[PRP] Ineligible Males (Safura and Dwa)

[belloblossom]

After all her time here, Safura was finally beginning to get a good idea of how life was run in the Bonelands. The lionesses were the top ranking females, even if the males seemed to hold the majority of the power, the lionesses were the ones that decided when they wanted to court any of the males and a lion's place in the Bonelands was never really a fixed thing, especially if you happened to be an Inselelo. You could only be a lion in the pride if you were born in, but then you were kicked out come adolescence, or if you were one of the eligible males.

But there were a few lions that managed to stay in the pride, after taking a vow of celibacy. She never understood why male lions would choose to do that, after all, didn't all males only think of that one thing? How could they just turn it off in order to be accepted by the lead males.

If Safura was being honest, she would have admitted that it was a strange tradition and one that she didn't understand. Maybe she would have to pull one of these Ahluke to the side and make sure that changed.

Peppermint Coffee

 

[Bronze Coffee]

He was just finishing up a bout of cub sitting and heading to get get a bit of water. His steps were light and springy despite his size, clearly feeling as energetic as the cubs. It was rather hard being a celibate male in the pride, but it was worth it to be around the little ones. They always managed to perk him up if he was feeling down.

He arrived at one of the watering holes and dipped his head down for a drink, which was a lot easier to do as of late.

Blue eyes did wander from female to female. How couldn't they? He lived in a pride of mostly females and he was male. Still, they didn't linger too long. He hadn't even flirted with a lioness since he had been here.

belloblossom

 

[belloblossom]

Now, you must understand that once Safura gets an idea into her head, she has a very hard time getting it dislodged unless a better one came along. So her notion of finding an Ahluke to interrogate about the strange customs of the pride grew and she was determined to find one. She began to walk around the main camp in hopes of finding a friendly cubsitting male to assault with her questions.

She ended up spying one headed towards the watering hole and she, not exactly subtly, followed him. Just as he got to the water, she spoke up.

"Hey!" She said. "Hey, you're one of those Ahluke lions, right? Can I talk to you for a minute?" She asked, coming up from behind him to stand at the water's edge beside. "I just have some questions, is all. I'm still trying to get acquainted with all of the Bonelands' customs, and I thought you might be able to help me." She went on, giving him her most charming (and borderline flirty) smiles.

Peppermint Coffee

 

[Bronze Coffee]

He paused with his tongue out and his eyes slowly moved with his head to look at the female. Snapping his tongue back in his muzzle, Dwa's ears tipped back at the way she said his rank. Okay. But she was new, so he just smiled and nodded.

"I...suppose I will do my best to answer your questions....?" He paused, trying to get a name before he shook his head. "My name is Dwa. I'm sorry, you caught me by surprise."

belloblossom

 

[belloblossom]

Safura smiled indulgently at the other.
"Oh, thank you and please, don't apologize. I shouldn't have snuck up on you like that. I ought to be the one apologizing so...sorry." She fidgeted a little, unsure of where to begin and then she launched into it.

"Okay, well, I know about this whole breeding system with the Umholi and the Inselelo and the Ab...Ab-something or other, but those are the ones in charge, the lions in charge, I mean. Right?" She went on. "And I know that the lionesses are broken up into two main ranks, I mean there are others that are more specific like Umama and Cinga, but the two bigs ones are the Busisa, which is me, I guess, and the Umzingeli. The only difference is who was born into the pride and who wasn't. So, this whole thing seems like a pretty good system on its own." Now she looked directly at Dwa. "What I can't understand is why the male cubs are required to leave, is it a territorial thing between the leading males? And I really, no offense meant here, don't see the point of having Ahlukes if it's set in stone that all male cubs have to leave. Isn't having Ahlukes, like, bending the rules or something?"

She sighed.
"It's all a very confusing thing, in the long run. I would appreciate it if someone in the know, such as yourself, might explain it better? I mean, what is it that you do for the pride?" She asked, too caught up in her answer-seeking to realize that she had completely forgotten to introduce herself.

Peppermint Coffee

 

[Bronze Coffee]

"The Abaholi?" He offered, smiling a little. "Yes it's a very good system on how to handle things like breeding."

Suddenly Dwa found her gaze right on him and he seemed to shrink like he was being scrutinized. Of course she was confused about a celibate male, but he hadn't had someone ask about it in this sense. He was confused at first, and almost offended that she thought he was useless. Maybe he was reading too much into that, but he did take a step back and then put on a polite 'work smile' look.

