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 Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2012 12:29 pm
 The guard was heading home after yet another long day. The whole pride was on edge due to the Nergui's threats and the arrival of the Firekin. Sas was of the opinion that, invasion or not, there was no need to get too antsy, just as in times of peace it wasn't wise to relax when on patrol as you never knew who or what was out there. As far as she was concerned, it was business as usual.
Except that she'd heard the Firekin were justly leery of the disease, and that using avian messengers between the prides wasn't their first choice. That they'd rather use immunes from the Kitwana'antara. This was an idea that did have Saskiranel somewhat worried. Her children were adolescents, sure, but they weren't yet adults and she was reluctant to leave them alone at this point in time. Nor did she want to abandon her pride at such a critical time. It was all well and good to accompany Mel when she was still a single lioness with no dependents, but to be a messenger now was...distasteful.
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Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2012 12:39 pm
And having fun, of course.
Sneaking around the shadows, she wasn't exactly well hidden with her bright, clean fur.. her hope was that the smile she wore would fend off any suspicious intervention. But it wouldn't work if either of her parents showed up, so she was alert- but only for bright colors. She didn't seem to notice the passing brown lioness.
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Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2012 12:48 pm
There was a young lion about that Sas noticed on her way. About the same age as her own children. The thought brought a maternal smile to the brown lioness' face. Not to mention that the girl was moving in such a way that Sas was certain she wanted to remain unnoticed.
Still, at that age, there was almost certainly somewhere that she was supposed to be.
"And what are you up to?" the older lioness asked genially.
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Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2012 12:57 pm
Nyesha nearly jumped out of her fur when suddenly a stranger confronted her, however kindly. She looked over with wide, golden eyes and stumbled to an unsteady stop. It wasn't anybody she really recognized, though she was sure she looked familiar. Perhaps Nyesha had seen her around at some point, or family of hers.
"Nothing," she answers quickly, smiling innocently, "I'm not up to anything."
Was this lioness a huntress? Maybe that was why she was familiar, maybe she had really been caught sneaking away from hunting lessons.. but it was hard to tell just yet.
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Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2012 1:04 pm
Sas hid a smile at the younger lion's reaction. Ah to be that young again, and that certain one could fool an adult. Instead she lifted her eyebrows.
"Really? I find that hard to believe. As an adolescent, one would expect that you should be at lessons now," she replied. Of course, lessons weren't every day and there were a host of reasons why a lioness would not be at her duties. Still, the fact that she hadn't given one already indicated to Saskiranel that she was probably delinquent.
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Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2012 1:10 pm
She wasn't surprised by the answer she got, it sounded like something her mothers would say- especially since she was actually feeling well enough today to go. It was a good reason to enforce attendance today and Nyesha knew that.. but the stranger didn't.
That didn't make it easier to lie, though.
"Probably," she confessed after a moment's hesitation and mental debate about how best to reply, "I- I was thinking about switching ranks. I'm .. investigating my options, not skipping lessons."
Not a complete lie, at least.
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Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2012 1:16 pm
That actually did surprise her. She supposed that it wasn't that surprising, that an adolescent should want to change their future rank after discovering just what the first entailed. None of her children had - to the best of her knowledge - had such a discovery yet, but it was still possible. Hell, it was possible for an adult to change their rank! And not just in a "climbing the ladder" sort of way.
"That's a very important decision," Saskiranel agreed. "It is important that you have a rank you value and enjoy." She smiled mischeviously. "So now that we've established that...what lessons were you supposed to be at?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2012 1:22 pm
Nyesha smiled when she realized the brown lioness agreed with her excuse to ditch her lessons. It was better than not wanting to waste a good day, she wasn't yet able to see how that might have been a reasonable excuse to some.
"Hunting," she said, "But I'm not very good at keeping up and it makes me really tired."
And it wasn't very much fun, but her trouble with it contributed to that as much as anything else. There had to be slower jobs that were just as important, she just wasn't confident enough to make a decision.
"What's your job?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2012 1:28 pm
"Ah, I see," Sas replied. "I myself am a Guard," she told the younger lioness. "It's a bit more intense at times than Hunting, so if that makes you tired, this would probably not be a good choice either."
Actually, the fact that a lioness that young complained of being really tired could mean one of two things. The first, that she needed all-around conditioning in order to tire less frequently. The second, and far more worrying explanation, was the disease that beset the pride. It wasn't unheard of for subadults and younger to die of it, but it was always a sad occasion. Sas didn't have the heart to ask which it was though.
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Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2012 9:59 pm
She nodded as Sas explained her job and how it could be even more tiring than hunting. It wasn't really something Nyesha had thought a great deal about anyway so she wasn't terribly disappointed to hear it. Something closer to home was better.
"Yeah, I don't think I'd make a very good guard anyway," she said brightly, hesitating before continuing like she had to think before revealing a secret, "I was thinking maybe about trying to become a healer, do you know anybody that I could ask about that?"
It seemed a reasonable question to ask any adult in Nyesha's mind. She might have asked her parents but.. they hadn't talked about jobs like this before so she'd never really had a chance.
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Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2012 5:19 am
She wasn't the least surprised when the younger lioness agreed with her about not becoming a Guard. Somehow, Sas didn't think she had the mindset - far more important than any physical ability or disability.
Healer though, that was an interesting choice. And yet not at all remarkable, as it was probably the most important rank, after Hunter, for the sustainability of the pride. Healers were priests of Pestilence in a way. Not ACTUALLY, of course, some of the real priesthood would have a fit if they knew Sas' opinion, but that was the way she thought of them.
For a lioness who knew so much of the pride though, Saskiranel couldn't think of any individual Healer to recommend to the younger female. "Why not just go to the heart of the pride?" she suggested. "You know the sickest live there, so there's always Healers around. And if all else fails, you can talk to Nawiri."
It was, after all, common knowledge that the Queen prized her skill as a Healer more than her blood.
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Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2012 10:50 am
Saskiranel's suggestion of heading for the busiest part of the pride while she was sneaking away from lessons made Nyesha's heart race, she wasn't exactly daring. That had nothing to do with why she skipped hunting today.
"The queen?" she repeated, even more surprised by the next suggestion of talking directly to Nawiri about it. She would never have considered the queen approachable though she knew she wasn't exactly an elusive figure who stayed out of the general day-to-day life of the pride.. she was just so important.
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Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2012 3:42 pm
"Yes," Sas confirmed. The adolescent looked nervous at the thought. Well, she supposed it made sense. Going up to the highest authority in the pride could be quite nervewracking at that age.
"She prefers to consider herself a Healer first and a Queen second," the older lion went on. "I'm sure that if she has the time, she'll give you a lesson herself. If not, she'll be able to find someone who can."
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Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2012 3:11 pm
"Hmmmm."
Nyesha didn't know exactly how to respond to that particular suggestion. She perked up curiously when Sas explained that Nawiri was a healer before a queen- it was something interesting she had never really.. noticed? Heard?
"I guess I'll try that!" she said, "But.. maybe just around the heart of the pride to start."
She liked that Sas had called it the heart of the pride so she used the same term, smiling. Her excuse for wandering around, ignoring lessons, was better now. She had something very specific she was doing.. that was assuming she did go do it now.
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Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2012 3:25 pm
Saskiranel smiled back. There was something about helping a youngster to see the options before them that made her feel supremely happy and content. It was the reason why she had children of her own, truly.
"Good luck then..." The lioness paused abruptly. She realized she didn't even know the adolescent's name! How embarrassing.
"I'm sorry, I never even asked your name! I'm Saskiranel," the brown lioness told the younger female.
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