It seemed that traveling had been a good idea after all. Awani wasn't sure if her children had ever gotten over the death of their father (before their very eyes, of all things!), but the recent downfall of their pride had seemed to resurrect unhappiness for the entire family. To no longer have a safe have, a solid place to call home, was disturbing for Toby and Hara, she knew. More surprisingly, it was disturbing to her as well. It was strange to feel at such loose ends, with her children trailing after her. Her original thought was to find them a safe haven that she could return to, but as time went on, she wasn't so sure. Perhaps... perhaps it was time for her to settle down as well.
A glance over at Toby made her smile. He was currently trying to make Hara laugh by capering and pretending he thought he had butterfly wings and could fly. Strange, having raised these two who were so very tightly bonded, seeing how they seemed to keep each other young and childish. Oh, not in the ways that mattered. They were as mature as a mother could wish. But left to themselves, they played like cubs, laughed often, and had no desire to see or think about the darker things in life. It cheered her to see them smile and cling to each other emotionally that way. It was good they had each other. She was there for them as well, but somehow it seemed more valuable that they were bonded this way themselves.
Toby, meanwhile, was trying his best to distract his sister from their troubles. The good news was that hunting had been relatively easy along their trek. That was one advantage to traveling rather than being in one place. The prey were less wary without an entire pride lurking nearby. But the journey was long, and the only one either of them had ever taken. Oh, he knew their mother was used to long trips... it had been part of her job, after all! She'd come to Kitwana'antara repeated times before, too, so it was familiar to her. His sister, however, wasn't made of such tough stuff as their mother. Even though they were from the same litter, he often felt like an older brother, especially since... since... well, since THAT day. He still had nightmares of it to this day. The result, though, was that he felt intensely protective of Hara. Who knows, perhaps this was why she was a little more timid, a little more delicate. But he refused to stop sheltering her from harsh reality. If he could lighten her heart, he would.
In the middle of his capering, though, there was a distant shout. Immediately alert, he froze, moving in front of Hara with hackles rising. Even as his brain processed that the sound had been joyful rather than aggressive, a pale body shot towards them, crowing at the tops of its lungs. No, at the top of his lungs. "Grrrraaaaaaannnnnndmaaaaaaaa!" Toby blinked, still on guard, and watched as a leopard threw himself at Awani, who was by now laughing and moving towards the ball of fluffy energy.
Sasta was beside himself with glee. He might not have gotten to see her very often, but he had very fond memories indeed of when his grandma had visited when he was younger. "Grandma! You're here! You're back!" He writhed around her, grappling her into an embrace that would have bowled over the unwary. "I'm so glad to see you!" he exclaimed unnecessarily. "And you've brought... friends?" His enthusiasm slowed a bit as he took in the two shapes behind Awani. One male, one female, leopons like his parents and most of his siblings. The male was standing firmly in front of the female... protecting her? From him?!
"Oh wait, I know who you must be!" he bounced towards them, tail in the air excitedly, before Awani or Toby could say a word. He grinned and waved a paw at the female behind the male. "You must be my Aunt Hara and Uncle Toby! Hi!" He pranced sideways so he could see them both better, beaming at Toby. "Don't worry, I don't like hurting people. It's mean, and it hurts, and I'd never, eeeeever do it to family! Only bad guys." At that point, he went stock still, pupils dialating. He could have bitten his tongue in chagrin, as he remembered like a thunderbolt their history... facing off with an actual bad guy when they were little, and the death of their father. Oh, now he'd done it! He folded his ears contritely and cast a guilty look at Grandma Awani.
Toby, however, seemed to be relaxing, and actually broke into a smile. "From what mother has told us, you can only be Sasta," he offered with a chuckle. "I don't think anyone else could possibly give hugs like that." He paused, cleared his throat, and asked a little meekly, "Can I have one too?" Utterly delighted, his mistake forgotten, he launched himself at Toby and gave him as hearty a hug and nuzzle as he could have wanted. Toby had always wondered what it might have been like to have a brother... this wasn't exactly what he'd envisioned, but now that he was faced with it, he couldn't find any fault with the experience.
"Sasta, since we are all coming to visit, we'll need to use the visitor dens," Awani interrupted, though not without amusement. "Perhaps you could run ahead and arrange things for us?" She'd always stayed with Divy and Hashiel, so this would be a significant change to her routine. However, the safety of Toby and Hara had to come first, and she refused to leave them to deal with the strange environment on their own. It was their first trip to another pride, after all!
"Of course, grandma!" Sasta chirped happily. To him, it sounded like they'd be around for a while, and that made him quite happy. "Should I tell mama and grandpa you are here?" he asked, poised to bolt off as quickly as he'd come. For a leopard, he was very quick-footed. He'd been teased once or twice that he must have cheetah blood as well as leopard and lion blood! Awani answered thoughtfully, "Do tell Divy, as I'll go directly after we arrive at the visitor dens. I'll need to explain things, so your parents don't feel slighted." She smiled indulgently, knowing very well that neither Divy nor Hashiel would actually be insulted, though hurt feelings were a possibility if she left it too long without telling them the whole story. "But don't bother Sliabh. I'll find him later on."
Toby watched in mild amusement as Sasta chirped again and took off at a pace almost unthinkable for a leopard. "Where does he get all that energy?!" he marveled aloud, glancing at Hara to share his amusement with her. "If all our relatives are as interesting, this is going to be amazing." Awani nodded agreement, but with a sober face reminded him briefly, "Not all is happiness here, though. Find the joy, soothe what pain you can, but never forget... for almost everyone here, each day is a fight to survive, far beyond what you and I can fathom. Be kind, be loving, and you will be welcomed here." She paused to nuzzle each of her children before turning back to the pride. "This is one place you'll find many, many souls worth living for, and much love to give each and every day. But be safe, my dearlings. Be safe."
