|
When Dun 4m Infertile claims one of their siblings cheated during training today, Grandpaw Byzantium pushes you aside to deal with the cheater himself. After berating them in front of the entire pride, Dun 4m Infertile is eager to try training again.
Dun 4m Infertile wanted to play "Lion, Lion, Hyena!" with their siblings today, but they were pushed out of the group and teased for being a little crycub. You were about to go over and see if they were okay when Grandpaw Byzantium arrived, telling the little cub not to mind the others too much, and that he would be happy to play instead. Brightening up immediately, Dun 4m Infertile clambers up onto the great lion's back and the two go off to play elsewhere, while Grandpaw Byzantium tells an interesting story about meeting a lion called Apedemak... or was that Apollyon?
A few months later…
Dun 4m Infertile was growing with the rest of the cubs, well now adolescents, in their pride. The males were growing manes and their playful cries of help during play sessions now rumbled (and cracked) through the lands. On the other hand, the now adolescents females huddled together and chatted about the future ahead of having their own cubs. Dun 4m Infertile was amongst the group of females and a future of having cubs of her own was always a dream, nothing more. From ever since she could remember she was told she is infertile and could never reproduce. This weighed heavy as her days as a cub were full of exciting memories she had hoped one day she could see happen with her own.
Since all the young cubs were now older, an expansion of the pride was needed. Whispers grew heavy within the pride about her, ‘shes infertile why is she staying’ or ‘shes just hogging all the food to not contribute with anything, not even cubs’. Not a cub anymore and capable of surviving some on her own she was kicked from her pride. Dun 4m Infertile left with some sadness, however she understood she was not fit to have a job in that pride. From then on she scoured the land walking hundreds of miles surviving on her own and learning the ropes to life. As a cub she learned but to be truly on her own, the risks were a lot bigger.
Dun 4m Infertile managed to survive a few months on her own with no interactions from other prides. From a distance she would sit under trees for shade and could see the cubs wrestling with each other while lioness watched over them, protected them, cared for them. When any of the cubs ventured too far a lioness would snap at them to come back. Dun 4m Infertile chuckled to herself as she knew what it was like to test the boundaries on how far she could go. She would always be a small handful to the broodmothers watching her as the ‘Lion, Lion, Hyena’ game was always competitive.
Reminiscing on her cub days was always Dun 4m Infertile’s pastime while watching these prides from a distance. One day while deep in her thoughts Dun 4m Infertile didnt notice one of the broodmothers next to her. Startled by the lioness, Dun 4m Infertile snapped out of her memories and put some distance between her and the stranger. The lioness stayed calm sitting next to her and was looking in the direction of her pride, the same thing Dun 4m Infertile was just doing. “Not too long ago I was in the exact spot you are in now, kicked out of a pride for reasons that I couldnt control. Yet here I am, found this pride with the King and am now a baby sitter.” The lioness chuckled softly before making eye contact with the startled Dun 4m Infertile. Dun 4m Infertile was speechless. When did this lioness approach? Why didnt she just kill me? Why didnt I hear her? These questions ran through Dun 4m Infertile’s head. Her survival skills were getting better since first leaving, but this interaction did not prove her point.
The new lioness motioned her head toward the direction the cubs were playing. “You have the coloring of a rhino and lucky for you you arent as big as one and I wouldve thought you were prey.” Almost like she read Dun 4m Infertiles mind. Dun 4m Infertile relaxes slightly as the lioness makes small talk. A friendly lioness after watching her cubs from a distance? Doesnt sound too normal but this lioness doesnt seem threatened by Dun 4m Infertile. “I didnt mean to watch your cubs, I was just relaxing before heading off. My bad for alarming you.” Dun 4m Infertile bowed her head down to the lioness then picked it up before getting ready to leave.
The word rhino made Dun 4m Infertile hungry. She hadnt ate for the past two days. Small prey was scarce and bigger prey was too hard to catch alone. Her stomach growled as she began to turn away from the new lioness. “My name is Asia, please join me for some food tonight. If i can hear your stomach so can they.” She tilts her head to some hyenas in the distance. Dun 4m Infertile doesnt know when those hyenas showed up, making her slightly nervous she didnt know they were there. One hyena she could maybe take on, but a bunch of them? She would be lucky to even walk away. Weighing her options of either getting a free meal, or becoming a hyenas next meal she walked back with Asia to the center of the pride.
The walk to the center wasnt bad, Dun 4m Infertile was expecting more whispers to ensue yet everyone went on about their day. They were also eating todays meal, and honestly if Dun 4m Infertile was in their shoes, she wouldve been more interested in the food as well. Looking at the pride Asia had brought her into, it was made of all sorts of lions. They all looked different. There were a few cubs that looked like their mothers, but no two lioness looked related. Dun 4m Infertile turned to Asia, “Asia you started this pride with the king, but I dont see any one of these cubs that look like you?” Asia stopped in her tracks and for a slight moment Dun 4m Infertile thought she saw Asia’s shoulders drop. But as she was thinking that Asia’s shoulders were held high again. “Your’e right no cubs of these are mine.. enough personal questions about me though, I want to know who you are.”
