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Sphinx - bold
Mango - normal
Ivee wasn't use to being without her sister, still, something about today felt different. Her mother had been spending more time with her grandfather as she tended to his wounds and cared for his broken ego, and with her away the rusty youth felt a little misplaced. She had always felt like the oddball of her family, not really fitting into the social circles they had started to created, still, she did try her best to belong. At times it felt like apart of her soul was missing and at times this would send her mind into a loneliness she couldn't describe.
Today though Ivee was going to try to wash away all those worried thoughts. Even without the company of her sibling she swore today was going to be a good day, even if she had to make it so all on her own.
Slowly the young lioness headed toward Mjrn's den, maybe a pick me up from her great grandmother would help lift her sprits?
A large, splotchy-patterned form stared out from his perch atop one of the many termite mounds surrounding his home. He liked climbing up this high; it leant a new perspective on the things below and gave him the opportunity to just sit alone with his thoughts. That said, he could tell that he was coming to a point where he may not be able to do that anymore. The top of the mound wouldn’t hold his weight for much longer as he grew.
With a soft sigh, Jaheim frowned as he mulled over that thought. He and his siblings were now Unbranded, ready to seek out their place in the pride and prove themselves as capable Outlanders. He just... wasn’t sure where he’d go from here. Well, okay, that wasn’t entirely true. He knew that he wanted to become a Scar. He had always been a protector of his sisters, and so it seemed natural to become a protector of his people too.
The real question was: where did he start? A tutor might steer him in the right direction; he supposed that he could track one down. But first... He glanced down at his paws as another piece of the mound broke off. Perhaps it was time to move from here. With slow and careful movements, he started making his way down.
It was as he was doing so that he spotted the red form moving below him. He paused to observe her for a moment, ear flicking as he noticed the pinched expression on her face. She looked bothered by something, though he couldn’t say for sure what it was.
Hmm... well, he wouldn’t mind having someone to talk to.
Picking up his pace to trot beside her, he muttered, “Hello. Do you mind having company while you walked?”
As quickly as the young male appeared Ivee jumped, slightly startled by his sudden appearance. "Oh!" The young lioness stammered as she stood flustered by his simple request. This was a surprise, meeting a lion her age that she had never seen before, "Sorry, you gave me a bit of a fright, I wasn't expecting to run into anyone out here." the lioness was soft and a little meek as her eyes shifted from his face and back down to the ground, eye contact could be so intimidating sometimes. "-sure you can. Sorry for being rude." The blue eyed female had been raised to be respectful, so when she felt her confidence slip her eyes quickly found his again.
"My name is Ivee, what's yours?" Maybe the company would help settled her worried mind. Ivee would try to open up a little, it wasn't like the young lioness had anything to lose by being kind to a stranger.
"Do you live around here? I can't say I know your face."
His words made the young lioness blush. In an attempt to seem less flustered than she actually was the blue eyed female smiled, nodding in response. "Oh, I see. Well, my family is huge. My aunt is..- was the Queen, you see. So, I was half convened I knew everyone here already, it's nice being surprised." sadness lingered in her words as her heart went out to her own family, who at the moment was broken in two over the Queen and disappearance of the Crowned Prince, things felt so uneasy right now, Ivee couldn't help but feel useless under this knowledge. She was still young and understood very little about the world outside the Pride.
"Jaheim, that's a lovely name." the lioness spoke timidly as her eyes settled back onto his face. "My mother is Tiah and me and my siblings live closer to my grandfather, Kadaj." Ivee spoke to him as if he knew were that was, not really knowing how to explain where she lived properly. "This is the first time I've wandered off on my own, you see... I normally travel with my sisters. Today was just busy so I ended up alone. Well, not alone anymore thanks to you." she gave him another soft smile before turning back to face the lands before them.
"Are you going to become a Claw?" the question came quickly as the two continued walking together. "I know a lot of boys want to become strong warriors, is that something you are wanting to achieve?"
Huh, wow, maybe he should have known who she was, judging by her family. He chose not to pry too much into that though. The family — heck, the whole pride — was still in mourning over recent events, and it wouldn’t be right to dig into that when she already seemed bothered.
He smiled back again as she mentioned not being alone anymore. Well, he was glad he could help. Perhaps they could even help each other in not being so alone.
At her next inquiry, he tilted his head to the side in thought, “I was actually just thinking about that before this.” He sighed, “I’m... not really sure yet. I know I want to be useful, I want to help, but I’m not sure where my future lies. I’d considered a Shield or Scar though, since I like to protect others.” Jaheim turned to her with a wink, “Having a bunch of sisters really teaches you what you’re good at. Maybe someday I’ll move on to become a Claw too,but the way I figure it, I should take it one step at a time.”
He turns to Ivee the, “What about you? What do you want to achieve?”
Huh, wow, maybe he should have known who she was, judging by her family. He chose not to pry too much into that though. The family — heck, the whole pride — was still in mourning over recent events, and it wouldn’t be right to dig into that when she already seemed bothered.
He smiled back again as she mentioned not being alone anymore. Well, he was glad he could help. Perhaps they could even help each other in not being so alone.
At her next inquiry, he tilted his head to the side in thought, “I was actually just thinking about that before this.” He sighed, “I’m... not really sure yet. I know I want to be useful, I want to help, but I’m not sure where my future lies. I’d considered a Shield or Scar though, since I like to protect others.” Jaheim turned to her with a wink, “Having a bunch of sisters really teaches you what you’re good at. Maybe someday I’ll move on to become a Claw too,but the way I figure it, I should take it one step at a time.”
