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 Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 8:25 pm
The sky was overcast and thick with clouds, but though the world might be drenched in shades of gray the look in the little lioness' golden eyes could never be described as gloomy. It had been so lonely when her kittens and cub had all grown and left her. Dysi in his pride, and Kisun and Jari, though they visited often, wandering where the wind would take them. Actually, the only one who seemed to be around lately with any regularity was In'ta. It was nice to have the big lioness about. She was ever so kind, ever so helpful. And such wonderful company too.
Keena purred quietly, cuddled up beside the splochy colored feline beneath a wide-branched tree. They'd shared a kill recently, and while rain was pending, it felt like it would be more of a dizzle and not another plains-rocking storm. Full and warm and content, Keena watched the clouds roll across the sky, breathing in the scent of her friend.
Her little lioness was simply too sweet. In'ta chuckled, her tongue rasping between the wicked claws as she cleaned blood and scraps from between her toes. It had been clear to her that the little one was lonely, and the way she'd cared for the hare kittens... As though she honestly thought herself to be their mother. What kind of lioness would do something like that? Inviting In'ta to share the small pile of stones that she'd been sleeping under when the storm got bad, for all they'd barely met. So trusting. So honest. So...perfect.
"Storm rolling in," she murmured, lifting her head to lick the small fluff of fur on Keena's, wanting to make the younger female giggle and look up at her again. "Think we'll have company?" The wind had shifted, and there was the scent of another lion on the breeze now. A stranger, at least to In'ta. Keena seemed to regard all lions as future friends. Heck, she regarded everything as a future friend. It seemed a mirical that the girl ate anything really...
As expected, Keena giggled and shook her head when In'ta nuzzled her affectionately, returning the gesture with a nuzzle of her own. "There's still enough food to share," she pointed out happily. She hated when food didn't get eaten, it always seemed such a heartless waste to not consume every scrap. Some beast had died to provide a meal, the least they could do was waste nothing of the sacrifice it took. "And there's room under the tree too." And it was always fun to meet a new friend...
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 9:09 pm
Though one might not be so inclined to be out on such a dreadful day, not everyone had a home. Callick was among the wandering. He looked up, his sky blue eyes looking at the gray abyss that had early been similar to his own eyes. He gulped, fearing another night alone in the rain. His head fell, and dangled from his shoulders in utter defeat, it seemed like he'd be alone, maybe forever. Callick's white paw pressed against a tilted tree. Perhaps it could provide even a slight sense of cover from the upcoming storm.
He pushed hard, only to push himself backward. "Ow," he muttered to himself, "Stupid me." He growled at himself, looking down at his paw. A single thorn stuck right in the middle. He attempted to put pressure on it, but it was too much for the small lion to endure. Today just seemed to be getting better and better. He looked up, seeming only the clouds. No sky tonight, no stars or moon. Not even the sun at this point. He looked down the hill. "You can do this," he muttered. He took the first step down.
The first step down this hill would also be his last for now. As pressure was placed on the paw, and he went to take his second step, his paw got caught on a root sticking out of the ground. He faceplanted into the soft dirt and grass around him, rolling the rest of the way. Any onlookers might have sworn they had heard a distant yelling coming from the hill in the distance. As his fall came to a close he lay there on his side, eyes closed in pain and embarrassment. He hoped no one saw ...
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 9:22 pm
The sudden yell brought Keena straight out of her dozy contentment. Her body tensed as she sat bolt upright, her ears swiveled towards the sound. It was quiet now, though that yell... "I think someone's hurt!" she gasped after barely a second, and without a single glance backwards bolted from the small shelter she'd been curled in beside her large companion.
Her paws flew across the grasslands, the weight of fullness in her stomach unhappy with such action but certainly tolerable. It wasn't hard to find the source of the cry, the lion laying in a heap at the base of a shallow hill. Her bounding sprint slowed as she drew nearer to him, her body settling into a gentle lope before she stopped nearby to him. "Are...are you alright?" she asked in concern, crouching down to look at him more on his level, her head cocked slightly to one side.
Keena was not the only one to hear the yell, but when the little lioness bolted off after who knew what sort of trouble In'ta could only growl in frustration. Keena was often unhappy when there was leftovers from a kill, and in her exuberance in the chase she'd brought down a larger zebra than she'd intended to. To make up for this fact, she had attempted to consume what her smaller friend could not. And now she was far too full to want to do anything.
But if Keena was racing off to get herself into trouble, then In'ta would protect her. Heaving to her paws, the lioness loped after her small friend, marvaling at how quickly the small body could hurtle through the grass. Keena had a pretty decent sprint, she'd say that for sure. She was relived when she spotted the gray feline laying in the grass. Thank the gods, she wouldn't need to fight on a full stomach. Ugh.
"What is it sweetheart?" she asked softly, nuzzling the tiny Keena's shoulder as she cast her gaze over the male. It could be a ruse after all. No one was going to mess with her innocent little damsel. No one.
