It had been a while since he'd last been in the area. The smell of death never left the very dirt, it seemed, nor did it leave his nose. This time, Xavier wasn't alone. Perched on his back was Vunde, the vulture he'd come to rather enjoy the company of. Unlike Yutu, Vunde had a similarly twisted sense of humor, finding the morbid amusing. There was also something interesting about someone who had no qualms about egging the god on.
As his paws made tracks in the dust, dirt, and grasses, he didn't bother with his mortal disguise. She'd know him just by looking, and that was what he counted on. The cursed god lifted his head up when he reached the border, lips curling back in a snarl. She wasn't here... She was late.
Taya had dreaded this day, from the moment her cubs had been born. Three beautiful daughters... And one had proven immune. The cub, the only brown one of the litter, had had the usual signs and symptoms of the disease from an early age - As soon as the poor dear's eyes had opened and she'd begun vocalizing, she'd begun coughing. But just as quickly, the disease had cleared up. It was a blessing in disguise, Taya knew. Now, with the other two in the care of another, she walked steadily for the border. Zeltzin followed behind, full of energy that her mother hadn't had at the same age. As they got closer, she spied a green form standing on the other side... Glowering. She was a bit on the late side, but she didn't rightly mind much. Just a little longer with her daughter... A little more time before they'd part and her debt to the god was repaid.
As the lioness got closer, Xavier watched the cub. A female... Well, it was better than nothing. He just wouldn't let anybody touch her, where he was planning on going. Cubs weren't something particularly cherished, from what Vunde had told him, and they grew up rough and tough. Somehow, he'd have to keep her sheltered and safe. What use he'd have for the cub, he wasn't sure yet. "Good, you brought one." He lifted his chin. "She is immune? She will not spread your plague across the savannah when I take 'er away?" That was the last thing he wanted - To spread something like their disease around.
Taya nodded. "Yes, I'm possitive she's immune..." Beside her, the cub watched the strange long-eared lion. The adult knew the cub was fearful, afraid of this day. It had been a hard choice to make, which of her daughters to send away with the god. She'd simply gone with the first to show signs of the disease, and then recover from it. It had taken consulting a passing seer - A dark lioness who'd seen far better days, but did very well to avoid the plague-riddled pride - to fully assure herself that the cub would not spread the disease. "A seer confirmed it. She will not spread it."
The god gave a nod. "Good." He stepped a paw over the border, then the other three followed. Circling, he eyed the cub, who was hiding between her mother's paws now. Clearly, the cub wasn't keen on this situation. He scowled. Why did they have to be so fearful? Shaking Vunde off his back, Xavier reached under with a paw and grabbed the cub by the scruff, dragging her out of under her mother and holding her up to examine her better. "Hmn... Good color..." He sat down, going so far as to check her gums, something he'd seen the humans do in his last life. They were also a good color. He put the cub down, nodding. "She will do."
Taya swallowed, ears back a bit. "Will... Will I see her again? What about if she has cubs? Will they come here, any of them? And... Will she be treated well?" Already, the cub was rather scruffy, evidence of their life in the pride. The Kitwana lioness had never bothered with beauty, since health was more a concern than how someone looked. This had ended up translating into how at least this daughter was acting. She didn't seem concerned with appearance, nor was she concerned with being girly. Taya didn't mind particularly. She only minded that her child was leaving so soon, but she could do nothing about that. They'd made a deal.
The god looked at her, eyebrow up. "If you see 'er again, it is 'er choice in life. The same with any cubs coming back 'ere." He ushered the cub across the border, her first steps into the big world beyond home. "As for 'ow she will be treatd... She will be treated well enough. She will not 'unger for food nor desire for shelter." He scowled. "I may be many things, but cruel to cubs is not one of them." He had a bit of a soft spot for cubs. It was easy to mold their minds as he needed. "Now... Does she come with a name? Or do I need to name ANOTHER lion?"
Taya's ears went back a little. "Yes, she comes with a name... It's Zeltzin. It means 'delicate'..." Her cubs... They ALL seemed so delicate to her. She loved them, and wanted the best for them. But she didn't want to bring down some further curse on the pride because of her brashness with someone divine. What if he cursed them all with a worse plague? Not only coughing themselves to death, but having blisters and boils pop up all over their skin, fur falling out... She suppressed a shudder at the thought.
The god let out a huff, nodding. "Good." He then shoved the cub with a paw. "Walk, I am not CARRYING you." It was his first harsh lesson of life for the cub, that nobody was going to cater to absolutely all her needs. Yes, somebody would feed her... Until she could catch her own food, or she was old enough that she should have been able to, whichever happened first. "Per'aps our paths will cross again."
The lioness swallowed, nodding as she watched the god leave with her cub. She sat down after a while, ears falling and hanging her head. Oh, her poor baby... She'd miss her dearly. "Stay safe, my baby..." It was a couple hours before she finally rose to her paws and headed back into the pride's center, letting out a few coughs as she walked.