How long had he been wandering? Probably a week, given how many times the sun had set and risen. How far had he gone? Pili wasn't sure. He was a bit far from the lands he'd grown up in, the jungle that bordered the sea and populated by pirates. He hadn't seen any pirates in a while, really. Even his dear captain, his friend, had been missing, off to parts unknown for some unknown reason. Perhaps he'd simply not been seeing them, just missing the others. It felt like the Maestros lands were... Quieter. It made him incredibly sad. Coupled with the longing to see his brother again, he'd found himself further and further from the Maestros lands. This was the farthest he'd gone, though, tailed by a mermaid who surely wanted to eat him, or whatever it was mermaids did.
She'd been traveling some time, heading for the rising sun and away from the setting sun. When mid-day hit, she stopped to rest, finding as good a spot as she could, so that she couldn't get lost along the way. After her talk with Hajime, she'd found herself feeling... Happier, better. She'd taken care of her fur finally, back to its cotton soft texture. Though she was still sad, missing her mother and those she'd known, she had a smile on her face as she headed for her new beginning. She only knew it was by the sea, just not sure which pride. She'd been thinking about it... And she wanted somewhere peaceful.
Pili paused by a tree, leaning on it. As he was scratching his side and back against it, a sight caught his eye. A lioness, the blue of the ocean with markings in a darker shade and cream, was walking by. He watched her for a moment, considering approaching, but remembered the last time he had talked to a lioness. A slight shudder passed over him, and he opted to not approach, instead going back to his scratching. He wasn't taking any chances today.
Pausing to look around, Ixcatlin wondered just how far she was from the coast. How close WAS she to these mysterious and peaceful Bahari'mtoto? Shifting her lower jaw to click her teeth lightly, she panned the horizon. Her gaze soon fell on a shadow of a lion, rubbing up against a tree. That had to be some mighty itch... But he could potentially know where to go, just which way to head, if she had to adjust her course. As she got closer, she put on as gentle and kind a smile as she could muster, approaching a lion she barely knew. "Hello, there! Sir? I was wondering if you know how far the Bahari'mtoto are from here?"
He had to stop himself from cringing. Despite making no effort to approach her, the lioness had decided to approach HIM. Still, she couldn't be the same as that fish-marked lioness, could she? Up close, she looked absolutely soft to the touch, and for a moment he considered rubbing up against her. But she looked nervous, almost afraid of approaching him. He stared at her for a moment, processing her question, then blinked, looking up at the sky. After a moment, he looked at the trees and a near by river. "I'd be guessin' a few days to two weeks' walk from here, lass." The Bahari'mtoto... He'd heard of them. They were a peaceful pride, shore-dwellers like the pirates. But their peaceful and monogomous ways weren't for his pirate blood. It was their neighbors to the south that had him curious.
She tilted her head, listening to his accent. It was unlike anything she'd ever heard, and it made her wonder just where he was from. She looked around, trying to figure out how he'd determined just where they were, then turned back to him. "Oh, thank you!" She offered him a smile, less of a nervous one, then turned to start walking. After a moment, she paused, walkind back. "I was... I was wondering something..." She watched him raise one pale eyebrow. "I've never heard an accent like yours. Where are you from?" There were so many prides out here she'd never seen or heard of, some she decided best be avoided. She'd passed a group of lions that she heard talking about thralls or something, and while she had no idea what the word meant, she decided it didn't sound like a good word.
He had to admit, her curiosity was indearing. He found himself smiling, shifting to sit down. Placing a paw on his chest in a grand flurry of movement, he bowed forward. "I, lass, am from the Maestros del Mar. I be but a humble pirate, out wandering the savannah solo." He sat back up, giving her as charming a smile as he could muster. It didn't take much to muster it. "And who might ye be, lass? Out here all alone." Part of him wanted to protect her out of genuine concern. But the other part... Well, he WAS still a pirate.
Under the blue fur, her face flushed, gaze turning down. "I am Ixcatzin. I'm alone, because the pride I'd come from... It disbanded. Everybody went different ways, including my mother. I worry for her, but there's not much I can do, and I should forge my own life." She was, after all, making a new beginning. She should have left the proverbial nest ages ago, like her brother and sister had. Really, though, she felt unsafe, out here alone. Once the sorrow had melted away, she'd become all too aware of how unsafe she actually WAS, traveling alone. "I've... Already had to skirt one group of lions... They were talking about thralls... I didn't like how that word sounded."
His ears suddenly went back, eyes widening. "Stormborn!" He looked around, as if expecting the dishonorable wretches to pop out of a bush or the ground. "Aye, lass, that word's no good. It means SLAVE." He got up, turning full body. "Stormborn be lackin' the honor pirates have, takin' slaves as they cross the plains." He looked at her, frowning. His concern had become entirely and completely genuine and about her safety. "Would ye be likin' an escort to the Bahari? I'm a wee bit far from home, but if'n it means keepin' a pretty lass such as yerself out'a their paws, I'll be glad to take ye there meself."
It was Ixcatzin's turn to widen her eyes. "Oh no no no! I don't want to be anybody's slave!" She moved and hid behind the dark lion, looking around. "I... I think that escort would be lovely, thank you! Um... I didn't get your name, humble pirate."
"Aye, I'm lackin' the manners there!" He started walking, leading the way to the Bahari. "Ye may call me Dragon." He paused, considering how odd that sounded. "But... Ye may call me Pilipili. Ah, Pili fer short."
"Pili..." She frowned for a moment, following close, then nodded, smile spreading on her face. "Thank you, Pili, for helping me!"
"It be no problem, lass." Anything to keep spiting the vikings.
