The decision to come to these lands, so far away from home, had surprised mild-mannered young Savassi. And certainly had surprised his parents. His mother in particular hadn't been very pleased. He was still young! What was he doing, moving to the highlands at this stage? And even he knew, he’d miss his birth land greatly.
But still, once he had learned of these lands, he just felt he had to go. Savassi was a curious sort, and if it was like anything he’d heard… well, it might just be a good place for him. Maybe he’d just fit in here a bit more comfortably than he did back home. And besides, he would be able to visit, right? So he bid his family farewell and left.
Surprisingly, his clumsiness didn’t lead to his death on the journey, and after a few weeks he made it. Due to friendly relations between Tianxia and the Pridelands, his reception had been nice, even if some had appeared surprised he had made this journey. Oh well…
So now he was practically a member, really. He had gotten himself set up as a student in the East House, and he was very excited about it. Even if in these first days in the lands, he felt a little lonely and homesick.
Savassi had been told now he needed a new name. A proper name. It was a bit of a surprise to him, as he hadn’t quite heard about this strange detail of the pride. Though he was initially cautious, as the young lion quite liked his name, it was also a bit exciting for him to pick one for himself. Or the idea of picking one for himself was exciting. It was easier said than done! There was definitely a good reason parents picked their kids names.
He was just pondering over a new name, having found a nice, beautiful spot up in the mountains to look out and think. He didn’t expect to be happened upon by a little cub!
Zhu Yan was enjoying a few days in the East House, while her father did… who knows what, she didn’t care much for politics, as much as she was encouraged to. Zhu Yan’s interests lied more in exploring and pouncing. Accustomed to being respected wherever she went, she had a tendency to be a bit bratty and bossy, which meant she didn’t hesitate to attack the tail of a poor unsuspecting adolescent.
Apparently he wasn’t the sort to freak out, though the lion was visibly startled by the sudden attack. That pleased Zhu Yan, and she grinned. “Hah! Got you.” She announced proudly, trapping the white-tufted tail between her paws.
Savassi’s ears laid back, and he was quite confused. Where did she come from? “I… I guess so!” He nodded hesitantly, then tilted his head. “Where are your parents?” He asked, though his tone was hardly demanding. He was a total pushover, unfortunately.
The cub took that as a slight, because he was older than her. Obviously he was trying to boss her around! “It doesn’t matter! I can do whatever I want.” She announced, with a nod of her head to emphasize the point. The young male stared blankly back at her, and she sighed. “What? Don’t you see the family resemblance?” Zhu Yan made a face.
The brown male tilted his head dumbly. What was she talking about? “Um… to who?” Savassi asked cautiously.
Zhu Yan furrowed her brow. But she was clever enough to deduce what was going on. “Oooh, I see! Are you new here?” She didn’t wait for a reply, just for him to begin nodding. “Okay then. Well, I’ll have you know I am Zhu Yan, daughter of Wei Gang and Tzu Hsi.” She emphasized the names, because that would make her even more important.
She didn’t mention her title, though. Countess! What a joke. Her parents had been the first rulers of Tianxia, she should be a princess! She also neglected to mention her very important sister, Ting Lan, the current Empress, perhaps because she was a little jealous. Ting Lan was sooo good at everything. She was all polite and elegant and pretty! Well, Zhu Yan thought being polite and elegant and pretty was overrated. She was far more unruly than most, if not all of her older siblings.
It still took Savassi a few seconds to place this cub, as he had only learned a bit of history. But he had heard of the first Emperor and Empress of the pride, and once he managed to connect the names, a look of sudden understanding crossed his features. “Oh! I see! I’m so sorry if I have upset you, Zhu Yan!” He hardly wanted to start life in this new pride on the wrong side of royalty. Even if royalty was, right now, a little cub.
“It’s okay. I’ll forgive you.” She nodded. “Who’re you, then? I told you who I am!”
Oh goodness, here he was forgetting his manners. “Sorry. I’m Savassi, from the Pridelands.” His introductions were far more humble than hers. At first the cub seemed a bit puzzled, her brows furrowed and head slightly tilted.
“Savassi?” She repeated with a frown. That was a weird… “Oooh, I get it. You don’t have a proper name yet. Well, you will need one!” She nodded, and finally released his tail and climbed up onto a conveniently placed rock, so she could be more at level with the taller lion. “Do you want help picking one? I can help you, you know. I am a pr–…. countess,” she corrected herself irritably. “After all. So I guess it’s kind of my royal duty.” It wasn’t really, but, once again, politics weren’t Zhu Yan’s forte.
For the first time in the conversation, Savassi seemed delighted, and he smiled. “Really, you would help me?”
She nodded. “Yeah. See, look, I’ll call you Mengyao. Do you like it? It means superior handsomeness.”
The adolescent sputtered. Handsomeness? Where was that coming from? It had nothing to do with him! “H-handsomeness? I couldn’t…!!”
Zhu Yan made a face. What was that all about? “Oh. Are you a modest sort, or something? Fine. But you are handsome. Wanna marry me, when we get older?” She was a tomboyish little girl, but still a little girl. She liked the idea of getting married someday, at least for the time being. And being handsome was a must!
But the adolescent just stared blankly at her after that, mouth agape. Hmm, maybe it was something she said. “Okay, alright! Jeez, don’t get your tail in a knot.” She frowned, and tapped her chin, pondering. Meanwhile, Savassi just kept frozen. “Are you gonna be here, in the East House?” No reply. Hmph. “… I’ll take that as a yes. Okay, I name you… uh… I’ll give you a surname too.” She thought they were cool, and sort of resented not having one. Her nieces and nephews did!
“Xue… Xue Ru. Studious scholar! There you go. Or Xue Junjie, sutidous handsome here!” She liked both enough.
Savassi blinked, finally recovering from the strangest marriage proposal he could imagine. Fortunately, she seemed to have forgotten all about it already. Cubs were just so unpredictable! “I–” He was about to say he liked the first one, but was interrupted by the cub.
“I gotta go. Bye, Xue Ru!”
Just as suddenly as she came, the little cub scampered off. He made a face. Children were so weird. But… well, Savassi did like Xue Ru, it seemed fitting.
“Yeah, I like it.” Said Xue Ru.
