[PRP] Adjusting To The Pride (Njeve x Nawiri'chiwa)

[hibi-tea]

It had been several weeks since Njeve had been brought by Timur to the Kitwana'antara pridelands. For the first few she kept herself cooped up in whatever den it was Timur had been sleeping in, regardless of how badly he smelled at the time he brought her back here. She didn't feel like leaving it, she was in an unfamiliar place, and while she had chosen to go with Timur, she was still unsure of her choice. Everywhere around her smelt like death, and it was haunting, making her thoughts turn dark every now and again.

She had decided to go out and get some fresh air that day, or as fresh as it could be. Her nose was so full with the scent of Timur's dirty coat that smelling something fresh would take awhile. She really needed to coax him into cleaning his coat, somehow. It boggled her how he could live like that for so long. Njeve made sure to groom herself regularly. She may be on her own, or sorta on her own, now, but that didn't mean she would be laz about it.

With a sigh, Njeve quickly passed by a few lions, her head ducked down as she tried not to make eye contact. They knew she was there, but she was very reluctant to engage anyone just yet, "I'm so hungry."  

[Uta]

Unfortunately for Njeve, there was one lioness in particular whom did notice her appearance. She knew of the young cub, had been introduced to her very briefly after her initial rival. It had been weeks ago, and while they had kept an alert in case any hyena pack or family came searching for her, for the most part the black and blue cub had gone unnoticed. No family came to claim her and as such she was considered one of the newest members.

Unfortunately, Nawiri had been unable to visit Timur or Njeve. Duties kept her tied up, as well as a drop in her own health. Her sister, Raja, had demanded she take time to herself to recuperate and as such Nawiri consented. She didn't take time as long as Raja had wished, but she didn't ignore her sibling completely. . . .

Recently though, Nawiri had been feeling better. Today was no exception, and as she was making her rounds, checking in on various families her dual toned eyes caught sight of a small thing. Whether Njeve liked it or not, her presence was noted by many . . .it was so refreshing to see cubs in the pride, regardless of species. They were so rare as of late that even one as young and petite as Njeve could bring a little hope to the long faces surrounding her.

At least it brought joy to Nawiri, at any rate. Deciding to take this opportunity, the young queen trotted after the pup. It seemed as if she might be investigating her new home, or possibly navigating to the lake near the heart of the pride. Either way, her longer legs allowed her to bridge the distance between Njeve and herself just in time to hear the whisperings of hunger.

Hungry!?

She hoped Timur was actually feeding the kitling! Not that she doubted Timur's intelligence, but an adult could go longer without food than a cub could. Seeing as Timur was a Secret Keeper, food most certainly shouldn't have been an issue! Still, the young could also have a voracious appetite and perhaps this was merely one of those moments.

"I'm sorry, Little One," she finally interjected from behind, just as she made it close to Njeve. "But I just happened to over hear the mention of hunger . . . Would you at all be interested in sharing some of my lunch back near my den? There's far too much for me to enjoy." It wasn't a complete lie. The zebra had been brought down that morning, and the ration she had taken back to her den had been picked at but not completely devoured.
 

[hibi-tea]

Njeve hadn't noticed Nawiri following behind her until she spoke, spooking the little hyena and leaving her with hairs on ends. She had been so preoccupied in her own thoughts and hunger that she had been completely and utterly unaware of her surroundings and it made her feel humiliated. She hadn't been this inattentive when she had lived on her own, perhaps pride life was making her soft?

Feeling her belly grumble a bit, Njeve nodded to Nawiri. She was hungry, very hungry. Timur had disappeared somewhere today, possibly the Rogue Lands, and she had lost the rabbit she had hunted earlier. It was her own fault though, she had insisted upon hunting for herself every now and again, unfortunately it wasn't so successful today.

It took a few moments for Njeve to register who exactly she was speaking to. When she remembered that Nawiri happened to be the Queen, she quickly ducked her head down, a mannerism she had picked up from Timur and some others around the pride who felt the need to bow their heads before her.

"I would appreciate it a lot, Miss." Njeve said quietly, averting her eyes when she spoke, "I lost the rabbit I was hunting earlier...And I haven't been able to find one since..."  

[Uta]

Nawiri'chiwa hadn't meant to startle the poor girl, and hid the amused smile she felt tickling her features. Still, her heart went out to her and she hoped the little one would relax in her presence soon. She saw the way she dipped her head and averted her gaze. Though some would never learn that they needn't act so formal around her, Nawiri hoped Njeve would relax in due time. She didn't expect others to grovel or show her respect or drop their gaze - she might hold the title as queen but in reality she was still just a member of the pride, a healer.

Maybe she always wanted to be just an everyday average member, but such was not to be her fate.

Dipping her head close to the ground so she might look Njeve in the eye, the black masked female smiled softly. "You can call me Nawiri if you like. . . Your name is Njeve, right? Such a pretty name really," she stated, words sincere. Rising back to her full height, she began a slow walk besides the hyena, intending to lead her back to her den. It wasn't too terribly far, as they were already fairly close to the heart of the pride.

