(AIM rp between Sabra Knight and I.)
Another day's rounds were coming to a close as the large lion darted his way through the thick foliage of his plant sanctuary. "It's fine." He murmured to himself for the third time before pacing around his den. For some reason unease filled Pattin but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Even the storm clouds were normal - wait. "A storm?" Frowning the lion watched the clouds with a sigh. Eh, the plants needed the water. Nothing wrong with that. Still that unease stayed.
While he slept the lion twitched. Something was wrong. Smoke. Smoke! Pattin roared and bolted away. Why was there smoke? Ears pressing against his head the lion raced outside of the den to see something that would become a nightmare to haunt him for years later. Dark swirling masses of smoke showed the telltale signs of a fire which was rapidly spreading from his home. Gasping the lion tried to race around and paw out the flames but to no avail. The lightning must have started a huge fire which only grew worse as he ran around. Wincing Pattin managed his way back to his nearly covered den in order to grab some of the herbs that rested inside. He couldn't lose them!
The originating storm was something out her worst nightmare. Never in her life had she been more afraid of anything then lightning. The lioness had gone out of her territory for shelter, and had stayed there until the rains had passed. Only when she felt safe did she return.
Clea padded around her tree den and leapt up onto the lowest branch; a thick seat for her anything but slight frame. The dark clouds that littered the sky made her uneasy, but she needed sleep when she could get it.
Then she smelt it. She looked up, and saw the birds flying away a minute before the fire came. In a panic, she dove straight from the branch to the ground, sending a shock wave of pain up her legs. Then she ran.
Mouth full of heailng herbs the lion ran. Though he couldn't tell where he was going anymore - the smoke took care of erasing any signs of trails not to mention the flames that were raging around most of the area now. Groaning he slammed against a tree in order to keep himself from rolling into the fire. Where was the ending of this chaos? Pattin roared angrily at the flames before turning around. No flames were going to get him.
Not when he had someone to find-
Pattin's eyes widened at teh thought. There was no way. But sometimes...she did live close by. The lion shook his head. There was no way that she would have gotten caught up in this mess right? Smoke filled his nose, there was no way for him to find anyone's scent in this mess. So he continued to search for an end to the flames.
Clea ran through the flames. The painful whispers of fire were nothing compared to the heat, and from experience she knew that if you ran straight through it that you could make it out alive. She closed her eyes against the smoke, yowling everytime a bit of debry filtered in. What was going to happen here? To her home, her...everything?!
Her ears perked up at the sound of a roar, and immediately she responded. Could it be...? Clea couldn't be sure, not in this chaos, but if it was, she had to find him. The lioness coughed. With breathing like it was, she couldn't waste what she had, so she bounded after it.
Pattin paused. Ears twitching the lion had stumbled to a halt and strained to listen above the flames. Was that another roar? Was it her's? Giving a heavy sigh the lion turned away from yet another wall of flames and started towards where he had heard the whisper of another lion. Running straight on the lion winced as debries flew at him from a tumbling tree. His paws, normally nice and soft, were bleeding from being exposed to fire and the newly roughened ground.
Still he pressed on. If she was out here, he had to find her. Voice heavy and damaged from the thick smoke the lion let out another roar before yelling into the flames, "Clea!" His throat couldn't form much more than her name, but he tried. "You here?! Clea!" Spitting out black salavia from the smoke the lion pressed on through the destruction.
Her normally flourescent green fur was tainted black and red. She jumped up away form a flame, landing crooked on a stone and only by the grace of the Gods was she able to get back on her paws in time. Her claws dug in deep into the stone, chipping off what points they had become in a mad dash to get away. "Pattin! Pattin!"
She broke through the foliage, and had to catch herself before she kept running. "Pattin." Clea couldn't believe it. There he was, and he looked just as afraid as she did. "Move it!" With a quick dodge his way to nudge him, she ran for the bit of foliage that wasn't consumed in flame.
"Clea!" It didn't matter what arguments or fights that normally happened between the two of them when it came to feelings. Pattin was so relieved to find the lioness in the fires. Even though a part of him wished that she hadn't gotten into this mess like him, the lion was glad to see her when he had felt so scared and alone before. Tearing through black vines he rushed to her. Wincing Pattin noticed the condition she was in. If only he had some herbs...the lion blinked as he realized something.
His worry for Clea made him drop any of the plants that he had carreid with him.
Shaking his head Pattin realized that they had no time to talk or rest, teh fire was still raging on all around them. Following Clea's lead the lion raced for the bit of foliage only to jump through a tight alley surrounded by hot flames that scorched his fur. Yowling in pain he tumbled from the bushes and started falling, running down a hill towards where a creek ran.
She bellowed at a group of klipspringers that were huddled together. Didn't they understand the situation? The angered lioness dipped her head down and snatched up one that was hanging back. Hell, she might as well, with the pace that they were going.
Clea looked over her shoulder to make sure that he was back there. Instinctively she dropped the klipspringer, that scrambled away from the lioness maw. Where...?! "Pattin?" Oh no, oh no no no! She ran back, ducking out of the fires reach and saw broken foliage. Was he...? "PATTIN!" She saw his fall, and roared out before diving after him, taking her own tumbling roll.
The lion landed with a splash in the water. Coughing he went from choking on tainted air to choking on the foul waters. Fighting against the currents and managing to duck back under in order to avoid being knocked around by a fallen tree the lion tried to make his way to shore, "Clea!" Coughing up water he managed to grab onto a rock by the shore before getting back on his paws.
Where was Clea? Was she okay? Panicked the lion looked around for his companion. Even here where teh fire was fading away the smoke was still thick. So thick that the lion could barely breath let alone stay conscious.
With a resounding boom, the lioness landing on her back on the river bank. She was momentarily stunned, the air knocked out of her lungs. When she finally had the energy to move, she flipped onto her paws, shook out her head and tore off down the river bank.
Her bi-colored eyes scanned the river frantically. Where was he, why wasn't he there, why wasn't - THERE! Clea ground her fangs against one another and found the log that Pattin had been avoiding. She took off at the hardest run she could manage, her legs tearing with strength they didn't posess as she leapt into the air, bounced on the loud and crashed onto the shore. Then she closed her eyes with a huff.
Pattin let out a yowl of surprise as Clea bolted into the water next to him. How she had managed to find him in this mess mystified the lion, but he was really thankful that she had. Especially now that he realized something - the fire couldn't get down this far. Sure the smoke would because of the wind, but at least it was fading out. Though the damage that the flames left behind would last far longer than the fire itself.
The lion's heart sank as he saw only black on a landscape that once was green and full of life. His home was destroyed. Completely burned away due to a storm's wrath. Though at least one thing was safe. The thought made him look to Clea with a small smile. Thank the gods for her. Wobbling towards teh lioness, Pattin laid down with a sigh. "I'm sorry." He rasped before blocking her from teh wall of smoke that would continue to roll over the lands for hours. Until then both would rest here in teh shelter of the water. AFter that...well they would decide that later. For now sleep. Pattin's eyes closed and he let the darkness take over.
