A flickering dot of light color caught her eye, and in a moment Posca knew... Bombei! Finally! Her heart thumped loudly a couple of times, but she assumed it was only from the relief. He would surely help her... Down she went, slowly in order to make sure Giza was held securely. With a thud she finally landed not far from the lion, her head dipping down to gently set her daughter down in the grass.
Giza had indeed slept through the entire trip, too tired to even stir when they landed. She'd dreamed of flying though. Dreamed that her white wing-markings had peeled away from her back and become real wings, and she'd been able to fly with momma, and they flew together on and on...It was a good dream. She curled up in the grass at her mother's feet, her head finding a paw to rest on.
Bombei meanwhile had been happily leading his daughter and apprentice on another trip. One was with him only to learn to tell stories, but the other needed a full life's worth of lessons, and he'd seen no reason to exclude Kisa to help Zari. Today they'd been planning to visit a small herd of antelope. It was a new herd, no more than five in all, and Bombei had been watching them especially for this. He was going to teach his girls to hunt, and a smaller herd meant less risk.
Of course that had been the plan until a figure now-familiar to him came tumbling from the sky. He smiled. The last time he'd seen Posca was moons ago now. If mortals were anything like gods, she'd had her cubs...and then he noticed the one she held in her teeth so gently, and saw her face. Shushing his girls, he sent them on their way to find the herd and watch it until he could join them. Once they were gone, he approached the goddess. "Posca...?"
The wind had blown away much of the dirt, but she still looked tattered and weary. The emotional strain was obviously painted on her face, her eyes puffy from dry tears. "Bombei..." She glanced down at the cub and frowned, unsure how to say what she was feeling. Plus, the goddess didn't like asking others for favors... But Giza depended upon it!
She sighed softly and glanced back up at him, frowning apologeticly. "My daughter... I..." It was better to start at the begining, right? "I had my cubs. I left them safely with their father, but... Giza... She would not stay. I'm not sure how she found me, but she won't give up. No matter how far I fly she follows. I fear that she has not eaten in days... She's so frail... but I can do nothing for her." Her head hung in shame. A mother that could not take care of her own daughter.
"I know you have enough on your mind, tending to your own cubs... But do you think you could find something for her to eat when she awakes? Everything I touch rots away, and would only make her sicker..."
The closer he got, the more Bombei was distressed. Posca herself looked worn and from what he could see of the cub she was even worse off. He had to wonder how this had happened, but the goddess beat him to asking, filling in for him. She'd left them with the father after all...He wasn't surprised, he'd expected she would. It was nice at least that they had part of their family, and from things, sounded safe. Of course he couldn't know just who their father was.
Giza...that must be the cub. A daughter. He wondered how many of each there'd been. Giza had followed...but she had no way to fly! The old lion spotted the cub's paws then, and grimaced. There were bits of stone still sticking in them. She was thin and frail indeed. A wave of sympathy hit him. How would he have felt, seeing harm come to his Zari and being unable, by some cruel trick of nature, to help?
"Posca," He quieted her, stepping forward and bumping his head to hers reassuringly. "Of course I'll help." What sort of father, nay, lion would he be elsewise? "Sit down, you look about to drop from exhaustion yourself," He bid her, before turning and scenting for his daughters. By now they'd surely found the herd. Too bad, lessons would have to be cancelled today, but at least they could watch him...and maybe they could try later. No time to worry though, he departed the pair swiftly, and determined.
She let out a long sigh of relief, smiling slightly. The gentle bump he gave her made her feel lighter, the worry slowly speeing away. Things would be alright... They had to be.
"Thank you... This means so much..." A weak pur rumbled in her throat as she slowly laid down, curling around the tiny cub. "She will not wake up for a while, I think... So don't worry yourself too much." She started to nuzzle her nose against the cub gently, comforting her in her sleep. She wanted to lick her wounds clean, but was afraid too. Would the oil that dripped from her mouth only make it worse? Make her scraps infected? It worried her, and so she only nuzzled her nose against them gently, at least getting the rocks out.
