[SRP - South] Making Amends [Ming x Malika]

[Nuxaz]

Lady Ming stood on top of rock ledge close to her den, she had taken the cave closest to the center of the house she ruled over. There was once a time when she had never imagined that she would be in a position of power such as the one she now found herself in. Even when her bonded, her adviser, Kindoro had told her that she had been born a leader she still hadn't been sure of herself.

"This is something I could have never imagined," she murmured to herself lowering her head with a sigh. "And it more than I could ever wish for," she stated tilting her head back to look up at the darkening sky. It was growing late, she had spent much of her day patrolling the area as she often did. She found herself often lingering much longer than she meant to, spending each day searching for any sign of her son, Majivu, wondering if he would survive the trial he had chosen to embark upon and return to her.

She had chosen him to be her successor and though she had never doubted his ability to take her place he had felt the need to go out and prove himself. As his mother, who only wanted to be proud of him and to see him succeed, she had no choice but to let him leave.

There wasn't a day that went by that she wasn't worried for him, but she felt that way about all four of her children and yet all of them were here in the pride whereas he was not and it terrified her.

Sighing once more she sank back on her haunches wrapping her tail around her paws watching, waiting.

The red-orange colored bird flapped his wings as he let the air currents guide him to his respective target, to his bonded Ming. His features were twisted with worry as though he had something troubling on his mind. "Lady Ming!" He called flying closer to her.

"I have some...interesting news," he began flapping his wings so that he simply hovered before her. "There is a while lioness with green markings beneath her eyes, on her shoulder and her tail. She also has three V shaped scars upon her thigh who is looking for her," he reported sounding a tad bit distressed. "She claims that she is your mother," he stated.

"Bring her here," Tama simply replied immediately realizing who the lioness the minute Kindoro mentioned the scars. The question was, why was she here?  

[Nuxaz]

Kindoro shook his head unsure of what, or rather why his mistress would wish to speak a lioness who could easily be lying to her. However he knew the trials that his lady had been through and knew better than to question her judgment. She was a wise lioness in her young age, of course after everything she had been through it was hard to imagine that she couldn't be. She had so much experience behind her and for that the avian envied her.

He heaved a small sigh and moved his wings so that he turned and flew back in the direction that he had left the stranger.

Her tail twitched nervously behind her as she waited by the tree that the bird had told her too. It was odd to her, taking orders from a bird, yet he seemed to know much about the lioness that she was seeking to meet with. Zagaa'tamanio, her daughter. The phrase felt so foreign to her if only because of the simple fact that there was no connection between the two lioness except for the fact that they were related by blood.

As much as it pained Malika'eusi to admit it the fact was that she had hardly been a mother to the lioness she hoped to find. She had made many mistakes in her life time, and she was still a rather young lioness, but leaving her six daughters had been the one she had regretted her whole life.

Now she hadn't fulfilled the requirements that her daughter had placed upon her yet she didn't want to leave things the way they had ended so long ago. She wished to make amends and felt that this was the only way to do it. If Tama was still angry with her, there was little that she could do to change her mind.

She was simply here to try.

He spotted her, standing in the exact same spot that he had left her. "Oi! You there," he called nodding his head at her as he swooped in and perched upon the branch in the tree just above her. "What's your name stranger?" He asked wanting to know more about the female before taking her to his mistress.

Malika tilted her head back, violet eyes studying the bird. "My name is Malika'eusi," she replied simply.

Kindoro met her gaze coolly staring at her for a minute before ruffling his feathers and taking flight again. "Follow me," he instructed and with that he flew off back in the direction of Lady Ming.  

[Nuxaz]

Lady Ming found herself searching the expanse of land before her almost desperately for any sign of the white lioness. She wasn't sure what compelled her to do so, the last time she had seen her mother it had ended on bad terms. Of course then she had been irrational, emotional and hell-bent on revenge. She had just come across the other female at a terrible time in her life.

Now the green striped female had grown up, learned to control her emotions, and she knew how to settle problems and differences with words not violence or anger. Since she had her first litter she had come to understand the hardship, especially being a single mother, and knew that her own mother had gone through so much that when she was left alone that her mind broke.

It was time to forgive and Ming understood that.

Kindoro plowed forward not even glancing back once to make sure the female was following him. He knew how difficult the terrain was but he had an uncertain feeling about the lioness. Something was off with her and he didn't like it. And he didn't like it that his mistress was allowing her entrance without first examining her.

He disapproved of the fact that Ming was allowing her to know the location of her den. What if she was lying, what if she wasn't who she said she was? There could be serious consequences.

He shook his head as he landed on the tip of the rock spreading one wing out and folding the other over his belly. "My lady, I present the visitor."  

[Nuxaz]

Malika kept her head down struggling to keep her breathing steady. She had never been a confident creature and the bird's behavior towards her didn't help the matter. She had always been able to read others through their words, she had a saying; It's not what you say is how you say it. Tone and body language often said much more than the words themselves. The tone in which Kindoro spoke to her was a cold, almost cruel, one and she hardly appreciated it at all.

But she knew better than to try and understand why he acted so irrationally toward her and it was clear that he was not up for chatting about it anyway, so as a result she kept her maw shut and followed silently. Surprisingly she moved across the terrain with ease only stumbling every now and then. She kept her gaze upon her feet most of the time glancing up only to make sure that she was still following him. The travel was not a pleasant one but when he presented her to her daughter she found herself smiling.

"Sorry it took so long," she mumbled sheepishly pawing at the ground.