"You have a death wish, my dear."
Mafunde slowly opened her eyes up, wondering just who was speaking to her. She had been all alone for quite some time, and it was obvious. Her fur was disheveled, she was getting a little too skinny, and she merely slept most of her days away.
"And you're going to fulfill it, aren't you?"
Mafunde sneezed as the light filled her eyes. It was apparently a stranger, but one that she didn't expect.
Talayeh sat in front of the pathetic looking lioness with a disgustd look on her face. "Really, I don't know how I find females like you, but it seems like I'm cursed to forever be stuck with it." She wrinkled her nose as she picked at a nail.
Mafunde struggled to push herself up, amazed at this moment. What was happening? She glanced around, but it was obvious that this was no dream. "What do you mean?"
Talayeh snorted. "You should know exactly what I mean. You're killing yourself, as well as your children."
"But my children are grown and gone without me," she replied, shaking her head. Really, there was no reason that a goddess needed to speak with her. She was near the end of it anyway, why would she care?
Talayeh narrowed her eyes. "I'm not the goddess of families or babies, but I'm certainly not all that pleased that you had to gall to summon me in your little bout of fun. THat part was fine, but the fact that you're going to let those children die because you want to die doesn't mean anything."
Mafunde blanched. What? Was she...pregnant? Surely not....there wasn't a reason to think she was, but there wasn't a reason to think she wasn't. She just never thought that it would happen again. "No..."
"Oh, yes. It's quite easy to tell, anyway, and besides, there's only one way it can happen!" she said with a smirk, as she was always quite willing to help out in that area. She knew she wasn't Pleasure, but that didn't mean that she couldn't enjoy it either.
Mafunde's ears flattened against her skull. "Yes, but there's no way of fixing myself. I can't do it anymore, Goddess."
Talayeh rolled her eyes. "Seriously, I'm so tired of people saying that." Though she wouldn't mention that she always dumped her kids on someone else. Easy enough, as most mortals were suckers for the little brats anyway.
Mafunde could feel herself crying. WHat was she going to do? She wasn't ready to be a mother again, especially with the emotional state that she was in. SHe knew that she was not going to be in the right shape to take care of them, but she couldn't bear to think of how they would be if she didn't try. THey would probably starve to death before she could fix herself.
"Please, Goddess, please, what can I do?"
Talayeh knew exactly what, but she was going to test the lioness, see if she could think for herself. "You need to decide on your own. Because I am the one that laid the stress on you, yet before it was too late for them, I will be at your call. Merely just think of me, and I will feel the tug to your summons." She stood on all legs, and disappeared, her voice echoing. "Remember to call on me."
--
It had been two days. Mafunde wasn't able to do much, but she was starting to heal. She took the time to groom herself, and was able to eat a little something. It wouldn't sustain children, and if they survived being in her belly they certainly wouldn't survive being out of it for long. There was little she could do for being on her own, and she wasn't in a position to dump herself at the doorstop of a pride, begging to be saved. Mafunde was a little too stubborn for that, perhaps because of what the Goddess said. She just needed to figure it out for herself.
Grunting, she didn't feel much in her belly. Maybe one had already not made it and passed on. She worried, would that draw up more problems for the others?
Oh, how she wished she hadn't left. She wouldn't be near death if she hadn't. Perhaps she had absorbed too much of the cheetah's depression, and it had taken on a life of its own within her. Surely she could fight it, but not soon enough.
"Goddess..." she whispered, thinking of the long mane, white body, and golden jewely, "please."
It took a few minutes, as the goddess couldn't be everywhere at once. She appeared suddenly, as most gods do when they want to make an entrance. SHe opened her eyes slowly, looking at the lioness. She seemed better, but not well enough to continue on.
"What would you like me to do?" Tala asked, feeling touched that she still indeed had called on her. It was simple enough to ignore something that must seem like an illusion, more yet to count on it.
Mafunde couldn't help but to gaze with wonder; how often did a mortal see a god, and actually be able to summon one to her? Never, as far as she was concerned. She mentally shook herself away, ready for her task.
"I cannot care for these children in the state I am in; even if I can carry them to term, I won't be healthy enough to keep them alive. Please, can you help me?"
Tala nodded her head. So she had begun to understand a bit. All right. But did she figure out exactly what to do? "But what will happen to the children?" she asked in a tone that hinted she knew, but wanted the other to figure it out herself.
Mafunde scowled, but at herself. Foolish was she to assume that the god would do anything. How did she know that the god wouldn't abandom them herself? Though, she had shown concern and even showed up when asked; surely she wouldn't turn on them once they were here?
"They need a new home, a new family to be in. Would that work?"
The goddess only nodded.
"So, then I can care for them as best I can, but as soon as they are strong enough to not wholly depend on their mother, could you find a new life for them? One much better suited to them than a starving rogue that can't even take care of herself."
The goddess only nodded once more. "I can do that."
Mafunde sighed with relief. "Oh, thank you, Goddess, thank you."
It was odd, being so helpful. But after that hybrid...that...thing (she still couldn't completely help herself, but then she didn't like spending time around those that were incapable of reproducing) made her think that mortals might need more help than she originally had assumed. And she was able to easily care for the kids in the day or two it would take for her to find them a new home. And then she would be done with it.
"Call me again, once they are ready to go. No time is too soon, but don't change your mind. Remember, they will die if they stay with you."
And with that warning, the pact was sealed, the goddess left, and the lioness wept the remainder of the night. What would the rest of her life entail? Would she be able to forgive herself for what she had done?
Or was death really the only resolution?
