{PRP} BRB. Explorin' {Hisia and Kamau}

[FerretPrince]

It was a brand new day outside the den. New sunlight dripped down to the Aka’mleli pridelands, infusing the world with a golden hue. Birds---no longer fearing for their lives----flitted in the sky, occasionally landing in the grass to nibble on a few promising seeds. Their songs filled the air, a merry tune full of hope for the future. Either that or they just liked the noise.

Kamau’s tail flicked anxiously as his eyes studied the world outside the den. His twin sister, of course, had already started exploring it, but he was just a bit more ambivalent towards it. For one thing, it was big. Really, really big, from what he could see. Maybe even really, really, really big. Far bigger than the den he knew and shared with his family, anyway. He glanced back at the den, looking at the emptiness that was back there. Well, not completely empty, really. Naamini was sleeping (and you didn’t want to wake her up). Momma was simply out hunting. This was close enough for Kamau, who really hated to be alone. And… and besides. He was a little curious about the outside world. And it wasn’t like he’d go very far. He would make sure to keep the den within sight and all.

Tentatively, the cub took his first few steps outside the den, allowing the sunlight to hit his fur. He stopped and waited, half expecting to explode or something. Luckily, this failed to happen completely. Letting out a relieved sigh, he continued his clumsy toddling journey, occasionally stopping to carefully investigate an interesting-looking stick or rock. When he was feeling particularly brave, he would even give a pretty pebble a careful poking with one paw. Emboldened by the complete lack of reaction, Kamau puffed himself up a little and bravely strode out further.  

[Sasu Cherry]

Successfully, Hisia dragged an antelope along the grass. The animal had come wandering into the valley curiously, only to find it's self in a large dilemma. She was hunting. It had stood up fairly well, and once she had spotted the creature, her instincts worked quickly. Now the creature was being dragged back, several bites to it's neck were left as holes, while scratches and cuts decorated it's pelt. A smile was visible on her muzzle despite the neck of the animal blocking her smile slightly. This antelope was going to be for Naamini and Kamau. Every morning she woke up early to go and get them breakfast, and every morning she would succeed.

Today, however, she took notice of something peculiar. Exploring the lands she noticed the white and green pelt of Kamau. This worried her, somehow. She was always worried about her daughter and son. Worried they might end up wandering too far from the lands. Worried that Msiba and Mchawi, or their followers, could be lurking the border, ready to steal away the cubs.

Dropping the antelope, her mind whirling with slight fear, she padded over to Kamau. "Exploring, Kamau?" She asked. A loving smile managed to curve onto her face, hiding the worry that ran through her veins. He was curious, she assumed. "I brought back breakfast," Hisia nuzzled him affectionately, "Is Naamini up?" Naamini might have followed him out there, even though they weren't far from their den. She hoped if Naamini had followed Kamau out here, she wasn't far.

Worry, once more, glowed in her teal eyes. She didn't know what to do if they both went missing, she didn't know what she could do. All Hisia knew was that she would search the earth for them, even if she was facing death, she'd protect them with her life.  

[FerretPrince]

Completely oblivious to the danger of his father and aunt----he was not yet old enough to start asking questions about Daddy Dearest----Kamau thought nothing of exploring a little. Well… ok, that was a lie; he thought quite a bit of how terrifying it would be to wander too far away from the den and family he knew and loved. He simply didn’t understand that the biggest danger wouldn’t come from a wild beetle or perhaps a particularly dangerous moth. It would come from other lions, the very ones he was related to.

Inspecting a pretty striped pebble closely, he didn’t notice that his mother was so close by until she spoke. Jumping in surprise, he instinctively tried to hide behind his mother, which created a small conundrum and possibly a time warp since he was trying to hide from his mother and behind her at the same time. Once he had his mind figured out, he grinned and nuzzled his mother happily, purring all the while. “Momma! I’m explorin’,” he explained happily, feeling rather proud of himself for wandering this far all on his own. It was quite a feat for him.

