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Spending time away from her family was never an easy feat - but spending time away from her lover, well, that felt like a dagger to her heart. No matter how badly the two fought the large female always found herself right back at Ana's paws, waiting on her like the Goddess Sozin thought her to be. It was strange being so far from her now, waiting to see her face again.
The lioness had been away from her pride for a while now, and while that normally would have caused her to panic, this trip had been enjoyable and easy on her limbs. Sure, she missed her loved ones but that was normal. As soon as she could she would be back home and in her lovers arms once more. Trying to mend what felt broken between them.
But first... Sozin had a goal she was trying to achieve. A personal mission she tasked herself with when she left the Sands all those months ago.
Alfajiri had lost again. It annoyed him to his very core. How was he supposed to beat a pride of lions who actively trained as warriors? The Mwezi'Johari was slack in comparison. Every member he'd met with was some kind of hulking beast, male or female. It wasn't normal.
And yet the thrill of trying called to him. The black and red male let out a low growl at the thought, tail flicking this way and that.
He was settled at the edge of the desert. His wounds weren't quite closed. Some of them looked raw still, but there were signs that he'd be alright. He sat there, staring out at the vastness of the same beige color and wondered. When he finally proved himself... Then what?
Sozin's yellow eyes would settle on the figure of another familiar shade of red before heading toward it. She assumed this lion must also have been a Firekin, kissed by the sands and sun. "Good day-" her voice was as welcoming as it could be, given her current headache. "What are you doing out here alone? Did you lose track of the party?" she had no reason to assume he was danger, let alone an enemy of the Pride. "If so - they left a while ago, I'm afraid."
Her tail danced behind her as she looked the lion up and down. "I am called Sozin." the lioness offered her name.
His head snapped up at the sound of a voice and his eyes settled upon a female who sported the colors of those who had recently kicked his tail. Despite being confused about what she was saying, Alfajiri was tensing up, preparing for a fight that he wasn't sure would come.
"I've no party, no pride. I've no idea what you're talking about.' He wasn't going to pretend or beat around the bush. "I'm here licking my wounds after I lost a duel." Metaphorically and physically. "I am Alfajiri."
As the stranger spoke the large female found herself blinking at his forwardness. More often than not lions who traveled alone were less likely to be so open about being alone. Some found it to be dangerous after all. Her bright eyes narrowed as she slowly moved herself closer, smirking under a deep chuckle. "I see. You've come to join Pride of the Sand and Sun?" her head lifted as the female looked him over once, nodding to herself. "You look the part."
So he must have failed his first few duels? Pity, the pride could always use new blood, still, perhaps the male could earn his way in yet.
"I could offer you a duel after you've healed more." Sozin spoke forwardly as she moved a bit closer to this rogue. "I would ask you a favor, though."
A favor for a favor, right? She would just as easily kick his a** right here and now.
A duel when he's healed? From this female? Alfajiri's ears pinned back against his mane and he squinted at her dubiously. A favor. Of course. Something told him that refusing would result in a big a** kicking.
"I am trying to join that pride, yes. I hail from the Mwezi'Johari. I'm earning my way. What's a few scars if it means learning?" That's how he honestly felt about it, hurt pride aside. He was definitely learning and applying it to his battles the more he tried. His paws had definitely gotten used to the sands unevenness. He'd learned to walk and run, even jump and pounce on it.
It was dealing with blows that was going to end up being his downfall. He hadn't been scratched in an actual fight before. There wasn't need in his family.
The female frowned at his words. Why did all males have to be so overly complicated? Her eyes flashed back at him as she gave him a half-snarl, frowning as she spoke. "I am offering you a nights rest before you duel me. I can promise that you will need if you are going to fight me tooth and nail."
She was at least twice his size in bulk, but something about the sun-kissed female seemed honest.
"I can offer you a nights rest... with me."
Oh well, there it was. Her favor. Sozin and her mate could not produce cubs on their own, so it was only natural to seek out a unattached male to help her solve this problem. "My mate Ana and I can not make cubs without the help of a male, you see." she added, making sure this lion understood request.
A nights rest with her? He was very intrigued. She wasn't a bad looking female at all but he had tuned in at the mention of another female sounding name. Wait. This girl had a female mate? That was interesting. Not very common in Alfajiri's experience. Licking his muzzle a little, he nodded.
"Okay. I'm understanding. But if we're both in the pride and you bore my cubs, what do you want out of me?" He might hate his dad, but if he wanted to help them father cubs, he would at least want to be around them a little.
At his question the lioness found herself frowning in thought, sitting with his question for a moment before speaking, her paws bringing her closer to him as she inched her way closer. "My last... male companion lived in the pride with me, and while my mate Ana and I raised our cubs, he was allowed to visit. Though we called him uncle, not father."
Her golden eyes narrowed as she tilted her head toward him, smirking. "I will still gladly duel you, but this favor would help me more than you know." Sozin had a large family after all and was related to most of the lions in the pride. It was important she try to carry on her own legacy with Ana, no matter the cost.
"....If we just let them know they're related someway, I'll be alright with it." He'd still be apart of their lives. So, Alfajiri nodded a bit. "So, if they want to call me uncle, that's fine." His ears perked a bit at the duel and how he'd be helping more than he knew.
Well, he got some fun, a duel, and cubs without the responsibility. That was honestly a pretty good deal.
"You're on, Sozin. I'll accept this offer of a night of companionship and a duel. Just don't go easy on me. I need to earn it."
Sozin nodded firmly in agreement before motioning for the lion to follow her. They would spend the evening together and in the morning she would keep her side of the bargain and duel him, agreeing to put her everything into it. The Firekin wouldn't hold back. Not now, not ever.
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