[PRP] Quality Control (Uheshe/Emrys)

[Meepfur]

They had a new Inselelo, a foreigner who had bested their own native-born Gabedi, not that the fact that he had been born to the Ithambo'hlabathi meant anything of real substance, so far as non-Ahluke males were concerned, Inselele in particular. They wrestled their way in, ripping the title from the claws of their predecessors, and more often than not were gone soon after. There were exceptions, of course, such as Andhaka, who had gone on to become an Umholi, and Jasiri, who had held onto his position for a hitherto unheard-of length of time. The latter hadn't been exactly what the females preferred, what with his white mane and all, but he had managed to hang on until a fateful snake bite weakened him and allowed Gabedi to beat him. Appearance-wise, he had been the ideal male, and yet he had caught the eye of no lionesses, perhaps due to the circumstances under which he had bested Jasiri. His strength had been questioned, and no one had chosen him to sire cubs.

Now Gabedi was gone, likely to the surprise of no one. In his place was a curious specimen, gray and brown and black and green. Only a little, but it was still green. The more traditional lionesses sneered their disapproval, while a few more lenient sorts merely shrugged or were even intrigued, but in any case, there was gossip. Lots and lots of gossip. Uheshe's mother, Ukuthula, as well as her mother's best friend, Nolaka, were two of the most outspoken detractors. Ukuthula had even suggested - with no little profanity - that the Abaholi should not have allowed him to stay. For her part, Uheshe was inclined to agree, but doubted that their leading males would do anything about it. Until such time as this 'Emrys' was challenged and defeated, they would have a slightly greenish Inselelo. A greenish, flowery sort of Inselelo. Ugh.

Young, bored, and enticed by the very existence of the scandal, Uheshe was quick to decide that she need a closer look, and so the dappled Umzingeli sought him out in the afternoon heat. When she finally came upon him, she offered no greeting, no pleasantries, only a critical look and a dry statement: "Gabedi was weaker than I thought."

SilverLutz

Here we go, someone more unpleasant for Emrys to deal with!

 

[SilverLutz]

Emrys lounged under a tree, his tail twitching as he watched a gentle breeze bend the dried grass that grew before his nose. It was amusing for a time, but he knew eventually he would grow bored. Back in the Pridelands it seemed there was always something to do, whether it was hunting or playing with cubs or chatting with friends, but here things were structured very differently. His job was to protect the pride and stay on everyone's good side, with the occasional chat thrown in. A different lifestyle to be sure and one he was still deciding if he liked. It was certainly a welcome change from his homelands and he enjoyed being one of the very few males, but the warnings he had received from both Gabedi and a few lionesses had held true - most of the females were giving him a wide berth and weren't speaking to him, either due to his coloration or the simple fact that he was new.

His ear twitched as soft footfalls caught his attention and he lifted his head in time to see a pale lioness stop a few paces from him. He pushed himself up into a more upright position but didn't rise, not wanting to appear confrontational. The 'greeting' made his tail twitch a bit but he let it go, mostly because he knew the dark lion hadn't been at full strength when battling him. He had been contested by a large red lion first, and then he had taken his turn. It wasn't something he broadcasted, of course, even though it was technically allowed.

"Then I suppose it's a good thing I came to take his place," he returned, his tone mellow and even as he sidestepped the verbal jab. "Can't have a weak Inselelo, can we?"

Meepfur

Yaaas, he needs someone to ruffle his feathers! He's only met nice lionesses so far XD

 

[Meepfur]

Uheshe would have been lying if she had said she wasn't pleased that he bantered back, though of course she would never say any such thing aloud in the first place. Though less crass and overtly combative than her mother, she enjoyed a good argument discussion, and they were much less amusing when the other party involved was the dim sort. She rather thought Gabedi had been, though in truth it was more an assumption she had adopted than anything else. She'd had little to do with the brawny male, having been content to gossip and presume things about him.

The slender lioness - thank heaven she had inherited a physique similar to her grandmother's, as her mother was, by all accounts including Ukuthula's, unattractive in all but color - sat back on her haunches, tail curling around to touch her paws.

"Oh, I quite agree," she replied with a bare, artificial smile. "We cannot have a weak Inselelo. They are always weeded out, sooner rather than later."

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Emrys had to chuckle very softly as the female went on to jab at him a bit more. He knew he wasn't the standard of 'beauty' here, and he certainly wasn't the strongest or biggest male. In fact, he was probably the smallest out of all the ones he had seen. But he had won the battle and had claimed the prize and nothing any of the lions here said would shake him. He would admit he wasn't worthy of the position when a lion came along that bested him.

"I suppose we'll eventually found out where I fall then, hm?" he hummed thoughtfully, crossing his paws with an amused look on his face. "I understand this position isn't permanent, that the males here come and go. I've already got one moon cycle behind me, though. I'd consider that a good start."

Thankfully there hadn't been any other challengers since he had arrived. His minor wounds from the battle had healed and he felt at full strength once again. It was nice to have regular food and water for a change. Traveling the rogue lands hadn't been the easiest at times.