He shook his head at her question, his ears flopping slightly. “No. Naamy’s sleeping still. Or she was when I left. Umm… you’re not mad are you?” Momma was acting a little… strange. Not really acting, but she looked a little strange, like she expected something to happen. “I just wanted to take a look around. That’s all. I wasn’t going to wander very far! I was going to keep the den in sight…” Ha. As if he would ever wander any further than that. He glanced off towards the trees or, more specifically, to the birds in them. “I wanted to see the pretty birds,” he explained quietly.

The large vultures that were occasionally bonded to other pride members scared him, but the little birds… they were ok. They were small and made pretty noises.  

[Sasu Cherry]

Naamini was still asleep she hoped. In response she sighed, relieved. Hisia believed that her daughter probably was still asleep. Kamau, sometimes, could be the one to wake up early as well. She smiled and shook her head. It was growing to be that time they would probably be getting curious about exploring. They were both of that age. Though it scared her to think that they might wander off too far. Licking the top of Kamau's head happily, she flicked her tail back and fourth.

"No, I'm not mad at you," She flicked her ears away from the noises she heard, head turning to look at the birds that flocked the trees. Clouded by memories of Samahani, her old bonded, she turned her head away from them, eyes looking at Kamau once more. "You should have asked someone first, Kamau." Her tone was slightly strict, but she didn't want to sound strict. She didn't want to return to the den and find her son gone, Hisia didn't know what she would do. Defiantly tear the valley apart in search for him, that was for sure.

"Soon," She remembered the birds again. "You will have a bonded of your own, Kamau." She nodded with a smile, sitting herself down next to him. "Your bonded is like your other half, they stay near your side at all times." Even... If they were not here anymore, she felt sorrow once more attack her. Hisia missed Samahani dearly, and wished the hawk was still here, next to her side.

Then another question perked her mind. "Hmm, since it seems you are curious about the valley, do you want to explore with me?" She didn't want to disappoint him by telling him to go back to the den, or let him go by himself. Her mind suddenly turned back to the antelope, and she chuckled. "Well, after I get breakfast back to the den."

With a flick of her tail she stood up and padded over to the prey, teeth gripping it's neck, she dragged it carefully back to the den.  

[FerretPrince]

Oh good. Momma wasn’t mad at him. That was all Kamau needed to hear before he too let out a sigh of relief and nuzzled against his mother. Hisia, Ficha, and Naamini were the most important figures in his life so far, and it hurt to think of any of them being angry with him. Alright, so sometimes the twins fought. It was only normal for them, with such different personalities, to clash on occasion, when Naamini wanted to explore and see the world while Kamau wanted to just stay behind where it was safe and warm. Or when Kamau woke his sister up. That would also inevitably lead to a fight. When Hisia turned that stern tone on him, the small cub did a whole-body shrink, as his ears lowered and his shoulders hunched just a little.

“I’m sorry, Momma… there wasn’t anyone to ask. Auntie Ficha is out and Naamini’s asleep.” And who else was he supposed to ask anyway? He could have woken up Naamy… but, as mentioned before, that would have led to a fight of some sort. “I’ll ask next time, I promise.” So long as there was someone to ask, of course.

A bonded of his very own… Kamau looked forward to that day. Ever since he had first seen a bird with a lion, he had asked his mother about it until the history of the pride was explained. It was a beautiful thing, that bond, one that transcended everything else. He could hardly wait for it. Just thinking about that bond-to-be cheered the little lion up, and his mother’s next words brought his good cheer back completely. Explore? With Momma?! This may very well be the best day ever to occur in the entire history of the pride! The cub’s face lit up and he stood up completely once more, his entire butt wiggling from the excitement. “Really? You’ll really come explorin’ with me?”

Alright, so Momma knew everything about everything already, so it wouldn’t be exploring for her… but that was alright. It made Kamau feel better to know that he’d be exploring with someone experienced. As Hisia dragged the kill back to the den, her son bounced at her feet, occasionally attacking her tail in a burst of spirit. By the time they got back, he could barely sit still, even to eat. He managed to eat a few mouthfuls as quickly as he could, because he wanted to get to exploring already. “I wanna see everything!”  

