Naamini had not gone far from the center of the pride. She knew her mother would have kittens if she strayed too far, worried about what might happen if she was too far for other pride members to come to her aid. The young lioness knew her mother had a good reason to worry, but it didn't stop her from being a little adventurous. Every child broke a rule or two when they were growing up, and Naamini was no exception. Today she was following a line of ants, torn between fascination and amusement by their dedication. They all worked so hard together for some lazy queen who only ever popped out babies. One would think they would turn against their queen, complain about the injustice of their lives. But instead they would die to defend her, attacking anything that came too close to their home. The world had a twisted sort of humor like that.
"My my, don't you look like him."
Naamini froze, eyes narrowing as she turned to look in the direction of the voice. A vulture sat perched on the rock nearby, preening her feathers. She should have been more careful, allowing a bird to sneak up on her like that. Still, the young lioness could not help but frown at the bird's words. What was she talking about? She had never met this vulture before. "Look like whom?" She demanded, as she moved to face the vulture head on. "I am my mother's child. There is no 'him' that I should look like." Her frown deepened when the vulture laughed at her words. Naamini had never been good with her temper. Much like her mother, there were times when her emotions got the best of her and ruled out her better judgment. Still, she supposed having a temperament like her mother was forgivable by the pride. It meant that she was less like her father, the one figure in her life that she repeatedly denied having any likeness to. It was better that way.
"Why, your father of course," the vulture replied with a tone that suggested it should have been obvious. "You've never met him, I assume? I've only ever seen him from afar, but I've heard about him from the others who served him. They say he was a fine leader of creatures willing to listen. And look at you! You look just like him. You could be him, you know. The vultures would surely listen to the daughter of—"
"I am not my father!" The young lioness roared as she leapt at the vulture, pinning her beneath her paws. "I am not my father," she repeated, quieter this time, though with no less vehemence. The vulture, however, simply chuckled at her outburst. "Of course you are not your father. You are better." Her words surprised Naamini, and she stepped off the vulture to allow her to rise. Better? She was not sure she understood what the bird was saying. There was no way to be better than her father. Though she had never met him, the pride had been whispering about him whenever they thought she couldn't hear. 'Such a nice, kind lion, and so charming but why did he have to turn traitor? It must have been that sister of his. She must have convinced him to leave.' said some. 'No, he was as vile as the rest of them. I knew it from the start,' others would say. As for her mother, Hisia said little on the subject. As far as she was concerned, the two cubs belonged to her, not their father. She had raised them with her own paws, not he.
Still, the vulture's words were unsettling. Naamini frowned at her as the bird fixed her feathers, not wanting to take her eyes off her. "What do you mean better? The lion who you call my father means nothing to me. Who are you, anyways?" Naamini suddenly realized she did not know the name of the vulture before her. She felt at a slight disadvantage, talking to a creature that seemed to know so much about her. So much about her father, at least. It felt almost like she was going behind her mother's back to learn about her father, but Naamini knew that a part of her wanted to know. Who exactly was this Msiba who they called her father? This vulture would be the perfect one to tell her.
"I am Waza, your bonded of course. History must repeat itself, after all." The lioness snarled at the look on the vulture's face, feeling her temper stir again. "Only if you are weak enough to follow in the footsteps of your ancestors. I will change history myself!"
"Then I will watch you," Waza said with a small smile, "Naamini, daughter of Msiba."
