Insha had wanted to come out into his pride and visit some lions, make some new friends, and maybe further his quest to become a father by finding a special lady. And while he had found someone… interesting… he was not sure what sort of an arrangement he was getting into, or if it was really what he wanted to do, as far as a family setting went. Would he even see his cubs, if he made this deal and followed through with the deal? What if she tried to raise them to be like her, doing… strange things… to get what they wanted. He had never seen anything like her before, and while it definitely worked for her, it was not something he would want his kids to learn how to do.
There were better ways to get what one wanted than having a giant snake capture lions to ask them for babies, for example.
Sighing, Insha padded along slowly, not really looking where he was going until he heard some voices ahead of him. Glancing up, he saw two lions strolling together leisurely, in the middle of conversation but seeming to both be relaxed and at their leisure. One was a female, brown fur with green markings, and the other was a male with a much more natural kind of coat to him. They both seemed to be having a good day, and Insha wondered if he should just not talk to them because he was not sure if he would just bring their good time down or not. No, he was not a depressed sort, and he was not sure why he was so worried about it all of a sudden. His head was all messed up after meeting that strange female, and he could not put his thoughts in order any more because she kept popping up in his mind.
That was probably a bad sign, he thought.
Karata spotted the blue lion, as his lack of camouflage made that a fairly easy task, and smiled at him warmly. Tariki followed her gaze and also smiled, though it was a little less at ease than she was, and the two wandered over to him. Karata felt no worry, not in this home. Sure, it was not the one they had grown up knowing, maybe, but it was still a home. And she knew this lion was a member of her pride, so whatever else was going on, he was probably safe to talk to. Really, it was the ones outside the pride that made her nervous, and she had not enjoyed her time away from her home. If she had her way, she would never leave again. That was a hard promise to keep, though, when the whole pride had to change and move, but she was now adjusting to all this new stuff. The last thing she wanted was more change. In her mind, pride members were good, outsiders not so much.
It was a simple way of breaking things down but so far it was working.
Tariki had a bit more experience with… mostly everything. He was a very calm sort of lion, and it was incredibly difficult to upset him or stress him out. Even his closest friends had a hard time remembering when he was last angry, if he ever was. Tariki himself could not recall a specific situation bad enough to rile him up, but he was sure something was out there. There was no reason for him to go out looking for it, though, and he just preferred to keep his life simple and calm.
Peace was much nicer than any of the alternatives, really. Why make his life miserable when he had such an easier time just being content?
“Hello, there, friend,” Tariki said passively, not smiling, but not looking unfriendly, either. He had a very passive air to him, and Insha immediately felt at ease. He tried to chase the anxiety he was feeling earlier out of his mind. He just needed to focus on something else for a little while, and then he would forget all about crocodile cubs and giant snakes. At least he hoped so. Because they were… really strange thoughts.
“Hello! My name is Karata, who are you? I can’t remember if I’ve seen you around before or not,” Karata said, forward because she had no reason not to be. She was not shy, not really, though she changed completely whenever she was faced with an outsider. In fact, if she learned that he was not a member of the pride, her outward personality would suddenly vanish and she would probably go and hide behind Tariki until the stranger was gone. Thankfully, though, that situation did not arise.
“My name is Insha. It’s nice to meet you, Karata. I’ve lived here for as long as anyone else, I guess, but I don’t go out much. I’ve only just really started to come out and try and meet others so… I guess you guys are the first ones. Uh. Well not the first, but among them. I’m sorry, I didn’t let you introduce yourself before I started babbling,” Insha bit his own tongue to stop himself, looking at Tariki and lifting his eyebrows thoughtfully at the other.
Tariki chuckled, thinking he could get to like this guy. He could tell without much effort that Insha was a gentle soul.
“My name is Tariki. It is good to meet you, as well, Insha. I wonder why you have not been exploring until now? You seem to be about our age, if not a bit older. And you must have left on your pilgrimage.”
“No, you’re right. I did. But I… I don’t know. Once we got back here I just picked a den and kind of just stayed there. I go out around there and if there are other lions nearby I will try to say hi or something but… as far as actually making an effort to go out and meet others, I never really did.”
Karata’s ears drooped a little bit, and she tilted her head at him, not noticing she was at the same angle as Tariki. They spent a lot of time together, so it was only natural that they had some of the same mannerisms. He was her best friend, but he was a little… hard to read, sometimes. She did not get the impression he was interested in her in the slightest, so she had never pursued his attention in that regard. As a result, they ended up with a rather sibling-like relationship. They argued sometimes, but they always made up before too long. Most of the time they did not have to think about it, and certainly did not talk about it. If they argued, they just got some space and then ended up friends again. It was a pretty easy existence, and because of that they did not really fight any more.
“Well, better late than never, I guess! Hey, did you want to come with us to get some water and have a bit of a swim? I love the way my fur feels after being in the water, and cleaning off all that dirt and dust that clings to it!” She smiled at Insha and he nodded his head. He could not see any dirt on her fur, but he supposed having a darker pelt was more useful for hiding it, especially considering how earthy her colors were. His, bright blue and white, stuck out a little bit more. It was impossible to keep clean, but he groomed regularly in a valiant effort to, anyway.
He was mostly successful, but a nice swim sounded rather good, now that the idea was out there.
“I would love to join you both if you don’t mind the extra company… and if you don’t mind how awkward I might be… I’m not the best at hanging out with others, but uh… I’ll do my best!” Insha chuckled and Karata laughed. Tariki shook his head. It seemed like he would now have two companions that had a lot more energy than he did, but he supposed he did not mind it. he was fond of Karata, so he doubted he would have trouble becoming friends with someone seemingly similar, even if Insha claimed he had no experience.
“Well, then, it seems like you are a new member of our company. Let’s go to the watering hole, then. There is one not too far from here, though there is a bit of climbing to get to it.”
“When is there not climbing?” Karata laughed, shaking her head. She had built a lot of muscle in her legs after this move, that was for sure. They all chuckled and agreed, and then the group moved to walk toward the water. Insha was not familiar with this area, so it was good that he had some guides. And potentially some new friends?
It was an exciting prospect.
Word Count: 1,504 in Google Docs
