With New Beginnings (Baya & Malenga)

[Baya]

(OOT: I'm gone, don't want my work to be on this site.)

[Malenga]

The two barely even listened to Baya and Chinja. All they heard was noise coming from their mouths that they were too busy not to listen to since they were concerned with something else in that moment.

"She probably ran off deeper into the jungle," Salehe said, looking down at Lesedi.

"Our brothers are already in the jungle by now. If she comes back, she'll need someone here with her."

Salehe cocked his head back and narrowed his gaze at the lioness. "So you're saying we should stay here and wait? As in, do nothing?"

"Not do nothing," she shook her neck, "just be the ones she can return to to talk to about anything that's going on in her head."

"Fine..." Salehe grumbled before he left Lesedi's side to lay down in the den. However, the blonde lioness stuck outside in case there were any early signs of her coming back.

~*~

The rusty lioness blew through the bushes like it was no one's business who heard. All she wanted to do was get away from the chatter and the constant talking. According to Baya, she didn't know how to listen to her own so she didn't need the added commentary given by her friends and siblings. With a sigh and a stop, she sat down and started to think about things. One of the few things she found herself wondering was if Chinja was in love with her like Seth was with him.

"He probably wouldn't want cubs with a cub." She sighed once more, fully aware that she was a far cry from motherly.

Getting to her paws, she started walking once again. And still caught up in her own thoughts, she barely noticed when she looked forward that she was almost face to face with a lion she didn't know. With a small squeak, she turned around and ducked down, hiding herself as best she could whilst clashing with the greenery around her.

But then he called out his name. So that was Kubwa just now. Could this be the perfect moment to put the plan in action? No better time than the present. With a sharp inhale, she picked herself up and looked over the green to the male before her.

Shyly, she poked herself through the shrubs and trees and presented herself to him from the hair on her head to the tip of her tail. She meant him no harm and hopefully, he would mean none to her.

"Sup, your royal...ness?" The lioness had no idea how she was supposed to speak to him nor did she really regard him as any kind of king, so she just did her best to use whatever language wouldn't sound too forced and yet still make him get a sense of who she was.

[Baya]

(OOT: I'm gone, don't want my work to be on this site.)

[Malenga]

Sethunya nodded her head and smiled her usual smile, not letting on just how nervous she was. She didn't want to mess this up, and it seemed like all of a sudden the old leopard and Baya's words were working together to make her feel inferior. But she couldn't listen now; she had to focus on the task at paw, and that was infiltrating the pride and working her way through the inside out.

"You're right, I'm not from around here. But I'm here now, so why not just be a part of your pride," she smiled sweetly, "after all, the more the merrier in a pride, I think." The lioness shook her head so her tuft wasn't in her face. She was pleased to see that the plan was working out perfectly. It seemed like Kubwa hadn't noticed that she was with Chinja when they first met and she was lacking his scent so that obviously put the 'king' at ease.

Walking forward, as she was facing the other direction but still at his side, she looked up at his lightly coloured face. "Lead on," she chirped sweetly, looking forward and awaiting further direction from the male. She was on high alert though, and hoped that he hadn't noticed her quivering legs. She was getting more and more nervous with each pressing second she was with him. She had to make sure that she wasn't going to get into trouble with him, which meant she was going to have to choose the right lionesses to talk to, and always remain happy. She couldn't lead him on to think that there was something waiting for her and a certain surprise waiting for him at the end of her stay.

[Baya]

(OOT: I'm gone, don't want my work to be on this site.)

[Malenga]

Sethunya followed him quietly, listening to him ramble. The sign of someone who was insecure was when they spoke a little too highly of themselves to others. None the less, she nodded her head and kept walking, thoughts to herself as usual. As she watched him, she waited for him to make eye contact with her before she smiled. "I'm sure they all know it but are just too proud to admit it," she commented, attempting to stroke his confidence. She was sure this male just needed a little grooming of his own and that way she would be able to get to the core of him. See what he was really like, what his weakness was and how to get to it. "So, what's your pride like? Are the lionesses nice? I'll bet the females in your pride are nice, you must treat them really well. Oh, do you have cubs at all? I would love to play with them!" Sethunya smiled, attempting to get her mind off of how nervous she was to think about things that made her happy. And hopefully, Kubwa wasn't going to think her annoying or think about killing her.

~*~

Usi and Badrani escaped the green, just a few minutes after their other 'pride mates'. Lesedi and Salehe greeted them, welcoming them back with head nuzzles.

"Any sign of her?" Lesedi questioned, looking up at her brother and then Usi.

"We saw her with this lion, who I'm guessing is Kubwa," Usi answered.

"And you just let her go?!" Salehe bellowed his loud voice, showing obvious unhappiness in their decision to let her go off with this mad lion.

"Brother, it's part of the plan. She knows it, and I'm sure she'll be--"

"Dead?! Yeah, she will be unless we don't go and save her!" Salehe roared as he stepped forward, but the sight of the thin leg attached to Badrani blocking the larger lion's path caught him off guard, as he looked into Badrani's eyes and saw nothing but certainty.

