Lioness Tales
Tale 1: Njano's Secret
Chapter 6: Bitter Rejection
Little Nura turned out to be everything Faraji could have expected in a future leader. The cub was healthy, smart, and a fast learner. She also had a very sweet personality, which made all the lionesses fawn over her, making Erevu feel a bit forgotten.
"Told you once, remember?" Safi told Duni, after Erevu had complained to them about the lack of attention lately, "The lionesses seem to forget all about the previous cubs, once a new one comes around."
Duni nodded, remembering how she also went through a similar stage. "Don't worry too much, Erevu. Besides, you're still Faraji's favorite. That should count for something, huh?"
"I guess..." Erevu mumbled. He then turned to the blind lioness and pulled a face, knowing she could not see him.
Safi cuffed the young lion softly. "Hey, be nice, you."
"Did he flip me off again?" Duni asked, nonplussed, while Erevu tried to stifle a laugh.
"Nah, he's just making faces."
Duni shook her head with a smile, and shrugged. "Well, if that actually cheers him up, be my guest."
"It's just so weird, not being able to see... I mean, try it, Safi. Close your eyes tight and just try to move around," Erevu replied, as he attempted it himself, losing his balance almost immediately.
Safi whispered in Duni's ear, but loud enough for Erevu to hear, "Now's your chance, Duni, pull a face at him!"
Duni reacted quickly and stuck her tongue out while crossing her eye and wrinkling her nose.
Erevu opened his eyes, only to find the two older lions laughing out loud.
"Too late, you just missed it! That was a hilarious face, Duni!"
"Har har, very funny," Erevu grunted.
"Now you know how Duni feels, so stop messing around with her. Deal?" Safi said, rubbing the young lion's head roughly with a paw.
Erevu snarled for a moment, and pushed Safi's paw away. "Yeah, whatever." He then walked away, sulking slightly.
Safi chuckled some more and let out a deep sigh. "Ah, he's always so moody, that one."
"I guess that's what all work and no play does to you. He spends most of the time learning from Faraji lately..." Duni replied, sounding thoughtful.
The lioness then stood up and stretched herself right in front of Safi.
The lion realized he just could not to take his eyes off her body as she did so. Duni was not as big and muscular as the rest of the lionesses, probably as a result of not being able to hunt the usual way, so she always remained a bit on the slim side. Even then, Safi thought that she could have been a very pretty lioness, if it weren't for the strange shape of her face and her missing eye.
"Hey... You all right? You went quiet all of a sudden," Duni asked him.
Safi seemed to awaken from his daydream and quickly replied, "Sure, sure. I was just spacing out a bit."
Duni shrugged and began grooming one of her paws, as Safi kept staring at her intently, wondering why he was so entranced by this activity, which he had witnessed already a thousand times before. He then realized that he was probably reaching adulthood. Faraji warned him that he would start seeing the lionesses in a different light. He hadn't understood what he meant back then, but it became clear to him now that something was happening to him that he hadn't experienced before.
Duni, having finished grooming herself, turned to him and asked, "Would you like me to groom your face and mane?"
"Yes," he answered in a split second, even though he was not sure this was actually a good idea.
Duni settled closer to him, and began licking his face and mane gently, clueless about the mixture of sensations going through Safi's body at this point. The lion was just happy that Duni could not see what sort of reaction her grooming was causing. He would have been quite embarrassed if that were the case.
Duni stopped licking for a moment and tilted her head. "Am I upsetting you somehow?"
Safi opened his eyes and focused on her face, restraining the urge to nip her on the shoulder. "No, not at all... What in the world gave you that impression?"
"It's your breathing; it became a lot faster than normal. Faraji always does that when he's upset."
Safi chuckled nervously as he felt the blood rushing to his face. "Er... No, don't pay attention to that. I just... I think I'll be going back to the lair now. How about you?"
Duni pondered for a moment. "Um, I think I'll stay here a bit longer, it's nice and cool under this shade..."
"Fine," Safi replied as he stood up and gave her a quick nuzzle, "I'll see you around, okay? Oh, and thanks for the grooming session."
"Sure, talk to you later..." Duni said, feeling puzzled by his reaction, as well as to why Safi's footsteps sounded as if he was actually walking in the opposite direction from the lair. She sighed as she lay down on her belly, still wondering what she had done wrong.
Safi indeed had no intention of going back to the lair, not in that state at least. Instead, he looked for a secluded place, where he could be on his own for a moment.
