Finally they made it, as soon as the sun reached its zenith as well. Squinting up at the burning orb he quickly motioned to get inside. They would surely dehydrate out there at this time of day, he could already feel the dryness of thirst on his throat. Wandering past, the goliath rolled out a few melons.
“Would you like a melon to quench your thirst?” Nosing one towards Arevik he didn’t wait for her to reply and started gnawing on his own melon. The juices sweet and cool from the shade of the cavern.
“So.” Chewing on a bit of his melon, he looked to the lioness. “You too don’t feel welcome here?”
A melon... They were a curious thing, something her brother had told her about. He'd learned it, in turn, from his mentor, Singh. They weren't typically part of the diet of a lion, but they were great when one needed water. She settled down in the coolness, tasting it, before doing something she rarely did - The white lioness smiled. "This is good! Thank you!" She enjoyed the liquid as it ran down her throat, removing any dryness from it. As she settled back, her ears flicked. "It's not so much that I don't feel welcome... It's that I don't feel like I belong. A difference of beliefs, you could say..." She looked out toward the sand beyond the cave, burning in the sun. "My mother taught me about Finar-si... How the pride once worshipped her, had stories of how she created the Firekin... But I also grew up learning that many saw her as a lie, or just didn't believe in her. Stories told to cubs to give them false pride... I'm not sure what to believe, only that... We aren't what we once were, and the sand will tell us if that's good or bad."
As Fari watched Arevik taste the melon, he too found himself wearing a smile, it growing more so when she thanked him cheerfully. “I do enjoy the taste of a melon after being out in the sun.” Laying down to be more level with the white lioness, Fari listened intently to her and her feelings. It made sense as to why she would feel uncomfortable.
“I hadn’t be brought up on the belief, however, I have listened to it and believe there is merit in the words spoken.” Looking at her with bright eyes, he felt a connection he rarely did in another lion. “There are so many ‘ifs’ in this pride. I always felt confused by it, but many don’t question what is going on. Rather, they seem happy to blindly accept this or that.” Crossing his left paw over his right he watched her, then looked up at the cavern ceiling.
“Does this ever bother you?”
She let out a sigh. "Often. We're told that we have enemies to the north.. We only know that they're there, and the Hongshan lions say they're threatening... But I never see evidence of this as they never cross into our desert." She gave a scoff. "They're now the boogeylion my uncle, Kosuke, says we once were... Behave, or a Nergui will come and take you away."
Fari smirked at Arevik and patted her on the head before laughing. “Boogeylion. I like that term.” Letting the laughter subside, Fari inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. His side hurt a little bit from laughing so hard, the image in his head far funnier that what was said.
“The last time I had experience with Nergui it ended up I was chasing a new member of the pride around… and she, me. It was one very embarrassing experience indeed.” Reminiscing for a moment on the time that Ares and him spent in the hole, Fari had to chuckle. “That was my only ‘Nergui’ experience though. I am not sure what to think of the situation.”
The white lioness shrugged, impassive again. "I've seen that Nergui they keep holed up... He's just another lion, to me.. But who'se to say how we're raised will lead to the final outcome of who we are as an individual? My mother was raised Firekin, and while she's as markless as I am, she fits the bill of who a Firekin is. On contrast, there's lions who grew up in other places, and while their birth prides had an impact on who they are... They find it easier to be Firekin."
Fari nodded in agreement, he liked what she was saying. This was exactly how he had felt for most of his life. “I am the lion with pegged as the ‘unlucky’ one. Although I am strong and a fairly good fighter, I never compelled to do so. It feels like there is no point. I don’t feel like I fit in with their morals or traditions. If I had children for instance, and had to see them off? I too would leave. They would be all I had.”
Dropping his head low, he took another piece of melon to his mouth, crushing it with his powerful jaw and swallowing. “I don’t know what will change my mind about this land. My family is here, yet I feel entirely too disconnected from them. I have no family of my own and very few friends…”
The white lioness reached up and gave the male a pat on the shoulder. "It's hard to have to see family off." She tucked her paws up, sighing. "My mother tells me, this didn't used to be the way. There were two lionesses - One was gold, the other brown. They were born that way, from pure families. There was no rogue blood in their lines. Kimeti didn't have them run out, never sent them away... Because regardless of their coat color, they were still of the Blood. Now... Blood means nothing. Lineage only matters as much as, are you related to your potential mate, and if so, how closely?"
There was a lot of warmth in her paw, the kind of warmth created by genuine kindness. He leaned into it before she removed it from his body. Staying quiet, he listened to the lioness’ tale. He hadn’t heard of the brown, nor the gold lioness. Why hadn’t he? Frowning he nodded in agreement with her opinion. It was absolutely true what she was saying.
“It really does seem to be that way. Had my father not been given special permission even he would have been removed from the pride.”
She let out a puff of air. "He's not the only one... Uncle Kidondo let anybody who fought with him in the rebellion stay, if they were slaves, I think.." She crossed one paw over the other. "She also said that he had a litter of cubs, before the rebellion... The invitation was extended to them to stay, but they went elsewhere... Too many bad memories, I suppose." Her ears twitched and tail flicked. "I don't think I'd ever be able to blame them. I mean... If something like that happened, and you were given the options of either being free to leave, or the opportunity to join the pride that had enslaved you... Which would you choose?"
“I already want to leave, so being enslaved and then getting the offer of staying or going? I would most definitely leave.” Looking outside Fari noticed that their little talk had lasted much longer than he expected. Soon it would be nightfall. “Will you need an escort back? Later I mean. It is getting dark out.” Nodding his head towards the opening of the cavern he waited her reply. It might be a good idea for him to get a stretch.
The pale lioness got up, stretching as she moved. "I should be safe from the big bad Nergui... I am a Firekin, after all." She paused, then thought better of it. "Then again, my aunt and some cousins were at the outpost back when it got attacked, and there was a death and a LOT of injuries, so somebody to walk back with might not be a bad idea." It had even been a group at the outpost. Soldiers and guards, and at least one medic. Of course, would the Nergui even be able to make it this far into the lands?
Picking up his bulky body, Fari moved passed the pale lioness towards the outside. Looking back at Arevik, Fari smiled. “I will protect your from any big, bad Nergui.” Winking at her, he started laughing. This would truly be a great friendship and he was ever thankful for her randomly stopping by. “Shall we, Miss Arevik?”
She walked after him, then smiled and bumped his shoulder with her own. "We're cousins, even if there IS a familial generation between us! You don't need to call me Miss!" She then winked, before leaving. She knew her lines enough to know when somebody was related, at least.
