Traveling. It was Baridi's life, really. All she had known was the rouge lands and walking. Her mother had been a rouge, her father had been a rouge, and as soon as she could hunt for herself, her mother had sent her off to be a rouge on her own, along with her brothers and sister. It was hard at first, to be completely alone, but after a while she got used to it. She really did thrive around others, but she managed with just her shadow for constant company. She had learned how to deal with loneliness and sleeping alone when it was cold. Although she didn't particularly love the lonely life, she did enjoy roaming far and wide, seeing everything from the oceans to Kilimanjaro and quite a few colorful characters in between.
Baridi smiled to herself as she thought back on all the various lions and leopards and cheetahs she had met. There were those that were quite rude and grumpy, and those that were kind and caring. Life was a mixed bag, and she knew she'd get lucky with some of the strangers personality wise. Thankfully, so far, the good outweighed the bad. There had been one leopard in particular that made the smile on her face grow a bit. Ah, it had been a good night and day. She hoped his leg was healing up enough to hunt again. He had certainly seemed okay during their romp in the bushes.
The smell of water caught her attention and she was pulled from her thoughts. Baridi turned her paws in the direction of the stream she could smell, moving a bit off course to grab a drink and maybe something to eat. She was in pretty good shape, so catching some larger prey and leaving most of it for less fortunate rouges wouldn't be a problem. The rouge lands treated her kindly and times and horribly at others. Thankfully the past few weeks had been very kind. She was healthy, strong, and felt incredibly good. Nothing could stop her, it seemed!
Cool water met her paws as Baridi stepped into the stream. It was fairly swift, so she doubted any fish would be there to catch. She drank her fill and enjoyed the wetness against her warm paws before heading downstream, walking along the bank. The mud also felt nice and she had to resist the urge to roll in it to relieve some of the heat her darker coat attracted. Instead, she waded in to the water and sunk down to her shoulders, letting the water carry her a bit as her paws brushed the ground. She felt like a hippo floating along like this! It was quite fun, but once the stream turned into a river, she knew she needed to get out. A real hippo might come along and decide they didn't like her in their territory. She swam to the shore and gave herself a shake, freeing her fur of the cool water.
A relaxed sigh left her lips as she settled down under the shade of a rather thick-trunked tree. As much as being lonely was hard sometimes, she really did love the feeling of being able to do what she wanted, when she wanted. If she really wanted to, she could stay right here for a week and not worry about a thing. If she were in a pride she'd probably have to go out and hunt at certain times or keep to a strict schedule for healing or something equally oppressive. As much as she enjoyed helping other people, she was a free spirit that really didn't do well under pressure and time constraints. Sure, there were prides out there that were far more laid-back than others, but sometimes those ones were a bit too laid back. No structure at all...why not just be rouges?
Baridi stretched and yawned as the warm sun continued to dry her fur. This really was the life. The best part was encountering those great felines along the way. Friends made life interesting and, while she rarely saw the same people twice, knowing she had met so many different people made her feel alive. She was so tiny in the grand scheme of things, wandering the plains and mountains and valleys like this. She was a decent sized lioness, but if she stood next to a tree she was small. If you put the tree next to a mountain it was small. If you put the mountain in the sea it was small. And the sky...the sky was so vast! As she thought, she glanced up at the sky. The sun was hot and bright, but she could pretend that it was speckled with stars and the funny swirls that looked like clouds. Stars were tiny in appearance, but she knew that even large things, at a distance, looked tiny. So they must be massive if she were to stand next to one! Amazing...
Rolling onto her back, she lifted her paws up to block the sun breaking through the leaves of the trees. She loved the feel of the sun on her when she was wet, but having it in her eyes? No thank you. After a few minutes the sun moved enough for the shadows of the leaves to cover her and she lowered her paws, pressing them against her chest in delight. Ah, if only every day could be as glorious and wonderful as this one. Fresh water, food nearby, shade, a cool breeze...it was more than any lioness could ask for.
The thought of food made her stomach grumble. Oh dear...perhaps she should leave her spot to go rustle up a meal. Nothing big, just a meerkat perhaps. The thought of food on her mind and in her stomach, she rolled to her feet and sniffed the air. Ah...there, to the left. Some groundhogs could do with some population control. With a swish of her tail she trotted off, happy to oblige herself. Yes, living life was nice when you lived by your own rules.
FIN