Once Safi had finally calmed down and regained his composure, he wondered if he would be able to stick to the promise he made to Faraji, if Duni were to ask for his assistance in the future.
It all had seemed like a more feasible task back then, when he was still not interested in the lionesses. But Safi knew now that it would all be a lot more difficult than he had expected. If Duni had actually asked him for help just a few moments ago, he wouldn't have hesitated at all, and would have gladly accepted her request.
And she's not even in season yet! How much worse can it get? he thought.
Safi started daydreaming again, but he shook his head as he repeated to himself, "Think about the cubs... The Eyasi Pride doesn't need more blind cubs, neither does my own Pride, if I have to leave this place... I have to say no, I have to say no..."
Safi eventually returned to the lair, and sighed in relief when he found out that Duni was already back and asleep in her niche.
A few weeks went by, and Duni could clearly tell that Safi was still avoiding her. She tried confronting him once, but he just told her that he was busy with his hunting lessons, and would come home tired and not in the mood to socialize much.
Duni knew there was more to Safi's attitude than that, but she eventually gave up and stopped questioning him. It was not the first time that they had a little fight of some sort, but in the end they always made up. She decided to give him time to cool down.
One morning, Duni woke up feeling very restless. She turned around a few times and tried to find a comfortable position, but she just couldn't fall back asleep. Instead, she decided to go for a drink. She could tell it was still very early in the morning, because the air smelled very moist, and whenever she brushed a plant or bush, the dew drops would cling to her fur and her whiskers.
As she made her way to the lake, she could hear somebody was already there, lapping at the water noisily. Duni sniffed the ground and the air around her, and quickly determined that it was Faraji. Scenting no other animals or predators nearby, Duni approached him.
"Good morning," she greeted him, "Did you have trouble falling asleep too?"
Faraji turned to her and sighed. "Yes, I keep waking up with the need to... go, and then there's the need to come here to drink."
Duni nodded. "I've noticed, I hear you getting up often at night... Are you feeling well, Faraji?"
"I'm feeling fine, thank you," he replied curtly, "I just need more water than the rest of you, so it seems."
Duni didn't push the matter any further, and bent over to drink. As she did so, Faraji glanced at her, realizing her scent had changed slightly overnight. Duni would be coming on to him soon, he just knew it. The lion was sure he would not have any problems saying no to her. He had given in to Bahiya's request because of what she meant to him, but ever since he started feeling ill, Faraji felt no interest at all in mating. He could only hope that Safi would also be strong enough to say no.
Faraji was about to walk away, when Duni asked him, "Are you going back already?"
"Yes, did you need anything?" he asked tentatively.
Duni tilted her head slightly. "Er... No, not really. Just thought some company would be nice," she replied, unsure as to why she didn't want to be left alone.
"I'm sorry, I told Adla I wouldn't take long. I don't want her to worry," he lied, "Also, I forgot to tell you, I spotted some leopards by the borders, so don't stray too far from the lair, okay? They didn't look like a friendly bunch."
Duni nodded, unaware that Faraji was only making this up to prevent her from accidentally meeting a rogue, who would certainly take advantage of her situation.
"Fine... Bye then," she said, sounding slightly disappointed.
For a while she simply stared down at the water, almost as if she was looking at her own reflection. She got up eventually, and paced to and fro, feeling suddenly angry at Faraji for leaving. She even slapped the grass with one of her paws, claws extended. She then started sniffing the ground in search for a nearby log. Duni had tripped over it countless times as a cub, but she had finally learned its position, thanks to the marks she had left around the area.
Once she located the log, she started sharpening her nails on it, but then couldn't resist the urge to head-butt it. She kept rubbing her head against the log for what seemed like hours, and it was then when she realized that she was not being her normal self. She was craving physical contact, and this log was just a poor replacement for what she was looking for.
Duni's eye opened wide in surprise as she remembered her talk with Adla, where she described something like this would happen to her when the time to procreate would come. Could it be that she was finally ready to have cubs? The thought filled her with tremendous happiness, but since she was not completely sure, she decided to wait just a bit longer, before going on the lookout for one of the Pride's males.
She tried to calm herself, and instead focused her thoughts on who she would ask for assistance. The rules dictated that Faraji had priority over Safi, but she liked Safi a lot more. It was a tough choice. Erevu was too young, so he was out of the question.