Bombei was quick in finding his children and urging them to sit still. Of course they both were upset with the change in plan, and in order to quell taking up time by fighting he eventually gave in and let them tak down the animal. To be safe though he made his way around the herd. Should they escape the younger girls he would be sure to get at least one.
Thankfully they had the skills they needed, and after a quick struggle they'd brought down one of the younger beasts. Bombei couldn't have been prouder, seeing them down it, and he'd felt bad forcing his way in and taking some. He knew they would understand though. The trip back was slower, though he made haste. A hind leg dragged beneath him, plenty for the cub and more.
He slowed when he neared the resting pair and dropped the shank. "Posca...I've got food." He knew better than to get it too close. Like it or not, the goddess' presence would rot it. He stepped closer and sniffed near the cub. "She'll be fine now, I think..."
Posca was still laying there with Giza, her eyes now closed. The world seemed so much better now that she knew things would be alright. There was a tiny voice in the back of her head that tried to yell at her that this couldn't happen. There was no way! But... her happiness was currently drowning it out at the moment. For now, the world was wonderful.
When Bombei returned she glanced up, her eyes opening to smile at him. "Thank you..." She turned her attention back to Giza and nudged at her. "Wake up, darling... Wake up."
Giza didn't want to wake up. Her body hurt, and when she was sleeping there was nothing but momma and her, and good feelings. She shifted in her sleep, pinching her eyes shut tighter before finally binking them open. The first thing she noticed was that her momma was still at hre side...And her feet hurt very badly. Not as bad as before she slept, but bad enough.
The next thing she saw was that they were not alone. She shrank away from the stranger, unsure...What was this person doing? He wasn't...going to take her away, was he?
Bombei stepped back to give the two some time. He'd seen the stones had been pulled from the cub's paws...It wasn't his place to offer to clean them, was it? Still, he couldn't let her just walk around with suck wounds. At least he could instruct them on finding a watering hole to wash them in. Bah, what was he thinking. Posca was an adult, surely she knew how to care for her own child.
He saw the fear in the cub then and offered a smile. He stepped back a ways and nudged the meat forward. HE wouldn't intrude, not until the cub felt safe.
"It's alright..." She made her voice as soft and gentle as possible, purring a little as well to let Giza know that everything was alright. "Don't worry, my love. I'm not going to leave you again..." She gently licked her cheek, then nudged her forward with her nose. "It was very stubborn of you to go all that way by yourself... now you must eat." She noticed the fear, and glanced up at Bombei then back, smiling again.
"Don't be afraid of him. I know he scares you... But he is not a demon. He won't steal you away. See? He got us dinner, he is a good male... Go on, go eat, you'll feel better. We'll go find somewhere to clean up at after you eat."
Giza was easily swayed by her mother's words. This sounded much more like the mother she knew, and she eagerly nuzzled into her touches. She stumbled a bit at the nudge, but found her feet easily enough. Oh she just wanted to sit and get off of them, but the food was over there, and now that she'd stopped running she knew just how hungry she was. Of course, it was still by that guy...
She had to trust her momma though. She'd just said she wouldn't leave her, and that was the same as not letting someone take her away in Giza's small mind. "He's good..." She managed, and though she looked ready to run back to her motehr's side at any moment, she slunk to the food and sat with it. tiny nibbles soon became a bit of a frenzy as she ate herself full.
Bombei managed not to chuckle. It would be mean, though thinking someone feared him was quite silly. He stepped away from the meat as the cub neared-oh, she really was thin! He wondered how long she'd been chasing her mother. "She certainly was determined, wasn't she?" His question was aimed at Posca, whom he'd shifted to sit with to stay clear of Giza's path. "If you'd like, I know a watering hole near here...I was going to suggest it, actually. Very clean, good water."
Posca settled onto the ground, watching Giza stand and move over to the meal fondly. Now that she wasn't sick with worry, she had to sit back and admire the cub... She'd traveled miles and miles to find her... She'd never dreamed of such determination. In all her years...
