Ghedi - m. Lion (king)
Ryngia - m. Lion (heir)
Kweu - f. Lioness
Uzima Falls
Having spent several days in the cave being nursed back to health, Ghedi was feeling bored enough to get to his paws and wander down the edge of the river to the falls. The area feels somewhat familier. He is certain he has been here before, but can not remember when… As the falls come into view, he stops and stares at the cascading water…
Ryngia lays at the edge of the pool, a paw draped into its waters and tail bouncing idly behind him. Its been a pretty lazy day for the lion so far and is actually enjoying some alone time, however he wouldn't turn away any company should it happen to wonder over.
[Ghedi] And wander over he does… "Wow… This place feels so welcoming and familier. It's like I spent ages here… Ryngia? I take it this was oe of the places I hung out at a lot?"
Ryngia's ears flick to the sound of his fathers voice. Picking his heas up from his paws, she turns tothe lion. First he is shocked to see him here but is actually glad he has come. "Dad, what are you…" Glancing to the falls he shrugs. "You use to.' he says. "But then something happened and not many come here anymore." He wasn't even born when tragedy struck the falls.
Ghedi ponders this for a moment… "I can't imagine anything that would keep the pride away from this beautiful place." He lowers himself to the grass and stretches… "This is so much nicer than that cave."
[Ryngia] "Someone was killed here." He mentions rolling himself around to face the lion, looking to the slight rise of the ground in the distance.
Ghedi shrugs… "I doubt there are many places anywhere where someone hasn't been killed. We all die after all. Who was this person that they should have such a profound effect on the pride?"
Ryngia was quiet for a few moments as he turns to his father. "A lion named Jinko. My brother, or least thats what mom had told me." He doesn't know much about who the lion really was, or why he was killed.
Ghedi raises an eyebrow… "Your brother? Well…that would make him…my son. Perhaps it is best that I not remember some things… Do you spend much time here?"
Not at first, but Ryn doesn't go into that. Head shaking he says, "I dont. To many meerkat." He looks around, "Or there was." He didn't see as many these days which probably meant they had left with Sumi. "I use to spend most my time at the hill with mom but I'm usually in the valley now."
Ghedi nods… "The hill should be my next stop. You mother wants to take me there. She told me that is the place we met. I suppose it is the place where your life began…"
Ryngia smiles. "I was born in a clearing in the forest not to far from there." In a way however, yes, his life did begin on the hill. "Its a nice place."
Ghedi nods… "You look young son. How old are you now? I don't even know how old I am myself, but right now I imagine i look much older than I am… At least I hope so. My reflection in the pool in the cave was rather shocking."
Ryngia smirks. He wasn't real old at all, "Just about four years." Looking at his father he hrms. "I wouldn't call you old. Past your prime, but not old." A gentle smile appears on his lips. "You've been through a lot. Being pride leader can age you if your not careful." Chuckling, Ryn pushes himself up from the ground, shaking out his mane. "You've plenty of years left in you."
* Tahzhoo's roar echoes all across the valley, sounding like announcing his presence and hoping for a reply. *
Ghedi smiles. "Well, I hope they are good years. Four yeas old… And all that time lost to me… I do hope I remember more son." He raises his head at the sound of a roar… "Perhaps we should see what that's all about? It sounded like my father, but I imagine you would know better than I right now…"
* Azizi's roar echoes all across the valley. *
"I'm sure they'll be great years." So long as no harsh times come to the valley things will be fine; Ryngia do what he can to make sure that happens. "It'll all come back to you, dad. Just give it time and before you know it everything here will be old news." Pricking his ears to the roar as well he looks out past the area of the falls. "He's probably just re-entering the valley. He's a habit about leaving without telling anyone and then coming back and expecting a grand welcome." Ryn had no intention of going to the border just to see him.
Ghedi gets to his paws. "It's not a bad policy to announce yourself. I feel that I really should go meet him." When a second roar meets his ears he turns toward the valley. "I will be back in a while son. We still have much to discuss."
Ryngia hmms and sorely disagrees with his father. The roar policy was for none pride members; it puzzles him as to why Tahzhoo used it to announce himself. "If that is how you really feel. I dont encourage you going alone though, not that far out at least."
Ghedi nods… "I'll not go far son. Just to the valley. I don't feel up to climbing up to the ridge." He turns and heads toward the bottom of the valley…
And there he was, standing there at the falls, alone, watching his father depart through the vines and toward the valley where his false father awaited him with whoever else might be out there. Ryn was never to keen on the elder lions antics nor what power he thought he held over the pride and those he helped raised. When Ghedi is no longer seen, Ryn turns to the pool and plops back down where he was first seen. He's a feeling this may be a long wait.
----——
In the meantime…
Kweu, in the meantime, had been off on her own ventures. With no idea what sort of interactions had just taken place, the lioness slips through the curtain of heavy vines and steps into the clearing around the pool, her tail swaying easily from side to side behind her as she goes.
Ryngia laid flat on his side as if his father had never shown- waiting. He was positive that whatever purpose the roar posed wasn't important; least to him anyway. It had been forever since he'd seen his father and even now he runs off to check on things around the pride. No wonder Ryn has grown up solitary and uninformed about certain things.
Kweu heard no roar, being deeper in the jungle where the sound managed to be muffled by the layers of leaves and undergrowth. So as she spots Ryngia and his rather downtrodden expression, her own face folds into a frown of concern. "Ryngia?" She calls his name tenatively as she begins to walk slowly in his direction, her head lowering down while her ears cup forward as she comes closer to him.
