[SRP] Footprints in the Sand [Binafsi + Kitambi] - FIN

[Chibi Sheepcat]

Kitambi sat silently at the water's edge, watching the small waves roll up and just touch the tips of her dark brown toes. She would be leaving soon, to go out into the world beyond her pride. Nobody had ever gone far on their coming of age ceremony, but it would be the first time she left her pride and stayed away. Waseme would have had a much easier time doing this. In fact, her younger sister had already done it. She had up and left the pride without even the slightest look back. Kitambi almost wished she could do the same.

There were so many restrictions here, so many things for her to do. Sometimes she dreamed of being a wander like her friend Kimanda, who lived each day as it came. He had been all over the world, or so it seemed to her. What would she be like if she had been allowed to wander as she pleased? Would it make her any different? The young lioness severely doubted that. Besides, she wasn't allowed to wander for very long. Her mother expected her to be here, in the Nchi'mahadhi lands, making sure that everyone in the pride was alright. If she was to be the heir, then she had certain duties to uphold.

But still.... Kitambi wondered what it would be like to see the rest of Africa. To see oceans and deserts and mountains so high you felt like you were touching the sky. But she couldn't leave, whether by the chains her mother had placed on her or the ones she placed on herself. She would live here until she died.  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

Binafsi gave a small, pleased sigh as she headed home. Another successful hunt. It felt so good to be back here again. She had really missed these lands. They were the lands of her ancestors, after all, and she felt a sense of belonging here. The outside world was rough, and it had been rather unkind to her when she was forced to flee the Nchi'mahadhi pride. Life was not as simple as it had been when she was growing up. But she need not dwell on the past. She could put that behind her now, and move on.

With a smile on her face, the huntress paused for a moment to clean her whiskers. As she switched paws to do ther other side, she caught sight of a lone figure sitting near the water. Who was that? The lioness tilted her head, before she recognized the darkness of the young lioness's fur. It was Kitambi. Curiousity got the better of her, and Binafsi moved to sit beside the young heir.

"Kitambi? What are you doing out here all alone?"  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

While Binafsi viewed the Nchi'mahadhi lands as her home, Kitambi viewed the lands as her cage. The weight of an entire pride sat on her little shoulders. It was enough to make her wonder why she hadn't given over the spot to her sister. Surely Waseme would have done well in this position. Then again, she didn't really know Waseme. All she knew about her sister was the anger that was directed towards her. Kitambi would have honestly given her the pride if she felt that doing so would be right. But that was the problem. She didn't.

Kitambi looked up at the approach of the other lioness, tilting her head at the question. "Hello, Binafsi. This is what I always do." That much was true. The young heir was perpetually out by herself, especially since she liked to be out and think. Apparently, Binafsi didn't quite understand this. Of course the huntress would think it odd to be alone. Hunters worked in groups.  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

Indeed, Kitambi was right about Binafsi's line of thinking. Hunters always worked together to achieve the best results. But even more than that, it was about Rhythm. To be in the Nchi'mahadhi pride meant that you understood what Rhythm meant. The pride was more like one big community, who worked together and lived together all the time. Why would Kitambi seek silence and time away from the pride? Was there something that the young heir was hiding?

Most would wonder why it was Binafsi who spotted Kitambi's strange behaviour rather than her own mother. Truth be told, though Binafsi respected their leader, she knew that Nsundu was not the ideal mother. She was just too focused on herself. Thus, that meant that Binafsi would have to step up in her place. Whatever was bothering the young heir, she would figure it out.

"You always do this? You like being alone?"  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

Kitambi tilted her head just slightly to the side, as she thought about the two questions she had been asked. She had never been questioned about what she did. Even Kimanda, who had spent the most time with her, never inquired about the long periods of time she spent by herself. Nsundu probably thought that she was out here thinking about Rhythm or music, which she was. Just probably not in the same way her mother thought about it.

