[PRP] Uphill Battles (Ndoto x Nantale)

[Hopefolly]

Nantale was a morning lioness. She had an alarm in her head that triggered the second the sun started peeking over the horizon. It was a goal (perhaps a dream?) of hers to wake before her mother did, but she hadn't achieved such a great feat yet. Kitambi was too much an over-achiever. Her father, on the other hand...

She couldn't say he slept like the dead. Corpses didn't snore like an angry elephant.

Nantale smiled at him and took her leave.

Outside, a breeze ruffled her fur, and it carried away that soft expression. It was once again time to be dutiful and always, always look like she knew what she was doing. Some days were easier than others.

This was not going to be one of the easy ones.

Nantale felt her stomach turn nervously with every step. She had made a promise and would see that it was kept, and if that meant a day of constant stress, so be it. Ndoto was nice -- selfless, she might say. His personality wasn't the problem. Hers was.

What was she supposed to say to him?

She had no idea and she was almost there.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Ndoto rose with the sun today. Whenever he had something to look forward to, he was up at dawn due to excitement. Normally he'd lay about for a few hours past day break and get going only when the sun was high in the sky, but on this day he had a special meeting planned. Nantale had agreed to spend the day with him and he wanted to get as much out of it as he could.

He spotted the new pride leader making her way towards him and he did his best to stay still and wait. He was excited and nervous, hoping he wouldn't make her wish he had never agreed to this. Time to play it cool, Ndoto. Don't get too crazy or out there.

"Morning!" he called out once she was close enough to him. "You're rather beautiful today! I mean." Crap. "It's rather beautiful today. The sky. Is nice."

He cleared his throat and offered her a wide smile, hoping his slip-up had gone unnoticed. "It's still nice and cool out. Feels good getting up this early! I'd forgotten what it was like."

Hopefolly

 

[Hopefolly]

SilverLutz

Her social hesitance did not mean social ignorance. His slip-up had been picked up on and responded to with nothing more than a rise of the brow.

Oh, goodness, she could have sighed nice and heavy at the mess she'd just gotten herself into. The Nchi were a kind and giving pride, but they were full of fickle males whose romantic interests were fleeting like the butterfly. They were beautiful when they were there, but they did not stay around long.

She thought of her brothers, both of founder's blood as she was, and how many females they had gotten cozy with. Ndoto was not born of her homeland, but perhaps it was the atmosphere here that made most of them so... easily swayed by a pretty face.

Nantale blinked. She needed to stop getting lost in her head and remember she had company.

To spare them both further tension, she admired the sky. "It is nice in the morning." Better not to comment about his sleeping in. It was a good thing the pride's lands were so peaceful they had that privilege. Nantale was proud of that. "Are you ready?"  

[SilverLutz]

The raised brow didn't go unnoticed, but Ndoto took it in stride. It wasn't a paw against his face or an angry snarl after all. Then again, it also wasn't a laugh or a smile. Fairly neutral ground, if he did say so himself. He'd have to watch himself to make sure it didn't happen again. He didn't want to give her the wrong idea, after all.

"Yes, ready to go," he said with a grin. "Did you have anything in mind you'd like to do?" If not, he had an arsenal of fun things that they could enjoy. She knew the lands better than he, though, and if she had any leadership duties to attend to he wouldn't mind tagging along and waiting off to the side.

"I figured since you don't enjoy small talk we could do things rather than just sit and chat." Actions spoke louder than words at times and Ndoto was fully prepared to take full advantage of that to get to know his new friend. "Of course, you've got a say in what we do and what we don't. So if you ever get bored or need to do something just speak up."

Hopefolly

 

[Hopefolly]

The only ideas Nantale had were work, work, work. She could see how the baboons were doing, then make sure none of the drums were in need of repair. Their was checking if the dens were being kept tidy, conversing with the non-lions to make sure they were not being mistreated, meeting with her mother and Mawi to discuss the possibility of expanding their territory... Many other things. And if there was ever a time all that was done, she could find something else.

These things were not fun for anyone, not even her. Nantale wasn't sure she was capable of feeling bored.

She smiled That would make him feel more at ease, right? If only she knew she looked more uncertain than happy. But A for effort.

"Whatever you would like to do, Ndoto," she replied. And she tried hard to focus on him and not her checklist that she was neglecting for this. "I can finish my duties later. By all means, lead the way. I will follow."
 