"She'll be fine." Lesedi, Usi and Salehe both were silent after what the mute lion decided to say, speaking up in times where it was needed. Lesedi walked back over to her older brother and nuzzled him in discomfort of the whole situation, Rani giving his own accompanying nudge to his younger, brightly coloured sister. Salehe simply snorted and let out a breath, Usi bopping his head on his younger brother's for assurance.

However, once Baya spoke up for the first time to to the others, Salehe's head turned right around with a snarl. He got to his paws and strode forward, but was stopped as Usi got in between the two of them. "You think fighting will do any good, Salehe?"

"It'll make me feel better, and give me dinner for the night!" The bigger lion growled, but Usi stood firm and crossed the path between Baya and Salehe, not allowing his older brother to be starting fights when they weren't needed.

"Step away from Baya, and cool your head. We don't need to fight at a time like this. You're just stressed out right now," Usi looked over to the rogue brothers, "I think we all can agree on that. And Baya's right in a way; we have to stop judging each other and work together in order to save Seth, Kovu, and the animals of this jungle."

Salehe looked down at his brother before looking back at Baya, and then over to Chinja. He took a long stare at the smaller lion, but he let out a breath he seemed to have been holding for a while and took himself away from the potentially harmful situation. As Salehe advanced back to the others, Usi had to close this eyes at Baya's remark towards Lesedi making herself useful. He groaned as he saw Lesedi perk her ears and then pin them back.

"Your belly," she clicked her lips, "your problem." With that, the young female sat down, wrapping her tail around her legs, and looking at the others. "If my pride is hungry, then I'll go for them. Are you all hungry?"

The three lions shook their heads, not really wanting to anger the lioness any more than she was. Usi began to walk back to the others but before he did, he looked over at Chinja, who had really been quiet this whole time. "Are you getting hungry, Chinja?" the lion asked, a smile laced across his face, welcoming Chinja's honest response. His opinion still stood of Chinja: He was a lion who wanted nothing better than to make Sethunya happy. And thusly, that made Usi happy.

[Baya]

(OOT: I'm gone, don't want my work to be on this site.)

[Malenga]

Lesedi narrowed her eyes at the brothers. Just when she thought they were getting tolerable, they had to open their mouths and talk about her and her friends and family like they knew anything about them. The same thing Baya was accusing them of doing he was as well. And as for Chinja, he was refusing Usi's help when there wasn't much of a reason to be giving it to that rogue.

"Like you're one to talk, boy," Lesedi spat at Baya, "you think you can judge us when you're doing the same? You don't know where we--"

"Lesedi." The lioness looked up at her older brother, his eyes asking her to step down from fighting. At least this once. With a snort, the lioness settled herself, the fur on the back of her neck settling.

Lesedi looked up at her brother before she looked away, quite upset with having to back down. She wanted to defend herself, her brother, and their older sister. "Fine," she grumbled.

As the lioness looked to see Salehe coming to sit beside her, she noticed her brother get up and start to walk away. She didn't give chase, as she knew it would do no good. No, Badrani was one of those lions who would take his time and then come back and join in whatever activity was required of him.

"Please don't go too far, Rani," Usi called. Badrani nodded his head opposite of the rythm he was moving to indicate he heard and he would follow instructions.

With the departure of her brother, Lesedi picked herself up and walked into the den. Past the annoying, younger brother and looked at Chinja. "I suggest, for your mateship with my sister, that you take the time to understand that your brother is going to get you in trouble with his mouth." It was true; the way Baya spoke, she knew it would get to Seth when she came back. Chinja knew so little of Sethunya, and yet she could bet that Sethunya already knew all about Chinja. Regardless, Lesedi wasn't going to be the one who was enlightening them with Seth's story, so she proceeded to lay down in the den, soon being joined by her large lion friends to keep her company.

~*~

Sethunya followed, shortly being greeted by the sight of multiple lionesses. And, as she had expected, no lions. They were all a variety of colours and shapes, but they all looked to be equally as mean. Except for dear Kakra and her daughter, who were in the background, looking quite stunned to see Sethunya here.

She did her best to ignore his comment about her birthing him a prince, and looked over at the others. They didn't look fond of her already. But, where was Fayola? Was she kicked out? Seth hoped so, so that she could make the plan go off without a hitch.

"Uhh, well, I'm Sethunya. It's nice to meet all of you." Seth was smiling as best she could at the others, but the little cub was really catching her eye. He looked so fragile and small, but she didn't care. Walking up to him, she bent her head over him and smiled. "You're too cute for words! What's your name? I can tell you and I are going to be great friends."

[Baya]

(OOT: I'm gone, don't want my work to be on this site.)

[Malenga]

"You know what?" Lesedi stood up after shortly just resting herself. She took a few bold, quick paced steps forward, bumping herself onto Chinja. She intended for the push to be hard, although she didn't want to recognize if she did a good job or not as Chinja was taller, and a tad bit larger than her. "I've hard it up to my nose in your attitude," she spat. With her ears pressed against her head, and her teeth glowing in the moonlight, Lesedi stared up at Chinja with angry ruby eyes.

