[PRP] Is it Time? (Kirjava and Aapep)

[Kimaria]

Aapep was in search of his mother. He had so much to tell her. About Mawi, about wanting to stay here, about whether she, too, would stay if they were permitted. The excitement was almost too much to bear and the young male bounced briskly through the grassy meadows that grew thick around the Nchi'mahadhi lands.

He was an adult now, but still young and fresh and still so full of innocent, carefree life. His mother was as dear and important to him as she had been from the start.

So, he was heading towards their densite, hoping desperately that she hadn't gone hunting or sloped off for a walk.

"Mum?" He called as he drew near.  

[Kireiryuu]

She could feel her past catch up to her as Kirjava could feel herself try and talk herself out of joining the pride. There were so many reasons as to why she shouldn't join the pride, but they were all based upon previous experiences and as much as she wanted to forget about them, she couldn't. With a deep sigh, she rested her head on her paws and closed her eyes. She was...scared to death. She did not want a repeat of the past, but seeing Aapep's smiling face every time he came back, she could tell he was happy there. It was his place, a place he could call his own. But could she do the same? The idea was so foreign to her, she didn't know what calling a place her own was like, or what it meant. And how ironic that her two sons had found prides to settle in!

Aapep was growing up, he was on his way to becoming a full adult. Another cub grew up right before her eyes, but she worried about how much longer that'd be. She wouldn't lie to herself that there were days where her mind would drift off to Kiburi...and death.

Her son's voice shook her out of her reverie was she blinked her eyes opened and raised her head, "I'm here, Aapep."  

[Kimaria]

At the sound of her voice he quickened his pace and bounded towards her. "Mum, Mum! There you are!" He chirped, lowering his head to nuzzle her. "I knew I'd find you. Are you okay?" He paused and blinked. Sometimes he thought she looked so sad.

Or maybe she was just tired. Yes, that was it.

He gave her a gentle nudge and sat himself, curling his tail around him so it lay cradled across his forepaws. "I came to find you...and ask you...if you wanted to join the Nchi'mahadhi with me."  

[Kireiryuu]

Her crimson eyes caught her son's form coming towards her. Kirjava felt so many emotions welled up inside of her as she looked at him. He had grown up so much, he wasn't her little cub any longer. He didn't need to rely on her and she wouldn't stop him from obtaining her dreams. As a mother, she wouldn't dare dream of hindering her son's dreams.

She returned the nuzzle affectionately as she replied, "There is just so much on my mind, sometimes it gets the best of me." She didn't want him to worry so much about her.

And then his latter question was the one she had been dwelling on for quite some time. She closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh. As she opened them she looked to her son, "I have actually been thinking about that for quite some time, Aapep. I am frightfully scared of taking that step when I know I shouldn't be," She paused, "But I want to try, I want to try and put those memories aside for something new. I know how happy you are here, my life has never suited you nor did it suit Ravi and I have accepted that. I think now is the best time to take that step. At least I can be confident that I'll have a shoulder to lean on." It was a big risk, one she needed to do a long time ago.  

[Kimaria]

"If there's anything I can do to help, you'll let me know, won't you mum?" He said, slightly worried though he did well to hide it from his expression. "You know I'll always be here for you, right? Even now we've been to see Ravi and his family, you're the only one I know properly and I love you."

Then he fell silent, waiting for her to speak her mind, worried that she might not be ready for that step. Might not ever be ready. What would he do then? He couldn't leave her. As he'd said. He loved her. She was his mother, the only family he had known for the entirity of his life.

However, when she spoke her mind and it was clear she was going to make a go of it, he couldn't hold back his happiness. His tail uncurled and flicked behind him and a purring started deep in his chest. "I'll be there, mum, always. I know it's...frightening. I'm scared myself. I've...never met the pride leader and I don't know what they'll say when I tell them I've been on their lands frequently, but..."

He paused. "We'll be there for one another and it'llbe less scary than doing it alone." He swallowed. "When do you think would be the best time?"  

[Kireiryuu]

The worry in Aapep's voice was evident to Kirjava as she heard him. What a son, to worry so much for her it made her wonder who was really the cub and who was the parent. With a gentle smile, "Of course, you would be the first to know afterall Aapep."

