[Athariʼjicho]
Complete
Complete
How long had it been since she left her den? It felt like weeks already, when in fact it'd only been around three days. Maybe even closer to four. It may have been due to the fact that she was now without sight, but the days just seemed so much longer. Athari'jicho pressed on with her journey though, a smile everpresent on her maw for whatever reason. On occassion she would open her mouth and speak, but for the most part she remained quiet. Her days were currently being spent accustoming herself to her newly acquired handicap. Her sense of hearing, in particular, seemed to make up for her loss, as it had gotten a bit better than before when she was still within the walls of her old den.
On this particular day, Ri was lazing beneath the canopy of a rather large tree that she happened upon thanks to the guidance of several noisy birds early in the morning. She hadn't stopped to rest during the past night, and so almost as soon as she felt the tree's leaves shield her back from the already blazing hot sun, the lioness collapsed in a heap and fell asleep. It wasn't until around noon that the lioness woke up, refreshed and ready for whatever came her way next.
"Ri, are you awake yet?" she heard a voice call to her. Her then closed eyelids opened to reveal her scarred, unseeing eyes behind them. There was currently a smile forming on her maw, and she nodded rather enthusiastically.
"Yes! Did Yu go to sleep like Ri?" she replied. Ri rolled onto her stomach, ears flicking as she listened to the response that followed.
"No, I was watching over you," Yu replied, smiling. "Did you sleep well, Ri?"
Ri nodded enthusiastically yet again. "Ri did, yes. Ri is still a little tired though. So did you find us lunch Yu?" she asked her friend. So far she'd only been getting by on field mice and leftovers she managed to sniff out. That was actually half the reason why she'd stayed awake all night - she was hungry and couldn't get to sleep. The other reason is.. well, never mind that reason.
The lioness began to roll back onto her side when Yu reprimanded her. "Too much sleep isn't good for you," Yu warned, frowning a little. "Do you remember what happened last time, Ri?"
And yet again Ri nodded her head, albeit with a small frown this time. "Yes..." she answered, recalling that particularly unpleasant experience. "But Ri is still tired!" the lioness whined, making a pouty face of sorts. This usually got Yu to cave. However, there remained a stern look on her best friend's face, so Ri kept talking. "Let RI sleep! Let Ri sleep! She's tired and wants more sleep! Let Ri sleep!!" she wailed, rolling onto her back and flailing her arms about in a frenzy. "More sleep! Sleep! SLEEEEEEP!"
"NO MORE SLEEP!" came Yu's stern voice at last, cutting through Ri's tantrum and silencing the lioness. It seemed to end at that, their little conversation on sleep, and after a few minutes of peace and quiet Yu finally spoke up again. "You should keep walking," Yu said slowly, and with a smile. "You'll get hungry soon, and dinner isn't going to come walk up to you and ask you to eat it. You need to find some on your own, right?"
And yet again Ri nodded her head, her lower lip sticking out a bit in a pouty expression. She really did want to go back to sleep, but because Yu said not to she wouldn't. Yu was always looking out for her best interest, and so far she hadn't led her wrong yet. Not yet, and Ri hoped she never would. Yu was her only family, after all. Only family. Only friend.. the only one who's been there for her through everything. So Ri got up and promptly started walking as per her friend's suggestion, the heat of the sun on her back once again. Truth be told, she actually liked it. After staying within the confines of her dark den for most of her life, the warmth was certainly welcome.
Ri even had a little bounce in her step as she went. She had a good rest after all, and it was a nice day. Even if she couldn't see any of it, it still felt good to be a part of the world beyond the mouth of her den. The outside world. The world her father had denied her access when she was a cub, and then promptly escaped into it and left her there for dead. But she survived, oh.. she survived. She wasn't looking for revenge though, but the thought of her coming across her then-family at some point did amuse her somewhat. It was mostly Yu's influence that harbored those kinds of thoughts. They had originally been rather morbid, but Yu made them amusing and something to laugh about.
Yu was her only family now. The only family she needed, really.
"Ri wants to thank you, Yu!" she suddenly, and rather energetically. With a smile she turned to her friend, who looked at her with a sort of confused expression.
"For what?"
"For being Ri's only family!" came the response, to which Yu only smiled and nodded. "Ri remembers when she first met Yu. It was a loooooong, long time ago. Nighttime. Ri was about to go to sleep, and was crying because she was alone again. Then, then! Then Yu came and said that you would keep me company and be my friend! I even asked for Yu's name, and you gave it! I remember exactly what you said!!" Ri went on, her energy like that of a cub as she excitedly pressed on with her story. It was, of course, reasonable to an extent. It was when she met her first, and so far only friend.
"Do you now? And what was it that I said?" Yu asked, just to entertain her friend.
Ri stopped walking then, and beamed at Yu. "I asked you, 'So what's your name?' And you answered, 'I am Yu."
"'I am you."
Ri's eyes widened when Yu said the exact same thing as she did, and at the same time. "Wow! You remember too! Yeah, yeah that's right! That's what you said!"
Yu smiled at her friend, and nodded. "'How could I forget?" she asked, then nodded her head forward. "'You should keep walking, Ri. It would be bad to get stuck in the middle of nowhere tonight, unless you don't mind staying awake again."