[Sasu Cherry]

She chuckled while he attacked her tail. She lashed her tail back and fourth playfully, glancing back at her son. Setting the antelope in the den her eyes landed on Naamini's sleeping form. Resisting a sigh she knew her daughter might not be happy if her and Kamau went exploring without her. Hisia promised herself she would return to take Naamini along later on. She nodded once from her thoughts and turned back to Kamau. Watching him eat she grinned as he finished, another chuckle escaping her maw as she bounded outside. "Well, where do you want to start?"

Silently she hoped he wouldn't speak of the border. Not near the border. Her thoughts echoed of the threats and words Mchawi had said. "The only place you can't go near is the border, Kamau," She shook her head, also dismissing the echoing voice of the lioness whom had tried to kill her. Mchawi, nor Msiba, would not get a hold of Kaumau or Naamini. No, no they would not. "The border," explaining what could happen was best, so he knew. "is a dangerous place, sometimes. Rogue lions could enter the valley, and then those rogues could be dangerous, and hurt the pride. They also can have the advantage of hurting or kidnapping members of the pride, if they were vulnerable.

"I don't want you, nor Naamini to explore the border yet, not yet." Especially if Msiba or Mchawi were lurking near the border, waiting for the perfect time to attack or kidnap an innocent cub or even an older member. She flexed her claws protectively, letting several emotions of hate, sadness, and love, flash through her eyes.

She knew that her sudden concern of the border and the recent events that had gone on might spark interest in her cubs. Hisia was avoiding telling them about their father. The less they knew about their father the more they were innocent, the more they were prone from harm. She wanted to keep them away from the path their father had followed. Away from the destruction he had caused for the pride. Even if they received the common... evil eye, she loved them with her heart, and never pushed them away because of their father. They had her good in them, the innocence she had commonly been known for. They would never know about their father, and until the time came she finally had to tell them, Hisia would make sure they were old enough to finally learn of their heritage.

 

[FerretPrince]

Kamau delightedly bounced after his mother, feeling like the happiest cub in the world right about now. He had a mother, a sister, and an aunt! What else could a cub really need out of life? Once again, as they walked, Kamau would attack his mother’s tail, thinking that this was quite possibly the best game to ever exist in the whole entire universe. His mother’s question gave him some pause, but the part about forbidding him from ever going near the border… now that was different.

“Mgr?” he tried to ask ‘why’, but found that the word was difficult to say around a mouthful of tail. Dropping Hisia’s tail, he opened his mouth to repeat the question, but his mother beat him to answering it. Naturally, his mother’s words piqued the young cub’s interest, making him wonder just what was out there. He tilted his head to one side and frowned slightly, wondering why lions would hurt other lions. For one moment, his eyes traced over the old scars of his mother, dimly realizing only now how well they could match up to claw marks. He had never asked about where those came from, or why Momma didn’t have a bonded. Not yet, anyway. “Why would someone want to hurt us? We’re the good guys, aren’t we?”

Well, the border didn’t sound very interesting anyway. In his mind’s eye, the border was a terrible place, without any grass on the ground or birds in the sky, just bare rock for miles and miles around. Not a fun place to be at all, especially when compared to the natural beauty of the valley here. “Umm… umm… which way is the border? Just so I know not to wander that way. I don’t want to go there,” he explained, suddenly worrying that he might cross the border without realizing it. Or, more likely, worrying that some rogue lion would creep into the pride and lurk just inside the border. “And don’t worry; I would never let anyone take Naamini away.”

Hisia was lucky so far. Kamau hadn’t ever asked about his father because he didn’t realize that he even had one. As far as he knew, being raised by his mother and aunt was perfectly normal for a young lion. Sure, some of the other pride members looked at him and Naamini all funny-like---at least differently than Momma and Auntie Ficha---but that could be normal too. He scratched one ear in thought, wondering where he wanted to go today… finally, he broke into a wide grin. “I wanna see the pond!” And he was getting a little thirsty.  

[Sasu Cherry]

"Bad guys have it the other way, they think we're the bad guys, and them being the good guys." She nodded slowly, trying to make her voice have a certain statement of 'yes' in her tone. Hisia was unsure how to explain what she had just said. Everyone had their point of view, even though that view might just been dangerous. She looked towards the west, eyes squinting as she looked past the horizon. The sun was starting to climb the sky, and by noon she expected the glowing ball of sunshine would be to the top, cowering above them. She turned her attention towards the south, starting in a small trot as she glanced back towards Kamau.

