[PRP] I'm New, You're Blue (Emrys x Kala)

[SilverLutz]

Emrys flicked his tail a bit as he surveyed the new lands he'd call home and that he'd help protect. The Bonelands were an interesting place to be sure, dominated by females and with just a few males here and there. It wasn't an unwelcome thing, of course. He and two others at the moment were the only ones allowed to breed, so there wasn't much competition by way of other suitors.

He had been warned by Gabedi as he had fought the other lion that the females here might not take kindly to the green markings on his fur, but he didn't quite see the issue. Green was a very natural color in his mind. Grey, brown, green...he could blend in just about anywhere except perhaps a watering hole or the desert.

Shaking his head, he continued on his patrol of the pride. He was still a fairly new face and sometimes the females here reacted badly to his presence until he explained he was the new Inselelo. Word had gotten around and the tension would deescalate, but then they would question him and give him their own tests of sorts. Nothing ol' Emrys couldn't handle, though! He welcomed the questions and the stares - let them get to know him based on his attitude and personality, not his appearance.

Tanakako

Had a few minutes before work to start it XD I'll get to the SB one when I get home!

 

[Tanakako]

Kala sighed softly, graceful head drooping as she padded along. She had heard that Gabedi had been defeated but she didn't want to believe it. The though of the big, friendly lion not being around was a deep ache in her chest, one that throbbed along with her heartbeat when ever she thought about him. How could he have gone? Practically she understood that Inselelo generally didn’t stay very long with the pride, the sheer number of rogue males who wanted in was a great pressure on them, and eventually even the best fighters had to tire and make a mistake. But emotionally, the little blue female felt only grief and confusion. Gabedi.... the first male she had really made friends with, and one of the few lions, male or female, that she had been comfortable talking to.

And now he was gone.

Her head drooped a little further, tail limp and still behind her as she moved through the grass. As an outcaste in the pride, Kala had developed the habit of walking the Ithambo territory from an early age. She was no Cinga, did not possess a bird or any great fighting skills, but simple isolation was easier to bare than the purposeful and constant shunning the pride females so loved to indulge in. She was a good huntress and could easily spend a few days or even weeks away from the main body of the pride, and so long as she stayed near enough that there was no risk of running into hyenas or rogue males, no one seemed to worry about her solitary habits.

Today, she had needed the space and silence of the lion-free boarderland to come to terms with the loss of her friend. Too emotionally fragile to defend against the not-so-subtle barbs of her pride-sisters. Lifting her head she looked out towards the roguelands. Maybe she should leave? Go find Gabedi and follow him. Maybe seek out her father, though she had no idea where he had gone to after his last visit to the Ithambo. But... she knew she couldn't. She wasn't rebellious by nature, that as her sister, K'ue. And besides, she couldn't leave K'ue or their grandma Njalo. Sighing again she flopped down in the grass, her mind so tangled that she didn't know what to do with herself, unable to think enough to plan any kind of future action.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

It wasn't too long before Emrys spotted movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned to watch a blue lioness walk slowly through the grass before flopping down into it. He titled his head a bit in surprise, having been under the impression that the lionesses here would be natural colors themselves since they favored it in the males. Wasn't blue natural, though? The sky was blue, that was about as natural as one could get.

He changed his course and padded over to the female, keeping his head high to hopefully let her know through body language that he wasn't here to hurt her, and that he was the new Inselelo. He hoped he wouldn't startle her too much.

"Feeling blue?" he asked, quite proud of himself for the pun.

Tanakako

 

[Tanakako]

Despite his intentions, the young female hadn't been looking out for a visitor, instead her eyes had been shut tight against the sorrow that threatened to spill free. So the sudden booming male voice that broke the quiet drove a startled squeak from her as she jumped high in the air as if stung by some large hornet. Landing in a heap she skittered backwards, large amber eyes blinking in fright as she stared up at the grey male.

