Kucha had expected them to bump into a lion patrolling the borders of the lands but that was not what happened at all.
She flew in silence, her orange wings beating strong against the wind despite how much she had flown the past couple of days. It never seemed to take her too long to recover and get back up in the sky again, despite the fact she wasn't as young as she had once been.
Her keen eyes picked out a shape on the horizon and automatically she steered herself towards it, calling out to Anya as she tipped a wing and banked to the left.
"Someone is up ahead! We'll go to meet him!"
And with that she quickened her pace so that she could meet with the guard before Anya arrived and help smooth things over so that she wouldn't be so afraid by the time she came face to face with the strange lion.
But, as she drew closer she soon realised it wasn't a lion at all. In fact, it was a small canine. A jackal, she believed. A little disheartened at that, she decided it might be best to land and ask him how much further they had to go - if indeed he knew himself.
"Hoy there!" She called, twisting her wings and circling above the canine. "Can you tell me how far the pride of lions is from here?"
"Pride?" The jackal asked, not seeming particularly friendly but not seeming vicious either. "Are you talking about the Tuait'tekam?"
"Quite possibly. I skimmed these lands an hour or so back and spotted some lions moving here and there. Too many to just be passing rogues, so I assumed it was a pride."
"You assumed correctly and they are the Tuiat'tekam. Some call them the Dawnwalkers." The jackal raised his ears and sat as the avian came to land before him. "Why would you be interested in them?"
"I have a friend with me. She-- oh, here she comes now." The avian extended a wing and waved Anya over. The lioness came slowly, but her nervousness seemed to fade a little as she saw it was not a lion they had come across, but a jackal.
The jackal saw her wounded face and limp and frowned. "She has been wounded."
"She has." Kucha confirmed grimly. "I found her wounded, close to death, and managed to get her to drink. But apart from her limp and her wounded face, she is fine. Well...there is another problem, too."
She paused as Anya came to sit beside the avian, dipping her head and sniffing lightly at the jackal.
"Another problem?" He queried.
"She is mute." Kucha replied softly. "Probably due to the trauma she has experienced. I think if she remains out here alone then she won't get better. My idea was to have her become part of a pride, to find friends she can rely on. Only then do I think she can start piecing her life back together."
"She cannot talk at all?" The jackal replied. "Certainly unfortunate...I have never met someone with that problem before but I must agree. It seems like a good idea. Rogue life certainly never suited me and the same should be said for a lion, too. We are all social creatures, are we not?"
"Exactly. I'm glad you agree. So then, jackal, do you think these Dawnwalkers would accept her?"
The jackal wrinkled his snout. "I don't see why not. She may not be able to talk but I expect she can hunt as well as any other once her wounds have healed."
"That's fantastic news! You know a lot about these lions, then?"
He nodded. "I do. I have lived amongst them for a long time now. I am a part of their pride. I am Yuma."
"My name is Kucha and this...well, I do not know her name because she cannot tell me." The avian's head feathers drooped a little. "But if you are a part of the pride, could you take her there? Are we far?"
"Not far at all. And yes, I suppose I could take her."
"Thank you, Yuma. That would be wonderful. I wouldn't like to leave her with just anyone and she'll be more comfortable around you than with another lion."
The jackal snorted. "Then you won't be staying?"
"No...I cannot. I seek for something myself but....but I will return and see how she is getting on. This won't be a goodbye for good."
Yuma sighed. "I suppose I could show her around for a while, make sure she's settled, though I do have other jobs to attend to."
"Oh, thank you, Yuma! Thank you!" Kucha hopped forwards, cheeping madly.
"Okay, okay. Sheesh, you are an excitable creature! Very well, I can take her to the lands and see if I can get her accepted. But, once I've shown her around and she's settled, she'll be on her own. Besides, there will be other lions around to make sure she's okay."
He turned his brown-gold eyes towards Anya and nodded slowly. "Well no time like the present. Are you ready, silent one?"
Anya nodded and moved slowly towards him, pausing to glance at Kucha sadly.
"I'll be back someday, dear. But until now, Yuma will take care of you. Don't worry about a thing. You'll be absoloutely fine. I promise you."
Anya nodded again, very slowly.
"Goodbye, dear one and good luck!" She spread her wings and embraced one of the lioness' forelegs briefly. "Take care."
And Anya nodded, for that was all she could do, and watched as her golden avian companion took to the sky. She stood and watched until she was gone from sight, tears in her eyes, sniffing quietly to herself.
Yuma stood beside her, waiting somewhat impatiently and, finally, was forced to snap her from her reverie with words.
"Come on, lets go. We still need to reach the borders yet and have you speak with a lion. The night will be drawing in soon and if that happens, it won't be so easy to get you accepted."
Anya, looking startled, hurried over to him as he turned to walk away, but as they went, she persistently looked back over her shoulder, somewhat hoping to see that Kucha had changed her mind and returned.
And in her mind she whispered a silent thank you and hoped that somehow she'd be able to hear it.
/fin.
