Chapter 3: A new face
Nia watched them from the trees, when she couldn't bare it anymore she turned and ran, she had no idea where she was going, no idea how far she had run when the sun rose and set, rose and set.
Nia ran until her legs dropped from under her, after she hit the ground, she just lost all thought and sense. She didn't want me, she didn't want me. She just repeated the words over and over lapsing in and out of time. By the time Drex found her, it had been three days, when she woke up she was lying under a tree, a river flowed slowly next to her. Nia struggled to her feet, and glanced around noting that she had no idea where she was.
"Don't try and run, you wont make it very far" The voice wasn't threatening but the lion who spoke was. He was a young adult larger then Ahadi, he was a dark gold with a blood red mane, a cuff with a few links of chain hung on his back left leg. He watched her calmly, his eyes were a gold, brighter then his coat. He sat under a shady tree, watching her.
"Who the hell are you?" Nia snarled, crawling away from him.
"I'm Drex, though I have no idea who you are or why you're in my territory." He smiled still just calmly watching her, that distressed Nia more then if he was threatening her, that she was used to, that she could handle this, this was different.
"Nia, how did I get here?" She wasn't sure she would trust him not yet.
"Well I found you about a days walk from here just on the boarder, you were semi-conscious. You kept saying 'didn't want me, didn't want me.'"
"Oh…" Nia looked up at him "your territory borders ours that's why Jag thought you were rouges"
"Rouges? Drex looked confused "Oh you mean my brother and I, no we're not rouges but we were in your prides territory a few days ago, Ag, my brother wanted a mate."
"Everyone had to be in pairs, we weren't allowed out much" Nia laughed quietly.
"I don't see why that's funny" Drex laid down still keeping his distance.
"Never mind" Nia hadn't laughed in a long time, not ever Ahadi could make her laugh and she loved him…didn't she… "You didn't want a mate?"
"No… I mean yes, but my brother…well isn't very tactful, he wasn't going to give whoever he picked a choice. Were very different my brother and I, though we look the same." Drex smiled slightly.
"He doesn't sound very nice…no offence" Nia faded into her thoughts.
"You ran away I take it?" Drex brought her out of her thoughts.
Nia winced "Yes I had some…some bad news"
"Must have been pretty bad to make you run for three days"
"Don't give up do you?"
Drex smiled "Not easily no. What happened?"
"My mother didn't want me when I was a cub, and I just found out she lives in my pride but I don't know who she is." Nia hid her face "Why an I telling you this?"
He smiled again "I'm comforting, it's something in my face"
Nia laughed "You eyes actually"
"You don't laugh often do you?
"No hardly ever" Nia smiled. "I've only just met you and your making me laugh, my…friends can't make me laugh"
"Why the hesitation?"
"Your too observant, I was betrothed but because of the way I am it was cancelled" Nia sighed "I love him…but I have some anger problems"
"You don't sound so sure that you love him" Drex pointed out.
"That's really none of your business" Nia glared.
"True but I can't help what I notice, I've always been like this…ever since…"
"Ever since what?" Nia's curiosity grew.
"Now your being like me young one." Drex laughed
"I'm not that young, only a few months younger then you." Nia stood up and moved under the tree, closer to Drex.
Drex smiled and looked up at the sky, the stars were out specking though the leaves of the tree. "Good night young one" Drex sighed and closed his eyes.
"Night" Nia muttered, she watched his chest rise and fall slower as he fell asleep.
Nia woke up as the sun reflected on Drex's coat, she smiled and walked to the edge of the river, she put her paw in the water before walking in, the water was warm it washed away her troubles for now at least she thought to herself, the current wasn't too strong either. "Your lucky to live here, it's beautiful"
"Yes it is" Drex murmured, moving closer to the water but not going in.
Nia turned around he was looking straight at her, she looked down at the water, 'Ahadi never looked at me like that', her thoughts were confusing she was meant to love Ahadi not some lion she had met a day ago.
"You look confused" Drex put his paw into the water and splashed her.
"That's because I am" Nia splashed him back and dove under, hiding in the deep water.
"Nia?" Drex stood up and looked over the edge "What are you doing?"
