Asante didn’t generally spend much time thinking about his past life. A life that had been both terrible and perfect, a gilded cage. But for the first time in a long while, he found himself thinking about the old couple he had spent so much of him time with. They would have been gone by now, already having been in their twilight years when he first met them, and infirm by the time he had made his escape. He didn’t regret leaving, never would regret leaving that life of oppression and helplessness for the life he had now. But he did wonder if they had remembered what he had told them, if they understood he had not abandoned them willingly, and that he would be living still, not dead like their own son whose name they had bestowed on him the first time they met.
Sighing softly as he walked slowly along, he glanced down at his paws, their brilliant whiteness lost under the constant mud of the swamps. Both a blessing and a curse for him, for the mud hid his royal markings, but every so often, as now, he longed to be clean and out in the hot dry air of the savannah. The longing was his own fault, unwilling to leave the safety of his adoptive pride in case he was spotted while out hunting, for his old pride kept ‘watchers’, lions who roamed the vast spaces of the roguelands and who reported back anything of interest to his brothers, now the ruling King and his Advisor. He knew that if he was ever found alive, they would not look kindly on his defection....
Shaking his head he glanced about him, wondering if he could risk lingering on the boarders just for a little while. He was getting restive and a change of view would be good for him.
Suddenly he reeled backwards, a feminine yelp ringing though the air. That sound and the slight bruising on his chest told him he had just ran into someone before he even caught his balance. Looking round at the startled lioness he dropped his head in a low bow. “I am so sorry ma’am.”
Maisha blinked at the sudden politeness, not something she was especially used to in her rough and tumble, tom-boy lifestyle. Suddenly grinning she reached out a paw and brushed a leaf off his shoulder. “Ah, no harm done. Didn’t see you coming out of those bushes there.” She nodded at the pathway he had just made through a thick clump of foliage, where no sane lion would push through. “You alright?” She arched a brow, far too intuitive for his comfort.
Nodding he flushed, rather ashamed of himself that he had almost mown down the pretty female as he wandered about unthinking and certainly far from paying attention.
Maisha chuckled at his devastated and embarrassed expression. He seemed... ‘delicate’ or at least incredibly sensitive to others and the situation, not something she had ever learned with her blunt tongue and blunt ways. Flashing him a toothy grin she chuckled. “Well prince, try not to walk off a cliff or something yeah?” Chuckling she watched him, then paused as his eyes went wide and he stared at her like she had grown a second head. “Uhh... did I say something?” bemused she blinked at him in puzzlement.
Asante stared. Had she just said ‘prince’? Feeling himself go pale he swallowed and caught his breath. “Uh... how do you know that..?”
Utterly puzzled she blinked at him. “Know.. what..?”
Asante wanted to flee, run as fast as he could, but she.. she couldn’t be one of the Watchers... He’d seen her round the pride before. “Know... that I was a prince.”
Confusion cleared in Maisha’s expression at his stumbling words and she smiled kindly at him, hoping to calm him down. “Well.. your markings are from the Takatifu Duniani right? And I heard the Lost Prince story before I came here. I was a rogue.” She added by way of an explanation. “Don’t worry though, I never actually met any of the pride and have no intention of doing so. I just thought your markings were pretty and seemed like those from the pride.” Resisting the urge to reach over and pat his head like a cub, she smiled again. “Lucky guess really.”
Feeling his heart hammering against his ribs, he looked down, suddenly realising that he must have walked through a pool of water or something, as his legs were washed perfectly clean and those infernal markings shone brightly for all to see, their metallic gleam shown off well by his dark for. Sighing and taking deep breaths to collect himself again, he nodded. “Was... but I am just Asante now... ex-wandering rogue and now a pride member... I don’t...” Pausing he cast around for the right words but was saved by her warm chuckle and kind look.
“Oh, don’t worry Asante. Like I said, I heard the story. Kind of surprised to know the Lost Prince is real, but your secret is safe with me. No way would I turn over the Prince to his brothers.” Flashing him a vibrant smile once more she did finally reach out and pat his shoulder in support and reassurance. The poor guy looked like he had seen a ghost.
Come to think of it.. he was rather close to the boarder wasn’t he...? Maybe he had wanted to get some fresh air? Spirits knew she needed to get out and simply hunt and run for a while in the lands that had been her home for so long. Struck with an idea and a way to make it up to him for scaring him so badly, she grinned playfully. “Tell you what.. let me make reparations. Let’s go hunting together. I know the best spots right on the border.” That way you will be safe and will have someone to watch out for you in case any of your pride are near by. The unspoken words were never the less caught by Asante who slowly recovered his original calmer appearance, nodding only slightly shakily. “Thank you.. I.. would like that.”
Grinning Maisha turned and led him through the swamp towards her favoured hunting spot, chatting brightly the whole way about nothing much in particular.
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