Achal sat at the pride's borders thinking on the past few weeks. He'd returned from the swamps with his two newest cubs to find out Tsu was pregnant. He was very excited, but at the same time he worried for the petite lioness, who was rather round. He wondered if the time for the cubs to come was near.He looked up to the stars which twinkled down at him and he thought on his mother's words. He wondered if he should talk to the stars. It was something that he had not done to often since he joined the pride and he knew soon he would need to tell his cubs the star storied his mother once told him and he'd once told his sisters.
"I'm sorry I have been away so long," he said to the stars, "I have been very busy and soon my time will be even more limited, but my life is good. I wonder though if you are happy I seek you less or saddened by the fact."
Achal sighed lightly as he continued to gaze up at the stars.
Aali watched Achal silently from his seat on a flat rock, he had been drawn away from his family by an inability to sleep soundly. So many worried circled in his mind, concerns for the pride that wouldn't allow him to close his eyes for more then a few moments at a time. He closed them and saw the young males of the pride leaving and wondered if they would ever return. He closed them and saw the scars across the blind eyes of a banu and wondered what to do about the Kajira in their midst. He sighed and decided to just keep his eyes open lest he close them and see more troubles ahead.
He knew he should be consulting with Faiz and Tariq, but those two were bickering like cubs so often lately that they too were another problem he would need to find a solution too. Of course he had the inklings of a plan to unique the two in mind already. He slipped off the rock and headed over to Achal his ears pricking at the males last words. He felt bad for intruding, but really he looked like he could use a little friendly chat and some company. "I'm sure their happy, and understand that the affairs we must deal with down below often leave us little time to worry about those above."
Achal looked up slightly surprised, "Sultan Aali," he greeted. He looked up to the stars again smiling, "I am sure you are right. My mother always said our ancestors bodies join the earth, but their spirits reside in the stars to watch over us. I like to think my mother twinkles up there and is happy to see healthy and happy. She would be excited to know she has grandchildren and even more on the way. Tsu, I believe is very close to having her cubs."
He looked to Aali and grinned lightly, "She has even expanded our den. I was quite surprised to come back to so much more space."
Achal laughed, "but enough about my life. What brings you to the stars so late in the night? Are you unable to sleep?"
"I'm glad for you Achal, your family is flourishing, your banu are very lucky to have such an understanding Pad." He smiled and moved to sit beside the other male, truly he felt Achal's friendship, the brother like bond that kept the males of the pride so close.
He sighed and yawned trying not to let the desire to sleep overwhelm him, not that it would help any, as soon as he lay down and closed his eyes his mind was bombarded with things to do.
"I'm afraid sleep evades me tonight...I thought I would come outside for a while to think."
He glanced at Achal and smiled, "And you? You have a lovely larger den and your dear harem waiting for you at home no doubt, what draws you out here all alone? Or did you simply wish to visit with the stars during these late hours of silence and solitude?"
"Thank you, Aali," Achal said forgoeing the title in favor of a more open friendly converstation. "I do do enjoying being in the pride and I adore all of my banu. They are truly treasures. So willing to raise five cubs thats aren't their own and take on the title of mother."
Achal shook his head lightly, "Just as you came to think I did as well. I haven't spent much time with the stars. I saught to remedy that."
He was smiling and feeling as though his troubles weren't so great. "You know if you talk about your troubles even to the stars, it is easier to see the solution you seek. What is it you wanted to think on? Your harem and cubs are wonderful and adore the same as my harem adores you. Maybe it is the recent events that have come to play in the pride then."
"My harem and my cubs are a joy to me, they cause me no troubles, it is the pride that worries me, and the fate of our young Pesars. Soon...too soon they will leave and I fear they may never return, I fear for what might befall them out in the rogue lands. I wish we had a better way to prepare them and keep them safe on their quests." He gazed up at the stars for a moment hopefully before looking back at Achal with a wry smile.
"But...I fear the stars cannot help protect them, only perhaps they might help them find their way home once they are ready." As the days passed the concerns had grown heavier and heavier on his mind, after all it was his own nephews who would be the first to head out.
Achal sighed looking at Aali now slightly saddened, "I spent much of my life in the rogue lands and your worries are not unwarrented. Some bad thing can happen in those lands, but I assure you that there is much good in the rogue lands as well and I am sure they will return safely. If we train them to have keen ears and to be quick on their feet they will be quite all right."
