It was time.
Kitambi's brown eyes roamed over the items she had collected before her, starting at the large motley green gourd and ending at the pretty pigments she had collected on large leaves. She had been preparing for the creation of her drum for many days now, searching for all the materials she needed. Everything had to be just perfect, for it was her drum that would be the one that all others would look to in the drum circle. It was the drum she built today that would one day sit in the place of her mother's at the very head of the circle. The day that she became Malenga would be the day that all would stare at her drum. Today was the day she would start everything.
While most members of the Nchi'mahadhi pride chose to do their drum quests when they were juveniles, Kitambi had her reasons for waiting until she was a little older. During most drum quests, the young lion or lioness would only leave the pride for a few days, and rarely strayed too far. If they were gone for too long the pride would send out the huntresses to go and look for them, fearing that they had wandered away. The purpose of the quest was mainly to go out and find one's rhythm, not really to go out and explore the world. That was why the Nchi'mahadhi sent their members out as juveniles to find their rhythm. They were young enough to still be open to the creativity of the world around them, but they were still too young to wander very far. But Kitambi was no longer that young, and that was the reason why she had chosen to start building her drum so late. The heir to the Nchi'mahadhi pride wanted to go on a journey.
Like all of her fellows, she had never left the Nchi'mahadhi lands for any great length of time. Rarely did pride members encounter rogues so far away from the heart of Africa, and it was especially rare considering their position so close to three other prides. Though the Nchi'mahadhi were unaware of their closeness to the Firekin borders, the reputation of that pride alone would keep most rogues away. Thus, the youth of the musical pride didn't meet up with those who lived in a non-musical world. Only those who had met Kimanda the cheetah or who had lived out in the world for a short period of time like Juke and Muujiza would know what the world was like. Kitambi had had a taste of life outside her pride from Kimanda, and was eager for more. This would be her time to see the world, and hope that she could find a little more of herself out there. It was too stuffy in here, she had decided. In order to come to terms with who she was and what she wanted to do, Kitambi was on a mission to see all her options. But first, she had to build her drum.
For several hours the young lioness worked, making sure everything was aligned properly and it looked as good as she wanted it to from far away. Once the holes were punched through the gourd, she pulled the hide tight over it and shoved the old teeth through. With the basic design finished, it was all about the decorations. Kitambi tested out several designed on a nearby tree trunk before she decided on the one she wanted. Green, to represent life, and then streaks of black from the mud at the base of Lake Victoria. It took several tries for her to get the black of the mud to stay on her gourd, but the end product was nothing short of what she desired.
There. It was finished.
Kitambi picked up the drum by the excess skin and set it down next to its fellows in the drum circle. There. She was done. The young heir hesitated for a moment, before a look of determination crossed her face. It was too late to change her mind now. She was going to leave. If her mother met her at the borders, then she would say good bye. Otherwise, her mother would just have to hear it from Binafsi. Face set, Kitambi turned away from the drum circle and started off towards the pride border. She had just taken her first step over the invisible line when the body of a brown lioness caught her eye. Kitambi stopped to blink, surprised to see her mother there. How had she known?
"Binafsi told me," Nsundu replied to her unspoken question. "You'll come back... right?"
Kitambi nodded solemnly at her mother, who simply grinned widely back at her. "I'll be looking forward to your return." Nsundu gave her daughter an affectionate nudge on the shoulder, before turning back the way she came. For the first time since she'd been born, the heir to the Nchi'mahadhi pride was leaving her homeland to go on an adventure. It was... exciting, and a little scary, but Kitambi had faith in herself.
After all, if Kimanda could live as a wanderer than so could she.
