Lesedi
Akatta
In order to ease her growing concerns regarding the strength of the young Reavers and Captains of the pride, Akatta had left the den early and headed to the training grounds. She wished to determine how the dueling lions would compare to the fighters of the old days and she believed watching the Reavers spar might give her a good insight on the state of the pride in general. As her friend Lena had suggested, perhaps the outsiders that had joined the pride as of late were more worthy than she assumed and she’d see it once she made an effort to get to know them. So there she sat, disappointed that there weren’t many lions to watch at that hour but pleased to have found at least one suitable target.
Lesedi wasn’t usually an early riser but he’d managed to score a duel with an older Viking who’d agreed to share some knowledge on how Vikings fought. Getting lessons from an older Stormborn usually implied stoically taking a severe beating and Lesedi was doing just that, doing his best to keep his balance and remain on four paws as he took the hits to prove he had indeed iron his blood… whatever that meant.
Akatta watched the two lions carefully, quickly realizing they were not really sparing as much as working on toughening up the younger lion. The tawny one was still very obviously inexperienced and the lioness couldn’t help but wonder who had lost to him. He had spunk though, she’d give him that and he was taking the older lion’s hits without complaint. Perhaps he had earned his place in the pride, after all.
She continued to watch them in silence - and those around them – without moving from her spot.
After taking a good number of blows, it had been Lesedi’s turn to attack. He did so without a second thought as fiercely as if he was once again fighting for his place in the pride once again and in a way, he kind of was. His match with Galning had ended so strangely that the young lion didn’t feel like he had completely earned his entrance into the Stormborn. But he’d make sure to be strong enough when Ruzanski, Captain Ruzanski returned from his viking so that he could ask the dark lion for a proper duel and make up for his previous defeats. They were about the same age so there was no reason why he shouldn’t be able to win against Ruzanski if he practiced a little. Still, Lesedi had slowly come to realize that the dark Captain didn’t exactly fight like most Stormborn. He was clever and level-headed in the heat of battle which made him all the harder to beat.
Finally, as both lions stood bleeding while they faced each other, the older lion decided it was time to end the training and Lesedi thanked him for his time and proceeded to leave the area. When he realized he was walking in the direction of a dark lioness who had apparently been watching his training, he gave her a little nod of acknowledgment and kept walking.
Akatta had to admit she liked the tawny lion’s somewhat clumsy fierceness and his eagerness to learn things the hard way. She decided he was most likely a good addition to the Stormborm. When it seemed the lion was about to walk away, she spoke up quickly.
“May I have a word with you, young Reaver?” she asked without standing up, hoping the male would stop to talk to her. The pride wasn’t known for breeding polite lions and Stormborn males were often willful or downright rude especially when talking to freeborns. “I am Akatta, wife of Reaver Njal.”
Lesedi was very distrustful of females. He believed most of them were skillful manipulators who would use and abuse any male stupid enough to fall for their games. He eyed the lioness suspiciously but his expression softened when she introduced herself as a married lioness. He was still feeling cautious but not nearly as much and his curiosity was slowly taking over.
“One day I will… Good day. I’m not a Reaver. I haven’t been on my first viking yet.” The tawny lion said, turning to the lioness, his eyes lingering on her odd ones. He couldn’t bring himself to finish the Stormborn greeting casually when he was facing a – most likely Freeborn – lioness. It just didn’t feel right. “I’m Lesedi. I’ve seen Njal but I haven’t spoken with him yet.” He paused for a moment, trying to get a read on the female despite being notoriously bad at it. He waited, wondering what Njal’s wife could possibly want from him.
“Ah, please forgive my mistake. I realized that I haven’t met many of the pride’s new members and I was hoping to remedy that. It’s good to meet you Lesedi. Perhaps your first viking will be alongside my husband. The world is full of little coincidences, after all.” The dark lioness chuckled, her voice as gentle as always. She noticed how he hadn’t used the full greeting words but didn’t show it.
“My family has lived here for many generations. On behalf of my line, I welcome you. Congratulations on wining your askorun.” She offered him a brief and respectful nod.
Lesedi realized he liked Akatta’ voice. It was soft and gentle, slowly breaking down his defenses as the married lioness kept talking. Her unavailability made her safer to talk to even though in the back of Lesedi’s mind he always considered the possibility that she was hiding her true nature or considering deceitful things to do behind her husband’s back. Those thoughts never did leave the young lion’s mind.
“Thank you, that is very kind of you.” He had the urge to address her as ”my lady” because she had that feel to her but that didn’t seem like a very Stormborn thing to do and Lesedi chose his words carefully. He decided to ignore all mentions of his challenge for obvious reasons. He didn’t think Galning had been boasting his defeat and that event just made the two of them look bad so no one needed to know about it.
He didn’t speak much nor did he seem too forward. And he was polite but not in a way that would bring forth comments regarding the flowery scent of his blood. He was obviously interesting in improving his skills so Akatta was forced to admit she didn’t dislike him at all.
“Well, I hope you enjoy living here. May the Gods favor you with glorious deeds and many riches, Outlander Lesedi.” She was no priestess but as a member of a family that was said to have the blood of Gods flowing in their veins, Akatta had grown up hearing this sort of little greetings and old sayings.
“I’m afraid I’ve never been much of a believer in Gods.” Lesedi admitted slowly before he started walking away. He was growing tired of standing there and decided not to linger in the area and risk creating weird rumors. Who knew if that Njal fellow was the jealous type.
She watched him walk, nodding her head briefly. “What do you believe then?”
“I believe in my own strength.” Lesedi replied after a brief pause. “And my ability to become even stronger. Good day.”
Akatta smiled, pleased with his response and nodded at the lion once, waiting for a new target to observe.
