[PRP] A Test of Will (Nche & Naani)

[MangoMeow]

Naani was right in the cusp of adulthood by now, and... things had changed. Life was settling down, gossip was moving towards all the new couples appearing, and for Naani? Well...

"Come along, dear! You should never dally for anyone."

The lioness had chosen to become a healer. After everything that's happened... she wanted a new leaf, so to speak. Something where she could help others instead of hurt them. Maybe, if she'd known how to fix it, she could have helped Ebere....

But no, nothing could have been done about that. She needed to keep reminding herself of that.

So now she was apprenticing for the job. For the most part, her mentor was good about keeping her on her toes, teaching her how to do things and what not to do, but the one thing Naani had been dreading was the one thing her mentor had decided she NEEDED to get over.

Which, to be fair, she was right. Naani had gained a nervousness around the N'anya family that translated to pure avoidance, but as a healer, she needed to be able to push those feelings aside to help them. There would be times where she'd have to treat someone unfriendly, sometimes even hostile, and while the old Di-anyi didn't think anyone in the N'anya would give the girl a hard time, it was best that she learned how to remain calm and assertive in the face of opposition.

That's how Naani now found herself trailing behind her mentor to aid Nchekwube. She wasn't really sure of the details aside from "he needs a healer", and her excuses to stay back and organize herbs hadn't flown. Instead, the old healer had decided that it was time Naani "tested her skills".

... She really hoped that didn't mean what she thought it did.

oo DeD

 

[oo Ded]

Honestly, he felt silly. Everything that had happened in the past moons, the death and the injury and what seemed to be the testing of the pride's very hearts, had all ended with him in this new role of responsibility. As an Amusu, something that he would never have imagined becoming. It was as if the world had finally told him to grow up.

Since learning what his visions really were, Nchekwube had considered all the implications. Of course, the possibility (and now reality) of being able to discern what strangers could be allowed to reside among them, but what did it mean for those around them? With his ability he could look into the hearts of those he had known his entire life. His mother and father and siblings, even. No one could hide. Did he have the right to look into the hearts of those already within the N'ezi-ozu and judge them?

No, he decided. He did not. Unless something extreme happened, who was he to go gallivanting around into people's private lives?

So he had tried to learn how to get at least some semblance of control. It seemed as though he had been walking a thin line, about to fall into a trance whenever he looked into someone's eyes and let his focus slip—convenient for when he had met the newcomers, less so on a day to day basis.

He had been trying, conversing with some birds and trying to feel out the sense of how to keep him from tipping over the edge, when a butterfly of all things caught his attention. Like a child, the pretty and fluttering thing drew his focus long enough for him to slip, both mentally and physically.

The shores to the riverbank were slick and merciless and, like an oaf, the sandy lion had fallen. The scrape that had gone up his hind leg was more embarrassing than anything, but those who later saw the wound had insisted that he call for a Di-anyi. Infection was trouble, after all. So the Amusu found somewhere comfortable outside his den and waited for the Di-anyi, not really thinking much about who exactly it might be…

MangoMeow

 

[MangoMeow]

As the two crested the hill and padded towards Nche's den, the sandy male was the first to come into view. Clearly, he'd been waiting for them. Biting her lip, Naani couldn't help but start slinking behind her mentor, hoping that perhaps the Di-anyi would shield her from view.

But of course, the old lioness simply whipped her tail behind her, hooking around Naani and pulling her not so gently next to her.

"Well, hello there, Nchekwube," the Di-anyi chirped up with a smile, "I'm here to take a look at your leg. I hope you don't mind if I have my apprentice get it fixed up though. I'd like to see how she does."

'Crap!' Naani's ears went flat against her head. Not that she was worried about patching him up. Now that she was looking at it, she was pretty sure she knew what to do, but she would have to get up close and personal with him.

The young lioness waited as her mentor examined it for a moment, before pulling her bag of supplies off and setting it beside him. It was at that point that the Di-anyi motioned for her to come closer. Showtime, then.

Naani gulped and tried to keep her head held high as she walked forward. "Uhm... hey, Nchekwube."

oo DeD

 

[oo Ded]

MangoMeow

Nchekwube's head raised as one lioness came over the hill… then another. One, the elder, he recognized as being one of the Enyi. The other he recognized from… well. From being Naani. His eyes couldn't help but linger on her. Sure, Nchekwube had seen the Uju lioness a number of times around the pride (it seemed as though there were a lot of gatherings because of… recent events), but he was pretty sure they hadn't really spoken in a long while. No, he was very sure that they hadn't spoken in a long while. Hell, he hadn't even brought up the courage to talk to his brother about Naani, let alone talk to her at all.