And yet again the lioness nodded at her friend's suggestion and pressed on, the energy she put forth in their little conversation now going into her steps.
It was a slow pace that she walked due to her new blindness, and as the day went the shadow of a single lioness eventually disappeared into the darkness that came with nighttime. She hadn't found food yet, but she was having fun together with her best friend.
Always together.
On this particular day, Ri was lazing beneath the canopy of a rather large tree that she happened upon thanks to the guidance of several noisy birds early in the morning. She hadn't stopped to rest during the past night, and so almost as soon as she felt the tree's leaves shield her back from the already blazing hot sun, the lioness collapsed in a heap and fell asleep. It wasn't until around noon that the lioness woke up, refreshed and ready for whatever came her way next.
"Ri, are you awake yet?" she heard a voice call to her. Her then closed eyelids opened to reveal her scarred, unseeing eyes behind them. There was currently a smile forming on her maw, and she nodded rather enthusiastically.
"Yes! Did Yu go to sleep like Ri?" she replied. Ri rolled onto her stomach, ears flicking as she listened to the response that followed.
"No, I was watching over you," Yu replied, smiling. "Did you sleep well, Ri?"
Ri nodded enthusiastically yet again. "Ri did, yes. Ri is still a little tired though. So did you find us lunch Yu?" she asked her friend. So far she'd only been getting by on field mice and leftovers she managed to sniff out. That was actually half the reason why she'd stayed awake all night - she was hungry and couldn't get to sleep. The other reason is.. well, never mind that reason.
The lioness began to roll back onto her side when Yu reprimanded her. "Too much sleep isn't good for you," Yu warned, frowning a little. "Do you remember what happened last time, Ri?"
And yet again Ri nodded her head, albeit with a small frown this time. "Yes..." she answered, recalling that particularly unpleasant experience. "But Ri is still tired!" the lioness whined, making a pouty face of sorts. This usually got Yu to cave. However, there remained a stern look on her best friend's face, so Ri kept talking. "Let RI sleep! Let Ri sleep! She's tired and wants more sleep! Let Ri sleep!!" she wailed, rolling onto her back and flailing her arms about in a frenzy. "More sleep! Sleep! SLEEEEEEP!"
"NO MORE SLEEP!" came Yu's stern voice at last, cutting through Ri's tantrum and silencing the lioness. It seemed to end at that, their little conversation on sleep, and after a few minutes of peace and quiet Yu finally spoke up again. "You should keep walking," Yu said slowly, and with a smile. "You'll get hungry soon, and dinner isn't going to come walk up to you and ask you to eat it. You need to find some on your own, right?"
And yet again Ri nodded her head, her lower lip sticking out a bit in a pouty expression. She really did want to go back to sleep, but because Yu said not to she wouldn't. Yu was always looking out for her best interest, and so far she hadn't led her wrong yet. Not yet, and Ri hoped she never would. Yu was her only family, after all. Only family. Only friend.. the only one who's been there for her through everything. So Ri got up and promptly started walking as per her friend's suggestion, the heat of the sun on her back once again. Truth be told, she actually liked it. After staying within the confines of her dark den for most of her life, the warmth was certainly welcome.
Ri even had a little bounce in her step as she went. She had a good rest after all, and it was a nice day. Even if she couldn't see any of it, it still felt good to be a part of the world beyond the mouth of her den. The outside world. The world her father had denied her access when she was a cub, and then promptly escaped into it and left her there for dead. But she survived, oh.. she survived. She wasn't looking for revenge though, but the thought of her coming across her then-family at some point did amuse her somewhat. It was mostly Yu's influence that harbored those kinds of thoughts. They had originally been rather morbid, but Yu made them amusing and something to laugh about.
Yu was her only family now. The only family she needed, really.
"Ri wants to thank you, Yu!" she suddenly, and rather energetically. With a smile she turned to her friend, who looked at her with a sort of confused expression.
"For what?"
"For being Ri's only family!" came the response, to which Yu only smiled and nodded. "Ri remembers when she first met Yu. It was a loooooong, long time ago. Nighttime. Ri was about to go to sleep, and was crying because she was alone again. Then, then! Then Yu came and said that you would keep me company and be my friend! I even asked for Yu's name, and you gave it! I remember exactly what you said!!" Ri went on, her energy like that of a cub as she excitedly pressed on with her story. It was, of course, reasonable to an extent. It was when she met her first, and so far only friend.
"Do you now? And what was it that I said?" Yu asked, just to entertain her friend.
Ri stopped walking then, and beamed at Yu. "I asked you, 'So what's your name?' And you answered, 'I am Yu."
"'I am you."
Ri's eyes widened when Yu said the exact same thing as she did, and at the same time. "Wow! You remember too! Yeah, yeah that's right! That's what you said!"
Yu smiled at her friend, and nodded. "'How could I forget?" she asked, then nodded her head forward. "'You should keep walking, Ri. It would be bad to get stuck in the middle of nowhere tonight, unless you don't mind staying awake again."
And yet again the lioness nodded at her friend's suggestion and pressed on, the energy she put forth in their little conversation now going into her steps.
It was a slow pace that she walked due to her new blindness, and as the day went the shadow of a single lioness eventually disappeared into the darkness that came with nighttime. She hadn't found food yet, but she was having fun together with her best friend.
Always together.
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