Word Count: 1,410
The chain began to rub off his fur. How did he get here? He wondered the same thing as he was dragged along to a pride. He was a slave, and he was to help carve out tunnels for another pride that the 'Nera had been contracted to dig. When his Merchant spoke to the lions of the pride- they pointed him the way and he began to dig. Dig.
Tunnels had been carved throughout the high dirt mounts after three days. Kairo's body shook with vengeance, giving way and falling upon the ground. Exhaustion hit him like a freight train.
"Hey- uh.. someone?" Eileifr called out to one of the guards that the Kuroi'Nera sent but none replied. The star cheetah slowly closed in on him and nudged him.
"Hey- hey kid." He continued to nudge until a guard came.
"Hey! Yea- he is out-" Eileifr was almost excited as he showed the leopard the knocked out cheetah.
The leopard stared at him blankly then moved on.
"Hey!" Eileifr looked back at the cheetah and nudged him before struggling to push his snout under him. "By the Goddess- you are HEAVY!" He shouted and finally got under him, enough to lift him upon his back. A flick of a tail and he was off to his den. "Well if none of your people will help, I'll be damned if I let someone die in our lands. You know, maybe you should consider coming to our pride? It isn't so bad. Lions are the dominate species, that's for sure- but all of them seek solstice in the goddess and she is pretty- and she is kind. I saw her for myself once. The way she was- just the feeling is so overwhelming- she loves us and cares deeply. I didn't agree about contracting others to make our caves- but there is some turmoil that I have heard rumors about. I guess it's for the best, isn't it?" Speaking to himself seemed second nature for him, not because he was crazy- but because he was lonely most of the time.When he got in, he slowly slid the cheetah off and went for the bowls the carvers made.
By the time he was done with his duties and when day turned to night- he trotted in with a piece of a gazelle.
"Wakey-wakey-" Eileifr called but the spotted cheetah didn't move.
"Hey- look-" Slowly placing the food in front of the other's snout. "Listen- Passing on on our lands is sacred- but don't you want to die in your lands. How we say- our souls will then unite with our family-". Slowly Eileifr went to touch him and as soon as he did- the cheetah's eyes grew wide- blank with emotion nor concious.
"The lands will erupt- the skies will cry in tears of broken dreams. The plagues of the disease.. reprise- reprise- and the storms shall wipe clean the slate of time. Make haste- make haste- wind adorn earth- speak that of trees- and make new with raging water!" Kairo's spoke with the flavor of the ominous as he dug his claws in to Eileifr's paw.
Eileifr's eyes grew in surprise and the words he spoke- he had seen this before. This- !!! He turned around and quickly raced back to the lions to see what they thought. It didn't take long before they came back and examined him.
"What did he say-?"
"Something about the lands will swallow us- and the rain will cleanse us?"
"It is blasphemy- the goddess would never!"
"It's an oracle!"
"He is a fake!"
"The lands will seek refuge and the earth will roar- " Kairos spoke between them, as he saw- and what came over him. Like he wasn't the one speaking but something completely ethereal.
Like he had said- the ground began to rumble and could be mistaken as a roar of the earth, The lions began to lower themselves and the sound of the storms would come. Quickly, the guard pulled the cheetah away from the circle.
"He has cursed us!"
"GODDESS! GODDESS! PROTECT US!"
The lions began to scatter to find their young.
The guard looked to Kairos.
"You are ,,,a seer." The guard lifted him- but as soon as he touched him, Kairos fell limp upon the floor.
Eileifr pulled Kairos away."Oracles should not be treated so poorly!"
The ground began to rumble... The guard spoke finally.
"We never knew he was an oracle." He spoke with a stern voice. "We must leave-"
Kairos awoke in confusion and quickly held on to whoever had been holding him.
"The sky is FALLING!" He yelled and Eileifr held him.
"He can't leave in this condition!" The earthquake continued for several more minutes and one could hear the echoing of something breaking apart a few miles away.
"He stays!"
The guard looked up at the rumbling of the rocks and went under both cheetahs and lifted them quickly as a rock crashed where they once stood.
"Hold on."
The two cheetahs listened as they were carried to safety, holding on to their dear lives as they dodged trees falling and winds that threatened to knock them down. While the leopard below elegantly took off with them.
"He can't stay- we can't stay. This place is going to be destroyed-!" The leopard added and continued to run.....
"Wait- No! I can't leave my pride!"
"We will return you when it is safe- Now hold on!"
When they got to the check point- he slid the cheetahs off.
"Please- don't take me back!"
The leopard hushed him.
