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When she wanted alone time, the dark lioness tended to sit at the edge of the jungle with her tail in the shade and her gaze turned out at the sea. At the moment she was sulking. Her recent trip in the very jungle her butt was enjoying had caused her an injury. It wasn't a big injury but she defiantly had a couple of broken toes according to the Mwani and she had gone to them a few times to get the wound re-bound. Looking at her toes she grumbled to herself, the bound foot had stopped her from doing her job and frankly, that was the only thing that kept her in contact with other pride members. She felt isolated, alone, which was strange because she never felt that way. Becoming a part of this pride. It had changed her, she had truly never felt alone before.
The male with the jellyfish like markings was just wandering the beach this day, combing for something quick and easy to eat. Washed up fish that were still flopping about were his favorite target when he was peckish. Cubozoa left paw prints in the wet sand as he sniffed at the waters edge before looking up and about.
But nothing could be found here today and with a heavy sigh, the large male headed toward the jungle to see if he could find some baby monkey or something to eat.
That's when he spotted a very colorful lioness sitting by herself and looking very depressed. So he changed directions and swaggered up to her.
“Hello there,” he drawled out, grinning a bit.
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The water marked lioness lifted her head when the male spoke to her. Her deep magenta eyes looked him over. He looked like other male lions of the pride, wind swept mane, that wet bristly look that always followed them around. She wasn't really sure, despite the feeling of loneliness that she wanted to speak to someone. She didn't want to seem rude though so she smiled and nodded her head. "Good morning." She managed, wondering if she needed to continue from this she decided it was probably a good idea to introduce herself. "I'm sorry, I'm Liviyathan, I'm afraid I don't know your name." She purses her lips, she recognised the markings, she had seen many in the pride that bore those markings, undoubtedly they were relatives in one way or another. It must have been nice to have a family in this place even if she found that to be an alien concept for her.
“Cubozoa,” he said with a sweep of his head. “I haven't seen you about before.. Then again, I've been in my own little bubble.” He tepped forward and sat down beside her, staring off into the jungle. “You seem so lonely. I thought I'd come give you company! Well,” he ducked his head, sheepish. “Honestly I was off to get something to eat from the shore, but nothing good has washed up. So I was going to go see what I could grab from the jungle easily enough.”
It seemed like the male didn't like to put effort into his meal. At least not yet. “Tell me. Why are you so sad? Lionesses should be smiling! ..Well, everyone. Not just lionesses. Smiles… are good.” He was rambling, wasn't he? “Sorry… I talk a lot.”
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The magenta eyed lioness let a laugh roll over her lips. She couldn't help it, he was so cheery, it pulled her out of her own reverie. "I'v hurt my foot, in this very jungle." She nods her head to the shadows behind her. "Its a bit depressing, I cant do my job right now." She lifted her paw showing him her bound foot. "I was being foolish hunting alone, I forget sometimes that I am actually a part of a pride now." She smiled an earnest smile. "Its hard sometimes being a part of something." She looked up at the male, she wasn't sure she had had such a long conversation ever. She supposed she was finally getting used to being in a pride. She had, certainly had a few conversations of late.
“Oh dear,” he looked down to her paw when she said she'd hurt it and frowned. Poor girl! He huffed and kicked a rock at the jungle as hard as he could, listening to it thump against a tree. “There. I got it back for you! Hopefully everything's all evened out and when you're better it won't hurt you again.” He was very much like a child. His eyes sparkled and then he looked down at her again when she said it was hard being a part of something.
“I think.. I can understand that. I've been part of this pride my whole life, but I think I can understand.” He licked his muzzle, thinking about it. What was it like to not have family? To not have a pride? “So, since you're here… despite not being used to it, is it better than being out there?”
He wasn't trying to be mean or to make he see that it was good here. He was honestly just curious.
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Tilting her head the dark lioness watched as he threw a tantrum for her. It made her chuckle. She knew a lot of the pridal lions were young, silly, naive. They knew nothing about the outside world, she couldn't blame them, the unknown was a scary thing. "Thank you, I am sure it feels properly told off." "Yes it is different, better in its own way, strange in another. Its a world I haven't really known I lived a long time in between prides. The sea kept pulling me here so I decided I would try the pridal life." She let out a gentle sigh "I guess pride life works for me, its just hard some times. Its a different way of life."
“Well, the Bahari'mtoto is the best of the prides along the ocean,” he said, pride swelling in his chest. It made him sit upright, sit a bit taller, his head held higher. The grin on his muzzle didn't dissipate either. It widened, in fact.
“Living in-between prides sounds lonely but.. Sometimes it doesn't sound so bad. Be glad you weren't here when two litters of ten were born at the same time.” He'd only heard, but what he heard is that it was really chaotic. “I mean. They were cousins, to boot!”
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She chuckled, the pride in his voice made her smile. She supposed one who knew no where else would say that but she had to agree, she did love the Bahari, it was a place she had decided was right for her. It was just difficult to be around so many other creatures. When he spoke of cubs she raised both brows. Litters of ten? Well she couldn't imagine such a thing after all in the rogue lands cubs didn't live, she had been a single cub, she had never really known any siblings and her mother had not lived much past her own adolescence. "I suppose a pride that is so healthy would produce large litters." She had never really thought about it she was after all a hunter not a caretaker in the pride. She had no ability to care for cubs. "I thought I recognised your patterns, you have a very large family here?" She queried tilting her head lightly.
“Oh I do. I don't think I'm related to those two litters. But my family's markings do run through a portion of the pride. I don't think it's a large portion..” He paused to think about that. How many siblings did he have? “I myself, have seven siblings. More or less. Honestly I've never been good at keeping track with my siblings...” He hadn't been very close to any but the twins until they grew up and wandered off to live on their own elsewhere in the pride.
“Ah, you ...are you tired? Should I help escort you back to your den?”
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She smiles quietly "It must be nice to have family, I have none of my own. I suppose that's why its so hard to be a part of a pride. Its hard to be a part of a big family when you never even had a little one." Liviyathan shook her head. "No, I'm fine I can make my own way I was just enjoying watching the sea. Or sulking, but I should count myself lucky, if I had done this," She held up her paw "Out there I would have gone hungry. Here I can be idle until this heals and not go un-fed. I'm happy to stay with my tail in the trees if you need to go, you said you were hungry right? Don't let me keep you."
When she said these things, his expression fell and he wanted to offer more sympathy to her. But then she elaborated a bit and he couldn't help the relieved laugh that escaped his muzzle. With a shake of his head Cubozoa got back to all four paws and just watched her.
“I'll fetch you something delicious and bring it to you when I get back! ...It ..or. I mean. Yeah. Maybe a monkey. It's what I was planning on eating, honestly.”
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She smiles at the big male watching his expression. She didn't mean to lay all of that on the young male but he seemed to bounce back. She was going to protest about him bringing her food, but he seemed so keen to go and hunt some monkeys she decided protesting would probably only hurt his feelings. "Thank you, make sure you eat first though, I can always go to the pridal meal later." She looks behind herself and in to the trees "Just be careful in there alone, don't do anything drastic and don't hurt yourself." She chuckles "Let my silly tale be one of warning."
“You got it.” With that, Cubozoa gave her a wink and then bounded off, leaping over a fallen tree and disappeared into the underbrush to go find a couple easy monkeys to pick off. He would eat first. That was the plan. But he would bring her back something. Even if he had to ask around to see where her den was and leave it there, he was going to make good on his promise.
