A Wandering Prince and the Seer

"Well, I'm glad you sought me out and gave me the chance to say hello."

"Of course."

"I had heard you're travelling with a strange lion." Tishala gave Nuru a grin.

"Yes, Midas. I'm not sure where he's from- and neither does he, apparently. I had a vision of him arriving to the pride a couple months ago but nothing beyond our initial meeting. He seems... lost, almost. I'm taking him around the different regions, showing him the different magical areas in each one." She paused a moment, recalling him placing his paw into the fire in the cave. "I'm not quite sure what to make of him. He seems reserved. I can't really read anything from him. It's actually a little irritating."

"What, that you can't pry into his head like you can with everyone else?," she teased.

Nuru shook her head and rolled her eyes. "I just wish I knew how to help him. Though I think, in some strange way, interacting with the anomalies is helping."

"Wait. Interacting with the anomalies?"

"Yeah...he sort of put his paw in the fire-"

"What?!"

"-and nothing happened. If anything, it was like the flame ignored him."

"Huh. Wow. That's, uh... yeah, that's not normal."

"I know." It was still strange to remember. She almost wished she knew what he was doing when she had left the cavern. Perhaps it was nothing at all. Despite her curiosity, she wasn't going to pry. He could tell her if he wanted to. "I should probably be off. I still need to eat. I'll be leaving early in the morning for maeneo ya kufa."

"Quite the trip. Be sure to say hello to Faraji for me."

"Of course. I had planned to." The seer stepped closer to embrace Tishala briefly before taking her leave in search of some food. She made her way back to the central area where she could see several of the lions already helping themselves to the prey that had been caught for dinner. Not too far from the others she could also see Midas who was enjoying a meal of his own. The others were kind of keeping their distance, though mostly because they were in their own familiar groups. Occasionally someone would walk by and acknowledge him and he'd nod back in response but there wasn't much beyond that.

Nuru grabbed herself something to eat and carried it over to Midas. He smiled politely at her as she lay on the ground. "Hello again, Midas."

"Nuru. Have you met with everyone you needed to?"

"Mostly. I just had a lovely chat with Tishala. This morning with Azizi and Binti was nice. I wish there was more time to spend with Ahadi and Reth but I know they're busy with their roles as leaders. If I can find them, I may seek out Mosiya and Kito later and say hello. I'm not too close with any of the hunters nor do I know the newest member, Kobe. Just know he's the guard captain. Beside that, I'd say I've met with everyone I needed to in this region."

He nodded his head, taking a moment to chew some of his food before speaking. "I see. It seems you don't need much time in this region. Perhaps because you don't have family here?"

"I suppose that does make sense. While I do consider some close like family, they're not of my blood so it's not really the same. But I'm also not familiar with this region. Or the other regions, for that matter. I tend to stick around the plain. If I had to guess, I'm most familiar with kikoa cha zamani. That will be the next region we visit after maeneo ya kufa."

"I look forward to seeing it. All of them, actually. I'm fascinated with your home. And..." He paused for a moment, considering. She watched him carefully. "If I am to be completely honest, I am hoping our future visits to these other magical anomalies will unlock more of my past- more of myself. I must admit, I was not expecting such a reaction. Nor do I think it would've been possible without your presence. Without you there, I might not have learned anything. I'm grateful for you, Nuru."

There he goes again, making me blush. She smiled and nodded her head once before returning to her meal. He gave her another smile before also returning to his own. The silence that fell between them was comforting. He finished first then took a moment to clean up before standing. "You going to turn in for the night?"

"Actually, I think I'm going to wander about the area. Not too far, just want to look around the region some."

"Sure. I think I'll look for Kito and Mosiya after I finish. I'll see you again when it's time to turn in?"

"I shall return before nightfall."

Another smile broke out on her face. "Until then." He bowed his head before turning to wander between the trees. She returned to the food before her and finished up her meal. After cleaning up her paws she pushed up from the ground. Perhaps she could seek out Kito and Mosiya. They shouldn't be too far off. She wasn't actively looking for them before so they could simply be on the other side of the clearing or even just beyond the treeline. She was about to head off in that direction when a voice stopped her.

"Heard you were looking for me?"

The lioness turned around to see the obsidian coat of Kito, a smirk on his lips. "Perhaps I was. I was hoping to see you and Mosiya before I leave tomorrow. I had spent some time with Azizi yesterday and again this morning along with Binti. I didn't see much of Nalah though."

"Ah, she wanders around here. Not much to do right now. Keep cool. She may have taken to one of the rivers. It tends to get pretty humid here during the summer."

"I've noticed. I don't envy your home."

"It has it's moments. It's got some beautiful waterfalls and rivers. There's plentiful life if you know where to look. Having the wild dogs close is not as bad as you'd think either. They make for great neighbors."

"It's a good thing they're our allies then. Now. You mind taking me to Mosiya? Perhaps we can talk a bit before I turn in for the night. I hope to leave at first light. I've got a long journey ahead."

