.:. One Moment, To The Next .:.
Word Count: 1051
It had only been three days since a Ma’duwi came into the colony with a tiny little Ma’ome cub stumbling after her. It had only been two days since the little thing latched onto Nanth, and wouldn’t stop following her around.
It had only been a day since Nanth realized she would do anything for this little cub, whether it to be to kill or die for him.
She nuzzled the small cub that was curled into his side, and he chuffed sinking further into her side. Nanth’s heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest. She did not know she could love so much. She had never really considered cubs of her own before, but the love she felt for this young one was astounding. She nudged the cub awake softly, gently. Much nicer than her own mother would have, by far. She needed to get him food, however, and she couldn’t do that if she was snuggling with Chozi all day, as much as she would have liked to.
She was only an apprentice thus far, but she had aspirations. She wasn’t sure where Chozi fit into those aspirations, but she would make it work somehow.
Chozi blinked up at her, eyes alert and aware instantly. He woke with a sharpness that spoke to a life of hardship. He stared at her for a moment before giving a wide, sleepy yawn. He stretched his whole body against hers, barely taking up the length of her belly, before sitting up. She could hear his stomach growl a bit, but he did not voice a complaint about it. She would have to feed him soon, she would need to teach him to speak up when he felt hunger. These things would come with time.
“I’m going to drop you off to play with Kilua,” Nanth explained, looking down at him as she stood up herself. She shook out her fur, prompting Chozi to do the same.
“Why?” Came the curious response, and Nanth gave a small laugh. She expected he would ask, and she left the space open for him to do so. Kilua was quite a bit larger than Chozi, though she was younger. She was a sweet kid - the daughter of their leader. Though Kilua technically held the rank of Matron, she was not expected to take on those duties until she was older. Her mother was acting as the leader of their colony at the moment, but she was suffering an ailment that could not be cured by anything the colony could conjure up.
She could not imagine what it was like to grow up watching your mother getting sicker by the day. She had no love lost for her own mother, but Kilua’s mother was sweet, and helped where she could.
“You’re hungry, and I need to find something for the two of us to eat,” She explained. Chozi touched his belly, as if scolding it for its rumbling, but stopped to catch up to Nanth who was walking along already.
The walk to where Kilua and her mother resided was pretty far, so she could at least entertain Chozi along the way, answering any questions he had. Chozi nodded at her, accepting the answer for what it was. Chozi was a curious little thing, and Nanth loved answering his questions to the best of her ability.
“What are we going to eat?” Chozi asked next, and this one was a little bit harder.
“I don’t know yet, but I’m sure I’ll find something that will quiet that Ma’duwi howling away in your stomach,” she laughed as she poked his side. He pouted a little and danced away from her to get away from the prodding. He stuck his tongue out at her and darted around to her other side. He had a lot of energy for someone low of fuel! She was sure playing with Kilua would work up his appetite even further! She just hoped his growth wasn’t stunted from starving so long, before he came into her care.
She felt like Kilua was at least twice his size! But Kilua’s mother was also large, and she did not know a thing about Chozi’s history. Perhaps both his parents were small. She would never know, however, and some questions just could not be answered. She took careful steps at Chozi wove between her legs, easily clearing the underneath of her, though his tail still tickled under her belly as it stood up enough to brush against her.
It took a moment, but he hopped along ahead of her, looking for the cub that would be his new friend. Nanth just walked along quietly, waiting for another question to come out of nowhere. The endless questions would end eventually, she knew. She was also a curious cub, and she didn’t want to squash any of Chozi’s wonder. She was scared to ask how and why he was no longer with his parents. She could only hope that the cub would share the information with her when he was older and felt more comfortable with her.
From one moment to the next, that was when Nanth realized she absolutely fell in love with this little cub. She wasn’t sure why it didn’t click in her head before, when she realized that she would kill for him, but the jarring realization almost made her trip. Chozi looked back at her with curious and concerned eyes.
“Are you okay?” He asked, cautiously.
Nanth gave him the warmest smile she could, her heart filling with even more love - was that possible.
“Of course,” She told him, catching up to him and nudging him forward. “I just had a thought that surprised me, but its nothing for you to worry over.” He frowned a little at her, tilting his head curiously. He clearly wanted to know, but Nanth did not want to share just yet. “We’re almost there, we should hurry!”
That distracted Chozi long enough for the cub to race forward again, thoughts of Nanth almost tripping leaving his mind instantly as he focused on finding his new friend.
From one moment to the next, Nanth realized she loved Chozi. Is that all it took? Just a moment. Huh. What a wonderful world they lived in.