"Yes, I always do this." She decided to go with the most straightforward one first. That would give her a little bit of time to stall before the second question. "And I do like to be alone, sometimes. It lets me thinking." There. That was vague enough to answer her question. Kitambi had never been one to allow people to pry into her private life.  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

Always? Binafsi couldn't help but frown a little as she stared at the young lioness. She had heard rumours about her. Those in the pride said that she was a good little girl, but she was incredibly serious for her age. The huntress had initially had problems believing that. After all, how could Kitambi be so serious when her mother was so... well, not? However now that she had come face to face with the heir, Binafsi was beginning to see where the rumours were coming from.

"You're the thinking type then? My brother was the same way." The huntress wasn't going to be deterred from the conversation that easily. She wanted to get to know this young heir, especially now that she was quite curious about her. "Think about anything exciting? Or just pondering life?" Binafsi's brother had been the second. He was at least a little bit social, and he had a very good ear for songs. The lioness wondered if Kitambi was like that.  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

Kitambi kept her face neutral as she stared out across the lake, though she did notice the change on Binafsi's face. Was she doing something strange by always staying out here? She had never thought it strange. It was nice to be able to get away from people who had expectations of her. Perhaps Binafsi had never felt like that, thus she wouldn't understand the time the heir needed away from people. Or perhaps she would know what she felt. You never knew.

"The thinking type?" She repeated, tilting her head. What did that mean? There must be a type of lion out in the real world that thought all of the time. Her mother had mentioned them before, but she had only ever said they were lions, never lionesses. Kitambi looked momentarily amused at the second set of questions, before giving a small shrug. "Rhythm, music, pride life. Nothing I would consider interesting."  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

Aaah, so the young lioness did feel emotions! Binafsi felt as though she was getting somewhere with Kitambi. Perhaps she could get the heir to open up. She would come and talk to her every day until she did. It was no trouble for her. Besides, she should try to get to know her future ruler, and the ruler of her children. She wanted to make sure that it was the right lioness for the job.

"Yes. Lions who generally spend their time contemplating life or other important things. They like to think about things rather than do them." Binafsi was more of a do-things person herself. She liked to get right in there and make a difference. Thinking never helped anybody but the person who was thinking. "Oh but those things are important. This is a musical pride, which I'm very sure you know about, seeing as you were born here. Do you like thinking about these things?"  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

Kitambi blinked slowly, listening to what Binafsi described to her. Lions who spent their time contemplating life. She had never head of such things. Even so, that definitely sounded like it described her. Thinking rather than doing. She did do some things, like helping Kimanda learn to dance, but she did prefer to think. The way that Binafsi said it made her wonder if that was a bad thing. There was just something in her tone that made the young lioness wonder.

The heir nodded along with what Binafsi had to say, knowing very well how important those things were. This was the Nchi'mahadhi pride. Rhythm was the most important thing in the world. The huntress' question through her off guard, however, and a small frown formed on her face. Did she like thinking about them? "I never really thought about liking or dislike. I just think about them a lot."  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

Truth be told, Binafsi did think that being a thinker could be a bit of a problem. It was not a problem if you did it sometimes. The fact that Kitambi did it all the time made the huntress worry. Frankly, it should have made her mother worry, but that was another story entirely. Either way, it couldn't be healthy for such a young cub to be out by herself for this long. She needed to do get out and do things instead of thinking so much.

When Kitambi frowned, Binafsi sat up a little straighter. Aaah, now they were getting somewhere. So she didn't think about disliking or liking these things. Hmmm.... "Why would you think about them a lot if you didn't like them? It can't be worth your time to think about these things," she said with a small nod, watching Kitambi intently.  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

Oooh, now that was a hard question. Kitambi tilted her head, turning her brown eyes away from Binafsi and back out across the lake. Why did she think about these things if she didn't like or dislike them? It wasn't a matter of disliking them or liking them or anything at all like that. Thus, there was a very simple answer to that, and one the huntress should have very well been expecting. "But it is worth my time, Binafsi," Kitambi insisted, doing her best to sound confident in what she had to say. "I'm the heir. I have to be thinking about these things all the time."

