Rain. It was always the rain that stopped her from the hunt. Seth did not enjoy the feeling of wet mane or the squish of mud between her toes. She did not necessarily mind doing dirty work but she could most definitely do without the mud. That was what she hated the most. The putrid smell it carried. The smell was worse than rotten flesh and it drove her mad, left her scratching her paws along the ground for days at a time trying to get the chunks of dried earth out of her paws. She certainly was not going to lick it out and clean it that way. That would be insane...and it would taste horrible.

Her stomach rumbled. Then again, anything would taste amazing right about now. The lioness sighed and flopped down onto the ground of her little cave with a sigh, watching as the rain pattered down. Akida was off somewhere doing whatever it was jackals did when they were bored. Seth wasn't quite sure.

She certainly enjoyed the smaller creature's biting sense of humor coupled with a crippling shyness. Seth could only imagine what jokes she kept to herself. They were sure to be hilarious.

As if summoned, Akida came trotting out of the depths of the cave, a small dead rodent in her mouth which she proudly dropped on the ground in front of Sethunya. Seth smiled, amused by the proud look upon her face. Akida had never been so good at hunting...It was part of the reason Sethunya took her in. She hoped to teach her how to better take care of herself...Or at least at first. After a while, the two bonded and became fast friends. Once Seth had taught the jackal the basics of survival, neither one of them wanted to part ways.

"Would you like some?" the jackal asked cheerfully as she ripped a small piece of flesh from its back and chewed as if it were the finest thing she had ever tasted. The little familiar was exceptionally proud of her catch. It had been months since Akida had caught anything all by herself. She was certain Seth would be proud of her and her paws slapped the ground in anticipation. She chewed the flesh with delight and closed her eyes to savor the flavor as the blood rolled down her throat. Food had to be the best thing in existence. Had to be. What else was there?

Seth smiled a hungry little smile but declined the offer. Sure, she was starving...But she still felt that Akida was more her charge than her companion. She could not bring herself to take food out of her familiar's mouth. It seemed like a selfish move, despite her companion offering them to her. So the pale lioness withheld her sigh and offered a bright, cheery smile to the jackal.

She really was proud of her. Before Seth had met her, she would not have been able to catch even that. She would be laying somewhere, her belly empty and rumbling if not for Seth. She was helping her come into her own, even though someone should have helped her with that sooner. No matter. She was coming into her own. She was becoming an independent creature. Seth could leave her alone for periods of time now without concern. Akida knew she was coming back just as much as Seth knew she could trace her scent. They always found each other. Sure, they adored each other but in the end, they all needed some time to themselves.

That sounded nice, actually.

Maybe when the rain let up a bit. For now, it was just too heavy. Seth wasn't by any means a weak lioness. She had no problem getting her paws dirty...But she was not quite hungry enough to brave the elements just yet. Instead, she turned and watched as her jackal friend continued to happily chew away at the remains of her prey and she could not help but feel a little motherly pride.

As Akida finished up her meal, she walked to the edge of the cave and dipped her muzzle and paws into a puddle, washing the fresh blood away before it could stain her light brown fur. The jackal turned back and observed Sethunya absentmindedly. She hated days like today when they just hung back and watched as the water rushed down from the sky with absolutely no consideration for any other animal around. Maybe they had adventures to find. Maybe they had things to hunt and sniff and poke and eat. Maybe they could be doing something far more interesting that laying around on the floor of a damn dark, dank, smelly cave! And there was not even a buzzing fly to chase or...

Well, there was one thing.

Akida grinned and watched with amusement as Sethunya's tail flopped back and forth in slow, steady, albeit bored fashion. Perhaps it was time the jackal took a little leaf from the lioness' book. It was time to cause some trouble...Well. Playful trouble of course.

As Seth turned her gaze back to the opening of the cave, watching rather resentfully as the puddles collected more and more water, Akida decided it was time to strike.

Just as she had seen Seth do a million times, she leaned down towards the ground in a crouch, wrapped her tail around her body, and slowly crept towards the unsuspecting lioness.

Seth smiled as she heard the gentle paws padding behind her slowly. Akida's warmth was always welcomed company. She turned to face her only to be tackled by the little jackal.

Roaring with laughter, Akida snickered and swatted at the lioness' tail as she had seen Seth do herself numerous times. Seth snickered and flicked the tail backwards this way, then that way, watching as the jackal jumped for it, chewing on it so very gently whenever she managed to catch it.

That was when Seth decided it was time to get revenge. With a laugh, she pounced up the jackal. The wrestling match had begun.

So much for being bored.


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