Tilting his head, Emrys surveyed the lioness that sat before him. Her splotchy coat was made even more so by the dappled light coming through the leaves of the tree overhead. "I'm not sure that I've seen you in my time here." The Bonelands had quite a few females, of course, and he hadn't been here terribly long. "What is your name?"

Meepfur

 

[Meepfur]

"Time will tell," Uheshe allowed, though it was already quite clear that she thought that that time would be short. Not only did she think it, she hoped it: the sooner the green-tinged Inselelo was gone, the less likely it was that he would leave any greenish cubs behind. She couldn't imagine anyone wanting cubs from him unless they were desperate, and why would they be, with two perfectly good Abaholi around? But of course, that assumed everyone had good sense and good taste, and she had her doubts about that.

"I am Uheshe, daughter of Ukuthula and sister to Izinyathi." Her other siblings she didn't bother to mention, as her brothers had long since left the pride as they were meant to do, not hung around as Ehluke. Even if they had wanted to, Uheshe suspected her mother would have chased them off herself. "My grandmother is Wodi, sometimes called Ibala, and I am descended from both Gakere and Surtak."

Would he know enough yet for any of those names to mean anything to him? She was genuinely curious to find out.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Emrys tried to follow what Uheshe was saying as far as her linage was concerned, but it was hard to do so when he didn't know any of the names she said. One finally stuck out - Gakere - and he gave a soft 'ah' of understanding. The fact that she was related to an older, respected male that was still spoken fondly of was good to know.

"A fine linage," he said with a little flick of his tail to shoo away some flies. "I've heard of Gakere in my short time here thus far so I can only assume he was a great leader. One far greater than I could hope to be, that's for sure." He wasn't cut out to be like the other two males, but this job that was sort of important was right up his alley. He could protect the pride, assist with repopulating and bringing in new blood, and when the time came that a stronger lion came along he knew it would be time to hit the road.

But for now he was quite content to enjoy his time with these lionesses, even if they didn't seem to enjoy him quite as much.

"I am Emrys, son of Rinji and Maswali, both of whom still dwell in the Pridelands," he said with a little nod to return the formal introduction, even though she knew his name. "With a pawful of siblings to go along with that."

Meepfur

 

[Meepfur]

"I wouldn't know," Uheshe said of her father with an careless shrug. "Some of the older lionesses do so love to go on about him, but he died not long after I was born. Killed by Surtak, of all things. Very scandalous." And foolish and irresponsible. No one had ever figured out what they'd set to over - no one had ever even found their bodies, not even one! - but Uheshe assumed it was some silly male pride sort of thing. Typical boys.

"The Pridelands, is it? I've heard of it in passing. Is it...normal, there, to be green?"

SilverLutz

sloooow.

 

[SilverLutz]

That was one thing Emrys wasn't keen about in this pride - how quickly the leadership changed. He knew the position he was in was fleeting, but the head males he felt should stick around longer than they tended to. With the Inselele a fight to the death wasn't at all needed, but with the Abaholi...it seemed they died more often than not.

"I'm quite tame when it comes to colors where I come from," he said with a little chuckle. "Green, blue, bright yellows and neon shades of just about any color you can think of. We have our fair share of 'natural' colors that I'm sure you lot would find quite appealing, but the Pridelands is a colorful place to live."

He tilted his head a bit and looked down at the bit of green on his paw. "I still say it's natural," he said with a little huff. "Green is found everywhere here. Well...maybe not here." It was true, the Bonelands were less green and more brown, but the treetops were still a nice shade of deep green and around the watering holes the grass was more lively.

Meepfur

-pats a meep- Next posts are last!

 

[Meepfur]

Uheshe's ears went back at the thought of so very many unsightly pelt colors in one place, and a disapproving frown pulled at her features. "Well, at least you're not blue I suppose. We've quite enough of that here already."

Ugh. Why their two blue Busisa insisted on staying when their like were so clearly not welcomed or wanted was beyond her. They might be Njalo's grandhcildren, but they were blue, for heaven's sake! And not just a little blue, but very blue - quite a bit more offensive than the swirling green vines that wound their way up this Inselelo's tail and foreleg. "Most colors are somewhere," she observed, wrinkling her nose, "But that doesn't mean they belong on lions."

Uheshe sniffed, deciding that now that her curiosity had been sated - and, more importantly, she had gotten in a couple of digs - she was done. "I'll leave you to your...duties, then. However long they last."

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Emrys coughed softly as Uheshe's rather rude comment. Any color belonged on a lion in his opinion, but his opinion didn't matter much here, as he was becoming aware. Only that of the lioness' when it came to appearance. Still, he would continue to do his duty regardless of what they said. He had earned his spot here and he was sure there were some ladies that wouldn't mind the bits of green he sported.

"Thank you. A pleasure speaking with you," he said with a little bob of his head. Far be it from him to be rude! He turned after that, deciding to patrol the borders so he could leave the lioness to her own devices.

Meepfur

And that's a wrap!