Mwako'tu hovered near the den, a mixture of excitement and anxiety building up in his stomach. He had spent so long searching, so long waiting, and here he was. The Pridelands were almost nothing like his mother had described, although that came as no surprise. For her to have twisted it beyond recognition was something that suited her character. Mwako didn't understand why she hated it so much, or why she even felt the need to leave in the first place. He sighed. He would probably never know exactly what was going through her mind, nor did he really want to. He doubted he would ever see his mother again. Though she had tried to raise him to be malicious, he had ended up becoming quite pacifistic. Having never really known his father, he was now alone and in a foreign place.
Mahiri was lumbered around the den without much of a purpose. He liked to try and keep himself busy, it was hard to do the things he used to... he was no good at hunting now. Instead he found time to reminisce and to tell various tales to his family and other members of the Pride. It was something that kept his mind sharp, and so he valued those moments. He was becoming increasingly wise in his older age, which wasn't entirely surprising as he'd always been rather clever. Maroon eyes lingered near the entrance of the den... He could hear something... Or maybe it was just his mind playing tricks on him, it liked to do that occasionally. Still, he wondered towards the edge of the den with a peculiarly quizzical expression. “Hello?”
Mwako'tu nearly jumped out of his skin. He was expecting to have approached the den when he was ready, and the idea of his grandfather greeting him first had not even crossed his mind. “U-um, hello.” He said nervously, though unbeknownst to him, he had nothing to fear. Mahiri really was a friendly old soul.
“Are you new here?” He asked with a deep chuckle.
“Yes but... actually...” Mwako looked around sharply. “I've been looking for you.” Mahiri was the last remaining link he had, the last family member he knew of... Perhaps he had aunts and uncles here too then! It was an incredibly late epiphany, but a joyful one all the same.
“Me?” Mahiri narrowed his eyes... What on earth could he mean? Worry hit him suddenly. Perhaps he was delivering a message, perhaps something had happened to one of his children?
Mwako could see the males expression and was quick to reassure him. “N-no, it's not bad! It's just, we are family...” He blurted out.
The white and chocolate marked male raised his eyebrows with a smile. It wasn't unusual for a family member to suddenly make themselves known. After all, he had many children and some of those children had decided to seek a better like elsewhere. He wondered where on earth this male had come from and beckoned him into the den. “Well, you better sit down!”
Mwako moved gently and sat opposite Mahiri. It was one of the larger dens, and it had obviously been home to many a cub. It had a loved, earthy, worn feel to it. He felt the need to explain himself and so began with a sigh.
“I am... Mbaya's son.” He had no idea how he would react to the name, let alone the fact that one of her offspring was sitting right opposite him.
Mahiri felt as if a knife had sliced through his throat, unable to speak for a moment until he regained his cool. Mbaya had always been difficult... downright malicious. She was loved, but there was nothing that could help her, and it pained Mahiri more often than anyone knew. Other pride members would comment that she had all the evil in the world inside of her, even for a cub. There was nothing him or Bakhti could have done... He thought back to Malaika's scars, how Mbaya had ruined her back out of jealousy. There was something tipped in an entirely negative manner in her mind, and he had never understood...
To hear news of her brought about mixed reactions. She was... so vicious, so selfish. She had caused him and his family so much pain at times and when she had left there was guilty relief. It shouldn't be that way, but he couldn't help the way he felt. On the other hand, she was his daughter, one of the remaining pieces of Bakhti before she was killed – his own flesh and blood.
The old lion felt slightly nauseous and looked at Mwako'tu tentatively. It was exciting to learn that this stranger was family, and he attempted a warm smile so the male would not feel he had upset him by bringing him this news. “H-how is she?” His unintentional stutter reminded him slightly of Maawio and he grinned internally.
Mwako'tu looked at his Grandfather with sympathy. “It's okay... She is still very difficult. Very cruel. I imagine she must have been that way when she was young. She speaks of this place with such hatred. I cannot for the life of me understand why.”
Nodding his large fluffy head, Mahiri began. “She was always a … strange cub. For something so innocent she always seemed to full of malice. It was unusual to say the least, and there were many pride-members who would suggest she was cursed or say unsavoury things about her. I gave her the benefit of the doubt for far too long. She is responsible for many psychological and physical scars on this families backs. He thought of poor Malaika and the scars she would have to live with. The truth was, he never favoured any of his children over the others, Mbaya was just too blind to see that. So he tale came pouring out, from when she was a cub, to when she disappeared one day. Her father had never seen her again – nor had he had any word of her.
Her son filled in the gaps. The fights, the bitterness. He thought deep down that Mbaya may have missed her family, made a mistake, but now he felt like he was mistaken. There was no way that she had underlying kindness – it wasn't possible. The two males spoke and caught up, eventually moving away from the subject of the malicious lioness and onto something more interesting. They were family now, and they were together. It was a time to learn more about one another, a time to grow, and a time to move on.
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