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 Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 3:00 pm
Amira was stuck.
Why, oh, WHY had she decided to try to scoop a hare out of a hollow log? The only thing she had managed to do was to ensnare her own paw. She hobbled around, her front paw being ravaged with splinters with her every movement.
"Oh! Oh, help me! Somebody? Help!" she called, almost mewling in pain. She had never managed to get herself in such a pickle before.
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Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 3:09 pm
Kudha walked along an unfamiliar path, searching for them as always. He was lost in thought, trying to listen to the music around him, when he heard a cry for help.
Immediately, he leaped into action. He raced towards the cry, his paws beating ferociously against the earth. No damsels in distress on his watch! He'd see to it that whatever the situation was, it would be taken care of.
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Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 3:13 pm
Amira heard the sound of paws against the dirt. Immediately, she was afraid. What if it was some big predator, out to find something to eat??? She was a sitting duck like this! She would be an easy mark for the most incompetent hunter. Even she knew that this was a baaaaad situation.
So she was very relieved when it turned out to be a friendly looked lion. "Oh, sir! Oh, I'm so glad to see you, you see...I have a bit of a problem."
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Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 4:40 pm
Kudha peered at the strange lioness. She looked oddly familiar, but...he couldn't quite place where he might have seen her. Maybe it was when he was crossing through the musical pride's lands.
"I can see that," he said jovially. "You've got your paw caught in a log. It's rather obvious what your predicament is...how did you manage to get yourself caught, anyhow?" He shuffled his paws uncomfortably. It must be quite unpleasant for her, what with splinters and whatnot.
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Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 4:44 pm
"I..." Amira trailed off, her voice sheepish, "I was trying to catch a hare, but I only got myself stuck. I'm such a joke of a lioness, though I am getting a bit better at hunting. I had a teacher, you see..."
She felt so ashamed. A mighty lioness reduced to a whimpering kitten because of a stupid accident. She should have known better, but she wasn't very experienced.
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Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 5:09 pm
So she was trying to hunt, huh? Why on earth would a lioness her age not know how to hunt? It seemed almost preposterous....he could barely believe it himself. And that was only because she stood there with that log on her foot!
"You had a teacher? Did they teach you to go stomping around in hollow logs?" He was astounded. It seemed so strange that someone could be so inept...especially when they had received some sort of training.
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Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 5:12 pm
"No! Of course not!" she protested, furious that he would even suggest such a thing. "I suppose he wasn't really my teacher, but he did give me a few pointers. I really am hopeless...whatever his faults, he was an excellent hunter. My mistakes are my own."
She shuffled uncomfortably, the log chafing against her fur. "Besides, didn't you come here to help me??? Why are we standing around shooting the breeze?!"
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Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 5:15 pm
"OH! Right!" he said, walking up to her side. He tugged on the log, gently of course, pulling it slowly off of her paw. "There. Is that better? Though you do have an awful lot of splinters...you'll be picking those out of your fur for a few days, I reckon."
Kudha smiled at her. "But you are log-free, for the moment. Try not to step anywhere you might get stuck, okay?"
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Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 5:19 pm
"Y-yes, that's much better. Thank you." Amira didn't know how she felt about this lion. On one hand, he seemed to be a decent sort of fellow, but...on the other, he was so very brutally honest. If he was like that all the time, then he must have trouble with the ladies...but maybe it was just around her that he was like that. After all, she wasn't very desirable, and she wasn't frightening. She was just a meek, mild little lioness who kept getting into trouble.
"Believe me, I didn't mean to get stuck. No one plans these things," she said brusquely.
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Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 5:22 pm
"No, of course not. But...be more careful. It's not easy, living out in the world, and if you make mistakes like that, you're more likely to get yourself killed," he explained. "I just...I don't want to see that happen, so..." he trailed off. He couldn't explain it, but he felt so connected to this lioness somehow. Maybe she was a long-lost friend from his cubhood. He smiled, comforted by the thought.
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Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 5:30 pm
"Oh..."
There was an uncomfortable silence. Amira didn't know what to say. For once, she didn't have any comebacks. No witty remarks, nothing sarcastic sprang to her mind. "How am I supposed to respond to a statement like that?" She pouted as she spoke, frowning at the grass. "Seriously. What sort of thing are you expecting? We just met. It's not like I know you or anything."
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Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 5:35 pm
Kudha tilted his head and looked at her. "I don't expect anything. I gave you some advice. What you do with it is your own business."
He sighed. "But, since you have no further use for me, maybe I should go. After all, I can't take you with me. You'd be better off on your own." She really was incompetent, but he wasn't going to tell her that. Truth be told, he felt sorry for her, a bit. To be alone and unable to hunt...that had to be a rough life. He wondered what had happened...but he wouldn't dare ask.
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Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 5:38 pm
Amira glared at him. "What do you mean, 'better off' on my own?" It was so very close to what Fila had said only weeks ago. Amira almost growled. Was he in league with Fila? Did she send him as some sort of spy? If so, Amira was not happy about it. Not that she thought Fila would do that. No...her sister was too honorable, in her own way, to do anything of the sort. But, he used almost the exact same words as Fila...
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Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 5:41 pm
Kudha blinked, puzzled by her behavior. "I didn't mean anything by it, really. It just seems to me that...well, you could learn a lot by being on your own for a while. I mean, someone had to feed you before...so...if you're on your own, maybe you'll learn how to take care of yourself. Is that so bad a thing? To be on your own is so very freeing...and you know, it's not good to be too dependent on anyone else. They might decide to take advantage of you, and then where would you be?"
Kudha sighed. "So, you see? No harm done, okay?" He paused, turning away from the lioness. "Maybe our paths will cross again someday. For now, though...I really must be going." He began walking away from the lioness who, he thought, must really have some serious issues in her life.
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Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 5:46 pm
Amira watched him go. She was content with his answer. Maybe it was obvious to everyone how much of a dolt she was. Maybe Fila had been trying to help her. But...that didn't make it any easier for Amira to accept her actions. It had been so hard...and life was still hard for Amira. She wouldn't be so quick to forgive, even if she knew that her sister had good intentions at heart.
She wondered who the lion was. He had never said his name, nor asked for hers. Maybe she really wasn't that important to him. She shrugged, wandering in the opposite direction. Honestly, she couldn't care less about that lion. He had helped her, sure, but he hadn't treated her like a princess. He was a nobody, she was sure of it.
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