Amanzi laughed and sat down again, flicking her tail from side to side. "It's fine. I know, it can be a little overwhelming, and that's only in words. Just wait 'til you have the chance to see it for yourself." She winked at him. "It's not so very far to the ocean pride from here, either. You just go straight in that direction," she turned and pointed a paw to the east, "and you'll hit it sooner or later."
As she turned in that direction to follow her outstretched paw, the young lioness happened to notice the position of the sun. It was in the opposite direction, which meant it was getting late. Taku would probably be worrying about her, too. With a sigh, she shook her head and gave Hero a last grin.
"I'm afraid it's time for me to head on home. It was fun meeting you, Hero. I hope to see you again soon."
The direction of the rising sun. Strange that the ocean would lie in that direction, in the symbolic place of new beginnings, and it made Hero a little uncomfortable. He knew better than to expect fantastic things to come based on his feelings. His flights of fantasy were often too romantic for the real world. In all his years of traveling, this master generalist had learned that the best way to go through life is to prepare for the worst and, in spite of that, always hold a hope in your heart that events will turn out for the better, even though they often don’t.
Perhaps he might find a home in that pride or perhaps he might not. Would he blame that on the rising sun? Of course not. No matter the out come, seeing the ocean just once in his life would probably be worth the trip, so he could look forward to that no matter what. It would be something to remember fondly in his twilight years.
He nodded at Amanzi. “I hope so, too. Have a safe trip, Amanzi. Take care of that paw.”
((Fin~))