"The border is all around us, circling us, somehow." She nodded once more. "Sometimes the caves you see can lead to the outside, the rogue lands," She hated saying something about rogues, that simple word reminded her a lot of Msiba. He was a rogue, probably. "The rogue lands are also dangerous, I've... never really been to the rogue lands." Hisia wasn't about to find out, either. She loved her pride too much to leave, and if she was forced to leave, she wouldn't know what to do.

Slowing into a walk, she pointed her muzzle to the blue that could be seen from a far distance. The pond, a pond that usually was inhabited by a vast variety of fish. "There is the pond, love." She smiled and padded closer to the pond, sitting herself down while watching Kamau. "Be careful!"  

[FerretPrince]

This was starting to venture into unverified moral territory. Kamau put on his Serious Face, which fully lived up to the capital letters. Mostly, he just narrowed his eyes a little and pouted just slightly. Alright, so it didn’t live up to the capital letters at all, but it was pretty amusing to watch a cub try to look all serious. “But, if they think they’re the good guys, why would they attack us? ‘Cause attacking others is bad, right?” In his world, there was only room for two moral extremes: Good and Bad. The good guys were… well… good. And they couldn’t be good guys and then do bad guy things. That automatically made them bad. It was a proper mind-boggler for the cub, that was for sure.

His Serious Face sunk away quickly, replaced by a distinctly guilty look as Hisia said the caves could lead to the border. Those caves had been another thing he wanted to explore, if only to see where they led. Clearly, that would be a bad idea if they led to these dangerous rogue lands where these cubnappers and killers lived. He made a mental note to tell Naamini when they got back, because she should surely be warned against these dangers. As soon as the pond came into sight, his expression changed again, this time to a look of pure delight. Wow! Just… wow! It was so blue! “I’ll be careful, I promise!” he said before zooming out to the water’s edge.

Before he actually stepped into the water, he skidded to a stop and gently nosed the surface. The coldness---and wetness---of the water made him let out a tiny squeal and he danced back quickly. Patting the water’s surface with one paw, he watched as the ripples moved outwards, apparently fascinated by their movement. Or, perhaps, he was watching as the fish under the surface swam away so quickly. There were so many of them! Very hesitantly, he ventured closer to the shallow end of the water and put his front paws in it, just to see what it would be like. It wasn’t entirely unpleasant. A little cold, but the day would heat up before long. He lapped up some water thirstily before he noticed something… strange.

Shaking himself off, he focused on a boulder near the pond’s edge. The thing was massive, one of the biggest things he’d ever seen. The strange thing was the crack that broke the thing in two. The cub had no way of knowing that the boulder had once been part of the valley wall, breaking off during that earthquake. “Momma? What made it break?”  

[Sasu Cherry]

"They have their reasons." She murmured quietly, looking down towards the ground. Msiba had his reasons, reasons she hadn't dared to question of when she had confronted him. Hisia held back a sigh while she lifted her gaze to watch as Kamau bounded over to the glimmering liquid. She remembered when she, herself, had once been curious of the water's surface. The clear pool as it mirrored an image of herself in the water's surface. It was a magical experience when she was just a child, and while she grew she started to grow used to seeing her face in the surface. Now, when she gazed into the surface, she saw doubt and sorrow. All she saw was the mirror image of Nyonda in the surface. After all, Ficha, Nyonda, and herself, were triplets.

Shaking her head away from the thoughts, she heaved herself up and padded over to Kamau. A smile was forming across her face, masking the sadness she had felt every so often now. She was never good at hiding her emotions- something anyone would notice even with a simple glance towards her. Her eyes always brimmed with the emotion she currently felt- something anyone could see if they just looked towards her teal colored eyes. She still tried hiding those emotions, no matter how many times she failed. Thus, she usually hid the emotion of facial expressions with a smile. Sadly, a sad smile, mixed with the love she felt for everyone she cared for.

