Pain was no stranger to Kude, pain at been her welcome to the world as a cub, and had been her constant companion all her days. Sometimes it was a dull throb, a lingering ache in her leg. Days like today though, it was all consuming. The pain in her leg was nearly as strong as the pain from the cramp of an empty belly. Her dark red eyes closed as she laid beneath the shade of a tree, she had traveled far today and couldn't take another step.
Pudgy lion Mito was roaming once more, putting his legs to the test again as he ventured far from his den in search of, well, anything really. Whatever happened to be in his path was good enough for him. Today was no different, the male keeping his eyes out just in case. What he found, however, wasn't as light and bubbly as he had been expecting. Not far from him there was a lioness lying under a tree, a pained expression on her face. Frowning deeply at the sight of it, the round animal moved over to her carefully, keeping his head low and his tail between his legs.
"My dear," he asked gently, trying not to startle her or wake her if she happened to be sleeping, "are you alright?"
Her head snapped up, her teeth bared before she saw it wasn't a danger or at least not an obvious one. One paw pulled a filthy bag that rattled closer to her chest as her ears flicking warily. "I have been better." She didn't mean to be rude, but it was hard to be nice when the need to gnaw your own limb off was stronger than the urge to move.
"I should hope so," Mito replied softly, sitting down just a few feet away. He didn't want to get too close just in case it made her uncomfortable. Not getting his face ripped off also had something to do with it, he had to admit. Still, he wore a warm smile, his tail wrapping around his paws so the thick fur on the end played over his toes. "My name is Mito. Is there anything I can do for you?" He imagined it didn't hurt to ask, though already he was getting the impression that she was independent sort. That, however, had never stopped him before.
Her eyes grew dark with suspicion, why would he, a stranger want to do anything for her? What was in it for him. "Why? I don't know you, you don't owe me anything and I am not doing you any favors."
Mito laughed lightly. "Well no! I don't imagine you would owe me any favors anyway- it's not like I'm offering to change the world for you, is it? You just seem to be in pain, is all, and I wanted to see if there was something I could do to aide you. It would hardly be the right thing to do if I walked past and didn't at least offer. Don't worry," he added after he noticed the suspicion lingering in her gaze, "I really don't want anything. Not everyone offers help in hopes of gain. And I could know you! If you'll honor me with your name."
Kude blinked at him confused, if they had been pride she could understand his concern ad interest but they defiantly weren't so what was his angle? When she opened her mouth to tell the weirdo off, her body betrayed her and a loud angry grumble echoed from her empty stomach, the pain nearly blinding her for a moment.
Mito was rather shocked by the protest, mostly because it was in the language of hungry. "You body betrays you," he hummed, though he meant no malice in his words, "why don't you wait here while I try to find you something to eat? I'll chase it this way, if you want a laugh, and you can watch my fat a** try to catch something." He didn't seem to notice how she was looking at him, the confused looks bouncing right off his thick fur. As he sat there, waiting for her to respond though he knew he would go hunting no matter what she told him, he tilted his head to one side. His only real concern was whether or not he would be able to find something for her to munch on.
"Do you think if I could catch something I would be starving to death?" she snapped her ears laying back against her skull. The way she was laying it was impossible to see her handicap, but when she stood up it was obvious. Her hips had been damaged somehow, one leg several inches shorter than the other.
Mito blinked. "Well, no, of course not, that's why I was offering to catch something for you." Maybe he hadn't been clear enough the first time. Jokes. He wasn't the best at them. But he didn't try to explain himself, deciding it wasn't an important matter. There was a much more pressing need to get her food and that over-ruled his lack of proper word structure. "You just relax," he said, getting to his feet with the same smile, "I shouldn't be too long." If nothing else, he could belly-flop an animal and choke it to death under his fur.
She blinked again startled enough that she laid back down staring after him. His kindness confused her, no one was kind for no reason... She sighed nosing the bag again listening to the comforting clink of whatever was inside it.
