Mito was nestled under a single tree, very comfortable in the shade. It had taken a while for him to find a tree that produced enough shade for the whole of his rather large body, but he felt the trouble had been well worth it, all things considered. He was perfectly content beside the tree, making it impossible for him to hold any complaints. The nap time he found himself in seemed to stretch for an eternity.Nothing beat lazy days.
Then, rather unexpectedly, a gust of wind woke him from his slumber, dreams of large portions of meat fleeing from his mind. Opening his eyes, the large lion reluctantly raised his head to see what had disturbed him, noting a large lioness and a small ibex not too far away. A Goddess, by the looks of it. Not the little guy.
Slowly, he got himself to his feet, stretching his large frame over the dirt before making his way sluggishly towards the female. Though he wasn’t as lazy as he used to be, that didn’t mean there weren’t days where he just wanted to sit back and relax for a little while. This was going to be one of those days- a blast from the past. Apparently, he would instead need to figure out why a Goddess was looking so close to tears. “Good evening, miss,” said the green male, his voice as gentle as a cub’s. Nquma, who had been pouting until that moment, looked up in surprise, her eyes finding their way to the lion easily enough. As Isidomu took shelter behind her, she rose to her feet, by no means willing to let anything else happen to her little friend on that day. In return, Mito plonked himself in the dirt, his long tail wrapping around his body.
“I didn’t mean to upset you,” he added quickly, his expression tired and otherwise undaunted by the massive lioness, “I saw you were upset and I wanted to see if there was some way I might be able to help you. Is everything alright?”
“No, everything is not alright,” huffed the female, “I made a huge mess and I’m a complete fool and I don’t know what to do about it and ARGH.” She flopped onto the ground, the soft grass crushed under her large blue frame. The little ibex behind her watched, still timid after a long day. As Nquma remained flattened on the ground, Mito lowered himself down to meet eyes with her once more.
“Sounds like you had a long day,” he said lightly, “why don’t you tell old Mito all about it? I may not be able to offer much, but my ears are always ready to hear the stories of others. If you don’t mind telling your problems to a strange, that is.” He smiled happily at the female, staying on the ground to listen as intently as possible as the Goddess started explaining everything that had happened that day. She couldn’t say why, but telling him about the problems she’d had helped her feel a bit at ease. It was just nice to get everything off her chest, even if she felt like she had just unloaded a whole lot of problems on top of someone she didn’t even really know by the end of it. Sighing softly, she finally say herself up, finishing her story after the last traces of light vanished from the skies above them. Looking down at the tubby male, who was still on the ground, she wondered if he had fallen to sleep through her tale.
It had been more exciting than that, surely!
But it wasn’t sleep keeping him there, only thoughtfulness. After a moment to muse over everything he had heard, Mito did sit himself up. “I think you should go back and speak to this Seze,” he told her lightly, “I know you were frightened, but you don’t even know how she really feels about finding out you’re a Goddess. Maybe that kind of thing doesn’t really matter to her, you know? I think you’d be surprised how understanding many of us can be about meeting a Goddess.”
“You certainly don’t seem to mind much,” Nquma said.“And I’m sure she won’t, either. You two had an adventure together- you saved her life! You think she would turn on you because of how you look? If anything, it will only make her more happy to have met you.”
“And what if it doesn’t? What if I go back and she tells me I’m horrible and to never see her again?” Asked Nquma nervously, shifting on her paws, “I just… ran away.”
“Then you won’t see her again,” Mito replied, “but as things are now, won’t that be the road you take anyway? Isn’t it better to know for sure, rather than always wondering about what might have happened? You should meet her, my dear, and find out how she feels. It does no good to speculate and wonder. Either way, at least knowing the truth will help clear your mind.”
“I… suppose you’re right,” replied Nquma, “it just seems so scary to face her again…”
“You can do it, I’m sure. You’re stronger than you think you are.” He watched as she seemed to brighten a little, her body straightening. “Atta girl,” he hummed, “you go on and see how things work out. You deserve it after everything.” He looked at the small Ibex beside the Goddess, offering him a gentle smile. “You don’t mind if she makes one more stop before going home, do you?”
“Not at all!” cheered Isidomu, happy for the first time since all the terror had befallen him, “I want to meet Seze, too! And thank her!”
“So it’s two in favor!” Mito laughed, looking at Nquma once more, “what is your vote, then?”
“Okay, okay, I’m going. Thank you, Mito. You have been very kind to comfort me without any reason to.”
“Have fun, you two. I hope things work out in your favor.” With a nod in parting, the Goddess and mortal went their separate ways, both feeling a bit happier than they had been before the meeting took place.
WC: 1033
