[PRP] Searching (Demani x Isithunzi)

[Krysin]

She was a new face within the pride, though she was hardly young. A lioness in the prime of her life, she still managed to reflect a level of naivety and innocence when faced with the world around her. Demani had startled to settle into the pride well. Her kind and giving nature made her an easy fit for the N'ezi-ozu. By now she had grown familiar with the landscape, where certain families dwell and even where the best hunting spots were. The pale lioness had focused on that first in order to find her footing within the pride.

The customs and traditions, along with the history of the pride were still mostly a mystery to her. In time her new family would fill her in to everything she needed to know, but for the time being she still felt a little... out of place. There were lions within the pride who did not seem so accepting of outsiders. She knew why, it was no longer any great mystery. A lion had been accepted into the pride before carrying a plague that had wiped out a great portion of the pride.

Their borders had been sealed, and they had tried to recover despite diminished bloodlines and a natural seclusion from the world. It was a sad story, and she did not want her new family to suffer through something like that.

The lioness lifted her head, taking a glance around her surroundings before quickly realizing that... Oh, she was lost.

Definitely, completely, and totally lost.

Lightning Shadow X

 

[Lightning Shadow X]

The black as night lioness had had a hurricane of a couple of days, she'd reunited with her childhood sweetheart, become his mate and seen so many lions come into the open arms of the pride. Needless to say it'd been very exciting to say the least and it'd probably get more exciting with how the older fuddy-duddies would react to all the new blood.

That'd be one hell of a show to say the least.

However she was knocked from her thoughts when she noticed one of said pale newcomers seeming to wander about with a touch of a confusion, can't be great coming to a new land and not knowing the layout. Pushing herself up from where she'd been lounging she headed over with a small smile on her features, ears forward and crimson eyes settled on the pale lady.

"Everything alright?"

Krysin

 

[Krysin]

Demani hesitated, noticing the dark lioness not far from where she had come to a stop. She did not recognize the individual, but in all honestly a lot of the lions here seemed to carry familiar markings and color palettes. She had yet to see any one lion who just stood out from the bunch besides a few newly joined members. The rogue-blooded N'ezi were easy to spot now. If their coats did not give them away, their demeanor certainly did. It would be a while before they were completely integrated into the pride.

"Oh, yes," she answered sweetly. The smile on her face was nervous, hesitant, as if she had expected to have done something wrong. It would be her luck to trespass somewhere she did not belong or unintentionally offend someone. "I'm just fine it's just..."

Demani glanced around, as if giving herself one final chance to recognize where it was she had landed. Nope. "I'm sorry to bother you, I just don't... recognize this area in regards to where I should be. Here I thought I was getting used to where everything was in the pride."

Lightning Shadow X

 

[Lightning Shadow X]

Isithunzi watched her with a small smile and nodded in an understanding manner as she listened to her plight, just as she had guessed. Lost. It was completely understandable, like new cubs this place was a bit of a maze for newer eyes.

"It's alright, don't be nervous," The black lioness glanced about before looking back to the new pride sister. "The Caldera is a bit too much to take in, we've had to rescue cubs now and then that got a little lost due to the new environment and new members like yourselves will be no exception, not to compare you all to cubs obviously." She raised a paw and rubbed over her face in faint embarrassment, great introduction to yourself Isi. Oh well that was done and dusted.

"I'm Isithunzi of the Agadi-...well...soon to be of the Aguu family, what about you?"

Krysin

 

[Krysin]

Demani frowned at the likeness announced between herself and a cub. But, it wasn't entirely untrue. She knew little of the pride yet, a fresh face amongst those who knew nothing else but of the pride. Her knowledge of the outside world was far better, but she did not need it here. It served her little to carry around with her the locations of good watering holes or hunting grounds when she knew she'd never see them again. It was best to empty herself of those past experiences to make room for new ones.

The frown only lasted a brief second, a gesture made towards her own incompetence more than anything that Isithunzi had said. "I guess I am pretty cub-like here," she finally admitted aloud.

"I am Demani, I've been welcomed into the Akaraaka family. You're... switching families?" The pale lioness tilted her head curiously. She had gotten a brief run down on how the pride functions. Some things just happened to slip through the gaps and cracks of her knowledge.

Lightning Shadow X

 

[Lightning Shadow X]

The black lioness smiled in relief as the new female didn't take her words to heart and she gestured for her to follow as she started to lead the other back to where the main homes of the pride were. Listening to her words with a small nod.