Mito moved away from the lioness, sniffing around for something to catch, his mind constantly hoping for something to be found. If he couldn't find her something, he would feel just terrible. Luckily enough, there was a small gathering of small herd beasts not far from the place she had chosen to rest. They weren't massive, but they were more than enough for one meal, even for a hungry animal. It was such a crime, Mito knew, to take these lives to sustain his own, but he imagined because it was for such a good cause the Gods would understand. A lion's fate was to eat meat. His soft heart couldn't change that. So he hunkered down, picked his target, and gave chase, over-judging his jump and landing directly on top of the startled animal as it accidentally took the wrong turn to get away from him and ended up doubling back. Snapping its neck with his girth had not been the real plan, only the joking one, but whatever worked. Taking it by the neck, he pulled it back to the lioness waiting for him, hoping she hadn't left thinking he would not return.
Kude's eyes widened at the sight of the massive male dragging the food towards her. It took all her control not to lunge to her feet at once. She got up slowly, careful not to put too much weight on her bad leg. He..he had really came back and brought food...
Mito pulled it as close to her as possible so she didn't have to go far, noticing that there seemed to be something wrong with her leg. That meant she shouldn't be walking around too much, so he would make her journey as short as possible. Letting go of the food, Mito backed away, letting the female have as much as she wanted. Wasn't like he needed any food. "It was the only thing I could find, I hope it's alright." Not that lions were particularly picky with the kind of meat they ate.
"I.." Unable to control herself a moment longer, she lunged at the meal, tearing into it with little care for the mess she made. Inside her head, she berated herself for her lack of manners and the disgusting display she was putting on.
Mito only smiled. He was happy to see that the food wasn't terrible enough that a hungry lion refused to eat it, and seeing how furiously she tugged at the meat only made him happier that he had been able to help at all. She seemed quite hungry indeed. If nothing else, he could take comfort in knowing that she was a little better off because of him. He didn't say anything as she spoke, figuring it would be rude to interrupt her while she was trying to eat. As a proficient eater himself, he knew the last thing he cared to do while enjoying a meal was engage in conversation.
It was a sign of how hungry she had been, that she even cracked the bones in her strong jaws to lap and suck at the marrow before sighing softly, licking her muzzle clean. Sitting back on her haunches she studied him, her dark red eyes nowhere as hostile or suspicious as she had been. "Thank you, Mito was it? I am Kudebona, though I am know to most as Kude." She inclined her head to him.
"Kude?" Repeated Mito, "that's a nice name, and it brings me much joy to finally know it!" He grinned, feeling more relaxed now that she seemed to be less concerned about what he was up to. Not that he was all that tense to begin with- he didn't spend a lot of time being suspicious of other lions, though perhaps there were times when he ought to have. As she investigated him, he didn't move, merely watching her. "So others know you, hmm? Do you come from a pride?" He asked after a moment, generally curious about the female. It seemed like she didn't belong away from others who might be able to help her.
"...I was..once as a cub. I am not now." She didn't like to speak of it, the slaughter of her pride. Watching the old seer who had loved and raised her when her own mother abandoned her...killed like a beast of prey... Shaking her head she smiled faintly. " The family I use to live with called me Kude when they were not yelling "Bratling stop that!" Her voice was rich with amusement at the last.
"I understand," Mito replied, taking the hint in the shortness of her words. If she didn't want to talk about it, he wasn't going to pry. It wasn't his place to butt into the affairs of strangers, though he did want to know more about her. That was the best way to make new friends. He chuckled at the thought. "That sounds nice," he replied, "I don't remember my family." At least she seemed happy with memories of her family, though he could sense that he was treading on a thin line. "I imagine they would have called me something close to bratling, though," he added lightly.
She tilted her head and smiled faintly, " I am not a seer...but if you wish I might be able to find out your future." Touching the filthy bag she carried, it clinked again. "The seer who raised me taught me to read rune stones and through them the dead can speak to us...I will read them for you if you wish." It was not an offer she made lightly, and one she had never made to anyone outside of the pride. But she owed the big male for his kindness.
