[AIM] Finding someone to trust (Abeni/Kasdeya)

[Kieko]

Abeni had not lived in this land for more than a night, but she already felt more at home here than anywhere else she had traveled to. She eagerly awaited being able to meet one of the Kings, though she was patient. Surely Kings were the sort to stay busy... So she spent her time exploring the land and getting a feel for her new home. The volcano was her favorite place to go. She found that if she stayed there for very long her visions would become more detailed and intense, which was a blessing and a curse at the same time. Or at least, that's what she would have thought in the past. Now she knew differently. She wasn't cursed, or just weird... She was blessed. Abeni had decided that perhaps being the daughter of a Goddess made her able to get in touch with her demon on a more sensitive level, enabling her to hear it's whispered secrets of the future... And with this knowledge, she was determined to learn how to control her powers more accurately.

For now the black lioness sat on a hot rock, eyes closed. Her body did not move at all, save for her tail which twitched to and fro occasionally. It seemed that she was meditating perhaps, trying to speak to her demon....

Kasdeya had crept away from her den, eager to explore the landscape of her pride and avoid any member of her family.

It was only recently that her mother decided to flee from the pride and while the small cub did not have a particularly close relationship with her, it was still painful to know that her mother had only chose a few of her siblings to take along with her. Kasdeya did not remember being stirred by her mother, but only waking to find that half of her siblings were gone. Kasdeya was never given the option to leave and while she'd likely have wished to stay, the cub couldn't help but feel as though her mother never wanted her.

Vanising quickly from her den, the cub hurried along her path to the volcano. The large, dormant rock had always proved to be a peaceful location in order for Kasdeya to gather her thoughts and focus on more important matters.

Once the cub had reached her destination, she was surprised to see a large, fully black figure resting calmly on her own. With a light hiss, Kasdeya paused where she was, not fully recognising the figure. Was this some intruding rogue?  

[Kieko]

The dark female's fur was well kept and glossy, reflecting the glow from the lava that flowed far below them and krept up threw small cracks in the stone. Her ear twitched in the direction of the cub, but her eyes did not open. Her vision was black while her eyes were closed, save for the fire... A tiny flane erupted in the corner of her vision. Then her eyes opened, and where the flame had been stood Kasdeya. Another demon, but much smaller... She smiled, though out of amusment. The idea of the demons with childred amused her, for some reason...

"My, what a mighty hiss you have, dear." She muttered with sarcasim, her voice deep and alluring, on the border of not being feminine.

For a moment after her hiss, Kasdeya was almost entranced by the reflection of the lava on Abeni's coat. The lioness, though clearly of mortal body, appeared like a Goddess without wings. And when Abeni opened her eyes to reveal two gorgeous, golden orbs, Kasdeya shut her gaping mouth in surprise! While she had never met this lioness, she heard news of her presense from many others of the pride. Hakuna had come across her with the belief that she was another demon. Having heard nothing from her sisters or father about her acceptance, Kasdeya could only assume that Abeni had not yet gone to speak with the Kings.

When Abeni spoke, Kasdeya's fur began to bristle with frustration. It was just her luck to run across another demon adult when she had gone to be alone! Lowering her head in respect, Kasdeya spoke as politely as she could muster, "I apologise for my hiss. I did not realise that you were one of us."

While the cub was trying her best to be on good behavior, her tone showed how much she resented it.

An eyebrow raised as she reguarded the cub for a long moment before speaking again. "Such a harsh tone, considering I have done nothing to earn it..." She crossed her front paws over each other, taking a more casual and comfortable position. Even though she had brought it up, she really didn't seem offended or angry. Children would be children. "What is your name, cub?" She paused, then quickly corrected herself. "I mean... zera'ne.."

When Abeni called Kasdeya 'zera'ne', the small cub was further convinced that the black lioness was one of them. She knew Abeni had likely spoken with others of the pride, but doubted anyone would teach her their ways until she was an official member. Looking up towards the lioness, Kasdeya took a short bow before introducing herself. "I am Kasdeya. What should I call you?" Not entirely formal about the way she spoke, the cub simply wanted to know a name in return.

While she waited for a response, Kasdeya looked the female over curiously. How did one know when they had come across another demon? What was she supposed to look for when she ran into rogues? Was it simply the eyes as Nyota had told her?  

[Kieko]

"Abeni. Just call me Abeni." She nodded, looking her over in return. Her nose wrinkled slightly, wondering why they cub was staring at her like that... But she supposed that it might be expected... She as the 'new girl' after all...

"Where are your parents?" She quickly added, as if to say maybe you should get back to them....