[SilverLutz]

Ndoto grinned as Nantale turned the option of picking what to do to him. "Whatever I want, hm?" he hummed, tail swishing back and forth as he ran through his mental list of fun things they could do. They could sing - although he felt like he'd enjoy that more than she, and he wanted this to be fun for her as well - or play some games he had come up with on the walk from his old pride to this one, or go to the watering hole and fish...

"I've got it!" he said, grinning once again as he lifted his head a bit higher. "I have yet to see where the baboons make their drums. Could you show me? And we can play a game along the way. It's one I came up with during our walk."

He tilted his head a bit, waiting to see if that would be okay. That way he'd get to know more about the pride, as well as get to know some things about Nantale in a fun way. Well, hopefully a fun way.

Hopefolly

 

[Hopefolly]

SilverLutz

Nantale wanted so badly to be seen as an affable and gracious leader. That's why she never made it to the end of what she started to say: "That's really -- fine. That sounds fine. I would be glad to show you." And she would, truly, except the baboons and the drums and things were Jukka's job.

Was it hypocritical of her to find Ndoto's involvement over the line when she made everyone's work her business? Could be. The way Nantale saw it, she was different and immune to any judgement for her prying.

In her mother's time, the Malenga's job was to dance and sing and keep the pride in a state of peace.

Nantale knew the world, both the lions in it and the forces of nature, cared not for good intentions. She could no longer accept that her rank was expected to host parties and nothing else.

In brief, she felt herself entitled to wander into the other Nchi's "space", so to speak. She was not so sure if that gave her permission to bring someone with her. Jukka wouldn't be offended if she was spotted snooping around with company, would he?

"I know just the one to ask to show you." Nantale lived just to spite whomever first made the assertion you couldn't please everyone. She dragged her eyes over him, from his shoulders to his tail, thinking. "How well do you climb?"  

[SilverLutz]

Ndoto waited for an answer and, when he got one, smiled and tried to contain his excitement. He had only heard the baboons in passing and had certainly not seen them make anything. Drums were fantastic instruments and he wished to learn how they were made, but perhaps that would be better to do in his own time than with Nantale. They had lots of things they could do today, after all!

The question caught him off guard and, for a moment, a look of uncertainty crossed the lion's face. "Climb...what? Trees? Hills? Rocks? I've never really tried to climb anything terribly tall or vertical...the pride I'm from had very little trees or high places. But I'm more than willing to try."

It couldn't be that hard, right? Just dig in your claws and pull! He could jump pretty well, too, so leaping from rock to rock wouldn't be a problem. Trees...trees he had never thought about climbing. That was for leopards, not lions. Right? If she wanted him to climb a tree, though, he'd certainly be game.

Hopefolly

 

[Hopefolly]

SilverLutz

Nantale didn't hesitate or request anything else. Offering to try was all she could ask of him and if push came to shove she could find another baboon. This specific one would not do her the honor of hobbling down from his unusual choice of home, Malenga or not. She had told him once, overcome by the arrogance of youth, that she was to run this pride one day and he should do as she said. That had earned her a rock to the face and no sympathy from her mother.

By no coincidence, it was with the awkward grace and enthusiasm of a cub that she scaled the walls around the dens with Ndoto. The climb was not steep or difficult at all until they reached her own sleeping quarters at the very top.

From the darkness of it came a loud, loud snore.

Nantale pretended not to hear it and didn't comment on it. She and her parents occupying the same space was a strange arrangement. Fortunately, it was also a temporary one. Her mother and father were coping with losing her brothers and she wouldn't deny them that. If they wanted to house themselves as a family unit a little longer, so be it.

"It's a harder climb from here," Nantale whispered, mindful of her sleeping father despite not outright acknowledging him. "And, you can't tell anyone about it... I have a feeling my mother still doesn't want me doing this."

There were other reasons to keep it on the down low, but Ndoto would have to learn those first hand.  

[SilverLutz]

Ndoto followed Nantale to the dens, curious to see where they ended up. The hike to the top was fun, but he had to remind himself to stay quiet: they were pouncing around sleeping felines, after all. Thankfully he was light on his feet and only made a few loose rocks tumble a few feet time to time. He kept close to his guide, a grin on his face by the time he pulled even with her. This was fun, if exhausting.

The snore that came from the den at the top nearly made him jump. It sounded like an angry crocodile with a mouthful of rocks. He stared into the darkness for a few moments before shaking it off and following Nantale the rest of the way.

