It was the middle of the night, but the sky was clear and the weather was pleasant. Perfect for a lion like himself to sit by himself and reflect on his life - which... Har found himself doing often lately.
Sometimes he found himself comparing his new home with his old. It was interesting how different yet similar they were. These lands were flat with mountains nearby and an abundance of good weather. Great for a dark-pelted lion like himself, actually. While he'd grown used to constant heat, having such a dark pelt was not ideal for hot climates. He'd be lying if he said he didn't still miss it from time to time, but not having to worry about overheating was a nice change in pace.
At the moment, the black and gray lion was laying sprawled across the ground, enjoying the cool feel of grass against his cheek and gazing up at the starry night sky. Harakhty was by himself, still a bit of an outsider despite having been accepted as part of the pride, but he knew that relations with them would eventually mellow out. He could feel curious gazes from time to time as he traveled through the main camp.
He had stumbled across this pride... mostly by accident. While wandering as a rogue, he'd gone looking for some water to drink, and had ended up crossing paths with a Mwezi patrol. He had stayed for a few days, before days turned to weeks, and soon... he began to wonder if he'd found a home. He had asked to join then, tired of the rogue life and knowing he could be happy here.
They were a nice enough lot, though there were a few customs he was still adjusting to. He wasn't used to the hierarchy that they followed quite yet, and while he didn't mention it to them, he was still getting used to worshiping a different god from before. Not that he was opposed to it. In his old pride, there were a handful of different gods, so who was to say this wasn't one as well? The Great Lion kept watch over those in this pride, so it stood to reason that he should follow him as well.
Harakhty was worried initially when he was told exactly how he would be ranked within the pride. After all, he was a rogue... one that used to be in another pride and didn't necessarily disbelieve in his old gods anymore, but apparently the Great Lion was more accepting than his now-pridemates. Not even just accepting, but...
Alright, Harakhty was mostly surprised that he was upper-middle class. Frankly, he would have been happy with just not ending up low class (he also wouldn't admit this to the others, but he really just pitied anyone who ended up slaves), but he was deemed worthy of being a high ranking lion! Technically, this would make him a Lord. And perhaps he should have accepted that. He would have been able to live a peaceful life, one free of strife or worry.
However... he was never one to enjoy that kind of life. He was a guard in his previous home, a title he wore with pride. He would rather continue that role and help to protect his new pridemates. After all, the last thing he wanted was for these people to have to disperse as well. So he took on the rank of Guard, hoping to prove himself an able-bodied and trustworthy lion.
Sighing, the black lion heaved himself up into a sitting position. Maybe he was a little lonely still. Not wanting to impose too much, he had made his den towards the outskirts of the central area, close enough to still be a part of them, but still on its own. He should probably socialize more. Make friends. But he found it hard. It'd been so long... and he was still acclimating to his new life.
Did he regret his decision though? No.... no, he did not. He was a pride-lion, and while he was sure he could survive as a rogue, he was also sure that it would change him. Make him harder, less approachable, less friendly. That wasn't something he wanted. He wanted to thrive with others, build a happy life in a set place, maybe find a mate and have cubs someday....
Time. That's all it would take, he thought with a shake of his head. He couldn't expect to settle immediately into this new place, but he was sure he would get there eventually. Eventually, he would simply become another face in the pride.
Harakhty paused in his thoughts, and then started scowling. He was starting to think like some old, run-down, retired lion. He wasn't that old! Well, he was older than a lot of these younger lions and lionesses, but not so old that he was past his prime. In fact, he was probably in the middle of it! His head tilted to the side, musing over how... little... he's felt he's done over the years.
With a new pride came a new beginning though. There was nothing he could do about the past, but there's were so many things he could do about the future.
To start though... yes, he should start getting to know his pridemates more. He didn't want to come off as unfriendly. If anything, he wanted to show that he was a perfect fit for them. He would prove that he was worthy of the rank the Great Lion bestowed upon him. He would be an amazing and respected Guard, and hopefully live the rest of his life happily with others he cared about.
Humming contentedly to himself, Harakhty stood and stretched his stiff muscles. He didn't think he'd been sitting here for that long, but clearly he had been. It was time to get up and get moving. He should see if there was a patrol that he could go on. After all, while it would take time to become accustomed to the Mwezi, time also waited for no lion! And he was ready to move forward with his life.