[W1 BORDER] Missing lamb (Blota, Tukutu) - Finished

[Annchen]

Still making a valiant effort to stay sulking, Blota had moved even closer to the Mizimu borders to get away from annoying followers and other lions he might run into. Especially angry followers who were trying to force feed him. Those were the worst!

This was the first time he had returned to his old "playground" since the bloodbath a few moons ago and while the landscape had changed subtly since then, it still brought back memories of the lovely little lioness he had thought was his friend. What did she look like again? He only remembered that her pelt was dark and that she had pretty eyes. Her picture seemed to become even foggier the more he tried to remember and it made him really upset.

That's where they used to sit and talk... But the bush looked smaller. Everything was familiar, but still looked different somehow. Perhaps it had been a mistake to come back here. It was not as if she'd jump out from behind the bush and greet him, right? No... If she was alive she would be far away from here, but he did hope she was alive somewhere.  

[Annchen]

So lost in thought, Blota didn't even hear Tukutu approach and was completely oblivious to the fact that he had been followed. The fact that he was still within Mizimu territory lulled him into a false sense of security. He wasn't close enough to the border to be dragged back like a naughty cub, but still so far away from the central areas that he was unlikely to be disturbed by anyone.

"Yaaargh!" he yelped, nearly jumping out of his skin at the sudden whisper behind him. "Ahh... You really scared me..."

A dark lioness stared at him as if she knew him. But it couldn't be her, could it? He couldn't suppress a flicker of hope as he saw her and realised she had called him by name.

"Do I know you," he asked, almost dreading the answer. He had almost forgot what she looked like, but this female looked a bit familiar, didn't she? He couldn't help getting his hopes up and a shy smile formed on his face.  

[Annchen]

It was her, who else could it be? Warm waves of joy washed over Blota and he couldn't stop a smile from escaping. He hadn't dared to hope to ever see her again, and to think that he had even started to forget what she looked like! But now he recognised her clearly. Of course it was her! She had come back to him after all this time.

"No, of course not," he said, trying to follow as she turned away, "I never stopped thinking about you!"

He longed to tell her everything that had happened lately. The food shortage, the annoying lioness that had hit him... But for now he was content to be with her again and anxious to make whatever bothered her go away. He was entirely at the mercy of the trickster goddess, and he was eating up her every word.

"Anything," he said, without thinking. And his eyes glowed with determination. This must be what the Spirits wanted; they must have finally decided to offer an opportunity for him to show his worth. After this everyone would know that he was definitely not a cub anymore.  

[Annchen]

A Great Spirit... That would make anyone awestruck. And now she wanted to learn more about the Spirits. From him! His first instinct was to take her back to the safety of Mizimu lands and show her everything, but the other lions...

"You... you want me to talk to them?" he asked, pride rising in his chest, "Do you think they'd listen to me?"

It meant a lot to him that she thought he could help her with this. If she figured he could turn these lions around then some of the things he had tried to teach her must have stuck. The young lion was taking the bait. Hook, line and sinker. If he managed to convince these lions to join he would return with a whole group and not just one lioness. This must be what the Spirits had planned for him.

"I really shouldn't go to far," he said uncertainly, "Do you think we should go get someone? Or we might run into some scouts or patrols on the way and then they could go with us."  

[Annchen]

A small part of Blota was feeling a little bit uneasy about leaving without an escort, but that (and a few other parts he hopefully wouldn't need) shut down promptly as she touched him again. Guuh... And what she said next made sense, sort of. The Spirits would have provided someone if they were meant to have company.

"We might still meet someone," he said as he started to follow her, "If it's the will of the Spirits."

Running felt nice after being cooped up with the other Sacrifices for all too long. The wind in his mane made him forget the prides worries about lack of prey and bloodthirsty spirits. He felt strong and brave with an important mission. In his opinion, he couldn't get there soon enough!  

[Annchen]

The roar must be the signal for her friends to come out of hiding, and soon Blota saw one of them appearing from the underbrush. And another. And another. And... She had an awful lot of friends, didn't she? Something in the back of his mind started to yell at him, but Blota stayed loyally beside his friend. She had told him it was safe, and while speaking to a huge group of lions made him feel slightly sick he wasn't going to disappoint her by chickening out now. But suddenly his companion dashed back in the direction they had come from, and the sense of wrongness increased.

An ambush? Had they accidentally tripped over another group of lions? Not likely, he had to admit that. She was running too quickly for him to keep up, and she even called to say good bye. Did she sound... did she sound happy? The grim realisation that he had been tricked crushed down on him, but he didn't have much time to feel devastated before the Dhati was over him. Even Blota could spot punishment from the Spirits when it whacked him over the head. He just hoped that he'd survive long enough to learn this lesson.