Beautiful, eh? That earned him another sharp, warning look from Chephirah.
"They are," she agreed tightly, tail lashing in twitchy, erratic little motions, "but don't get any ideas. Come."
She motioned for him to follow her as she strode toward the water, and as she did, the other women and children began to notice him. There were a variety of reactions: mothers pulling their children in closer, some baring teeth, some tucking tails and laying back ears, some watching curiously and fearlessly with ears pricked forward and tails relaxed. Her pride was diverse, and diverse in experiences, as well, and not everyone had come from troubling circumstances. Some had grown up there, never knowing any of the darker things that happened beyond their territory, and some had just needed a tribe to join.
Chephirah looked at her pride, face and posture calm. Exuding calm was the key to relaxing others. "This is Atalier," she announced. "I found him in the desert, unarmed and weak and dying." Maybe that was an exaggeration, but he would have been dead at the rate he was going. "I offered him our hospitality, and he knows our rules. He won't be here long."
And then she turned back to Atalier, and motioned to the basin. "Drink," she said, "slowly, though, or you'll be sick. I'll fetch you some food." After all, she'd brought him here, so it was her responsibility to watch him. She turned to leave, but an older woman approached her then, whispered something in her ear, and she sighed.
"Tiaret," she called.
Tiaret's ears went up at the sound of her name, and she turned her face toward her mother's voice, head cocked.
"See that he's fed and made comfortable. I have to tend to some matters." And with that said, she turned to walk off with the other woman, leaving Tiaret behind.
Tiaret, who was one of those lions that had never been exposed to anything awful, and who was merely curious about the human.
And similarly relieved that her mother was now gone so she didn't have to watch herself like a bad child!
With a smile, she stepped closer to Atalier, tail swishing. "Sooo..." she said, and her smile turned wry. "Sorry about my mother."