"Is this okay?" Damu questioned aloud to Asali as they sat near the border of the Tani'Ajiri. Bamba had spent most of the night with them here, telling them of the pride he had joined and his reasons for doing so. They talked for many hours into the night, and eventually Damu had come to the decision that she wanted to stay. Asali hadn't said much, other than a simple agreement to the decision, and that had Damu worried. Her larger sister was usually much more boisterous and open about her feelings, and the silence was unlike her. Damu's ears flicked back uncertainly as she turned to gaze at her sister, waiting for an answer.Asali wasn't quite sure how to feel about Damu's sudden decision. Her sister had always jumped to rash decisions, which was how they had wound up in the Ithambo'hlabathi in the first place, but this one had surprised even Asali. She wasn't necessarily against it, and she could tell that Damu truly loved being able to catch up with and talk with her son. "If this is truly what you want to do, I'll stand by you no matter what," Asali eventually spoke up, though some tiredness still remained in her voice. She didn't remember being so tired the last time they had traveled the roguelands, but she had been hunting quite a bit to keep herself and her sister fed, and the task was much easier to do with a group. It would be nice to hunt with others again, she decided.
"It is, I think," Damu replied quietly. Bamba had spent the better part of the night telling them about the mercenary pride, Tani'Ajiri. It was unlike anything Damu had ever been a part of, but she liked the idea of being near her son again. She had missed her children, and often worried that the boys that had left the bonelands pride had not faired well in the outside world. She was curious to see the home that Bamba had chosen, and she missed the community of a pride more than she had expected. "Do you think they'll let us join?" Damu asked, resting her chin on her paws. From what Bamba had told them, not everyone had to fight, though that was the main reason for outsiders joining with the Mercs.
Asali eyed her smaller sister with some uncertainty. She couldn't remember a time when Damu had been so indecisive, but then Damu had changed considerably throughout the years. She was the only one of the sisters to have had cubs, and not only that two of her sons had left their home to wander the roguelands alone. Asali could only imagine what Damu must have been feeling about that. "I don't see why not. They don't seem as strict as some other prides, and Bamba has promised to speak with the leaders on our behalf." Asali replied as she made a move to get up and stretch her stiff muscles.
"That's true..." Damu trailed off as Asali got up to stretch. Damu had never been very good at hunting on her own, but she knew how to assist Asali and together the sisters managed to make a fairly decent team. Though Damu did regret that most of the heavy lifting did fall on her larger sister's shoulders. When it came to fighting though, Damu was certain she was more skilled than Asali, despite her diminutive size compared to her giant of a sister. That's how they have survived in their younger years, alone on the savannah and wary of all strangers that could potentially be enemies. Damu had gotten better over the years, to move past their trauma, but being alone in the roguelands with Asali was beginning to stir up old feelings on constant dread and unease. She didn't want to fall back into old habits. "I think I need this," Damu admitted quietly, her olive eyes on the horizon out past the Tani'Ajiri's border. "I need somewhere to feel safe."
That got Asali's attention. The large, pale lioness turned to stare at her dark sister with bright yellow eyes. The sisters were close, but Damu rarely spoke of her own feelings. "I understand," Asali said quietly as she sat back down next to Damu, eventually sliding back down to her belly and draping her large head over her smaller sister's shoulders. The Ithambo'hlabathi had been their home for years, but it had been time to move on to something else. Though neither sister had expected the toll that the roguelands would take on of them. Physically and psychologically. In their younger years they had experienced severe trauma at the paws of an abusive male, and it had turned their life in the rogue lands into a constant, living nightmare. Asali had tried to hide it by being overly friendly to everyone they met, and Damu had nearly attacked and drove away every male that tried to befriend them. Living in the bonelands had helped the two lionesses over come these traumas and over compensations, and for that Asali would always be grateful. "If this place feels safe to you, sister, then I will gladly make it my home."
Damu remained very still, though she was comforted by how close Asali had moved to be. She rarely spoke of these feelings, as the sisters had mostly just known how the other was feeling without words needing to be exchanged. But, this was different. These feelings had buried themselves so deeply under Damu's harsh exterior that she had mostly just tried to ignore them through the years. A lump had started to form in the back of her throat but the little lioness swallowed it down with effort. "Thank you, sister," she sighed, feeling some invisible weight leave her chest. Asali had always had her back, but she had worried that this time would be different, that somehow Asali would not want to stay with her. It was a huge relief to hear that Asali would be staying with her. "My son is here, and I want to get to know him," Damu admitted. She felt guilty that he and his brother had left at the cusp of adulthood, and that somehow she had betrayed them. It was good to know that he had found a home.
It would be good to get some rest, Asali realized. They wouldn't need to constantly be on the look out for danger like they were when they were alone on the savannah, which also drained much of Asali's energy. Yes, perhaps this was the best decision to make in their current situation. "Bamba does seem to like it here," Asali told her. Her nephew had genuinely seemed to enjoy talking about the Mercs and how they did business with outsiders, which seemed interesting to Asali. Nearly the entire pride had some sort of fighting proficiency, and she wondered if that's why they did not worry about inviting strangers into their midst.
Damu smiled at that. "He does. I like listening to him talk about it," Damu replied. She loved all of her children, and though she had left her girls and a boy back in the bonelands, she had also spent years with them. They were grown adult now, and could decide for themselves what their future held. Bamba was a mystery to her, one that she wanted to get to know better. Now they just had to wait and see if they would be able to join this mercenary pride, and Damu briefly considered challenging one of the leaders if they refused.
Asali smiled at that as she lifted her head to watch the clouds moving above them in the sky. It would be a beautiful day, bright and warm. The perfect weather to find some shade and take a well deserved nap. "Don't even think about it," Asali said idly as she felt Damu's muscles shift and tense underneath her. She knew her sister well enough to know what the dark little lioness was thinking. "We will not need to fight." She heard Damu snort at her in response and Asali chuckled a deep body chuckle. Some things never changed.
(Word Count: 1,369)