"It can be a little complex, the main thing is to stay out of the catacombs if you value your eyesight...one of our unfortunate youths learned that the hard way." A small frown now sat on her own features as she recalled poor love-struck Ebere for just a moment before noting Demani's inquisition. "Mh, I'll be joining my mate's family, when you marry a lioness will move into their mate's family."

Krysin

 

[Krysin]

Taking Isinthuzi's cue, Demani trailed just behind the other lioness. Her head was aligned with the dark lioness' shoulder, letting the other female lead her back towards familiar territory. One day, Demani would understand the pride in its entirety, but it would take some learning yet. She was facing an uphill battle, because while half the pride was accepting towards their new rogue-blooded members... there was still the other half of the pride that was not. The reaction was clearly mixed. To try and keep from upsetting anyone, Demani needed to adopt her new pride's culture quickly.

The last thing she wanted to do was cause a problem. "Ah, yes, I was told of that." It was where the bones of the pride's dead lay, and none of the pride's regular members were allowed to set foot in there. She had not known that someone had broken such a rule recently, and the information brought a small frown back onto her features. She'd be careful not to follow in that one's footsteps. Demani could not imagine surviving with the punishment of blindness.

"Oh, I suppose that makes sense. I'm curious why the male does not rejoin families instead?" Perhaps it just made things easier for one gender across the pride to make the move.

Lightning Shadow X

 

[Lightning Shadow X]

Isithunzi just lead the charge whilst listening to Demani's words, her concerns and worries as she would with anyone of the pride. It was always going to be the thing if they'd let in new lions that the more conservative of the pride would be...well...not as accepting of the new blood - no matter how much the genepool really needed them. They didn't want any of the cubs born with health hazards because of incestuous relationships or some such.

Those frightening thoughts however were quickly thrown from her head when she asked about the family and marriage and such. She shrugged and gave a small smile. "No idea, it's always been that way with the marriage in this pride, the females will join the male's families and all that...no idea why, just always been that way, not a taxing tradition atleast."

Krysin

 

[Krysin]

"Oh," Demani breathed the sound more than spoke it. A lot of things in the pride seemed to be based upon tradition after tradition. Perhaps their seclusion from the rest of the world made it so. There were not many opportunities for new lions to join their ranks and bring about new ideals. It was no wonder traditions had grown to the point where they became unquestioned. Even the source of them may have disappeared over time. "I guess it does make things more simplified to follow the same pattern,"she agreed softly.

Demani glanced back over to Isithunzi as they wandered back into territory that was more familiar to the pale lioness. "So, if you don't mind me asking... do you mind telling me a little about yourself?" She was naturally curious, and had not spent too much time talking to the other members of the pride yet. She knew a few by name, but that was about all.

Demani figured that Isithunzi would be able to fill her in on plenty of things about the pride just by describing herself, and she genuinely wanted to know about the lioness.

Lightning Shadow X

 

[Lightning Shadow X]

Isi was briefly surprised by the interest in her before giving a small shrug as she walked and a half smile, making sure to avoid small things like stones in the path and such as she walked alongside the new pridal sister. Nothing could hurt talking and getting to know this one after all right?

"Well, as said I was part of the Agadi...when I was younger you could hardly tell me and my twin apart we're so alike." She paused and gave a small smile to Demani. "And now I'm going to become Mgbamizu's mate...we've been sweethearts since we were cubs but...something came up..." Mgs mother was...a challenge, but it happened. Besides nothing was going to stop her and Mgs now that they were adults.

"All go and drama nowadays."

Krysin

 

[Krysin]

Demani was silently thankful that the dark lioness was willing to open up to her. Perhaps Isi's openness encouraged Demani to speak about her own life, or at least she felt obliged to offer something to the other in return. "Where I come from, our adolescents are sent out alone on what we called Pilgrimages." She could remember leaving her home just as vividly as she remembered returning to it. Letting her feet carry her, she continued on with her story. "On them, we're supposed to discover our true name.

We're given simpler names when born, usually something to describe us or whatnot. Anyways, we're supposed to find our true name and return. It took me a while, especially since no one really tells you the right way to find your name. So I was at a complete and total loss." She shrugged, nerves and anxiety building in the pit of her stomach. "But I found it, and so I returned home to... Nothing. Something had happened to the pride while I was gone."

She realized then that she did not want to go into that story further, and so she stopped. Looking around her, she realized she recognized the area. "Thank you, Isithunzi - I can make it back home from here. Perhaps we can meet up again another time." The pale lioness offered with a small smile. Her story had come to a sharp finish, but Demani was not willing to pursue it further.

She bowed her head to the lioness, and then turned away and down on a familiar path back home.

Lightning Shadow X