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 9:40 pm
Hearing the small lioness voice, Callick groaned softly, more out of embarrassment than pain. He rolled slowly, eventually to his stomach. "Yeah ..." he whispered, "just stupid is all." His eyes still focused on the ground. His head hurt, as did his legs, and even his neck to an extent. Strangely enough though, the thorn sticking into his paw cause him the most pain of all. He looked up at the golden lioness looking down at him. His first thought was that of the sun finally coming out on this rainy day, but she was even more beautiful. His eyes widened, he slowly got to his paws, until he was in a seated position.
He felt the pain again as he pulled himself up. He tensed up immediately, but quickly began trying to pull the thorn out with his teeth. He tried three times, then on the fourth, collapsed on his side, sighing all the way down in shame. The gold lioness made him smile and seemed nice, even if she'd only said one thing to him. The other lioness scared him. She was bigger than him. Although that was not saying a lot, she was still very large. "S-sorry for bothering you ..." He mumbled from his lying position.
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 10:07 pm
"Bothered? I'm not bothered," Keena assured the male, wincing when he tried to pull out the thorn. Poor thing! That must have really, really hurt him! "...can I help?" she asked uncertainly after a moment. "I've had lots of kittens, I know a thing or two about burrs and pebbles stuck in paws..." the lioness tried to explain. She didn't want him to think that she didn't think he could take care of himself. But if she had practice and was good at it, then it only made sense that she could help him? Maybe?
...he wasn't going to be offended or upset, was he?
Not bothering anyone, no, she just felt rather distinctly ill from running about on an overful stomach. Huffing a sigh, In'ta settled herself back onto her haunches, still eyeing the male mistrustfully. He was smaller than she was, though quite a few seemed to be. She doubted he would be much of a threat. So if it made Keena happy, then they could help him.
Keena was always so adorable when she wanted to be helpful though! She could just cuddle her to bits sometimes... "No rush then love," she yawned lazily. "I suppose he could have some dinner when you're through with his paw." Then there would be no leftovers and Keena wouldn't need to feel guilty. Perfect.
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 10:18 pm
Callick would have jumped up if he could, but his head only rose as he lie there. "H-help?" He asked. "Y-you want to help me?" Not many people he had met would even look at him, nonetheless actually help him. "B-but why?" He slowly rolled over, once again sitting upright. He looked the female in the eyes cautiously. He felt ... different, as if his chest were about to explode, or that he had eaten too much. It couldn't be the latter, he hadn't eaten all day. He lifted his paw ... wait ... kittens? She must have a mate. At least he thought one needed a mate to have kittens ... he wasn't quite sure. His eyes landed on the ground once again.
"Dinner?" He repeated. Perhaps hospitality was a common theme with these two. He smiled slightly, looking at the rather larger lioness. He had expected a maul, or at least a cold shoulder from her, but maybe she was just as kind as the smaller lion. "I-I'd love to ... if its not a bother ... maybe ..."
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 10:29 pm
Why? Did he really ask why? Keena frowned, the confusion obvious on her features. "...don't you want help?" she asked. If he wanted help, or needed it, and especially if both were the case...then he should be helped. It wasn't a hard concept.
Scooting a bit closer, she reached out to brace his injured paw against her own so she could examine it better. She was assuming that, when he lifted it like that, he was agreeing to let her help him. "Aw, that must hurt so much..." she whimpered, looking back up at him to make sure he really didn't mind. "It'll probably hurt, but I'll be gentle..." she promised.
"If we were bothered, would we still be here?" In'ta asked the stranger. She might be a little out of sorts at the moment, but it was mostly because her stomach was extremely displeased at her. Ugh, gods, she wanted to lay down and sleep somewhere until she was less full... "We have extra food and you look hungry," she added to the explanation, finally giving in and laying down beside the little lioness. She could still keep an eye out, just in case. But it was more comfortable than standing on a full stomach like this.
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 10:50 pm
Callick smiled more as the female examined his hurt paw. He watched her. Her sincerity was astonishing. She couldn't help but smile around her. "Well, yeah ... I mean, no ... I mean ... it did, but it was a combination of my embarrassment and a fear that the next step I take I'll fall on my face again." He looked down in shame. He hated when people thought less of him, and it wouldn't surprise him if this girl started to dislike him soon. Lets face it, he was odd, clumsy, stammering, and stupid. A perfect combination, no?
He smiled again, slightly confused. Why else would they be here? All for him? They had a nice day to themselves and he went and messed it up. Stupid Callick. Or maybe they were just nice. Nicer than he was used to. Either way he felt comfortable around the two. He could actual speak full sentences ... well, almost. "Th-thanks," he offered a smile to the larger one. He turned back to the smaller lioness. "Uh ... I-I'm Callick .... hi."
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Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 2:43 pm
Keena clucked quietly as he admitted he'd been more afraid of falling. Everyone made mistakes, and it wasn't his fault he was hurt! It wasn't fair to be mean to someone for being hurt. Actually, it wasn't fair to be mean to anyone for any reason. But it was even more horribly unfair when they were hurt.
