[PRP] The Little Entertainer [Lyla + Nsundu]

[Chibi Sheepcat]

"Ba baaaa ba baa~"

Nsundu bounced from foot to foot in a very strange sort of dance-walk, on her usually border walk. Security was never that tight in the Nchi'mahadhi pride, and for good reasons. The neighbouring pride had a large collection of seers, not to mention two gods on their side, so she really didn't have to worry about anything getting in and getting out unnoticed. Besides, Sen would back her up. And that was all the back up she needed. Besides, border patrol was boring. The only reason she was out here was to stretch her legs.

It was arguable that she wouldn't need to do this soon since she would be passing over leadership to her daughter any day now. But routines must be kept so long as she was queen. When Kitambi was queen she could stretch her legs by walking around the border. Or whatever. Nsundu wouldn't be around to see that she did. She would be out travelling the world with Sen. The thought alone made her very, very pleased and she added an extra bounce in her step. Now if only the walk would go faster…  

[Mimsey]

Not too far by, a small dent in the grass watched the scene in deathly silence. Well, not that she could have spoken, as her mouth was presently tasked with the job of carrying all her worldly possessions in one small bundle made of a palm frond. Scarcely holding up to the pressure of being dragged along as the small creature investigated, she kept one paw on it's side to keep the little package from spilling over.

She'd waited here for a while now. Although she knew she was quite capable of sneaking a bit further, Lylane knew better then to tread far upon lion-kind. She wasn't exactly built for camouflage either, the small pink cat noted blandly. Either way, the last thing she wanted to do was insult the pride! How else was she going to learn to make music like they did? Over the last few nights that Lylane and her mother had been using the nearby grounds for hunting, she'd heard the distant sounds of drum beats and low singing calls. Up until this point- Lyla had been quite sternly told that music and such 'rabble-rousing' was something only babies did. Now she was sure her mother had been wrong!

But, sharing a common interest did not settle Lylane's nerves. She was a very small creature far deeper into a pride's sanctuary then she'd ever been instructed to visit. And who was to say they even liked little pink something-or-anothers? But, with a swallow Lyla dug her tiny claws into the craggy rock. She hoped...

But before long, a deep, chocolate colored lioness came into view, doing her own kind of dance. It seemed purposeful, which was something Lylane had never seen in dancing before. She might have been afraid, but so intrigued by the foreign motions and rhythm, the small cat slowly crawled up to the top of a rock to have a look.

"U--um," She stammered, her ears folding back against her head. She set down her small pouch and slid forward like a strange kind of pink gecko. "Hello?"  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

Movement to the side caught her attention, and the lioness paused in her step. Was that... something pink? How peculiar. There was only one pink cub in the whole pride, and only his mane was pink. Not to mention he would have made a much bigger rustle coming out of the grass now that he was nearing adulthood. Thus, Nsundu didn't know what to expect on the rock where Lyla sat, and she was quite surprised at what she saw.

This little pink female – at least she assumed it was female – looked too big to be a cheetah but the shape was close to one. They had several cheetahs in the pride, though she was sure they were much skinnier than this. She wasn't solid enough to be a leopard, nor was she tall and stocky like a leopon. She was very strange to look at indeed.

But Nsundu did not dwell too long on appearances. The little not-cheetah was speaking to her, and she couldn’t help but smile. "Hello there! What's a little one like you doing all the way out here? The independent sort are we?" She knew how that felt. Her eyes moved momentarily to the pouch that Lyla carried, however she quieted her curiousity. Introductions first, then she could start asking questions that weren't really necessary.  

[Mimsey]

Lyla's bright eyes flickered. Brilliant! She knew they would understand! Faine was always wrong about things like that. Well. Then again, all the lioness had said was 'hello'- but, to Lyla's eyes, even a sliver of friendliness was swallowed up with open arms. Boldened by her warm welcoming, the strange little thing lifted herself up on the rock, and bounced with pleasure. "Hello!" She said again, this time without caution.

As to the second part, Lyla seemed to take a moment to consider it. "I guess so- but, I usually wander a bit. Usually not alone though, but this time, friends are too shy to come out." She said. Admittedly- her mother rarely had much time for her these days, and the little pink creature had developed into a rather independent soul. But, maybe that was something she was working on rectifying.

Indepdent or not, she wasn't one to keep her mouth shut for long. Getting a little nervous again, she turned around and grasped the small leaf pouch, and dragged it towards the lioness. "I heard you! You are a music maker, aren't you?" Lyla said, her eyes wide with interest. "I've heard singing here. My mommy says singing is for children, but I knew she was lying."

Lyla pushed the bag forward, and popped it open. "So... I've brought you all my treasures! See?" Treasures for a rat, maybe. The leaf was filled with an assortment of oddities- a rather large collection of brilliant feathers, bobbles, beads, and funny shaped leaves and stones that Lyla had collected over her small months of life. The only thing of particular interest was a small silver ring, which Lyla had so audaciously thieved from her godling friend not too long ago. "I'm not very good at hunting or doing...things, really. But I would very much like to learn to sing....like you lions do. So, maybe this is good payment?"

She paused. "But, I don't know what sort of things lions like, so I tried to get everything...." Maybe she should have taken more of Faine's feathers. At least they were probably magic. Maybe.  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

"Too shy? Aaaw we're not mean here! Not unless you're out to cause trouble, and even then, naw." Dangerous? Psh. Nsundu often forgot that to the various small and timid creatures of the savannah a pride of lions could be a very dangerous thing. The lioness, however, didn't consider her pride to be extremely large, and they were definitely not extremely dangerous. Then again, they hadn't been faced with anything that required them to be fierce or even cautious. There were some perks to being walled in on three sides by two large pieces of rock and one lake.

Nsundu was quite surprised – and very pleased – that this little not cheetah recognized the music. Most creatures who drew near thought there was a large herd of elephants having an epic battle. Well, Sen had said that, but she was liable to embellish things. "We do make music here, with drums and singing and even our own paws. And singing is for anybody who enjoys it." If you couldn't do what you wanted in life because of rules or criticism then you were in the wrong place. That was her motto.

The lioness's ears perked when Lyla opened the bag, grin widening at the sight of her collection. It was a collection to rival the ones her Umsinis had back home! She was sure someone like Jun would love to get her paws on this and make it into something. "You've got a fine eye! These would make beautiful jewellery." She couldn't help but laugh when Lyla said it was payment. "Nobody needs to pay their way in here. Everybody who enjoys music and a good time is welcome here. Besides, if you went to the trouble of collecting this then it's yours. You can trade it to one of our craftsman in the pride and they'll make you some musical jewellery. How does that sound?"