Welcome to Gaia! ::

As each day passed, as each step forward was taken, Koko was feeling more and more despondent. There truly was no way of knowing where she was or how far she'd walked. All she knew was that she'd left her heart behind on that day long past. She'd left it in the paws of Behnam, and she wasn't sure she would ever have it back.

She hadn't been lonely on her travels, really. She'd met lions she'd enjoyed the company of, she'd met leopards, cheetahs and even birds and hares. They'd lifted her spirits the slightest, allowing her to forget for the tiniest moment about the empty hole in her chest.

Koko was skinnier than she'd ever been. It wasn't that she didn't have the capability to bring down a preybeast, it was that she didn't want to. She ate scraps she found here and there. Most of her time was spent thinking about Behnam, thinking about her mother, and regretting everything that had happened in her life thus far.

Koko had come to this area with a purpose. She knew who she was looking for. Dosari had told her. A white male with a bright red mane. Koko had wondered if he would have a mane like Chacha's coat. The thought brought a slight smile to her face. Her dear sister. Koko missed her.

Gathering her strength, Koko called back a response to the figure in the distance. Her vision was bleary and she couldn't yet make out the color of the male that approached. His voice was nice enough and Koko didn't feel as if she were in peril. She knew she was close, though, close to the pride that her father called home.

"I mean no harm," she croaked warily, waiting for him to come closer.