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 Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2012 9:16 pm
 Inia woke with a stretch, claws peeking out and scratching at ground in the den. The lioness rose from her bed and maneuvered her way around her sleeping pride mates. Her paws were silent as she padded to the exit, taking care not to accidentally wake anyone else up. Inia ducked and slipped out into the desert.
It was not quite dawn yet. The sun had not yet begun to peak up over the horizon. The sky was a pale purple tinged with pink, signaling the start of sunrise within the hour. Most lions were not up yet or were just heading to bed. Inia crouched down by the small oasis to take a few sips, clearing out the bad taste of morning breath. Tail twitching, Inia looked around for a friend to sit with. She didn’t particularly enjoy being alone, especially not in the morning when she felt the most affectionate. Her purple eyes finally locked onto some of the other huntress nestled against a cluster of palm trees. One of the lionesses caught sight of Inia and beckoned her over. A smile broke out over her face as Inia trotted over to greet them.
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Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2012 9:20 pm
“Morning girls,” she said quietly, plopping down next to a cream and black female. Inia twisted to scratch at her ear, frowning as she noticed a tangle in the fur on her thigh. Her pink tongue swept over the knot, pulling at it until it was out. Inia proceeding to comb over the rest of her fur, ears swiveling as she listened to her friends chatter.
“Say, Inia, you coming on the patrol with us?” One of them asked.
Inia’s head popped up to stare at the lion asking the question. “Oh, um, no. I was just out yesterday. I have another shift later this week.”
A lion to her left grinned at her. “Why not tag along and get it over with early?” She chuckled at Inia’s confused expression. “That way you can have the rest of the week off.”
Inia stopped her grooming to consider the suggestion. A subtle breeze was rustling the leaves on the palm tree, cool and crisp in the already cold morning air. Wind usually lasted until a little after sun-high, and the hunt would be done by then. Today would probably be a much nicer day to go out and hunt than in a few days time. And Inia did prefer to stay in the shade on the hotter days of the week. It wasn’t a bad idea at all. “Okay. Sounds good.” She answered. The other lionesses gave her mewls of approval. One of them got up to find and tell the lion leading the hunt. Inia went back to her grooming as the others continued their gossip.
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Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2012 9:21 pm
Inia crouched next to the other hunters, eyes trained on a small herd of gazelle. The plan was simple: herd the gazelle towards the small cliffs towards the south where they would either fall and break their legs or be taken down by the second part of the hunting party waiting to ambush them. Inia blinked a bit of sand out of her eye. The wind had picked up a little, blowing a few grains of sand around here and there. That aside, the breeze provided welcome relief from the sun. Even though the sun had only been up for a few hours, the heat was near unbearable. The breeze made it tolerable to be out and chasing prey.
The lead huntress gave them the silent signal, and the group sprang up from their hiding place. The gazelle darted away from them, scattering about in an unorganized fashion. Inia bit at the ankles of a larger male, turning him in the opposite direction. The other lionesses fanned out in a large V, keeping the gazelle moving south. Briefly, Inia thought that it had gotten darker. The sun was not as bright, and the wind was starting to get stronger. But a gazelle racing out in front of her brought her focus back to the hunt. They were getting close the rendezvous point where the other lionesses would take over and begin taking the gazelle down.
So why were they running towards the gazelle instead of staying in position?
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Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2012 9:23 pm
“Sandstorm!” One of them shouted, running straight through the herd. “Take cover!” Inia slowed in her running as her companions ran past her. It took a moment for the words to process. By the time they had, Inia could see a faint cloud of brown heading towards the party. Inia whipped around and pushed one of the huntress staring in shock into motion. Soon the lions and gazelles were sprinting to safety together, rival species united in the fear of mother nature.
The air was getting thicker, sand whipping around and tugging at their fur. The sky darkened into a hazy brown; they weren’t getting away fast enough. Panic began to set in. Gazelles began tripping, tumbling, and trampling over each other. Another lioness shouldered past Inia, knocking her to the ground. Inia tried to scramble to her feet. A gazelle lept over her, hooves slamming into her forehead. Inia fell back to the sand against a dead gazelle, world going black.
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Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2012 9:25 pm
She came to slowly, vision blurry and head foggy. It felt as if something was pressing down on her, crushing her, burying her alive. As her eyes open, Inia found that the sensation was quite accurate to what was actually happening. She was buried in sand from her shoulders downward. What had happened?
Inia shook her front legs free and pulled the rest of her body up, wincing at the aching pain in her head. It was night. She was dizzy, and her eyes couldn’t find anything to stay focused on. Unable to keep herself steady, Inia tripped and found herself throwing up her breakfast onto the desert sand.
At least she felt a little better now. Body shaking slightly, Inia surveyed her surroundings. She knew her general location, but the dunes had shifted around. The lioness couldn’t tell which way was which. The moon was black, hiding in the sky amongst the stars. Inia tried to located the bright star, which would help to orient herself, but every time she looked up Inia found that the stars wouldn’t stay still.
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Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2012 9:28 pm
Inia stumbled over something sticking out of the sand. It took her a few seconds of blank starting to realize that it was a paw. Adrenaline pushed the dizziness and nausea aside. Inia clawed at the sand, digging around the paw frantically. Her paws brushed over what seemed to be a head. Inia swept the sand away and gasped in horror. A cream and black face stared up at her, green eyes blank and emotionless. Sand was spewing out of her mouth. Inia back pedaled rapidly, chest heaving. She wanted to scream. She wanted to panic and cry. But that wouldn’t help her get back to the pride. She had to get back and bring help. What if there were others still buried in the sand? If they were alive, they wouldn’t survive the heat tomorrow. And if no one had come to get them by now....
Inia picked out a start which seemed to be the brightest. If she followed it, it should lead her back to the Tuait’tekem. Legs still shaking, Inia trudged across the sand, pretending not to see the other body part jutting up out of the ground here and there. It would be okay. Once she got home and got help, it would all be okay.
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Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2012 9:29 pm
It was too bad that the star she had picked out was not the one she had thought it was. Concussed and in shock, it really shouldn’t have been that surprising that the start she had chosen was leading her in the opposite direction of her pride. If only she hadn’t decided to switch her shifts. If only she had decided to sleep in that morning.
Later, Inia would find it funny how little decisions like that could change someone's life. Later, after the days wandering about in the brutal and unforgiving landscape, after surviving starvation and dehydration, after pulling through injuries and assaults, after making new friends only to lose them again, and after months of being well and truly alone, would Inia smile fondly and snuggle closer to her mate.
Final Word Count: 1408
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