The morning had begun to dwindle down as the heat sizzled through the air, but Dina was still relatively abuzz. The news had just hit her like a charging rhino, and the middle-aged lioness was at a loss of how to feel about it. Part of her couldn’t even believe the abholi had come to such a decision after a difficult move to the new territory, but a different part, a much larger and more simplistic piece of the equation, rejoiced quite thoroughly. It had been many season since Dina had last bore any cubs, thinking back to Mimo once again. And to think, that cub of hers had gone off and grown into a full lioness already! Where had the time gone? It must have surely flung itself to the wind, as Dina was not ready to accept the fact that she had been deprived of cubs for this long. Whether by her own doing, or someone else’s, she wasn’t certain. Perhaps it was just best to blame the abholi for this little indiscretion, as Dina wasn’t going to put any part of the blame on herself without having to admit how much older she had gotten; and, ladies never let such details as that slip out into the open. Not that it bothered her. Nope. Not one bit. Not even a single ounce of a wildebeest’s tail clippings…Okay, it bothered Dina. A lot. There was the possibility that she was far too old to deal with the uncertainties of raising cubs, or even if the young rouges would find her attractive. Regardless, the painted lioness couldn’t swallow the feeling of relief that surged to the surface of her being. Relief that the pride would once more give itself a breath of fresh air, and a chance at new life. Without cubs, the pride would be lost to the generations, and frankly Dina didn’t care if it was done by the abholi or a rogue from outside the pride. New blood would be useful no matter how you looked at the situation, and Dina was certain that given time, the pride would fall back into place with itself again.
Now that just left one question for the blue eyed female, and it was a heavy one that lay in the back of her mind. Should she participate? Could she? It went without speaking that some of the younger huntresses of the pride would take up the task of seeking out new blood beyond that of the pride’s males, but perhaps Dina should as well? In a frustrated, yet delicate manner, the lioness hesitantly paced back and forth in front of her makeshift den. She had yet to completely settle on a permanent home base, but for now Dina had taken to sleeping under the incline of some large rocks, where she could be sheltered from the sun with the shadow they cast overhead. That of course, was not a matter foremost on her mind at the moment, and so the lioness wasn’t particularly interested in searching out better resting grounds. At least not until her decision had been made.
Her tail flicked out behind her and Dina stopped abruptly, starring in the direction of the pride’s new borders. It wouldn’t have to be a long journey, she told herself. She didn’t even have to be gone for longer than the afternoon, but that may have just been her optimism speaking. There was no telling when she may run into a rogue, or if for that matter, and then there was the problem of unpleasantness. The golden lioness frowned deeply at the thought of being forced away from her pride and her sisters, ears flattening against the side of her skull. It would be great to bring cubs back into the pride, gods know she missed all fussing about her cubs, but was it worth the risk that traveling in the rogue lands presented? She would be unguarded by the abholi, completely on her own without even the lazy Kamal to protect her. Heck, Matifu or Kamikiel would better suited for the job, but asking for an escort to find a suitable rogue was down-right laughable; If not intolerable and disrespectful to both herself and the umholi that accompanied her.
It took a moment of consideration, but in the end the golden lioness begrudgingly turned her head away from the borders and stalked back to the pride’s social grounds. It would have been great, wonderful, fantastic to once more have cubs of her own to look forward to, but the lioness just couldn’t bring herself to leave the protection of the territory or the watchful eyes of the abholi. Without the males to keep them safe, Dina was quite certain they would all have met a different end, one that didn’t include their cozy little life style. It was simple really, the lionesses hunted for them, and they in turn used their strength to fend off would-be challengers that could potentially harm the pride. Dina accepted this, and was very fond of the pride’s abholi for the role they played in guarding them all. When it came down to it, rogue swap was a grand idea for those younger and more confident than herself, even if Dina dearly wished to be a part of it. Perhaps… well perhaps if she went with others seeking to participate, she would feel more at ease with the idea of leaving the abholi’s protection for a few nights.
The challenge of finding these individuals would be a hassle no doubt, and Dina was sure to run into those who viewed rogue swap with unfavorable eyes, but the lioness wasn’t bothered by this fact. They were either opposed of or for the drastic measure, it didn’t matter. After all, Dina knew best in this situation, having been a part of the pride for her entire life and not once had a period of rogue swap been detrimental to its lines. In fact, it just may help in this situation! With renewed vigor the lioness raised her head from its droopy, moody position and briskly made her way to the center of the new territory. If she was going to find anyone willing to go with her, she had better keep her eyes and ears open! And if not, well may the gods look favorably on those that made the journey. Dina, for one, would be sure to stick by them in cases of pridal turmoil over the decision.
