Naledi yawned as she made her way up the path toward the dens where she would happily get some rest. It was only midday, but she had just spent more hours than she had ever wanted to explaining to the young ones exactly why they had to share with one another and teaching them how to hold still long enough to learn to meditate. She shook her head in an affectionate combination of annoyance and fondness. She couldn't complain too much, training the cubs was one of her pleasures in life now. She loved each of them as if they were her own. Naledi remembered the way that her mother had loved her and her brother before they had both been brutally slayed before her innocent eyes. In a way, Naledi felt that loving and helping to raise the cubs of the pride was a way of honoring her mother's memory since she had no children of her own. Her mother had once told her that her own mother had abandoned her as a newborn cub and that she had never known her. Naledi's mother had been so saddened and hurt by her abandonment by her own mother that she sworn that she would always protect and stay near her children. A promise that would cost her her life one day. However, Naledi's mother had held true to her word and she selflessly laid down her life for her children. An action that would always leave an impression upon Naledi's heart throughout her days.
The lioness' heart broke whenever she thought of her mother, because she couldn't think about her mother without thinking about her courageous brother. He had also sacrificed his life in an last ditch attempt to save his sister from impending doom. Also an action that she would never forget. This was why she knew that males were not inherently bad. She knew that they were taught evil and acted out evil because they'd never been taught anything better. She knew that males could be just as loving and selfless as females.
Initially, in the time after Anansi had brought the lionesses into victory over their homeland, Naledi had been an angry bundle of rage with a heart filled to the brim with hatred and vengeance. She would have murdered any male that crossed her path in that time. Her heart was experiencing freedom for the first time in a lifetime and would do anything to keep it. She and some of the other lionesses had nearly lost their minds in the wake of their freedom in a post trauma stress induced frenzy. Anansi had been able to calm their minds and rest their spirits of their fire.
Anansi had departed great wisdom and discipline among the lionesses. They'd collectively become calm enough to allow their Queen to train them in the ways of the warrior. Their Queen helped them so that they would no longer feel fear and would know how to protect themselves from any threat. Anansi helped to bring the lionesses together in sisterhood instead of the competitive behavior that they'd learned from their captors. They learned to love, support, and comfort each other, and together they became a powerful force. They eventually managed to help heal each others hearts and minds in the wake of their freedom.
It was after this time that the lionesses that were ready began to go out on their personal spiritual quests to find their own meaning of life. Not all chose to go on this quest, but those who did returned more peaceful and serene versions of themselves with understanding of their lives. Naledi had initially been hesitant to go out on her own after being enslaved for the majority of her life. Her fear had subsided but not diminished. However, her Queen Anansi had encouraged her and supported her decision to pursue her own spirit quest. The lioness had no idea of what to expect from her journey. She did not understand how being on her own in the depths of the rainforest would benefit her heart and mind, but she would give it a try.
It had really been a difficult time for her. With every step she took, the feeling of wanting to turn around and return to her sisters grew stronger, but she persisted. She walked until she was far from everyone that she knew, and she was completely alone. At first, every sound she heard made her jump and look to see if she was in danger. Eventually, after a few days, she become used to her isolation and instead of focusing on the external world, she began to turn inwards into herself. Naledi explored her weaknesses and vulnerability and fears in her time alone in the rainforest. It was in this place that she discovered that she could free herself of her terror of males and of being taken captive again.
It was the thoughts of her brother who had died at such a young age that caused her to come to the realization that males were not evil. She realized that if her brother had been able to reach adulthood, he would definitely have been a wonderful person. She'd loved him so much even as young as they were. It was the realization of the love that she still held for her brother that freed her of her pain and suffering. She would always hold the memories of her time in captivity, but now she would be able to go on with her life without the weight of the hatred that she had been holding on to.
After days on her own, she slowly made her way back to society and the others. She returned calmer, more centered, and ready to help her Queen build up a civilization where they would be safe because they would protect their new home with their lives. They would not allow harm to come to them again. Naledi couldn't help but hope that she had sons one day. She wanted to raise them to be good and just. Just like her brother.