Bombei's words brought her attention over to him, and she let out a small chuckle. "That she is... I don't think she got that from me. She's.. wonderful..." Her eyes flickered back to the eating cub, and she nodded a little. "That would be nice... I don't want her paws to get infected. The poor dear..."
Eating was far more interesting than adults talking just now, and Giza paid little mind to her mother talking to the strange gray-blue lion. Mmm...It seemed like ages since she'd last eaten this well. Since before the others had been taken.
Ah, she'd nearly forgotten the others, and she paused in her eating long enough to wonder how they were. Maybe another one had gotten free from the scary thing now? She certainly hoped so...she'd barely noticed the visions she'd had upon waking this time. Just an image of a deep dark cavern, and then nothing of her mother. Presumably that was because she was with her mother.
"Ahh, you're sure?" From what he'd seen of Posca she could be fairly determined herself. Moreso than she knew, perhaps. "She certainly reminds me of you." They eyes especially. All black like her mother's. "I'm sure if you wash them, and keep her from walking on them too much, they'll be fine. Hmm...maybe you could tie some hide over them? So they would stay clean for a while, as long as the hide was clean."
She glanced towards Bombei, a brow raising slightly. "Oh...?" She laid there for a moment, pondering his words. Her ears twitched pensively. "Perhaps... Then again, you've only met me twice before, Bombei..." Had it really only been twice? It seemed like more, for some reason..." She shook her head, standing.
"That is a good idea... Would you mind tearing some pieces for her?" Her ears tilted back as she glanced back to him, frowning. "I am so sorry, Storyteller... I've asked too much of you already. I promise we will not burden you anymore."
Bombei chuckled and nodded. True, they had only met twice. If she'd mentioned that it seemed like much more he would have agreed. Maybe it was simply because, to him at least, her visits had been the more memorable sort. He rose at her bidding and gently motiond Giza to stand aside as he pulled some meat free for her. Surely her teeth were too small to really bite yet. That task done he rejoined Posca, though he kept an eye on the cub, ready to free more food for her once what he'd pulled was gone.
"It's nothing!" He insisted. "Tearing a bit of meat for a cub?" If that was 'trouble' he'd been having a lot of it lately. "You say that like you're asking something of me. It's my pleasure to help you and yours, you know?"
Giza skittered away (limping, admittedly) when the male came over her shoulder. She wasn't afraid now, but still a little wary. She knew well enough to be thankful when he freed up some of the meet for her though, and she offered the pair of adults a little smile before getting back to eating. This lion was nice, she'd decided. Momma liked him, and he was helping them both feel better.
She didn't stop him, but she couldn't help but give him an amused- yet apologetic smile. "I meant tear pieces of hide for her feet... But it's alright, she should finish eating first." She stepped closer to him and nudged her nose gently against his shoulder, an affectionate gesture of thanks.
"Thank you... I do not think I've ever met someone as generous..." She looked down again, sitting. "I am asking something of you... Such deeds are impossible for me to do... But neccessary for her to heal. You are saving my daughter, Storyteller. Please do not dismiss it so easily..."
Feeling full at last, Giza waddled gingerly back over to Posca and settled beside her. She frowned, looking down at her paws, before lifting one and licking at the raw underside. Not even she knew how she'd managed to keep going for so long. Parts of the trip she couldn't remember at all. It didn't matter. She'd found momma in the end.
They weren't near the tree anymore, she noticed, though she'd been too tired to look at anything aside from that when she'd crawled to her mother's side. Hmm...a thoughtful look crossed her face and she nudged Posca with her nose. "Momma...did you turn that tree into this lion?" A silly question, but not strange, given that she was still a child.
Bombei of course felt quite silly. "Ah..." He'd understood Posca wrong, and grinned sheepishly. He couldn't help but nose her back. Somehow it just felt like the thing to do at the moment. "When you put it that way, I suppose I can't. But you know I would never leave a cub, or a friend in trouble." They were friends, right? Somehow it felt so, even after only three times.
"Well, maybe I'm just your tree then?" He chuckled. "She's sure got some imagination."
