[PRP] The Future

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Lailah moved at a leisurely pace, ostensibly taking a breath of fresh air and spending some time away from her den. The Shaman had been holed up for almost half a year at this point, trying to determine who would be the next monarch of the pride. She'd spoken to a number of lions (and pointedly avoided a few others), observed a lot, and spoken little. Some days only her family and apprentices would see her, others not even those few were welcome.

But today she intended to speak to yet another lioness, hopefully without anyone else knowing. The younger female looked to be at the meeting place already, and Lailah picked up her pace slightly.

"I hope you haven't been waiting long?" the white lioness asked as she came near.  

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"And I you," the older lioness replied with an answering smile of her own. It was easy to see that the two of them were kin - though Lailah was perfectly happy to call Kimondo a cousin and let the Matchmakers deal with the details of bloodlines and descent. She wondered if anyone would speak of favoritism. At the very least, it wouldn't be nearly as bad as if she'd more seriously considered Neema.

"Tell me, what do you think of our potential Kings and Queens?" the Shaman asked, suddenly tired of beating around the bush. She had wrestled with this decision for moons and now she wanted it to be over and done with.  

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Good, reasoned responses, Lailah concluded as she listened. Then again, it wasn't as if the vacant throne wasn't a topic that everyone in the pride had given thought to ever since Shangyue's death. Add that to Lailah's position as Shaman and she was certain a smart lioness like Kidondo had expected the subject to come up.

"I see. Well, as we all know, there is no clear best choice for the throne," the lioness replied. "And, technically, as my sister has made known, any lion in the high class is eligible."

The Shaman glanced at the Huntress. "You're eligible."

She left it at that for the moment, waiting to see how the younger female responded.  

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"Not only that," the Shaman continued, pleased, "but I'm told you also contributed to the internal rebellion against Shangyue in a leadership position." True, Kimondo hadn't led the entire rebellion within the pride, but she had certainly done more than most and helped others to find their place opposing the last King. Involved enough to look good to the rest of the pride, but not so involved that it would hinder her.

"Sounds like good experience for being the Queen to me," Lailah concluded, gold eyes watching the younger lioness closely.  

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"Not really, no," Lailah replied. "Shangyue may not have been all bad - he certainly put some good ideas into place that this pride has needed for some time - but when the storytellers look back on his reign they will call him a tyrant." The Shaman saw no need to reiterate the death toll of the purple male's era, starting with his own parents and grandparents. Kimondo knew all this already. Just as she, and the rest of the pride, knew the kind of lions who had followed Shangyue.

If Tyfu was your biggest and most obvious supporter, you had a problem. Thank the Great Lion she'd been killed during the chaos. Of course, it raised a few questions about how to deal with others of her ilk, such as the lioness' b*****d children by Shangyue, but before that could happen, the Mwezi desperately needed a new monarch.

"When they tell your story, they'll talk of how you helped to overthrow him and ensure that he never hurt anyone ever again. It may not be your brightest moment, but every monarch has a bit of light and dark in their reign," the older lioness went on, giving Kimondo another serious look. "I think that's a good place for a Queen to start."  

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"I honestly don't know if Umepatwa would have been a better ruler," the Shaman admitted. "I didn't know him especially well. But the fact is that he's gone and you remain." Tough luck, but that was the way of it. They couldn't regret the deaths that had struck the pride, though they should and would mourn them. The future belonged to the living.

"You will have help," Lailah pointed out. "I am at your disposal, of course, as well as my apprentices and the other Priests. Unyezi as well is an invaluable resource. We can teach you and advise you, but the decisions will have to be yours in the end," she told the younger female. "Just like I couldn't let anyone else make this decision for me, much as I would have liked to," the Shaman added with a crooked grin.  

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"I'm glad to hear that," Lailah told the new Queen. "We'll hold your coronation at the next full moon." The Shaman turned as if to go, then looked back at the other lioness.

"I have every confidence that you'll do well for the pride, Kimondo. Please remember that we are here to help and support you when you need it."

With that, the older lioness took herself off to begin her own preparations for the upcoming event. She'd leave the choice of who Kimondo told first in the younger lioness' paws.