[PRP] Returning [Aithne, Finar-si] [PRP]

[Mila Farrell]

Finar-si had elected to remain masked as 'Karama,' the old priestess of the pride, as she padded back into the heart of the lands with Aithne, making sure to keep her pace slow so the cub could keep up. The lioness could not fail to notice how pitiful the lands had become - even in the desert, there still should have been telltale signs of preybeasts and other hardy animals who could survive out here. Those signs ... were few and far between now. Apparently, most creatures had abandoned the lands in search of better. It was a worrying sight: not only the water resources had dried up, but it was likely that food sources had, along with it. She wondered how the pride had managed. It was surprising that a cub had been allowed to even be born in such conditions ... unless, of course, the drought had only recently happened. If so - how many of Aithne's brothers and sisters would survive? It was irksome and worrying to know that the elements were contriving to kill off her pride. That was for her to decide, not some idiotic weather pattern. It didn't feel like this was maliciousness, and to her knowledge, she'd never met the god or goddess of drought ... but maybe some diety was knuckling into her territory. She wouldn't know for certain unless she stumbled across them.

Time to interrogate her new little friend. With a faint smile, the goddess glanced back to the cub, ears perked as they walked. "So, granddaughter - it's been a long while since I returned to my lands. How many lions does my son have in the pride, now?"

 

[Yin-Bug]

Aithne happily, and very proudly, trotted behind the older lioness. Her head was held high and her chest was slightly puffed out. She was proud to have been walking with her grand mother. She hadn't really talked to her father about anything at all. She felt like the lioness would at least tell her father about her presence, but other wise she was just happy to be with the lioness. Aithne knew that she had to keep the Goddess identity of her grandmother hidden, at the moment she had been doing a wonderful job at doing it too. She felt she was anyway, she hadn't told anyone and because of that she was very proud. She had no reason to share this secret and she knew it would be better if she kept it a secret anyway, so that was what she was doing.

She looked at the lioness as she spoke, curious of what the lioness was going to ask her, she was very eager to spend more time with the lioness, she thought it was the coolest thing she ever had done, and even though she couldn't rub it in her sibling's faces, to a point she didn't even care! "Ummmm" She thought for a moment before speaking, to a point mostly to herself. "I have five brothers and sisters in my litter." She stated then thought about it, "I also have older siblings, there'ssssss," She dragged her words out as she thought before rattling off of the list. "Azar, Xipil, Adara, Zii, Ea, Fia, Ubawa, and Runya." She rattled off the list proudly, she liked her older siblings a lot. "So there are fourteen of us." She nodded proudly once again. All of her siblings to her were pretty great, they all made her extremely proud and that was all to it.  

[Mila Farrell]

Two large litters? Kidondo had been prolific - and she had more grandchildren than she'd expected. Inwardly, Finar-si frowned. That was all well and good, but in a drought ... so many mouths to feed would be ... difficult. She wondered briefly if all of the older siblings remained in the pride, or if they'd moved on, as she knew some of her own children had. "Fourteen ... my. That's quite a large family," she chuckled, tail-tuft twitching in amusement as she eyed the little lioness cub.

"Which of your older siblings is the heir, to take over for Kidondo when the time comes?" That would be an important lion - or lioness - to get on her side. Makadari would never have stood for having a female heir, but his descendent had changed much in the pride, seemingly. Not that Finar-si minded. Females, to her mind, were more intelligent than their male counterparts - even if they weren't built as strong, typically. That hardly mattered when you could outwit your opponent.

 

[Yin-Bug]

Aithe looked at the older lioness and then puffed out her chest, proud, she really loved all of her siblings. "I loved your siblings." She said with a giggle before flicking her tail around happily. "i love my siblings." she said simply before turning toward the older lioness once again and speaking to her with a large smile on her face. "They would be happy to meet you, Sister azar would be anyway, you should say hi to her some time." she said giggling, flicking her tail around behind her before pausing and thinking about what the lioness had said after that. "Well..." she knew what a heir was but she wasn't that sure of what to think about it anyway.

"I don't think dad or mom has one of those." She stated simply making a small face, she was pretty sure they didn't anyway. She really didn't think so, she wasn't that sure but she was pretty sure that there wasn't some one that was next in line. she ause for a moment before looking at the lioness and then spoke to her. 'no I don't think so!" she said with a giggle.  

[Mila Farrell]

"I would be most pleased to meet her as well," The lioness smiled indulgently, tail-tuft twitching. "And the rest of your siblings." No doubt some of them were seers as well, perhaps ....

At her answer, however, shock and bewilderment flickered across Finar-si's expression, quickly smoothed out and hidden. What? No heir?

"When your parents pass on - who will take care of the pride, then, if there is no heir?" Mystified, she wondered if Kidondo meant to make his offspring work for the position - or if he was threatened by some of his children. The smartest thing to do, in that case, would be to declare no heir, and play them off one another. It had happened, in the past, with previous kings of the pride who bore ambitious sons. Or ... given the last civil war and strife within the pride ... perhaps he was leery of any traditional influence on a chosen heir. Any could be a possibility, but it also left the pride vulnerable.  

[Yin-Bug]

Aithne looked toward older lioness and then smiled. "There are some that are older." She nodded, she loved her older siblings but she always got a little confused with them. Some times they were too busy to play with her, and that make her upset. Normally when she did she would follow them around until they decided to play. Or until they decided to bat at her and tell her to go away. They were stupid for not understanding some times. She flicked her tail around as she though before looking at her grandmother. "Don't talk to Su though. She's a jerk." She pouted thinking about the times that she got into arguments with her sisters.Then again, Aithne wasn't really that easy to get along with either.

Aithne took in a breath and went to explain to the older lioness what would happen when her parents passed on, but nothing came to her mind. She really didn't know. "My parents aren't going to pass on any time soon." She started to explain, she felt like that was a good place to start. She didn't think they were going to pass on any time soon anyway. They were her parents they weren't allowed to. Were they? She made a face before then turning toward the older lioness. "I'm not really that sure of what they're going to do." She made a face then shrugged. "thats okay for now." She giggled a little, she wasn't much of a giggle-er either. "They're not going anywhere any time soon."