She smiled gently when he nudged her back. Her heart fluttered again slightly, but she once again tossed it aside for joy. Things were... good. She had a daughter. And not just a flickering memory of one. She'd been a mother by definition for years. But she'd never taken care of a cub. She'd never held one. Giza... would surely change her life. And today was the first step. But could she learn to be a mother?
She blinked at the cub's innocent question, then laughed softly. "Oh, dear.." She had started to correct her, then paused as Bombei only egged her on. Smiling, she leaned down as if to whisper a secret to the cub. "I'm afraid I lack those powers... But this tree is magical, and turned all on it's own. He's a storytelling tree, my love."
Bombei had stepped away after his last comment to do the correct tearing. Poor cub was wincing with each step, and he was eager to put things to rights. There was ample skin left unchewed on the leg of the animal, and in no time he had four equal bits to use. Hopefully it'd be enough...he really should ask around after crafters who were good at this sort of thing. His would be mediocre at best.
Busy with this, he'd missed Posca's comment to her daughter. "We should probably wash her feet first...I don't know if she'd let me do it though. Better you should, Posca." Better for Posca herself too. Washing her daughter in a pool was the best she could do on her own, likely, so they could get used to it.
Giza oohed at the secret. A tree that told stories and turned into a lion? So that's why he wasn't scary! Trees ate...what did they eat? Dirt and water? Something like that. Then he'd never hurt them. But then, even if he was a regular lion it seemed like he was nice too. Either way. "Really?" She blinked up at Bombei. "...When he's a tree, how does he tell stories? I bet he has to ask the wind for help to make his leaves talk." It seemed her voice was getting stronger now, and ever energetic, she was eager to talk.
"Wash?" That would be nice. Baths had been tricky before, she remembered, but she didn't like to be dirty. And really, she was filthy.
She nodded a little, chuckling again. "Yes, exactly. He gathers stories from all that rest under him... And tells them when he turns into a lion. You know, now that I think about it..." She leaned down closer, speaking softly into her ear. "I think... he's a prince. A prince that has had a curse put on him, that he has to be a tree. Oh dear, what shall we do?"
She leaned up again, nodding a little. "Yes, will you lead us to the water hole, Storyteller?"
Giza ooohed. A prince? She looked up more intensely at the blue lion. Did he look like a prince to her? Maybe...she'd never seen a prince though, so momma was probably right. "If it's a curse we should break it, right? So he can be a lion all the time again." Still, it might be neat to be a tree sometime. "We should maybe ask him first though...he might like being a tree, I guess." If he liked it, then it wasn't so bad. How did you break a curse though...ah! She had an idea!
Bombei eyed the pair of them curiously. what were they whispering, he had to wonder. By the unusually sneaky look in Posca's eyes, it was about him too. Oh boy...Still, it was good to see them interacting so. Posca had been so worried during her pregnancy, seeing the pair of them acting so normal (except for the wings and whatnot) made him feel at ease over her.
"The watering hole i over that way." He nodded to the east a bit. "It's not far, but Giza shouldn't walk it. Her paws need the rest, I think."
"Hmm.. perhaps..." She nodded slightly towards Giza, still smiling gently. "But for now we should see about getting you a bath..." She bent her head down to scoop up the bloated cub by the neck, gently standing again until she was held securely in the air.
"Lead the way, Storyteller." She muttered between clenched teeth, though her voice was a bit distorted from the cub blocking her voice.
Bombei nodded and set out, keeping a quick but gentle pace. As they went along he momentarily wondered where his own children had gotten too. Perhaps once he'd seen tehm safely there he would take a spell to find them. Or that had been his thoughts, until he spotted them at a distance, making towards where he knew their temporary den was. Likely going to snooze off the meal from before, yes.
"Here we are!" He announced as they reached the water's edge. It was a small watering hole, but decent enough. "The middle part is actually quite deep, so mind that," He cautioned before bending to drink a bit.
