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Description
Once again, the lands were dry. It was no surprise to the adults, every year drought season seemed to get worse and dry up the small waterhole in the neighborhood. To cubs, however, it was magic - how come the water was right there, just where they left it just days ago, and suddenly was no more?
The pride brought some lions over to the dry lake in order to try and dig some water out. However, once the cubs laid their eyes on the brown-colored liquid, it was their immediate instinct to begin playing in it.

Kosoko, walking silently behind his mlezi, Umani, watched them from afar. "Mlezi...?" He gently poked her leg, looking up at her with a soft frown in his face as though he already expected a negative answer.
As expected, she cut him off with a side-eyed glare. "I know what you're gonna ask. It's a no." She grunted at him, turning her head around and returning her attention to the other adults as they spoke. "You know they won't want to play with you already, so why the hell bother?"

He flinched, though slowly nodded. As she kept on walking, however, she realized that the boy would chase her like a shadow, close to clinging to her body and becoming a fifth leg. With a growl, she pushed him away with a bump, deciding to turn around and address him properly.

"Listen, Koso. Mlezi here will have to go and sort out grown up stuff. You sit here and wait for me, ok? I'll call you if we find water."

The cub nodded obediently, bringing his two front paws closer together as he sat down. He watched as Umani walked away with the rest, and blinked, wondering if there was a way to help her. Maybe he could dig too? He had big paws, bigger than most anyway... perhaps they could be of use, rather then merely make him look goofy. Glancing over at her just to make sure she wasn't watching - as he feared she might get mad at him for not sitting still as she commanded -, Kosoko began to quickly dig into the humid mud. Within a minute or so, he had a puddle the size of himself before him; the sight of his progress made him grin, and quickly he got up and began to look for his Mlezi, though she was quite far away.

"Look! The rhino boy got some more!"

Kosoko turned around as he heard collective pawsteps coming his way, ears flattening against his skull and body shrinking.

'Rhino boy...?' He thought to himself with a frown. Was that him that they talked about? Why was he a rhino? Did they actually like rhinos? Because Kosoko found them quite interesting! Perhaps this was a play invitation?

"I-I like.. rhinos.." He mumbled shyly to them, offering a small smile. One of the cubs perked a brow at him as he spoke to them, smirking and glancing at the other cubs around them. Koso felt a spark of hope light up inside him; she was smiling? Maybe they did want to play then! "Do.. you want to play?"

One of them immediately immitated the way he spoke, mocking it and laughing it off. The cub that smirked at him, however, chuckled and stepped closer to him.

"Have you ever seen a lion play with a rhino, Kosoko?"

He thought about it for a moment, looking up as to search through his memories.

"N-No, but--"

"Exactly." She winked and trotted off, along with the other two her age.

Kosoko didn't understand; what did she mean by that? Did she not want to play then? Because.. because he was a rhino, and they were lions?

"I want to be lion.." He whispered to himself, sniffling, glancing down at the muddy water. It showed a blurry reflection of himself and his deformed features, and the sight of himself made him sad.

So, with an annoyed sigh, he leaned down and dipped his face into the mud, wetting his paws with it as well and rubbing it all over his face, hoping to conceal the ugly that made him a rhino. Quickly, then, he trotted after the cubs, offering them a hopeful smile.

"Hey! How about now? Am I lion??" The boy panted once he came to a stop, the fresh mud still dripping down his fur. The cubs' response was laughter.

"Wow! I didn't know he could be even uglier!" "Yikes! Now you're more like a scary hippo!" "No, an ostrich!"

He frowned. "But..- I thought--"

"What? That we'd actually play with you? Oh please!" one of them scoffed. "We can't even understand what you say, let alone look at you!"
"Yeah, what a joke!"

"Kids?" An adult came up behind them, looking down as though he checked on the three of them and then defensively narrowed her eyes at the cream pelted cub. "What are you doing here? Where's your Mlezi, why are you talking to them?"

Koso shrunk close to the ground and curled his tail around his bottom, lowering his head.

"I'm sorry.."

A roar announced Umani's presence as she rushed back towards the deformed child, stepping up around him and instantly apologizing to the lioness for whatever the boy may have done. She nodded and left with the cubs, leaving Umani and Kosoko alone. The Mlezi circled him growling loudly, speaking through gritted teeth; "What. Did. I. Tell. You?! Ugh! Can't you see the way they look at you?!"

The small lion felt his eyes begin to tear up. "Y-you were right, Mlezi." He sniffled, and lowered his head towards her. "You're always right.."

"Then learn to obey me, damn it!" She snarled and stomped the ground. "God, what did I do to deserve you. Come, I ain't leaving you alone anymore."

"B-But wait, I dug a puddle f-for yo--"

"Quiet!" Umani snapped. "Not a single word from you. I've had enough for a lifetime."

----

Kosoko + Art (c) Me

"Mlezi" is the swahili word for caretaker, which was a rank for orphan caring in Kosoko's cubhood pride.

Do not steal or copy anything.

