Gerda had thought that the cubs would bring her and Jozo together, but instead her mate had been sneaking off more than ever. He seemed to think that because she was pregnant, she was too distracted to notice his absence. Miserable, the dark lioness padded down to the water. She had to be away from the pride herself. She couldn't stand it. Pregnant, alone, ignored by her mate and too tired to fulfill her duties to the pride. It seemed like she had no one, no one to care about her at all.
Would Jozo even notice his cubs once they were born? Gerda sat down at the water's edge with a heavy sigh, blinking back tears at the thought. They were HIS cubs, but all he could think of was HER ... that scheming, horrible b***h. He had been spending so much time with her recently, Gerda wouldn't be surprised if Eppie was waddling around with a belly full of cubs herself soon. Gerda slumped to the ground, feeling utterly lost. She had her cubs, but the bitter irony was she was losing her mate at the same time.
The crocodile goddess had patrolled this stretch of river for a while now. She had kept an eye out for the genet, but no one had come, no one had passed by. Not even any prey beasts. The crocodile goddess had seen a brightly colored, horribly familiar lion tussling with a brown lion some time ago, but she had wisely kept her distance.
Now ... now there was that dark lioness again, up ahead. Mlinzi could easily ignore her, but the crocodile goddess was bored. Well, bored wasn't the right word. Mlinzi could happily sit in one place for hours or even days. It was more that: she was already swimming, she had seen what there was to see, and now there was something different to see.
Gliding slowly through the water, Mlinzi came to a halt in front of the mournful lioness and gazed up at her. She did not feel empathy, not really, but she was mildly curious.
Gerda sat on the bank, her head hanging low. Her eyes were clouded by tears. Sunk in her unhappiness, it took her a moment to see the crocodile in the water. When she did, she blinked her tears away in a hurry. Oh. Oh! Alarmed, Gerda was on her feet and moving backwards before she realized that she recognized the crocodile. It was the crocodile goddess, the one she'd saved Lalla the genet from. Thankfully Lalla wasn't with her now.
"H-hello," Gerda said hesitantly, looking down at the silent crocodile goddess. If the crocodile goddess wanted to eat her, there wasn't much she could do about it.
It wasn't often that lions spoke to Mlinzi. Without replying immediately, the crocodile goddess kicked her tail, gliding right up to the bank. She dug her heavy feet into the ground and heaved herself up out of the water. Moving with casual slowness, Mlinzi ambled over to where the dark lioness still sat. She walked in her usual sinuous, reptilian style. Once she was beside the lioness, Mlinzi sat herself, lowering her body to the ground all at once and crouching there. Mlinzi could sit like a lion, backside down and frontside up, but it had been a long time. Better to sit in the most comfortable way.
"Hello, lion," Mlinzi said, her golden gaze fixed on the river below, her curiosity mostly satisfied.
Gerda wasn't sure what to do. The crocodile goddess didn't seem interested in eating her, which was definitely a good thing. When the crocodile had walked over to her, she had been terrified, wondering if she should try to run after all. If the crocodile decided to go after her her life was almost assuredly over. Maybe that wasn't such a bad thing, the way she was feeling right now ... but she was with cubs now, and as far as she knew they were alive.
Hopefully, the crocodile goddess would maintain her peace and refrain from eating anyone. Gerda peeked over at her new companion, nervous. "How are you doing?" She asked softly, awkwardly. Keep her talking, keep her entertained.
What a stupid question. Mlinzi was alive, not grievously wounded, and currently in possession of a perfectly nice spot for a nap. That was the problem with lions and other fast-moving creatures of the land. They liked to yap yap yap, running their mouths instead of their brains. She stretched out a little more comfortably, ignoring the question. "You are sad," she observed.
Much of Gerda's sorrow had been driven away by fear, but at this reminder she hung her head once more. It was so obvious that even a crocodile could see it, how could her mate not notice her unhappiness? "I'm pregnant," Gerda said, her voice barely a whisper.
Mlinzi blinked slowly, turning her head to gaze at the dark lioness. She was a little more curious now. "This makes you sad, lioness?"
Gerda shook her head slowly. "No. My mate ... he doesn't care. I don't even think he wants cubs." A tear rolled down her cheek. She didn't know why she felt she could talk to this utterly bizarre-looking stranger. Perhaps it was because the crocodile goddess looked so outlandish, and acted so strangely. She was an entirely neutral party, apart from everyone Gerda knew. For a lioness trapped within the confines of her pride by her illness, a neutral stranger was a rarity indeed.
This was not a problem Mlinzi had ever encountered. She groped for similar experiences. Hmmm. Sometimes annoying males hung around young, trying to eat them or mate with her again. She dealt with them swiftly. "Fight him and make him go away. He may eat your hatchlings," Mlinzi said finally. She dug her claws into the earth, golden eyes narrowed in annoyance at past memories. "I will eat him for you." It was a generous offer. Male lions were entirely too hairy for her taste.
Gerda actually laughed. It was unwise to encourage the crocodile, but she couldn't help herself. That would solve her problems, wouldn't it? In a horrible way, granted, but sometimes she felt Jozo deserved to be eaten. Regaining control of herself, she shook her head hastily before the crocodile goddess got the wrong idea. "No, no ... I want to keep him around. The cubs need a father."
"Hmm," Mlinzi said, swiftly losing interest in this conversation. "If you want me to eat him, tell me." It wasn't often that she concerned herself in the affairs of mortals long enough to make these kinds of offers. Time to move on, probably, before the dark lioness talked her into any more interaction. "I won't eat you or your hatchlings," the crocodile goddess said, rising to go. Another generous offer, but it would have felt strange eating someone she had spoken to.
"Thank you," Gerda said, watching the crocodile goddess as she made her way back down to the river. "I'm Gerda, by the way. I never got your name."
"Names are mortal things," Mlinzi said, not looking behind her. She slipped into the river and was gone with barely a ripple.
"Good-bye," Gerda said softly, watching the water where the crocodile goddess had disappeared.
