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 Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2018 11:26 am
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Upon arriving home, the Mwezi who had been in the Tianxia for so many months had very quickly split up. Kimondo was, naturally, a popular lioness but she escaped the crowd deftly. She couldn't deny her people the chance to see that she had indeed come home safe and sound, with the luck they had it was a great relief (even to her, now that she was home) .. but there were lions she was especially eager to see. As important as it was to catch up with Hodari- she already had heard shouted half-stories of Firekin and the mountains- but she couldn't keep herself from heading directly for the slave dens. Their return was anticipated but not on a strict deadline, she didn't know who all she would find there but hopefully..
Haiba had made a point of avoiding the crowd that greeted the homecoming lions, having learned in his time as an official slave to know when to be seen and when not to be. He was eager to see his mother, of course, but he knew she would come to them. She had to. They were young when she left but not babies, he consciously knew she loved them and never let any doubt creep into his mind.. still, when he heard she was back, he waited anxiously.
"There she is!" |
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Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2018 11:46 am
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Haiba couldn't help but glare at his brother just a bit, even as the relief of how quickly she appeared flooded him. That there were only the two of them right there said a lot, in fact. Sanaa's life was chaos with cubs of her own but the others would hear and head home soon.. but Kimondo made it to them first.
He shook himself off and tried to straighten up his mane a bit before their mother could get to them, she hadn't seen them since their manes had barely begun growing after all.
"Where is everybody else?" he wondered aloud, looking around as if their brothers might magically appear beside them.
If Haiba were just a little darker and a fair bit smaller, he could have been mistaken for Unyezi. With Matumaini beside him, though, there was no chance of confusing who she was seeing. Kimondo was struck by just how big they were, and how well their manes had filled out.. and how there were only two of them there. But she would catch the rest later.
She hurried up and didn't stop until she was close enough to bump each son affectionately.
"Haiba, Matumaini," she said, "You're both so big!"
The manes helped but they were both obviously larger than she was.
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Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2018 11:51 am
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Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2018 12:05 pm
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Matumaini's hesitation didn't go unnoticed but the Queen had no desire to pick a fight when she was just so happy to see them. She, too, held her tongue when she longed to ask where the others had gotten themselves to. She missed them more than words could say, but she knew she owed them what words she could find.
"No, of course not," she replied, though her tone didn't sound so sure about it, "I bet you've both got grandpa beat."
Haiba sent Matumaini another glare, having spent his youth trying to keep his siblings corralled on behalf of their absent mother- he was the oldest, it was his job to keep the family together, after all! He had always taken it a bit too seriously, but even he knew not to nag while their mother was right there. Mother hen that he was, he too had learned the value of silence as a slave.
"We've missed you, mother," he offered, turning to Kimondo and smiling, "Have you even talked to Aunt Hodari yet?"
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Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2018 12:10 pm
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Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2018 12:23 pm
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Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2018 12:30 pm
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Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2018 12:40 pm
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Again, Haiba was cut off by his brother but this time, thankfully, he simply overindulged in attempted hospitality and changed the subject instead of diving right into what exactly Sanaa had gone and done.. and Haiba wasn't sure if that was more or less frustrating than just tossing the information about her grandchildren out there.
He simply fell silent and glared for now.
Kimondo's mind was occupied trying to imagine Sanaa as a mother, married, or not married! And her cubs! What class they were in was extremely relevant, but if she was just hearing about it now did that mean there was no chance they could be heirs? She was vaguely aware of Matumaini going out of his way to be extra courteous but she didn't sit down and she ultimately did let his question distract her.
"Miyako had cubs while we were in the Tianxia," she said, suddenly realizing that perhaps this made her and Hodari even on that front, "You have young cousins who will join you in the low class soon, actually."
She admired Miyako and how she and her family returned to the Mwezi'Johari without reservation. The young family had handled the birth of slaves much better than the Queen herself had, but there was more hope that Miyako's cubs would stay out of the spotlight anyway.
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Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2018 12:43 pm
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Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2018 12:55 pm
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