Having left her new ward at their now shared residence, at least temporarily, Kilgharrah had opted to go out and try and find some food for them further away from her den than normal. This was because she was so used to living on her own, supporting only herself, that she had come to know the movements of the animal life around her den and was certain that there would not be enough large game at home to support two lionesses. Since Hitilafu was still meek, a bit shaky, and recovering her strength, it was up to Kilgharrah to take care of her.
As well as herself, as her stomach was grumbling.
Out in the open grass it was very likely to run into something strange, but a moving waterfall probably was not the first thing that came to mind. Yet there one was, jogging briskly over the grass. Of course, it was no waterfall, but rather a cheetah named Poromoko, out for a good long run now that her son had decided to pursue his own adventure elsewhere. She worried for Pooza, the boy was often a sad, quiet thing, but she knew he was a good young leotah and would be able to fend for himself well without his mommy constantly looking out for him.
When she had ever become one of those parents, the overbearing, protective, proud ones, she never knew. But she liked it.
Kil spotted the waterfall, at any rate, and tilted her head to one side. It took her a moment to recognize the form not as some strange moving horizon, but rather as a cheetah rather close up, and now veering to run closer. It was likely that, moving at the speed she was, the cheetah didn’t spot the much larger lioness hunched in the grass. Her deep green pelt helped with that, at least, though it wasn’t a perfect match to the grass beneath her. Perhaps she could be mistaken for a bush, or something. At any rate, the cheetah did not slow down.
Until she was tripping over the lioness.
“Ooh!” Poromoko yelped, long legs flying in random directions as her momentum was suddenly torn from her and she found herself crashing to the ground. She grunted as she landed, then pushed herself up and looked at the green lump in surprise. It wasn’t every day that she mistook someone for something, as usually she was on the receiving end. One time, someone had even licked her fur in an attempt to taste the water. That had been a very strange day for Poro. “I’m sorry! I guess I didn’t see you there! But didn’t you see me? I’m kinda… hard to miss, you know?”
“Well, obviously not,” Kil scoffed, pushing herself to her feet. She stretched, groaning, feeling very much like she had just been stepped on. Which, of course, she had, so it wasn’t surprising. She shook her head, eying the cheetah. It had been her fault: the cheetah couldn’t see her and yet she had just sat there watching as she ran closer and closer. Why she had spaced out so badly and got lost in just watching, rather than getting out of the way, was beyond her. And now she was paying the price for it, aching as she was. She sighed, though, grumping and swishing her tail behind her.
“You blend into the background around here.”
“Do I? I don’t see many waterfalls in this particular clearing, but maybe you’re right. In any case, I’m Poromoko. It’s very nice to meet you.” She smiled, swishing her long tail and curling it around her front legs as she sat regally in front of the lion. Not worried at all, even though she was speaking to a larger carnivore who could, if so inclined, attack her. Maybe not eat her, but certainly hurt or kill her from coming into this territory. And Kil was of half a mind to chase her off: there were already too many lionesses living in the small area, and another unexpected guest just wouldn’t work.
Poromoko had no intention of staying, however. Unlike Hitilafu, who had come into the area on accident, Poro wandered for her own purpose. She liked to be lost, and liked to explore new lands. She did not want to tie herself down to one place, though she had for a while because of her cub. Now that he was grown, she had more freedom. She was lonely, and hoping that if she wandered enough she would meet more fun creatures, like the ones who had led up to Pooza’s birth. It seemed that now that she no longer had to be responsible for anyone else, her old habits were returning.
She batted her eyes at the lioness, though the green female seemed to miss any flirtatious intent.
“You may call me Kilgharrah, if you must know my name. But I would not get too comfortable if I were you: this is my land, and I do not much like others staying in it without my permission.” She frowned, shaking out her fur as if she could feel the dust clinging to it from the run in. She didn’t mind too much, though, the pain from the impact already faded and now a creeping sense of amusement clinging at the back of her mind. It wanted her to laugh at the silly situation, but she was too busy being stern. She shook her head and sighed, padding away from the cheetah.
“Oh? Where are you going? Don’t you want to talk?” Poromoko called after her, standing.
“No, not at all,” Kil called back. “Have a pleasant day, Poromoko.”
“Alright then. What a stick in the mud,” she sighed. She watched as the lioness walked off, deciding that she wasn’t going to head out of the area just yet. She wanted to stay, check the place out, and maybe find the lioness again for some fun. It was worth it to see how she would react to Poro still being on ‘her land’, and anyway, Poromoko had no where else to be, and no time table to follow. She decided she liked Kil, whether or not the other held any opinion whatsoever for the cheetah she had so fleetingly spoken to. She watched Kil walk off, then followed her at a large distance, just to see where she lived.
Kil didn’t notice, or maybe just pretended not to. She padded her way back toward her small patch of forest, spotting an antelope to attack along the way and dragging it back with her. It was curious that the lioness didn’t stay to eat, but rather dragged the large carcass off, and Poro wondered if she was doing it because of cubs to feed. She wouldn’t be able to tell, though, as Kil disappeared into the trees and Poro opted not to follow her further. She had some time to figure things out, anyway.
She headed off to find a place to sleep for the night, but she would come back for some exploring after.
(Word Count: 1184 in Word)
