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The sun was hot other spine as she lay in the baking heat. Sh loved the sun and more to the point,s he loved the desert. She could never leave and yet she had watched as two of her sons, Huria sons, had left the lands forever to seek the fortune. She had felt guilty about this but her guilt was slowly subsiding as a new idea had been planted in her head.

Her guilt stemmed from the fact that she had been a bad mother, an ignorant mother ignoring her cubs, simply not caring about them enough, simply not being here for them. The thought that perhaps it was not her fault that she did not love them had been planted in her head though and now she had decided she needed to find that perfect male, a perfect mate to be her one and only to help her.

Of course finding a male was the hard part. There were so many lions in this pride and so many of them were attached or related. Her father was quite prolific it seemed to her. Still for the moment she would let her mind wander, after all there were much better things on her mind like the sun and the sand, she could think about those other things later, much later if necessary. Yes, just think about the heat and the sand and being home.

With the hot sun beating on his back, Vanhi wandered through the sands of the desert. He had just spent some time with his son, although with respect to the boy's mother, he is seen as an uncle and not a true father. While the circumstances were strange and different, he had helped two lionesses have a family of their own. But that still didn't help the ache he felt, when he wanted to call the boy "son" but could not. One day, perhaps, he'd have a family of his very own.

His purple eyes scanned the area, as the golden sea laid before him. There were dunes everywhere and it was such a pretty sight to behold. The desert was so beautiful, but deadly at the same time.

Opening her odd coloured eyes as she caught the scent of another the dark lioness gets to her paws without a moments hesitation, allowing her gaze to rest on the blood red male. "Hello. I don't know you." She liked to state the obvious. The pride was full of red lions and some of them she knew, this one, she most certainly did not know, he was in her general vicinity though so a greeting had to be made.

"Jyotika." She states sitting back down but not relaxing, her experience of males was slim and also a bit crooked, but hadn't she just been thinking about males? Perhaps she had some sort of power to summon them? It made her laugh inwardly, the thought of being able to summon anyone. "And you are?"

As the voice caught him from his thoughts, Vanhi stopped in his tracks and looked for the source of the voice. It took but the briefest moment for his eyes to settle upon the female's dark form. Her statement was bold, blunt and true. She did not know him, as he did not know her. Well, what a rare thing to run into one of the pride he did not know.

As she introduced herself, it was only proper to do the same as well. He dipped his head in respect to the female as he replied, "My name is Vanhi. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Jyotika chuckled dryly. "I don't know about a pleasure yet. Certainly it's good to see a face I don't know at least, relieves the monotony." She flickers her tail and starts to groom her face partially self consciously. She felt that grooming made her look none chalante, but after laying in the dust all day there was a good possibility that she had some sort of dirt on her face so there were two good solid reasons to have a quick groom, especially in front of a handsome male, which after a further cursory glance he most certainly was.

"Are you new around here? Theres hardly anyone I don't know at least to look at." She states her paw settling back on the ground now she had thoroughly cleaned her dark face of any splotches of dirt.

At her question, he shook his head. "In a sense I might be. I've been here for a while...I have a litter that's almost grown. But, I have yet to meet all of the pride." He nodded.

He looked at he curiously, she had such interesting markings. They were rather pretty.

Jyotika flickered her tail. Perhaps she had simply missed him. She was rather absorbed in herself after all. At the mention of a little though she deflated slightly "You have a mate then?" She was most certainly not related to this male and though she had taken ny's advice on waiting for a male to find her, waiting for a male who wasn't related to her to find her was hard work.

Vanhi was the first male she had run in to since the long advisory conversation she had partaken with Ny whom was not related to her in any way, it seemed he was taken though. just typical really.

Her question brought a shake of his head. Vanhi replied, "It is rather unfortunate, but I don't have a mate. The whole cub thing...was to help out a friend and her mate."

He tilted his head to look at her, "I have yet to find a mate of my own. Though it is rather hard to find someone who wants to settle down versus just coupling together for one night." He replied softly to Jyotika.

"Oh really?" She raises a brow, looking the blood red male over. "I am quite surprised you seem to be of proud stock, big gy like you I would have thought would have the ladies hounding at your door." She chuckles lightly twitching her tail.

"I know the feeling, I have a lot of family in this pride it's hard to find a male not related to me to settle down with. " She paused for a moment looking at the bloody red male once again her duel coloured eyes scanning him over. Here was a male looking to settle down and here she was looking to settle down. Maybe, just maybe, the fates were watching her and she was meeting the one guy who wanted to settle, have some kids and just grow old together, a thought which most recently had come to the fore front of her mind. "So uh, would you like to go for a walk?" She raid a brow, she was not a nervous creature after all and what had she to be nervous about? She was a beautiful warrior and he was a handsome male, they were clearly suited for one another.

He let out a chuckle. "I've had my fair share of requests, but none that wanted something permanent. And I'm more of a permanent type of guy." He gave her a warm smile.

His ears flicked back slightly as he spoke, "I did notice the huge relation in the pride as well. There are very extended families here." There were so many relatives here, that he could understand the trouble.

