Well, that was that, Tulia supposed. She was utterly and completely lost. A wry smile crept across her muzzle; no doubt Sebae would be furious with her. What had started out as a harmless walk had evolved into wistful daydreams and from there the afternoon had gone completely downhill. Tulia was usually so careful to keep close to the pride; using her nose, she’d discovered that it wasn’t that hard to keep track of where she was. Annoyingly enough, she got caught up in her daydreams and that had been (and always would be) her downfall.
“I’m not completely defenseless,” she muttered to herself, plopping down on her haunches. Her comment wasn’t honest, she supposed. Her eyesight was poor and failing fast. Should she find herself in a sticky situation, well, that would be the end of that.
Flicking her tail in mild irritation, Tulia frowned at herself. “Always causing trouble for your sister, aren’t you, Tulia?” She snorted loudly. She supposed she’d better just stay where she was; Sebae would find her and act irrationally, Tulia would apologize profusely, and the sisters would let the topic rest… until the next time Tulia found herself needing rescuing.
To soothe her ruffled nerves, Tulia began to hum to herself. Turning her face to the sun, she smiled, enjoying the heat and the nonsensical song that she hummed.
That was how Sadiki found Tulia. Eyes closed, face upturned. She looked familiar to a lioness he’d come across not long ago. This female had the same exact markings but in different colors. Sadiki would never forget the colors of the other lioness. She’d been gracious enough to let him off with a mere warning when she would’ve had every right to rip him to shreds.
So as to not startle the other female, Sadiki cleared his throat in a somewhat gentlemanly fashion. If this lioness was anything like the other, Sadiki would have to step carefully. That meant he needed to begin their interaction with the utmost of respect.
Tulia heard the throat clearing. She opened her eyes, ear flicking in the direction of the sound. “Hello?” The scent of the intruder was unfamiliar, but she didn’t want to sound frightened. There was no reason to become unnerved at the moment. There would be time for that later if the situation took a turn for the worse.
“Greetings,” Sadiki moved a bit closer, taking note of the way the females eyes looked unfocused, as if she was looking at him but not seeing him. “Is all well with you, lioness?” Was she blind? Sadiki had never met a blind lioness before. Hell, he’d never met a blind… anything, for that matter.
Tulia nodded, “Yes. I’m afraid I’ve wandered too far from my pride. I’m… well, I’ll be perfectly honest with you, stranger. I’m blind, I’ve wandered too far from my pride, and I’m lost. I figure, as long as I sit here and wait patiently, my sister will find me soon enough,” Tulia smiled in the general direction of the male. “She’ll be quite upset with me, I fear.”
Sadiki moved a bit closer, making sure to continue speaking so he didn’t frighten her. “Your sister, you say? Are you twins? I met a female lioness who looked almost identical to you, except she had brown eyes, and her markings were browns and gold.” He paused, watching her face carefully. He even went so far as to wave a paw in front of her eyes.
“I can see what you’re doing,” she chuckled, “I’m not yet completely blind, you see. I can see shadows. From the size of your paw, I can also tell that you’re not a lion.” Tulia squinted at him. “You’re too tall and slender to be a leopard, too. That leaves one choice; you must be a cheetah, hmm? Am I right?”
Sadiki was charmed. “You are,” he said sheepishly, resting his paw back on the ground. “I am Sadiki. You aren’t too far from your pride lands; as I said, I met your sister not far from this place. If you like, I can escort you closer to your borders. Perhaps she will find you sooner rather than later?”
Tulia rose to her feet, a beaming smile directed towards Sadiki. “I am Tulia. My sister is Sebae. We are twins,” she whispered confidentially, as if he already didn’t know that. She grinned, “I would love it if you would escort me, Sadiki. I grow weary of my own company. You must tell me all about yourself! Start with what you look like and go from there.” She waited for him to rise, which he did. With his shoulder he guided her in the direction they would be walking.
“What I look like?” They began walking at a leisurely pace. “I’ve never had to describe myself to anyone before.” He blinked, golden eyes glancing awkwardly at his paws. “I’m a light brown, I guess. With bright green. And black. Some spots on my shoulder…” he laughed softly.
