The mid-day sun beat down on the desert, bringing literally everything to a stand-still. Stretched under the shade of a rock outcropping, Savitri enjoyed the cool of the shade. It was welcome, compared to the sun beating down on her white fur. Unlike many others, she tended to get a sunburn, at least if she was out in the mid-day sun. The white lioness licked her maw, exhaling slowly, as her mind mulled over the most pleasant recent events. Hodari was a member of the pride, they could finally be together... Like night and day. It was wonderful, simply WONDERFUL. If it weren't so hot, she'd jump for joy.
Shula's mind was a whirlwind of thought, tumbling over itself constantly as she walked. The mid-day sun was burning down on her, making the pale yellow stripe along her back feel particularly hot. When she spotted her snow-white half-sister in the shade of an outcrop, she went over and sat with her. "Gaw but it is so HOT!" She looked at her sister, eyes filled with a bit of wonder. "How do you stand it with a coat that glaringly white?" Didn't it reflect the sun? Or did it soak it up like everything ELSE around them?
"I'm used to it." Rolling onto her back, Savitri smiled a bit at her sister. "Besides, the shade helps. And it could be worse... I could be Aunt No and be all black instead of all white." How did black lions stand it? She'd have been burning up by the end of the day! On the other side, though, she'd also be very warm at night instead of freezing cold. Finar-si... No... Lions only knew, there were so many extremes in the desert!
Laying down next to the paler lioness, Shula shook her head. "Whatever works, I guess.." She got lost in thought a bit, then looked at Savitri. "That new boy in the pride... The Pridelander with the gray markings..." When her sister got a look of happy daydreaming, Shula smiled. "You like him, don't you?" She reached over, patting a paw on Savitri's shoulder. "Or is it more? Are you in LOVE with him?" It almost seemed illicit, naughty... Like some sort of secret.
The white lioness smiled, "What ever gave you THAT idea, Shula?" She rolled over, sitting up. The smile remained on her face as she looked at the red lioness. "Hodari's my mate! Daddy even accepts him!" It made her so happy to say it! He was her mate! And she was his! She let out a small, happy sound, laying down and pulling a pile of sand close with her paws. "I'm so excited about it! We've waited for years for this kind of moment! We've known each other since cubs, before the pride split in two..."
And here Shula'd only known Kosuke since they were adolescents... But it felt like she'd known him for as long as Savitri'd known Hodari. "How do you know when you're in love with someone...?" It was a valid enough question... She'd felt a funny feeling, seeing or thinking about Kosuke, since that day he'd caught her dancing. Had he been dancing with her, that day she'd been singing to herself? Or had she been dreaming it all? It certainly felt like a dream...
Slowly sitting up, Savitri stared at Shula. After a moment, she looked up at the sky. "You just... Know it by instinct... You get flustered... You can't think or speak straight..." She pondered over it, smiling just a bit to herself. "You can't think of much else but the one you love... And when you do, you get this twisted, delighted feeling in the pit of your stomach."
Thinking about her sister's words, the red lioness looked down at her paws. A twisted feeling in her stomach... That was pretty accurate... She licked her lips a bit, before looking over at Savitri. "Savitri... I think I'm in love..." She looked back out at the desert. "And if I'd said that while the pride was still split... I don't think Daddy would EVER accept him... Because he was one of the Others... He was born to them... But he doesn't act how you'd think they would..."
Blue eyes watched a hawk in the sky. "Us, others... Shula, they are us..." Her gaze turned towards questioning violet eyes. "When you get below the fur... All lions are the same, essentially. Look at me, if we lived during Daddy's generation... If anybody found out that I fell in love with a Pridelander... I'd be beaten and chased out of the pride. When I was a cub, my grandfather, Kimeti, did just that to Uncle Kidondo, because he fell in love with a Pridelander. At the time... That was a deep crime... Things have changed, and I don't think it's so much that he used to be a Traditionalist... As much as the fact he's after one of his daughters." The tattooed lioness smiled, winking at her sister.
Savitri knew about the pride before the war? "So the fact he's Kenna's nephew... Doesn't matter?" It made Shula smile. Bodaway wasn't being touchy about Kosuke because he was once a Traditionalist, but simply because... He wanted to protect his daughter. She looked to the sky, watching the hawk circle. "What about the old pride, how it used to be...? What was it like?"
Stretching out, the pale lioness yawned. "You're still full of questions..." Savitri reached over, ruffling her sister's fur. "Ever since you were a cub, you were asking about this and that and everything and dancing under our paws!" She smiled. "I'm glad you still dance.... I think I've explained enough, though, for today. If you have more questions... Ask someone who remembers the days before the war." Pulling herself up onto her paws, Savitri did a bit more stretching before walking off. "I need me some water."
Letting out a huff, Shula looked down at her paws. She thought about Savitri's words, about how things used to be and how they were now. After a moment, she smiled and got up. She'd have to talk to her father... Maybe he'd accept Kosuke soon. She couldn't wait for it!
