[SRP] Familiar Face

[In Good Faith]

 

[In Good Faith]

Entsha took the morning to go for a walk, meditate, and generally have some peaceful reflection. It was still cool despite the sun's slow rise above the horizon. Spring would soon be in full swing, and then comes summer and its blistering heat. She made a point to be thankful it was a pleasant as it was as she took a slow pace beside the river which divided the Bonelands from the Firekin. The running water was soothing and if she did get to hot, a quick dip in the water was very refreshing. Her mind had begun to wander again when she came around a bend which had hidden the path from view.

She stopped. A lioness was across the river at a short distance, drinking from the stream. She was black and red, she could tell--typical of Firekin, of course. But the lioness was none the less familiar. Resuming her slow walk, Entsha made her way closer but didn't stare so rudely as she might have wanted to. Entsha, as a nanny, very rarely was so near the border of the territory. It simply wasn't say with cubs. So why would be have reason to recognize a firekin?

Thabisa had yet to duel into Firekin. She'd witnessed Manyara's and the lioness which had fought her had denied Thabisa her own duel. Somewhat dejected, Thabisa had wandered back towards the territory's boarder to think on what she'd learned by watching Manyara. Growing thirsty, she'd approached the water to refresh herself... and to be able to look back on the territory she'd been born in with a pang of nostalgia. She hadn't expected to run into anyway, either, until a brown lioness came into view. With the rushing water, and her thoughts elsewhere, Thabisa hadn't even seen the lioness until she was standing across from her at a thin portion of the stream. Stopping her drink, the lioness stood and smiled, a little sadly, at Entsha.

"Thabisa?" Entsha said, somewhat incredulously.

The black and red lioness nodded her head, her gold eyes stinging a little bit, as if threatening tears. "Yeah." Her voice croaked despite her just drinking water. Clearing it quickly, she repeated herself somewhat louder. "Yeah, it's me."

Entsha made a noise like a disbelieving laugh. "Thabisa!" Her eyes were also wide, shaking her head as if she didn't believe it still. "I remember when you were just a small cub." In fact, Entsha had helped a lot with Thabisa when her mother was elsewhere. She'd been a very giggly child, always having fun and playing pretend. Entsha had told her stories a lot to... some about the firekin. She bit her lip at the memory, having a bang of guilt that she contributed to the lioness leaving her home.

Thabisa saw the shift in Entsha's expression but didn't understand its meaning. She thought for a second that the lioness felt bad about talking to Thabisa at all since she willingly left the pride. Sadness welled up in her at this and she took a step toward Entsha, her front paws now in the stream. "H-How have you been Entsha?"

A change of subject was welcome and a small smile returned to the brown lioness's features. "I'm fine, thank you. I just thought I'd take a little walk this morning... and such a surprise to find you!" It was difficult to communicate over the running water but they were in different territories... despite how much Entsha wanted to run to Thabisa in affection, her feet stayed planted firmly on Boneland's soil. "The better question is how are you?"

Thabisa put on a good face and smiled at her former nanny. "I'm well. I've made a friend of a lioness whose pride was broken up. She's a real fighter, too. She's taught me a lot!" After a heavy pause, Thabisa asked a question she was dying to ask. "So... is there anything new going on? In Ithambo'hlabathi?"

Entsha smiled a little sadly, seeing Thabisa's intent interest. "Nothing big, no. We do have a new inseleo. A firekin male, from Firekin. He's rather a good fighter, no surprise. His name is... Mot, I believe?" Entsha formed the statement in a question since maybe Thabisa had crossed paths with him.

Thabisa shrugged, answering the unspoken question. "Who did he defeat?" She could barely remember the males, she realized. She'd spent most of her time one-on-one with the lionesses as a cub and adolescent.

"Pahana," Entsha said with a shrug. She hadn't grown close with any of the protecting males especially. Pahana was nice enough, of course. But she knew he would be a passing male and unlikely to be around for more than a few seasons.

Thabisa tried to place the name to a face. Scrunching her own face up, the younger lioness went through a mental slide show of the males she remembered seeing over the years. "Was he the big, white one? With some kind of gold?"

Entsha smiled, her white teeth flashing. "Yes, that's the one." The two lionesses laughed together at their indifference to the passing males. They respected them, of course, but it was clear that their bond was founded on the closeness that lionesses of the pride shared.

A heavy silence resumed between the two, as if unsure what to say next. "Oh, there was some issues with Umkhombo. Something about a cub missing. Have you seen a little green boy, by any chance?"

"Green?" Thabisa quirked an eyebrow but didn't wait for her to answer. "No, I haven't. Whose cub is he? Not Umkhombo's, surely."

"Oh yes." Entsha nodded with a small smile. "We had a lioness join, Turiya or something like that, with cubs already born... by Umkhombo." It was simply scandalous. He'd bred with a lioness that wasn't even a member of the pride? Unheard of. "Of course no one acknowledges that they're his but..." Entsha shrugged, letting the silence finish the thought for her.

Thabisa laughed once, a dry, amused sound. "Wow. But poor cub... still... green?" The implication was that he wouldn't have done well in the pride anyway. Even for as short a time as a male has with the Bonelands. He wouldn't even have had the option to be in the firekin, at that.

With a glance at the rising sun, Entsha made an expression that indicted regret. "I'm sorry Thabisa... but I probably should be getting back before I'm missed."

Thabisa felt a twang in her stomach, hating to have to say goodbye so soon. But she understood. It was how it was now and she should be grateful she'd gotten the opportunity to speak to Entsha in the first place. "It's okay... tell... tell my mother I said hello, would you Entsha?"

Entsha smiled kindly at Thabisa. "Of course, sweetheart. Be safe." With that, Entsha turned and climbed the stream bank, walking slowly deeper into the Bonelands. She looked back once and the red and black lioness was gone.

Word Count: 1,163