The sun was duller than she'd seen it in ages, and it reminded her of the rains. It certainly had been cooler that day than it had been in a while. Still, she wasn't looking for it to happen any time soon. Something in the air was causing swirls of dust to kick up beside her before shortly fading away. It was odd, this tension. Just enough to make her skin crawl, but not enough to produce anything of value.
Calypso looked over her shoulder with a softer smile. "We can stop for a rest, if you'd like. The watering hole isn't too far from us, but if we go much further we may pass it entirely."
It was little wonder what caused Calypso to look as concerned as she did. Behind the older lioness limped an exhausted adolescent, caked in bits of dried mud and dirt. Her tired eyes barely registered the lioness. The past few months had been nothing short of a living hell. She'd left the mountainous region her pride now called home, trans versed miles of grass, stone, and sand to come across a place that she felt comfortable enough to rest. And after that, only when she'd been proven safe had she been allowed passage.
Fatimah hardly planed the lions that had bared her. Fatigue had left her bitter, if not entirely vicious, and she'd lashed out before thinking. Somehow, where they couldn't contain her, Calypso had been able to soothe and comfort the down trodden pilgrim. Now they were going somewhere to speak with someone, no doubt, about what to do with her.
Hooray.
Calypso paused and let the youngster catch up. Her calm facade was broken by the wobble in the female's legs. This wasn't how she'd arrived. When she came she'd been chased by hyenas, vicious for her flesh and saved by a Noble Knight. She'd still been strong enough to see the beauty of the land around her. This cub....no, this lioness would be lucky if she made it to Pride Rock at all.
When she was close enough, Calypso closed in and helped to brace her. In height she easily dwarfed her, but in sheer muscle the younger lioness surpassed Calypso.
"I can walk on my own," Fatimah growled, turning her face to hide her shame. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. In a perfect world her family would be by her side, not her.
She stumbled and would have fallen had Calypso not stepped into save her. The orange Huntress only offered a tender smile before resuming her pace and continuing. It bugged the hell out of Fatimah.
"If I thought it possible, I'd let you try." Turning her head, she saw that they had come quite close to the watering hole, and decided to veer for it. At best there would be other lions to tend to their guest while Calypso sought help. Even with a worst case scenario a cool drink and rest would await them.
Fatimah let out an aggrieved sigh. "You're one of those heroes, aren't you?" Exhausted, confused eyes met steadfast crimson. "The type that stick their necks out for every pansy that asks for it, and smile even when they're limbs are being ripped off. Or maybe you're a slave that came here to escape a life of-"
"I was a soldier." Calypso stated simply. Her paws came down onto softer terrain, and once Fatimah was secure at the waters edge, she moved herself to the shade. "The scars I bear are the result of a senseless war that destroyed the lives of more innocents than it did demons.
Only after submerging herself in the crisp liquid pool did she come to realize that they were truly alone. Prey beasts littered the landscape, but no other lion could be seen, which only cemented the feeling that Fatimah had. It was almost awkward, but mostly an intangible emotion she couldn't put a paw on. Like she'd walked in on something very intimate.
"I'm sorry," She finally muttered, her eyes covered in strips of blonde. "I shouldn't have..."
"It's alright." She chuckled and stretched out among what shadows the lone tree could provide. "You're actually the first to talk about them, though it's not like I don't hear the whispers." She shifted, moving her paw so that she could cradle her head on it. "Where are you from, if you don't mind my asking?"
Should she tell? There didn't seem to be much sense in not saying, but it felt wrong somehow to involve this stranger in her homelands. Even if they were pridal sisters now, the spirits were still higher on Fatimah’s heart. She would never, ever betray their trust; regardless of how far she was from them. “A long, long way from here.”
Someday she might speak of it, but not to this lioness. Maybe a mate, if one should appear, or even her cubs. Though, both put a flutter of nerves in her chest, causing the butterflies already in residence to become giant birds.
Calypso inhaled deeply and released in on a sigh. As curious as she was, she let the matter drop. This girls past wasn’t her concern, and if it didn’t affect her current well being then she shouldn’t pry. Though, she had a familiar look about it; almost like that of Samawati’s…mate? Were they mates now, or dating? Maybe she would need to chat with her newfound friend sooner than she’d thought.
“…You can stay with me, if you’d like.” At the shocked expression the girls face, Calypso motioned to Pride Rock, an ever looming marker in the distance. “I tend to stay outside most nights, and I have a burrow on the outside, beneath a few stones. It’s more than large enough for the two of us.”
Fatimah’s smile was the first she would ever show within the lands, and probably the truest among them all. “If you mean it…then I would love to.” Why was she being so nice, so kind…? The attention being paid to her burned. Somewhere her mother would be waiting for her return; a return that would never come.
Her tired, worn gaze filtered over the landscape and with a sort of finality, she moved closer to Calypso, her tired body moving in closer to the large lioness. As bristled and wary as her soul had been, the warmth given had her eyes closing for a well deserved rest.
(WC: 107 cool