Giza happily accepted her mother's ride, going limp and curling her back legs up out of instinct. The sight of the watering hole made her squirm a bit, she was thirsty! Soo she'd be clean and everything would be like before this trouble had begun...Or as close as it could be. Sometime along the way she'd accepted that it was going to only be her and momma, if she managed to find her mom, from then on. It made her a little sad, but there was no sense lingering over what she couldn't change. Still, one day she would try to find them. At least see them one more time.
"Mister Storyteller!" She called to Bombei before her mother had even set her down. "Will you tell me a story about a prince while momma helps me wash?"
Posca followed Bombei towards the water hole, walking beside him. Once they were there she gently set the cub down, nuding her a little so she'd go on and get into the water. Her head raised and she glanced towards Bombei, smiling. She'd brushed aside the idea of him being a tree/cursed prince. She assumed that Giza did too, since she hadn't mentioned it... Probably just thought it was a story. Children were such a wonder...
"Yes... a story would be nice." See? She just liked princes. She nudged Giza on again, then stepped into the water. She could use a good wash herself. "Not too deep."
"Yes momma!" Giza splashed eagerly into the water, much of the dirt and blood caked on her already breaking up and drifting away. She was a clean cub by nature, and the water felt good on her feet after the initial sting faded. She splashed about and dunked her head under the surface before sitting down to soak in the shallow end. her ears perked forward, attention fully on Bombei.
Always happy to endulge youth, Bombei rested on the banks of the watering hole and began. The story he told was one of a prince, as requested, and Posca would likely find it ironic that it was about a cursed prince. The prince of a pride, who'd been turned into a hyena as punishment for his mate's teasing a god. The mate hated hyenas, but once she overcame that hate and gave her transformed love a kiss, he was able to become a lion again.
Of course, this sort of thing was exactly what Giza had been hoping for. She'd been enraptured with the tale, bathing quietly while it went on. Finally though, as Bombei uttered the 'happily ever after', she slipped to her mom's side and whispered. "See? If he's cursed now we can fix it! You just gotta kiss him!" After all, momma was like a queen or a princess, right?
She listened with a smile, moving closer to Giza to nudge her nose against patches of her fur where the mud was still cacked. Once the cub was completely clean, she focused on getting herself clan. The water rolled off of her as if she were coated in oil, but after a bit of rubbing it grew clean and shiny.
When Giza moved closer and whispered, she blinked curiously. So she hadn't forgotten! Oh, what a clever cub, getting him to tell that story... She laughed softly and nodded, whispering back at her. "Well, then go give him a kiss, darling."
Giza wiggled expectantly, wondering just what would happen. Would light flash or something? Maybe the storyteller would turn colors! That'd be something to see! Magic was neat, she decided. A little thing like a kiss could do lots if it was magic! "But I'm not a princess, momma!" Still, did it have to be a princess? The story hadn't said the girl was one, just that she loved the cursed prince. Hmm...Well he'd ben really nice, and saved her and momma. She certainly liked him. Maybe that'd be enough? With a little shrug she toddled over to Bombei, and with a last glance for reassurance, pounced onto him, aiming to kiss him someplace on the side of his face and getting a mouthful of mane instead. "Bleaaah!"
So much whispering! Those two were going to get into all sorts of trouble he knew. Still, they'd seemed to like tha story and it made him glad. All little girls liked to play princess, he'd learned. The cubs of gods were no exception.
He was, frankly, surprised when the cub flew at him. "Ahh1?" He tried to soften her blow...or whatever it was, and was surprised to feel tiny lips on his cheek (albeit through a mass of his mane) "...? Am I the prince now?" He laughed.
She laughed loudly when Giza really tried to kiss him. "Oh, my love, you are so daring..." She stepped onto the shore, shaking a bit of water from herself before moving closer. "Hmm... I wonder if it worked." She tilted her head towards Bombei, smiling gently, and obviously playing along to their little pretend game.
"Are you still cursed, Storyteller? Or has my daughter's kiss freed you from your bonds?"
Bombei bit back laugher. A tricky pair alright. This must have been what they'd been talking about before. Where the part with him being a prince came in must have been before the story though. Heavens knew where that was from, but he had a sneaking suspicion it had origins with a certain goddess...
