So Tailsin was a bit confused after her talk with Mana. How could you be more then friends with someone and what was she talking about when she said no one would be friends with Adi? Oh Tailsin was one very confused lioness.
She moved through the lands freely just letting her mind wander trying to work out what a goddess was and what it was the strange goddess meant. Oh why did things have to be complicated? It made no sense what so ever! Tailsin hated having to think about things why couldn't life involve no thinking! It would make everything so much easier!
Palia had once again escaped the watch of Wally. She was pleased with this state of affairs, and it did not occur to her that perhaps Wally had allowed her to escape, in order to gain some peace. She trotted along, tail held high. Upon spotting a beetle, the white cub flattened herself to the ground, ears pinned back, tailtip twitching. She waaaaited, and then! WHAM! Lept as hard as she could at the bug. Landing somewhat clumsily (face-first), she sneezed and waited for the dust to clear, then lifted her paws to see the captured beetle, only to discover that it had been quicker than she! Letting out a stream of curses that her mother would not be pleased to know she knew, she huffed and sat down, grumpy expression on her face.
Tailsin hadn't expected to see anyone, let alone a cub, especially when she hadn't even known there were any cubs in the land. Adi had failed to tell her that one, clearly!
She just watched as the cub cursed a few times and then chuckled she couldn't help it. She was somewhat immature and hadn't ever heard such curses. Who knew you could learn such things from a cub?
"Whats wrong?" She asked, her eyes watching the cub. She was so small. Tailsin found it all rather amusing.
Palia looked up, startled. She had been so focused on being upset about the beetle, she hadn't heard Tailsin's approach. She made an exaggerated pouty face and sighed. "I was gonna catch this bug, but then it was gone." She looked up thoughtfully at the bigger lioness, twitching her tail. "Who are YOU?" She asked rather rudely, giving her an accusing stare. "I've never seen YOU around. Do you know Wally?"
Tailsin laughed, she couldn't ever remember catching bugs but then again, she was a cub a very long time ago!
"I am Tailsin who are you?" She then narrowed her eyes a little at the strange cub.
"Who is Wally? What are you doing here? Do you know Adi'sa or Tawa'di or Mana or Ona?" She was curious as they were the only ones she knew in the pride, other then that strange male who she had a brief meeting with once. She didn't know much about him though.
"Tailsin, huh?" Palia repeated, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. At the long list of names, she lifted an eyebrow. "WHO?? No, I've never *heard* of any of those people!" She scowled and tossed her head back, makeshift feather earring spinning. "I know Wally - Ultwa's her real name, it's silly, I like to make fun of her for it. Umm, and my mother, Kaure, and Tsi..." She scratched her nose thoughtfully and shrugged. "I live here! Duh!"
Tailsin shook her head. "How can you live here... Tawa'di is like in charge. I'm sure he is so how come you don't know him?" She looked at the cub again and shook her head. No the little cub was making it all up.
"You are making it all up, you must be! What clan are you in?" That would catch her out! A fake wouldn't know about the clans and might even get them wrong!
"I'm not IN a clan, stupid!" Palia nearly shouted. "Mother and I aren't in the pride, but we're GOING to be. Wally's in the Sky Clan." She added, smugly. "And Tsi is in the Wolf Clan. I haven't picked which one I want to be in when I join." She looked thoughtful once more. "Which clan are YOU in?"
"Then why are you here? You shouldn't be here go away!" She hissed a little as she spoke getting annoyed with the stupid cub.
"I am going to tell Tawa'di about you, he will get rid of you!" Ok the chances of that happening were really slim but that didn't make a difference she would threaten it anyway.
"I am in the Earth Clan with Adi we are the only ones in it. Tawa'di and Mana are in the Bird Clan I think and Ona and his mate are in the Shadow Clan with some others, I think." She wasn't sure why she was telling the cub all this but she was hoping that it would prove the cub didn't know anything and Tailsin did!
Palia sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. "I told you, mother and I are going to join the pride! Are you deaf?" she huffed. "Mother helped Wally find her way back home when she was a cub, so Wally is helping us join, because mother likes it here." she explained smugly. "Anyway, *I* think the Mantis Clan sounds cool." She made a scary face and bared her claws, trying to look as mantis-like as possible. "Rrrr! Mantis!"