He turns to Ivee the, “What about you? What do you want to achieve?”
"Oh, me?" A little mumble left her chest as pale eyes lifted to meet his. "I.. I honestly don't know. My brothers all talk about being warriors, and my sisters seems so... much more composed than I actually feel. So, I guess I am not sure what I want to achieve just yet. Does that make me lame?" her little voice became soft as she searched his face for an answer she knew wouldn't make anything better, at least not right now.
"I am thankful I am so young still and have this time to figure it out. I don't want to let my mother down, you know?" as the two walked on Ivee would glance over at him from time to time, blushing to herself before finding the confidence to speak up, being as forward as she could be. "so this might be weird, but you are really... pretty, you know that? I don't think I've seen many others with markings like yours."
What? He surly knew this already. Ivee was a little weird sometimes.
Jaheim kept quiet as she spoke; giving her the time she needed to say her piece. As her voice became softer and she stared back at him uncertain blue eyes, he gave a soft smile back and shook his head, “No, I don’t think so. If anything, I think it’ll make you stronger in the long run.” He turned his head to stare a bit blankly ahead of them, trying to come up with the right words. “Knowing where you’re going in life can be good, but you have the chance to really explore where you’ll go, to try new things without being tied down by preconceived ideas, and I think you’ll be able to grow more as a person for it.”
He paused and then gave a laugh, “Though I guess that’s saying that I’m tying myself down now.” He shook his head again, this time with a rumbled chortle in his throat, “Regardless, we are still young, like you said.”
At her next comment, his ears pulled back bashfully and he shrugged, “Aw, well, thanks.” He flashed a grin at her, “I think I kind of look like a white lion that rolled around in the mud, personally.” He clucked his tongue and said absentmindedly, “If anything, I think you’re the one with the prettier coat.” He cast a glance at her, before nodding, “Like the desert sky at twilight.”
Ivee gave him a firm nod as he spoke, clinging to every word the young lion spoke. "You think so? I want to talk to my grandfather, he told me he would help me figure out my path, I just... I don't know if I am ready to know something so... permanent? I'm afraid I'll fail." the admission came laced with some fear as the young lioness found herself smiling under the weight of her concern. Her eyes found his as she glanced back up, flustered. "I'm sorry, I just, it's a big deal! You know? Oh, of course you know."
She was rambling, but soon stopped as he spoke again, mentioning how he himself knew he would be tied down this idea. This made her feel a little less stressed and soon Ivee had relaxed herself enough to find peace, at least long enough for him to complement her.
That made her blush deeply as she quickly looked away. "M-mud? Don't be silly. You don't look like anyone else, and to me, that is beauty." it was true, in her family at least, there was a look you had about you, but Jaheim was different. Maybe that made talking to him so easy? "You are too kind-" she spoke out meekly, finding it hard to look at him now.
“Yeah,” he grinned, “I’m sure that wherever your paws take you, you’ll end up with something you love because you had the chance to explore it.” He was reasonably sure that her grandfather likely just wanted to help her find her place, and he hoped that she found what she was looking for.
At her next words, Jaheim let out a chuckle, “Right back at you,” and then he tilted his head to the side as he noticed that she wouldn’t look him in the eye. Huh, maybe a change in subject was in order. They were both embarrassing each other now, even if it was flattering, and he’d rather move back into the comfortable presence they both had.
Tail flicking in curiosity, the adolescent cleared his throat, “Is to your grandfather where you’re headed now?”
"Y-yes-" the young lioness exclaimed as she nodded quickly, moving her paws a little faster as she did her best to keep up with him. Her blue eyes would find themselves glancing back over at him from time to time, finding some comfort in his words. "Maybe you're right." Ivee thought to herself as she sighed in deeply before speaking again, this time her tone was a little more relaxed, a little more open. "Oh, yes, well, my grandfather helped raise me. My father left when I was very young, so he is sort of like my father-figure."
She paused for a moment before rewording her last statement. "Well, it's hard to explain, but I do go to him for comfort. Lately my mother has been pretty stressed, I just wanted to help ease it by not being intrusive, like my sister." the rusty female smirked. "She is always causing trouble." Ivee spoke of her sibling with a light heart, she felt no malice toward her. The trust was simple, she was just a lot less extreme.
"Would you like to meet him?" the youth smiled as she found his eyes once more, a look of joy covering her once shy expression.
The stress was completely understandable, considering everything that was going on, but he hoped that Ivee was finding her own comfort in all of this too.
Jaheim considered her offer then, contemplating his options. He wouldn’t mind spending more time with her, and while meeting her grandfather was kind of an intimidating prospect (okay, a very intimidating prospect), he also wasn’t one to shy away from difficult things. Besides, she looked so excited at the thought of them meeting.
So the adolescent just smiled and nodded, “I’d love to.”
Excitement danced within her eyes as she quickly moved to nudge her shoulder into his side, speaking in a tone that was now more confidant than before. "Oh my gosh, really? That makes me so happy! You'll like him, I promise. He is a Claw. Maybe he can help teach you important things?" the idea of introducing a new friend to her family made her heart flutter, she was so use to feeling like the oddball out, maybe things were starting to change for her? With a wide grin the female huffed her chest, calling out as her walk turned into a light run.
"Follow me!"
With that the pair headed toward Kasaj's den, with a very excited Ivee leading the way.
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