He looked down at his paws and turned them over, as if trying to see something there or not there. "After a kiss from someone as nice as Giza? That'd break the strongest curse in the world, I think!"
Giza waited impatiently to see. Could her new friend go back to normal now? Why wasn't anything happenning?? "Yay!" She cheered when he agreed he was free. With a splash she began to romp (gingerly) about in the water, clambering onto and over Bombei and her mother. Still, it was a little sad that there'd been no lights. Oh well!
Posca smiled gently, her dark eyes following her daughter as she danced around. She'd never been this happy before... It was an odd feeling, having someone to really live for. She hadn't felt this way since...
The memory flooded her mind, and she frowned slightly because of it. She couldn't help but fear... Would that happen to her daughter? Would she have to watch her die so disturbingly... Rotting away to nothing...? No... she couldn't. That wouldn't happen. That was when she was barely an adult! She'd been foolish, and much more emotional then... She was better now, more in control of herself and her powers.. She'd never let anything happen to her daughter.
Giza might have missed the look on Posca's face, but Bombei didn't. He wondered if she was still worried. But then, Giza seemed fine, and she'd been beside her motehr for much loonger than he suspected Posca would normally allow for. "I'm sure she'll be fine," He half-whispered. "And you will be too. She's a strong girl, and you'll care for her better than anyone."
There was a light in Posca's eyes he hadn't seen before. Once determined only to bring her children into theis world and depart from them to protect them, now she was living alongside her daughter, actively raising her. It was the best thing that could have happened, he thought. For the both of them.
With the mystery of the tree-lion solved, Giza had become once more distracted. There was something in the water! It sparkled in the water, and moved...What WAS that?! She'd never seen anything like it! No legs she could see, and a big gulping mouth...
"Momma! I think there's something in the water! It looks like this!" She imitated the fish's strange gulping expression. "how does it hide in the water like that, Momma?"
Posca stood smiling gently, giving Bombei a slight nod. It was as if he read her mind, at times... And always knew what to say to make her at peace.
He daughter stole her attention yet again, and her head turned to look her over, then towards the water. At first she thought it might be a crocodile... But now, it was a harmless fish. She smiled and stepped out of the water, as to not disturb the fish. She didn't want to ruin the water and make it unlivable for the creature. "It's a fish, my love. They breath underwater with their gills."
"Fish?" Giza looked back at the thing in the water. So that was a fish. It sure was silly looking! Unlike her mother, she didn't leave the water just yet. She wanted a better look at this fish thing. "What's gills? Can I get some?" She was thinking how nice it'd be to be able to hide in the water like that. Maybe she could see them...
With a splash she ducked her head under the water and looked around. Of course, the fish had been startled, and it went darting away. "Aww..." She shook herself once she resurfaced. "He went away..."
Bombei was glad to put Posca to rights again. It was the least he could do for bringing her daughter to 'free' him, afterall, right? Speaking of which, he was finding Giza more and more delightful. She reminded him so of Zari, so inquisitive, and more than her share brave. Since eating and bathing she seemed much better. If he knew cubs though, she'd be fast asleep within the hour.
"Ah, I'll be right back." Taking a brief leave, he whisked away to retrieve the scraps of hide for Giza's paws. She seemed fine in the water and soft shore mud, but he knew she'd need them later.
Posca laughed softly, shaking her head as she settled herself down onto the shore. She lingered back enough as to not get muddy, but close enough to watch Giza closely. "Not to deep... Ah, yes, there." She nodded approvingly, letting her wings drape lazily over her back. "Gills are... oh... how to explain it... They're little cuts on your neck that... let in water. I'm not sure how it works exactly, but no... I do not think you could aqurire them, my love."
Her eyes darted towards Bombei as he moved to leave, frowning just slightly. He said he'd be back? Ah, it was fine then... She paused a moment to consider why she had had a quick pang of sadness when he started to walk away... So odd.