Not that he didn't want to. Ever since the incident, Nchekwube wanted to tell her that he didn't blame her for what had happened to Ebere. He could only imagine how she had felt. To lose family, to get Ebere's unwavering attention, to be in the middle of all the drama… The young lion simply hadn't found the right words to say. Would it be too forward just to approach her? Was he not giving her enough of her own agency? Was it belittling to think that she might even want his not-quite-forgiveness?

Nchekwube had thought himself into dizzying circles thinking about it all until life swept him up and gave him more things to think about. He had never really forgotten about his lack of a spine in getting the nerve to talk to her. And now here they were.

"Of course I don't mind, ma'am," Nchekwube said to the old Di-anyi, his expression a cheery smile that almost hid the nervousness he felt—not at being treated by Naani, but by having to finally face the conversation he was so clueless about.

"Naani!" he said, then almost physically reeled back at how the name came with a bit too much enthusiasm. He mentally sighed. 'Get a hold of yourself, Amusu,' he berated. The sigh became physical and he shook it head. Play it cool.

"I mean," he started again. "I didn't know that you… y'know." He gestured towards the bag of supplies. "Didn't know you were apprenticing."

 

[MangoMeow]

She... wasn't excepting the enthusiasm, so she jolted back just a bit at his greeting before trying to give a shaky smile back. "I, uh.... yeah, I decided I wanted to be a Di-anyi. Help people, you know..." More than she has in the past, she thought a bit darkly.

Naani cast a glance over at her mentor, who did nothing more than gesture at him encouragingly, and then took a deep breath. Right, she was trying to become a Di-anyi, and she needed to be more confident than she was currently being.

So, straightening up, Naani reached into the bag to grab a wrap and some herbs. First, keep the wound from becoming infected, she thought with a nod.

As she turned back to Nche and started mashing the herb in her paw to get it ready to put on the wound, she glanced up at him, "And uh... Amusu, huh?" She huffed out a laugh, "Never thought I'd see the day." Though she'd never really hung out with him much, she did used to be friends with his sister, and she remembered the timid boy from before. She frowned as she started applying the herb, muttering that it might sting before continuing, "Must be hard, with so many people looking at you now." She truly did sympathize with that. Attention was rarely a good thing around here.

oo DeD

 

[oo Ded]

"Trust me, you and me both," Nchekwube responded with a lighthearted laugh that came from deep in his chest. "Though, Di-anyi." He started again, positioning himself so the wound was easily accessible. He winced as he did so, but spoke through it. "It's an honorable role. I think…"

His voice trailed off. 'I think you'd do well with it,' he wanted to say, but truthfully he didn't really know her well enough to make the words sound like anything more than empty flattery. In his youth, Nchekwube was more likely to be somewhere watching clouds than hanging out with his siblings and others of their age. He could find out, he supposed. Could just look into her eyes and see what she was at her heart. But no. He wouldn't do that.

"I think that it takes a lot of kindness and care to want to apprentice as one," Nche finished finally, with words more thought out. His voice was low and genuine.

There was a pause, one that was perhaps a little too long. It made Nche start speaking again. "Anyways," he barreled onwards, "My wound. I fell down by the river. It got some mud in it, and I washed it as best as I could. But, you know how it goes…"

'Coward,' he mentally berated himself once more.

MangoMeow

 

[MangoMeow]

Naani threw a glance at him as he trailed off, and then back down to her paws. She wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know what he thought about her going for the rank, but when he continued, she glanced up again. He wasn't meeting her eyes, but.... at least it sounded like he thought she was doing something good.

Biting her lip, she tried to put her focus on her work to keep herself from tearing up. "I... I hope I'm doing what's right now. I don't want anyone else to..."

She drifted off and turned her head, using her need to grab the wrap as an excuse to look away from him, keep him from seeing the tears forming in her eyes. At the corner of her vision, she could see that her mentor had wandered just a bit farther away. Not enough to be out of earshot should something happen, but enough that their conversation couldn't be heard.

Fiddling with the wrap in her paw, Naani kept her gaze down as she started tying it around his leg. She was silent with each pass around his wound before she slowed to a stop, her mane now covering her face. "I... I am..."And just like him, she was having issues getting the words out. It finally came out as a whisper, "... I'm sorry..." Though whether he knew she was talking about Ebere, she wasn't sure. She just knew... that she'd wanted to say it for a while.

