Two dead in two days, and unfortunately she'd been compelled to actually attend the fiascos. Normally when things turned south Narcyz found herself back on the road but this time she'd been caught up in the mess of it all. Her coat stunk and she found that no bath seemed sufficient to erase it. A mistake, but none one she could simply go back and erase. She'd taken care of the bodies of course, few scavengers would be interested in something so touched with infection, but she yet worried that they would be found. She'd tried her best to save them, though her unconventional methods seemed to some more harmful than curative. How would they know, she often questioned, whether a subject would have lived or died without her intervention. They certainly acted as if they did. The lioness scoffed, her paws smacking hard against the ground, the world could be so irritating.
Even someone as devoted to working as him needed a break every once in a while. Bodies, bodies, and more bodies. Very few were ever found alive. That avalanche had killed more than anyone in the colony had originally predicted, but still Barafu-taji held onto hope that maybe, just maybe there were other pockets of survivors that were making their way home. That had been the case with the queen and her younger brother, thank Shan Furen for that too. Brittle grass broke beneath his large paws as he wandered dangerously close to the colony's borders. The captain had descended from Umsindisi in the early morning in what he hoped to be a day off from finding preserved bodies. Normally he would never stray so far, but today seemed solemn, a day of reflection and planning rather than mourning like a so many did daily.
Narcyz had never been too concerned with species relations, though she often kept an ear to the ground about natural disasters. When she'd heard rumors of an avalanche in this area she had never thought to consider that there might be a colony living atop the very mountain that had nearly collapsed. It was an unexpected twist that had her curiousity piqued. Crushing injuries, fractures, hypothermia, all serious conditions that common healing techniques could do little about. But she had ideas, ideas she thought just might improve their survivability. That was, if she could find any victims. So far her search had turned up nothing, it seemed she was not the only one looking. Out of the corner of her eye she spied a not so subtle creature approaching, whose face betrayed that he knew the same she did. "Do I near the colony?" she called out, the packs suspended from her body swinging as she lifted a paw to wave his attention.
The fur along Barafu-taji's spine bristled as he rose his head to see a lioness in the distance. As far as anyone knew, the maned felines were the cause of the colony's current grief. There was no pleasantries exchanged or any speck of cheerfulness in his voice as he answered her question. "You are several hours from the base of the mountain. Do you have business there?" His own question was a mixture of pure curiosity and suspicion. They didn't get too many visitors that didn't already know the way. Of course if she meant to trade, he would extend some amount of hospitality, but as the captain of the guard, the borders and the colony's security were his concern. Even if he hadn't met her though, Umsindisi was one of several mountains in the chain, but it was the only one the colony occupied. She would have needed to find a guide at some point to navigate the rocky terrain if she had managed to find it.
Business? Her ears flipped back and forth as she considered the question. "Well, I thought you might have business for me, I suppose," she told him, her voice a little unsure, "I'm a healer you see." If they had need of her services then she hoped he might direct her where she was needed. In truth she had no idea that the colony was on top of the mountain, she'd only been told its rough location. Worst come to worse she had navigated mountain passes before, it only took her several weeks longer than it had been originally intended to. She knew how to handle her own. "I mean no one any harm." That much was true, she always had the best intentions for her patients.
A healer? Crinkling his nose, he threw his head and, with it, his body, towards the direction of the base camp of Umsindisi. "We always have need of healers," he finally said after moments of what he would call 'tense silence'. "But be warned, lions, such as yourself, are not nearly as welcome in our colony as you may be used to. You will be able to find work though if that is what you are looking for." Looking back over his shoulder to see if she meant to follow him, Barafu-taji continued speaking. "I can lead you to the base and have you meet with a guard who will find you temporary shelter." While the colony had priests who tended to most of their healing needs, a number of them were missing and those that remained were overwhelmed so any extra paws would be appreciated. Even if that help was coming from a lion.
Despite her skill Narcyz had never been overfull of tact. "Because I'm a lion?" she questioned, taking a few short steps toward the male as he turned, "I can't see how it matters who the paws belong to so long as they do the job." But then, she'd never stayed anywhere long enough to form those sorts of allegiances. "Temporary," she emphasized, "I'm happy to be of assistance but I'll have to be on my way in time." The lioness hated to overstay her welcome, or rather she was acutely aware of when she was no longer wanted. The less time spent in one location the less likely it was that she would be recognized later on if someone were to by chance come looking for her.
