Love and Peace was good but only for those who earned it, Nova supposed.
And evidently the only one who loved her still followed her consistantly. That was how she saw things - prides didn't love. Prides couldn't. They couldn't act as one entity or unit well at all and challenging the authority of another tended to go badly. And if you didn't fit some niche you were cast out. That was Nova's opinion and she stood by it every time Ulo and she passed a pridal border, any marer, and he seemed to so much as ask about staying. Of course Ulo would, but Nova did not feel so inclined to trust anymore. Trust wasn't easy anymore, not since she'd been a happy, loving cub in need of the warmth of adults. Nova had grown and become wiser for her time, and knew that it was better to fend for oneself and those worth caring for. In her case... Ulo.
Still, she didn't expect to find anyone out here, and the white lioness stopped when a lioness in similar colors passed, and froze to stare.
Noh'Vah had never seen someone in her shades and white. Oh, she had siblings and cousins, even rogues, but few looked so clearly like herself or her great grandmother, and her eyes dilated and refocused as a breif family tree danced across her vision. Family...? Cousin, and, oddly for the family, not in a pride to boot.Kyouko might be able to See the female's reasons, but Noh barely knew what triggered her visions, and as such didn't try to delve deeply into them, even if they were getting more frequent. No, Noh was already nursing pain from trying to get somewhere that had left her (favorite, if she'd ever admit it) brother hurt severely, and guilt over her failure had driven her out to explore. And for a moment, Noh considered not approaching her cousin(?) based soley on her sour expression, had she not stopped to stare. So Noh stared back, head tilting. She was covered in tattoos, but they were old and ill maintained, and for a moment Noh wondered if demons could be pale but not of demonic descent. However, the notion was silly, and the Chil rose slowly, moving to close the gap before Nova could run.
Nova's ears pinned cautiously when the oddity approached, however a careful analysis brought by time in the rogue lands caused Nova to acknowledge that the female wasn't on an attack, and she sat, held tilting. She was small, like she was, and she was clearly someone used to fighting for every scrap she could. One ear flicked and the stranger sat firmly.
"Hello, cousin." Noh smiled, the pale lioness calm, and Nova eyed her suspiciously.
"I'm no cousin to you." She said finally, frowning. "I'm a wanfderer."
Noh, however, was undeterred.
"You are - your grandmother is my great grandmother's sister. Only odd thing is you're out alone. Whuy is that, cousin?" Noh smiled in a calm manner, unintentionally emulating the knowing gaze of Kyouko, and Nova grimaced. Was she lying? Or a seer? She had her colours, if but a bit differently, though.... Colours from her ancestor perhaops? Some distant relative she never knew?
"So are you a seer then? Some to tell me how damned I am?" Nova finally snapped. A seer could See, See things Nova didn't want seen, but Noh'vah shrugged and touched her paw.
"Sort of. I only got a family tree. Nothing spectacular. Why would you call yourself damned?" Noh blinked, head tilting, and Nova frowned.
"I don't want to talk about it."
Silence, and Noh shrugged.
"That's fair. So are you looking for family?" She offered. Nova shook her head again.
"...No. Roaming with my mate, I suppose."
Noh's head tilted. A mate? Hmm. Idly, she thought of her mother and father, the only Salori in the pride, and then of he mother's poroud leadership. Taking another leader as a second mate. Kabi's obsession with Kankri. Finally, she made a face as her dozens of cousins filled her mind and she shook her head.
"Not surprised. Most of us don't do so well alone. You two can stay herte if you want." Noh stretched, headbutting her affectionately. "Mother wouldn't take no for an answer, and father would love cousins here." The female purred, rubbing against Nova warmly, the female paling under her fur. What was going on? Why was some cousin she just met doing this?
"But-"
"Mother won't accept No for an answer. You'd both be treated well." Noh said calmly. "You'd have to be sador, but that can easily be arranged to protect you from some of the stupid shits in-pride, especially if your considered family sador."
Noh practically danced around, and Nova's ears pinned.
"Sador? Slaves?" Suddenly, she disliked this, and hissed a bit. Noh nodded.
"Only because of your pelt. His too if he's pale. I'm only okay because of Mama. Even still, there's loopholes so you aren't slaves so much as kept servants...? I mean, it's not ideal-"
Or course not, Nova hissed internally.
"But it keeps you safe, you'd be welcome and wanted, and... Among family."
Silence, and then Nova scowled.
"Why would I want to be a slave?" Nova hissed. Noh paused.
"Why would you want to roam?"
Silence, Nova staring. Noh was staring at her intently, expression serious, and she tried to answer before snapping.
"Why wouldn't I?" She snarled. "Why stay in a pride? Prides are too rife with politics and tradition to bend and change." The female grumbled. Noh stared.
"If the pride I was raised in never changed, my Mama would never have reforged it. I wouldn't be heir to a title." She frowned. "Not every pride is so stuck in tradition. If you weren't pale, you'd be a demon, carte blanche." She frowned, and nosed her cousin.
"Give it a chance, at least."
Quiet. Nova blinked, and frowned.
"They'd use me and especially Ulo. Ulo's innocent." She finally admitted. Noh smiled, a rare understanding smile that blossomed across he maw and caused her to chuckle.
"I could take both of you to my mother. She'd know who would be willing to help cover you both up as sador. Someone willing to let you two behave freely, without having to answer constantly. Personal sador likely, so someone close to the family." Noh nuzzled her cousin cautiously, the other female watching before studying her tattoos, the fire on her paws. After a moment she looked up to Noh, the female's paw moving to touch hers.
"I promise." Noh said quietly. "You belong here."
Nova was silent a moment, and then nodded, sighing.
"Lead the way, I suppose."
Noh grinned, and turned to lead her cousin back, Nova following on uncertain paws.
She didn't know what to do, but, for now, she could give Ulo something, and she followed the female silently.
Her mate needed a home.
