Laci had begun to feel guilty Jirachi, the male had been in the pride with her for nearly a month now and more than healthy enough to travel but he stayed. Laci felt bad because she had yet to tell him about the curse on the pride. She didn’t think it was true herself but it just seemed so wrong to not tell him about it, specially if it happened to be true. She had made up her mind today was the day to tell him. Then everything would be on the table out there and open, he could make an educated decision to do whatever he wanted to do though she hoped it would be stay in the pride or more importantly stay with her. Laci wasn’t sure when it happened but it had become clear, to her at least, that she had begun to fall in love with the cheetah that she had rescued.
Jirachi had had a great day. He had gotten up and helped some of the fishers. He still couldn’t handle getting in the frigidly cold water, but he was handy on shore catching the fish that were collected and putting them on a pelt to use and drag them back over to the food store area. Jirachi had been hanging around the pride for long enough now that he felt like he needed to be doing something to help out and to earn his keep so to speak. Jirachi hadn’t decided whether or not he was going to stay or go but he knew he didn’t feel good about not helping out with some of the daily chores around the pride. He had been hard at work at the lake pretty much since dawn when Laci had gotten up to make her morning rounds.
It had taken Laci longer to make her rounds than normal but all had been good when she left everyone. So really the day was a success so far anyways now she had to find Jirachi and tell him that he had come to a cursed pride. She hoped that he would hate her for not telling him sooner. She came along to the lake knowing that Jirachi had become fond of some of the fisher and enjoyed helping them out while she was doing her rounds.
Sure enough when she came up to the lake she found Jirachi flinging fish onto the sleds like a pro. She smiled proud to see him doing so well in the pride, he had recently even stopped wearing the furs around his shoulders as his own fur grew in thicker adjusting to the cold temperature here. She felt her heart rate quicken in excitement to see him. She smiled and began to move just a little quicker in the direction of the male cheetah.
“Hey there” she called out to him. She didn’t want him to stop working just because she was there so she stayed a little ways away taking a seat and watching him work.
Jirachi saw Laci come along the trails to the lake and when she took a seat lifted a paw in a wave to her. He was just about done helping out and probably could have gotten away right then but he wanted to finish everything up before going over to see his lioness friend. It only took a few more minutes of slinging fish before he was saying his goodbyes to the fishers and heading towards Laci.
“Hey!” he called to her when he began to head in her direction. He had grown so comfortable with Laci over the last few weeks then when he reached her he gave her a friendly bump with his shoulders in greeting. “How was your morning.” he asked. As he quickly gave his face and paws a clean, as yummy as fish were he didn’t really enjoy smelling like fish for the rest of the day.
“My morning was good.” Laci told him as he finished cleaning up. “I came by though because I wanted to talk to you, there is something you should know.” Laci’s tone made it evident that what she had to say was important and Jirachi had better listen up.
Jirachi stopped cleaning mid lick slowly lowering his paw back to the ground. He turned so that he was facing Laci instead of sitting next to her. “What’s going on?” he asked her his head tilted to the side worry feeling his eyes.
“Well there was something that I should tell you, I probably should have told you sooner.” she paused letting out a big sigh she felt ridiculous even saying it but it had to be said, in fact she was kinda surprised that no one had told him before now… though it was a good thing because she didn’t want him to think she had lied to him or something.
Jirachi watched Laci his brows knit with worry she seemed so serious so concerned. “Go on it’s okay.” he told her his voice reassuring.
“Well our pride is cursed.” she said did her best not to roll her eyes when she said it. “Or at least that’s what some believe. They think that when Elsa became queen she somehow cursed the whole pride and that’s why it’s so cold here. That as long as she is queen it will never thaw. They think it has to do with her pelt of blue and ice and her heritage.” Laci shook her head she hated saying any of this feeling like perhaps she was only prolonging the thought of the curse and making it real by talking about it but she had to Jirachi.
Jirachi just looked at Laci not really sure what to say. It was a strange thing to be told and he wasn’t really sure how he should respond. Finally he found words, “Well thanks for telling me.” he said. He wasn’t sure what this news meant to him or how it might factor into his decision to stay or go but for now that was all he could manage to do.
“Come on let’s go take a walk.” He told Laci a smile already back to his old self.
“Okay.” Laci said her voice a little hesitant, she wasn’t sure where his mind was but taking a walk was how they spent their days and it was nice not to have that change now.