Ryngia raises a brow, cupping his ears back to a voice thats always brought a smile to his lips. "Hello Kweu." Now would be a good time to forget his fathers departure and embrace the company of someone he's admired for years but he cant help but have it linger. Lifting his head and turning it to the lioness, he welcomes her over.
Kweu comes to his side and bumps the pad of her nose against his shoulder. "Are you alright?" she asks him. Her eyes search his face for some kind of clue as to what might be bothering him, but seeing as she arrived after the source of his trouble departed… she is unable to venture any kind of educated guess.
Ryngia takes the bump to his shoulder as if it were the best thing on earth, a simple smile to his face and a nuzzle. "Nothing I cant handle, hon." He didn't want to bother her with family ordeals, even if he thought of her as family. "How are you?"
Kweu sits down beside him and simply flicks an ear at his question. "I'm doing just fine," she says. But it is with an air of finality as it would seem she is not willing to let him change the subject so quickly and turn the talk to herself. "And while I don't doubt that you're capable of handling whatever it is that's bothering you… I do think it would be wise to talk about it. Hmm?" She lifts her chin up a little and the hint of a grin appears.
Ryngia should know better than to try to change subjects with a female but this one was just something he didn't want to talk about. Looking up at her he sighs, the tone in her voice one to make him cringe. Leaning again her form he says, "Have you ever wanted to spend more time with someone but just never get the chance?"
Kweu presses some of her own weight back against the lion to support him where she sits. "Of course," she says to his question while she nods. "I would have loved to spend a bit more time with my family… my mother and aunts and father… before I left." She bumps her muzzle to one of Ryngia's ears. "This is about your own father isn't it? Has he gotten worse?" It is the only logical explanation she can draw based on the information she currently knows.
So her life is pretty much like his, wanting to spend time with family but time was never there. Time was subjective here in the pride, but with his father being the way he is, Ryn thought there would be time to share but it seem he was wrong. "Its not that." He tells her. "Its more like just trying to spend time with him. But everytime I try something or someone pulls him away. I'm starting to feel like I should just give up, focus my time on someone else." He looks at the lioness beside him with a very hopeful expression in his eyes.
Kweu sighs quietly at first and says, "That is the life of a king I guess… Although I suppose I was lucky in the pride I was born into. We did not have one king but instead had several. So there was not one lion with all the burdens of responsibility on his shoulders alone. However my pride, like I said, was very large… so I am sure that played a part in itself." She looks down to Ryngia and her ears prick at both the gleam in his eyes and at his latter words. "You are your own lion and it is your right to choose to spend your time with whomever you wish."
Ryngia listens to Kweu intently, pressing his head against her side. "Then I wish to spend it with you." If his father spared little time to spend with his son then it was her whom he wanted to spend time with. Just as unexpected as his words he reaches up and nuzzles the lioness with an affectionate tone.
Kweu is too occupied with her surprise at his open admission to be at all ready for his affectionate nuzzle. As such she is at first quite still but once her mind and emotions have had the chance to catch up to the moment, a low purring sounds from the lioness and she nestles her face beneath Ryngia's chin. "I cannot say that I understand why you want to do such a thing," she admits with a blush coming into her ears. "You are a prince, the heir to a throne. And I am a vagabond."
The response he got, though surprised, was the one he wanted. It showed him that her feelings weren't empty toward him. Listening to her purr the lion smiles taking in her scent. "Vagabond or not, it's not how I see you." Ryngia tells her. "Your beautiful and careing but more than that, your someone, in my eyes, who deserves a chance to be known, to be cared for and respected." He wanted to do what no one had done for him. Pushing himself up to a more formal position, Ryn looks at Kweu hopeing she'd accept him not for his title but for who he was underneith it all. "Kweu, if you'll have me, I'd be honored if you'd be by my side."
Kweu pushes her nose into the mane which lies across the lion's neck, her still-reddened ears now angled toward the sound of his voice. The blush only deepens as she listens to him so that when he rises, it is managing to show even across her cheeks despite her fur. She takes note of his formality and realizes that she will have to bumble her way through this with little to no instruction… Her pride sisters had teased her a little and given her some brief pointers on this sort of subject before she left, but that is all she has to go on. It will have to do. Meeting his eyes unflinchingly despite her blushing she answers, "It would be my honor to stand at your side, Ryngia. Here… or anywhere else."
If Ryngia was paying that close attention to her coloring, the lioness' blushing would send him into a bit of embarrassment for asking such a thing as becoming mates. Since he's gaze was on her eyes he doesn't even notice. He had no idea where to go now that the question has been asked; perhaps it was all based on instinct and feeling. Whatever the case he'd just go with what happened. Hearing her answer Ryn is overjoyed giving another nuzzle that lasts longer than the norm.
Kweu laughs aloud and closes her eyes as she again nuzzles into the mane beneath the lion's chin, pressing herself comfortably against his chest and breathing in his strong scent. "I must admit that a large part of me never thought that this would happen," she says with a muffled voice. "But now that it has… I'm so happy I think my heart might burst." She laughs again and that sound too is quieted by Ryngia's mane.
Ryngia pulls back a bit with a raised brow and smile. "Really?" Chuckling under his breath brushing his head over hers. "I'm happy aswell." For the first time in a long one he was truely happy and this time he had someone to share it with.
