It had been a few days since Ygraine had spoken with the two lionesses, Kilgharrah and her new ward Hitilafu. She had been glad to see her old friend, as dear as they had been to each other, and it was interesting to learn that she was happy with a companion living in her dreadful little spit of land. She was so possessive of the place, yet this young, brown lioness seemed to have done something right. Kil had let her stay and, more than that, was actually taking care of her. But it wasn’t difficult to see why, the younger female was very sweet, and had hunted for Ygraine when she had asked, despite being complete strangers.
Perhaps Kil thought she would be useful.
Fimbo, meanwhile, was still working her way toward what she imagined would be the water. After all, someone had told her to head in this direction. Sometime. Once. At least, she was pretty sure it was ‘this’ direction. She could clearly imagine in her mind the way the lioness had pointed, and how she had been standing. Of course, if she turned a corner it was still oriented in her mind that ‘this’ way was to the left. It was a wonder she wasn’t constantly going in a left turn circle. It was rather arbitrary, when she decided to stop and decide if she needed to turn more ‘this’ way or not, or if she was still headed in the right ‘this’ way.
Essentially, she was lost.
But that didn’t stop her from stumbling upon Ygraine, who was nestled atop a rock, the terrain having changed quite drastically since leaving that small oasis of green. It had become jagged, cliffs and grayish brown rocks digging in and up from the earth. The ground was sloping downward, into a valley, though it wasn’t very vast. Still, Ygraine had not been interested in climbing, and had opted to take a nap until it was time to sleep. Perhaps she would feel better about the journey come morning. She just had to remind herself that once she found her love once more, it would all be worth it.
And she would never have to do anything like this, ever again. Because honestly, it was getting a bit ridiculous.
She looked up as the purple lioness padded up and plopped down for a rest in the shade of the rock Ygraine was sunning on. She rolled languidly, her paws hanging down, and let out a loud yawn. So the other noticed her. The purple lioness did not look up, however, too tired to do so. She had been walking since leaving Kil and Hit as well, getting thoroughly lost and actually finding that green again despite doing her best to try and remember the path she was taking from it, so she could find her way back. It was all very confusing and, though it happened very rarely, she was feeling a bit down.
“Do you mind if I sleep down here?” She asked, at least hearing the lioness above her.
“It’s not my rock. You may sleep there if you wish. It is early for sleep. Are you tired?”
“I wouldn’t be sleeping if I wasn’t.”
Ygraine frowned. She shook her head, standing and stretching, then bouncing down from the rock to land in front of Fimbo, eying the younger lioness with interest. “I meant more to have you tell me why you are tired. But if you insist on having me be as direct as possible, I will rephrase my efforts to question you. Why are you so tired, so early? Are you lost or running from something?” She watched Fimbo with an air of infinite patience that was completely put on: she had no such wealth of understanding to her name. Usually, her fuse was quite short, at least these days. She was just too stressed in her search for her loved one, and she knew it was affecting her mood.
She didn’t like who she was becoming, but what choice did she have? Fimbo looked up at her, noting her puzzled, reflective expression. She felt bad, suddenly, not meaning to upset a stranger by her poor behavior. Usually she offended people by being bright and blunt, not because she was actually acting like a brat. She liked it better that way, really. She sat up, looking the plain lioness over, and offering an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, I don’t usually get so short with others. I’m just bummed, you know? I can’t find who I’m looking for, and while I do try to keep positive, sometimes it, you know, brings me down.”
Ygraine was surprised by her sudden decision to share, but nodded her head politely. She felt her heart sink a bit, just listening to the familiar plight of the younger lioness. It was, after all, an echo of her own plight. A hopeless search, a heart breaking. Perhaps not for the same reason, or for the same kind of acquaintance, but in the end, a lost connection worth going out to be looked for in the wide, near endless plains was close enough to her own story to bring pity from her. She nodded her head slowly, her mind turning to the past, to happier days, before this whole search had begun. She had been kinder then, patient. Content.
“You’re looking for someone, too, then? That’s a pity, someone your age. There are so many other things you could be doing. What about a pride? A family? Who is it that you are searching for so hard that you wear yourself out and get in such a sad emotional state?” Ygraine was not used to talking to the ‘common’ creatures, though the title was one she self imposed on others, and her haughty nature was entirely due to her own mind, and her holding herself to be regal. Still, when she sat straight and spoke in as refined a tone as she knew how, she got the respect and attention she desired. Most creatures got the impression that she was royal, somewhere, or at the very least important. So they just bolstered her ego further.
“My dad. I only knew him when I was very little, before he had to leave with my brother. My pride didn’t allow males to stay, but I’ve left now so I could go and find him. Both of them, if they’re still together. I have to find the water, as far as I know, but I don’t know where that is. Anyway, it’s not so bad. I like the exploring, and meeting all kinds of new creatures.” She yawned, settling down. She really was sleepy, she hadn’t been lying about that.
Ygraine nodded, sadly.
“I hope you find him. At least you have some idea where to look. My mate and I were separated, and I have been searching for him for some time now. Sometimes I think I will never find him…” She looked up, about to apologize for being depressing, but she saw that the purple lioness had fallen to sleep. She sighed, shaking her head, but wasn’t offended like she normally might have been. Instead, she just jumped back on top of the rock and laid down to sleep, thoughts of her mate filling her mind.
(Word Count: 1222 in Word)