"Yes, because you are a lion. You will also find there are many who do not agree with your way of thinking. Especially after the avalanche, which I assume is the reason you are here." The captain replied without hesitation. As he moved, he hopped onto one of the rocks that dotted the plains that surrounded his mountain home. Barafu-taji looked back at her, echoing her. "Temporary, and it is likely for the best. Lions and those of their blood are allowed within our colony with certain restrictions, but as a visitor, you are not forced to abide by our ways of living, simply our laws. Your help will be appreciated though and I will see you are compensated for any aid you provide." At least he could do that much with the station he still held within the colony. Despite the templar order now being disbanded, he still commanded enough respect within the colony to make his words and wishes mean something.
She nodded, picking up her pace to keep up behind him. It was understandable for those who had face great tragedy to look for explanations, however implausible they may be. She had no qualms with abiding by their laws, so long as it didn't interfere with her treatment protocols. That was one area where she accepted no compromise. After all, what was the purpose of innovating if she were told to stop only half complete? It would serve better to simply give the victim their last rites. "I require no compensation," she assured him, the concept feeling somewhat strange to her, "I simply ask that my methods be respected. Some of the older breed are far too timid. Sometimes drastic action must be taken to save lives."
"I cannot makes promises I do not know if I will be able to keep." Like if the queen ordered her out, he would be forced to remove her. "Truthfully, I do not even know if there will be work for you as our dead are prepared by our priests and many others would likely prefer to have those of our colony tend to their wounds, but I imagine there will be those who think otherwise." At this point he was simply rambling, but it was all information that she needed to hear to make a more informed decision to actually come to the Mlima Tuokoa. As the last words fell from Barafu-taji's mouth, he leaped from the rocky perch and began jogging back towards the mountain. It would be hours until they arrived, plenty of time to talk more on the colony and her methods.
Rocks. The lioness lamented the amount of material she was carrying on her body as they neared the first outcropping. It weighed her down, made her less nimble. Were any of it less necessary she might shed it. Instead she made a mental note to find a storage place as soon as she could so that she wouldn't be constantly traversing the landscape this way. Shakily she followed him, trying her best to adjust her packs so they all sat evenly around her. "Understandable," she admitted, "Although my patients tend to be those that others have given a death sentence, a last resort I suppose."
The plains slowly would give way to the rocks that made up the base of Umsindisi, something familiar to him in a world that seemed to be changing daily. Silent is how Barafu-taji had chosen to stay for most of the walk from the borders to it as what more was there to say? He had planned on being able to talk more but nothing he could say would truly do the harshness of their life justice. At least they lived nowhere near the summit, in fact most of the colony only occupied the lower half of the mountain at all. "You there!" Suddenly his voice broke his silence the moment he saw the familiar face of one of his guards who quickly ran over towards the two of them. "Take her to a guest quarters and be sure that rations are provided. And...find Abayomi if she needs someone else to carry that pack for her." The other leopard nodded quickly and began up the first slope, glancing back multiple times, his pace slowing with each look. Smiling, Barafu-taji turned towards the lioness who had been his traveling companion for the better part of the afternoon. "And I think this is where we part ways. You need to get settled for your time here and I have patrol reports to hear. If anyone gives you too much trouble, you're a guest of captain Barafu-taji, that should have them slink away with their tail between their legs."
"Thank you, for your honesty and your kindness," Narcyz told him with a smile. It was clear that this one certainly had sense. She only hoped that others in this area would respond the same once they knew her intentions. She began toward the guard he'd called for her, turning back a few times to check that her feet were still flat on the ground. "Well met then, captain Barafu-taji. If you have need of me or my services, ask for Narcyz. I'm sure there will be only one." Or one lioness, at least. She hoped to keep a low profile, it was better for her work, but it might not be possible in this place. The other had picked up their pace and she sped to catch up. Good things may come from this visit, if she was lucky and others unfortunate.
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