The regal lioness was walking with her head high, tail swishing behind her casually. Each step said that she had no fear in her, no reason to believe that she was not welcomed. As far as she was concerned, she was royalty, and no matter what land she was in, that status mattered. Though she held this highness to her, she was not, in fact, a snotty or condescending lioness, as far as she knew. She was kind enough, patient enough, and loving enough. She simply did not interact with many people, as she was constantly searching for her family, for her mate. And where ever he was, she was going to find him.
So that they might find a land to rule together, as she believed they were destined to do.
Kilgharrah was not unfamiliar with this lioness. She saw the rather plain lioness from a short distance away and, instead of hiding, sat up and watched her as she regally approached. She tilted her head and nodded, a short hello. The other lioness frowned at her, moving to sit nearby, but not too close. She shook her head, holding herself tall, her tail curling around her legs. Kil opted to lay down languidly, turning her head slightly away from the lioness that seemed to be demanding respect. Purposefully not giving it to her, just to rile her up, it seemed. Kil grinned.
“Hello there, Ygraine.”
“Good morning, Kilgharrah. I did not realize you lived around here.”
Kil laughed, shaking her head and rolling onto her side. She looked up at Ygraine, upside down, shaking her head slowly. Ygraine watched her, not amused. They had met before, of course, as familiar as they were. When Ygraine had passed through these lands the first time, Kilgharrah had been her companion. They had known each other since they were cubs, though they came from far different families. Kil was raised in a gypsy light, while Ygraine was raised to think she was a princess. They still had been close companions, if not friends. Still, as they aged, their differences became more and more apparent.
Ygraine shook her head slowly, rolling her eyes.
“You are such a strange creature. You could come with me, you know. The offer still stands. When I find my King, we will have more lands than this, we can rule and you will be our trusted confidant. Whatever title you wish. All he would ask is for you to-”
“Change who I am. Not believe in the things I do. Sorry, but I’m glad he’s missing. That old grump had no idea what he was missing, turning his back on me. But I don’t really feel like talking about it again, do you? Is that why you came here, to pester me into going back with you? I might love you, but I certainly don’t like him.” She sighed, sitting up and flickering her tail. A thought crossed her mind, and she frowned at the other lioness. “Do you even know where he is yet? What’s the point of chasing a pride that doesn’t exist, looking for a King that doesn’t seem to want to be found? Maybe he has his queen, and you’re just…”
She stopped speaking, seeing the way Ygraine’s ears sank down. The green lioness looked down at her paws, clearing her throat. Ygraine sighed. She had been separated from the man she had loved in a landslide, during an earthquake. She had thought she was going to die, but had never accepted that he might have died as well. Or that he could move on, while she spent her time searching. She had been lucky, in a way, because she had fallen with her friend, but even they had drifted apart. Now they regarded each other with such hostility and distance, and to hear Kil saying such things made Ygraine shudder.
“You are all I have now,” the lioness said, her head dropped down. Kil padded closer to her, sitting beside her and rubbing against her side reassuringly. Kil was quite a bit larger than Ygraine, for whatever genes she had in her, and she was able to rest her head on top of her friend’s quite easily. Ygraine closed her eyes, leaning against her. “I miss how it was. I know it is stupid, chasing this fantasy that we could all be normal once we find him… and you might have given up… but I… I can’t. I miss him too much. I love him too much. I need to find him. If he’s found someone else…”
“He hasn’t,” Kil said, changing her tone, “hey, come on. You know me. Always the pessimist. Come on, he’s still looking for you, just like you are for him. You’re going to find him. Or you’ll find each other. Don’t worry about it. You always worry so much, you’ll make yourself sick.” She nuzzled her old friend again and then Ygraine nodded, standing up. She smiled, but looked confused. She wasn’t sure if she should be comforted or not: after all, it was Kil who had put doubt into her mind in the first place, and now she was simply apologizing for it. Ygraine shook her head.
“I should probably be going, then. I don’t mean to take up too much of your time. It must be difficult, looking over so much land.”
“Oh, back to that again. I guess you’re feeling better.”
Ygraine smiled and moved to nuzzle Kil gently, before turning to pad off. “I’ll come find you again, should I ever need to feel terrible.” She sighed, looking around. She knew this area so well. “Perhaps I spend too much time coming to visit… I should spend longer searching, go farther… I would do better. I might actually find him.” She looked thoughtful, worried. She didn’t go far on purpose, really, because she did not want to lose track of Kilgharrah on top of everything else. She really was her last tie to an old life, and it frightened her to no end to lose it. Or even risk losing it. Even if they were fighting, at least Ygraine knew where she was, and how to find her.
And they could always apologize.
Kil shook her head. “If that’s what you want to do. Don’t let me hold you back. Listen, I will always be here, you know? I’ve got no intention of leaving this place, so you can at least always come back to me. I wouldn’t mind seeing him again, anyway. The damned old grump.” She sighed, then nodded and shook her fur. She moved back toward the trees, to find her new ward, though she didn’t inform Ygraine that she actually allowed someone else to stay in her lands. That would just ruin her reputation, and since it only extended to a handful of people she really wanted to make sure it stayed in place.
Ygraine watched her go, then tried to digest her words. “Alright, Kil,” she said, shaking her head, “I will see you again some time, I am sure. But perhaps… a bit longer than we are used to.” Kil nodded but didn’t look back, and Ygraine smiled. Some things never changed, she supposed. And then she moved away, padding toward the horizon, determined to find some new grounds to explore. To find her King.
(Word Count: 1229 in Word)
