At first look, with the setting sun at her back and water dripping over her features, you would think Ayida a sight for sore eyes. Mud had become embedded in the fur on her legs and leaves and twigs stuck from areas all over her back and head. But she beamed proudly with the single hare in her grasp, lifting her feet with every step as if she's nabbed an elephant with a single roar escaping her throat to subdue it.
But let's go back to the start of the day, before all of this had come about and the day was just starting.
The sun was at it's highest, and Ayida had managed to gather a few smaller animals into a little herd for home. She couldn't handle the larger animals, of course, so the most of her catch was anything shorter than herself, about the range between her paw and her elbows. This included, as the greatest amount, tons and tons of hares, a countable ten to twelve always within her line of sight if they would manage to sit still for more than a few mere seconds. Of course, being hares, they weren't being cooperative, and even though she had managed to keep well within her pridal lands and mark her trail, those hares made it almost impossible to follow it back home.
It was at this point when they had decided to scatter in two completely opposite directions, making the poor lioness quickly scramble after the left group in an attempt to re-gather them. In her rush, she missed the low branch of the nearby trees and crashed headfirst into it, tumbling down the side of the small hill into the shallow water it overlooked. Frustrated, she looked around for her hares, finding them retreating just on the other side of the pool. With a growl, she quickly pursued them by crossing the water as fast as she could,splashing water in every direction as she scrambled up the other embankment.
Oh, but this wasn't the end of her bad luck. No sooner had she stepped out of the water, she found herself stuck in the plants that grew alongside the water, the sharp leaves jabbing at her and scratching her paws and face mercilessly. But, of course, she managed to get her freedom, just as the hares retreated out of her sight. She groaned,flopping on the ground and exhausted at the fact she was so horrible at what she did. She was easily ashamed, wishing she could go to the Mama and re-learn proper techniques for a Gatherer. But the idea of being surrounded by younger lions and lionesses and the many other species just crushed her, the fact they'd easily laugh at her lack of ability.
She stood, shaking herself as she turned back in the direction she had come, looking for the other half of the hares she'd lost in the opposing direction. They had been the unlucky ones, running where there wasn't water or shrubbery to hide in. Ayida's luck was still down the rabbit hole, quite literally, as she spotted one of her lost hares and raced after him. She didn't travel far, and neither had these hares, apparently, because no sooner had she stepped off her marked trail, her front foot became lodged in a dug-out hole made by her hares. In an instant she'd gone from running after one of them to landing with her chin hitting the ground and biting her tongue.
Ayida whined quietly, standing up slowly for the slight pain in her foot.She glared at the hole before proceeding to kick dirt into it....with her back foot. She wrinkled her nose and,defeated, turned back to her pre-marked trail from earlier that day, the ordeal she'd just gone through enough to make her give up, if the setting sun hadn't been enough. She watched her feet as she placed one in front of the other, heading in the direction of home, when she thought of something that stopped her in her tracks. Quickly she turned and started scribbling on the ground, giggling to herself as she proceeded to draw little figures that were meant to be hares. Her hares that had left, of course, were still lingering around from earlier,enjoying the un they'd been having tormenting the lioness. But when she began having fun with the ground,they got curious.And in their curiosity, the ventured closer to her, which was exactly what she'd been wanting. The minute they were in range of her, Ayida pounced, grabbing the nearest little hare in her jaws by the scruff, holding him up like a trophy. Ayida had no intention of injuring him, he was much too important for that,so she held him firmly by the scruff so he would freeze up, any attempts at escaping futile in her grasp. Of course,in the scuffle, the remaining hares had run off. But Ayida was beyond caring at that point.As long as she had at least one thing to show for her day of work, she was happy. If she hadn't chased after them in the beginning, she might've still had her herbs. But that wasn't the point she wanted to prove to herself, oh no. To be able to bring home something that was alive and usable, that had been her true goal for that day. And that's what she intended to bring home, no matter what it was. And if this little hare wasn't something they needed, she'd properly apologize later to him for the trouble she'd gone through to bring him home. But until then,his fate was in the hands of her pride, with Ayida carrying him like a baby. The big, fat grin on her face was just something that little hare was going to have to deal with, because it wasn't going anywhere except straight home with Ayida, tugging at the corners of her mouth until it started to cramp into place.
[Word Count: 1004]