"You're hunting already, are you?" She questioned, surprise and admiration colouring her words. "I wasn't a very good huntress when I was little, but I don't think I even thought about catching prey at your age. I'm sure if you'll get that rabbit next time he comes around," she added with a little grin.
 

[hibi-tea]

Njeve nodded as Nawiri dipped her head down to talk to her on her level. She wondered why she did so, weren't Queens supposed to carry themselves higher than others within the pride? It was comforting that Nawiri was so nice to her, from what she could remember of her mother, she hadn't been that way. Her father had been kind, but her mother had been cold. She often wondered if her mother loved her, she would never know now, though.

"Thank you...Nawiri," She said quietly as Nawiri began to trot off away from her. Njeve quicker hurried behind, figuring she was leading her off to food, which she was wanting very much at this point.

"I had to," Njeve explained as she followed the lioness back to her den. She had to, there was no choice in the matter for her. If she did not hunt, or learn to hunt, she would die of starvation. Her hunting wasn't as successful as she had hoped it'd be, and she lived on scraps she found on carcasses that the vultures hadn't gotten to yet, but at least she tried, "I was alone...When Timur found me. Abandoned."  

[Uta]

The grey lioness made sure she kept one eye on the young cub as she walked, not wanting to make the little one scramble or trip over herself to follow. She kept her gait slow so she might better listen to Njeve as she walked, contemplating her words.

Ah . . . She often forgot that there was such a thing as alone. Abandonment. Nawiri knew that some members were indeed outsiders, loners, rogues that took peace in solitude and quiet. Furthermore, she knew some members preferred their solitude to socialization, but the concept of being completely and utterly alone was . . . foreign to her.

She'd always had her mother or nannies and nurses within the pride. She'd always had someone in her life, such as Raja, her sister . . . To actually be so young and so small and to be without such protection was amazing to Nawiri. It only reminded her how lucky she had been to have her family, to have her pride. "I forget that you were alone for such a time," she apologized softly, offering the young cub a smile. "You are certainly much more brave than I to havve learned to hunt and to take care of yourself so well. Though I will admit, I am glad Timur found you and hope you won't ever have to be alone again if you don't wish to be."

Being so close to the heart of the pride, it wasn't too long before various den sites could be spotted. Nawiri's was where all the queens before her had resided, outside of space there being little difference between it and others. Honestly, she didn't often use the space unless she was seeking solitude or didn't want the pride to see her at her most unhealthy. Usually, on a normal day, she preferred to spend her time with her pride mates.

"Here we go," she encouraged, entering the shallow cave. The scent of zebra was thick in the air, tantalizing to those whom might have an appetite. While she had eaten her fill and picked at it, there was still a generous portion remaining. "I hope you like zebra," she added with a smile.
 

[hibi-tea]

Njeve hoped she would never have to be alone again, either. Unfortunately, hope is not a guarantee and while she wanted to believe that this could possibly be her forever home, she made it a constant reminder to herself to treat the situation she was in now as a temporary one. She never knew when Timur may decide he didn't want to bother with her again, or whether or not the pride would run her out. It was a terrible thing for a pup so young to think like this, but one could not fault her for it. The hyena's that were supposed to be her parents had forgotten her, not bothering to back-track and look for her. She spent so much time alone, scared, and suspicious than thinking otherwise would take time. Thankfully, that was one thing she had.

As soon as the zebra hit Njeve's nostrils her stomach growled. It was so loud the little hyena had startled herself, flattening her ears against her head in embarrassment at it. Nawiri was being so kind to her by sharing her meal, she would have to repay Nawiri's kindness and catch her that rabbit than.

Approaching it quietly, Njeve sniffed recognizing the scent as something she had previously had before, except it didn't smell as fresh as this, it was days old and slightly foul than. Looking back to Nawiri the little hyena dipped her head to her before digging in, "Thank you for letting me share your meal..."

One would have thought the poor girl hadn't eaten in days with how quickly she was eating the zebra. At certain points she had to stop and breathe or risk choking, it was a little sad to watch, but it was how she learned to eat when she was by herself. Quickly, quietly; that way no one would hear or see you and you had less risk of losing your kill.  

[Uta]

The young lioness watched as the hyena pup dove in to the kill. It worried her because Nawiri liked to make sure no pup or cub went hungry and it wasn't often the Secret Keepers of the pride starved. Timur had seemed like a good hyena, and she didn't doubt his intentions, but he was a little off. . .

Exactly how deep his paternal instinct ran, she didn't know. Njeve didn't seem abused but perhaps she was ever so slightly neglected? Some creatures just didn't have a particularly compassionate nature or were awkward when it came to young kitlings of the pride. Either way, Nawiri made a note to check up on little Njeve a bit more frequently than she had.

A plump kitling was better than a starved one, and the young were so few and far between. It was a most unfortunate affair.

"You are quite welcome, Njeve," she chuckled softly, lowering herself nearby and watching the little one eat. She practically inhaled the fresh kill, and the Queen had to wonder if she wouldn't choke! Still, for the little cub being on her own, it was no surprise she would eat so defensively. A smart little kitling she was. . . . Nawiri couldn't help but approve.

