She had known that the end would come to the king's reign, what she'd not expected had been the entire pride to collapse. Chaos hand ensued, and she'd been separated from her mother. Now she was alone, the lioness with a coat like ice but eyes of fire. She'd never been exclusively alone. When her brother and sister had left to forge their own paths, she'd still been with her mother. She remained by her side in a pride with terrifying ways. And now, she was a rogue again, and utterly and completely alone. To put it simple, Ixcatzin felt down-right depressed, the color of her fur seeping into her very soul.
When he'd risen that morning, Hajime had expected many things. The circle of life would continue as it always had, birds would sing, meerkats would bark, warthogs would root around, and predators would hunt grazing prey. The day was cloudless, telling him the sun would shine and light up their merry corner of Africa as it always had. What he hadn't expected had been to see a lioness trudge by that looked like she felt as blue as her coat was. He stopped, watching her pass, then tilted his head. After a moment, he followed after her. "Are you alright, ma'am?"
She jumped, more out of surprise than fear, looking behind her. The lion that she found herself staring at had the most exotic and strange markings she'd ever beheld. Blood red and coal black markings fought for dominance over his primarily white coat, with multiple stripes present and even large markings up all four of his legs. She could hardly tell which color dominated more after the white, but it was all offset by pale green eyes. She hesitated, ears moving back and forth for a moment, before she looked away. "I'm... Fine." Ixcatzin began walking again, not wanting to burden somebody with her problems.
He inclined his head, dark ears moving back for a moment. "You certainly don't LOOK fine." He began walking after her, soon catching up. As he walked beside her, he glanced at the lioness, taking everything in. Up close, it was far easier to see just how depressed she seemed to be. Her coat looked like it had seen some better days, her eyes looked too tired for how young she still looked, and her face drooped in a way he'd only ever seen on those knowing the end was coming no matter what they did. "What's your name, if I may ask?" Sometimes, a name was a good start, a good beginning to a conversation.
Ixcatzin spared the male a glance, wondering why he was following her. "Ixcatzin." She looked away, focusing on where she was walking. She had no real destination, no goal of where she was going. She didn't know where she'd end up, only that she no longer cared. The two lions she most cared about were missing from her life, in places unknown, suffering fates unknown. She didn't even know if they WERE suffering. She hoped they weren't. "It means 'like cotton'."
A smile spread on Hajime's face. "Like cotton... Your mother must have thought you soft to the touch to give you such a sweet name." He gave a bow of his head, still walking. "I am Hajime. It means 'beginning.' But you, dear Ixcatzin..." His smile melted into a frown. "You look like you're just waiting for the end." He stepped in front of her, bending slightly to look her in the eye. "So tell me, Ixcatzi, with your coat the color of water and eyes the color of the sun. Why do you look so sad?"
With no choice but to stop, Ixcatzin regarded the strange lion. He seemed to be insistent on finding out what was up. She let out a sigh, closing her eyes. "Have you... Heard of the Ashnai'le?" She glanced back to some nebulous place. "It was ruled by a tyrant, and an old prophecy said a cub born outside the pride would be his downfall... But instead of just the king falling... The whole pride fell and scattered." She grimaced, ears folding back. "I found it with my mother, and now I've lost her. I don't know where she is... Or if she's okay..." She hiccuped, starting to break down. "She's out there, alone... She's easily frightened..."
His ears folded back into his mane, eyes widening for a moment before softening. "I'm sorry you've had to go through that. Unfortunately, I can do nothing to make it better, or fix what's happened." He looked away, taking a seat. "All I can say is that she's probably fine, where ever she is. Everybody finds a way, and this may be a new opportunity for her to learn to not be so easily afraid." He glanced at Ixcatzin. "That's not to say she will stop being afraid or SHOULD. Fear is what keeps us alert. But it'll be good if she learns to be independent without leaning on others always, only when she needs to."
Ixcatzin stared, tears slowly stopping. Finally, with a sniff, she looked off to some distant horizon. "I... I suppose you're right. But what do I do now? I'VE never been alone." She didn't truly know where to begin. She knew how to hunt and to do it when she was hungry, but she had no direction. She had no idea where to go, what to do with herself.
He could only shrug. "Make a new beginning, it's all I can suggest." He inclined his head, thoughtful. "If you want a peaceful pride, I can suggest a few. Pridelands, Ela'wadiyi... Jini'msemi are also a peaceful lot. Ah..." He clicked his teeth in thought. "Bahari'mtoto, over by the sea.." The sea was a peaceful enough place, if she avoided one of the prides there.
"The sea..." She'd never been to the sea, or seen a body of water larger than a watering hole or river. A glimmer filled Ixcatzin's eyes, probably for the first time in a while. "I think I'll go there..." It gave her a place to go, something to do. She looked at Hajime, thoughtful, then smiled at him, the first one probably in a while. "Thank you. It'll still hurt, not knowing... But... I can't dwell on the what's not here and now, forever, can I?" Stepping around him, she started walking, only to stop. Looking back, her ears folded and her prior smile turned into a sheepish grin. "I don't know where the sea is."
Chuckling, Hajime stood up, facing east. "It's that way. Keep the rising sun in front of you, and the setting sun behind you." He bowed his head, smiling at her. "Now, go, enjoy a new beginning." He watched her leave, a pleasant hum in his throat. After a moment, he turned and continued on his way. He had no goals, he had no destination, but he had no problem with this fact. His purpose of the day, the week, or the month would come when he crossed paths with it.