And then her son's form changed into so much happiness that she couldn't help but feel some of that rub off on her. Her tail flicked slightly as she nodded, "I am sure you will be fine, you've made friends within the pride so they must know about your comings and goings as it is. If not, what kind of leader would that be?" She mused out loud quietly before she continued, "I have no good experience with a pride leader, but I am sure we have nothing to worry about. If we did, we would have been in trouble a long while back. And as for the best time...hm?"

She paused to think about that. It wasn't very formal to just walk up to the leader and asked to be let into the pride. But then, she really didn't know what the pride leader looked like or it if was a male or female lion. "The best time would be as soon as possible, I would think. Why prolong the wait when you want to join so badly, Aapep? But we cannot be rude about it either, since it would be the leader that we're talking to." She reached out to rub her head against his body gently, "If you have hope anything can be possible."  

[Kimaria]

"I guess you're right. The leader must know and...judging from the others I've met, I think she or he will be nice." He waited for her to think about the best time and smiled widely at her answer. Soon? He gave a small chirp of joy and got to his paws, getting fidgety.

"We don't look fierce or mean, I'm sure it'll be okay." He blinked. "Okay, we'll just have to plan how we're going to ask. Um, like, saying we don't want to be rogues no more and we want to stay here..." Wow...this was going to be harder than he'd thought.

"Maybe I could get Mawi to come too..." He mumbled quietly to himself.
 

[Chibi Sheepcat]

Though her mother had not been the best at raising children, there was little doubt that she had been dedicated to her pride. She had made it a point to know everyone in her pride, their children, their stories, and especially their love lives. Despite not having one of her own, she had always been quite interested in other lionesses. Mawi was one of her best friend's daughters, and thus it was not surprising that she had learned of the young girl's friendship with a certain brown stripey lion. And Kitambi had learned about it from her.

Aepep had not been hard to track down. There were few adult male lions in the pride, and even fewer who fit the description that Nsundu had given her. The new queen had not been seeking him out to make him join the pride – it was not her way, nor her mother's to make visitors join just because they visited often – but merely to meet him for herself. After all, what kind of queen would she be if she didn't know the frequent visitors to her pride? She had been roaming near the borders when she spotted the lion that fit his description, and had made her way over. Kitambi had intended to give him time to finish speaking to his mother, however she could not help but overhear their conversation. If they intended to join, why make them wait? And so she drew closer.

"I don't think you need to spend too much time worrying about what to say. You've already said all that needs to be said." Her lips curled upward in a small smile. "Forgive me for eavesdropping, but it makes the joining process easier when you don't have to repeat what you've said. My name is Kitambi, leader of the Nchi'mahadhi. It is nice to finally meet you in person, Aepep."  

[Kireiryuu]

The older lioness couldn't help but laugh softly at her son. Kirjava was just too amused with her son. Though the scent of another caught her attention as her head and ears perked up at the sound of another's voice. She looked over the lioness quietly, feeling slightly nervous. Upon hearing that this lioness was the leader, she hadn't ran into another leader since her time in the Firekin. But this lioness had no speck of red on her and it was silly of her to let her past ghosts haunt and control her life.

She lowered her head in respect to the lioness as she replied, "My son has taken a liking to the lands and who can say no to their cub?" She loved him so much that she wanted to take this step with him, "No harm done. It at least clears our minds of what needs to be properly said to you," She paused, "I'm Kirjava."  

[Kimaria]

He stepped closer to his mother, startled and slightly embarrassed to be approached unawares by the pride ruler. However, by the kindness in her face, his unease quickly dispersed, leaving a rumbling purr deep in his chest.

He was surprised, too, that she seemed to know his name. Then, after a moment's thought he realised it must have been obvious who he was. After all this was a relatively small pride and his comings and goings had to have been noticed before now. "And you, Kitambi. I'm sorry I haven't met you before now." He paused and glanced fondly across at his mother, waiting for her to introduce herself.

"We've been in this area since my birth, I think. This land means so much to me, even more now that I have such a good friend in Mawi Mai." He blushed, knowing that she was far more than a friend. "As you've heard. We wish to join. This land is the only place I think I could ever call a home. Its people have been so kind to me and I am not meant for rogue life."