Bombei made short work of stripping the hide from the remaining food. It'd been picked at a bit since they'd left, and he scolded himself for not thinking to bring it. Still, there was enough to do the job...What would they tie them with, he wondered. Maybe some long water reeds? He couldn't remember seeing many. He'd have to look when he got back. He hurried back, the hide clamped gently in his teeth. Hmm. that was weird. Since teaming up with his children, he really hadn't been alone walking like this for a while. Not even Posca to talk to. Strange, it never used to seem so quiet.
Little cuts didn't sound good to Giza. Cuts hurt! But if they let you breathe water...maybe. "If they're cuts I don't think I want them," She noted as she waded up out from the water. A quick shake and she hobbled to join her mother. Aside from the soreness of her feet, she was seeming almost as good as new. "Hey...where'd mister storyteller go?"
The goddess watched the male leave for a few moments, then looked back to watching her daughter. She smiled again, content to see her so happy... It was almost magical.
She raised a wing in order to let Giza nuzzle up to her side if she wished, her eyes half lidded. "Rest now, love. You don't want to get your feet dirty again..." She glanced towards where Bombei disapeared into the grass, then back, forcing a smile. "He's coming back. He just... went away for a moment."
Giza gratefully ducked under the wing. She wasn't tired (not that she'd admit at least), but she did like being close to her momma. It was strange, she would one day note, how in the span of a few days their family had changed. From many siblings, all physically distanced from their mother, to mother fleeing daughter, who gave frantic chase, to that same pair lounging side by side, happy and accepting. The only way it could have been more perfect was if the rest had been there.
As sad as it was, Giza's young mind was already dimming the images it held of her siblings. She would nevr forget them, no, but they were already becoming less present in her memories. They'd been chased out and left behind when she had, all those days ago. Now there was just momma and her, and so her mind reinforced only those two. It was sad, but she was unaware.
At last the grass was seen to rustle, and from it came the now-familiar blue-gray figure. Bombei spotted the pair and came over, happily setting the hide bits down. "My apologies. I'm afraid my mind began to wander without me on the way back. I've brought the hide for Giza's feet though. I have to find some reeds before I put them on her though." Hmm. Something was off with Posca's smile. He wondered what had happened since he left.
Posca just sat there with Giza, enjoying the afternoon breeze that had started to flow through the grass. Even though the folliage around her had already turned grey and dry... She didn't care. The world was so much more beautiful now... Her wing settled closer around the tiny cub, holding her securely against her side. A soft, gently hum rumbled from her throat. It was a soft lullaby, one she had sung to all her children... before they had gone. Now it was just for Giza.
She kept on humming until Bombei came back. Paused then, looking up at him with a smile. "Thank you, Storyteller."
"Not a problem at all." Bombei smiled as he took a seat near the pair. He could see the plip of pink that was Giza tucked away under one of Posca's wings and he smiled. "such a sight...I suppose you never thought it'd be you who was part of it, hmm?" His question wasn't meant to offend, rather to express his joy at seeing them so. He hated to interrupt the goddess's lullaby, but he wanted to get the hide on Giza's feet before she slept lest he wake her up in the process. "Giza, can I see your feet? I want to put these skins on them," He explained, eager to keep the cub comfortable with him. "Then when you walk they won't get dirty."
Hidden from the sun, giza had realized just how tired she was. Momma's lullaby made her drowsy, it was so nice...she remembered hearing it from someplace far away in the before-time. Before she'd been outside momma, and it was as soothing as her own heartbeat.
Of course, she stirred when Bombei joined them, and she scooted half out from under the wing to regard the hides. "They look weird..." but her feet were sore. Maybe...She held out a paw to have it bundled up. One wouldn't hurt, she'd decided. Just to see how it worked.
"No... I never dreamed..." She forces a smile, her worries and nightmares slipping back... They were constantly in the back of her mind, eating away at her... It was nearly impossible to ignore. "I am happy, though, but..." She set aside that conversation, for now. She didn't want to upset Giza.
She nudged the cub a bit, eyeing her. "Let him put them all on."
