{PRP}Desert Cave Hermit{Nikita x Shenu-Hotep}

[magnadearel]

Kathryn Dragonna

It had been moonturns since the pride had drifted away like sands before the desert winds. Shenu-Hotep had been one of those lions. The desert had always been his home and he believed it always would be. He had gone into the desert to live by himself. The young male found a cave to shelter him from the worst of the sand filled winds and focused on living. He had come a long way from the arrogant little brat he'd been as a cub.

Shenu lay at the entrance of his home and watched the heat shimmer above the sands; lost in memories that danced among the shimmer waves. The desert had shown him what he was truly made of in his hermit lifestyle as he made the trinkets he use to make for the pride. It had not been an easy understanding to reach.  

[Kathryn Dragonna]

Nikitia wasn't sure why she decided the desert was a good place to wander, but here she was. She had talked to a few others who had lived out this way and gotten some directions on where the oasis's were, so she wouldn't be as likely to end up dead out here. She had also taken some advice and done most of her traveling so far at night while taking refuge from the sun during the day. Yet, even with all the planning and preparation she had put into coming out here, she didn't know why she was doing it.

Nikitia did know one thing right now, it was far too long after sunrise for her to still be out on the sands. She needed to find shade quickly, easier said then done when limping like she was. So far she was not finding anything, and she knew the closest oasis was going to be a bit of a walk from where she was currently. She had not made good time the night before. When she saw what appeared to be a den, the lioness didn't even think about the fact that it could be someone else's home. She just simply changed direction to go toward it. She needed to get to that shelter from the sun.

It was not until Nikitia was nearly out of the sunlight and breathing a sigh of relief that she noticed the brown lion laying across the entrance. She had mistaken the brown for rock, but no, it was a lion. She might very well be out of luck. Well, nothing ventured nothing gained, so she would have to ask for shelter. "Excuse me... would you mind terribly if I joined you in the shade of that den? It is quite hot, I need rest, and last night's traveling was filled with very bad luck." Which was most of the reason she was limping as she approached.

magnadearel

 

[magnadearel]

Kathryn Dragonna

Lost in thought he hasn't at first noticed that a dot moving among the shimmering heat waves was slowly getting bigger. Nor did he realize that it, itself, wasn't a mirage. Shenu blinked then blinked again as a lioness simply walked out of the desert and into his home. Well that was unexpected, though smart for her to do.

He listened to her words as his ears flicked back and forth. It had been quite some time since he'd heard a voice. When he had first started living alone, Shenu had talked quite a bit. To himself, to the few animals he saw out here. Then as time passed he grew quieter and quieter until he almost never said anything. Her voice was as much of a shock as her appearance.

"Be welcome in my den if you mean me no harm." Shenu replied slowly and got to his feet to move out of the way, so she wouldn't have to step over him. "There is water in the back if you'd care for a drink." The male glanced at her limp and tilted his head. "What kind of bad luck?" He wouldn't willingly turn her out into the hot sun even though he didn't know her. There was a code of hospitality among the desert folk although others may not know that.  

[Kathryn Dragonna]

Nikitia winces at the memory of the night before. It had been one rough night that was for certain. "I found a sinkhole in the sand and managed to twist a paw, stepped on a scorpion some time later with the same paw, and of course, did not make good time because of the limp. Thankfully the scorpion had already lost his stinger, or I would have had more than sharp pinches in my paw to worry about!" The one thing that had gone right was the lack of stinger on the scorpion. The fact that she could say something went right was a blessing, but it did not make her paw feel any better from the abuse it took.

No matter how she looked at the night before, Nikitia could not call it anything but bad luck, but then again, all bad luck would come to an end. It would seem she had found the end of hers with finding this den that had a kind lion inside. She looked at the water at the back of the den, but thought perhaps she should give herself some time to cool down before she drank. She did not need stomach cramps from the water being too cold yet. She settled into a corner of the den and gave a sigh of relief it was much cooler in here than out on that sand. "Thank you for your kindness. My pelt is a bit too dark for daytime travel out here... if I could have moved faster I would have been at an oasis by sunrise."

Nikitia smiled warmly at the stranger. It was nice to find a kind lion out so far from the prides. Something told her that he would be absolutely no threat to her, and she was inclined to believe it right now. The lioness tucked her good paws under herself and set to cleaning the sand out of the twisted and slightly bloody one. That scorpion had some very sharp bits to it that had pushed themselves in between her paw pads. It smarted a good bit as she cleaned everything out of it, but at least she did not have to try to limp on it anymore for the moment.

magnadearel

 

[magnadearel]

Kathryn Dragonna

He listened with sympathy and a bit of humor. The desert had a way of snagging you when you least expected it. Often it was funny in hind sight. Shenu was glad that the female had been, mostly, unharmed by her experience. "I am glad the scorpion could do you no harm." She would have been in serious trouble if it had been a baby scorpion, or probably a lot of pain if it was a large adult.

Shenu nodded his approval as she laid down instead of falling on the water when he'd offered. She seemed to have some desert experience at least. He could understand her difficulty with the heat. He'd grown up in it and granted he had a sandy colored pelt that helped reflect the rays and their heat. "Indeed. I believe I know the oasis you speak of. If it wouldn't bother you I can accompany you there and help prevent any further bad luck." He offered a smile at the joke.

"How long have you been in the desert?" He rose to his feet and went outside for a moment. When he returned he carried a piece of cactus leaf in his jaws. Shenu set it near her and nodded to it. "Smear the sap on your wounds, it will help healing. It's called aloa vera.