Asia turned and crouched next to a rhino carcass that had been picked on by some other lioness. She nodded for Dun 4m Infertile to help herself. In between bites Dun 4m Infertile told Asia her past. The infertile nightmare. Dun 4m Infertile didnt like sharing her past as she would rather just look for a brighter future, but she didnt know what a bright future would look like not being able to have cubs. She shook her head some to get out of those thoughts. No need to go down a rabbit hole now. Dun 4m Infertile looked up to see Asia staring at her with a small puzzled look. “If you are going to be staying here you need a new name. If you were living on the outskirts of the pride you could keep your name. But you are part of the center now. You have a job now and its important.”
Dun 4m Infertile shared the puzzled look with Asia. A new name? A job? What job could someone like her get. She sucked at hearing Asia sneak up, sucked at hunting for food, and sucked at hearing the hyenas come in. “What job do you have in mind? Im not the best at anything really.” Asia bared her teeth as Dun 4m Infertile finished her sentence. “Dont say that. You have a purpose here now. I saw the way you were studying us from a distance. With some training you can become a permanent hunter. You have the patience and probably know the lands better than some of the hunters now.” Dun 4m Infertile had to agree with Asia on that. The amount of ground she covered showed on her paws. They were red and raw from being on them all day. “Griselda” Asia blurted out. “Its German and it means grey battle. You have done enough fighting on your own, lets us take you in now. Let us become your new pride.”
Dun 4m Infertile didnt know what to say. ‘Griselda’ had a nice ring to it but was it hers to claim? She ran the name in her head a million times before she came across the second part of Asias statement. A new pride? Dun 4m Infertile had yet to meet the king of this pride and the lioness she had met in the past hour is now offering her to stay? This was a lot for her to handle and very overwhelming. She glanced around to make an exit and the only way out was to go back the way she came. Dun 4m Infertile stood up from the half ate rhino carcass and backed away slowly. After 2 steps she was stopped in her tracks. A heavy mass was directly behind her and it let out a deep growl.
Dun 4m Infertile froze not knowing what the object behind her was. She looked at Asia who was still munching on some meat from the rhino unphased by the rumble. “Another musty reject you brought here? To the center if that?” The mass behind Dun 4m Infertile was aggravated with the actions of Asia. ‘Another?’ Dun 4m Infertile thought to herself. That would explain all the mismatched lions in this pride. Asia found this pride with the king yet the king, who Dun 4m Infertile assumed was the mass behind her, possibly had little choice in who was in his pride. Dun 4m Infertile was very confused about this pride.
Before she could think about it more the mass grabbed her leg and drug Dun 4m Infertile away from the food and the rest of the pride. Scared of the strength of the king, Dun 4m Infertile let out a yelp like sound. She hadnt made the noise probably ever in her life but this was a life or death situation forming. Dun 4m Infertile was trying to sink her claws into anything they could cling onto to stop this lion from dragging her to who knows where. Looking around Dun 4m Infertile spotted Asia fast on the heels of the king and lunged at his neck. She missed narrowly and slid her claws against his shoulders. He whipped around, with Dun 4m Infertile in tow, and snarled at Asia. “I told you no more outside lions! You bring this infertile mess in, what am I suppose to do with her?! Shes not going to be wasting our food supply.” He was angry and with that his grip on Dun 4m Infertile's leg tightened.
Asia didnt back away from his snarling and even got closer to his face. “You have NO right to tell me what to do after what you did, you fucking monster Axellots.” Asia flashed her teeth at the King, Axellots, and matched him by snarling back at him. Axellots scuffed and let go of Dun 4m Infertile’s leg. Dun 4m Infertile was frozen and looked between the lion and lioness. There was so much tension with many unspoken words about some memory only the two of them know. Having curiosity about the history these two had was immediate but Dun 4m Infertile knew now was not the time. She got herself up and went behind Asia. The option to escape was there but for some reason Dun 4m Infertile stayed. Asia gave her a name, a job, food, and protection. She did exactly what Dun 4m Infertile saw Asia doing when she was watching the pride 2 hours ago, cared for her and protected her. Thats all she had wanted.
Axellots was the first to stop the snarling. He huffed and looked to the side like he was replaying a memory. Asia used this moment to slap Axellots in the face. He didnt flinch just looked over at Asia, then Dun 4m Infertile, then at Asia again. “If she doesnt have a name she has to go. It is my pride not yours Asia.” He flashed his teeth for a second before putting them away. Asia stomped her foot but before she could say anything Dun 4m Infertile spoke. “I have a name… its Griselda”.
|