By noon, Duni couldn't stand the loneliness anymore. Her urges were so strong, that she went back to the lair, determined to ask out whoever lion she encountered first; it didn't matter to her anymore.
"Where's Faraji?" she asked the lionesses that had stayed behind in cub-duty, while the rest of the Pride had already left to go hunting.
"He's gone with Erevu on patrol," Damisi answered, raising an eyebrow slightly, "You feeling okay, hon?"
"Yeah, yeah... Where's Safi then?" she asked again, with more urgency this time.
"He's sleeping by the trees..." Faiza replied.
Duni turned around and left without another word, while the lionesses exchanged a confused glance, and then burst out in giggles.
"Good luck, girl, you're gonna need it to persuade those two," Faiza muttered, and went back to grooming Nura, which was what she was doing before Duni barged in.
Safi would have certainly run away if he had seen Duni approaching him with such a determined look on her face, but the lion was fast asleep and didn't hear her coming.
"Please, wake up," Duni said, nuzzling him with more force than usual.
Safi woke up with a start. "Huh? What? What is it?"
His heart sank when he saw Duni standing over him. Oh no... Please don't be in season... he thought as he scented her discretely, and confirmed that the time to be strong had finally come.
The lioness in the meantime kept pawing at him and urging him to get up.
"Look... Duni, not here, everyone's watching us... Just follow me, okay? We'll go somewhere quiet..."
Duni nodded, and walked behind him, longing to be as close to him as possible. She felt like she couldn't control herself, and she was hoping that Safi wouldn't either.
When Safi finally reached a spot far away from the Pride's curious eyes, he turned to Duni, who was staring in his direction expectantly.
"Duni, listen... I thought I had made myself clear to you. Please don't do this. You're only making things difficult on yourself."
"But that was a long time ago... Surely now that you're an adult, you must feel different now!"
"No, I don't," Safi said, trying to sound firm, while hating himself for breaking her heart, "I still don't want cubs that might end up blind."
Duni remained silent for a moment, but to Safi's disappointment, she wouldn't give up so easily this time. He had never seen her so determined.
"Please, Safi... I promise you, no matter what happens, I won't burden you with my cubs. I'll be responsible for them and you'll be free to do as you wish... You can go away later and find a pretty, healthy lioness somewhere... But right now, I need your help..."
Safi swallowed with difficulty, as her scent was not making things easy on him either. It was very enticing and he wanted nothing more than to get closer to her. "Please, Duni... Stop this."
Duni took a step closer towards the sound of his voice, but he took a step back. It was then when Duni finally burst into tears.
"I thought we were friends..."
"And we are, but I had warned you already, Duni, we cannot go through with this."
"Will you at least hold me close then?" she asked him between sobs, sounding a bit desperate.
I guess a hug and a nuzzle can't hurt...Safi pondered nervously. He let out a deep sigh, finally closed the gap between them and wrapped a paw around Duni's back, pulling her close to him.
Duni buried her face in the dark mane that had started growing around his face, which quickly became moist with her tears.
They stayed in that position for quite a long time, while Safi caressed her forehead with his tongue every now and then, and would whisper to her that it would all be all right, that this feeling would eventually pass.
Duni finally calmed down, and just enjoyed being close to him, but there was still a longing that just one hug could not fulfill.
Safi was already feeling proud of himself, since he had managed to be strong and say no, not knowing that the worst was still to come.
Duni, already aware that tears wouldn't work on him, decided to try a different approach. She slowly released their embrace and sat down a few steps further to groom her face and dry her tears.
Safi stayed put, while he made a point of trying not to look at her.
The lioness in the meantime, paid close attention to his breathing. Safi sounded relaxed, if a bit nervous. She then stood up, stretched herself and shook the dust and grass off her pelt. Duni could hear Safi swallowing, and she tried to conceal a smile.
Duni walked back to him and rubbed her body full length against his, while flicking the tip of her tail on his nose playfully.
Safi's heart began racing, much to Duni's satisfaction.
"It's not going to work," Safi stammered, sounding not so sure of himself anymore, "If you keep this up, I'll just leave, you hear? I'm warning you."
But Duni didn't reply, she continued to pace to and fro in front of him, sometimes nuzzling him under the chin, driving him crazy with desire.
"Duni... C'mon, cut it out. I'm leaving, I mean it!"
"How about just one tiny, little bite behind my neck or my shoulder?" she asked, finally crouching down in front of him invitingly. The lioness couldn't give him a clearer sign of what she was expecting from him.
