(backlog)
It was a nerve racking day for the young leader. Kelos was about to leave the den where he had gone over his studies with Devaraja. The older lion had told him that today was a special day. It would be the first time he would meet a god. When a god or goddess was in the pride, it was always customary for the Nayaka to greet them.
Devaraja had already briefed him about the god. His name was Utako and he was the god of Labyrinths. One of the blessings in the pride was his daughter. Tihamtu was her name. He had yet to have the time to meet her, but soon he was going to take the time and meet the felines of Anvesana Caritra but that was a worry for another day.
He followed Devaraja out of the den. It was still early out. Most of the pride was still asleep. Kelos found that he was more productive at night and usually slept during the day. It worked out for Devaraja as well. The lion said that he could hide much better at night then during the day. They made there way down the path, toward where the waterfalls.
A lion was sitting near the water, lazily twirling his paw in the water. He was a large lion, but other then that there wasn't anything special about him. Kelos could not help but wonder if all gods were like this. The god looked over at him and a playful grin came across his face. His position shifted from relaxed, to sitting up straight, looking Kelos straight in the eyes. There was a spark of interest that showed in his eyes.
“Aw here is the new Nayaka. It is a pleasure to finally meet you.” the lion bowed his head to Kelos. He spoke politely, but there was a hint of playfulness in his tone.
“Thank you for visiting our pride. If you have not already, please make yourself at home.” Kelos said, returning the bow. He glanced over at Devaraja who was looking at him proudly. “If you would like, I can show you around and we can catch up. Devaraja has told me that in my previous life you met me.”
“I will leave you two to talk alone. If you need me, I will remain within earshot.” Devaraja said, before moving away from the two lions.
Utako got up. “You can walk around with me and tell me about yourself. The last few times I was here the previous Nayaka insisted on giving me the grand tour each and every time. I hope you do not mind if I avoid doing it again.”
That caught Kelos off guard. He already planned out what he would talk to Utako about. For his first meeting with a god, he wanted to sound well like a leader. “Uh yea, that is fine. We can start this way,” Kelos gestured to the path to the right of the waterfalls. “Were you and the Nayaka before me close?”
No one really talked much about the previous Nayaka to him outside of major historical moments. The Rahasya claimed that they did not want him to be influenced by stories of the Nayaka and that they wanted him to grow up to be his own unique leader. They said his personality would reflect what the pride needed.
Utako followed Kelos on the path. “You could say that. He was sort of like family to me. His daughter ended up the mother of one of my cubs, Tihamtu.” Utako explained. “Before Tihamtu was born, I would visit often to make sure her mother was in good health. She was a very dear friend of mine.”
He looked away from Kelos and fell silent.
“I haven't had the chance to meet Tihamtu. When I have the opportunity I will visit with her. As a blessing I am sure that she has some useful information.” He explained. Kelos hoped that he did not upset the god by revealing he had not met his daughter. From the moment he became the Nayaka he had been busy with his studies. He did not even have time to visit his birth family.
The path became narrow and he became more careful as he walked. Utako kept his distance behind him, observing the surroundings. “When you see her, I suggest not to mention me. We are not on the greatest terms, especially after our last conversation.” Utako said, not bothering to go into anymore detail.
Tihamtu held back from asking more, but he felt like it was not his place. If it was important Utako, Tihamtu or Devaraja would share the details. “You used to come here often. But since I became the Nayaka you have not returned until now.” It had been odd to him, he thought, but he was sure the god had a good reason for it.
“Hm so Devaraja did not tell you much about me did he?”
Answering a question with a question, Kelos thought. The god was right though. Devaraja only shared some details about the god. Just his domain, his daughter and the fact he used to visit the pride often. “Devaraja likes me to make my own opinion on those I meet. Him and the other Rahasya that raised me did not want me to be influenced too much by my previous life. So they have only told me basic facts.”
“Interesting. I can understand why they would want to do that. It also gives me a chance to leave you with a good impression.” Utako said.
Kelos stopped when he stopped hearing Utako's steps behind him. When he turned around, he saw Utako up in the air, his appearance altered. He was larger then before, with large tan wings and he had horns on his head. Kelos had to step back and look at him in awe. This was closer to how he had expected to see gods look.
Utako drifted back to the ground. The narrow path looked even smaller in comparison with Utako. “What do you think Nayaka?” Utako asked, referring to Kelos by his title instead of his name. It made Kelos feel proud for a moment to be addressed that way by a god.
“You are impressive.” Kelos answered honestly, approaching Utako to get a better look. He heard stories of different gods and he knew that he would eventually meet one, but now he was in the presence of one and wanted to meet even more.
Carefully Utako plucked one of his feathers and put it in Kelos' mane, above his ear. “A gift for you. I am afraid that I cannot visit Anvesana Caritra as much as I would like. However if you ever need me, you can use that feather to summon me.” He explained.
Kelos felt honored to have a gift. He bowed to the god. “Thank you for your gift. I will be sure to use it only it a time of crisis.” He said.
Utako let out a laugh. “You can use it at any point. If you have an emergency then you can use it, but if you just need someone to talk to outside the pride you can use it then too. I have plenty of feathers Nayaka. As long as you remain a curious and kind leader, I will be willing to give you more feathers.”
Kelos nodded. He still felt like he would only use it for emergencies. A life of a god must be a busy one. He did not feel like it was his place to summon him unless he needed to.
“Now I have a question for you. How do you feel about being the Nayaka? It must be a lonely life.” Utako said. With a blink of an eye, Utako shifted back to her previous appearance, looking like any other lion in the pride. He sat down and looked at Kelos with a hint of concern.
“It is isolating. I want to spend time with the pride members and learn from them. The Rahasya have been protective of me. They worry that I or the Ksana will be targets of an attack. I feel like sometimes they are too protective. Soon though I will have the chance to really meet the pride members of Anvesana. And I hope that I make them proud.” He explained. There was only so much he could learn from the Rahasya. If he wanted to be a good leader, he needed to learn from his pride.
Utako nodded as he listened. “I am sure as you grow and learn you will become a leader your pride is proud of. The previous Nayaka had times when he felt the same way, even when he had the hearts of the pride. He had their trust, but often felt a distance between himself and them.” He said as he stood up. “We are almost to the top. Perhaps when we get back we could have Devaraja get us something to eat. After that I will have to leave.”
“But you just got here.” Kelos said, not hiding his disappointment. He had hoped to ask Utako some more questions.
“As I said, I am busy. But I will hopefully be back soon. I have a leopardess friend who I feel could help the pride. She is curious to the point that she is a danger to herself. If she joins you should meet her. There is a lot she can learn from you and you from her.” Utako spoke about her with admiration. Kelos was curious about a mortal who caught the god's interest.
“Alright I will be patient then and wait to ask you more questions next time you are here. Perhaps then you will let us give you a feast that you deserve.” Kelos said.
Utako laughed. “I don't know about deserve, but I might be open for a small feast with a couple of pride members.” They went back down the path where Devaraja was waiting for them. With him he had some meat for the two of them. After they finished eating, Utako was true to his word and headed out of the pride, escorted by Devaraja. Kelos watched the two leave, part of him wishing that he could have gone with them. He knew that his place was in the pride. Slowly, he made his way back to his den where he began to go over his studies once more.
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