Naledi was doing some of her training exercises to keep her core muscles strong. She was at the training grounds, and there were only a few other warriors there doing various training and sparring with one another. Ever since she became strong, it was easy for her to stay strong. She liked it and it gave her something to do during the days when she was not teaching others. She found that she enjoyed training the other females quite a bit. It made her proud to watch them go from being defenseless to being powerful forces to be reckoned with.
Especially the young cubs, who were so impressionable and moldable and willing to learn anything that they were taught. Not to mention that they were adorable and she secretly considered her students her own. Naledi believed that all females had incredible power within themselves, sometimes they just needed help awakening their own inner strength. She spun and kicked her back leg in the air and lashed her tail.
The lioness hoped that they would never have to fight again, but she would be forever prepared in the event that they would have to. At this point, they could not afford to lose all that they had built up. They could not afford to return to the state that they had been in before they found against their captors and attained freedom for themselves.
So, she stayed strong so that, even if she was the only one, which she knew wasn't true, she defend their home all on her own. However, she smiled to herself as she thought that she wouldn't need to fight by herself, she had her sisters in claws by her side to help if things ever got dangerous for them. Naledi wasn't on her own and fending for herself in a war zone, no, she had a community. One that she loved and would willing give her life for. Their home was like a paradise to her and she cherished it and kept it close to her heart.
Naledi had never thought that females could live of their own agency, now she knew that it was that way that things were supposed to be. She had learned that from her queen, a lesson that she would be grateful to teach to the future generations of the Indlovukati. This train of thought brought her to the idea of the children the her queen would eventually have to bear as agreed upon in the structure of the queen inheritance system. The queen could bear an heir to the throne or she could choose a lioness from the masters to lead the pride.
Naledi had personally told her queen that she believed the lionesses of the pride were generally still too scarred from their ordeal in captivity to lead in any way shape or form. She'd also told her that if she were to choose a cub from the pride then the cub might as well be her own. Of her strong Amazon blood. Naledi loved her queen and believed that her queen's lineage should always rule the pride.
Eventually, Naledi grew tired of spinning and slashing and pouncing at her imaginary foes and decided to head back to the main area where everyone else usually was. Besides, her stomach was beginning to let her know that it was far past time that she ate something by the sounds of it. As she was walking on the path that she usually took to get back to the main living area, she spotted a lioness a little ways up. She looked like one of the more recent arrivals to the pride the she'd met. As she came closer she could see that the lioness was sitting at the edge of the road looking off into the distance with a curious expression on her face. When Naledi began to approach her, she smiled kindly and said, "Hello."
Nabila's head whipped around at the sound of a voice nearby. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she had not paid attention to the lioness that had been steadily approaching her from further down the path. Once her startled reaction had gone, Nabila gave a friendly smile of her own and replied, "Oh, hi! Sorry I didn't even notice you were there. I guess I got a little side tracked in my head," she said, giggling nervously. As she gazed at the other lioness, she realized that she had meet her before, back when she'd first come to the pride. "Um, how are you doing this afternoon?"
"I am well," Naledi replied, "I've been training most of the day over at the grounds, and now I'm getting ready to grab some food and settle in for the evening. I ah couldn't help but notice that you were sitting here all on your own while I was passing by. Do you need help with anything? If you don't mind me asking." Naledi let out a slow long winded breath. She did not normally speak so much at once unless she was teaching. This lioness just made her want to talk for some reason.
"Oh no! I'm fine," Nabila insisted. She mentally kicked herself thinking that if she hadn't been sitting there feeling sorry for herself and looking pathetic in a public space no less then she wouldn't be causing concern to others. Specifically, not to the strong and powerful looking lioness before her. "Really I am, I just get...lost in my thoughts from time to time I guess," Nabila watched the lioness nervously as she spoke, hoping that she was making sense. "It's quite alright," Naledi assured, "We all have thoughts to get lost in at any give moment. You need not be worried about expressing your true feelings. You have a good night...I'm sorry-?"
"Oh it's Nabila."
Naledi smiled warmly, "Well, it was good to be reacquainted with you Nabila. That's a beautiful name, you have a good night." With that, Naledi turned and left Nabila slightly struck watching her walked away.