He paused. "Kitambi, what must we do to be accepted?"  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Kirjava.” Kitambi inclined her head. This lioness must have only arrived just recently, for she had not heard of any relatives of Aepep’s being nearby. It would be a nice treat for Mawi to meet the mother of the young male she had befriended. She seemed the pleasant sort, maybe a little nervous though that could be simply alertness from being a rogue. Kitambi herself had spent a considerable amount of time out on her own in search of herself, and knew very well the difference between pride safety and rogue wariness.

Her attention returned to Aepep as he spoke, listening with quiet attentiveness. Rogue lions nearby were fairly uncommon, if only because of all the noise that the Nchi’mahadhi pride made during their celebrations. It tended to make the close-knit, family-oriented pride seem quite a bit larger than it really was. Kitambi intended to keep it that way, despite the fact that their allied pride would help them out should any great number of strange rogues arrive. There was safety in numbers, and the more members rogues thought you had the better.

Still, Aepep had not been discouraged, which meant that he must have some sort of interest in music. That, or the noise did not frighten him. She nodded her head at his praise of her home, before she answered his question. “There is no ritual or ceremony you must undertake to join. We, the Nchi’mahadhi only as a few things of our members. First, we ask that you respect the Rhythm and its nature as a unifier and divider. The second, that the pride is family. We look out for one another and one another’s children, and we always welcome those who wander back into the pride. Finally, we do not ask all of our members to be talented in everything, for this is impossible. We only ask that whatever talents you may have, you use them for the benefit of the pride, as all others use their talents to benefit you. If you agree, then you are welcome in these lands as though you had been born here. You may request jewelry of your own, and I can instruct you on drum building if you wish to make one.”  

[Kireiryuu]

She listened quietly as Kitambi told them what her pride required of them. Well, that would not be too hard for her. Once Kitambi had stopped talking Kirjava spoke up. "I would have no problems upholding those values that you speak of. Family is very important to me as well."

She looked at her son warmly, what she would do for her cubs. But now was the time to stop running. She had to move forward and this was the first step in that direction. "I have been around this area for a good while. I find that this area is one of the safest I've travelled through, though I did tend to shy away from any prides. But I will be happy to accept your terms to live here with my son." She smiled to Kitambi.  

[Kimaria]

"Me either." He added to his mother's own testiment. Those values were everything that he believed in. Caring for one another. Looking out for one another. Respecting rhythm through dance and listening to nature's song all around him.

At that moment Aapep felt as if his life was finally complete. He had his mother close by, he was about to have a proper home and share it with Mawi, his dearest beloved. He nodded and lowered his head graciously.

"I will do all I can to help the pride. If you need my for anything, I will do all in my power to help. I will hunt and I will dance, for that is how I found my rhythm. It was an accident but a good one nonetheless." He smiled at his mother and his joy was in his eyes.

"We're home." His voice was hushed but filled with choked emotion.  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

Kitambi inclined her head at the praise, pleased that the other lioness believed these lands were safe. She liked to think of her home as such too, and the same about the pride her sister ruled to the west. With two allied prides, one with two gods and one that made a lot of noise, she could safely say that unwelcome visitors were few and far between. It was nice to know that others felt the same way about such things.

She gave a definitive nod when both Aepep and Kirjava accepted the pride terms. “Then I welcome you, brother and sister of the pride. Our kill is your kill, our rhythm is your rhythm. I look forward to seeing you at the drum circle.” With a final smile, the lioness turned and made a motion with her head, beckoning the two to come into the pride lands. It was time they could walk in the Nchi’mahadhi lands as full pride members.  

[Kireiryuu]

As Kitambi welcomed them, Kirjava could feel many emotions swirl within her. She hadn't step foot in pridal lands in many, many ages. But she made sure to give the other lioness a farewell greetings, "I hope to see you soon."

And once the lioness had started heading away, she let her gaze shift towards her son. She knew this is what he had been waiting for. A place to call his home, a place to have as a family...a community. It was something she had never wanted nor dreamed of, but if it was for her cubs, she would do it. At least this way, once she passed on to the stars, she could be assured that Aapep had a place here just like Ravi did.

With a slightly nervous look she replied, "You'll have to show me around sometime then, Aapep."