[Closed] Little Stranger (Taraji Chapter 1)

[KiarasMate]

Hearing Taraji’s question about why she shouldn’t be shy around others, Kiara thought for a moment on how best to answer her adopted daughter’s inquiry. Truthfully, Kiara saw nothing wrong with being shy, as she sometimes was shy around new faces too but knowing the ways of pride life lead the golden furred princess to reply in a gentle voice.

”Because Cutie, as a pride, we all have to trust one another and be friendly to each other. The only way you’re going to make some friends is by learning how to be social. I know it must be hard for you to trust every new face you see Cutie, but as long as me, or Daddy, or Nala say it’s okay, you can trust us that no one will hurt you or make you feel sad or anything like that. It’s just the ways of being a lioness Cutie. We’re lucky after all. We have the safety of a pride and there’s never a shortage of friends to talk to or play with here but you’ll never meet any of them if you stay underneath me Cutie.”

Pausing for a moment, Kiara leaned down to lovingly nuzzle the crystal eyed cub as she whispered to her.

”You’re the cutest little cub around here anyways Taraji and I know that everyone would want to play with you Cutie.”

By this time, Kiara and Taraji had made it to The Private Waterhole. Making sure to keep a close eye on Taraji here, Kiara spoke in a concerned voice as she approached the waters edge.

”Be careful around here Cutie. I don’t want you falling in the water again, okay?”

Leaning her head in, Kiara began to lap up the cool, refreshing fluid as she continued to keep watch over her adorable little daughter.

==========

Nala watched attentively as Rahina brought down not only one, but two of the passing wildebeest. Panting heavily as she made her way over towards where Rahina was now cleaning herself at, managing to exclaim in between breaths.

”Well…done there…Rahina. Two for…the price of…one.”

Taking a seat next to one of the fallen wildebeest to catch her breath, Nala flashed Rahina a proud stare as she addressed the dark furred lioness once again.

”I think the only thing you have to be careful about for next time is your positioning and making sure not to get crushed by your prey. Nice dodge by the way though.”

Looking over the two slain creatures, Nala knew that this would be more than a feast for their pride and that there was no point in staying out longer than need be. Giving Rahina a bit of time to recover as well, Nala spoke in a satisfied manner.

”So, shall we bring these back for our hungry mates and company Rahina?”

==========

Expecting a response from Vitani, but hearing Daxis’ voice instead, Simba’s focus shifted to the red maned male as he listened with an interested look upon his muzzle. Once Daxis was finished speaking, the king was about to reply, when the new little lioness beat him to the punch. Staying mute for a moment while she confirmed Daxis’ information, Simba spoke to both of them once she had finished.

”Oh, I see. Well, if my mate let you stay Almasi, than I suppose I should as well. There is always room for another in our pride, especially for an adorable cub such as yourself. You are free to stay in my lands as long as you’d like and it’s very nice to meet you. My name is Simba, if you haven’t already learned that and if there’s anything I can do for you, you just let me know, okay Sweetie?” Turning his attention to Daxis now, Simba continued. ”Thank you for informing me about Almasi Daxis. I appreciate it and yes, you may go tell Laini whatever you need to. Oh, and please let her know that there is going to be a Pride Meeting tonight, so I’d like it if she would show up too. Should start around last light, so please let her know about that Daxis.”

Nodding to Vitani’s confirmation about Almasi, Simba flashed her a thankful smile as he spoke indirectly to the rest of the members around him.

”Like you just heard me tell Daxis, there will be a Pride Meeting tonight at the main den. I’ll expect you all to be there on time. If you see any of your fellow pride members today, please let them know too. I should probably let Kivuli know too.” Simba stated, turning around to make his way back to the main den, pausing for a second, just in case any of them had anything else to speak with him about.

[Mike]

Shani's ears immediately pricked up at the words "pride meeting." In his experience these things were rarely the innocent things their names implied. There would be disagreements, and tensions, and for a wily lion, they were the perfect place to sow discord and forge alliances. He nodded sharply to let Simba know that he understood and would be there. He saw Vitani nod out of the corner of his eye, and noticed that she'd pulled a nasty grimace. As Simba left them to their own devices, Shani rounded casually on Vitani, moving to her other side and sitting down so they were somewhat isolated from the others.

