Svelte

This Pride was beyond weird. Then again, that's why she fit in so well.

Svelte had been introduced to the Pride about three months ago. And in that short time, she was given a new family that she was not too happy with. She was more than content with her previous Pride. She loved all of the lions and dearly missed them. But times were harsh, the king of her previous Pride had problems with other Prides one of which was Resfeber's. Her king had debated for days on end to give her away to the old king. In the end, he was forced to, his Pride growing desperate for the protection Resfeber provided. In the end she went with the new king, not uttering a word as they traveled for days.

When they arrived to the Pride, Svelte had no intention on getting to know the new lions. They had done all they could to make Svelte feel comfortable, but she had decided long ago that she would put no effort in knowing any of them.

Several months pass. Svetle still had not made any move of getting to know the lions. That is when Paki came in. At first it was just the fact of his presence being a constant thing in Svelte's time alone. Then it turned into small talk, which slowly turned into a barely there friendship.

"Why do you even try?" Svelte asked one day. It was one of those days where everything irritated her and made her want to go back to her old Pride. One of those days where she did not want to see the rising king.

"Because I care." He replied simply. On a normal day, Svelte would have dropped the topic altogether happy enough with the answer. But this was not one of those days.

"Why do you care? Of all lionesses here. Why care about the emo, lonesome, outcast Svelte, huh?!" Her volume slowly increased into a growl.

"Am I not allowed to care?"

"Drop the noble act, halfwit, and give me a straightforward answer!" She was now standing and letting herself roar at the lion next to her.

The lion turned to her with a glare in his eyes. The air around them dropped, what felt like, dropped several degrees. Svelte felt her being shudder, as she stepped several steps back.

"Don't move." Were the next words that left the lion's mouth. Svelte immediately stopped in her tracks. The lion came up to her and, to her surprise, nudged her towards the place she was sitting at moments ago.

"Are you stupid or something?" Svelte looked up with a confused face. Paki in return nodded his head in the direction of where she used to be- the cliff.

"You really didn't know how close you were to the cliff?" He asked her, with a gentler voice this time. She shook her head in response- no. Paki let out a tired sigh and layed down in front of Svelte. He let his tail wrap around hers in a comforting manner.

"Look, I'm sorry if I scared you. But you need to be more careful with your surroundings and, well, other lions." Svelte felt herself calm down a little bit. But she already knew where the conversation was going towards. Paki must have caught on to her train of thought and decided to approach the matter in a different way.

"I care because you are part of this family, whether you like it or not. Sure you still miss your family, and that is completely acceptable. I still miss my family, even though I was in a different case than yours." He said, hinting towards something but Svelte decided that this was not the time for her curiosity to take over.

"How often... how often do you miss them?" She asked, her voice just above a whisper. Paki chuckled a little, before letting out another small sigh. Sigh of longing.

"Not too often. But when I do, I get a feeling of loneliness, even when others are around me." His words held experience behind them. Svelte felt herself nod.

"And you just can't shake the feeling off. No matter how hard you try, you-"

"Find yourself longing for something that you can never have, not any more." Both finished the sentence at the same time.



After the little talk Svelte had with Paki, she began to open up to other lions just a little more. They were surprised at first, but were still very welcoming. They let her into a conversation from time to time, not wanting to overwhelm the coming about lion. She was grateful for being in such a kind and supporting Pride.

Days turned into months, and months turned into years. Soon, Svelte became like any other lioness. She finally accepted others as her family.

"Where did you get these scars?" Paki asked her one night. The two became even closer friends over the small period of time. Pranking, laughing, and helping each other out when the other needed it. To Svelte's surprise the nightly talks became a routine to the two friends.

"Oh, this one," Svelte pointed at the on her right shoulder blade, "Was from a time back in my old Pride. I was
play-fighting one of my cousins, and they scratched me too hard. Would not stop apologizing for about a month." Svelte told her story with a smile on her muzzle.

