"So tell me more about this...king of yours. You've said he only appears at night, yes? And there is some...concern over how he rose to power?" Zim'torga was careful to keep her voice as low as her stance as she jogged alongside the pink lioness who was acting as her guide. The pair was skirting in and out of the larger of the pair's pride's borders, taking small shortcuts to help Zim'torga avoid a weeks-long detour. It was a harmless offense, if you asked her. No one should be bothered by it, but still she did not wish to make trouble for the kind soul that had offered her assistance.
Weyard snorted as she paced alongside her...what did you call a lion like that? Someone you were smuggling, more or less. The Mwezi had never been overly xenophobic, but lately... Well, in as few words as possible, things had been tense. "To be honest, I've done my part to keep my nose out of things. My sons are safe, or as safe as I can keep them, now they're all grown and on their own. The king...he doesn't pay much attention to those of us in the middle class. Which suits me fine. I didn't really know the king and queen before, but they were nice. The new king...he's their...I think their grandson. To be honest, I've never been terribly social..."
"How odd. Though if he is...strange...I would understand why you would not want his eye upon you. Family is important. You are important to them, your sons, as your parents were important to you." Behind her, her tail swished, the bones twined inside rattling about as if to emphasize her point. "My ancestors guide me, protect me. They are the link between me and the past." She regarded the pink lioness with a kind eye. "It is good that you have done what you can to protect them. You will be rewarded for it. In this life or another, who knows."
Well, that was...strange. She'd never really thought about being a real link between her past, that tucked away memory of a pride so long and far gone that no one else knew it had even existed, and her sons. For a moment she thought of her...first children. Those left behind. She hoped, desperately, that they had had good lives. Come out alright, despite their poor luck of having such a wicked mother. Then the thought was pushed back down. There was nothing she could do for them, so she would have to do even better for those she could. Those...perhaps to come.
Zim'torga had no trouble lapsing into silence to let Weyard further consider what she'd said. They ran on for a time, skirting between ridges and hills, between trees and through the tall grass. It was little trouble to avoid anyone else, and they were safe to stay near the edge of the pride should anyone appear. Still, their little bouts of trespassing would save her days in the long run. Already she had decided that she would not take more than this one day's worth of time from the kind lioness. She could be patient, and she did not feel right asking someone to potentially garner themselves, or their family, trouble for the simple sake of saving her some time.
For her own part, she briefly wondered if perhaps she should have tried to find her father, or any of her siblings. She had heard stories also that others had lived far away. Her mother and half of her siblings? That sounded about right. Perhaps one day she would seek them out, see that they had settled and were well. For now though, the bones just kept rattling, telling her to get to the mountain, to find what she was meant to have and where she was meant to be.
Hours later, as the sun was rising to the far east, the lions came to a rolling stop just outside the borders of the pride once more. At first glance they seemed no nearer to the distant mountain than before, but distance wasn't the obstacle they'd meant to overcome. A narrow strip of the pride's land had been crossed as they conversed on and off through the night, saving Zim the trouble of rounding a larger bulge of claimed land. The night had been uneventful, and left both lionesses deep in thought, and in the end, happy to have had the company.
Weyard had made a few decisions as she ran that had been long overdue. There were parts of her life she would have to face, and parts that would be good if she could move on. She owed it to herself, and to those nearest to her. She'd been putting it off, and now wasn't the best time, but soon. She was already looking forward to getting back to the heartland of the pride, to catching up with certain folks, and perhaps finally bothering to poke her head up long enough to really see what was going on around her. After all, that was her job, wasn't it? Personally and professionally, she could do better. Would do better, for those that came after her. With the eye of the great lion above to see, she'd do better, starting tonight.
And Zim'torga felt even more sure of herself. The bones in her tail sang with delight over her actions, and though they cautioned that the way was still long yet, she would arrive well and sound, if she kept to the ways she'd been taught. She was exhausted, far more than before she'd me the pink lioness, but exhilarated at the same time. She was starting to get a sense of what lay ahead at the journey's end for her, and she almost hated the idea of resting for the day. Patience, rattled the bones, and she would do her best to have it.
"There's an old abandoned den nearby. Occasionally folks passing through use it, or at least, we've seen them use it. I don't think anyone's there now, if you want it. I can't promise that no one else will pop in on you, but it's in the rogue lands proper, so they won't really have any reason to object." Weyard gave her a nudge on the shoulder to send her off.
"Thank you again, lioness of the moon who wears the sun in her fur. I think, perhaps, that your king will turn out. In one way or another. Perhaps. I hope it will be well, for you." The wine-colored female ducked her head in thanks, and in a rustle of the long grass, was gone from the pride's lands. Weyard watched her leave, and then turned, not wasting any time. Hopefully, if she was lucky, the stranger would be right.
