[SRP] Glow worms (Gopala x Parokakari)

[Puhterodactyl]

It was just for one night. As she stopped to catch her breath, she looked back. Parokakari was not far behind her. She gave him a smile.

"Catch up!"

They were making their way to the lush and grassy vegetation at the bottom of the Great Mountain that the Jini-Msemi had come to call their home. It was already very dark for it to be dusk, the place they traveled in the Great Mountain's shadow. The lions followed along the river that flowed down the mountains, occasionally crossing through the cold water, feeling the chill p***k their toes. It had been Parokakari's idea to watch the glow worms as they began to illuminate. She was still very wary about seeing a healer, so to settle her nerves, he thought this would be a nice distraction. The lioness had only grown more and more gaunt in the two days since she had agreed to seeking aide. The lack of nourishment and rest had made her mind grow fuzzy. She was not even sure if she had tried to eat anything. Thankfully Parokakari was devoting himself to that task of caretaker.  

[Puhterodactyl]

The orange lion smiled back at the scrawny lioness. If she was not turned sideways, she would almost seem to vanish because of how stick thin she was and the dappling pattern of her coat breaking up her form with the fading shadows and the moving grass. They had spent all of their time together in the past few days, talked about their hopes, their dreams. Gopala had confided in the last night that she truly hoped for cubs. That she had been searching for ages for a male to settle down with, even for one night. It broke his heart that she had been willing to lower herself and her standards to anyone who would stick around. But he did not stay with her out of pity. He had first been captivated by her looks and the strange circumstances under which they had met. He then had grown to know her so well over these past days. Her quirks, like how she hated to wake up in the morning or the way she wrinkled her nose if he teased her.

"I'm right behind you, I'll catch up." He carefully picked his way after her, minding the loose stones in the stream and gnarled roots, his patience especially necessary with the fading light. He could not afford for them to both be injured. He had the very important task of taking Gopala to see a healer the next day.  

[Puhterodactyl]

Gopala hesitated, waiting for Parokakari to fall in alongside her. Already the stars were starting to glow, the moon gone from the sky in its new phase, and clouds absent. Her heart skipped a beat in the anticipation to see these stars reflected in the glow worms on the ground. Someone had told Parokakari that they were abundant in caves, which the new Jini-msemi territory had in spades. Her pink eyes were now deep maroon in the darkness, searching for his orange ones.


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He shortly appeared at her side, and nodded in the direction of a black pit that opened up into the base of the mountain. Parokakari felt Gopala lean into his side with uncertainty, but he licked the top of her head reassuringly.

"Do you trust me?" He asked her.

Beside him, the little female nodded.

"Then follow me."

He crossed the stream a final time, pushed broad-leafed plants aside for Gopala's little frame, watching her closely as she wove between the foliage he had pushed aside. She made it. She rubbed her head under his thick mane as she entered into the mouth of the cave. The sound of dripping water was heard from the inner sanctum of the pride. As their eyes adjusted, the show began to start before their eyes. Parokakari struck out ahead by a foot or two to make sure that they were alone and not barging in on someone's home. Well, besides the little insects that skittered past their massive paws and the high-frequency sound of a few bats who had taken up shelter. But besides them, a snake and some other small critters, it was pretty much just them and them alone.

"Here, let's settle in here." Parokakari dug a depression in the moist earth to accommodate both of their bodies and he laid down in it first, patting the soil as a gesture to draw her in and have her lay next to him.  

[Puhterodactyl]

The creaky little Gopala groped around in the darkness until she found her spot to curl up next to Parokakari. She nestled her head in the thickness of his mane under his chin and she sighed deeply. Despite all of her ill-feeling, this was quite nice. Just the thing to take her mind off of her problems and calm her nerves before her meeting tomorrow. As their eyes adjusted, they became keenly aware of the fluorescent, neon spindles hanging from the roof of the cave. They were like stars caught in spiderwebs, suspended by tiny little threads. They took Gopala's already shaky breath away. She sighed in wonder and nestled up closer to Parokakari.

"Thank you," was all she managed to get out in her awe.

"…I wish we could stay like this, here, forever…"



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Parokakari sympathized with her, it would be idyllic, too, to be suspended in time as these worms were in air. But her body felt hotter than normal. Burning, even. He furrowed his brows and licked her. If his tongue and this cool, moist earth was not cooling her down, then he did not know what would. It was more important than ever that she seek medical attention. What had been in that spring she drank from? He tried not to concern himself too much with it at the present. They had plans in the morning to deal with just that. He just worried, however, if she would even make it that long. He could only hope.

[the end : 1003 words]