[PRP] The Brightest Stars (Ena and Eva'Raja)

[Kira_of_the_Flame]

Ena walks slowly toward the healers cave, coughing and hacking heavily. She had been playing with some of her friends, playing tag, when she started to cough and couldn't catch her breath after a long sprint trying to catch one of her pals. When she finally got her breathing under control her friends told her to head up to the healers cave for a check-up, just to make sure she was okay and not coming down with something. Ena being headstrong didn't want to but finally gave in at a** her friends' insistence.

She hated this feeling of weakness and the soreness she was feeling in her throat and chest from all of the coughing. Ena walked into the cave and laid down over to the side, watching the other lions in the cave. She knew of the sickness that plagued her pride, she figured that she didn't have it cause her father was immune, so she was able to tell herself that her cough that was so similar to the sick lions of her pride was just a cold. She looked around the cave and looked for her step-mom, Eva, one of the healers for the pride. Maybe she would be able to help.  

[Lorne_Sionn]

Eva had been in the back of her Healer's den, tending to one of the adults that had been brought to her. As Master Healer, she usually only saw the worse cases, her novices seeing to the others as they could. The dark lioness had just finished washing her paws in the little natural spring in the back of the den when she heard the very faint sound of a cub coughing. She knew almost at once it was one of 'hers', and one of the youngest set.

Moving on swift, but silent paws she made her way to the bundle of dark fur and sun markings, her bright blue eyes filled with concern. " Ena", she whispered softly, bringing her paw around the tiny cub and pulling her into the warmth of her chest ruff, " baby..what's wrong? I thought you were playing with Rian and the others? Did the twins knock you down?"

Eva felt her heart sick as she held the kitling, she was burning up. Oh please Goddess of Pestilence, not another...not little Ena as well...  

[Kira_of_the_Flame]

Ena looked up at the lioness that she knew only as her mother as she was drawn into Eva's fur. She nuzzled there for a moment as she listened to her mom talking, asking her if one of her twin siblings had knocked her down.

She coughed hard before saying, "Well ya one of them knocked me down but that was a long time ago, this morning. I came in because while I was playing with Rian and the others I started to cough and couldn't breath very well. We were playing tag and I was doing really well! I was fast and tagged lots of them!" Ena began to wander of topic as she talked about how well she played the game of tag. "I was running away from one of them when I couldn't breath and started hacking. Do you have any herbs to make the cough go away so I can go back and play? Everyone told me to come here or I would have kept playing and I really want to go back and play some more."

Ena looked up into Eva's eyes, hoping that her mom had something to make her feel better.
"I'm cold to ma." she said as she tried to get closer to Eva.  

[Lorne_Sionn]

The Master Healer drew the cub a little closer and looked around for Ja'ella, one of her novices. Catching the other lioness's eyes she motioned to one of the unmade pallets in the back. Instantly, Ja'ella went to it and covered it with fresh Serengeti grass, smoothing it out as Eva walked Ena to it.

" I am sure you were very fast, Rian is always telling me how quick you are. Quicker than any of his other sisters." Eva kept her voice low and soothing as she settled the little cub onto the pallet, " but I think you are done for the day my little star, this cough sounds pretty bad."

She held up the Ibex fur so that Ena could crawl under it, " I think you are gonna stay here and keep mama company the rest of the day. You think you can do that?" As she spoke she and Ja'ella placed two flat, round, sun warmed stones under the foot of the Ibex pelt, warming it and the cub under it up.

" What kind of pain is in your chest? Is it sharp like a thorn or shallow like when Ruko hit you?"  

[Kira_of_the_Flame]

She went with Eva and when the bed was made for her she dutifully crawled into the bed as the skin was held up for her.

"Rian really said that? He's fast too, but I caught him today. Course he tagged me too..." she kept chatting about the game of tag. When her mom mentioned that she wouldn't be playing anymore today she lowered her head and said, "Awww but ma! I was having fun!" Ena began to cough again and then looked back up at Eva, "Maybe your right ma, I'll be good and stay with you today, plus maybe you'll need my help today. Do you have anything to make me feel better?"

As she listened to Eva ask her about the cough she thought about it before replying, "Well its a bit of both plus what it feels like to get your tummy burned from being out in the sun to much but in my throat." she answered truthfully.  

[Lorne_Sionn]

Eva gave the little cub a soft smile, smoothing the pelt out and tucking the ends in to keep the warmth of the stones from escaping. " A tummy burn in your throat hum, sounds horrible uncomfortable," her tone was light with a gentle tease and she licked the cubs nose as Ja'ella went to fetch the numbweed for the cub to chew and the meat strips dusted with drop seed for the pain the cough caused.

When the golden eyed lioness brought them, Eva sat down beside her daughter, for she thought of all of them as her own because they were Silabh's, and handed her first the two strips of meat, " Eat these all up Ena, and when you are done I'll give you something for your throat...ok little star?"  

[Kira_of_the_Flame]

Ena nodded when her stepmom gave her some meat, "Okay". She ate the meat quickly, flinching at it roughly going down her sore throat. "All done", she told her as she snuggled into the warm bed.

"Why is there so many people sick here in the pride?" she asked the lioness that was the closest thing she had to a mother, she had been looking at all the other sick lions in the den. "Did I catch it from someone?"  

[Lorne_Sionn]

The Master Healer gave the little one a soft smile, while inwardly she sighed. She hated this part, when she had to explain to the smallest and most innocent of her Pride why they were sick, and why they couldn't be like some of the others of their siblings and fellow playmates.

" Why are there so many sick? Its a very long story Ena, but for now all you have to understand is that it is the will of the Goddess of Pestilence," she rubbed the cubs back, her voice soft and gentle, " when you are a little older I will explain it, but for now, why don't you chew this for me?"