Ivory count:
+9 (art)
+10 (story)

Description
Once again, the lands were dry. It was no surprise to the adults, every year drought season seemed to get worse and dry up the small waterhole in the neighborhood. To cubs, however, it was magic - how come the water was right there, just where they left it just days ago, and suddenly was no more?
The pride brought some lions over to the dry lake in order to try and dig some water out. However, once the cubs laid their eyes on the brown-colored liquid, it was their immediate instinct to begin playing in it.

Kosoko, walking silently behind his mlezi, Umani, watched them from afar. "Mlezi...?" He gently poked her leg, looking up at her with a soft frown in his face as though he already expected a negative answer.
As expected, she cut him off with a side-eyed glare. "I know what you're gonna ask. It's a no." She grunted at him, turning her head around and returning her attention to the other adults as they spoke. "You know they won't want to play with you already, so why the hell bother?"

He flinched, though slowly nodded. As she kept on walking, however, she realized that the boy would chase her like a shadow, close to clinging to her body and becoming a fifth leg. With a growl, she pushed him away with a bump, deciding to turn around and address him properly.

"Listen, Koso. Mlezi here will have to go and sort out grown up stuff. You sit here and wait for me, ok? I'll call you if we find water."

The cub nodded obediently, bringing his two front paws closer together as he sat down. He watched as Umani walked away with the rest, and blinked, wondering if there was a way to help her. Maybe he could dig too? He had big paws, bigger than most anyway... perhaps they could be of use, rather then merely make him look goofy. Glancing over at her just to make sure she wasn't watching - as he feared she might get mad at him for not sitting still as she commanded -, Kosoko began to quickly dig into the humid mud. Within a minute or so, he had a puddle the size of himself before him; the sight of his progress made him grin, and quickly he got up and began to look for his Mlezi, though she was quite far away.

"Look! The rhino boy got some more!"

Kosoko turned around as he heard collective pawsteps coming his way, ears flattening against his skull and body shrinking.

'Rhino boy...?' He thought to himself with a frown. Was that him that they talked about? Why was he a rhino? Did they actually like rhinos? Because Kosoko found them quite interesting! Perhaps this was a play invitation?

"I-I like.. rhinos.." He mumbled shyly to them, offering a small smile. One of the cubs perked a brow at him as he spoke to them, smirking and glancing at the other cubs around them. Koso felt a spark of hope light up inside him; she was smiling? Maybe they did want to play then! "Do.. you want to play?"

One of them immediately immitated the way he spoke, mocking it and laughing it off. The cub that smirked at him, however, chuckled and stepped closer to him.

"Have you ever seen a lion play with a rhino, Kosoko?"

He thought about it for a moment, looking up as to search through his memories.

"N-No, but--"

"Exactly." She winked and trotted off, along with the other two her age.

Kosoko didn't understand; what did she mean by that? Did she not want to play then? Because.. because he was a rhino, and they were lions?

"I want to be lion.." He whispered to himself, sniffling, glancing down at the muddy water. It showed a blurry reflection of himself and his deformed features, and the sight of himself made him sad.

So, with an annoyed sigh, he leaned down and dipped his face into the mud, wetting his paws with it as well and rubbing it all over his face, hoping to conceal the ugly that made him a rhino. Quickly, then, he trotted after the cubs, offering them a hopeful smile.

"Hey! How about now? Am I lion??" The boy panted once he came to a stop, the fresh mud still dripping down his fur. The cubs' response was laughter.

"Wow! I didn't know he could be even uglier!" "Yikes! Now you're more like a scary hippo!" "No, an ostrich!"

He frowned. "But..- I thought--"

"What? That we'd actually play with you? Oh please!" one of them scoffed. "We can't even understand what you say, let alone look at you!"
"Yeah, what a joke!"

"Kids?" An adult came up behind them, looking down as though he checked on the three of them and then defensively narrowed her eyes at the cream pelted cub. "What are you doing here? Where's your Mlezi, why are you talking to them?"

Koso shrunk close to the ground and curled his tail around his bottom, lowering his head.

"I'm sorry.."

A roar announced Umani's presence as she rushed back towards the deformed child, stepping up around him and instantly apologizing to the lioness for whatever the boy may have done. She nodded and left with the cubs, leaving Umani and Kosoko alone. The Mlezi circled him growling loudly, speaking through gritted teeth; "What. Did. I. Tell. You?! Ugh! Can't you see the way they look at you?!"

The small lion felt his eyes begin to tear up. "Y-you were right, Mlezi." He sniffled, and lowered his head towards her. "You're always right.."

"Then learn to obey me, damn it!" She snarled and stomped the ground. "God, what did I do to deserve you. Come, I ain't leaving you alone anymore."

"B-But wait, I dug a puddle f-for yo--"

"Quiet!" Umani snapped. "Not a single word from you. I've had enough for a lifetime."

----

Kosoko + Art (c) Me

"Mlezi" is the swahili word for caretaker, which was a rank for orphan caring in Kosoko's cubhood pride.

Do not steal or copy anything.

Ivory count:
+9 (art)
+10 (story)