The moon was blessedly back after being gone for such a long time. Tayny hadn't been born yet when the Great Lion had turned his gaze away from the pride for a few months but the stories of the dark time had followed her through her adulthood. There were a few litters than had been born during that time but Tayny had been blessed by the Great Lion when she had come into the world - granted, she was lower-middle class but at least she wasn't a slave. Not that there was anything wrong with slaves, of course! They just hadn't been looked upon by the Great Lion and therefore deserved to know him through the other members of the pride.

There was change in the pride even after the Great Lion had returned to them. Kimondo had ordered that all high class lions take on helpful roles, becoming a hunter or guard. They would still hold their higher rank of course as the Great Lion decreed, but no longer would they have the choice to simply lay around. Tayny wasn't too sure what she thought of that, but more help was always welcome. She just didn't know how to act around the high class lions that would join her on her hunts.

Not paying much attention to her surroundings, Tayny headed through some low bushes and bumped into a dark shape just on the other side.

"Oh! Sorry!" she said quickly, pulling back to take stock of who she bumped into. Golden eyes blinked back at her and soon the dark pelt of the male before her came into shape amid the leaves and bushes.

"I apologize," he said quietly, averting his gaze quickly.

"Oh no, my fault. Wasn't watching where I was going," Tayny said with a little laugh. "Always thinking about something else, me." The male was quiet and didn't lift his gaze, leading her to think he might be a slave, but then she noticed the dark, swirled fire marking on his cheek. Oh...well. That explained a lot.

"I'm Tayny," she said, pressing on without hesitation. She knew he was one of the cursed cubs based off the marking but she didn't know who he was by name. Best to introduce herself!

"Shida." The male lifted his head ever so slightly, a hesitant look on his face. It was clear he was used to keeping to himself and walking past others, the stigma of the circumstances of his birth making him less desirable to be around. One who was looked over by the Great Lion like that surely had something about them that was to be wary of, right?

Not to Tayny. She was of the firm mindset that slaves - cursed or otherwise - should be shown the Great Lion's light since he didn't bestow it upon them to begin with. Not at all cowed by Shida's body language, she stepped forward through the bush again to stand in front of him properly.

"Nice to meet you, Shida," she said with a small smile, her tail flicking back and forth behind her with curiosity. "Nice night, hm? The Great Lion is watching over us all tonight." Together they lifted their gaze up to the canopy above them, the bright light of the moon shining down upon them and their surroundings. Shida glanced away first, moonlight always making him feel a bit out of place.

"It's beautiful," he said, unable to disagree. He was a bit wary of why this lioness was speaking to him but he wasn't about to be rude and walk away. He already had enough of a bad reputation following him, he didn't need to build upon it. It was why he mostly stuck to the shadows, moving more during the day than the night to do his tasks. The less contact he had with his fellow pridemates the better, he felt, if only for their comfort.

"Very," Tayny agreed, looking back to Shida with a grin. "Up to anything fun tonight?" The question made Shida's brows furrow in confusion, clearly perplexed at the question. Fun?

"...no, not really," he said slowly. "Getting ready to go hunt."

"Well, that could be fun! I'll come with you," Tayny offered. Shida continued to stare with surprise at the chipper lioness before he realized that could be easily seen as rude, so he turned his gaze away once more. He'd rather hunt alone but who was he to tell someone of higher rank what they could and couldn't do? Not him, that's for sure.

"Sure," he finally agreed, much to Tayny's delight. She could pick up on his slight discomfort but she wasn't going to give up so easily on her new friend. Well...'friend'. Obviously if he didn't truly enjoy her company she'd leave him be but she got the feeling Shida was just...lonely. And she could definitely fix that.

"Great! I know this great little spot where hares like to gather around this time of night," she said, circling around Shida and nodding in the direction of her hunting spot. Hares weren't too viable for a pride but for a quick snack? Delicious. Also made it easier to not gorge on a bigger kill before bringing it back to the pride.

"I think I know where it is," Shida admitted as he turned to follow Tayny. "By the two large rocks and the circle of trees that make a little clearing, right?"

"Yes! Ha! Guess my secret spot isn't so secret after all," Tayny said with a laugh, looking over her shoulder, a grin on her face. Shida felt a little smile tug at one side of his muzzle but he quickly looked away, clearing his throat just a bit. Tayny spotted it before Shida could look away and she snickered softly to herself. Ha...she'd wear him down with enough persistence, she was sure.

"Let's go then!" Off she went at a trot and Shida followed soon after, feeling a bit better about this lioness now that she'd proven not to have any ulterior motives. He'd never been bullied or abused for his rank and status but he'd certainly been a bit ostracized whether on purpose or not. Maybe this would be his first real friend. Emboldened just a bit, Shida quickened his pace to catch up with Tayny, though he did stay behind her to let her lead.

FIN
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