. Upya. He had to remember he was Upya, not Bozi. That life was behind him now, and from here on out only good things were going to come to him. Anything would be better than what he lived through before...maybe there'd even be some cubs for him to watch over in the future. With a smile he pressed on into the night, seeing if anyone needed help with any chores.
FIN
WC: 1042