"Hi Callick," she chirped, not remotely concerned at the belatedness of their introductions. "My name's Keena. It's not to meet you!" the lioness smiled brightly before returning to examine his paw again. "Okay...I think I can get it...are you ready?" She didn't like hurting anyone for any reason, but this would only hurt him so that he could be healed later. It was necessary. Otherwise it could hurt worse later, and that would be awful.
Okay not a threat. Not a threat at all. Thank the gods. Though she supposed no one would be happy to fight after being barfed on. Ugh.
"My name is hard to say. Call me In'ta," she sighed, trying to find a more comfortable way to lie down without bothering her extremely overfull stomach. There was no way to do so with dignity though, and so with a reluctant groan she sat up again. "When you've been dethorned, come have some zebra before it rots or something."
Maybe that wasn't the best way to invite someone to a meal. But oh well, she wasn't feeling good. He'd deal.
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Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 3:17 pm
"Keena," he repeated, smiling back. "I-it's nice to meet you." He watched as she examined his paw. He liked it whenever her paw touched his.It relaxed him, she was good at this. As much as he appreciated the help from her, she seemed almost too willing to help the pathetic lion. His head perked up as she spoke again. "Uh ... yeah ... I think so." He clenched awaiting the removal.
Instead of the immediate pain he'd expected, the other chimed in. "In'ta," he repeated, smiling at the very intimidating lioness. Hard to say, what name could be that tough? He ignored this thought, nodding as the lioness spoke again. "Heh ... sure ... if it's okay? I don't want to i-impose ... or something." He forced a smile at the odd wording of In'ta's words. 'Dethorned?' He shrugged, looking back at Keena. "Yeah ... ready." He shut his eyes tightly, awaiting the operation.
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Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 9:53 am
"You should relax, it'll go easier..." Keena murmured softly, but as he'd said he was ready she nodded and leaned forward. It was easy after so much practice to snag her teeth around the thorn, and extract it with a soft tug. She was more used to doing this for little bunny paws that were so much smaller. It was...really very simple to do for a lion instead. "There," she proclaiming, dropping the thorn to the ground in case he wanted to examine it, and giving the spot that was bound to be sore a quick lick before settling to sit back with a smile. "Any better?" the lioness asked, hoping the answer would be yes.
Relax Keena had said, and In'ta couldn't help but agree. This little lion was acting so nervous it felt like he must surely be up to something...except she couldn't possibly imagine what it was. Well. There were all sorts of people in the world after all. Maybe he was just one of the nervous wrecks.
"Great," In'ta sighed, rising to her paws with a small groan. Never again. She was never eating that much food again. Ever. "Come on you sillies," she added, knowing Keena would giggle at the term she used as the large lioness turned and tried to not waddle or something demeaning as she headed back to their small shelter and the remains of their kill.
Keena did indeed giggle at her companion's words, turning eyes bright with laughter to Callick. "You okay to walk? It's not far," she assured him brightly. He seemed so uncertain, so anxious...she just wanted to look after him. Make him smile and be happy and not so scared-seeming.
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Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 2:53 pm
"Relax ..." Callick repeated trying to calm himself in preparation. He closed his eyes, focusing his other senses on the nature around him. He could taste the moist air, hearing the small wildlife, feeling the distant breeze. Everything seemed so perfect and calm. He felt the lioness's mouth against his paw. He took a deep breath ...
Callick's eyes shot open as the thorn was pulled from his paw. The pain, although escalating for a second, and subsequently subsiding. The immediate change shocked him, and the lick shocked him even more. "Better?" he asked himself. He looked at his wounded paw. "Better ... Better!" He jumped up, making sure to neglect weight on his hurt front leg. "Wow!" He exclaimed. "That was ... amazing! You're really good." He pranced around for a moment, testing the weight he could put on his mending paw. "Thank you! Thank you, thank you!"
Sillies? Callick laughed. He hadn't done so in such a long time, he hadn't had someone help him in such a long time, he just couldn't help acting a little silly. "I can walk, sure .... thanks to you," he whispered the last part, unsure if the others heard.
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Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 8:42 pm
Keena glanced back over her shoulder with a wide happy grin as he pranced around. She was happy, so happy, that he was well again now. And that he was laughing and happy, and that was so wonderful. She was so glad when she managed to help someone. "Come on Callick," she laughed as he bounced around, though she seemed mostly content to wait for him if need be.
If In'ta heard she gave no indication, merely continued to lead the way back to their small shelter and the remains of their kill. This Callick lion could eat what he wanted and stay out the storm with them. Even if In'ta had been cold enough to turn him out herself, the idea of doing so alone would confound poor Keena. And so he would be welcome to stay and eat and rest with them. It was going to be a stormy night. Company might be pleasant. Especially new company. Even if it was just some silly boy.
-fin-
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