Pride of Exiles

[Ravvij]

"I had a small meal a few moments ago, but it's nothing quite as filling as this will be." Kaith said smiling. She looked passed Laini at her son, who'd just walked passed Laini to their kill, then she looked back at har and winked. A knowing and teasing gesture to the young lioness.
Rav sat down, opposite of his mother and began to chew off little strips of meat, savoring the meal. He looked at his mother and gave her a disapproving stare. She just smiled at him and giggled to herself.

[TheWhistlerify]

Laini smiled a small smile when Kaith accepted her invitation to eat from the kill, only for another look of embarrassment to replace it when the older lioness winked at her. This probably couldn't get any worse (embarrassment-wise), but the young lioness was still not aware of just how much of a teaser Rav's mother could be. Realizing that perhaps eating would help her fet her mind off of that, she stood by the kill a few feet away from Rav and began to quietly eat as well. This reminded her of how she and Rav had brought it down together, which in turn caused her to think about how Kaith had interrupted them...

[Ravvij]

"It's a never ending cycle, my young Laini." Kaith said at last, after a long silence. "I know what's going through your mind. I had the same thing happen to me when I was just a bit younger than you are now."
"Mother, don't antagonize her." Rav said quickly.
"I'm not, dear. I'm just making conversation." she said as though she were innocent.
"You don't need to tease her like you do me."
"Oh, but I'm not teasing her like I would you. You'll get far worse one of these days." she said in a playfully threatening voice.
Rav sighed and continued eating. His eyes darked over to Laini every time he dipped his head down to eat. He though Kaith wouldn't notice but she did and every time he picked his head up she had a smile across her lips that got wider and wider. Until finally she spoke, "Getting a sneak peek?"
Rav just about choked on his food. He was used to her teasing, but now that it involved someone else it somehow felt worse.

[TheWhistlerify]

Laini's cheeks once again turned red when Kaith spoke to her. Was what she was thinking about that obvious to the older lioness? It did feel nice to have Rav come to her defense, even if he did seem to not make much of an impression on his mother. After a few seconds of staring down at the dead antelope without saying a word, the young lioness continued to eat, not noticing Rav glance at her every once in a few seconds.

If it weren't for the fact that his mother was there she would have probably caught on to that because she would have done the same thing, but the very thought of having Kaith catch her staring at her son was embarrassing enough on its own. When the older lioness then asked her son if he was getting a sneak peek, followed by the sound of him nearly choking on what was in his mouth, Laini stared from her to him a few times before connecting the dots. Right, so the situation could get more humiliating... "Are you okay?" she asked quietly, unable to help herself.

[Ravvij]

"-cough- Yeah. -choke- I'm good." he said and sputtered. Then he looked at Kaith, "Would you please cut that out for one night?!"
Kaith just giggled a bit and nodded her head. She knew when to stop. She enjoyed playing with her son's emotions a bit too much. Eventually, she knew, she'd take it too far but for now it was all just harmless fun. Like scaring a little field mouse.
It didn't take long before the carcass was picked clean to the marrow. The three of them returned to their spot below the tree and Kaith was fast asleep. Rav was wide awake however, and he lay beneath the tree. He surveyed the land. He thought long and hard about where they might go next. North, obviously, but would they need to turn a little to the east or west? The moon now shown on the other side of the mountains they'd been walking to and from. He desided that it might be worth climbing to the top of one of the many peaks to see where their best course would be.

[TheWhistlerify]

In a way, Laini didn't have a problem with the three of them finishing their meal and then walking back to their spot beneath the tree in complete silence. As a matter of fact it felt like a break both she and Rav really needed from his mother's teasing. The young lioness lay down beneath the tree as well, but she did not fall asleep right away like Kaith had. She was about to fall asleep some time later, but that was when she noticed that Rav was still awake.

Taking a quick glance at the older lioness, a small smile formed on Laini's muzzle when she realized that Rav's mother was asleep. She got to her paws ever so quietly and slowly made her way over to the lion. He seemed to be deep in his own thoughts. "What's on your mind?" she asked softly, lying down next to him. She still didn't know much about this lion, who she'd already realized she was developing feelings towards. Perhaps now would be a good time for them to get to know each other better.

[Ravvij]

Rav sighed. "This journey." he said exasperatedly. "I'm going to have to get to the top of those distant peaks to see where we should go. If we're lucky, a good home will be just on the other side. If not, we'll have to travel more and risk running through another pride or two if they aren't accepting. Thinking about it is making my head hurt. Like it does every time I have to think about it."
He sat there and a moment longer before speaking again.
"So, what brings you out here on your own?" he asked, shifting his thoughts to more pleasant things; such as his new companion.

[TheWhistlerify]

Laini listened silently as Rav spoke, paying close attention to everything he said. The idea of going to the top of one of the mountains in order to see ahead impressed her. There was no doubt that Rav knew what he was doing better than she did. She definitely had no problem understanding why the very thought of their journey was enough to give him a headache. The same could be said about her. Although, now that she wasn't travelling alone, it already felt easier (despite the storm they'd faced).

When Rav asked her what she was doing all on her own, her head was suddenly flooded with memories of her old home. Some were happy ones while others, more recent ones, were far less pleasant. "I left my old pride." she said, her gaze shifting from the male to the horizon in front of them. "It's... it's a long story... I'm just looking for a better home, like you. So it seems..." She looked at him with a small smile. "What about you?" She was interested in why he and his mother weren't part of a pride either, but she obviously wouldn't force him into talking about it in case he didn't want to.

[Ravvij]

"I can't remember everything about why we're traveling, but my mother says that my father was defeated by another lion and was exiled. She ran off with me to spare my life." he said plainly. There was no emotion about the way he told his story. Not because he distanced himself from it, but because he was distant from it. "I can remember wandering my whole life with my mother. She taught me to hunt, she taught me to think and be resourceful. I don't think I'd be alive today if not for her. I own her my life." he said and a kind smile came over his face when he talked about her. He obviously loved her and would do anything she asked. Kaith stretched and shifted in her asleep as if when Rav talked about her she could feel it. "Mother thinks I should reclaim my pride, but I never knew them and I don't feel obligated to return. If anything, I think I'd rather start my own pride. The thought of living in a pride at all is strange. I wouldn't even know where to begin." a light hearted chuckle came from him as he spoke those last few words.

[TheWhistlerify]

Laini once again listened attentively. It was quite impressive to hear about everything Kaith had done for her son and yet, at the same time, things like that felt as if they were natural for a lioness who could easily leave such a powerful first impression on anybody she met. "That's really amazing." she said, the respect noticeable in her tone as she smiled as well. "She's really something. Teasing aside, of course." She chuckled. "All parents do that..."

She continued to listen, smiling once more when the lion by her side said that he had no idea what living in a pride could be like. "It's quite different, I'll tell you that." Perhaps she could try to explain it to him. "You're obviously safer than when you live on your own. Even if you're not the one leading the pride, you still have a lot of responsibility towards it and towards your pridemates. But, at the same time, you also have all of them to support you when you need them." She had no doubt that Rav would find life in a pride easier and calmer, even if it would take him some time to get used to it.