"Things will be different now."
"Different?! How?"
"You are an oracle..."
With that, the two cheetahs were knocked out by other from the pride and carried to the pride's location.
Once there, the crowd began to circle them...
"An oracle? I thought he was a slave?" Someone spoke up.
"Who originally brought this cheetah in...?" Emi spoke and everyone made way for the Boss Lady of the pride..
Aadia raised her head and gasped at the moment that Kairos was rumored now to be an oracle... She would be in trouble for sure.
"I did." She slowly got in front of the leopard that held Kairos on his back.
Kairos shook his head- along with Eileifr- the two waking up bewildered.
"Boss Lady!" He quickly got off the leopard and bowed all the way in to the ground.
"Rise Oracle..." She reassured him, and helped him up.
"You will no longer have to bow cheetah.. We- apologize- I wasn't informed that a cheetah was a slave."
Looking at Aadia.
"But from now on, you no longer have to be a slave- and you will be protected and Aadia- the one that brought you will make sure you are well taken care of from now on." The Boss lady's voice was gentle, and she gave a bow of her head before turning tail. "Clean him, and get him ready- for a feast will be done in his honor."
The group that had gathered dispersed while congratulating the cheetah. Some stayed to try and ask him for their futures but the guard leopard stood in front of them.
"Be gone!"
They dispersed then, and Aadia lowered herself to the floor.
"I am...so sorry..."
He didn't want to look at her. She took his freedom. She took away everything just to raise in rank.... but now. He was above her. She would be his safeguard from now on.
"I want my freedom back."
"I can't grant that."
"You are the one who took it." He snapped at her.
Eileifr nudged Kairos.
"That isn't how prides work... I believe your ... Queen will have to do that."
Kairos was about to raise his claws to her, and Eileifr got in front of her.
"In my arms you feared what you saw- like the Goddess says- do not harm others- or it will bring harm to you. It can darken you."
Kairos's eyes were pierced- he hadn't ever raised his paw to another, ever. Slowly he lowered it...
The guard nodded.
"Aadia's mother is in fact, the oracle of the pride. If anyone can help you... it is her."
Aadia looked at him, with near fear.
"I don't want to see you." Slowly raising his body and began to walk only to fall exhaustively to the ground, Eileifr helped him up and the leopard raised him once more and carried him to his new den......
The chain began to rub off his fur. How did he get here? He wondered the same thing as he was dragged along to a pride. He was a slave, and he was to help carve out tunnels for another pride that the 'Nera had been contracted to dig. When his Merchant spoke to the lions of the pride- they pointed him the way and he began to dig. Dig.
Tunnels had been carved throughout the high dirt mounts after three days. Kairo's body shook with vengeance, giving way and falling upon the ground. Exhaustion hit him like a freight train.
"Hey- uh.. someone?" Eileifr called out to one of the guards that the Kuroi'Nera sent but none replied. The star cheetah slowly closed in on him and nudged him.
"Hey- hey kid." He continued to nudge until a guard came.
"Hey! Yea- he is out-" Eileifr was almost excited as he showed the leopard the knocked out cheetah.
The leopard stared at him blankly then moved on.
"Hey!" Eileifr looked back at the cheetah and nudged him before struggling to push his snout under him. "By the Goddess- you are HEAVY!" He shouted and finally got under him, enough to lift him upon his back. A flick of a tail and he was off to his den. "Well if none of your people will help, I'll be damned if I let someone die in our lands. You know, maybe you should consider coming to our pride? It isn't so bad. Lions are the dominate species, that's for sure- but all of them seek solstice in the goddess and she is pretty- and she is kind. I saw her for myself once. The way she was- just the feeling is so overwhelming- she loves us and cares deeply. I didn't agree about contracting others to make our caves- but there is some turmoil that I have heard rumors about. I guess it's for the best, isn't it?" Speaking to himself seemed second nature for him, not because he was crazy- but because he was lonely most of the time.When he got in, he slowly slid the cheetah off and went for the bowls the carvers made.
By the time he was done with his duties and when day turned to night- he trotted in with a piece of a gazelle.
"Wakey-wakey-" Eileifr called but the spotted cheetah didn't move.
"Hey- look-" Slowly placing the food in front of the other's snout. "Listen- Passing on on our lands is sacred- but don't you want to die in your lands. How we say- our souls will then unite with our family-". Slowly Eileifr went to touch him and as soon as he did- the cheetah's eyes grew wide- blank with emotion nor concious.