Kasdeya listened carefully when the female gave her name. Twisting her face for a moment, the cub tried to connect the name to some of the demon words she had heard before. Realising that it didn't sound familiar, the cub looked up towards the older female and asked curiously, "What does it mean? Kasdeya is a demonic name meaning 'the fifth demon'." Kasdeya's chest puffed lightly at this, as though she was very proud of her name. With an awkward expression, the cub shrugged a bit, before adding, "I'm not quite sure why though as I have five other siblings. Perhaps I was fifth born." Kasdeya was not close to her siblings and never had the type of relationship with her parents to ask questions like those.

Realising she was giving too much information on herself, Kasdeya quieted and listened as the adult continued to question her. At the mentioning of her parents, Kasdeya's expression lost all warmth and the cub looked towards the volcano. "My father is busy. He is the king of the pride, y'know." In truth Kasdeya wasn't sure where Iartuupe was and while he didn't care where she was, she didn't care where he was.

"Oh." She blinked, looking slightly suprised. The king's daughter? She was unsure for a moment... did this make her a princess? Her lip curled downwards as she eyed her. Abeni did not want to break any traditions already... Perhaps she was suppose to respect the heirs even if they were kids... Her thoughts were pushed away when she did not mention her mother, however. She wasn't sure whether she should ask or not... So instead she ignored the subject.

"I believe my name means something along the lines of... 'We asked for this child, and now she is yours'." Paused, then chuckled deeply. "I am not sure why my mother named me that. Perhaps it was a Goddess thing."

Kasdeya noticed that Abeni avoided the subject of her mother and was very glad for it. While the cub forced any thoughts of her mother to the back of her mind, there were times in which she wondered how life would have been different with a strong female figure in her life. A female could have taught Kasdeya the ways of their pride and brought her up to be strong minded and independent. From what Kasdeya had learned, her birth mother was exactly the opposite of what she always hoped for. And ironically the cub had so much of her mother in her own pelt.

The cub was careful to keep a close eye on Abeni's behavior and noticed the slight change when the darker female heard that Kasdeya was the King's daughter. With a grin, the malicious little cub couldn't help but be glad for this small tid bit of information. It would be beneficial to her, she realised.

When Abeni commented on how it was a 'Goddess thing', she caught Kasdeya's interest. "A Goddess thing?" The cub repeated. "What do you mean?"  

[Kieko]

"Ah... well..." She cleared her throat, eyeing the smaller female again. Her tail flicked as she grinned, it being her turn to use information to her advantage. "My mother was the Goddess of Fire, you see. It is why I see the future in the flames."

As much as Kasdeya hated being forced to show respect towards elders she did not know, the cub was mesmorised by Abeni's words. Listening carefully, Kasdeya couldn't help but smile with excitement. She was the child of a Goddess? And the fire Goddess no less? Waving her tail about, Kasdeya gave proof that she was entertained, eagerly waiting for more of the story. The part about seeing the future caught her interest in particular. She had heard that the cubs produced from a God and a mortal were all gifted with a supernatural ability to tell the future, past or present. Grinning more broadly, the cub couldn't hold back more questions. "The Goddess of fire? That is awesome! Have you learned anything about the future already? What does it look like?"

Abeni couldn't help but chuckle. "Yes... really. I have not seen my Mother since I was a young cub though... I vaugely remember her. I am also good friends with the God of Darkness. He's quite an interesting fellow..." She shook her head, smiling... But then her expression turned a bit more cryptic. "Unfortunately child, I can not tell you that.... My visions are always in riddles... Enveloped so deeply in flame that normally I don't even know what they mean until right before they happen. But as I mentioned... All of my visions are made of flames, I see... images, sometimes, in them. Or see things burning. All clues for me to follow, so I can do fate's work. It is what led me here. I saw demonic fire spouting from the earth, and when I saw Hakuna, I knew that I must follow her."

When Abeni announced that she had not seen her mother since she was a cub, Kasdeya couldn't help but connect with the older female. They both shared that upsetting fact. It seemed from what Kasdeya could tell, however, that Abeni had done fine on her own. She had stumbled across the pride and was already making herself at home. By her build, it also did not seem as though she struggled in the roguelands. Perhaps... Kasdeya thought, Perhaps this lioness was someone to look up to?

Kasdeya nodded as Abeni continued to explain her visions in some way. The cub found it absolutely fascinating and wished for a moment that she could possess the same type of abilities.

Realising that she got caught up in the conversation, Kasdeya looked away for a moment to gather herself. Here she was letting some stranger know all about herself and her family. Unused to the sort of closeness she was feeling, the cub stretched out her limbs and faked a yawn. "Well, I should probably be heading off now."

With an awkward expression, Kasdeya began off, but didn't quite leave before looking back, "It was nice talking to you, Abeni!"  

[Kieko]

Abeni blinked when the cub decided to leave so abruptly. She wouldn't go so far as to admit she was disapointed... But she had not minded talking to her either. Not wanting to push it, she just nodded. After all, they would hopefully be living together... So she was sure to see her more often. "Alright..." Smiled, tail flicking as she watched the child bound off. "It was nice speaking to you too, Kasdeya. Be safe."