Mito smiled. "At my age, there's really only one big surprise left in life and, really, I'm perfectly happy to go on ignorant of when it'll hit me." Still, it seemed very interesting to him that she had the ability to read the future. And without being a seer? Perhaps he could give it a shot and hope the death card wasn't pulled. "I suppose there's no harm in a little future reading, is there? If you would like to show me, I would be honored to watch." Speaking to the dead... that was a talent he wasn't sure he was to upset about not having.
She gripped the bag whispering softly as she tipped the bag out, bones with strange markings carved into them. "Pick one and we will begin."
Mito let his ears perk forward, his attention on the oddly decorated bones as he extended a claw and touched one of the ones nearest to him. He had been hoping they would show some kind of sign that he might be able to understand, but he had no idea what he was doing. The only thing he could do was go along with her directions and wait to see what would come of it. Being open minded, he didn't think it was all a load of crap, though he was still curious to see if someone without seer powers could really see the future. "Alright," he hummed, "this one."
She drew the rune he was chosen to her and smiled faintly as she told him the name of the rune and that it was his personal sign. So most the reading would go, it was rather vague but unless there was something major to come in his life, most readings were vague.
Mito really didn't mind vague- it left that unknown towards the future that he found so exciting. A past Mito would have loved to know every little detail about what would happen to him and how he would die, just to get it out of the way. The lazy animal he used to be wouldn't have wanted to leave things to fate. Now, however, he was a different kind of animal. It was kind of cool knowing he had a personal sign, though.
Her smile was gentle. The runes told her much about him, each one calming her more and more. They told the story of a kind lion who had little to no vice in him, a good steady heart and a kind soul.
Mito was busy watching her work, feeling no concern that she was trying to play him somehow. If it all ended up being some kind of trick, well, he was alright with that. The gentle smile on her face assured him that there was no joke involved in all of this- she seemed very happy with what she was doing. Something he felt couldn't be faked. "Anything I should be worried about?" he chuckled lightly after a moment.
"You might want to lay off the sweets" she teased faintly but seemed more relaxed than he had seen before. " No I do not see any great or alarming events in your future. I am sorry."
"Sorry?" Mito repeated, "sounds like good news to me, not something you should be sorry about. I'm most happy with the outcome and... are you calling me fat, or are the runes saying that?" he teased in return, fully aware that he wasn't a fat lion on accident. There were some things you couldn't blame on genes. Though he didn't remember his family, he could only assume they were thinner than he was.
"No, just that you could be a little healthier, but not enough that it is dangerous." She chuckled softly carefully gathering the bones back to her, nudging them back into the filthy ratty bag.
"Haha, well, I imagine most lions can see what's going to kill me even without runes to help them. I don't claim to be the thinnest thing around. Still, least I'm not all self conscious about it. I'm happy with how fat I am." It wasn't a lie, really: he loved being fluffy. Perfect for cuddling up and keeping others warm when they needed it. "Your little bag is a little messy, isn't it?" he asked lightly, "is it special to you?"
"..it is the only thing I have left of my pride." She sighed softly touching the ratty bag with her paw. It mattered a great deal to her.
"That is special," he said with a nod, "perhaps you should find another bag for your runes, and keep that one safe? It wouldn't get more worn down that way, and you'll be able to cherish it longer. I would offer to make you a bag, but I'm afraid I have no talent with that sort of thing. Big paws don't do well with tinkering."
"I will have to look into that" she chuckled softly. With the pain in her belly quietened, she got to her feet again. "It was been a pleasure Mito and I thank you for the meal, but it is time for me to be going.”
"Of course," Mito replied, "I didn't mean to take up so much of your time. It was very nice meeting you, Kude, I hope our paths will cross again on happier terms. Are you sure you'll be alright? I could escort you where ever it is you need to go." He didn't like the idea of her being on her own when she seemed in pain. He got to his feet as well, watching her with a bit of a sad frown. Saying bye was always the hardest part.
Kude smiled gently as she shook her head, starting off towards the sun. “Thank you again Mito. I am sure our paths will cross again someday.”