Hearing her son's question she turned to stare at the rock, and immediately, her eyes clouded with sadness. The earthquake. It's signs were still visible, very visible. The pride was picking it's self up slowly, but the dreadful things the earthquake had done were still there, somehow, somehow. "The earthquake probably made it break, the tremor it caused, I'm not surprised if it did," She nodded ever so slowly, eyes remaining on the giant boulder that stood before her. She examined the crack that zig-zagged down the center, and her eyes narrowed curiously at it. It was broken in two by that simple crack, laying apart lazily.

"Now, I'm guessing the tremor caused it to break off from the valley wall, and when it hit the ground, it cracked into two separate pieces." She turned to look towards the pond, eyes locking on her face. Hisia looked at herself carefully, holding back another sigh while she stared. "The surface of water is interesting. The things you see, the clear reflection it reflects." Like a mirror, a mirror that if you touched happening to ripple off like the sound of music.

"Do you want to continue, love?" She was rather anxious to leave this area, strangely. Not for the fact that the boulder plus the mirror image of herself brought back memories, but something else. Something familiar.  

[FerretPrince]

Kamau wasn’t sure what he saw in his own reflection. Actually, he was perfectly clear on what he saw: he saw himself as he really was. A slightly worried face, wavering around the edges and distorting his features, but, no matter how many ripples there were, it was still recognizably his face. Definitely not his twin’s face. Naamini was brave and all that, even if she did have a perpetual Serious Face. Well… Kamau would change that! Err… not his sister’s face, but his own. He could be brave! Sometime. Eventually. When he was all grown up and everything. At least there was something else to distract him from his own reflection.

He padded around the rock a few times, looking up at it curiously. He couldn’t even imagine what sort of force could have done such a thing! The earthquake that had splintered the pride… yeah, he’d heard a few things about that. Lots of bad stuff happened. The pride had once been bigger, but then some members got lost. Some were lost forever. No one wanted to talk about it much, especially not to Kamau. Which made perfect sense, of course. No one wanted to be the one to scare little cubs. But… but maybe there was another reason. After all, there had been other cubs who lived through it… for the first time, a very persuasive and insinuating thought wormed its way into Kamau’s mind.

“Momma…” he opened his mouth to ask another question. When he had started to speak, he fully intended on asking about his father, to see if he had been one of the ones lost in the quake. But, upon seeing that look on his mother’s face, the words froze in his mouth and melted down the back of his throat. No. Now was not the time to ask about his Daddy. “Umm… yeah. Let’s move on. There’s lots more to explore!” Like all cubs, he could rarely stay sad for long.

Bounding away from the rock, he ran around his mother twice, playfully pawing at her tail once again. As far as prey went, that tail was the best of all! “I wanna see the herds!”  

[Sasu Cherry]

Hisia flick her ears towards Kamau's voice, expecting a question to roll off his tongue. He was probably curious of something, and though the lioness tensed every time her cubs asked questions, fearing they might ask the question about their father, she tried giving them a good answer. Though she was a little surprised when he cut his unknowing question short, and continued on with exploration. She would have sighed- had he intended on asking of his and Naamini's father? Her heart pounded as she turned her head to watch Kamau circle her, trying hard not to let Msiba consume her thoughts and memories.

"The herds?" She murmured and let her gaze rest on the horizon. The herds. Her gaze flickered towards the growing meadows, which were starting to grow back after the damage the earthquake had done. She still remembered how gloom and cloudy the skies had been during the earthquake, and she smiled as her teal eyes turned towards the sun. No more dark skies, something she was extremely happy for.

"Follow me, love," then the lioness set out towards the meadows where she could visibly see the herds of antelope- zebra- and other animals in the distance. After entrances to the outside of the valley had been found, and the skies were dark no more, the herds and prey soon returned. They gave off a better feel to the pride which made Hisia happy, and her pace was rather fast while she thought.

"Here they are Kamau, just be careful. You don't want to frighten them," She nodded slowly and flicked her tail towards the herds.  

[FerretPrince]

Kamau was… uncertain how he felt about his father. This wasn’t that unusual. There were a great many things he was uncertain about, but his father was a particularly odd subject. For most of his life, he had thought it normal to be raised by his momma and aunt! That is, until he heard about his cousins and how they were being raised by their father. What was a father anyway? A male who raised cubs, apparently… and not everyone had one. Not everyone had a mother either, like Kamau’s cousins who he had yet to meet. Lost in the earthquake, he assumed, like oh so many others. But, one day they would come back, right? Many others were returning, day by day! So, one day, his daddy would come home! That would make Momma happy, right?