"Sure thing, Nuru."

Kito lead the way, not too far from where they were actually. Nestled kind of past the trees she could see Mosiya. As they approached, she looked up at them with a smile. "Hey, Nuru."

"Mosiya. You look well."

"I feel well. Thanks. I had heard you were around here somewhere. Showing someone around?"

"Yes. Midas."

"Kind of an intimidating guy," Kito interjected.

"I think I caught a glimpse of him earlier, but I didn't pay much attention."

"He's nice enough. Reserved. Though I can definitely see how he can be intimidating," Nuru agreed. "I just wanted a chance to say hi before I left tomorrow. I don't want to stay away from home for too long. Maybe only spend a couple days in each region."

"Are you at least going to make time to visit your family?"

"I plan to, yes. Maybe spend an extra day in kikoa cha zamani and msitu wa baridi. I suppose it will also depend on the weather. Hopefully the summer will be kind and not have any storms."

"One can hope. I'm sure it'll be nice to see your family. I don't know if I could live away from my mother."

"I could." Mosiya pushed Kito at his comment which only made him chuckle. "What? I could. Though it was nice to have her around to watch the cubs when they were...well, cubs."

"Hmm. Not so little anymore, are they?" Nuru gave them a warm smile.

"Definitely not. I'm pretty sure Azizi is planning to officially ask Binti to be his bond mate this Msimu wa Upendo."

"How exciting. Do you think you two would be ready for grandcubs?" They both groaned a little, making the seer muse softly. "Not to worry. You're both still young yourselves. And with that, I will leave you two for the night. I must ensure a good nights rest."

"I'm glad we got to visit before you left." Kito nodded his head in agreement.

"As am I. Enjoy your evening." Nuru smiled and took her leave of the couple. Heading back the direction she came from, she noticed the clearing was mostly clear. Everyone had finished their meal and was now either turning in for the night or relaxing. The hunters were all gathered with both Asani and Hami, Sefu's two sons with Ubatili and Chiku respectively. They appeared to be relaxing together as a...er, family. It appeared that Kobe had turned in for the night huddled to himself on the far end. She even saw Nalah making her way over from the rivers beyond the trees. No doubt Ahadi and Reth were holed up in their own private area. She had just left Kito and Mosiya so probably Azizi and even Binti were out there by them. Possibly even Tishala. There was only one missing and he was probably still looking around. She found a spot for herself to settle in for the night and lay down with her head on her paws. The sky was getting darker though there were still streaks of pinks and purples.

"Settling in for the night already?"

She picked up her head and turned to see Midas smiling down at her. She felt so tiny laying on the ground with him standing over her. Still, she smiled up at him. "I'm not as young as I used to be. I need to ensure I give myself enough sleep if we're to be travelling all of tomorrow."

He huffed in a short laugh. "Fair enough. I suppose I can understand that."

Nuru watched him walk past her and lay down not too far from her. "Did you enjoy exploring?"

"I did. This is a beautiful region. The trees are lush and tall. It'd probably be nicer if it weren't so humid. Though the rivers are gorgeous. The way the water runs, the sound of rushing rapids or the trickle of the streams. It's very musical here if you can sit long enough to just listen." He smiled over at her, his head low but still raised above his paws which were crossed.

"Hmm. I agree. I don't think I've ever thought of it that way, but yes this region is definitely very alive with sounds of the natural world around us." She laid her head back down on her paws but kept her gaze in his direction.

"Did you enjoy your time visiting with your friends?"

She smiled. "I did. It's always nice to catch up with those I don't get to see often. See how they're growing. When I was speaking with Kito and Mosiya, they told me their son Azizi plans to propose to Binti. Ask her to be his bond mate. I remember when Kito was asking Mosiya." The lioness chuckled warmly. "I've never seen that boy so flustered before. It's not in his nature. He definitely tried to play it off though Mosiya saw right through him. Always was able to see when he was nervous."

"Sounds exciting. Does your pride have a special ceremony for couples?"

"We do. Typically a couple will wait until Msimu wa Upendo, which lasts about the last two weeks of the final season. They approach the king and queen for their blessing and are bonded together with a blade of napier grass for a full day to symbolize their joining. Not all the couples do so. Though most of the prides pairs have done just that."

"Have you ever been bonded to someone?"

Nuru blushed lightly. "I- No."

"Not even to the father of your children?"

"Actually, I've had two partners if you will. But wasn't bonded to either. I suppose it was a spontaneous match on both occasions. My first litter with Khamisi was with one lion while my second litter with Badru was with another."

"I see." He fell quiet and finally lay his head down over his paws. She noticed that he also kept facing in her direction. "I suppose we should attempt to get some rest. As you said, we're not getting any younger."

She gave a halfhearted chuckle as her eyes slipped close. "I suppose you're right. Goodnight, Midas."

"Goodnight, Nuru."