"You didn't seem too pleased to hear about this meeting." he observed mildly. "Pridelander politics got you down?"

Vitani was very put-off that Shani had noticed this, but she didn't bother to deny it. "These meetings are worse than useless." she muttered, keeping her voice low enough for Shani only. "Simba should just tell the members what he wants and leave it at that. Nobody else ever agrees when he leaves it up to us."

Shani felt a smug swelling of excitement, but kept this off his face, instead opting for an earnest, agreement. "You're wiser than your age would suggest, though I guess living through both Zira's and Simba's reign is useful on that front. Simba seems to be a very pleasant lion, but he doesn't control his subjects as strongly as he should. Anyone might have a dangerous secret, and he'll never learn it until it's too late."

Vitani winced, thinking about Nala's carefully protected pregnancy. Simba could have discovered the truth if he were a little more alert, a little more aware, but it seemed that he would be the last lion in the kingdom to know.

"Not that I'm suggesting he follow Zira's lead;" Shani continued, pressing his advantage. "by all accounts she was a wicked creature, no offense to you of course." He finished with a respectful nod to Vitani before going on. "But there has to be a middle ground, doesn't there?"

Vitani started, hearing Shani say exactly what she had been thinking. She suddenly realized what she'd been saying, and how much of herself she'd just spilled out to this stranger. Shani seemed to have a strange affect on her. Having bested her in combat she found it harder to stand up to him than to any other lion. Still, she wasn't about to abandon herself to this odd charm just yet.

"And I suppose you followed this "middle ground" in your own kingdom?" She said mockingly. "Is that what destroyed your pride?"

Shani smiled knowingly. "Oh no..." he said in an enticing low voice. "It was a paradise." Shani held Vitani's gaze for a moment longer, then slid to his feet, teasing Vitani with the dangled secret. "But I'll have to tell you about that later. I promised to check in with Caine, I met him yesterday morning you know."

Shani grinned darkly to himself as he walked away. That encounter could not have gone better. Vitani was clearly dissatisfied with Simba's leadership style, even if she was unshakably loyal to the lion himself. Shani promised himself that there would be many more talks like that with the fiery young lioness. He entered the main den, leaving Vitani conflicted and shaken behind him.

Shani then entered the main den and made his way over to Caine, sleeping in a quiet corner of the den. He'd met Caine briefly the day before, and had found his dry humor refreshing. There was a lion he wouldn't mind having on his side. Seeing that his new acquaintance was still slumbering, he shook his head and prodded him awake. "You do know that it's late morning right Caine?" he said dryly. "Get up already, you missed Simba's announcement just now."

-----------------

Kovu woke up slowly to the sounds of birds chirping, and the feel of a hot sun against his eyelids. He cracked his eyes opened, completely disoriented by the lateness of the day and by his family's absence. He rolled to his feet, refreshed by a long sleep, but worried by his mate's absence, especially considering the events of the day before. He padded quickly over to the waterhole, and was relieved to see Kiara with Taraji around on the other side of the large pool. He began to make his way around to them, but suddenly froze. a short distance away was a strange lion that he'd never seen before. It was a powerfully built lion with an unusually pale color that made his jet-black mane all the more striking.

Yesterday Kovu might have been inclined to call out to the stranger, but after the attack the day before he was feeling especially cautious. He crept up behind the stranger without a sound, watching him drink his fill from the clear waters of the pool. Maybe this was the escaped attacker of the day before.

"Do you know who'se pool that is?" Kovu growled from just a few paces away, firmly set in a fighting stance.

[JaguarOne]

Santiago had just finished taking his drink when he began to sense something wasn't right. Cautiously taking a step back, he could have sworn he heard faint footsteps. Lucky for him, he was guarded enough to even notice that. Had his guard been down any more than it was, he might not have noticed anything. He had just began to look around in front of him when the lion heard growling from behind him following a question that he knew meant that whoever was regarding him was ready for a fight.