Bombei mentaly chided himself. there he was, stirring up her worry again. He should know better than this by now, just to let Posca's happiness be, not make her think. He offered Posca a sympathetic look before scooting over to snatch up some water reeds.
"Now these should dry tight, but not too tight. If they hurt you at all, they're easy to bite off, butthen you'll have to get new ones, okay?" He instructed Giza as he tugged one hide up over her offered paw. A little bit of trouble with the reed and she soon had a moccasin-type covering on her paw. "Now the other...?"
Giza pouted a bit at Posca's instruction, but when the first seemed quite fine she offered the next foot without complaint. Indeed, when she put weight on the paw it still hurt, but it diidn't get dirty, and that was the thing. "They feel sorta funny, but not bad." She was unable to stop the urge to shake the wrapped paw a bit, as if unconsciously trying to flick the covering off. She'd get used to it soon enough though.
Posca watched as Bombei tended to her daughter, nodding her approval when it was finished. "There.. Giza, love, don't take them off, it's for your own good..." She watched on as he finished putting them on each foot, then her wing again drapped over the girl, pulling her towards her side. "You should rest now, darling. Let them dry securely so they won't fall off easily..."
She glanced to Bombei, then back down. raising her wing again so Giza could see him directly. "Say thank you, Giza."
Giza stopped shaking her feet about, though the little socks still distressed her. Despite her energy, she was an obedient girl most of the time. "Yes momma." She let herself be cuddled, close, stretching and curling into her mother's side. Feeling her beside her was well worth the trouble of hurt feet and funny hide-things.
When she was instructed to say thank you, she did so with a smile and a little yawn. "Thank you mister storytelleeeaaahhhh...Heh." Her yawn stifled her words though, and with a little wave of one bound paw, she buried her face in the shadow of Posca's wing and slept.
Bombei chuckled. "You're very welcome little one. Be well, so you can run all the faster next time, hmm?"
When the cub vanished into the arms of sleep he sighed with relief. He had no doubt she would suffer no ill from this incident. He only hoped Posca would be alright now. For some reason her welfare and happiness seemed important to him. He marked it up to having met her before, and having felt something similar about them. He stole a glance at her as she tended the sleeping cub, a selfish look no doubt, as if by looking he could figure out just why he felt...he didn't even know the word for it.
"She's a lovely daughter," He finally said, shifting to be more comfortable.
"She is..." Posca replied, her empty eyes focused on the cub that was now tucked underneath one wing. "She's... I love her so... But, I still worry..." She frowned again and looked up at Bombey, eyes half lidded with worry. "I still wonder if I'm doing the same thing... Which is the worse evil? Leaving her and risking her following me... Which would surely end with her death... Or keep her with me and risk her health also? I'm torn, Storyteller..." Her ears twitched back and she hung her head, her wings wrapping more securely around her daughter.
"But... I find myself... wanting her to stay so badly..."
Bombei listened as Posca spoke. It was clear she cared dearly, desperately for her daughter. It was a hard decision she was faced with, one that Bombei knew he really couldn't say on..It wasn't his place, for starters. But then again, he understood the bond between parent and child now, at least more than he had.
"If you want her to stay, then keep her," He shrugged. "If you don't, you will worry twice as much. She seems well enough with you now." He couldn't just tell her to be selfish, could he? "Besides...If you keep her, you will be able to see when you need to come and go, when you should intervene and when you need to stand back. Apart from her, you can only wish the best for her."
As if to emphasize his point, he stood and stretched, preparing to leave to return to his own children. "After all, once you start caring for them, you can't just stop. It's a parent's job, but I'm sure you know that. Even if you tried to leave, you'd find your way back...but it might not be in time, if she's as determined as I think she is."
She was silent as he spoke, and nodded slightly when he stood. "Alright..." She muttered, her frown lessening. She was making the right decision... Surely. Either way, it was her decision. Giza would stay with her always.
"Thank you for everything, Storyteller. Some day I will make it up to you." She watched him go, adding after a moment. "...I'd like to meet your children, some day."
Fin.