"I was not born into this pride," he said after a moment. "Neither was my mother. We joined after we lost my two sisters in the roguelands. Hyenas got one of them, and an illness the other. I was the only one she had left. So when she joined the pride..." Dwa shrugged. "I joined to take care of her. She's much older now, and isn't the spry lioness she used to be. I'm all she has left. Besides that, I help hunt. As a male I can help drag and kill heavier prey. Not on my own of course," he bowed his head, showing he meant no offense. "I take care of the cubs when they are there, as well."

belloblossom

 

[belloblossom]

Safura smiled when he offered the word to her.
"The Abaholi! Yes, that was it. Thank you." Her cheery expression changed when he revealed his past to her, the sisters that he lost, the mother that joined the pride and he with her, to take care of her. Her ears went back in some discomfort. She must seem such the fool, asking such questions of someone who had faced so much hardship.
"I'm so sorry to hear about your sisters. I've also lost someone I cared very much about. My twin..." Her eyes became distant. Her dark twin had joined the pride with her, but vanished shortly after. Safura never knew what became of her and it ate away at her more every day. Looking up, sheepish, she smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, didn't mean to drag the topic into self-pity, haha! So!" Now she took the time to think about what he had to say.

Eventually, Safura nodded slowly.
"So...You're like extra muscle?" She replied after a while of quiet thinking. "I... I guess I can understand that, but isn't it hard? For you, I mean." The fidgeting came back. "I mean, you're surrounded by lionesses... And you're a lion." She paused. "Are you happy with this whole arrangement, but... I'm sorry, I must sound so naive. I just thought everyone would want to carry on their lineage at one point or another." She gave a half shrug. "I mean, it's not my place to say, of course and I really don't mean to be offensive with these questions, but... Do you think there's any danger of Ahluke later trying to challenge the Inselelo? Or is that like, super offensive to the pride or like, the breaking of some sacred bond or something?"

It seemed like every time she was close to figuring it out, more questions arose in her mind to ask! This might end up being a rather long, albeit certainly educational, conversation.

Peppermint Coffee

 

[Bronze Coffee]

"While... springs are uncomfortable, I know my place and don't wish to further it or challenge it in any way." Dwa shrugged. He was fairly content. Sure, he knew he wouldn't pass down his genetics, but that was just the way the gods had intended it to go for him.

"I don't know of many Ahluke who would even think about trying. I would think it would be very offensive. You take an oath to not breed. You shouldn't go back on your word."

It seemed the large male was fairly simple minded when it came to that kind of thing. He wasn't going to break his oath and risk never seeing his mother, even in her final days. "Maybe once my mother passes, I might think about leaving, but right now, my thoughts aren't there. They're on her. Being there for her when the time comes for her to go. And this isn't self-pity. Every Ahluke has his reason to be in the pride at this rank. It's hard for us, yes, but for a lot of is it's one of the only ways to stay close to someone."

He was assuming that anyway.

belloblossom

 

[belloblossom]

Safura smiled, a little embarrassed to be talking about something so intimate, but she supposed that if this male was celibate, she didn't need to feel that way? She ought to just think of this as a lioness talking to a lion, nothing to read in, because he certainly wasn't giving off any signals. In fact, he seemed like a very honorable lion, so struck by the oath he took.

"Well then, I'm glad it worked out for you, personally." She said, ever smiling at him. She paused, trying to think of whether she might have anything else to ask. She now knew that Ahluke's were there to carry the extra weight of the lioness' work, while the eligible breeding males were in charge of protecting the pride. She also knew, that it wasn't the worst possible thing to become an Ahluke, even though she would want any male cubs of hers to have a chance to leave and carry on her lineage and then maybe one of them would return to challenge the Inselelo later on in their life. She was pleased by the thought and looked back at Dwa.

"Well, I think that's everything. Thank you, Dwa, that was a very thorough report." She smiled and then stopped short. "Oh goodness, I misplaced my manners during this conversation! My name is Safura," Said Safura, finally remembering to introduce herself. "Eh heh, thank you again. I'll, erm, leave you to drinking now." She stood before she could start fidgeting again, nodded her head to the lion and then turned around and proceeded to head back to the other lionesses. With that notion out of her mind, it was only a matter of time before another struck her soon after.

Peppermint Coffee

I hope you don't mind me ending it here? Thank you so much for helping me out!

 

[Bronze Coffee]

It seemed like as soon as the conversation started, it stopped and she was heading back again. He only processed her name as he watched her leave and shook his head. Safura was going to do fine, he thought. A bit odd, a little anxious, but with time that'd settle down and she'd fit right in. He turned back to the water and tipped his head down to finally get the drink he needed after a long day of romping with the kids. Dwa definitely wouldn't forget this encounter.

belloblossom

(That's fine!)