Achal smiled at Aali, "The stars will guide them home and they will return adult in the pride with their own banu. If you are worried, while they are young we could take them out exploring beyond the borders for a short time every so often. It would help to prepare them."
Achal was sure they would be fine he'd come across another on an adolescent quest, who had done quite well in the rogue lands despite being raised in a rather secluded pride.
"I have spoken to some of the others, hopefully we'll train the pesar to be able to better defend themselves and such. Long ago this pride flourished with so much life, so many pads with large harems and cubs at every turn. Yet now all my cubhood friends are gone...a few have returned but it's taken them so long. I wonder whatever happened to the rest, how our numbers could have been so decimated, it was a lack of care, of attention. We must focus more attention on our young ones today so that they might live to see tomorrow."
He knew Achal was right, there was good and bad out there. Aali had been lucky in his quest, he had traveled far but followed sources of water. He hadn't bumped into other prides borders or had to fight off hostile rogues, and his kajira had been simple to subdue. His second time he had tried to keep brief, and luckily he had found his beloved Sultana the two had returned together taking care of one another. He remembered the raid as well, and the skirmish that had come about at the end, they were bold to have gone after females so close to a pride, but in the end success had made them blind to any errors.
"Your idea has merit, yes perhaps you and I will take a few of them out for small excursions, if you have the time? I know with your news cubs you will be needed here for a time. Still you have been out a fair bit, and I should like your help in explaining the terrain and such to them. It not only rogue lions they will face after all, but hunger, thirst...a climate so different from our own warmth."
Achal listened to Aali words on the former pride. It was saddening to hear that Aali childhood friends had not returned to the pride. "I am sorry for your loss and I hope to the gods that they are well where ever they may be. The pride will learn from that time and our attentiveness has increased."
Achal shifted slightly thinking silently to himself of his own cubs who would go out when they were older. When Aali suggested that he help take the cubs out on an excurstion into the rogue lands he gave a solid nod.
"I would be honored. I have travel far and wide and know much about survival in the lands which are foreign to the prides cubs. I will help to teach them as much as I can and we can rest more at ease when they go out into the world on their own."
He looked at Aali, "Your friends that have taken long to return, have at least returned and you must have faith that more will return to the pride in time. So we can have faith that when ours sons go out they will come back."
"I would be glad for your help then, it is my desire that every young male who leaves the pride returns a proud pad. My nephews will be the first to leave...and my sons too grow everyday...your own cubs are slowly growing...all around us it seems the young ones are slowly maturing. Slowly, but to me it feels so fast, so fast and I want time to teach them all." He nodded at Achal glad for his comforting words, indeed at least some had returned to them. It meant so much to him to see old faces mixed in among the new. The pride would not die out, they had simply started over, and they were thriving.
"Indeed, faith...but I would feel a little more at ease if I knew someone out there cared as much for their safety as we will here at home."
Achal smiled rising so that he was in a sitting position, "I can assure that there are those out there who care for their safety as much as we do here at home. My sisters are out their somewhere, my daughter and friends I have made in my travels. All friendly and looking to make sure those who need it have someone they can rely on. If one of our own comes across them, they will be well received."
"Perhaps I should go out, seek some alliances, yet we have always been a secluded pride. We dislike others to come and cause troubles, and making alliances often times means including common enemies. I'm glad to know you've found friends though Achal, it gives me hope that it's not all that bad out there. I just think we had better advise the Pesar to stay away from other prides who might be more hostile then us." He wasn't naive or blind, Aali was certain that there were probably whole prides of Kajira out there in the world, he was just glad they had nothing to do with them.
He was also sure there were plenty of prides that were friendly and might be open to the Ukuucha'Wafalme's way of life. Yet he had no desire to expand the pride or get involved in the world away from it. Seclusion had always kept the pride safe before, and wandering rogue females had always been the perfect captives. Well all but those who became Kajira, but even Kajira could be reformed.
"Now may not be the time for alliances, but I think we will not be able to remained secluded forever. Afterall we do send our young pesars out into the world. I think we still have time yet before we need to think about alliances."
Achal rosed and yawned lightly, "I should return to my harem. I am sure someone will awake and notice my absence. It was very nice talking to you and I will ready for our excurstion any time you are."
"Yes perhaps I too should go and attempt sleep once more, it was good talking to you Achal, thank you for your aid and advice." He smiled and stood giving a stretch and yawning again, perhaps this time when he closed his eyes he would find sweet slumber awaiting him.
He nodded to the other male "Give Tsu my best." He murmured and turned to head home.