Tailsin just stared. She couldn't help but stare this cub was hilarious.
"If you are going to join why haven't you already? You are taking your time. Tawa'di isn't hard to find!" She just stared at the cub some more and then started laughing. There wasn't any real reason for her laughing, she just found it amusing that a cub seemed to know so much about the pride but wasn't part of it. Weird...
Palia stopped her mantis impression and glared. "Hey! Quit laughing at me!" she demanded. At Tailsin's question, she shrugged. "I dunno, mom and Wally are the ones asking if we can join and stuff." She seemed relatively unconcerned about that, though curious about the other members that Tailsin had mentioned. She did get a bit lonely with only her mother and Wally for company, after all.
Tailsin chuckled again as she was told to stop laughing. She couldn't help but do what it was others told her not to do!
"You should get your mother and this Wally to introduce you to the others. Ona is going to have children at some point, I can tell, I have known him a long time. Then you could have others your own age!" Tailsin didn't know when Ona was going to have kids but the way he spoke about his mate she was sure it wouldn't be too long.
Despite her haughty attitude, Palia would indeed have liked some other cubs her age to spend time with. She perked her ears in curiosity. "Really? That would be awesome!" she exclaimed enthusiastically. Bossing Wally around got old. It would be lovely to have smaller cubs to boss around, too!
Tailsin nodded, "Yeah I don't know when they going to have cubs but seriously... they will do at some point!" She smiled amused at the idea of Ona being a father but she thought it would probably suit him!
"Have you seen any other cubs here, or are you the only one? I didn't know there were any other cubs here, I only met a girl for the first time the other day. Such a small pride.."
Palia shook her head. "I haven't seen any." She said, looking sulky. "There might be, though, cos I don't meet very many other members. I only met some big brown lady and and big mean yellow guy once." She hadn't bothered to remember Rehema and Malik's names, as they hadn't interested her much, and she hadn't liked how Malik teased her. She frowned deeply at the memory.
If Tailsin hadd known what Ona's mate looked like maybe she would have known the connection but she didn't and so wasn't all that bothered.
"Maybe they were passing through. I haven't met any mean lions here and I don't think Tawa'di would let them stay here!" She nodded, certain of it.
"You should meet Mana! She has wings!" It was a random comment but she did love the idea of showing Mana off. The goddess was strange and who knows maybe this cub would know more about goddesses then Tailsin did!
Palia was not aware of Rehema's connection to Tailsin's friend, either, but would probably not mind either way. She hadn't minded the chocolate lioness much, it was Malik who made her scowl. "He laughed at me! And he talked funny!" she said, as though those things alone condemned him. At the mention of Mana's wings, however, her expression changed completely. Her jaw dropped open in disbelief. "No way!" She exclaimed. Then, gathering herself and trying not to look too gullible, she gave Tailsin a long sideways look. "Nuh uh, you're makin' that up."
"He sounds mean." Tailsin nodded agreeing with the young cub.
"I am not making it up! She is a goddess or something, you should meet her! I don't understand what a goddess really is, but she said she is one and she has big yellow wings! She is yellow too and she knows Adi... " Tailsin scrunched her face up as she mentioned about Mana knowing Adi very well.
"you should meet her though! Bet you would like her!"
"He was soooo mean!" Palia nodded, relishing being agreed with. It didn't happen very often. "Really? A goddess?" She narrowed her eyes at Tailsin, but Tailsin appeared to be in earnest. "Wow, that sounds sooo amazing! Is she nice?" Palia inquired. And then, having forgotten all the names Tailsin had mentioned earlier, she tilted her head. "Who's Adi?"
Tailsin nodded her head.
"Yep she is a goddess cool eh?" She chuckled a little. She thought it was quite amusing.
"Adi? He is my best friend and is like the only family I have left. My parents weren't here when I found the pride again. I think they must be dead... so all I have is Adi really." She smiled not showing how sad she really was. She still had trouble admitting her parents were dead.
"Yeah, cool." Palia agreed earnestly. She listened to Tailsin's story and flicked her ear thoughtfully. "Wow, he sounds really great.." She said, sounding jealous. She wished SHE had a best friend! But then, she was really really glad her mother wasn't dead, so she supposed that evened it out, a bit. "I'm sorry your parents are probably dead." She said, though she didn't really feel it. She couldn't imagine what it would be like, so there wasn't any real sympathy in her voice, but it seemed like the right thing to say.
