Adivyta was on her rounds, having just come from a remarkable recovery. It left her feeling good, having done her absolute best to help a lioness overcome her symptoms. Not everyone did, and not all situations could end so well, but sometimes they did. She savored those times, holding them close to her soft heart as shield against the many times when everything she did was for naught, when her patients still died anyway. There was comfort in their passing often going easily, but that wasn't always enough. More often she sought the comfort of her mate and children. More rarely she sought out her very large extended family. Today was one of those shining days when she needed no comfort at all.
It was in this merry mood that she caught sight of someone with less rejoicing than she. It was the identity of the individual that gave her pause. It was the male she'd escorted into the pride a couple months ago or so. He had endured the joining ceremony, but had promptly disappeared from society. She had worried about him, stopping by once in a while to check on him, but had been rebuffed. It was good to see him out and about at least, though clearly something was troubling him severely. Undaunted by his previous rejections of her offers of friendship or companionship, she altered her route to take her close to his perch.
Vigo was still reeling from his encounter with Tara. They had taken a little time to talk, to get to know one another. Vigo had been surprised to learn that the lioness was a seer. Regardless what her visions were of, it was an amazing gift in Vigo's opinion. Tara clearly hadn't been so absolutely certain. Not understanding how it must be to experience, he had bowed to her greater experience. Who was he to naysay her?
Who was he to speak to her at all?! He groaned and laid his face into both of his forepaws, mane falling forward to hide paws and face both. Children. He might have children, by a lioness he never knew the name of! He'd learned there were others, three sisters to Tara. He would have to take time to go and meet each, he had decided, but now, left alone with his thoughts, he wasn't so sure. Was it wrong for him to put himself in their lives when he'd been so absent before? And especially without being certain that he was indeed their father? He groaned again and looked up, just in time to see a familiar face approaching.
He felt a little guilty, for he knew she had stopped by before to check on him. He had, at the time, been too wrapped up in himself. Now, though... now he needed to remedy his oversight. He gave her a warm if sheepish smile. "Hello Adivyta," he greeted her, though his expression still carried hints of his troubles. "Thank you for keeping track of me. It was very kind of you."
She smiled back, chuffing softly. "It was no trouble. I'm glad to do it." Truthfully it was her job to keep track of those who might be ill, but she wasn't going to mention that. She hadn't strictly needed to do more than keep an eye on him for symptoms. Beyond that had been her own sweet nature that had kept her coming back. He very clearly need a friend, someone to talk to or at least to be supportive of him. She wasn't aware of whether anyone else had attempted to become his friend, but that wouldn't have absolved her conscience of her own desire to do so. "I'm glad to see you up and about. How are you feeling?" After all, she was a healer!
The black and brown male felt relieved that she didn't seem offended or angry with him for the last two months he'd sulked. "Very well, actually," he answered her slowly. "I don't seem to be suffering from the disease at all, thus far." He watched her raction closely. She brightened and nodded understanding, seeming pleased by this information. "Silly as it was, I was certain I was going to die right off the bat," he admitted reluctantly. "It doesn't excuse my surliness, but I hope you'll accept my apologies for being so rude when you came to visit me before," he said contritely.
She accepted his apology with grace, bowing her head and tipping it to the side in acknowledgment. "I'm very happy to hear that you haven't contracted the disease. It puts you in a unique catagory, like my father." She moved to settle beside him comfortably. "Not many are immune, and often those who are go and leave us." She gave a wry twist of her mouth and a shrug. "They can't really be much blamed for it, though it does leave us with less capable paws and fewer offspring to survive the next generation."
She raised her head with pride then, her eyes shining. "That's why we value individuals like my father. He not only stayed, he went out into the roguelands to bring back cubs of his own blood, to strengthen and bolster our own bloodlines." She cast him a smile that showed how much she admired her father's efforts. "My mother comes to visit sometimes too, though she lives elsewhere. I even have a sibling who went to live with her."
Vigo listened to this with growing astonishment. It was encouraged for members to have flings in order to bring the children back? One part of him was horrified for a moment... this was the portion that still hadn't quite learned to call the pride home. How could one sire cubs to intentionally bring to this place of sickness?! But that part of him was small indeed, and growing smaller by the hour. The rest of him was amazed in an entirely different way. "This helps the pride?" he inquired carefully.
She nodded, easy with the subject. "In fact, the queen sent him out with the request to do just such a thing. We hope to appease the goddess by this show of devotion and trust." It was no small thing to ask a parent to bring healthy cubs here to grow up. It definitely was a clear action of belief in the goddess, as well as an attempt to win her favor. But sensibly, it was those unblessed by her who did so. Less risk of spreading the disease, but also more desire to please her.
To the once-rogue lion, this was almost as startling a revelation as finding he might have children in the pride already. It gave him much to think on. He rose to his paws, dipping his head in her direction. "Thank you for the company," he told her sincerely, "and for your kindness. I think I'll go find myself a meal and take the time to digest both it and what I've learned today." Heavens knew, the latter would take more time to digest than the former!
She watched him walk away, thinking that although she hadn't learned much more about him in the few minutes they talked, she had the impression that she had somehow helped. His head wasn't as bowed, his shoulders less slumped. He did, however, look quite overwhelmed. Had she said too much about their ways? Surely not. With a faint shrug, she dismissed it from her mind and turned towards home.
