Mohana was devastated still. Some time had passed since her pride and her home was disbanded, but it was still a fresh wound to her. She tried to look on the positive side: she’d given her daughters a good home, had raised them to be fine adults. Then they’d left for their own lives and she was happy for them, though she missed them a great deal. She also missed her companion Bipin, who’d gone off in search of a lady love of his own, promising to return some day. Mo hoped fervently that she would see him again, though despaired of how he would find her.
She’d been wandering the rogue lands, quietly exploring and enjoying the scenery. She had no real goal in mind, though wondered if she might find one of her daughters if she searched long enough. A new home, a new family….she longed for them with every fiber of her being.
Mo was startled out of her thoughts when she finally noticed the position of the sun and how dark it was getting. She was going to need to seek shelter for the night before she could move on.
Fortunately she knew of a small watering hole nearby she’d stumbled on a few days ago. It had a few trees for shelter and would provide a good place to stay.
Kilunzi was still reluctant to travel the mortal lands for any extended period of time. The anonymity of her mortal form made it easier and more enjoyable, but she was still nervous of the mortals and how they would react to having her around. Still, the day was lovely and quiet and she hadn’t stumbled across another soul.
Irc and Hem, her two constant raven companions followed her and she could hear them murmuring quietly to themselves. She turned to look back as the two swooped down to land gently on her back.
“There is a watering hole ahead,” said Irc quietly in her ear. She nodded and smiled sweetly at her beloved friends. The daylight was waning and she was thirsty. It would good to find a place to rest for a while and decide if she wanted to stay and continue or return to their home. Continuing on her path, she soon came across the watering hole. What she didn’t expect was that she wouldn’t be alone. Another lioness lounged by the water’s edge. Glancing back at Irc and Hem, she wondered why they hadn’t warned her. The birds returned her gaze evenly and whispered quiet encouragements in her ear before they launched themselves back into the air to land on a tree branch nearby.
Watching them, she contemplated joining them in bird form so she could fly away. But she was thirsty. And it was only one mortal.
Mohana reclined on the soft grass by the water and contemplated what to do next. However, she was startled when she heard the sound of wings nearby. Glancing up she noticed two ravens landing on one of the trees surrounding the water.
Odd. It’s a little late in the day for them to be out and about… she thought to herself. It was then that she noticed the presence of another lioness on the other side of the water. The other female was looking at Mohana with an expression of nervous apprehension. Mo’s motherly instincts instantly took over.
“Why hello there,” she called out in a quiet and pleasant voice. She smiled sweetly at the grey lioness. “Please, won’t you join me? I didn’t realize there were any others around. I would love some company.”
Kilunzi regarded the dark lioness with wary surprise. She hadn’t expected such a friendly welcome. She cautiously walked around the water hole to settle a safe distance away before responding.
“Hello. I’m sorry; I hope I didn’t disturb you. I didn’t think anyone else was here either,” she said casting a reproachful glance at her birds whispering to each other up in the tree. She appreciated their encouragement, but didn’t like the surprise. Still, the other lioness seemed friendly and she needed the practice. Frankly, she also just needed someone to talk to who didn’t only want to use her to confide their secrets. Kilu wanted a friend.
Mohana was delighted when the little grey lioness joined her. She couldn’t understand her reluctance but perhaps she’d come from a bad situation. Mo knew she needed to be gentle and kind. Fortunately, she was an expert at both.
“You aren’t disturbing me at all! There is plenty of room here! My name is Mohana,” she said brightly, hoping to help the other female relax and feel comfortable. It was wonderful to have someone to talk to after what seemed like a long time. She’d been so lonely….
Kilunzi had a talent for reading others, came with the domain and a lifetime of listening to the deepest secrets. Under Mohana’s friendly manner, it looked like the kind lioness was very upset about something.
“I am Kilunzi,” she responded. Nodding towards the ravens she added, “They are Irc and Hem. Irc is the white one, Hem the black. They are my companions,” she said simply. The two birds called out greetings but stayed where they were.
“What brings you to the area?” asked Kilu politely. She was surprised at Mohana’s visible flinch to the simple question.
