The old golden lioness worried at the inside of her cheek for a moment as she plodded along, making her way back to the pride after another gentle visit with her unfortunate new friend, Lamia. She had shown the younger female a place to retire for a few days and had promised that she would find her someone that might help her; she could think of only one soul who travelled far and wide but it would take a miracle for her to find him now. It had been a very long time since he had been through the lands and though that usually meant he was due for a visit soon, she couldn't say if that would be soon enough.

With a sigh, the female stopped and turned her eyes to the sky, picking out the ghostly image of the Great Lion where it hung heavy between the late afternoon clouds. It was one of those rare days when they could see him even in the daylight and the sight of the moon made her smile. On days like these it always felt like he was asking her how he could help..

She shut her eyes and lifted her voice high within her thoughts, reaching for the elusive feeling of his embrace.

Of course, when she opened them she was not expecting to see another female staring back at her: she was pale and what appeared to be a zebra's pelt stretched across the line of her back. Malkia's eyes were drawn from bright eyes to the rock that hung around her neck, swinging low against her chest as she walked forward - wait!

Malkia took a small step back away from her but in an instant a smile broke across the intruder's face and she felt.. more at ease.

"Please do not run away, I mean no harm. You are from the Mwezi'Johari, aren't you?"

Had this female been watching her the whole time? She had not even seen her..

"Yes," she began, suspicious. Was this the lioness that had run Lamia away? She had said that she was dark, though, and this lady seemed anything but that. With that thought in mind, she felt her confidence return to her and she straightened up to her full height, as proud as any Lady of the Mwezi'Johari could be. "Are you lost?"

"Ahh, no," the other female answered, slowly and with a smile so shy that Malkia found herself returning it. "I am looking for an old friend of mine, his name is Rive? I was wondering, perhaps, if you could ask him to meet me on the border here?"

Malkia did not have much responsibility saddled on her shoulders within the pride but having been there so long, having watched it grow and swell to proportions other prides only dreamed of, she had made it her personal duty to note every soul that came in and out of the lands even if it was by face alone. The name Rive was familiar to her if only because of the bit of a stir he had caused while looking for Nyeusi - no one ever sought her out willingly and it seemed that he had gone to just about any lengths he could to find her. It was odd. She noticed odd.

"I think so, he is the one with the blue markings that look like water ripples?"

The female's eyes lit up as she described him and even before the white mane tuft bobbed in a shy nod, she knew that she had the right one - just like she knew that there was much more to this friend story than met the eye.

"Yes, I know him. You could follow me back to the pride if you would like, I feel like that is probably a lot safer." But as she turned to lead the girl closer, she saw her eyes widen with a concern that Malkia could not quite place her finger on.

"No, no, I'll just wait here - I am not.. planning to stay very long."

Malkia frowned where she stood, glancing from the female to the direction of the pride and then to the rogue lands beyond. So she had no interest in joining and she was going to go out into the rogue lands again soon? She was not one to trade favors most days - she would much rather simply help a soul in need but today she had two souls that needed her help and if she could use one to aid the other was it really that bad? Had she not just been praying for the Great Lion to help her?

He did work in his own ways, after all.

"I can go find him if you would do me a favor, dear. Since you are going out into the rogue lands could you keep an eye open for a green male named Koya'kiwavi? I need his help with something urgent."

The pale one smiled back at her in a way that made Malkia feel instantly like she had some knowledge that Malkia did not but whatever it was vanished in the wake of a small, polite nod.

"Yes. If you bring him I will try to find your friend, lady."

Malkia nodded in return and turned, leaving Alkaid to watch her walk away with a pensive, curious look in her eyes. The lady of the moon pride was more astute than she had expected but Alkaid could not falt her for it. She could feel the power of her domain beneath her glamour and even she felt somewhat uneasy with it. This was not a pride that could stand to have their foundations shaken too deeply but she had to hope that feeling, that bubble of oblivious protection, would serve her purpose.

By the time she saw the pale figure moving toward her, the sun had nearly set. She hadn't been sure that he would come and she had been almost certain that when he saw who had summoned him he might actually turn and leave but he didn't. Those blue eyes were full of questions and hurt that had been building for months in her absence and light damn her, but she wanted to brush her head against his chin and calm that storm.

"Why are you here?"

The words stung her sharply but she smiled in the face of his hurt as it prickled and nipped at her skin. He did not mean for them to come off so sharply, she knew that, just like she knew that this was all of her own making. She wanted to ask him if he was happy, she wanted to tell him that she had never meant to fall so deeply into him, she wanted to say that she wished things could be different.

But she didn't, this was already going to be hard enough.

"Rive, I have something to tell y-"

Her words were cut off by the sound of a hysterical mewling nearby and Alkaid's attention snapped away with little regard to Rive at all. She stood and slipped through the tall grass and the male followed her, curious, until he saw what she had to have been here for: a pile of yellow and white and blue.

They were small and perfect and so painfully, clearly his.

"Khalla," he whispered through a voice that was near to choking. All of his hurt and betrayal vanished as he took in the sight of the cubs where they were tucked into each other, waiting for him, even as he came to terms with exactly what this meant. They were mortal and she was a muse -

"I cannot stay with them any more than I can stay with you, love."

Rive's eyes swung up to meet the golden ones that stared back at him and as he took in the sight of her standing there, suddenly winged and brilliant and beautiful, he felt too numb even to question what she was saying to him. He nodded dumbly and accepted the gentle nuzzle as she stepped forward to deliver it against his neck.

"What a bittersweet moment," he heard her whisper as she leaned into him. His eyes shut as he leaned his head down atop hers for a moment that was too short and when he opened them again he was left, alone, with his three cubs.

(Slightly backlogged; 1,408 words)