"And the one on your back?" Paki asked again.

"That one was from the time of the great fires. Our Pride was set ablaze and I wasn't fast enough to get out. One of the branches snapped and landed on top of me. Thankfully the previous king saved me." She replied, her smile dropping a little at the thought of her father. How was he? Were the Pride lands safe? Did they have enough of food and water?

Thoughts kept on going in her head. Paki immediately caught onto her mood change and crept closer to her as not to scare her. He let her lean onto his shoulder as she spoke fondly of her previous Pride. Of all the times she acted stupid or bratty or just plainly childish. The two stayed at the cliff for hours. Only catching sleep in the early hours of the morning.



"Have you not heard?" Henna asked Svelte. Henna had become like her mother in the time Svelte joined the Pride.

"Have heard what?" Svelte replied as she set down the herbs. Svelte had let Henna in on her secret that she might or might have not seen mythical creatures. Henna at first thought that she had the blessings of her ancestors to see spirits. But as Svelte described the creatures she saw, Henna began to think otherwise. And then, one time, Henna was able to witness the communication between the young lioness and the mythical creature. It turned out to be an animal with a body of a lion but a head of a bird.

"It's Paki's time to choose a Queen for himself." Henna said with a very smug smile on her face that Svelte did not notice.

"Oh, thank gods about time!" Svelte replied, that stubborn king of theirs had the most dense brain of all history!

"I think he had already chosen the Queen. He had said he would be asking her tonight." Henna let on the little secret. The two giggled at their little gossip, both knowing that Paki would make it a serious business like meeting only to mess up somewhere in the middle.

"I think I'm going to head out now. Still have some herbs to gather." Svelte said and made her way out of the cave, to possibly or possibly not spy on her best friend failing at courting a lioness.



Now several years passed. Paki had made the Pride's lands prosperous. His Queen, Andromeda, had done a wonderful job at keeping Paki from doing something very stupid, but also helping with the business and well being of the Pride.

"I kind of want to visit my old Pride lands. Just to see if they're doing alright, you know?" Svelte said, one time during her daily meeting with the Queen. Andromeda's eyes immediately lit up with excitement.

"I would love to let you go! When would you like to leave? I can arrange some small expedition if you would like." Andromeda offered, making Svelte sputter.

"Andromeda! My Queen, why so much for a small trip?!" Svelte asked, it wasn't like she didn't want to go that badly- or did she?

"Nonsense! And what did I say about calling me Queen? Only in official meetings. Anyway, I would love to let you visit. Take someone with you, Brimstone or Sterling or even Paki, he won't mind." WIth that there was no way Svelte could deny the Queen's orders. As Andromeda began to list off everything that would be needed.



The travel was no more than two days time. And when the two lions neared the area, she could not help but grow nervous. After all she had not seen her old Pride in years.

"Are you alright?" She heard Paki ask, he bumped against her to catch her attention.

"I haven't seen my Pride in years. What if they don't remember who I am? What if they don't want to see me again?" She asked frantically.

"It will be fine. They are your Pride, and if unless they are anything like my Pride, they will accept you with open arms. Even if they do not, I will be there and hopefully that will be enough of support." He said making Svelte laugh.

"You and your jokes can make the end of the world seem like a not big deal." She retorted, which was followed by a soft, "Thank you."

"Of course." And they made their way to the Pride lands.



The Pride recognized her as far away as the hills the two were descending. Her father had nearly tripped as her ran to greet her. Embracing her into a tight hug, when she was in his reach. The rest of the Pride had made their way around her, asking her all sorts of questions.

"Papa, please, meet my King, Paki." Svelte decided to introduce the two first.

Paki bowed in a respectful manner, Svelte's father mimicking the action.

"Thank you, for looking over my daughter. Is there any way I could repay you?" He asked and Paki shook his head.