Mohana couldn’t help it. The reminder of the loss of her home brought back all the feelings of loneliness and despair she’d felt for so long. She tried to hide the feelings but found that she simply couldn’t. Somehow, she found herself telling this stranger Kilunzi her entire life story.
“I’m sorry, I just can’t seem to get myself under control. My pride, my home, recently disbanded. I can understand why but now I have no home and I am just so lonely. My daughters left, Bipin left, and now I am all alone. All I really want is a home and family, someone to take care of. That’s not too much to ask for, is it? I don’t understand why I am so alone now. Just like I was before….” she trailed off, horrified that she spilled so much personal information to someone she barely knew. That wasn’t like her at all.
She glanced over, surprised out of her sadness for a moment to see that Kilunzi had come closer. And she seemed to be glowing.
Kilunzi sighed, resigned to it. Clearly Mohana was feeling the effect of her presence. She felt for this poor, sweet lioness who was clearly devastated. Seeing Mohana’s expression of mixed awe and horror, Kilu looked down to see herself glowing. She’d lost some control over her mortal guise. With a shake of her head, she released it completely, taking on her normal, immortal form once again.
“I’m sorry, Mohana. I really should have stayed away. My presence tends to have strange effects on certain mortals. People tend to want to spill their secrets around me,” she stated.
Seeing Mohana’s expression shift to confusion, she realized she needed to explain more. “I am the Goddess of Secrets. And I promise you, your secrets are safe with me, so you needn’t fear that you’ve said anything you shouldn’t. I was made for others to confide in,” she said with a genuine smile.
More than a little awed, Mohana scrambled to stand so that she could bow. A Goddess? Here? Mo had never met an immortal before, though she certainly worshipped them like anyone else. She’d never heard of a Goddess of Secrets, though she wasn’t surprised that there was one. How odd for her to randomly bump into one during one of the roughest patches in her life. Though, perhaps that wasn’t that odd after all.
“Uh, well, hello there. I …. I’ve never met a Goddess or a God before. I am really, truly sorry,” she stammered, staring at Kilunzi.
Kilu smiled sheepishly. “There’s nothing to apologize for. It’s my fault. Just being around some mortals makes them confide in me, whether they want to or not. Especially when they are emotional,” she pointed out quietly.
She settled down next to Mohana, tucking her wings in tight to her body.
“I’m sorry for your recent troubles, Mohana. To be without a home….that sounds terrible. And I can understand why you would feel lonely. Desiring a family is a truly noble thing, you shouldn’t be ashamed of it. Just because you already have daughters doesn’t mean that you can’t go out and make another family,” she observed.
“I imagine that if you keep wandering, you’ll stumble upon a new life somewhere and I hope that wherever it is, you will be very happy there.”
Mohana was swept by a wave of emotion that was followed by gratitude to this rather overwhelming presence next to her.
“Thank you. Really, thank you. It makes me feel a lot better to say it and to hear you tell me things are going to be okay. I’ve gone through this search for a home before, I can do it again. I didn’t even realize that I felt so guilty for wanting another family when I already have one. Even if we are separated,” she said, hanging her head.
Glancing at the sky, Kilunzi noticed with regret that it was full dark now and she truly needed to be going. With Mohana still so emotional, it felt like she was manipulating the female just by being near her. Still, it had been good to actually speak to someone and to find a mortal who didn’t react with fear or anger, but simple gratitude instead. It was….refreshing.
Standing, she bowed and smiled an apology to Mohana.
“I am sorry, but I should be going. I need to be getting back. But thank you for not being scared or angry with me. Most mortals are,” she mumbled. Turning to Irc and Hem, the two ravens took their cue and swooped down to land on her back once more. Consulting with Hem for a moment, the dark raven carefully plucked a medium sized feather from Kilu’s wing and flapping over, laid it at Mohana’s feet.
“In case you ever need someone to talk to again, you can use that feather. Just wave it in the air a few times and I’ll be sure to find you as soon as I am able,” said Kilunzi. It was rare that she felt the urge to give away one of her feathers, but in this case, it felt right.
Mohana gently laid her paw on pristine white feather in front of her.
“Thank you,” she said, awed and still filled with raw emotion. She watched as Kilunzi gave her a rueful smile before she and her two birds launched themselves into the night sky and disappeared into the darkness.