Kala was not only blue, but quite tiny for an adult lioness. Lack of food, first through the loss of her mother just after birth, and the subsequent ostracisation of the pride throughout her life, had meant she had not grown as a normal female might. Though while she was small, she was perfectly formed, with a sleek frame and long, clean limbs. Trembling slightly from her scare she blinked those wide, liquid eyes up at him, seeming to be caught between fleeing for her life, and the knowledge that, this close to the pride, he couldn’t possible be a rogue. So after calming her nerves, she pulled herself up out of the crouch she had adopted and swallowed. “I… I’m sorry…. You startled me. What did you say..?” Her voice, while still a little breathless, was gentle and sweet to the ear.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

The reaction of the blue female may have been comical in another setting, but Emrys was startled in his own right by the way she jumped up from the ground as if she had been bitten. He pulled back, eyes wide and fur on end as the female looked at him, anticipating an attack. She was out of sorts, that much was clear, and the females in this pride wouldn't think twice about leaping before looking.

When it became clear she wasn't going to pounce, he relaxed a little bit and offered a weak chuckle. Welcome to the Bonelands, he supposed.

"Terribly sorry. I should have been a bit louder in my approach. I asked if you were feeling blue," he said, his pun feeling a bit lackluster now that he had to repeat it and preface it with something else. "You...ah...obviously you're blue but I meant in a. Emotional. Sort of way."

Tanakako

 

[Tanakako]

Even while so startled, she noticed his reaction, a warmth suffusing her cheeks at the realisation. Ducking her head shyly she slowly sat down, tail coiling about her paws in a submissive posture. His explanation made her chuckle softly, ears twitching as her nerves started to settle once more. "Oh, well... " Smiling a little she bobbed he rhead in a small nod. She hadn't actually heard what he had said before, but she understood his pun. truthfully, it was certainly far kinder than what she was usually called, as her coat colour was the source of great consternation and disgust in the pride as a whole.

"I'm fine, truly... It's only... I learned recently that a friend of mine has left…. “ Head tilting she shyly looked the stranger over, suddenly realising just who he had to be. “Umm… you must be the new inselelo?” She asked softly.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

As she settled down a bit and adopted a sheepish expression Emrys calmed down a bit as well. He hated getting his feathers ruffled when he was meeting someone new. Giving his head a little shake to settle his mane, he listened as she spoke about why she was feeling a bit down.

"Ah, I'm sorry to hear that," he said kindly. "I hope they'll find happiness elsewhere." The question that followed made him grin a bit and he lifted his head proudly. "Yes, that's me. I'm Emrys," he said, giving her his name. He wasn't sure if it had gotten around as well as the news of his arrival, so he figured he might as well start it somewhere.

"I haven't met many of the pride members yet," he went on, looking around the general area. It was deserted except for them. "So I'm quite honored to meet you. What is your name?"

Tanakako

 

[Tanakako]

She nodded slowly at his reassurance, even though it didn't really help the ache in her chest. Sure, Gabedi would be fine, he was a strong, competent male. It was her own loss that hurt, the loss of a friend, one who might have become very dear if given the time. But that wouldn't help her right now so she tried to put it out of her mind. Instead she focused in the male before her, now that she knew he was safe she allowed herself to relax the rest of the way.

"Emrys." She replied, tasting his name and committing it to memory. "Well, welcome to the Bonelands." She offered with a shy and tentative smile. "I'm afraid if I'm one of the first you have met, you haven't had a very auspicious start..." She huffed a soft and self-depreciating laugh. "I'm not a very good example of our pride..." Giving a little shrug she glanced back up at him. "I'm Kala...." She added, smiling shyly once more.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

"Hm...I can't say I agree with you there," Emrys hummed thoughtfully as Kala dismissed herself as a good ambassador to the Bonelands for him. "I'm not sure why you'd say that. You seem to be a strong female and that's about the long and short of it when it comes to this pride, as far as I'm aware."

Then it dawned on him - her coloration. He gave a little laugh and shook his head as he realized what she had meant. "Oh, you mean your appearance. I come from a place where the lions are as brightly colored as the sun and as outlandish as a parrot. You, Kala, are perfect just the way you are," he added, giving her a warm smile before motioning to his own markings. "See? And you're not alone. I've got some green the former Inselelo that I battled with wondered aloud if the females here would even let me touch them."

