[PRP] The Past Put to Rest || Adina x Aali

[RuIerr]

xxxxxAdina's soft, furry lips skimmed the surface of the lake. She moved her head about, gauging the distance between her paws and the edge of the ground before the water's own edge. Stretching her muzzle back out, she lazily lapped up the water. There wasn't much else for her to do anymore; she ambled over the lands simply trying not to disturb anyone else's pridal duties. It was tough, though. Being left unable to see, Adina found herself having to rely mostly on her scent and hearing to tell where others were. Even though she was getting used to not seeing others, it remained a difficulty to her. This disability often left her frustrated, and so she defaulted to areas where she knew she would disrupt nothing; areas of low concentration of lions, or places like the lake, where the only thing being done was drinking water or socializing.

xxxxxUnable to see had no only took away Adina's own pridal duties of hunting and caring for her Pad, but also stole any chance of normality from her. All had been stolen from her by her cruel, heartless sister. Adina felt her maw reform into a snarl as she thought of the incident. None of it was fair, she realized; but being in the pride was what she wanted. She wished for respect, and she got it now - if only because she wore her loyalty on her face. After the fact, she'd been told of the claw scars and milky color left to her eyes. It didn't come as a shock to Adina; along with the blindness, she'd also been stolen of her beauty in exchange for joining the pride. Now, no one question her faithfulness to the pride; everyone placed her Kajira past as something that no longer mattered. In part, Adina wished she could have had the chance to prove her loyalty on her own; she wished she could have been through the same trials as other Kajira-turned-Banu (had there been any), instead of being so readily accepted because of her injury. Either way, a small smile spread across Adina's lips, still pressed to the water; she wouldn't trade it for the world. Although the blindness continued to embitter her, being accepted and free was more than worth it.

 

[Roxy_roxanna2]

Aali was heading in from his daily patrol everything seemed clear on the borders, then again everything in the pride ran so smoothly that patrols had become a formality. Once in a while they would find a rogue male curious about joining or who turned away realizing he had stumbled onto pride lands. Otherwise things were idyllic, or at least they had been until a few days ago when he had started to notice fidgety seers. Now his mind was occupied by what might be bothering them, he'd have to head down to the lake soon and see if any of them would tell him.

He paused and smiled as he spotted a banu near the edge of the lake then frowned a bit realizing it was Adina. He worried sometimes about the ability of a blind female, but she had risen to the challenge her sister had presented her with. Still sometimes he wondered if she was really as well adjusted as they all hoped? Her blindness was a blessing and a curse, it had saved her from being killed like so many rebellious kajira before her, but it had cost her all sense of normalcy.

Aali remembered back it seemed so long ago now when his father had ruled and there had been so many Kajira in the pride. To find that one had been killed in the night had barely garnered notice. The Banu had been kept strictly segregated from those who might taint them, there had been no cheerful lakeside lounging, no allowing the cubs to play and interact freely. He had to remind himself that time hadn't been so terribly long ago, he was lucky that the pride was more open now, that a true sisterly bond had formed between the banu. Males too seemed to cooperate more harmoniously, no need for quarrels simply because one had looked at a banu for a moment too long. Yes, he had to take care never to allow the pride to slip back into angry and jealous ways, Kajira could be saved and Adina was the perfect example.

He walked closer and made a bit more noise by flicking his tail against a bit of tall grass. "Adina? Good Morning."

He lowered his head to drink a bit from the lake uncertain if she had come out this far because she wanted to be alone, or if she had simply been unable to gauge the distance.
 

[RuIerr]

xxxxxAt the sound of approaching paws, Adina braced herself for someone to confront her. When the voice turned out to be familiar, Adina smiled. Looking up towards the source of the greeting, her unseeing eyes blinked. Remembering her manners, she lowered her head in a slight bow, "Sultan Aali. Always nice to... hear from you." She winced at her faltering, realizing how she only drew attention to her disability. Sighing, Adina lowered her head to the water and took another sip before raising her head again and slowly inhaling the Sultan's scent. It was much more useful to have another's scent memorized than their voice; that way, before they even approached she could be prepared for the lion heading towards her. It was a strange practice and something that used to be seemingly effortless, but now she found herself having to concentrate, needing to remember to take in scents.

xxxxxNeedless to say, being blind proved a massive inconvenience to Adina. It wasn't something that would leave her mind, either; because she was so easily reminded of it every second, she could never get away from it. Blinking again, she continued staring off in the same direction as before, presumably the direction the Sultan had come from. "You are well, I hope?" She wasn't used to conversing with others anymore; others' words seemed forced and all too polite when speaking to her. She'd almost preferred it when they spoke down to her as a Kajira; at least then, she knew there was something genuine behind what was spoken. Now, she couldn't tell; everyone seemed to pity her, but as she couldn't read expressions anymore, she was at a loss. Thus, Adina had reverted to a sort of recluse-status within the pride. Only speaking when spoken to, and preferring to stay out of the ways of others.