He didn't talk much.
The gray cub mused this over, sprawled across a small rock as she watched the dark lion approach. He doesn't talk much at all.
Night was creeping closer, and in fact it was strange to see him come towards the cave at this time. Mapatano seemed to like patrolling at night. And at day too. Actually, he mostly just patrolled. And hunted.
Ethiopia had been living "with" Mapatano for some time now. Though they didn't spend that much time together. Though it wasn't exactly for lack of trying on her part; as Ethi saw it, she owed a lot to this male. But he wasn't exactly friendly at all. "Hi Mapatano. " She greeted out of habit as he passed by, receiving some sort of grunt that could be a hello of sorts. She smelled blood, so he'd probably just hunted. Maybe he was coming over to rest.
The cave was located at the valley walls, like just about all the others. But Mapatano's was seemingly far away from the rest of the prides', so she didn't really met many people unless she ventured further, or caught them patrolling. It was also atop a ledge of sorts, so there was a nice "sunning" spot outside, and rocks to laze on. Not that she'd ever seen the lion really just.. lazing about.
Mapatano walked straight into the cave, then turned, flopping onto his belly and leaning against the wall, his head raised to survey the valley past her. She quietly took notice of the lack of his bonded, perhaps Hisa was takin a flight. She was a glide, she didn't always land with him.
There was silence for a while, neither of them talking, though Ethi was growing increasingly agitated with just sitting there doing nothing. "What happened to you? " She blurted out without really wanting to. Well, she didn't want to ask, in a way. But..
"What? "
See, she was afraid of bothering him. She had hoped he hadn't heard it. "I.. um.. " The gray cub glanced at the male, who had a brow quirked quizzically. Sighing, she slid off her nice rock, walking a bit closer than sitting down.
"You're.. well, quiet. And you don't stay with the other pride members. So.. um.. what happened? " When Ethiopia saw the beginnings of a stare, she quickly went on. "I mean, only if you don't mind! I was just.. wondering. "
Mapatano looked at her for a bit longer, and she could swear he was seeing right through her, or something. Finally, he sighed, and spoke. "Fair enough. "
She blinked, she hadn't really expected him to say yes! .. That was a yes, right?
Mapatano sighed, pondering how to start this. He could usually trust everyone to have heard of his history, he never had to explain it to anyone. But he supposed he might as well explain it to her. And, as much as he wouldn't admit it, he had a soft spot for Ethiopia and Tanzania. Yes, even Tanzania.
"When I was a cub, my father was king. " He saw her ears perk up at that, of course. He could hear it before she said it. "You were he-- " "Yes. " He shrugged. It hadn't been a big deal. Besides, its not like he'd been heir for long.
Mapatano also noticed her ears droop at the interruption. He was, yes, a little annoyed, but he always got testy when talking about his father. "He wasn't a very good king, " He didn't plan on telling her exactly what his father did.
"Anyway, eventually he crossed the line. Umoja's father, my uncle, took over the throne and exiled my father. " A quick pause. "And I didn't take daddy-dearest's side. " A dark paw was raised, indicating slightly to his left eye. "This was his parting gift. " He said the last part with a sneer.
Ethiopia just stared at the dark lion, taking in this information. She'd never expected Mapatano to go through that. There were still questions she wanted to ask, but decided against it, seeing as Mapatano had diverted his eyes as if the herds in the distance were awe inspiring.
Mapatano kept his eyes away, tail twitching idly at his side. He shouldn't have come to rest right now, he could have avoided this. He frowned, contemplating getting up when he felt a weight on his foreleg, and looked down to find Ethiopia using it as a pillow of sorts.
The gesture confused him somewhat, and he couldn't quite think of anything to say. So she did it for him. "I'm sorry. " It was quiet, barely inaudible, and if Mapatano were anyone else, he might smile, think of something nice to say.
Instead, he shrugged slightly.
"I should go back and patrol. " He didn't have to, but what else could he do now? The cub nodded, rolling back to her paws and beaming up at him. "Can I call you Tano? "
He blinked in confusion. That was unexpected. "Sure. " Though most that did call him nicknamed called him 'Mapa' rather than 'Tano', he didn't argu, and got up.
Victory! She gets to call him a nickname. Not that he'd ever denied her that, but she doesn't like using nicknames unless she's sure its okay. "See you later! " She happily goes back to her rock, watching the black lion go and look back once.
For a second, she could swear he'd been smiling.
