Reincarnated As A Lion In Another World

N’bayé and Kael lay on the ground, facing each other inside the cave.

The cave was spacious, allowing all of them to lie down in different areas without it feeling clustered.

The cave was not just a space with rocks as walls. It had a very high ceiling and how deep into the mountain was not yet known by Kael.

The walls were decorated with colorful runes that emitted light and provided radiance to the dimly lit cave.

Kael and N’bayé conversed openly as N’bayé seemed a bit too eager to have someone to talk to.

"I came from a lion clan made up of multiple lion prides far away from here…" N’bayé explained.

"Unfortunately for me, I was exceptional. After I evolved, I became better and smarter than all of them, I couldn’t bear to see myself become a consort for one of the pride leaders.

So I left. Along the way, I encountered many exotic creatures which I ate if I could. It was what led to me having another evolution and becoming who I am today.

I have been quite okay with the fact that I’ll die alone and it’s better than living among a bunch of lions who don’t understand how I think. Do you get me, Kael?"

Kael nodded his head, he was quite impressed with how well-spoken Nbaye was. There was also a certain accent that her telepathic words came with, it was a familiar accent that he heard of but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

"That’s a considerate way of saying you were surrounded by idiots, and I understand you," Kael said. "Being surrounded by people who don’t get you can be quite depressing compared to just living by yourself."

N’bayé nodded with a glimmer in her eyes, "And what about you, where do you come from?" She asked.

"I also come from a faraway place, a pride not as big as that lion clan of yours, with the rest of my lionesses. I left the pride and they followed." Kael simply stated.

"Hmm, you left your pride, just like me. Why?" N’bayé asked with her head tilted to the side.

Kael was stunned by her question. This lioness was indeed thoughtful and her curiosity was way deeper than other lionesses.

It was now that Kael was fully aware he was interacting with human-level intelligence. Simple answers will not be satisfactory for her.

"Well, I wanted to start my own pride, that’s why I left." He replied.

"Why didn’t you just start a clan though? You could have multiple prides in one clan and your pride could even be the dominant pride. Wouldn’t that have been better than coming here just to start your own pride?" N’bayé’s question was straight to the point.

Kael paused, not responding for a long time. He looked into N’bayé’s yellow eyes which met his with nothing but inquisitiveness.

There was no sign of fear, anger, or confusion, just curiosity and a little bit of excitement.

"First of all," Kael began, "I had already formed my pride within my father’s pride, continued stay would only cause conflict.

Secondly, I will be honest and say that this is the first time I’ve heard about lion clans. Before now, I had never heard of it.

Finally, our initial plan when we left the pride was to look for a perfect den that would serve as our base and the center of our territory. The reason why we came all this way is because we didn’t find a good den spot on the way here.

That is until we found this mountain."

When Kael’s voice trailed off, the cave seemed to be thrust into an oppressive atmosphere.

The silence was deafening and the lionesses had their limbs twitching, ready for action.

Kael watched as the look on N’bayé’s face went from curiosity to amusement. She didn’t seem particularly upset at what Kael said, just amused.

"What I care about most in the world is knowledge," As N’bayé said this, she stood up, reminding Kael of just how large she was. His muscles were tense and his claws were almost out.

N’bayé saw all this from the corner of her eyes, "I want to know, what do you truly want? Is it my den, or is it more than that?"

Kael felt his mouth run dry, this lioness was smart.

"I have met many lions, most of them are satisfied with a simple big tree or a gathering of bushes to serve as their den. You are not ordinary, I can tell, which is why you and your consorts are still alive after meeting me."

The way N’bayé spoke, it was as if she was more entertained by their reactions than their existence itself.

Kael frowned, "Like you said, we aren’t ordinary. What makes you think you could kill us if you wanted to?"

Kael’s answer caused N’bayé to sigh, "Perhaps, you might survive if I wanted to kill you, but I doubt if your consorts could."

Kael did not say anything to this, but his mind was churning. There was nothing more dangerous than someone who was capable of extreme violence but acted like she was harmless. They were like green snakes amid green grasses.

"But more than that, I am more interested in you," N’bayé said.

"I have never seen a lion like you before. I wish to know about you in detail, how are you able to have consorts that are so different from each other?"

Kael shook his head, "I can tell you all you need to know about me, on one condition."

N’bayé chuckled, "Name your price."

Kael took a deep breath and then replied. "You."

His answer stunned everyone in the cave, even the two foxes that had been covertly listening to the open conversation.

"What?" N’bayé was stunned by his unexpected answer.

"I want you to join my pride," Kael said as he also stood up to look at N’bayé.

"Hmm," N’bayé frowned for the first time, the tattoos on her body glowed brighter, as though they were ready to release a vast amount of energy. "Why?"

"I need a Magus Lioness in my pride," Kael said.

"How commanding. But how do you know what type of lioness I am, you never told." N’bayé stylishly dodged Kael’s request the moment she saw an opportunity.

"If you join my pride, I can tell you and show you all you need to know.

I know you can’t resist the temptation for this type of knowledge, as a Magus lioness."

Kael had a mysterious look on his face as he intensified his gaze as if he had her in the palm of his hand.

N’bayé shook her head with a strange toothy smile, "I let you into my home and this is how you treat me? Hehe.

You indeed seem knowledgeable but you speak like one without experience. I have both knowledge and experience, Kael.

Instead of bargaining, I could just beat you up till you have no choice but to tell me what I want to know."

N’bayé’s jade white claws stuck out of her large paws and her tattoos glowed brighter.

"In front of absolute strength, you have zero bargaining power!" N’bayé stated in a matter-of-fact-ly manner.

"Then why haven’t you attacked yet?" Kael asked, realizing that things may not go the way he wanted.

"Like I said, I’m interested in you in particular." N’bayé’s tattoos suddenly dimmed down and she retracted her claws.

She turned away from Kael and went towards the cave entrance. "You guys can stay here if you want, I appreciate the company." She said nonchalantly before exiting the cave.

"She is not afraid of us at all. Her mind is filled with so much confidence that she didn’t even care that I was looking into her head…" Priya said, still baffled by the character of this tattooed lioness.

"What do we do now Kael?" Nalii asked.

"You all might as well start looking at this place as your new home. As for N’bayé, leave her to me," Kael’s words soothed the minds of the lionesses.

When Kael gave N’bayé the condition of joining his pride, she didn’t outright refuse, she just dodged it like she didn’t hear anything the first time. The gears in his mind turned rapidly as he thought of how to make use of this negligible action.

"And you two, don’t go anywhere," He didn’t forget to warn the two foxes, making them lament repeatedly in their minds.

The Ol-mytee Pride settled down in the cave, and soon all of them dozed off into a deep slumber.

All but Kael. Kael couldn’t sleep as he was still thinking about what to do about N’bayé. He didn’t like the fact that there was a bullet by his side that could kill him at any moment

There was no way he could trust her to be so calm with him forever unless she signed a Primordial contract.

Tired of staying in one place, Kael walked out of the cave for some fresh air. He intended to walk around the vicinity to explore the surroundings and do some patrolling.

It was now nighttime and the half moon hung in the sky. The nightly breeze brushed in between Kael’s fur, making him feel relaxed.

However, the distant footsteps and scent of N’bayé caught his attention. Ever since she left the cave, she had not returned.

Kael held his breath and made his way over to her casually. He didn’t bother to be stealthy as N’bayé had proven that it was useless.

He could use the spatial camouflage but that was a waste of energy for now. What was the point of being stealthy if he wanted her to trust him?

However, once Kael finally saw N’bayé, he wished he had activated his camouflage before now.

What he saw shocked him.