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Parokakari had been only barely trying to avoid Gopala. His heart raced whenever he thought about her. How close she'd been to death only to come back to join the living right before his eyes. The Jini-msemi had a close bond to the spirits and their ancestors. Had they sent her back? Did she have a greater purpose? And what were her intentions for him? It made him nervous. But… It wasn't the same kind of nervous he got when he was an adolescent, roving through the rogue lands and when he stumbled across some great dominant male lion's territory who was all too eager to defend his land and his females. Not the kind of nervous he was before starting a hunt or before trying to join the Jini-msemi. Instead it was a kind of hopeful nervousness. The kind his father had told him he got when he saw his mother (well… before Parokakari's father left his new family, presumably to start another).

Here she was now, in front of him. And she looked… well, terrible. There was no way to be nice about it. He had been laying in the shade on a bed of fallen leaves and chewing a bone for the marrow, but at the sight of her, he leapt to his feet.

"Gopala!" He shouted, running over to her, then stopping abruptly, afraid to touch her, almost as if he feared she was just a mirage, and would disappear. He didn't want her to go. But he didn't know what to do.

"A-are you hurt?" His face was full of concern. He reached out a paw and stroked her face, relieved to find she was made of flesh and blood. Sure, he had been uncertain when she'd been forward at their last meeting, but she was captivating. She'd consumed his thoughts as he had consumed her dreams. His orange eyes looked her over. She seemed to shrink when she sighed at his touch. Oh no, had he done something wrong?!

"You… have?" He tilted his large head, eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"Is that a good thing, or…?" His eyes searched hers for answers. Instead all he got was a shrug as she leaned her body into his. Parokakari stroked her face again with his paw.

"Let me get you something to eat. Wait here." The lion eased gently out from under Gopala's weight and took off.


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Gopala was much too sad and tired to do anything when she saw him turn and leave. She laid down and curled herself into a ball. Her stomach ached, like it was tearing her in two. It was rending her apart. In her sorrow she gave way to the nightmares, Parokakari this time was feasting on her belly like a parasite while he confessed his love. The uncertainty made her heart ache, too. In her dream her flesh smelled like a fresh hare. How strange. She'd never imagined herself smelling so good. Maybe it made sense Parokakari was eating her. Now the earth in her dream shook. No, it was Parokakari trying to rouse her, a rabbit hanging from his jaws and no lust for her meat in his eyes, only concern. He dropped it in front of her.

"Please, eat."

She hoisted herself to a sitting position. Her stomach still turned but she couldn't refuse this generosity. She took small bites, but couldn't keep it down. How awful, to let him down, after he made this gesture. She kept her eyes on the ground.