The sun was on its way to making an appearance in the morning sky. Already the heat had begun to fill the air of the African land. Soon, the temperatures would be well into the range where creature would die do to sun stroke, but that would not be a problem for the trio of lions that lay under the trees. Katika’peponi gazed around, getting up from her two sleeping children and walking to the edge of the shadows were the light was beginning to hit. She was caught up in a bunch of thoughts about her past, and soon would reveal what she would do with her future, with her children’s future.
What was she going to do? It had just been a few months ago when her loved Juu had passed away, requesting a favor before he left.
On a branch above the pondering lioness, a falcon watched. Her feathers puffed as the yellow female appeared lost in thought
~~~
”Kati….I want to ask you something. Don’t laugh, but I fear I won’t be around much longer…One of my life long dreams was to have a family. Kati, will you start a family with me?”
~~~
The scene played over in her head multiple times a day, like an old movie reel on repeat. She had agreed to start a family with her mate, but she never did believe the male when he said that he wouldn’t live much longer. He was just paranoid.
"You seem lost in thought?" The avian said quietly. The attention was turned towards her, blue eyes meeting her dark ones.
"Yeah. Just a bit." Katika sighed, another memory washing over her.
~~~
”Juu, I love you. I would love to start a family with you. But there is one thing I have to tell you. You are not cursed. It was just a fluke about your father and your brother,” she padded over to the male, giving him a good nuzzle under his chin, “but you sir, will live a long and healthy life,” she purred.
~~~
Hah. Long and healthy life indeed. Not long after she told Juu she was pregnant did he perish under a tree where they had taken a nice catnap. A shudder quaked through her entire body as she remembered that day, that moment.
"I don't mean to pry, but I am drawn to you. Why. What is it?" The falcon asked. She was the goddess of Fidelity. Something in this lioness was drawing her to her. She just...couldn't put her wing on it.
Katika's eyes filled with tears. "You are just a bird. You wouldn't understand." Another memory crashed, her heart tugging.
~~~
The sun had slowly drifted just to the horizon. The lioness peeked an eye open, closed her lids before stretching. She now was fully awake. “Come on sleepy head. Gotta wake up!” She purred, pawing at the still cold body lying next to her. Still…cold? “Juu?” She nudged him again. No response.
~~~
The images of that day still remained in her head, haunting her in her dreams. “He wasn’t cursed. There are no such things as curses…” She stated to herself, peeking at the two small forms that lay curled up next to each other.
"Cursed?" Gwen perked, Katika seemed to be lost in thought though.
“He couldn’t have been cursed...” she doubted herself sometimes. Even though her mate was gone from this lifetime, he left behind two cubs; two male cubs that could possibly follow in their father’s footsteps of a short life being taking away so unfairly. She shook her head. “No, they will not die,” she growled to herself. “They will live long, healthy lives!” She would make sure of it.
"I am sure they will...It was at this time the avian noticed the small forms to the side of the lioness. She frowned as she looked around. No males nearby, not even a scent. Gwen listened as the female murmured to herself.
Katika’peponi had gone over the options of what to do. “They won’t eat anything that is not freshly caught. There could have been a rotten piece of meat that Juu could have eaten. We need to find a den too,” she noted, looking over at her two boys again. Kati had found a small group of trees enough to provide shelter from the sweltering heat, but if a sudden rainstorm hit, there was nothing to protect them from the cool water. “I don’t want to chance them getting sick.” Her mother had once told her stories about how some rogue lions would just live outside in all conditions. She was also told those rogues had a considerably shorter lifespan than other lions that would live in prides. A pride… “Maybe we should look for a nice, safe pride. They could have the protection of a whole bunch of lions, and not just I…” …but if they are in a pride, there is a larger chance of them getting sick. “Heh. Nix that idea then.”
Kati had never been this paranoid before. “Damn it Juu, look what you are doing to me!” She looked to the skies as if asking the kings of the past for guidance. “Please, just give me a sign. Just…just tell me what I need to do,” she half-expected some kind of sign, but there was none. No breeze through the grass, no ray of sun shining on a cub, nothing but silence. “Thanks. I guess I just have to figure this out on my own,” she growled to herself, finally going over to her two resting boys. They were so small, but so beautiful.
The first male was her coloring, bearing the markings of her fallen mate in his beautiful golden pelt. She had named him ‘Kito’dhibiti’. It was fitting, she thought. The second born was a lion that was Juu’s golden pelt, bearing the markings of herself. A small little tuft of green fur grew on his head. She called him ‘Mtoto’mzuri’. All in all, when she thought about these two cubs she just couldn’t help but think what a perfect combination these two kids were. Kati couldn’t help but smile for just a moment. “At least they look like you, Juu.” She would always have her cubs to remind her of him. At least he would always have something left on this planet to carry on his legacy.
The pale yellow pelted female curled around the boys, giving Kito a small nuzzle, and then Mtoto a lick on his head. She purred, wanting to have the children stay this way forever. “What if I never tell them about their father…” She asked quietly to herself. “What if Juu was just so paranoid that both his father and brother died, that he too was stressed that in the end that is what killed him.” That was always a possibility. “I can’t chance it,” she gazed once again at the sky, as if her fallen mate had been watching her from up there, “I’m sorry, but if this is something that could have contributed to your death, then I won’t have them thinking that they are cursed too. When they are adult, I will tell them about you…but until then, you and I will be a memory.”
She rested her head by her two boys. The cubs would be awake soon, meaning the day would begin. Until then, her thoughts remained on her fallen mate. “I’ll never forget you,” she whispered, looking beyond the horizon, “never, ever.”
Gwen understood now. She was drawn to this lioness because the love she had for her fallen mate. She held a loyalty to him that pulled her domain in. With a sigh, the Goddess watched until the yellow lioness fell asleep, before landing on the ground with a silent thud. She transformed, showing her true form to the sleeping lions. She nudged the head of the mother, feeling the emotion well up inside her. It wasn't much, but if she could take that grief away, if only for a short time she would.
"You will never forget him." She whispered quietly. A blessing from a goddess? What would become of it?
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