"Still doesn't...wait, are we going to get in trouble?" he whispered back before realizing who he was talking to. She was the ruler, the queen bee, the one that determined whether or not they got in trouble. Sure, she was new...but...she could veto anyone else, right? Rather than being nervous, Ndoto felt an excited smile creep over his face. He felt like a cub again, sneaking around trying to do fun things without getting caught.

Hopefolly

 

[Hopefolly]

SilverLutz

If Ndoto thought a title protected her from the wrath of her mother he needed to spend some time one-on-one with Kitambi now that she was situated back in the pride. "You won't." That was true: only she was at risk for a scolding. Nantale might be a ruler, but she was somebody's daughter just the same.

The higher they went, the harder the rocks were to scale. From the looks of things Nantale had enough familiarity with the climb to know exactly where to put her paws. Fascinating given how long she'd been away, and proof she'd done this -- against her mother's wishes -- over and over again growing up.

They reached the top and Nantale reached over the ledge, pulling herself up.

She looked back to see if Ndoto had made it  

[SilverLutz]

Ndoto laughed softly as he started to lose ground, Nantale leaving him behind. He tried to follow her route, but it was difficult, just as she had promised. "Ah...perhaps this would have been better to do when everyone was awake," he murmured to himself as a large rock tumbled down to the ground. He winced as it broke in half upon landing, but he kept on climbing. Lions could sleep like the dead when they wanted to, after all.

He finally reached the top, panting softly. His fur was a bit ruffled from the effort and he was out of breath, but otherwise in good shape. "Wow...you're a real pro at that," he said, pushing Nantale's shoulder lightly with his paw, his voice holding an impressed tone to it. "Come up to see the baboons often, eh?"

Hopefolly

 

[Hopefolly]

If Ndoto took too long to blink, he'd have missed the smirk on Nantale's face and the way she held her head up smugly. There was no avoiding the playful intention of her voice, though. "Baboon," she corrected. "Only one. He should be... around this way somewhere..."

The tortuous path had surprised her when she'd first climbed this far. She hadn't expected there to be so much room up here. "Watch your step," she said several times, and occasionally provided stories to serve as cautionary tales.

Once, she had fallen all the way down and had to tell her mother her cousin was to blame.

Once, she had tried to climb in the rain and the fall had been worse.

"This is where --"

Thump!

Thumpthumpthump!

Two small rocks came flying down from above them, hitting the pair directly on the head.

Nantale didn't so much as wince. This, too, she was used to. When the coast was clear, she looked up. "Ah, there he is."

Perched in gargantuan tree with limbs looming above them was an elderly baboon with another stone his grasp, just waiting to be launched. He sat hunched over on a ledge, leering.  

[SilverLutz]

Thankfully Ndoto caught the smirk, and it lifted his spirits. She did have a smile, then...good. He'd work a bit harder to get it to come out naturally. As he had accidentally mentioned before, she was a very pretty lioness and he bet his voice on the fact that if she smiled, she'd be the most gorgeous feline in Africa.

"Just one?" he echoed in surprise. "Huh...that's pretty interesting. I thought it would have taken a whole troupe of them to make a drum." But here he was, the newbie, and she the expert. He still had a lot to learn about his new home.

The lion followed the lioness carefully, picking his way through the rocky ground. He listened to Nantale's stories with wide eyes and open ears, even if his gaze was trained on his paws. He couldn't believe she had fallen down this very slope time and time again and was still alive to tell the tale. Certainly it had been painful. He could almost feel the rocks biting into his legs and back and he-ow!

Ndoto hissed in pain and lifted a paw to rub his head where the rock had struck. He glanced up, dark eyes honing in on the baboon in the tree. He didn't look happy to see them. "Does he always throw rocks when you come up to visit?"

Hopefolly

 

[Hopefolly]

SilverLutz

"Only on his bad days," Nantale replied. He just happened to have a lot of those. "He's an old friend despite his -- " Violent outbursts? Crazed ranting? Various threats to chew off her face? "-- bad days." She whistled softly and beckoned the baboon to no avail: "Won't you come down, Poko?"

Instead of a simple no, the baboon unleashed the rock, launching it straight toward her head. This time, Nantale ducked and avoided it. When she regained her composure, she was no worse for wear and patiently called again.

"That's completely unnecessary. This is Ndoto and he wants to learn about the drums." Nantale nudged the lion in question and nodded tellingly at their attacker. "Right?"