Eshan awoke slowly as he felt himself being pulled away from the den. The starlight above was dancing across the sky, and for a moment he almost thought he was dreaming. No, someone was taking him away from mother, he needed to get free. As he dozily looked upward he could see only dark shadows, and a flash of something ominous in bright green eyes. Panic setting in he began to kick wildly, catching this mystery thief in the face with a back paw.
Kimatuli shrieked as the cub’s paw connected with her face, dropping him harshly to the ground. She glanced back over her shoulder, hoping the sound hadn’t woken the others, before she turned back to him. “Don’t do that,” she snapped, feeling guilty almost immediately after the venom left her mouth. What was happening to her? This was her dear son, the one who had stars gifted upon his very face. She shouldn’t have treated him so roughly. “Eshan,” she cooed, pressing her nose against him, “We’re going on a little trip, you and me.” Her voice was ghostly, driven forth by the tension she held about her declining mental state. She wasn’t sure where they were going, only that she needed to move.
The cub watched in horror at the thing that had taken the place of his mother. Its words were not hers, yet it held tight to her body. He wanted to run, to call for father Sadiki and hideaway from this monster, but he could do nothing. He could only follow, lest it took her away for all eternity. He was used to nightmares, they came with increasing frequency. Some of his siblings had been settling in alright but he knew only escalating terror. Nothing was right, everything had turned just a few degrees off of normalcy, and he seemed to be the only one aware. Reluctantly he got to his feet, looking off into the darkness where he knew nothing good awaited them.
Kima pushed him forward with a paw, her breath becoming ragged as the beating in her mind hit a plateau. You’re mad, it screamed, turn back. There is nothing out there for you, only loss. She would find it all, they would find it together. The ghosts from her dreams had to be real somewhere, and the eyes of a cub could see all. She led him through brush and stickers, along the river’s edge to a place where the trees were coated in a dank smelling fungus. Her mind commanded her to taste them, and she did, her body quickly voiding the substance in choking bile.
Eshan shook as he followed her, his mind screaming for him to turn back. He didn’t want her out here alone, it was his duty to keep her safe, but neither of them would be safe. He couldn’t stop her from eating the fungus, and watched helplessly as she retched. “Mama,” he said softly, his voice barely a whisper, “Mama you shouldn’t do that.”
Her ears caught the sound but she wasn’t sure what she made of it. It had not originated from Eshan, no; he was merely the vessel it traveled through. It was the shadows, guiding her to them the only way they knew how. Her delusion taking hold of her she spun around, sick clinging to her face, and caught his head in her paw. “Speak again,” she pleaded, staring into his gold eyes with a predatory hunger, “Tell me which way.” Her body quaked just as his did, her legs unsteady on the ground as the diminishing muscle struggled to hold her in her frenzy.
He choked as she grabbed him, trying not to look directly at her. This wasn’t mama, this was something else entirely. This was the sickness; she never would have done this without it. “I don’t know Mama,” he cried, trying to wrench his head away from her, “I don’t know what you want.” Maybe, just maybe, she would give up and they could turn around. Overhead he heard the promissory rumble of thunder, they were moving into a storm.
Angry, she threw him to the side, staring up at the sky for an indication of what to do next. Lightning tore across the sky as the rain began to fall and an idea reached her. “We’re going up,” she cried in a high whine as she took off running. Her destination had been shown to her. When the sky was lit it had revealed the mountains, a peak she had never seen in daylight. She would find her answer there.
Eshan rushed to keep up with her, feeling his paws being cut up as he followed her through unbroken brush. She was crazed, it wasn’t safe, but he didn’t know what else to do. Sadiki had never warned them about anything like this, but maybe he hadn’t known. He couldn’t have, or he wouldn’t have left it so easy for her to get away. “Stop,” he cried, biting at her tail as they reached the cliffs.
Kima ignored him, slamming her paws against the ridges as she tried desperately to climb them. She had never been much of an athlete, and her attempts at scaling the cliffs were graceless at best. Chunks of rock feel as her paws struck them and dust covered her body in a mature of minutes. She was making progress, however slow, and it fueled the fire that had lit within her mind. To her, she was reaching them. At the top of the cliff she could see them, the shadows dancing across the walls. They were calling to her. She couldn’t hear Eshan below. Something happened, and her body froze. Pain shot through her and she coughed wildly, struggling to keep her grip. The thudding her in mind overtook her and she lost her grip. The shadows laughed at her and faded away as she fell with a piercing cry. Before she knew what was happening the shadows dissipated and she crashed into the ground on her back.