He swished his tail in mild irritation at the memory of the brown male's comments. Here he was chatting with one of the pride members and, while he hadn't actually touched her, he was sure she'd let him after their encounter. It wasn't as if his green was going to rub off on anyone.

Tanakako

 

[Tanakako]

His compliment made her squirm slightly, as it was the first time anyone aside from her grandma or Ilanga had complimented her for her appearance. Even if he was talking of her physical abilities and not her colour. Though a movement latter he seemed to understand her meaning. His blatant wording made her squirm again, head lowering nervously. She was conditioned to expect a verbal rebuff, and the fact that he had yet to do so was..... confusing. At his prompting she shyly looked back up at him, her bright Amber gaze flicking to his grey fur, picking out the small green patterns there. Yet it was his mention of his home's wild colours that truly caught her attention. Peeking back up at his face she blushed brightly at his warm smile. She had no idea what to do with his kind words and compliments, so she simply shrugged a little shyly, ears flicking back with her embarrassment though the small smile she gave him was grateful.

"That is a very kind thing for you to say...." She finally responded with her soft, delicate vocals. For she was still young, having only just reached her majority a season past. His last words made her blush again, but this time it was accompanied by a wince at his annoyed tone. "I'm afraid he spoke the truth.... Many of the pride here are very traditional. I am only tolerated because my father was born here, and my grandmother took me and my sister in as cubs. My grandfather was one of the old leaders." She added, a tiny touch of sadness to her voice, for she had never met the male that her Grandmother still mourned.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Emrys rolled his shoulders in a shrug, not minding if what was said was true. He was speaking to a lioness now, wasn't he? She might not be the 'right' coloration to the rest of the pride, but to him she was as normal as the sun in the sky. The traditions of this pride were new to him and he was sure he'd learn more about them as time went on, but for now he was still carrying with him the things from his old life.

"Well, I might be new, but in my mind you have just as much right to be here as any lioness. There's no rule that says you don't belong," he pointed out. "And isn't blue found in nature? Look up," he said, gazing up at the bright blue sky. "I'd consider that very natural, wouldn't you?"

Tanakako

 

[Tanakako]

She looked up at the sky, confused for a moment before his meaning sank in. Her light, soft laughter filled the air around them, caught between surprise and amusement. Finally looking back at the male she smiled, the first true smile she had offered, lacking the nervousness of but a moment ago.

"You are very strange...." She said softly, a new fondness in her voice as she regarded him. "But thank you, it is a very kind thing to say." She knew that he was just trying to make her feel better, but she was grateful none the less. Maybe, if she grew brave enough, she would ask him more about the lions from his homeland one day, but for now she was content to just let the conversation flow where he willed it. Standing she finally took a voluntary step towards him. "Would.... it be alright if I accompanied you on your rounds?" She asked, her gentle voice a little hopeful. After all she didn't want to distract him from his work, but a little friendly company would be greatly welcomed. It was so strange to find someone who didn't have an opinion on her fur colour. She rather felt like enjoying the experience. If he would let her.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Kala finally seemed to relax which made Emrys smile a bit more. Good, he had hit it off fairly well with one lioness. Now he just had...the rest of the pride to go. Well, he had to start somewhere, right?

The question made him nod and he motioned for her to stand. "Sure, I'd enjoy the company. Perhaps you could tell me a bit more about your home. Our home," he corrected as he began to walk. This was his home now too, even though he was still new and didn't know much about it. Hopefully she'd be able to impart some basic knowledge about how things worked around here.

Tanakako

Last from me!

 

[Tanakako]

A bright smile warmed her expression as she stood and trotted up to walk at his side. "Of course." She responded. "What would you like to know?" Kala may have been an outcaste in her own home, but she knew as much about it as any other lioness and was more than happy to answer his questions and help him get on his paws in his new home. Her light and gentle voice a present counterpart to the breeze that rustled the grass as they resumed the Inselelo's inturupted patrol.

SilverLutz

Done!!