Characters:
Kaalamoto, Male Lion Cub
Kiapo, Male Lion
Kaalamoto is in an open patch in the grasses, sitting in a slouched position—he's hunched over, staring intently at his paw. An old, tough acacia thorn has worked its way inbetween his toepads, and fresh blood is dripping from this new wound. The little boy, after expressing one cry of surprise and pain, has fallen into an uncomfortable silence, contemplating how to care for his paw.
[Kiapo]: Having taken a turn on patrol of the Natamba border, Kiapo is certainly more than surprised to hear a cub mewling in the grasses beyond. Then again, that was where they had found a lost cub not that long ago. So, the brown lion takes a detour from the path he was given by Takata and walks out into the grasslands. At first, he doesn't see the cub, still a small distance away. "Hello? Is someone there?" He calls out, his voice the deep baratone of an adult lion.
Kaalamoto is about to gingerly pick the thorn from his paw when Kiapo's voice rings through the calm air. This causes him to suck in a great breath, his ears flattening against his head instinctively. He lifts his haunches clumsily, trying to hobble his way further into the cover of grasses, but fails—in his fear, the cub puts pressure on his injured paw and causes him to cry out again, coming to a dead stop only a few feet from his original position. "Oww," he says in a shaky voice, turning his wet, shiny eyes in the lion's direction. That seems to be his only answer, not his name, not if he's really here or not…just 'oww'.
[Kiapo]: The cry catches his attention first, followed by the resounding 'oww'. "Oww?" Kiapo asks as if he were expecting some answer. His notched ear flicks forward before he begins to carefully walk in the direction of the mewl. Finally, he comes just to the edge of the clear spot in the grass, peeking over to spot a cub. His nose catches the faint smell of blood as well, which causes his voice to shift to one of concern. "Hey there. You alright little guy?" He asks, lowering his head but still keeping a bit of a distance.
Kaalamoto merely stares up at the large lion with wide eyes for a long moment, his ears still folded back, his thorn-struck paw held up to his chest. It's still dripping blood, creating a tiny pool on the warm surface of the earth. "Just a thorn," he says in his toughest voice, but it's evident from his wet eyes and cheeks that it hurts more than he's letting on. "I'm 'kay." He draws himself into a compact position, defensively, remembering his aunt's sharp words about strangers.
[Kiapo]: Much like when he had to deal with the little Kopje cub, Kiapo lowers himself down so that he doesn't seem quite so big. "Oh? That looks like it hurts." The lion comments, bringing his head down closer to the ground. "Do you need some help?" He asks, eyeing the little pool of blood with that concerned expression. He may not have cubs of his own, but the brown lion certainly does have a soft spot for them.
[Kaalamoto]: "Uhmmm," Kaalamoto draws out, looking around him as if expecting an entire gang of lions to emerge menacingly from the grasses. "'kay," he finally relents, scooting a bit closer to Kiapo with his injured paw extended. "I'm Kaalamoto….'m lost." His introductionand the small bit of information he revealsseems to be a sign of thin trust.
[Kiapo]: Well, there's no gang of lions with Kiapo, as he tends to spend most of his time in the company of his mate, or the young Natamba lion Takata. Other than that, he's still not quite a full 'part' of that pride. "Well, nice to meet you, Kaalamoto. I'm Kiapo. I live just over that way with my mate." He motions his head, but then looks closer at the injured paw. "Hmm. Well we need to get that thorn out. I'm no healer, but… it doesn't look too deep."
Kaalamoto listens intently to the lion's words, inching closer still. The flow of blood from his wound seems to be tapering off, and the initial, glassy pain as worn into a dull throbbingnot as bad, but still not pleasant. "Mama left me in Chamchela, and grandmama took me to…Kopje Valley?" He says this as if he isn't terribly sure, taking a stab at the territory's name. "I don't wanna stay there, I wanna find my mom and dad." He confides this in Kiapo, though it's something he would -never- dare say to his aunt or grandmother. He's trying to distract himself from what's to comethe inevitable removal of the thorn.
[Kiapo]: "Hmm." That thoughtful sound returns as Kiapo listens to the boy's story. "Don't you think someone in Kopje will miss you?" Especially seeing how far the one lion went to rescue his son, it seems surprising that this little one has slipped through the cracks. Very carefully, Kiapo leans forward with his muzzle, trying to grasp the small thorn between his teeth. Once he has hold of it, the lion draws his muzzle back very slowly, trying not to yank it out, but instead pull gradually.
Kaalamoto cringes, lowering his head and clenching his teeth in reaction to the thorn's slow exit from between his toepads. "Ooooww," he laments in an overly-dramatic voice, squinting his eyes closed. He remains this way for a few seconds after the offending thorn is gone, eventually opening his eyes to stare curiously at his bloodied paw. "Hey, thanks!" The cub peers curiously at Kiapo, sniffling a bit to clear away his tears. "I dunno, I'm not…ree-lated to them. I don't think they miss me." He doesn't say this with any hint of displeasure or malice in his voice, just stating a simple fact. "Aunt Laur's gone, an' my cousins don't play with me."
[Kiapo]: Once the thorn is removed, Kiapo spits it down onto the ground and rolls some dirt over it. Patting it down with one paw, he covers it neatly so that it can't cause any other lions such grief. Then, turning back to look at the boy's paw, he offers a few small licks to clear away the blood. "Quite welcome, little warrior." He replies, nodding his head. "Hmm. That's certainly a shame. Every cub should have a family and other youngsters to play with. I even had a butthead brother when I was little." He jokes, his voice taking on a lighter tone. "But your mom and dad… where do you think they are now?