Even as she said her answer, Kitambi was not entirely sure that the words came from her heart. Binafsi had been able to hit the nail on the head, so to speak, and now she was stuck spouting words that the probably didn't believe herself. It was rather untruthful, however it had worked on so many other people that the young lioness simply assumed it would work on Binafsi. After all, the lioness had no cubs of her own. Surely she wouldn't know how to deal with them.  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

Kitambi had made a critical error in her judgment. Just because Binafsi had never had children of her own, did not mean that she didn't know how to deal with them. Quite the contrary, the huntress had a fine set of mothering instincts with her, courtesy of her own mother. Not to mention the huntress was very focused on the truth. It was rather difficult to slip something by her, especially when you were as young as Kitambi. Still, Binafsi did applaud her effort. She could have definitely fooled a lioness who did not recognize a suffering child as quickly as herself.

"You don't have to be the heir, you know. Nsundu might have more children, or you could hand your title over to the many other female cubs that run around this pride. It is a mantle you could easily pass on to someone else." This was, in fact, very true. Kitambi could revoke her right as first daughter and give it to someone else, so long as the pride felt it was fitting. Kitambi was definitely clever enough to engineer this in her favour. "And even if you are the heir, you don't have to be thinking about such things all the time. Especially if you don't enjoy it."  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

Hmmm.... Kitambi couldn't help but frown again at Binafsi's words, feeling something stir deep inside her. Hand it over... yes, she had thought about that. Many a time, to be honest. But just handing her title over felt like she was doing the position a great injustice. She didn't want to be known for simply abandoning the throne, not after what her grandmother did. That would be downright disgraceful. Besides, she had a right to this position. A right, though by birth, that she worked hard every day to be worthy of. Surely she couldn't just hand that over without even a protest.

"No, I am the heir. Even though I was given the title, I do do my best to work hard enough to be worthy of it," Kitambi said softly, as she dragged her claws through the mud. "I am well aware of my duties, and I will not let anyone down. Thus, I must be thinking of my job at all times and be prepared to answer any questions. I have to make a good queen someday." At this, the young heir turned her head to look squarely at Binafsi. What would the lioness say to this?  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

Binafsi listened quietly as Kitambi talked, taking a moment to digest the words. It seemed to the huntress that the young heir truly did want the title, but just didn't see it in the way she should. She was much too focused on the rules and regulations, of upholding the title. No wonder she was so serious. Being heir probably hung over her head like a black cloud. The lioness felt truly sorry for Kitambi, and hoped that she would be able to offer the proper advice to her. Even so, nobody could change Kitambi's ways but herself.

"Sometimes what we want and what we say we want are two different things. I would advise you to think clearly about what you want with your heart when you seek out your Rhythm. If you cannot be true to yourself and to your Rhythm, no practice or knowledge can save you then. You would not be the queen you want to be if you cannot be true to your Rhythm." Binafsi gave Kitambi a small nudge, leaning in to groom the top of her head gently. "The pride accepts you as their future queen, but you must learn to accept yourself." And with that, the huntress rose, and headed back in the direction of her den.  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

Kitambi sat in silence for a long time after the lioness had gone. Her words had been fairly few in number, however the meaning was incredibly clear. The young heir did not doubt anything that Binafsi had said, nor did she believe the lioness was leading her on. No, Binafsi had joined her on the beach to talk to her, and to help her with whatever was troubling her. Perhaps this was what it felt like to have a real mother. Someone you could confide in and would teach you a valuable lesson about life. Binafsi really did understand what she was going through, and her words had helped Kitambi immensely.

The young heir stared down at the foot prints next to her in the sand, and gently placed her own paw on top of one. Her drum quest. It would be the first step, and a hard one, but she was sure she could do it. After all, Binafsi had given her her blessing.

With a small smile, Kitambi rose and set off down the beach. Her first steps as a doer, not a thinker.