Safi cursed softly under his breath. Seeing Duni lying in that position was just too much for him to handle. He could feel his legs trembling in anticipation as he took a couple of steps towards her.
Just when Safi thought he was not going to be able to resist helping her out, Duni turned her head, as if to look over her left shoulder, with the pupil of her eye in its permanently dilated state staring back at him. It reminded Safi of what was at stake.
"No! I'm sorry!" he finally said, more firmly this time. He jumped aside, away from Duni and ran off, leaving the lioness alone without another word.
Duni flicked her ears and stood up quickly. "Safi? Hello? Are you there? This isn't funny!" she called out loud, sniffing around in case he was still there and just playing a nasty joke on her, but after a couple of minutes in total silence, she realized that he had really left her.
The poor lioness had no better luck with Faraji, once he returned from doing his rounds. He denied her request for the same reasons Safi had done. Duni then tried to seduce him in a similar fashion, but the lion was exhausted, as usual. To add insult to injury, despite her enticing demeanour, Faraji actually fell asleep while she was still parading herself in front of him.
Later in the day, Adla and the hunting party returned from a successful hunt, and she wondered where Duni was. Damisi and Faiza explained that Duni was probably with Safi, but when Adla found Safi all on his own, she got worried. Eventually, Adla found Duni, who was crying by the lake.
"Hey... What's wrong, dear?" she whispered, and sat down next to Duni.
Duni dried her tears quickly with a paw. "Nothing... S'just... Both Safi and Faraji refused to mate with me. They both fear I'll give them unhealthy cubs. I feel so worthless..."
Adla sighed and tried to give her a nuzzle, but Duni turned away.
Adla understood and didn't push Duni further. "Would you like to talk about this, or should I just let you be?"
"How long is this horrible feeling going to last?" Duni asked her between sobs.
"You'll be back to normal in a couple of days, don't worry. Come with me, I'll take you to a place where you won't be disturbed, and where you can cry, laugh, growl or snarl at you heart's content," Adla replied, knowing very well that Faraji came to the lake often, and if Duni stayed there, she would only end up being rejected again.
Duni stood up and followed Adla quietly for a while. Eventually she dared to ask, "Has anyone ever rejected you like this?"
Adla didn't reply right away, which made Duni wonder if she had a secret of some sort.
"We're here," Adla said, "There's a log to your left, if you feel like rubbing against something, and further back there is a small puddle you can drink from. Just stay around here and I'll come pick you up in a couple of days. Deal?"
Duni nodded, as she inspected the area and proceeded to place marks right away.
Adla eyed her and whispered, "As for your question... Yes, I know what a lonely season feels like. You see, we were born into a Pride where the male lions pay a lot of attention to the traditions. This means that the lion that I was really in love with refused to even place a paw on me, because I had been betrothed to Faraji since birth."
Duni sat down closer to Adla, listening intently. "Didn't you go to Faraji for assistance then?"
"Oh, no. No way," came Adla's swift reply, sounding almost grossed out, "I decided to be rebellious and I hid from him the fact that I was in season. So I came here, to this very spot, and spent day and night pretending that the log over there was my beloved lion instead."
Duni couldn't help but feel sad for Adla, but she was a bit glad that they could relate in some way. Duni had always imagined that Adla was the kind of lioness that would always get what she wanted, but it was good to hear that even the leader herself had it difficult too sometimes.
"What happened to the lion you loved?"
"The usual," Adla replied, rolling her eyes, "he left to find a Pride on his own. Last time I saw him, he had a wife, three huntresses and two cubs. I was very sad when I saw how quickly he had moved on, that's when I finally decided to take my position in the Pride and eventually became Faraji's wife."
"So... You don't love him?" Duni ventured to ask.
Adla shrugged. "Not the way I loved Hadithi, but he's okay with that. As long as we're both doing a good role as leaders of the Pride, Faraji is happy."
Duni tilted her head. "What about Faraji, is he in love with someone else?"
Adla chuckled and stood up. "That secret belongs to him, it's not up to me to tell you about that."
Duni smiled slightly, wondering who Faraji could love more than Adla.
"Anyway, I'll be heading back now. I'll come to pick you up in a few days, sweetie."
Duni nuzzled Adla and thanked her for her help. Once she was left alone, she went to locate the nearby log, and snuggled up against it, imagining that it was actually Safi lying next to her, protecting her and keeping her warm.