Iluba watched quietly from the distance as several leopard cubs played on the ground and then in the trees. Leaping from branch to branch, pouncing on one another from those branches. That looks like such fun! she thought to herself. She decided she would try it.

Cheetahs are not meant to climb trees like leopards do, but they are lighter so she decided she would try. She didn't climb trees often, either, so this was a new concept in general. Never had she taken all four paws off the ground and put them on a branch, not even to laze about the grass on a hot day. When the leopard cubs had finished and run back into the forest, beyond her sight, she went to the spot where they played. She climbed the first tree that offered itself to her, one that the cubs had been playing in. She made it to the branches easily. Confidence gained, she lept to the next tree over. As her front paws landed, she heard the first crunch as the branch gave way. Her momentum, not even her weight, probably caused the total collapse of the branch; it must have had a crack already, even though it had looked sturdy enough. But in hindsight, she preferred the ground anyways.

When she awoke, she lay on a bed of leaves not far from her climbing expedition. She had several wounds, carefully cared for and wrapped with leaves, some wounds leaking muds or goos of different colors. She blinked her eyes open, not sure how long she had been out or who had done this for her. She stretched her stiff joints as she lay there, wincing at the pain in her left shoulder, and letting out a small squeal. She had already forgotten she tumbled from a tree.

"Ahh, she has awoken!" A voice called to her, unfamiliar. It was wise sounding, aged. She swiveled her ears and then her head, neck sore from her sleeping position or the fall. A baboon sat some 15 feet away atop a small rock. It had a satchel at its side and another small pack on the ground beside the rock. "Welcome back to the land of the livin', lil cheetah."

Iluba scrunched her face a little at the baboon, little cheetah? I'm bigger than that baboon! flashed through her mind as she shook the sleepiness from her head, thinking she could still be dreaming. As she shook her head, some leaves fell, another wound was covered and she had let them free with her movement.

"Ahh, don't shake too hard, paw-walker. Might shake yo' brain right out of yo' head! Don' know how much you got left in dar." The baboon had a hoot for a moment at Iluba's expense; she was still trying to take everything in. "Wha's you name, paw-walker?"

There is something Iluba understood. "Iluba. And who a-"

"Good, Eeluba. Soft name for a soft cat. The creatures here call me Mama Mousalk'zi. Or Mama Moo for shor'." The baboon was curious. "I tended yo' wounds after yo' tumble from that dar tree."

"Thank you, Mousalk'zi, for your care." Iluba went to stand and walk toward the baboon, but everything about her hurt, especially her wrapped hind leg, and she collapsed back to the ground.

"Don' be going too far there, Eeluba. Your wounds need to heal." Iluba looked down at her leg, a chunky green substance was oozing from the leaf bandages. "And I thought I told you my name was Mama Moo."

"What is all this stuff?" Iluba said immediately, ignoring Mama Moo's corection, as she looked at the leaves and goop on her.

"Is good for you. Things will heal faster, won't look bad later. Nothin' you had was too serious though. I wouldn't be worryin' none." Mama Moo said as she turned to her satchel and fiddled for a moment.

"But what is it? Like, why's there mud on my leg?" She didn't know how mud could aid her healing process.

"Ahh, there's some bubinella in there, good for open wounds... Some throny coral tree leaves are on top, they good at keeping infection out... And some money's tail root to help the inflammation in your front shoulder. I fed you some bush lily too, you kept mewing in your slumbah." Mama Moo got down off her rock and came over to Iluba now.

"Well, thank you for the help... but... I have another question." Iluba said, for the first time since she awoke feeling calm and assured. "How do you know all this?"

Mama Moo laughed. "I'm a healer, you funny paw-walker. Don' you know what I am?" Iluba shook her head silently as Mama Moo began unwrapped her hind leg to inspect it. She had no idea creatures like this existed, she also didn't know that all these green things around her could help her so.

"I want to learn." Iluba said quickly.

Mama Moo stopped inspecting immediately and looked at the girl. "This ain't no funny business, paw-walker," Mama Moo's tone changed dramatically, it was no longer the almost jolly, motherly tone it was before, or even the knowledgeable, informative tone she had while describing the plants. It was almost cold. "We take this very seriously."

Iluba furrowed her brow slightly, "And so would I. It's not like I'm going anywhere for a while anyways," she added, regarding her present wounded situation. "So I might as well learn something, it could be helpful to me in the future. And I know I just met you, but I will take everything very seriously. You have my word."

Mama Moo returned to looking at the leaves on Iluba's leg and there was a long silence. Neither of them said anything as Mousalk'zi put new leaves and mud concoctions onto Iluba. She finally made eye contact with the girl again, "If I say yes, you can't go anywhere until we are done. And you must do my every command, as you don' learn nothin' if you not doing it you self. I'd send ya on missions to get me plants, barks, roots, and muds, among other things, and you might need to eat things to make sure they're the right ones. You might get sick, you might pick funny smelling things, you definitely goin' ta be dirty, paw-walker..." She brushed a dirty, non-medicinal leaf, from Iluba's shoulder. "But if you spend time and help and do the things I need of you. You will learn."

Iluba nodded furiously. "Yes, yes! I will do those things once I can move."

Mama Moo kept a stern countenance, "Good, then we start today!"

Iluba blinked a few times before responding to the baboon. "Today? But I can't go anywhere."

"I know that, I told you that." Mama Moo said as she waddled back toward her rock and grabbed her other pouch. "We study the herbs and start eating them now!"

Iluba wasn't sure she was actually ready, now that the time came, but she gulped and prepared herself to listen to Mama Moo as best she could.

(( 1188 words ))