Brightened by the thought of his mother being happy, Kamau bounded after Hisia’s tail, pouncing on the tuft occasionally and practicing his hunting skills. This was far from a graceful affair. There were probably three-legged rhinoceros who had more grace than a cub. This didn’t matter, because grace wasn’t necessary to have fun. Neither was reality, actually. Once Kamau was bored of chasing Hisia’s tail, an imaginary air molecule served the same purpose just as well. Still, reality interfered soon enough as he heard his momma’s voice telling him to be careful.

Stopping immediately, he went to his mother’s side and sat down. Wow! Look at that! Hisia had, of course, brought dead prey back to the den, but this was different. It was all moving around! The herds were thinner than they once had been. Not that Kamau could tell. His eyes, a reflection of his mother’s, were wide with amazement at these creatures. To think that Momma could bring one down! She must be the best hunter in the entire valley! No, the whole world! Remembering the prey his mother had brought back not so long ago, he focused on the antelope, looking at their long horns, the most dangerous things he could imagine. In his mind, Hisia---and Auntie Ficha---- had gotten their scars from a fight with that sort of creature.

“Wow… you’re the best, Momma! Do you think I’ll ever be able to hunt one of those?” He stifled a yawn, not wanting to appear tired, but he was getting a little sleepy. All of this walking could take it out of a little cub.  

[Sasu Cherry]

Hisia could easily be seen melting back into her thoughts, her smile tightening in stress. A shiver ran through her spine and she glanced over towards Kamau, waiting for him to voice up once more. She happened to look over at her scars, however, the multiple pink wounds leaving her mind more haunted than before. She shook her head, dismissing the images of the past forcefully. Ever since Kamau and Naamini had come into the world, she was usually seen dazing off, still lost in the past. She was finding her way, and though she wasn't ready to admit it, the appearance of many members lost in the earthquake caused the lioness to become happier than before. She just hoped none of the returning members would drop the question of 'who is the father?' and 'what happened?'. She wasn't one to tell them, since she was obviously trying to move on, as much as possible.

She was easily brought back from her constant thoughts. She heard Kamau's voice, and a stray smile formed on her face, hopefully hiding the sadness and deep-in-thought expression she often wore.

"When you get older, yes, you will be able to hunt them," Her eyes lifted in amusement while she watched him control a yawn. Was he tired? "If you're tired, we can go back, love." She wondered if he was ready, truthfully, but she wasn't going to let him strain his energy too much. He had a lot to learn later in the future, and if they went back, they could easily go explore more later on today or tomorrow. Hisia and him had plenty of time, after all. Next time, though, she'd make sure to see if Naamini was awake, and take her along for exploring. She wasn't going to leave her daughter out of this, no way.

 

[FerretPrince]

As soon as Kamau recognized his own fatigue, it became much worse. How annoying was that? Once again, he started to yawn, just as Hisia asked if he was sleepy. Instantly, the cub pretended to be wide awake, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. The effect was ruined by the fact that he was merely fluffy-tailed, not bushy-tailed. “I’m fi-i-i-ne…”

That probably would have been a lot more convincing if a huge yawn hadn’t interrupted the word. Ok, so maybe he was a little tired. That didn’t mean anything! He watched the herd mill about a little while longer, trying to keep track of one antelope among many. It was hard, seeing as the tawny animals wove amongst each other in a huge group. It was all so confusing… how could anyone hunt those? There were so many of them. If they all fought back against one lion, there was no way they could be taken down. Well, except by Momma, of course. And Auntie Ficha.

“Mm… let’s go back, Momma. I am tired after all.” And hungry too; seeing all of those antelope reminded him of the meal that Hisia had dropped off earlier, a meal he had yet to eat. Getting up once more, the young cub stretched out elegantly---or about as elegantly as a cub could manage.

Life, as far as he could tell, was perfect. He had Naamini, even if she was annoying at times, and he had Auntie Ficha, and he had Momma. What else would he need in life?