At her offer, he wouldn't pass it up! He looked at her through purple eyes, "Of course, I'd be glad to accompany you."

"Good man." She grins getting to her paws and nudging his shoulder. It was a rough touch but also a sort of appreciative touch to let him know that she had accepted him as her companion at least for today.

"It's hard to be related to a lot of others. My father was very" she pauses for a moment looking for the right word "busy, I have a lot of half siblings." She shakes her head and starts to walk, her tail held at a confident, jaunty angle.

At her nudge, he touched her back as well.

Her words brought an understanding laugh. He knew this all too well. "I can completely understand that, Jyotika. My father, before he passed away, had produced may cubs. I have many half-siblings as well, in many prides outside of the desert. It is a comfort here that I am the only one of his blood to return back to his homeland."

Jyotika chuckles lightly shaking her head. "It's nice to know someone else understands." She smiles a rather charming smile at him. he was handsome and he knew the feeling of being related to far too many lions. She wished her father had been less productive.

"Your father was born here too?" She tilted her head a curious flicker in her eyes. "My mother was born in the pridelands, my father here."

"Yes. My father was born here before the pride was split into two. He left the pride though, because he did not agree with their traditions of keeping slaves and being completely closed to new, outside blood. His wish was to return back here before he passed, but he was unable to do so. So I took up that task for him." He was very proud of his father, he was his role-model growing up.

"I have a half-brother in the Pridelands." He smiled slowly at the thought before looking back to Jyotika, "So tell me, do you have a family of your own?"

Jyotikas ears flicker as the male spoke of his family. She could agree about the slavery, it wasn't a nice thought that some of her own cubs would have been slaves should they have been born before the split. "Yes, I have one litter, but they are all grown now. Their father, well their father and I do not see eye to eye." She sighs a little she had, had this conversation with Ny, her first litter was not planned and she had found it very hard to love them.

"My mothers family lived in the pridelands until she came here during the split." She smiles. "I am proud of my heritage." She states her ears flickering lightly, even if she was not a pure blood she loved her home.

He turned to give her a warm smile, "As right you should be! Everyone should be proud of who they are and where they came from. Coming from the grasslands or the desert does not make you less of a lion. What makes you who you are is the bond you have with your family and what lies in your heart." He spoke ernestly. It was what his father taught him, and what he truly believed.

"It is a shame that it does happen from time to time." He reached over to nudge her shoulder, "They grow up so quick."

Jyotika nodded her head, she was ashamed to say she hadn't really cared for her litter until her two Huria sons had left. She had finally gotten some sort of maternal twinge just as it was too late to be a mother.

"Yes they do, very quickly, it's so fast you can blink and miss it." She sighs she had been far too obsessed with her career. "I'd like to have more some day." She smiled sideways at the big male flickering her tail. "A real family, my own. It's something I have decided I truly want, it's taken me some time to realise it though." she sighs.

"Sometimes we just take longer to mature and have that familial instinct kick in." He smiled at the thought.

"Perhaps we both will one day! We're still young, in great health and very nice-looking to boot!" He flicked his tail at her in a playful manner.

Jyotika chuckled brightly "Indeed." She nudges the big male a little more roughly breaking in to a sort of half trotting run. "perhaps I will take you up on that offer hmm?" A little quirk lifts her lips and her odd coloured eyes dance playfully.

"I don't think I have had a meaningful conversation with a male for a very long time, you're different Vanhi, in a good way." she smirks.

Her playfulness rubbed off on him as he stuck out his tongue in a teasing manner, "Well good! I can't be all big and bad and b-o-r-i-n-g!" He laughed heartly at it.

He quicken his pace to match her own, "The offer is fully yours, if you can get it!" He teased her lightly

The dark female turned her gaze fully on him stepping in to his path she sits suddenly and looks him square on, her odd eyes fixed steadily on him. "You mean that? I mean I know we just met, but I see something in you Vanhi… You're…..nice." She couldn't find amore powerful word, but she knew they were there for usage at a later date.

She smiles a wide smile, a smile of self confidence but also of acceptance by this handsome red male whom had simply sauntered in to her life with his acceptance of who she was genetically.

He stopped and looked back at her, letting her know he was serious. "I wouldn't say it so lightly if I wasn't serious, Jyotika." He nodded in confirmations.

"I think we'd suit each other just fine, like we are right now." He smiled widely at her. There was no reason for him to turn away such a beautiful lioness who he matched really well. "I think it's right for me to be happy once in a while." He winked.

Jyotika chuckled getting to her paws once again she changes her direction heading towards the dens. When she had her mind made up she was very impulsive, but something felt just right with Vanhi.

"Good, I think we can make this work." She smiles a confident grin and breaks in to a run once again her tail flailing behind her. "That is if you can catch meeee." She chuckles racing off over the dunes, not too fast, but just fast enough to maintain a good lead on the big male, she wanted him to follow after all. She had a very good feeling about all this, a very good feeling indeed.