Kaalamoto shrugs his lean shoulders a bit, glancing off to the east. "Mama and my sis'and daddy, tooall left me one day with my grandma. Grandma left me with my aunt." So, it appears that nobody really wants to deal with this boy, as unoffensive and polite as he is. "I don't think mama's coming back." He looks at Kiapo with a deep, weighted gaze, as if expecting something of him. "I don't wanna be in Kopje Valley. Nobody sees me."
[Kiapo]: Sighing to himself, Kiapo at least can somewhat understand what it's like to be unwanted. As the second son of his father's pride, he'd largely been ignored by everyone except for a kind border guard who took him under his wing. "That is a shame." The lion says seriously, finally settling into a laying position as his legs grow tired from crouching. "But a little fighter like you won't do well out here all on your own. Mice only get you so far."
Kaalamoto imitates the larger lion, sprawling out on his pale-furred stomach, his good forepaw tucked neatly against his chest, the other bent at his elbow so that he can clean his wound. His wiry tail snakes against the ground, tuft tapping every once in a while. "That's 'kay, I'm used to it. B'fore, in Chamchela, we never had big food, just little food. Hares'n klipspringers, sometimes grandma would catch springhare. They're good!" He says this with the beginning of newfound enthusiasm, but its only making him aware of his hunger. "And in Kopje, my aunt talks 'bout zebra an' wildebeest, but I've never had any of -that- big food."
[Kiapo]: "Well, a big lion needs big food." Kiapo relies, not having touched much smaller than a hare since he grew out his mane. "Besides, what happens to you when a hyena comes by? You'd make a right nice snack for one of those laughing little bastards." The lion comments, trying to see just how the cub plans on dealing with that particular little fact of rogue life.
Kaalamoto purses his lips a bit, making a low-pitched 'hmmmm' sound, his pale eyes downcast. "Aunt Laur' says that hyenas can eat bones. I don't want'a be eaten." His eyes wander up from the ground back to Kiapo's face, his ears lifting and turning forward. "I don't want'a go back to Kopje, though," he squints his eyes thoughtfully, "so what should I do, Kiapo?" He tilts his head a little, unsure.
[Kiapo]: "I wouldn't want you to get eaten, either." Kiapo chimes in his own reply, nodding as if that were the only sensible answer. "Well, I guess the only alternative is to find someone to look out for you." With a wiggle of his whiskers, the lion lays his head onto his paws. "That way you can eat the big meat, and you can be safe from all those hyenas who want to eat you all up."
Kaalamoto lifts his head and peers through the grasses, trying to catch movement between the rifts. When he's certain that it's just the two of them, the cub drops his head down a bit, resting his thorn-injured paw on the dusty earth. "Who? Mama's not around, grandma's not around, my aunt's not around…" he trails off, ears turning back. "I don't know anybody else."
Kiapo imitates the movement, looking left and right before settling his blue eyes on the boy once more. "Hrm. Well you could always try another pride. Maybe you could find a new mom and dad?" He gives a small shrug of one shoulder, lifting his head a little. "You've got Natamba over there, where I live with my mate… and there's Mekauri down that way. I've heard there's cubs in both prides, although I haven't seen them yet."
Kaalamoto keeps low to the ground, his little ears still turned back in apprehension. "Oh," he breaths out, letting his gaze fall to the ground shyly. "I don't know how to find a new mama. Do I find a big lioness and ask? Or would she ask me?" He frowns, feeling utterly helpless now.
[Kiapo]: "Well, you could just pick a pride and see if there's anyone that you like there." The brown lion suggests. It's certainly a hard question, and one he's not sure about, especially as he had grown up as a pridal lion. "Even if you don't find anyone, it's certainly safer in a pride than it is out here on your own. And if you don't find anyone, you can go try the other pride. I'm sure neither one would turn away a cub looking for a few meals and some companionship."
Kaalamoto blinks a few times, realizing that maybe he has the upper paw in this situation—he can choose! "Oh, 'kay then!" He exclaims, looking a bit relieved. "So…what happens if I like both prides? What if I can't pick?" He's much like a child, full of hard questions with no real 'true' answer.
[Kiapo]: "Well, you can probably travel between them, but I'm sure if they like you back, they'll wanna keep you safe, and traveling out here isn't really safe." Kiapo warns, looking a little gravely at the boy. "A lion from Kopje was here not long ago, claiming a gray rogue had eaten his daughter. So there is danger even from lions." Pushing himself up onto his feet, slowly, Kiapo looks down at the boy. "You're welcome to come back to Natamba with me? If my mate takes a shine to you, she may want to keep you." The lion laughs a bit, and then winks. "But only if you want to."
Kaalamoto watches Kiapo intently, slowly climbing to his paws as well—he's willing to follow the newly-met lion to unknown lands, mostly due to Kiapo's helpful nature. "'kay," he says again, easily enough, and takes a few steps in the male's direction, limping a bit on his sore paw. "I don't want'a get eaten by hyenas -or- lions."
[Kiapo]: "Well, as long as you're with me, I'll make sure you don't get eaten." The brown lion re-assures with a small laugh, taking a few steps, but keeping his pace slow so that the child can keep up. "And if nothing else, Natamba has a healer who can take a look at that paw of yours." So, Kiapo leads, knowing that regardless of what the cub chooses, at least he'll be safer for the time being beyond the borders.