Tailsin nodded her head, "He is great." She didn't pick up on the jealousy which is probably best being that Tailsin was queen of jealousy!
"I don't like to think of them being dead. I am sure they have a lovely home somewhere. They might still be trying to find this place after all!" She smiled happily and nodded her head.
"I would like ot meet your mother and this Wally some time." She decided that it would be a good thing to get to know more of the pride.
"Oh, well, that's.. good." Palia replied. She supposed it must be odd to know know where your parents were, or if they were alive or not. Granted, she had no idea who her father was, or where he was, but it didn't bother her since she'd never met him. "Oh, yeah! My mother is very nice. She KNOWS things." She said proudly. "Wally's a big fat grouch, though."
Tailsin laughed. "Why is Wally a big fat grouch? Your mother sounds cool though!" She smiled and tilted her head slightly.
"What kind of things does your mother know?" Tailsin was curious, she loved to learn new things, mostly because she was really somewhat naive!
"Everything!" Palia said with meaning. This was partially every cub's belief that their mother DID in fact know everything, and partially the fact that Kaure was a seer, though Palia didn't know the word for it. "Wally doesn't like me. But that's okay cos I DON'T LIKE HER EITHER!" She added, scowling.
Tailsin was amazed, "Wow I must meet your mother then!" She was sure meeting the cubs mother would be interesting especially if she knew everything!
"Why doesn't Wally like you? Is it because she is grumpy?" Tailsin didn't really understand why people would be grumpy, even though she was grumpy alot. Though clearly Tailsin was the exception to every rule!
Palia nodded. "She is ALWAYS grouchy! I dunno why she doesn't like me." She said, looking pouty. After all, Palia was the perfect child! Why would ANYONE dislike her! Obviously it was all Wally's fault. Obviously. "But I like you, you're nice." She grinned a winning grin, as though the other lioness should be grateful for her affection.
Tailsin smiled, she was glad the little cub liked her. "Most adults are weird like that!" After all hadn't Mana in a way told her off and she was an adult!
"They don't change, maybe you get grouchy when you get older then... oh I don't want to be grouchy!" Tailsin looked deep in thought for a minute or two.
"I will find a way not to be grouchy!" She gave a small laugh. "I like you too your interesting!" It wasn't a big thing Tailsin liking someone, she liked nearly everyone. It was just how she was. Well she liked anyone who kept away from Adi. She got just a little touchy if anyone got too close to him.
"I dunno, I think Wally is about your age." Palia said, looking doubtful. "And mom is even older than her, but SHE'S not grumpy!" At being called interesting, the pale cub puffed her chest out proudly. Interesting! That was good, right?
"Ooo maybe Wally is just weird then." Tailsin couldn't think of any explantion for it, rational or not. Wally was clearly just weird.
"I wonder why she is so grumpy." Tailsin pondered for a moment but she didn't know the lioness so it was hard to even think of any reason, if it was Adi, well Adi was just boring sometimes... at least he was till Tailsin made him learn to play! That must be it!
"Maybe she doesn't play enough." That must be it!
"Hmm." Palia considered this. It was true that she never saw Wally do much other than stalk things, or lie about, or make snide remarks. "You should come meet her, and then we can make her play. Maybe she'll play with you, she won't play with me, cause she says she doesn't like cubs. But YOU'RE not a cub." Palia was always an observant one.
Tailsin nodded.
"Maybe we can find some way to get her to play. I got Adi to play, he was boring. I am sure we can get her to play! Everyone plays its just reminding them that they aren't just boring!" She smiled, happy to take on a challenge!
Palia looked impressed. "You did? Oh, you must be really good at it, then. I bet you could totally get her to do it." She flicked her tail, looking thoughtful. "Wanna go try and find her now? I bet we could, she's prolly just hangin' around."
Tailsin was about to say yes but she knew better then to just agree to something without thinking about it. She looked up at the sky. No one would miss her for a little while.
"Sure!" She could always go find Adi later to talk to him about the goddess.
"Okay! Here, follow me." She looked around, getting her bearings, and then headed off towards the Wolf Clan, looking back over her shoulder to make sure Tailsin was following.