"The lands will erupt- the skies will cry in tears of broken dreams. The plagues of the disease.. reprise- reprise- and the storms shall wipe clean the slate of time. Make haste- make haste- wind adorn earth- speak that of trees- and make new with raging water!" Kairo's spoke with the flavor of the ominous as he dug his claws in to Eileifr's paw.
Eileifr's eyes grew in surprise and the words he spoke- he had seen this before. This- !!! He turned around and quickly raced back to the lions to see what they thought. It didn't take long before they came back and examined him.
"What did he say-?"
"Something about the lands will swallow us- and the rain will cleanse us?"
"It is blasphemy- the goddess would never!"
"It's an oracle!"
"He is a fake!"
"The lands will seek refuge and the earth will roar- " Kairos spoke between them, as he saw- and what came over him. Like he wasn't the one speaking but something completely ethereal.
Like he had said- the ground began to rumble and could be mistaken as a roar of the earth, The lions began to lower themselves and the sound of the storms would come. Quickly, the guard pulled the cheetah away from the circle.
"He has cursed us!"
"GODDESS! GODDESS! PROTECT US!"
The lions began to scatter to find their young.
The guard looked to Kairos.
"You are ,,,a seer." The guard lifted him- but as soon as he touched him, Kairos fell limp upon the floor.
Eileifr pulled Kairos away."Oracles should not be treated so poorly!"
The ground began to rumble... The guard spoke finally.
"We never knew he was an oracle." He spoke with a stern voice. "We must leave-"
Kairos awoke in confusion and quickly held on to whoever had been holding him.
"The sky is FALLING!" He yelled and Eileifr held him.
"He can't leave in this condition!" The earthquake continued for several more minutes and one could hear the echoing of something breaking apart a few miles away.
"He stays!"
The guard looked up at the rumbling of the rocks and went under both cheetahs and lifted them quickly as a rock crashed where they once stood.
"Hold on."
The two cheetahs listened as they were carried to safety, holding on to their dear lives as they dodged trees falling and winds that threatened to knock them down. While the leopard below elegantly took off with them.
"He can't stay- we can't stay. This place is going to be destroyed-!" The leopard added and continued to run.....
"Wait- No! I can't leave my pride!"
"We will return you when it is safe- Now hold on!"
When they got to the check point- he slid the cheetahs off.
"Please- don't take me back!"
The leopard hushed him.
"Things will be different now."
"Different?! How?"
"You are an oracle..."
With that, the two cheetahs were knocked out by other from the pride and carried to the pride's location.
Once there, the crowd began to circle them...
"An oracle? I thought he was a slave?" Someone spoke up.
"Who originally brought this cheetah in...?" Emi spoke and everyone made way for the Boss Lady of the pride..
Aadia raised her head and gasped at the moment that Kairos was rumored now to be an oracle... She would be in trouble for sure.
"I did." She slowly got in front of the leopard that held Kairos on his back.
Kairos shook his head- along with Eileifr- the two waking up bewildered.
"Boss Lady!" He quickly got off the leopard and bowed all the way in to the ground.
"Rise Oracle..." She reassured him, and helped him up.
"You will no longer have to bow cheetah.. We- apologize- I wasn't informed that a cheetah was a slave."
Looking at Aadia.
"But from now on, you no longer have to be a slave- and you will be protected and Aadia- the one that brought you will make sure you are well taken care of from now on." The Boss lady's voice was gentle, and she gave a bow of her head before turning tail. "Clean him, and get him ready- for a feast will be done in his honor."
The group that had gathered dispersed while congratulating the cheetah. Some stayed to try and ask him for their futures but the guard leopard stood in front of them.
"Be gone!"
They dispersed then, and Aadia lowered herself to the floor.
"I am...so sorry..."
He didn't want to look at her. She took his freedom. She took away everything just to raise in rank.... but now. He was above her. She would be his safeguard from now on.
"I want my freedom back."
"I can't grant that."
"You are the one who took it." He snapped at her.
Eileifr nudged Kairos.
"That isn't how prides work... I believe your ... Queen will have to do that."
Kairos was about to raise his claws to her, and Eileifr got in front of her.
"In my arms you feared what you saw- like the Goddess says- do not harm others- or it will bring harm to you. It can darken you."
Kairos's eyes were pierced- he hadn't ever raised his paw to another, ever. Slowly he lowered it...
The guard nodded.
"Aadia's mother is in fact, the oracle of the pride. If anyone can help you... it is her."
Aadia looked at him, with near fear.
"I don't want to see you." Slowly raising his body and began to walk only to fall exhaustively to the ground, Eileifr helped him up and the leopard raised him once more and carried him to his new den......
