“There has to be some kind of proper punishment for this!” Roared the normally calm, gentle lioness noble known as Fea’Fuin. She was a gentle face around the pride, but of late had become increasingly infuriated with one groundling named Chapeo. Today, it seemed, she had reached her breaking point with the younger lioness, and was raging to Joka about her antics.

Chapeo, of course, had no real rank within the pride and was simply someone from the forest, whom a lot of the older lions were still wary about despite having spent so much time with them over the years. She was purple and fair, lithe on her paws, but her coat color meant nothing to the aged lions simply because she was a groundling and nothing more. How easy it was for them to forget their prejudice when greater prejudice stood before them.

Now Joka, while also purple and well respected by the older lions more grounded in the former ways of the pride, was a guard of the whole of the pride, and he considered the groundlings as much a part of the Suka’Fumo as any noble or even the royal line. They deserved as much protection as anyone else. So, for him, this situation was something of a delicate case.

He didn’t have one lioness to protect, he had two.

The incident was nothing outstanding- Chapeo had come into the clearing without a care in the world and accidentally bumped directly into Fea. She had just come from one of the costumers with a new, fine set of furs to wear for the upcoming festivals. These robes, so elegantly constructed to show off the curves of her thick body, were now strewn across the muddy dirt below them, ruined by puddles of water that had collected from the recent spattering of rains.

An accident, and nothing more, but tell that to an aged lioness in a fury, perhaps a jealousy driven one, who wanted to be the victim and was deadset on bringing it to pass.

“They’re ruined,” she raged, “ruined! What am I supposed to do now? A new set won’t be ready in time! Now I have nothing to wear!” Joke offered her a sympathetic smile, scooting his head down to pull the dirty furs over his own formerly well-washed coat.

“Now now, calm yourself, Fea,” he cautioned gently, “Chapeo meant nothing by this- it was simply an accident. Isn’t that right, Chapeo?” He looked at the flighty lioness, who while usually bouncy and without a care now wore a sorrowful expression on her tiny face. She looked up at Joke with sad yellow eyes, a childlike regret dancing through them.

“It was!” She whimpered with an unattractive sniffle, “I was just practicing my dance for the show and I wasn’t watching where I was going! I didn’t mean to bump into her, or anyone! I promise!”

“That’s fairy folk for you- they don’t give a damn about any of the rest of us! Just do what they want to without a care in the world!”

“That’s enough of that,” Joka remarked, his sharp tone easily silencing Fea’s rage for the time being. Giving her a stern look for a moment, he soon turned his eyes back to Chapeo.

“Now, Chapeo,” he addressed her gently, switching up his tactics since a hard tongue would do no good against her, “you say you didn’t mean to bump into her, but still her new robes have been sullied. Do you think it would be fair to offer some way to apologize for this accident?”

“Yes!” cried Chapeo obediently, “I’ll do anything, I promise! What would you like me to do to say I’m sorry?”

“I don’t see how an apology is going to make up for this,” argued Fea scornfully, glaring daggers at the younger lioness. Chapeo shrank immediately into her shoulders, while Joka cleared his throat in a warning manner.

“I was thinking,” he continued in a firm voice, “that Chapeo here would like to come with me to the river and clean these furs out properly for you. They may be a little damp, but fluff them with your tail and no one will know the difference. Certainly it would be better than arriving in nothing at all, when you were so keen on dressing up, right?”

Fea considered this for a long while, thoughtfully turning her eyes from the guard, to the eagerly hopeful Chapeo. She watched the younger lioness for a long time, before her stony gaze returned to Joka. “You’ll see to it she doesn’t ruin them further?”

“On my honor as a guard.”

“Then I see no harm in it. Fine. If she’s willing to make amends for his mistake, then I see no reason in stopping you.”

“I’m willing!” She offered brightly at that, smiling thankfully at Fea as though she had been expected to be kicked from the pride for this minor transgression. Fea, of course, did not respond to the joy, turning her head from the lioness. But Chapeo didn’t care- she was simply thrilled she could make up for her mistake and that Joke had been willing to help her.

“Come then, Chapeo,” said Joka, “we best get ourselves to the river as quickly as possible if we’re to be ready in time for miss Fea. Meanwhile, Fea, how about you find a lovely place in the sun to nap? By the time you wake, we’ll be ready and you’ll be set to go, the most stunning at the play, I’m sure.”

“Very well Joka, you’re a good lion,” commented Fea, her temper quelled.

“Yes, thank you Joka,” offered Chapeo fondly, moving to join the lion as the pair made their way towards the river. It would be a long couple of hours washing these furs, thought Joka miserably, but it would be worth it to keep the pride happy one more day. Not every job as guard was glamorous, but they were all important.

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