Bubbles popped up to the surface, Nia could see him peering over the edge, she swam up to him and blew water at him.
Drex sneezed and shook the water out of his mane, his face was covered in water, "That's not funny Nia"
"Yes it is" Nia swam to the surface, making sure to stay far enough away so he couldn't get her back.
Drex sighed and laid back down, Nia watched him carefully but he seemed to go to sleep. She swam to the edge and climbed out of the water, she stood beside him and shook the water out of her coat. Drex smiled and opened his eyes, he reached out with his front paw and knocked her feet out from under her, Nia fell to the ground with a thud.
"Now that's not funny" Nia frowned.
"Yes it is" Drex laughed.
Nia suddenly growled and leapt away from the river, she put her back against a tree and stood watching the bush surrounding them. A rustle came from the furthest bush and another lion stepped into the open, he had the same cuff and chain links on his back leg, in fact he looked exactly the same as Drex.
"Ag!" Drex stood and greeted the lion, bumping his head against Ag's, "I thought you would be gone for longer"
"No I didn't find any lions on the west border only desert" Ag smiled, he turned and walked over to Nia.
Nia growled, backing further against the tree growling. "What do you want?"
"Just curious, I suppose" Ag sniffed her "only a few months then us" Ag smiled rather wickedly, he moved closer.
"Don't!" Drex growled and moved in front of his brother, stopping him from getting to Nia.
"Brother?" Ag narrowed his eyes, they were green.
"Now his eyes don't comfort me at all" Nia snarled at Ag.
"Why are we talking about eyes?" Ag growled at Drex "And why are you blocking my path?"
"You can't have her Ag, it's her choice not yours" Drex looked over his shoulder at Nia , who was still growling. "And I don't think she wants to be anywhere near you"
"Too bad for her" Ag pushed Drex aside.
"Ag don't." Drex pushed him away from Nia, he bared his teeth and snarled at his brother. Ag bared his teeth back, he mover close and let out his claws.
Nia backed away from the brothers. Drex kept himself between Nia and Ag, watching his brother advance, he ran forward and tackled him, forcing him to the ground. Ag dug into Drex's shoulders with his claws, Drex roared in pain and sunk his own claws into Ag's chest. Ag grunted and kicked out with his back legs knocking Drex off him, he run towards Nia, Drex flew at him from the side pushing him into the bushes, he positioned himself between them again blood ran from his shoulder onto his paws. Ag stood and growled, he was seeping blood from two deep cuts in his chest, Drex shook his head and took a step forward. Ag growled in return and disappeared into the trees.
Drex waited for a while before walking over to the river and jumping in from the bank, he swan to the other side and stopped. Nia stood on the other bank unsure of what to do, he sighed and swan back.
"It's ok, I just didn't want him to hurt you" Drex climbed out of the water "He didn't handle our childhood well" Drex's mane clung to his body, he shook his fur spraying water everywhere.
"You look like a ball of fluff" Nia smiled cautiously.
Drex look at his mane in the water, it stood out everywhere. "big ball of fluff" Drex murmured sadly, he laid down and put his head in his paws.
Nia walked over and laid down next to him "Did I say something wrong?" She nudged his shoulder.
"No" Drex turned to her, "My mother used to call me a big ball of fluff when I was a cub, before…before we were caught"
"Caught?" Nia looked at him, his face was sad. "What happened?"
Drex closed his eyes for a moment "Will you tell me your story? If I tell you mine?"
Nia hesitated before answering "Yes"
Drex opened his eyes and licked Nia's cheek, she was shocked for a moment then smiled. "You first" Drex bumped her with her nose.
"I never knew my mother, well I knew her but I didn't know she was my mother. My father forced her to mate with him, and she had me, I was she given to another lioness. My father was exiled before I was born, so I've never meet him either." Nia paused and look at Drex, he was watching her quietly "Until a few days before you found me I didn't even know that my mother lived with me, she's in my old pride. Brig told me that she didn't want me, that she couldn't handle thinking about what had happened. I followed him when he went back and I found him talking to her…Meena was my mother, and she didn't want me. So I ran, and you found me." Nia smiled at him, "I don't think I can go back, not now…not knowing that I had lived by her side all that time and she never told me."