Ayida was in a daze, lingering well within her pride's boundaries for the first time in a while. It wasn't her fault the animals were scarce, and she always wound up chasing them to brighter fields. What was her fault, however, was her lack of skill. At least, that's what she came to believe. She was a much better gatherer than a herder, and today was one of those days when she gathered plant life for the lions and lionesses from her pride that would need it. She was plucking the dried leaves from a little shrub, knowing the healthy leaves wouldn't crush properly when it came time to mix them with the other ingredients, when her thoughts started drifting to her old life. Wandering around blankly, much like she does now. Only then, she felt empty and the absolute form of alone. She had nothing to work for, no one to take care of or to take care of her. She was comparably a much better hunter now, but her skills still weren't the best. And at that point in time, she'd almost starved much too often. In her luck, she'd always find something when she was ready to give up, on the verse of fading out.
She moved to the next plant, only just then realizing the leaves she'd been picking weren't the right ones. She sighed, her distractions came much too often. Her thoughts were always moving to the next thing.
And that's what brought the next question. The question of how she'd made it to her pride at all. She knew she'd been wandering endlessly through the rogue lands, lost as shealways seemed to get. Her family had left her a long time ago, tired of having to track her down and drag her back to the den when she got lost. Sure, they may not have been the most loving family, but it was all she knew. She recalled her mother, the strong, silent woman she'd been when it came to raising her cubs, all alone and abandoned by her mate. She never told any of her cubs where their father was, so Ayida had always assumed he'd died. After all, no one wants to believe their father left them for no reason, right?
She shook her head, tugging at the leaves on the new plant. This job, she loved doing it. The plant life, the animals... but the navigation, ugh. She would be better off not getting as distracted as she does. This lead to one thought: where did she get it from,her sense of direction? Maybe THAT had been from dad, and why he wasn't around... but it was all in the past, she should have pushed it aside the minute she joined her pride, her true home. It was here that she'd been accepted, where she didn't have to worry about her rank or how there were lions and lionesses better than herself. Well, yeah, there were those that were better, but not in the sense that they had been born better, oh no.Those lions and lionesses had worked towards what they are today, just as Ayida was working now.
Would she dare go back to what she had just because of that one fact? No, of course not. Mother had been her mother, but that was all she was. Her siblings weren't as lucky as Ayida had been. The moment they could escape their mother's clutches and fend for themselves, they were wiped out by starvation. That woman they called their mother had been so hard-pressed on all of them, they'd never learned to hunt properly. Maybe that had been her plan, to get rid of them without having anything to do with their death. What hadn't been in her plans was the fact Ayida survived, not that she knew anyway.Ayida had no plans to go back to her ever again. Another distraction, and Ayida found herself drawing a circle in the dirt when she snapped out of it. She quickly took up her collection, looking around to find out which way she should go next.A few spare animals caught her attention, but she quickly shook her head, the idea of trying to herd animals again not in her work for the day. It was something she wasn't good at, and she didn't plan on messing up what she'd already gathered in an attempt to get something better. Her gaze shifted back to the plants... dare she gather more? The day was still bright, and she had the time. But it would dedicate itself to tormenting her with images of a past that was no longer hers. She stood, stretching her legs as she decided, heading in the direction of the nearest plant, one she'd not yet gathered from.It bore some odd fruit, something that made her curious and she resisted the urge to eat one, just to find out what purpose it was for. The pride had never needed the berries,and everyone she'd asked had never bothered to tell her what they were for. But to eat one, she could die, then what would the use in that be?
Her curiosity was winning, but not in the way she had originally thought. She plucked a few from the bushel and placed them with her gathered herbs, tucking them between the leaves to keep them cushioned from the outside weather. She turned to head back towards the pride when the unthinkable happened. A tree root, a little trip, and Ayida had landed right on the herbs she'd worked so hard to gather, the berries squishing into the leaves and making a mess of Ayida and the ground. A frustrated sigh, and Ayida quickly brushed herself off,looking at what was all her hard work before she turned back to the bushes, the words forming on her lips ones she'd used on a constant basis and were to be used again today, "Maybe I should just rush through this time...."
[Word Count:1004]
She moved to the next plant, only just then realizing the leaves she'd been picking weren't the right ones. She sighed, her distractions came much too often. Her thoughts were always moving to the next thing.
And that's what brought the next question. The question of how she'd made it to her pride at all. She knew she'd been wandering endlessly through the rogue lands, lost as shealways seemed to get. Her family had left her a long time ago, tired of having to track her down and drag her back to the den when she got lost. Sure, they may not have been the most loving family, but it was all she knew. She recalled her mother, the strong, silent woman she'd been when it came to raising her cubs, all alone and abandoned by her mate. She never told any of her cubs where their father was, so Ayida had always assumed he'd died. After all, no one wants to believe their father left them for no reason, right?
She shook her head, tugging at the leaves on the new plant. This job, she loved doing it. The plant life, the animals... but the navigation, ugh. She would be better off not getting as distracted as she does. This lead to one thought: where did she get it from,her sense of direction? Maybe THAT had been from dad, and why he wasn't around... but it was all in the past, she should have pushed it aside the minute she joined her pride, her true home. It was here that she'd been accepted, where she didn't have to worry about her rank or how there were lions and lionesses better than herself. Well, yeah, there were those that were better, but not in the sense that they had been born better, oh no.Those lions and lionesses had worked towards what they are today, just as Ayida was working now.
Would she dare go back to what she had just because of that one fact? No, of course not. Mother had been her mother, but that was all she was. Her siblings weren't as lucky as Ayida had been. The moment they could escape their mother's clutches and fend for themselves, they were wiped out by starvation. That woman they called their mother had been so hard-pressed on all of them, they'd never learned to hunt properly. Maybe that had been her plan, to get rid of them without having anything to do with their death. What hadn't been in her plans was the fact Ayida survived, not that she knew anyway.Ayida had no plans to go back to her ever again. Another distraction, and Ayida found herself drawing a circle in the dirt when she snapped out of it. She quickly took up her collection, looking around to find out which way she should go next.A few spare animals caught her attention, but she quickly shook her head, the idea of trying to herd animals again not in her work for the day. It was something she wasn't good at, and she didn't plan on messing up what she'd already gathered in an attempt to get something better. Her gaze shifted back to the plants... dare she gather more? The day was still bright, and she had the time. But it would dedicate itself to tormenting her with images of a past that was no longer hers. She stood, stretching her legs as she decided, heading in the direction of the nearest plant, one she'd not yet gathered from.It bore some odd fruit, something that made her curious and she resisted the urge to eat one, just to find out what purpose it was for. The pride had never needed the berries,and everyone she'd asked had never bothered to tell her what they were for. But to eat one, she could die, then what would the use in that be?
Her curiosity was winning, but not in the way she had originally thought. She plucked a few from the bushel and placed them with her gathered herbs, tucking them between the leaves to keep them cushioned from the outside weather. She turned to head back towards the pride when the unthinkable happened. A tree root, a little trip, and Ayida had landed right on the herbs she'd worked so hard to gather, the berries squishing into the leaves and making a mess of Ayida and the ground. A frustrated sigh, and Ayida quickly brushed herself off,looking at what was all her hard work before she turned back to the bushes, the words forming on her lips ones she'd used on a constant basis and were to be used again today, "Maybe I should just rush through this time...."
[Word Count:1004]