“Ah, you’re one of my sister’s sador, yes?” Ulo looked up from what he’d been drawing in the dirt with a claw, carefully trying to mimic the patterns and images from growing up that he’d seen on pelt after pelt in the Ela’wadiyi. It wasn’t hard to recognize what line the female who stood not far away came from; she was as royal as his mate’s cousin, as Noh’vah.

“Yes, Ulogila. Ah...forgive me. I’m not very good with names.” The female chuckled, amusement on her face.

“Lachiell. A pleasure, Ulogila. I couldn’t help but notice the tattoos of you and your mate. How on earth did you get them? I’ve seen a lion littered with scars, but never tattoos to the extent either of you have.” Oh. Well. That was the first time someone had asked him about the tattoos he’d just...grown up with.

“From the nvwati and alu’nadi of my birth clan. They tell my story from birth to before I left with Nova.” Lachiell looked him over, then made a thoughtful noise.

“That is an interesting way to record one’s life. How does one do it? How does one know the right patterns to use?”

“Well, there are a lot of factors to it. The process itself is better shown than explained, and if you’d like, I can do that later? But the patterns...well, they do tend to be broad but recognizable. For example! See the recurring theme of birds across my pelt? That speaks to my birth clan in the Ela’wadiyi, the Bird Clan.” He began to go over some of his tattoos, explaining what each one meant. Which ones denoted accomplishments, which one spoke of his marriage to Nova and subsequent clan move. Which one spoke of grand sights he had seen and described to others. And Lachiell listened the whole way through, enthralled.

“Such an elegant way to keep track of things. It’s like a kiirar’s work, but on the pelt instead of the rocks, and more refined. Ah, I imagine it’s limited to one’s life, and cannot be used to mark territory or warn young ones from places they should not be?” Ulo nodded.

“Yes. The tattoos only go on lions, and...well, they can’t be used like the scratching of a kiirar.” He smiled sheepishly, shrugging. The dark female chuckled, shaking her head.

“There is nothing wrong with that. Your pride likely never had reason to develop scratchings like we have. Ah...but I’ve a question for you. Might you perhaps be willing to imprint on my pelt a bit of my life story? Not to the extent you or your mate have, of course. Just a small bit.”

Ulo looked rather surprised, then sheepish. “I would be honored, Lachiell. I would need time to make sure I had the right materials, of course. And you need to choose the bit of your life that you want shown on your pelt.” He looked thoughtful, eyes closing a bit. “I think...yes, I know where I can get a bit of black pelt, to show you an idea of what would go onto your own, once you know what bit of your life you want shown.”

“Splendid! About how long might you need to have everything ready?”

“Hmmm…” He looked thoughtful again. “I would say...about two moon phases? Yes, that should be enough.” Lachiell was all smiles when he opened his eyes.

“I shall certainly see you then! I’ll have made my decision by then, too, for certain. I look forward to your handiwork, Ulogila. I shall see you again in two moon phases!” With that, she trotted off, leaving Ulo to go find Zungu, to ask him if this was normal for the demons. While he certainly was flattered, it was not something he had expected at all!

Two moon phases later, and he found himself admiring his handiwork. While he wouldn’t claim the level of skill or artistry of a nvwati or alu’nadi, he was rather proud of his work. While the base of the tattoo design was certainly Ela’wadiyi in nature, he had put in bits of the Aegnor’hini into it. The thickness of the linework, the sharper look to it. The use of the kiirar scratchings he knew of that fit the bit of her life she had wanted shown to the world. Yes, he was very proud of his work.

“There we are! You’ll want to take it easy for a moon phase. Don’t go hunting, or sparring. And certainly stay away from guard duty for a time! You want to give it time to heal, so it doesn’t scar wrong. You want the color to hold, not vanish under scar tissue.” Lachiell nodded, twisting just a bit to look at the new addition to her pelt. It was a striking golden color, telling the tale of her first successful hunt. And it made her smile.

“It’s wonderful! Ah, I shall certainly make sure to not ruin it. I want this to be visible to the world.” There was nearly a purr to her voice, a happiness that she had made the choice to have such a thing done. “Thank you very much, Ulogila. Perhaps you may find yourself with others like me in the future, seeking to have a bit of their life added to their pelt.” The had the pale lion ducking his head in embarrassment.

“I am glad you’re happy with it! I’ll be surprised if anyone else comes to me, but thank you. If others come to me, I shall certainly do my best to see they are as pleased as you!” And it wasn’t just because he was a sador. He...had found an odd sort of pride in the work. Was that the sort of pride a nvwati or alu’nadi felt when adding to the tattoos of a pridemate? Hm...maybe there was some way he could ask…

Perhaps if he had an avian friend in the future? Yes, he would have to look into that.

“Be proud, Ulogila. You’ve skill and a gift. Take pride in it, as you are Aegnor'hini as well. I shall see you another day. It’s likely best I get to my den and start letting this heal.” With that, the lioness took her leave, and Ulo was left with a satisfied smile on his muzzle.