"I certainly couldn't eat it all myself," she added with a nod and smile "I'm only too happy to have the company to share it."
 

[hibi-tea]

"I...," Njeve began, still feeling very awkward about talking to others since she had spent such a good chunk of her life living by herself with no one and nothing, "I am very happy that you let me stay, Nawiri."

The little juvenile hyena looked away for a moment and pawed at the ground, her little belly feeling as if it could simply pop under the strain of the amount of food she had eagerly and greedily ingested. She gave off a little satisfied sigh and was unsure of how else to proceed from there as she was no seasoned conversationalist. She figured she would start with an obvious question to the Queen with whom she was sharing a meal with and hoped that it wouldn't offend her. Unless she asked, though, she would never know if it did offend her and whether or not she was permitted to bring it up, so she went for it.

"Queen Nawiri," Njeve began, as respectfully at the little kitling could possibly muster, "Why...Why does everything here smell of death?"

It wasn't that the smell bothered, Njeve, because it didn't. Timur reeked of it daily, and the smell was always on her at some point and time when she was in the Rogue Lands as her primary meals consisted of things that had been dead for quite some time, but she had never been in a place where death smelled so strongly and freshly.  

[Uta]

Nawiri was glad to see that the young hyena seemed to eat her fill. She didn't doubt Timur was a bad caretaker - it would be good for the young hyena to be around her own kind - but she did hope he was still providing for her. She couldn't tell if Njeve was half-starved just because of her rough beginnings . .or if she was half-starved because Timur forgot he had a little cub to keep an eye on.

She'd make mention of it to her nannies, to make sure they checked in on Njeve now and then just so she was able to socialize a bit more. Hanging out with one of the pride's Secret Keepers might mean she was more alone than socialized. . . Perhaps she could invite Njeve to meet some of the other younger cubs most recently brought, discovered or born in to the pride.

Resting not far from where Njeve had ate, Nawiri's ears twitched as the question was asked. A smile crossed her features, despite her inward sense of surprise. Death was something she'd grown up around, used to . . . .But not everyone was so comfortable with the idea, with the acceptance of their mortality. And Njeve had lived long enough outside the pride to realize the rest of the world wasn't so saturated with it. . . .

"It smells of death because many within this pride die much more swiftly than those outside of it. It wreaks of death because the lions here, most of them at any rate, suffer from a plague that kills them. Death is never far from some lion here." She was honest, she was straight foward, and she waited to see how Njeve understood or how she might respond. Having no cubs her own, and being incredibly young herself, Nawiri'chiwa didn't entirely know how else to respond.

Best to be straight forward and honest, right?
 

[hibi-tea]

Njeve listened as Nawiri explained to her why the pride smelled so heavily of death. It made sense to the little hyena, she knew there were things such as diseases in the world and had been lucky enough not to have caught any in her time alone in the Rogue Lands. Despite her understanding, she couldn't imagine how the pride could possibly function knowing that many of them were eventually going to die. It was so sad, but many of them weren't as sad as she thought they would be. In fact, several were rather happy and cheery.

"That's very sad," Njeve commented, looking away for a moment, not sure how to further that conversation or articulate her condolences well. She was still a little one, after all, and even if she was far more knowledgeable than some in her age range, it didn't mean she was any less awkward about how to handle them.

"Does... that mean that you...?" Njeve didn't finish her comment, but the implication was there. She wanted to know if it mean that Nawiri was eventually going to pass from it, which was something she was not happy about, despite her attempting to stay distant from everyone. Nawiri seemed like a nice enough lioness, she was kind to Njeve and generous. Individuals like that didn't deserve bad things happen to them.  

[Uta]

Sometimes Nawiri wondered how the young cubs adjusted to the idea of disease. It was one thing to be born in to the pride, to know illness even before they opened their eyes; it was quite another to actually come from a land where plague was rare. . . While Njeve had suffered a lonely beginning, abandonment and a struggle to survive, she had been free from disease. And unlike other kitlings in the pride, she would continue to be free from disease. But just because she didn't have to suffer from it didn't mean it was easy to comprehend or understand.

Death was everywhere in the Kitwana. It was a shame but it was their curse, their blessing, their life. At least the young hyena seemed smart. Perhaps this news wouldn't effect her as poorly as Nawiri'chiwa worried it might.

Her expression was mild, a small smile still carved upon her features. "It is sad but . . . though many suffer, though many die, we try to make sure everyone's life is as happy and comfortable as possible. Though there can be much sadness, there can be much joy too." She reassured, her blue and red eye glowing warmly as she watched Njeve.

"As for me, I am sick, and it also means that I too will die. Hopefully not anytime soon," she added with a small chuckle, rising up and moving closer to where Njeve sat. "But there are worse fates than mine, so I try not to worry." Reaching over, the lioness pulled Njeve gingerly over to her, reaching down to begin grooming the cub. "How 'bout we clean you up, and I can tell you more of the pride after."

[.fin.]