“You sound quite handsome!” Tulia trilled, “Tell me what you were doing out on the savannah today when you stumbled upon a blind lioness who’d found herself lost!”
Sadiki chuckled. “I come from a pride far from here. It is called the Intaba’Umbikezeli. Our numbers need boosting, and the pride is populated only by lions. I, ah… I took it upon myself to venture out from the pridal lands in order to find a female that would bear my cubs so that I might take them back. I don’t want to father hybrids,” he confided.
Tulia laughed. “That’s quite a story, Sadiki. I’ve never heard one quite like it! What if the cheetah you find is not willing to let you take her children from her? I know I certainly wouldn’t let my cubs stray far from my side, let alone let their father take them far from me.”
Sadiki wasn’t sure how to answer without being offensive. He couldn’t just say that he was looking for a cheetah that was stupid enough to let him take the cubs from her. He couldn’t just say that he was looking for a female that would live in the pride with him and never expect interaction from him other than procreating for cubs. Even to his own ears it sounded terrible.
“I will have to deal with those problems as they come up,” he shrugged, bumping her shoulder to indicate they’d gone a bit off track.
“I suppose you will, hmm? Or perhaps you will find a female that will sweep you off your feet, Sadiki? Perhaps she will be someone you find you cannot live without?” Tulia grinned towards him, blue eyes bright with laughter. “Perhaps you wil--”
“TULIA!” Sebae. She called to Tulia frantically, catching sight of her sister. She recognized the cheetah that accompanied Tulia. “Dear GODS! I have been looking for you for hours! Where have you been?! I have been out of my mind with worry, frantic with fear! I thought you’d wandered off and gotten trampled by elephants, or stepped into the mouth of a crocodile!” Sebae didn’t give the male a second look until she finished speaking, and then she glared at him. “You. I told you not to come near the borders, yet here you are. Are you stupid?”
“He isn’t stupid, Sebae!” Tulia’s voice was uncharacteristically sharp, a warning to her sister. “I am the one who found myself lost, and Sadiki was kind enough to offer his services as an escort back to the pride! You mustn’t be rude to him, and I demand that you apologize!”
Sebae muttered a swift apology. Sadiki nodded in acknowledgement before swiftly excusing himself from the sisters. “I must be on my way. Tulia, it was a great pleasure to meet you. Please be careful on your walks in the future.” He curtly nodded at Sebae before loping off.
Tulia instantly turned to Sebae, “I am not stupid, Sebae. I am blind, but I am not stupid and I am not incapable of watching after myself.” That being said, she started marching away from her sister. Sebae watched, ears flat, as her sister took off in the wrong direction.
“You’re going the wrong way, Tulia,” Sebae called, moving after Tulia. “And I know you’re not stupid, sister. I just worry. I was sick with fear thinking that something had happened to you. I left as soon as I realized you were missing. I came across you purely by luck!”
Tulia grunted. “I understand that you feel like you have to look after me constantly, Sebae. But I am not your child. I am your sister. I am going to make mistakes, and I am going to get into trouble. You must realize this. I cannot always be protected!” She was furiously frustrated and it showed in her eyes. “Do not treat me as if I am incapable of looking after myself!”
Sebae sighed. Tulia was right. “I am sorry, sister. Forgive me. My own fears sometimes get in the way of my own common sense, you know that. You know that I worry about you, and you also know that I do not think you stupid. I just… I don’t know if I could live without you, my sister.”
Tulia stopped walking and turned towards her sister. “I love you, Sebae, and I know you love me. We are twins, as close as we can be without being the same exact person. I apologize for wandering off and causing you worry… I did not intend to stray so far. It was not the first time I’ve gotten lost, and I assure you it will probably not be the last. I just get carried away in my own thoughts and daydreams. You know how I am, Sebae.”
Sebae smiled at her beloved sister. “I do know how you are, and I love you for it.”
“Good,” Tulia countered, “Now take me home so that I might have something to eat. I’m famished, and I’m also thirsty, and I will allow you to bring me food.” A smile flitted around Tulia’s lips.
Sebae laughed.