He had no knowledge that this water hole was a protected one much less that it was protected by a hostile pride; however, he knew that he might have to fight again. Something he'd prefer to avoid, but wouldn't mind rushing into headfirst if necessary.

"No. Am I supposed to?" The lion asked seriously, his eyes narrowing as he turned around and began to glare at the other lion, his green eyes taking in the feline's build and unique colouring consisting of brown fur with green eyes and a black mane. His claws were beginning to dig into the ground below, his expression showing that he won't back down if challenged.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Caine had somehow managed to sleep away most of the morning, something that wouldn't surprise most Pride Landers since he enjoyed taking long strolls at night which meant he usually didn't return till later in the night. However, he was usually up around mid-morning which meant he was really bushed from the day before to have slept in for so long. Needless to say, he let out a groan when he felt Shani prodding him.

"Mmmm....what? Announcement? Huh?" The tired lion asked as he got up and stretched out, his back cracking slightly as he stretched in a manner resembling the downward dog before sitting up and yawning quietly. A small smirk came across his face as he noticed that it was the rather attractive Shani who had woken him up.

"That's odd that they sent you to wake me up. I thought that missing an important announcement would end with a reprimand, not a good-lookin' lion wakin' me up," The feline replied with a smirk and a wink, his mind quickly starting to function as he let his eyes adjust to the daylight pouring into the den.

[Mike]

"So you wouldn't happen to know for example," Kovu continued suspiciously "that our pride was attacked yesterday and one member was badly hurt before the aggressors were fought off?"

He tried to read the other lion, and didn't see any flicker of recognition. It would be a pretty bold step for one of the attackers to come back and take a blatant drink at the waterhole the next day, but it never hurt to stay on guard. Kovu saw the other lion ease into a defensive stance of his own. Apparently he'd prefer to fight his way out of the situation than come into the pridelands with his pride checked at the border. A lion after his own heart, but now Kovu had a family and he wasn't amused. It didn't occur to him that the stranger might never have herd of the pridelands. Not wanting a fight, but determined to satisfy himself as to the stranger's trustworthiness before he let his guard down, Kovu took care not to make any further provoking movements, but waited for an answer without moving from his stance.

-------------

Shani shook his head inwardly, amused in spite of himself. He'd heard about Caine's preferences the day before, but the lion sure moved fast. Shani himself had never really thought about romance. His life as King had been lonely and he had never taken a mate. His pride had been wiped out when he was still a relatively young lion anyway and he'd been wandering alone ever since. One thing was for certain though, he wasn't about to be dragged into a relationship without making sure that his potential partner was someone he could count on in any situation.

"Charming." he said dryly, watching Caine struggle to get himself up and functioning. "Actually it looks like Simba will be telling each member individually more or less. We just happened to be all in the same group at the time. There's going to be a meeting around last light, he expects everyone to be there." Shani slid back into his customary habit of digging out useful tidbits of information. Knowledge was power, and Shani didn't intend to run short. "It should be interesting to see what goes on there. I imagine that all the new arrivals in the last few days will make a big difference."

[JaguarOne]

"No, I wouldn't. In fact I was nowhere near here yesterday," Santiago replied quietly, standing his ground as he regarded Kovu who was still regarding him suspiciously. Had he known this information, he wouldn't have acted so defensively himself. Realizing that now would not be the best time to get into a fight with somebody who lived in the pride that reigned this territory, the lion relented and eased up.

"Sorry to startle you. I'm a wanderer and have been for...a long time. I travel alone and was nowhere near here yesterday," The lion replied in a calm tone, making sure that he didn't do anything that could possibly provoke the other lion. The last thing he needed was to get into a fight with one of the males in these lands. He didn't even know that he was actually in the Pride Lands at the moment. He assumed that the large Pride Rock marked the border of the pride's territory. Boy had he been wrong.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Caine wasn't necessarily thinking about romance when he first began to flirt with Shani. He had no idea about the lion's past and, quite frankly, was more entertained with being a flirt at the moment. He amused himself by teasing and flirting with people, just to see their reactions. It just so happened that he had a bit of an attraction towards Shani which actually fueled the flirting. "I know you are," The lion replied with a smirk when Shani had said "charming." Again, he was just messing with the lion, not intending to be taken seriously considering they had just met. He still needed to prove himself to the feline before he could even THINK about a potential mateship.

