Creamy paws padded through the thick sand, the heat bearing down against his back and the lack of wind very prominent. The black lion was making his way through the now empty lands, wistfully thinking over everything that had changed. This place used to be so full of life, easy to live in when you had family and friends among you, but now it was nothing but sand and heat. Difficult to survive in by yourself... but the male couldn't bring himself to leave quite yet. There were others who'd stayed as well - some who still do even now - but it was clear that that wouldn't last forever. He'd long since lost track of his family....
Sighing gustily, Harakhty stopped his gait to gaze about him. There... there really was nothing for him here anymore. He'd fought against his own logic, not wanting to leave quite yet, but the longer he stayed, the more obvious it was that he needed to leave. Ears flattening against his head, he dejectedly continued moving towards... well, any direction than here. The problem here was that he didn't really know where he'd go. Where did one start with finding a new home?
Further away, the reddish leopard huffed grumpily over her situation. In her traveling, she'd decided to check out the rumors of a desert out here. And she'd found it. She'd definitely found it.
It was way, WAY too HOT.
She'd been told that it would be hot, but not this hot. She felt a bit cheated in that aspect, turned away from somewhere better. Snarling, Pikku huddled a bit further under the shade of the lone tree she'd found. She would just turn around and leave, but... she sort of got turned around... and now wasn't sure which way to go. She didn't want to go further into the desert!
She cursed under her breath. What was she supposed to do now?!
Harakhty noted absentmindedly that the sand seemed to be getting harder... thicker...? He wasn't sure, but either way, it was turning into solid land. He cocked his head to the side, distantly fascinated by that development. He'd never traveled out this far before. Others had regaled tales of the lands outside the desert, and in that included the lack of sand, but for some reason, it never occurred to him that the land would turn hard. Humming, he looked back ahead of him.
And then paused. There was a tree ahead and it looked like there was something... someONE there. Taking a few paw steps closer, they looked kind of like another lion, but they were a bit smaller than he remembered and lacked a mane, which sort of weirded him out. They looked unhappy about something though, and regardless of how mopey he was feeling, he couldn't turn away helping someone in need.
So, picking up his pace, he approached the other feline. As he got closer, he called out, "Hello. Are you alright?"
She hadn't been expecting the male voice nearby. Pikku lost a few years off her life with that scare, but managed to only flinch a little. Snapping her head up, she stared in surprise at the lion in front of her. He was almost completely black - how in god's name was he tolerating being out in this sun with that dark coat?! - with strange looking jewelry hanging off of him. In spite of her exhaustion, she still gazed in interest at the jewels adorning his fur. So pretty! She would love to get a hold of those....
.... But that was a thought for when she wasn't boiling hot.
Reluctantly dragging her eyes away, she looked back at him and considered her answer. He seemed to be traveling, and if he was traveling, he probably knows the way out of this mess. Eyes sparkling at the thought, she purred back as demurely as being overheated would allow. "Not entirely, no." The leopardess lifted her head and rolled her shoulders. "You wouldn't happen to know the way out of this desert, would you?" Please say yes, please say yes, PLEASE SAY YES.
Harakhty raised an eyebrow at the strange creature in front of him. She sounded female and was definitely a feline, but looking at her... maybe lionesses looked different outside of the desert. He'd probably find out eventually.
Moving on though, he nodded back in response and then gestured a paw in front of him. "Head that way and it will lead you straight out." He flicked his tail behind him, "I'm actually on my way out now, if you'd like to join me." He wasn't really sure how he felt about a random female accompanying him, but he felt like he should offer regardless.
Pikku curled a lip at the thought of moving from her shady spot now. Walk in the hot sand? No, thank you. She would have loved the opportunity to swipe the lion's jewels, but it wasn't worth the hot paws she'd have as a result. Plus it looked like he knew how to traverse in heated sand, and trying to run after stealing from him in his own element... nope, she wasn't that stupid.
"I think I'd prefer to travel when it's less hot. So thank you, but I'll wait for night to come." It got cooler the last night, which is how she'd ended up in the situation without realizing her mistake, so logic dictated that it would be cool tonight as well.
Well, alright he supposed. It was better to just tough it out than sit here until it got cooler, but whatever. To each their own. He'd offered, which is the best he could do. Nodding, the black lion continued to move forward again. As he passed by her, he muttered, "Safe travels then. Perhaps we'll cross paths again later." And then looked forward once more.
Who knew what the future would hold for him. It made him nervous thinking about it, but there was nothing else for him to do now. The desert held only memories, and perhaps these new lands would hold more for him. It was time to move on.
Pikku waited until after he'd passed her before wilting in the heat and grumbling under her breath. A quick glance up at the sky showed that it was already well past midday. Night would come within a few hours, so she would just have to hold out until then.
And he was right. Perhaps they would cross paths again later - and she'd be taking a closer look at that jewelry then.