"I do not seek any repayments but only to see her happy." He said with ease, but did not miss the way Svelte stuck out her tongue at him. He had always some type of cheesy line up his fur.

"Papa, how long has it-" Svelte begun to only stop in her tracks when she saw the creature. The mythical creature that Henna had thought to be a spirit. Her father seemed to have noticed her sudden stop, as he turned into the direction that caught Svelte's attention.

"Ah, old friend, you are back." Svelte's father got up and made his way to the creature.

"I am not that old. It is you who is old." The two companions laughed.

"Papa? Who is this?" Svelte made her way to the creature, curiosity burning in her eyes.

"This is the guardian that watched over our lands. It is the guardian that Resfeber, the lion that took you in, had given to us to protect the lands."

"It is a pleasure to meet you finally, Svelte. I had heard great things of you from Resfeber and your father, and a fair share from my own son." As if on cue, the same creature in smaller stature came out from behind the guardian. It was a cub of some sorts.

"Svelte, I ask of you to watch over my son. He is still a young cub, but my strength is fading fast. After the plague that had done its damage, I'm afraid it had taken over me as well. I do not have much time, but I am in no way of a cruel creature to leave him with your father. I understand that he had chosen to end the lineage where it is at." The creature explained.

"Is that true, Papa?" Svelte felt her heart shatter. She had just found her father! She could not loose him so quickly!

"It is true, my daughter. After you had left, there was not true reason of me to continue with the lineage. I let the cubs grow and take care of themselves. I let them decide whether or not they wanted to stay or roam about the lands. And as you can see, most stayed." Svelte took a look at the now dispersed Pride, every lion that Svelte remembered in her mind was still there.

"Thus, I beg of you, to take in my son, Amit- my love, my world- to live with you." The creature bowed her head and seeing the mother's distress the cub did the same.

"Please, raise you heads. There is no need for this." The creature did as told but held the pleading look in her eyes. Svelte simply looked at Paki, who in reply nodded to her.

"Resfeber was the one to call you to guard the Pride, my Pride. He had payed his part of the deal for the Pride but not for you, the guardian. So please," Svelte bowed her head to the creature, "The least I can do, is take in you son into our Pride and care for him as our own." The creature sighed in relief and let her head down to nuzzle her cub.

"You have a forever home, Amit." She said to him and he nuzzled back.

"Mama? Does this mean you have to go?" He asked her and Svelte couldn't help but interfere.

"Your mama can come by anytime she wants. In fact, I insist that she stays with us until it is time." Svelte looked up at the creature who held a surprised look.

"It is not fair for us to seperate the two of you and leave you to disappear alone in this world. Please, stay until you feel that it is your time to go. See your son grow a little longer. I know I would want to." Svelte, in the next moment, found herself being embraced by the creature, claws and wings and all.

"Thank you, thank you so much!"




Another several years passed, before the creature passed on to the next world. The cub, Amit, was very heart broken seeing his mother die so early on in his life. But Svelte was glad that he was trusting enough for her to act as his adoptive mother.

"I miss her." Amit let out a small whine of longing, Svelte felt her heart shatter for the small cub.

"I know little one, I know. But she is now in the world of no pain and suffering. She is in a world that maybe we can't see her, but she can watch over you all the time." Svelte groomed the cub's head.

"Really?" He asked tentatively. Svelte smiled in response.

"Of course, Amit. She will continue to love you forever, even if she's not here with you." She nudged his head down. "Now sleep little one. You had a hard day, today."

"Thank you..." He said as he drifted off to sleep, hopefully full of wonderful dreams.

"You are doing a marvelous job." Svelte heard, Paki say off to her side. Svelte smiled as he made his way and layed next to his Queen.

"It pains me to see him go through the same thing I had to." Svelte said as she leaned against the king.

"I know what you mean. But the least we can do is be here and hold our words to his mother."

"You're right."

"Sleep, you had a rough day too. I'll watch in case he wakes up."