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 Posted: Thu Mar 25, 2010 1:00 pm
So, this was what it was like to be all grown-up. Kamau studied his emotions carefully and was somewhat disappointed to realize that he really didn’t feel any differently from the cub he once was. Well, there were some differences. He knew who his father was now. That… also didn’t really change anything except now he knew why certain members of the pride looked at him and his twin sister, Naamini, differently than the other cubs.
But, practically speaking, nothing else had changed. As a cub, he’d always hoped that the constant dull-level terror that constantly plagued him would dissipate by the time he was an adult. It didn’t. He was still the same nervous male he’d always been. The only real difference was that he was much fluffier now.
Akoko preened the lion’s mane as she tried to think of a way to take him out of himself. That was Kamau’s real problem, she felt. He was haunted alright, but the only spirit looming over him was himself. And, alright, so he’d been a little upset ever since he learned his father was a murdering psychopath, but that wasn’t so unusual in lions, was it? The little falcon looked over the Aka’mleli lands, trying to find something to distract Kamau.
“Hey, there are some pretty interestin’ lookin’ caves over there! Wanna go see?”
“We did that yesterday, ‘Koko,” Kamau answered listlessly, determined to wallow in his own gloom. It was a good day for gloominess. The afternoon sun just barely managed to get through the thick layer of clouds; it didn’t really light up the world at all. It merely made it slightly less dark. Rain wasn’t that far off. Speaking of things that weren’t far off… Kamau’s eyes leveled on the boundaries of the pride’s territory. He’d never taken even one step out of Aka’mleli’s lands. His mother had always told him that cubnapping rogues prowled the place, just looking for little babies to steal away from their families.
Akoko followed her bond’s gaze. Ahh… now it became clear. “You’re not thinkin’ of tryin’ to find him, are you?”
“Of course not! I wouldn’t want to find him! He’s evil!” And hopefully dead too. Still… there was a wide world out there. Who knew what else was out there? Maybe something to cure him of his fear…
“You know who has been out there? Aberforth. He was lost out there, you know.” The little falcon could practically read Kamau’s mind, after being around him so much. It helped that Kamau was as transparent as glass when it came to his emotions.
Kamau rolled the idea around in his mind for a while before deciding that, yes, visiting Aberforth would be a fine idea. At the very least, he could ask what it was really like out there… Shaking himself off, the young male went off in search of the white lion, seeking him out at his den. “Aberforth? Are you home?” The call wasn’t very loud, since Kamau was trying to be heard without actually being heard.
The falcon on his shoulder snorted and decided to show him how it was done. “HEY, ABERFORTH. It’s Kamau and Akoko!” she screeched.
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Posted: Wed Apr 28, 2010 8:46 pm
And he wasn’t alone, either, for sharing the den with him was his beloved companion and trusted friend Uchungu, the motherly vulture who had spent so much of her time trying to find him after that accident had separated him from his home and the people he loved.
She was nestled by his slightly twitching back legs, perched on the floor beside him with her head resting on his thigh. They both seemed to be enjoying a nice nap that day.
That is, until a loud shout broke the stillness of the den. As the echo reverberated through the cave, Aberforth let out a yelp of his own to join it, a chorus of dying calls filling the place once Uchungu, too, gave a small gasp of surprise.
Aberforth, convinced someone had come to kill him, tried to jump to his feet in an effort to better plead for his life, only to find that he was still tucked into his small hide-y hole. The top of his head slammed against the stone, a heavy thud revealing that he had not bumped the rock lightly. With so little mane to help soften the blow, it hurt quite a bit.
“Ow ow ow ow ow!” Wailed the male weakly, pushing himself out from the crevasse-like indent, Aberforth sat himself up, blinking as he turned his head towards the entrance of his den, a paw on his head to rub ruefully at the bump already forming there.
All that and they weren’t even there to kill him! It was Kamau and his companion, both looking less than threatening even with his blurry, tear-rimmed vision.
“Hey Kamau…” he said faintly, checking his paw for blood. Luckily, it was red-liquid-free, leaving him to assume that he would survive the rather startling ordeal. Shaking his head, he got himself to his feet, a short stumble all that was needed to get himself closer to the other two. Good thing, two, as walking was a lot harder now that everything was spinning around him.
Uchungu seemed amused by his misfortune, however, stifling a giggle under one wing. Like she had any room to laugh at him! She had been startled too!
“What’s the matter? I hope nothing’s wrong…. Is there something I can do for you?” he asked lightly, his vision focusing again as he sat himself down in front of the younger lion. My how he had grown! It felt like it had only been days ago that he had just gotten back to the pride, new green cubs running about without a care in the world.
Uchungu hopped after her friend, settling beside him once more and offering the other pair a warm welcome.
“It’s nice to see you two! We weren’t expecting any company You’ll have to forgive our startled reaction… Aberforth is still easily frightened when he’s caught sleeping.”
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