Watii had been wandering around aimlessly, her legs restless. The migrations had been cancelled for the foreseeable future. While she didn't really mind, her body had been so used to the constant movement paired with hunting....it was not the easiest adjustment. It was within these wanderings, humming to herself, that she heard the sounds of....a fight? Her dark eyes were scanning around, trying to see where it was coming from. Her black dipped paws pushed through the grasses as she moved, picking up the pace as she finally noticed where the fight had taken place.
A passing male had decided to test his luck, and Giruvegan hadn't been too far once he realized what had been happening. The challenge was not too tough for the male; he had practiced enough with defending this pride, but he never was able to walk away unscathed. A wound oozed blood from his shoulder as he slowly made his way back towards the bulk of the pride, continuously looking over his shoulder to make sure that the stranger had indeed left. He heaves a sigh, his pace slowing down as the wound continued to ooze. He knew it would heal, and there were a few lionesses that were rather skilled at the healing trade. It was just...getting back at this point that felt like forever, even if it wasn't.
It took longer than Watii would have liked, but she finally spotted the inselelo. "Giruvegan!" she yelled towards him, picking up her pace as she drew closer to him. "You're injured! Was it...another male?" Watii didn't know how often it would be that she would be able to talk with one of the males one on one, but her current thought was on his wound. "Is it...let me take a look at it," she said carefully. Her dark eyes looked over the wound as the male stood still, not quite sure where it was that the busisa had come from. She was more golden-orange than the grasses were, but her silent movements towards him had almost unnerved the male.
"It will heal," he replied even as he bent to her wishes to hold still. One of her fore paws drew very close to his wound, and he felt himself intake the slightest bit of air as he anticipated pain. She did not touch the wound, however; she was using her paws to glance over each part of the wound, bit by bit.
"It is starting to coagulate," she breathed with a sigh. "And as gross as it looks, it looks rather clean. I think you're right." She felt herself release a sigh as well, her eyes glancing behind the male as she scanned the horizon. She did not see another male, but she didn't see a body, either. Clearly whatever it was that he had dueled with had left completely. "Do you....often have to defend the pride from other males?" she asked quietly. Sometimes she heard the fights, and other times she did not.
"Enough," he replied. "One of these days I may lose, and it will be me either leaving or dead. Proof enough that I am not strong enough to keep everyone safe." He tried to not let his mind linger to the stampede; a situation where the males had done their best, but the injuries and deaths still weighed heavily on his mind. Permanent reminders of the night were scattered along many as scars or mild disfigurations from those wildebeest.
Watii felt her heart flutter for just a moment. She knew her own faults, and easily let herself fall into a superficial infatuation with anyone she shared a little sympathy with. It had been a tough road to navigate when she was younger, but at this stage in her life she knew better than to listen to anything her heart wanted. She just had to toe the line of empathy and infatuation very carefully.
"I see," she replied. "I know well enough about how to help wounds heal, but I don't have anything to help speed up the healing process." She glanced back around from where she had come from, realizing that they weren't too terribly far from some others that could help him better than she could. "I can keep you company for that short walk, make sure you make it ok." She wanted to give him a nudge to get him walking again, but that was right where his wound was. So she carefully tapped his fore paw and offered him a smile.
"Thank you, Watii," Giruvegan chuckled. "I would appreciate the extra set of eyes, to make sure I don't trip over my own tired paws and get the wound dirty." He was always surprised about the varying reactions of the lionesses here. It wasn't until he came to live here that he realized just how different each and every could could be, and still function well within the structure of a pride. "You are kind. I am use to receiving a colourful jab or two about my own faults. Umutsuz comes to mind."
Watii made a face as her ears heard that name. "Ugh, I don't know how you're friends with her. Or...whatever it is you have with her. She is insufferable to anyone she decides isn't worth it, me included." The fox-coloured lioness knew she had her own faults, but at least she was nice to everyone....even if it was just to their face. "I don't think I can ever get along with her." The male nodded, not wanting to say anything against the lioness' opinion. "She is difficult, but I think if you try to not take everything she says for face value...she's just a bit lonely. Perhaps the ice can be broken at some point."
Watii huffed. "Ice. It would break her ice cold heart first, but..." she foolishly felt herself flush as she tried to calm her heart down. "But I will try, Giruvegan." And she would. Just not...today. She glanced back over to Giruvegan, noticing that his pace was slow, but strong. "Well, maybe in a couple weeks," she added with a smile. "We are just about back, so let's go get someone to take a look at your wound." The male nodded in agreement, and a kind silence was shared between them before they found a healer.
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