Young Sarabi huddled against her mother's front limbs, watching a beetle scuffle up a stalk of yellow-brown grass. This morning she had woken up at her mother side in a pile with her three sisters. Tonight, however, she would be in a new place without her mother, without her sisters, with strangers.
She would not be alone of course, her best friend in the world was going with her. Sarafina was trying not to fidget as her mother washed her, smoothing the creamy-colored fur. Sarafina's mother, Ua, offered to let Sarabi sleep with them and the young cub agreed. Ua was like a second mother and Sarabi knew that the honey-yellow lioness would take care of her.
Still...there would be so much she would miss. She would miss Diku's snores, Naanda's soft lilting voice as she sang little Dwala to sleep each night, she would miss Dwala's bright sunny smiles and high-pitched giggles. For the first time Sarabi wondered if this was how her sister had felt.
Nadra had been a teenager when it was decided that she would marry into the Deltalands. It had been painful to watch her big sister walk away, leaving behind everyone she knew and love to one day marry a stranger. Sarabi couldn't see why Nadra hadn't spoke up. The pale lioness was sweet-tempered mainly, but she could be stern and stubborn. But to the shock of Sarabi and her two sisters (Dwala wasn't born yet), Nadra agreed and left with not a single protest.
But now it was her turn to go. A deal had been deciding by the pride to answer a request made by Queen Uru of the Pridelands. The Queen requested two girls that could be companions to her two sons and perhaps one day could marry them. There were plenty of female cubs in the Grass Whispers pride, but the two cubs choosen had been Sarabi and Sarafina. They would not go alone of course, their mothers could accompany if they wished.
So here they were, waiting to see a strange Queen who would take them from all they knew. Sarabi trembled and struggled to fight back tears. Nadra hadn't cried as she was led off to her new pride. The older lioness had made Sarabi promise to be brave and strong and to watch out for their sisters. Sarabi had to be strong!
A gentle rasp of a tongue across her head made the beige cub look up. Her mother was smiling down at her with sympathetic eyes. "Why don't you take a nap?" her mother suggested. "It will still be a while until the meeting. Rest to gain your strength." Sarabi wanted to protest that she wasn't sleepy, but her mother's words made her paws feel strangely heavy and...it would be time she could have with her mother. A gentle brush of fur told the beige cub that Sarafina had left Ua and was now pressing close beside her.
Satisfied, Sarabi closed her eyes and slept.
Sarabi woke to her mother and Ua greeting somebody. Orange eyes opened to see the two Grass Whispers lionesses greeting a third who had appeared. The young lioness's eyes were wide in awe at the sight. Queen Uru (Sarabi decided this had to be her) was a beautiful lioness with blue-gray fur and gray-blue eyes. She had scruffy fur on the top of her head, cheeks, and a ruff of fur running down her neck.
The Queen dropped her gaze to the two cubs and she smiled. "Is this Sarabi and Sarafina?" the two mothers nodded and Sarabi felt her mother nose her out from underneath her, where the periwinkle lioness could see her better. "This is Sarabi." Ua did the same to her daughter and Sarafina was at her side. "And this is Sarafina."
Uru gazed between the two and apparently liked what she saw because she nodded before her attention returned to the two lionesses. "Will you both come with them?" Sarabi tried to read any ill-intent in the royal's words. She heard stories of how many prides didn't approve of mothers joining their cubs in their new home. But Uru's voice held no malice, it sounded gentle as if she understood the pain that a mother could feel to lose their child to an unknown land.
"As much as I want to come along, I must return to my other cubs." Sarabi heard the sadness and longing in her mother's words and had to struggle hard to keep from turning around. She knew that she had turned around, then she would end up crying. Ua once more spoke up. "I will accompany both girls to the Pridelands and stay as long as I feel needed." Uru smiled to her. "I am sure you will always be wanted." she replied.
It was over much too soon and the time to depart was now. Sarabi wished that the lionesses would talk some more, just so that she could keep her mother around for just a little bit longer. But the time for words was over now and after saying good-bye, Sarabi could only watch as her mother turned and began to walk off, back to the Grass Whispers.
She did not look back, not even once.
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