Then she shook her head, clearing her throat to speak louder again, "You should be more careful!" Her gaze was fiery now, passionate and sharp, almost a scowl, "If you'd waited too long, we may not have been able to help. Imagine if a leech or something worse had gotten in it!"

oo DeD

 

[oo Ded]

"I think what you're doing is great!" Nchekwube responded with a youthful enthusiasm. He had looked upwards as Naani looked away, not catching her look as she fiddled. He was thinking of something else to say, something encouraging, when he heard the whisper.

The words gave him a feeling like a rock sinking deep into the pit of his stomach. It wretched and it pulled and for a moment he forgot all about the pain in his wound. He turned to her with eyes full of heartbreak, the look not faltering even when her tone changed to a fiery scowl. His heart was in his throat and tears threatened to sting at the corners of his eyes. She blamed herself. Everything that had happened with his brother, she had blamed herself?

"Naani…" Nchekwube started, shaking his head. "Naani, please."

A deep breath to steady himself, one that was released in a slow and controlled exhale, then he spoke again. His voice was soft, not like that of an adult calming down a youth, but that of a young soul trying in instill peace. "No one ever blamed you. No one ever thought it was your fault. You don't have to say you're sorry because you didn't do anything wrong." Nchekwube had to speak slowly to keep his words from catching in his throat.

MangoMeow

 

[MangoMeow]

She let out a snort, shaking her head, "Everyone always says that, but they weren't there. They don't know anything." Her paws were moving almost absentmindedly now, tying the wrap around his leg swiftly, "No one ever considers that maybe I blame myself. Maybe if I'd talked him out of it, maybe if I'd just accepted his stupid proposal, maybe if I'd..." She trailed off before she could say if I had stuck around to help afterward.

In many ways, she considered herself a coward for her actions, and perhaps that was really the crux of all of this. She hated that cowardice, hated how it made her do questionable things, and above all, hated how it made her feel afterwards. She wanted to be a better person, someone who could make a strong decision and stick by it.

Naani shook her head and sighed, taking a step back as she finished with his leg. "I look back on those days, and I can't help but think about what I could have done to prevent it."

She scowled but it was directed inward rather than towards him, "I know, I know. There's nothing that can be done about it now and it's not like I forced his paws into doing something so idiotic, but in the future, I want to be someone who..." who is truly deserving of everyone's reassurances, "... who can make the right calls and advise against stupidity. Someone who can truly help others."

The lioness clucked her tongue then, "Your leg is done, by the way." On the bright side, she felt a bit better after having said all of this out loud, and hey, she got through caring for Nche without fumbling, so that was a plus.

oo DeD

 

[oo Ded]

Nchekwube watched her for a few long and silent moments as she spoke, as if he could see how exactly she felt just by staring long enough. It was after a few moments that he turned his eyes away, looking over the clouds as they drifted through the sky. "Fine, fine. For sake of conversation let's say it's reasonable for you to have the weight of your own blame. Which by the way I disagree with, but that's beside the point. Everyone does stupid things," he started, body rising and falling with an intake and exhale of breath. Then he looked to her again. "But we're allowed to. We're just mortals."

His tail flicked back and forth. "And, for what it counts, I feel like someone who makes a mistake and does something great afterwards far exceeds someone who just skates by making no impact at all, yeah?"

He looked to his back leg, giving it a wiggle for good affect. "And this is great! There isn't much better than tending to the living." Nchekwube gave her a cheeky smile. "I guess I can come to you anytime I take a stupid fall now, huh?"

MangoMeow

 

[MangoMeow]

Naani contemplated his words for a minute, and then nodded slowly. They could agree to disagree about her part in all of it - that seemed to be the case for most of the pride - but as for the rest of what he said, well, she hoped he was right. It was a nice thought.

She gave a snort at his next words though, "Just don't make a habit of it. I won't be able to heal a broken brain." The lioness paused as she noticed her mentor making her way over to them, turning to walk away and give the old woman some room. Before she left completely though, the purple lioness cast one last look back at him, ".... and thanks." She gave a shaky grin, "Let's both strive to be people worthy of our titles."

Her mentor took over Naani's spot then, smiling brightly at his wrapped up leg. "It looks like you're good to go now!" She turned her smile on Naani, "Good job, Naani. Now be a dear and bring my supplies back to the den." She went back to addressing Nche, "Try to stay off that leg as much as you can, Amusu duties or not. Drink a lot of fluids and...."

And as the Di-anyi spoke to Nchekwube, Naani grabbed the bag of supplies and walked away.

oo DeD