"Lesedi, cool it. We don't need to be fighting right now," Usi calmly explained, getting to his own paws like he was going to step forward if she didn't calm down.

Taking a swift look over to him, her cheek tufts slapped her face before they settled back to hanging once more. "No! He obviously wants a fight, so I'll give him one!" Lesedi's voice echoed through the den, which was probably why after a few short minutes, the return of Rani was made.

"You're just tired, Les. Let's just go to bed--"

But Lesedi ignored Salehe's comment and looked back at the older brother. "You think you're doing yourself well by saying that you're not responsible for your brother? What do you think my sister is going to think when she hears that you weren't even attempting to keep the peace? Are you a cub? She's not going to think highly of either of you," she took a look back at Baya before she looked back up at Chinja, "And before you go off again on how we're judging you or whatever load of rhino poop you're stuck on now to make yourself feel better because you're so butt hurt about whatever is stuck up there, you best check your own attitude. If you want respect, you give it back. Quite frankly, I don't think Usi should be nice to you." Usi sighed, placing his head down on his paws in obvious discomfort of being brought into the conversation. "We don't know where you come from, and you don't know where we come from. As much as you wanna believe we came from a perfect home, with perfect parents and lived happily ever after, you're only half right. We had great lives because our adoptive mother and father cared for us like their own and we were lucky to have ran into them or we'd all be dead by now. Sethunya included."

Lesedi began huffing, attempting to take in as much breath as she could after the rant she displayed in front of the brothers and her own kin.

Usi walked over to the two of them, nudging the teen's shoulder with his nose before she looked over at him, almost snapping out of the state she was in and calming down. Her eyes were no longer glinting with the rage she was feeling, and were now simmering into just being pools of red gems, glittering in the moonlight.

"Lesedi is right; we don't know where each other has come from. Except for Baya, perhaps," Usi looked over to the lion off on his own before looking back at Chinja. "Perhaps not tonight, but I think we would all do some good to let the barriers down and just talk to each other. Not like enemies." The lion looked at his brother, seeing Salehe nod his head slowly in agreement. He then looked at Chinja and smiled once more, "For now, I think we need to sleep and let this night pass. We're all a little stressed out and that will do no good for us getting to know one another."

Badrani nodded his head, slowly. He wasn't looking too pleased about having to share his story, but he certainly didn't look repulsed by it. Besides, if Lesedi was going to share hers, he found more strength in that.

~*~

Sethunya watched the interaction between Kubwa and the lionesses. She already knew his head was messed up, and she had to make sure he thought she didn't know that. But more importantly, she had to make sure not to get caught up in a good side of Kubwa-- if he even had one at all.

Whilst the lionesses paid attention to their king, she looked down at the cub. "Kadogo? Hope you don't find me rude, but I think I'll call you 'Ayo'. It means joy, or valued. And you're both to me." Sethunya smiled at the little one, hoping she could bring him hope for a good life whilst she was here. In fact, she was hoping that once Kubwa was gone, she could possibly adopt him out. Like her birth parents did with her.

"I am going to show Sethunya the territory, my liege," Kakra shakily walked over to the younger lioness and looked at her with regretful eyes. With that, they left off to look at the den, as Kakra knew that no one was going to be there with the return of their king. Once they were near the den, a thorough check was done to see if there were any lurking presences. None.

Kakra turned back to look at the red lioness. "What are you doing here?" she hastily questioned, leaning her head in.

"I'm trying to save you and your pride, Kakra--"

"It's too dangerous! You could be killed!," she noticed her voice was starting to carry into the trees, as had Seth noticed as well.

Seth was looking to see if anyone was coming to investigate but she brought her head back to look down at the caramel lioness. "I promise you, I won't. We have all put together a plan and I know it's going to work. I just need you to believe in me," Sethunya whispered. "I'll tell you more later, alright? I'll find us a spot where we can talk about it in detail and we won't be caught."

Hesitantly, Kakra nodded her head. Her old hues of brown were extremely scared and prance across the tree tops with anxiety, but she nodded her head. Obviously she must have felt some sort of comfort in the fact that there was a plan. "Alright," she placed her paw on Seth's, "If Kubwa ever asks, tell him you're carrying a cub already."

"Won't that make him angry--"

"All you have to do is tell him that the cub was a mistake from another lion. Just stroke his ego as much as you can and he'll bide by it. It should stall for time."

Seth nodded her head. With that, they both walked back to the others, Seth displaying her usual bouncy smile. "If it's alright, Kubwa, I'm going to do a scout of the territory and make sure I know more of my surroundings. After all, if we're going to keep this territory in check, we need someone to look it all over, right?" Sethunya smiled up at him, hoping he would oblige. Otherwise, she would have to sneak out when they were all asleep and deal with the consequences of maybe getting caught when she returned.