"Yeah, that tends to happen when a pride gets attacked. Kinda goes with the territory," The feline replied as he walked towards the mouth of the den and stepped out into the warm African morning, his eyes taking a moment to focus before he could see the other lions and lionesses around.

"Good morning everybody," The lion said as a greeting with a smile and a bow towards Simba to show his respect for the ruler of the Pride Lands. He had the utmost respect for the lion, holding him in high regards in every which way.

[Lodrill]

Taraji was a bit scarred of the waterhole due her last experiences here but she felt safe with Kiara being by her side. She stayed under her while she aproached the water and her head sank down right below the head of Kiara. She greedy gulped the water down. She really had been thirsty. While she drank she tried to stay as close to Kiaras paw as possible and sometimes looked around as if she was looking out for any other lion. She startled as Santiago dove his muzzle into the water and jumped behind Kiaras paw again. Her fearful crystal eyes looked towards the drinking lion.

[hr][/hr]

Rahina tried to catch her breath. She took Nalas praisal with a nodd. She herself was not so proud about her work. It had been one of her worst performances so far. At least in her own eyes.

"I think we should do that." Rahina responded to Nala and began to load the wildebeest she killed last on her back. It was pretty heavy but Rahina did not budge from the wight. She waited for Nala to take the other wildebeest and then followed her towards pride rock.

[hr][/hr]

Laini finally was awake. She raised and stretched her body. Then she started her daily morning bath session. Before she would go out she would bring every inch of her fur into the best shape. She just thought about where Daxis may have went. She knew she had to search for him sooner or later and so she decided to go around searching for him right after she finished her bath.

[SinChei]

Daxis nodded while still looking on Simbas Paws. Yes thank you you my king.
He turned around to Almasi and nudged her with his muzzle. And we will play later ok? Daxis looked in her eyes and noticed the marking on her head but didnt say something just went lwoly down Pride Rock towards Laini's and his den.
He hoped Laini wouldn't be mad at him because of he hadn't told her he wanted to go out.
The dark furrred male reached the den and stuck his head in to see if she is awake or not and she was awake.
Daxis entered the den slowly and carefully while holding his eyes on her. Almost in front of her he stopped and layed down close to the ground. Good morning.... I'm sorry i haven't told you that i'm going out I hope you weren't scared or something.
Daxis paused and added low Oh and Kinf Simba said i have to tell you tonight is a pride meeting and he said he would like if you would show up.

[LionPrincess]

Almasi was overjoyed at hearing that she could stay in the pridelands and finally be a part of a pride "oh thank you your highness" she said as she playfully nuzzled Simba and ran back over to Kopa, She was about to speak again when Daxis nudged her and spoke to her "ok, i will see you later" she replyed to her new friend, she then turned back to Simba "is there any other cubs my age around here" she asked as she knew that Daxis was a bit older than she was and would soon grow bored of cub play, she lay down next to Kopa and started to clean her paws as she waited for an answer from her king

[Lodrill]

Laini looked up and stoped her cleaning. She made keen eyes as Daxis closed in. "Where have you been? Did you find someone to play with?" she asked with her soft voice. Deep inside she wished for him so find someone to play due this would lessen her work with him. She had all paws full just keeping up with his appetite and caring for him as much as she could so a bit free time would be nice too some times. Like this morning for example even if she wished she had known where he went. "I have to admit that I was a bit worried where you have ran off. Not long and I would have searched for you." she explained continuing to lick her paw. "Come here." she said as she finished her bath. "You should always first clean yourself properly before you run off." Laini waited for the adolescent lion to come to her so that she could give him a throughout lesson in bathing himself.

[SinChei]

Daxis felt a bit worse when Laini told him she was a bit worried and nearly went off to look after him.
He slowly raised and went towards her while answering low I am sorry mom ... and .. ok i will try it next time but i have still some problems with it It embarassed him to say that in his age all other lions in his age could clean themselves but he couldn't.
Daxis layed down between her forpwas and admired Lainis beatiful fur while purring.
Ok why i had to come to you?